Fox News Politics Newsletter: SCOTUS Upholds Ban on Trans Treatments for Minors
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here's what's happening…
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a Tennessee law banning specific transgender medical treatments for adolescents in the state is not discriminatory, ruling 6-3 to uphold the law.
At issue in the case, United States v. Skrmetti, was whether Tennessee's Senate Bill 1, which "prohibits all medical treatments intended to allow 'a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor's sex' or to treat 'purported discomfort or distress from a discordance between the minor's sex and asserted identity,'" violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
That law prohibits states from allowing medical providers to deliver puberty blockers and hormones to facilitate a minor's transition to another sex… READ MORE.
CLEAR RED LINE: White House maintains Trump consistent in firm stance on Iran nukes — and shows off receipts
SURVEY SAYS: Where Trump stands in the eyes of Americans five months into his second presidency
GLOBAL GAGGLE: G7 with early Trump departure does not yield agreements on matters like world conflicts
ANTISEMITISM SPREADS: UN commission accuses Israel of 'extermination' in controversial report
KEEPING FAITH: 'Jewish Matchmaking' star living in Israel has hope amid conflicts with Hamas, Iran
DEADLY REACH: In Iran's 'forever war' against the US, regime has targeted, killed Americans worldwide
CONFLICT INTENSIFIES: Iran warns US joining conflict would mean 'all-out war,' refuses demands to give up disputed nuclear program
'VERY BIG': Trump weighs striking Iranian nuclear facilities: 'I may do it, I may not do it'
DRONE FORCE RISING: 'Eyes in the sky': Army drone expert explains US strategy on innovation as global conflict looms
TROUBLING PATTERN: FBI Director Patel says man who threatened Trump used same message as Comey's 'destructive' Instagram post
ENEMY AT THE GATES: Senators Ricketts, Fetterman unite against China's quiet invasion of US farmland
PRESIDENCY IN NAME: Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off Wednesday
TAXPAYER TAB: Migrant influx helping drive $1B shelter bill in Massachusetts, report shows
MAINTAINING ORDER: Trump admin deploys 2,000 more troops to blue city for anti-ICE riots
ONE ON THE RUN: Third illegal immigrant captured after ICE facility breakout
MASSIVE BUST: Louisiana racetrack ICE raid nets more than 80 illegal migrants during worksite enforcement operation
EVIL KNOCKING: Suspected Tren de Aragua gang members terrorize apartment complex in shocking doorbell video
SAFETY AND SECURITY: Potential Youngkin successor focused on message to keep Virginia 'red'
COMEBACK OR COLLAPSE: Cuomo's lead shrinks with under one week until New York City mayoral primary: poll
POLITICAL TOUCHDOWN: State senator, Indian immigrant, pulls upset in Virginia Democratic lieutenant governor's race
PRIVACY BETRAYED: Republicans demand answers on California program accused of leaking patient health data to Big Tech
'BETRAYED OUR STATE': GOP Louisiana state senator says he's running for US Senate because incumbent Republican 'sucks'
Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
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USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump's rebuke of MAGA isolationists is smart foreign policy. We must stop Iran.
Trump's rebuke of MAGA isolationists is smart foreign policy. We must stop Iran. | Opinion Trump's approach to the Middle East has been very competent. He has stood by Israel, continued to position the United States against Iran, and has not taken American military action off the table. Show Caption Hide Caption Trump teases possible strike on Iran but says it's not too late for deal "I may do it. I may not do it." President Trump teased a possible strike on Iran but also said it is not too late to negotiate. President Trump rebuked Tucker Carlson's isolationist stance on the Middle East. Trump remains firm on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Trump's actions have distanced him from isolationist figures like Carlson and Gabbard. President Donald Trump on June 16 called out fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson by his new nickname, 'kooky Tucker Carlson,' who has called Trump "complicit" in Israel's strikes against Iran. Trump also emphasized that 'Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.' Carlson represents a faction on the right that is against American involvement in the Middle East, regardless of our interests. Despite his rhetorical embrace of these voices during his third presidential campaign, Trump's approach to the Middle East has been very competent. He has stood by Israel, continued to position the United States against Iran and has not taken American military action off the table. One of my chief concerns about a second Trump presidency was that he was embracing voices like Carlson and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. But Trump's latest rebuke of the isolationist right is a welcome turn of events, and it improves my view of him as president. Opinion: Israel's successful attack on Iran is proof American support is worth the money Trump's stances on Iran have been commendable Trump has been unwavering in his stance that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, and he has held the line against any compromise that allows them to enrich uranium. While he initially pushed for a diplomatic resolution, it is clear that Iranian leaders will not willingly sign a deal that prevents their continued enrichment programs. Whether Trump signed off on the Israeli strikes or not remains up for debate, but Trump has had no problem taking credit regardless and has said it's almost too late for negotiation. Opinion: Trump must back Israel against Iran. 'Kooky' Carlson is wrong about nuclear threat. Trump's approach to Israel in his second term has been nothing short of stellar, and the fact that he has been consistent on this issue is rather remarkable considering how he has changed his mind in so many other areas. Trump's willingness to keep all options on the table in the Middle East marks a parting of ways from the isolationists who helped to shape his reelection campaign. MAGA isolationists got played by Trump's 'America First' approach The isolationist right thought they had a hero in Trump, but they really just fell for a campaign strategy. Isolationists thought they could mold Trump into their dream candidate, one who lets the happenings of the world go on without American intervention, regardless of our interests in the matter. They were wrong. Many chalked up Trump's first term peace-through-strength foreign policy to the establishment Republicans advising him, and thought that his America First movement could be co-opted to meet their isolationist dream. It turns out that Trump still understands the value of America's influence abroad, at least in some regards. Carlson has been one of the chief skeptics of America's relationship with Israel on the right, often even dipping into the very antisemitic tactics that he used to denounce. Trump has been asked about Carlson plenty in recent days, and the president has been dismissive of his viewpoints. Another such figure is Gabbard, whose appointment to be the director of national intelligence rightfully worried conservatives. Gabbard recently has been warning that we are 'closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before' (which is ridiculous on its face), and suggesting that pro-interventionists are apparently fine with this because "they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families.' This type of fearmongering represents nothing more than an effort to influence the Trump administration back into her camp. Trump also rejected some of Gabbard's assessments of the Iran situation, telling reporters that 'I don't care what she said, I think they were very close to having" an Iranian nuke. He continues to put American interests above the views of these fringe isolationist voices, and I am pleasantly surprised that he is. The isolationists do not have a true foreign policy ally in Trump. His second term has been reassuring to conservatives who feared the worst. Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.
43 minutes ago
Trump's latest judicial pick is someone that Joe Biden almost nominated
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday he plans to tap Chad Meredith, a former state solicitor general in Kentucky, for a federal judgeship in the state — a move that could face objections from Sen. Rand Paul, who opposed the nomination three years ago. Meredith was the starring player in a bit of judicial nominations drama in the previous administration, when then-President Joe Biden had agreed to nominate Meredith, who was enthusiastically supported by Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former Senate majority leader. It was a curious move at the time, because Meredith had a track record of defending Kentucky's anti-abortion laws and the nomination would come in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 Supreme Court decision that eliminated a constitutional right to the procedure. But Paul indicated to the Biden White House at the time that he would block Meredith's confirmation proceedings from moving forward, so the former president never formally nominated him. Biden's decision to back off Meredith was also a relief to Democrats and abortion rights groups who had been enraged at the prospect of Biden tapping an anti-abortion lawyer for a lifetime judiciary seat. In a social media post announcing the nomination, Trump called Meredith 'highly experienced and well qualified.' 'Chad is a courageous Patriot who knows what is required to uphold the Rule of Law, and protect our Constitution,' Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday night. McConnell said in a statement Wednesday that Trump made an 'outstanding choice' in choosing Meredith, who also served as chief deputy general counsel for former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin. 'His demonstrated devotion to the rule of law and the Constitution will serve the people of Kentucky well on the federal bench,' McConnell said. 'I look forward to the Senate confirming his nomination.' Paul's office did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday night on the nomination. Three years ago, Paul accused McConnell of cutting a 'secret deal' with the White House as a reason why Meredith's nomination never moved forward under Biden. 'Unfortunately, instead of communicating and lining up support for him, Senator McConnell chose to cut a secret deal with the White House that fell apart,' Paul said at the time. Paul never made any substantive objections about Meredith himself. It's unclear whether Paul would hold similar process concerns with Meredith's formal nomination under Trump. But Paul had effective veto power over a judicial pick in his home state because the Senate continues to honor the so-called blue slip rule, a decades-old custom that says a judicial nominee won't move forward if there is opposition from his or her home-state senator. The Biden White House also deferred to that custom, which is why Biden never ended up nominating Meredith. Though the rule has been eroded in part, namely for appellate court judges whose seat spans several states, the custom has remained intact for district court nominees who are more closely tied to their home states. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has so far made no indication that he would deviate from that longstanding custom. Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program and an adviser at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, criticized Trump's selection of Meredith given his 'disturbing anti-abortion record." 'The nomination of Chad Meredith to a lifetime judgeship should trouble everyone,' Zwarensteyn said.
43 minutes ago
In Virginia and New Jersey governor's races, Democrats reprise a 2018 roadmap for opposing Trump 2.0
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Abigail Spanberger opened her general election bid for Virginia governor Wednesday using her high school alma mater near Richmond. 'I grew up walking the halls of Tucker High School,' the former congresswoman says as she walks past a bank of lockers in her first ad since securing the Democratic nomination. Later, she notes her experience as a CIA case officer, then in the halls of Congress as a tough-minded, get-things-done lawmaker. The same kind of message is echoing in New Jersey from Rep. Mikie Sherrill, as she also makes a bid for governor. Both women are selling themselves as Democrats who can rise above the rancor of Donald Trump's Washington. For national Democrats who have spent months debating how to counter the president's aggressive second administration, it's a reminder of what worked for the party during Trump's first term. Spanberger and Sherrill were headliners in the 2018 roster of center-left Democrats who helped flip House control from Republicans with balanced appeals to moderates, progressives and even anti-Trump conservatives. Now, they're leading statewide tickets in races that could offer Democrats a back-to-the-future path forward as they look toward next year's midterms. 'There are a lot of similarities' in Democrats' current position and the 2018 campaigns, said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., who, as a House member, chaired his party's congressional campaign arm during Trump's first midterm election cycle. The 2018 Democratic freshman class yielded a net gain of 40 seats with a lineup that featured record numbers of women and plenty of candidates with national security and business backgrounds. A similar effort yielded a net gain of six governors. The party's 2018 winners also included outspoken progressives like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, elected in more liberal, urban districts. But the balance of power shifted on the backs of centrist candidates who carried the nation's suburbs and improved Democrats' performance in exurbs and even small-town, GOP-dominated areas. Among Spanberger's and Sherrill's freshman colleagues were Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, another former CIA analyst, who won a suburban Detroit seat before her elevation to the Senate last November; Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army officer, who represents suburban Denver; and Rep. Angie Craig, who flipped a GOP-held seat in greater Minneapolis and now is running for Senate. Crow is now co-chairman of candidate recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Similar resumes are popping up among new Democratic recruits. In Michigan, for example, Bridget Brink, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, announced her bid for Slotkin's old 7th Congressional District on Wednesday by leaning into her international experience as a counter to Trump. Luján said the common thread has been recruiting 'real people, regular folks' with 'incredible credentials' and an ability to hold 'a real conversation with people around economic issues … around the kitchen table' and campaign in any area. So even as New Jersey's Sherrill calls her Republican rival Jack Ciattarelli a 'Trump lackey' and Spanberger pledges in a fundraising email to 'defeat Trump's agenda at the ballot box,' their wider appeal depends on different arguments. Sherrill has from the start touted her biography: a Naval Academy graduate, Navy Sea King helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor and mother of four. Her blue and gold yard signs have a chopper hovering above her name. She is also promising an 'Affordability Agenda' to address voters' economic concerns. Spanberger, part of the Problem Solvers Caucus when she was on Capitol Hill, leans into her deal-making centrism, promises to confront economic gaps and has pledged to campaign in every Virginia congressional district, including where Trump has dominated. 'It's not the job of the governor of Virginia to cater to President Trump,' Spanberger said in one of her final primary campaign speeches. 'It's not the job of the governor of Virginia to cater to a political party.' In an Associated Press interview earlier this spring, Spanberger even criticized former President Joe Biden for 'posturing' by promising to eliminate student debt — something he could not accomplish by presidential action alone. 'Don't make promises you can't keep,' she said. She also bristled when asked to describe her place on the political spectrum. She instead said she set goals by asking, 'How do I impact the most people in the fastest way possible?' Jared Leopold, a Democratic strategist who worked as a senior staffer for the Democratic Governors Association during the 2018 cycle, said it's notable that Spanberger and Sherrill avoid getting mired in the internal party tussle among progressives, liberals and moderates. 'Most voters aren't really thinking about things along a simple left-right political spectrum,' especially in statewide races, Leopold said. 'People are looking for politicians who they think understand them and can get things done to help them.' He pointed to another 2018 Democratic standout: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Now a potential 2028 presidential candidate, Whitmer first gained national attention as a state legislator who spoke out about abortion rights and her experience of being raped as a college student. But she became a juggernaut in the governor's race with what Leopold called a 'brilliant and simple' slogan: 'Fix the damn roads!' Of course, Democrats do not dispute that a candidate's military and national security experiences help neutralize routine Republican attacks of all Democrats as too liberal or out of touch. 'These credentials for how they've served the country — they're just sharing who they are,' Luján said. Said Leopold: 'It certainly gives a different definition of what the Democratic Party is to some voters.' In Virginia, Republican nominee and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who like Spanberger would become the first woman to serve in the state's top elected office, is trying to tie the Democratic nominee to her national party. Earle-Sears' social media accounts frequently share pictures of Spanberger and Biden hugging and wearing masks. She accuses Spanberger of effectively rubber-stamping Biden's legislative agenda while in Congress. 'Part of the challenge,' Spanberger retorts, 'is that either my opponent or people who might be running anywhere, who don't necessarily have things to run on, are going to try and distract.' Spanberger, Sherrill and Democrats like them hope that most voters assess the GOP attacks and their own branding efforts like Fred Martucci, a retired glazier who voted early in Trenton, New Jersey. The 75-year-old expressed a visceral distaste for Trump. As for what impresses him about Sherrill, he said: 'She was a Navy helicopter pilot. You can't be a dummy — she's sharp.'
