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 My son has narrated the last book I wrote. Please consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too. (Click HERE) World & Nation Supreme Court rules on key Voting Rights Act rule as Republicans and Democrats wage redistricting war At issue was whether the state's congressional map, updated twice since the 2020 census, is an illegal racial gerrymander  The Supreme Court on Wednesday limited the scope of a key Voting Rights Act provision that restricts how states draw districts affecting minority voters, constraining states' use of race as a factor when drawing congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. Justices for the 6-3 majority ruled that Louisiana's newly redrawn congressional map, which created a second majority-Black district, constituted an "illegal" racial gerrymander. Though the justices acknowledged that compliance with the Voting Rights Act can be a compelling interest for states, they ruled that it did not require Louisiana to create the new map with a second, majority Black district. Compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, "as properly construed, can provide such a reason," Justice Samuel Alito said, writing for the majority. "Correctly understood, Section 2 does not impose liability at odds with the Constitution, and it should not have imposed liability on Louisiana for its 2022 map." Trump Warns Iran to 'Get Smart Soon' on Deal  President Donald Trump warned Iran to "get smart soon" on Wednesday as his administration reviewed military options for the Strait of Hormuz, where a prolonged standoff has disrupted a key global shipping route and driven up energy prices. "Iran can't get their act together. They don't know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!" Trump posted on Truth Social early Wednesday, alongside an image depicting him with a weapon and the message "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!" Members of Trump's national security team presented multiple options during a Situation Room meeting this week, including whether to increase or decrease the U.S. military presence in the strait and whether to take a more aggressive operational posture, NBC News reported, quoting an unnamed U.S. official and a person familiar with the discussions.
2 suspects indicted in assault of TPUSA reporter Savanah Hernandez during Minneapolis ICE protest: sources Suspects' names not yet been released but indictment expected to be unsealed later Wednesday, federal sources say  A federal grand jury handed down indictments for two individuals connected to the assault on Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest in Minneapolis earlier this month, Fox News Digital has learned. The suspects were indicted on Tuesday, federal sources told Fox News Digital, though their names have yet to be released. The sources said the indictment is expected to be unsealed later Wednesday. The incident happened on April 11 outside the Whipple Federal Building, where a protest was taking place over a local ICE field office that also serves as a detention facility. FBI to deliver ‘final report’ on missing scientists ‘shortly’ amid growing scrutiny The White House requested the FBI review multiple state-level investigations to determine whether any are connected  FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau will produce a report "in short order" after reviewing multiple state-level investigations at the White House’s request to determine whether any are connected. "Those investigations are collectively being looked at by the FBI pursuant to (the) President, the White House's request," Patel told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday. "So we're reaching out. We've already done it, we're engaged. They're all state cases, but we're looking to see if there's any connections, and we're going to have a final report here in short order." He poured cold water on the idea that all the cases of mysterious deaths and disappearances that have resurfaced in recent weeks are connected — noting that some are not even scientists — but said the FBI is "just trying to do our homework." US Focus Shift Weakens Pressure on Russia  The United States' shift in focus to the Middle East has reduced pressure on Russia and risks prolonging the war, and Moscow will not move toward peace without stronger action from Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Newsmax in an exclusive interview. "We all want to stop this war," Zelenskyy told Newsmax's Shelby Wilder in an interview conducted at the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant. "The problem is that the priority for the United States has now shifted to the Middle East." "I'm afraid that if we will have just talks, Russia will not feel the most important thing that America can give us, pressure on them," he added. Zelenskyy said U.S. military support for Ukraine continues, even as diplomatic pressure has eased. White House: Funds to Pay TSA, Other DHS Workers Will 'Soon Run Out'  The White House is warning Congress that funding to pay Department of Homeland Security personnel will "soon run out," sparking new threats of airport disruptions and national security concerns as the House slow-walks legislation to end what has been the longest-ever lapse in agency funding. In a memo late Tuesday to lawmakers, the Office of Management and Budget said money that President Donald Trump tapped to pay Transportation Security Administration and other workers through executive actions will be exhausted by May. It called on the House to quickly approve the budget resolution senators approved in an all-night session last week that would pave the way for full funding for the department. "DHS will soon run out of critical operating funds, placing essential personnel and operations at risk," the memo said. The pressure from the Trump administration could help House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose narrow Republican majority has been stalled out, tangled in internal party disputes on a range of pending issues, including the Homeland Security funding. They have left the chamber at a virtual standstill. Fed Likely to Hold Rates Steady at What May Be Last Meeting of Powell Era  The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday as officials debate whether to flag risks of rising inflation in a policy statement issued after what may be Jerome Powell's final meeting as head of the U.S. central bank. With oil prices high and rising again due to the U.S.-led war with Iran, policymakers ahead of the Fed's latest two-day session said they were increasingly concerned that elevated energy costs could evolve from a one-off shock into higher underlying inflation, with interest rates needing to stay on hold longer than expected or, in the extreme, to move up. Stalemated negotiations and the continued closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz have pushed the global benchmark oil price again above $110 a barrel compared to about $70 before the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran started on Feb. 28. Resurfaced clip of Johnny Carson's grace after Reagan shooting contrasts with Kimmel Carson and others postponed 1981 Oscars by 24 hours after John Hinckley Jr. shot Reagan at the same Washington Hilton  Nearly half a century ago, comedian Johnny Carson chose unity over punchlines after an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. A clip comparing Carson’s 1981 Oscars monologue to reactions to a recent attempt on President Donald Trump’s life has drawn nearly 800,000 views online. "I'm sure that all of you here and most of you watching tonight understand why we delayed this program for 24 hours," Carson said in the video. "Because of the incredible events of yesterday, that old adage, the show must go on, seemed relatively unimportant." Carson and others postponed the Academy Awards by 24 hours after John Hinckley Jr.’s March 30, 1981, attempt on Reagan’s life. The attack happened at the same location as Saturday’s shooting, the Washington Hilton Hotel, more than 40 years earlier. Rory McIlroy skips PGA Tour event at Trump's place, still gets shoutout from president at White House dinner The back-to-back Masters champion attended the state dinner for England's King Charles III on Tuesday evening  Rory McIlroy decided to pass on playing at Trump National Doral this week for the PGA Tour's Cadillac Championship, but President Donald Trump doesn't appear to have any ill will toward the six-time major champion. McIlroy and his wife, Erica, attended the White House State Dinner for England's King Charles III on Tuesday evening and received high praise from the president in the middle of his speech. Trump went as far as to prompt McIlroy to stand up in the middle of the event amid his special shoutout. "That was unconquerable courage. That was very good, Rory," Trump stated. "Where is Rory McIlroy, can you stand up please? I don’t know if that helps them talk about how wonderful my speech is but I had to interrupt my speech because I watched that man win a tournament that was a tough, that was a tough one. Congratulations, very proud of you. Now I’ll get back to my speech, all right." A decade of Secret Service failure proves the agency is still in crisis The agency has a dual mission with little overlap that needs to be split. Most people don’t realize the majority of USSS personnel work on financial crimes and currency integrity By Jason Chaffetz
The United States Secret Service (USSS) was described as "an agency in crisis" way back in 2015, according to a comprehensive congressional report. Ten years later, it still is. Despite individual acts of heroism during repeated assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, the agency has not fixed what is broken. We keep seeing the same mistakes repeated. Thus far, we have been lucky, but we can no longer rely solely on luck. The House Oversight Committee’s exhaustive 450-page report, released in December 2015, followed an in-depth bipartisan investigation. We reviewed more than 100 security incidents. The problems and challenges we highlighted remain the same today. The agency has a dual mission with little overlap that needs to be split. Most people don’t realize the majority of USSS personnel work on financial crimes and currency integrity. Government worker surveys routinely show the USSS has one of the lowest levels of morale in all of government. Staffing levels, training, workload and other factors are all contributing to that problem. Trump’s defiance of assassins shows why he’s so exceptional a history-maker By Rich Lowry
Andrew Jackson is the only president of the United States who got the better of his attempted assassin. The aged Jackson was at the Capitol for a congressional funeral in 1835 when a crazed man named Richard Lawrence aimed a pistol directly at his chest and pulled the trigger. It misfired. Jackson bull-charged his assailant with his cane, and incredibly, Lawrence pulled out another pistol. It too misfired. President Trump isn’t a former general or wizened old Indian fighter like Jackson, but he partakes of the same spirit of aggressive defiance. By all appearances, the two least fearful people in the ballroom of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner were an older gentleman from New York who kept eating his salad during the mayhem … and the target of the attack himself. |
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