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Trump's signature tariffs hang on key question about Congress' power before Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is weighing whether to expand presidential power in a case over Donald Trump’s global tariffs, but key constitutional issues could doom the president’s argument.
The high court raised separation of powers concerns during recent oral arguments about the absence of Congress’ role in Trump’s sweeping trade plan, which the president has said is critical to foreign policy and national security and a matter of "life or death" for the country.
Justices across the ideological spectrum peppered Solicitor General John Sauer, the lawyer arguing on behalf of Trump, with questions about whether the president overstepped his authority. They framed their inquiries at times around two legal principles, known as the major questions and non-delegation doctrines, and scrutinized the text of the emergency law Trump invoked to enact the tariffs.
Justice Clarence Thomas set the stage for the nearly three-hour arguments. In the first question of the day, Thomas, an appointee of President George H.W. Bush, asked Sauer to "spend a few minutes on why exactly the major questions doctrine doesn't apply to the president in this case."
BARRETT AND SOTOMAYOR TAG-TEAM TRUMP LAWYER ON TARIFF POWERS
Under the principle, courts look to make sure the executive branch has not used a vaguely written law to carry out an act of major national significance, like worldwide tariffs.
Sauer responded that the tariffs case, which involved foreign trade deals, was a "particularly poor fit" to apply the major questions doctrine because courts should give broader power to the president on foreign policy matters.
Brent Skorup, a legal fellow at the CATO Institute, which has sided against Trump in the case, told Fox News Digital he has seen two trends emerge from the Supreme Court. One is a long-term trend where the high court is highly deferential to the president on overseas matters, but the other, he said, was a more recent use of the major questions doctrine.
Courts have increasingly used the doctrine to demand clear statutory permission for blockbuster policies, striking down agency actions in West Virginia v. EPA and Biden v. Nebraska. Several justices asked whether that same rule applies when the president, rather than an agency, claims sweeping tariff power under the statute Trump used, which never mentions the word "tariffs."
"It's not clear which trend will play out," Skorup said. "My hunch is that most, and this was confirmed at oral arguments, most justices are probably leaning towards favoring the importers and these more recent doctrinal trends will prevail." He added he was encouraged by Chief Justice Roberts pressing Sauer about the matter.
"He seemed to think there's a major questions problem here," Skorup said.
TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT FOR URGENT RULING ON TARIFF POWERS AS 'STAKES COULD NOT BE HIGHER'
Trump has been on a rampage this week, emphasizing the perceived stakes of the case, a sign that he could be bracing for an unfavorable outcome.
Trump claimed that if the tariffs are deemed illegal, the potential refund process could exceed $3 trillion. He said the justices were given "wrong numbers" about repayment costs.
"It would not be possible to ever make up for that kind of ‘drubbing,’" Trump wrote on social media. "That would truly become an insurmountable National Security Event, and devastating to the future of our Country – Possibly non-sustainable!"
Trump used the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to sidestep Congress' role in approving taxes and tariffs, saying the opioid epidemic and trade deficit amounted to a national emergency and justified a host of tariffs on imports from major trading partners from China and India to Canada and Mexico. Trump has touted the billions in revenue collected by the government and said it will be used to pay $2,000 to lower-income families and pay off some of the national debt.
TRUMP’S OWN SCOTUS PICKS COULD WIND UP HURTING HIM ON TARIFFS
But the justices repeatedly questioned how Trump could justify bypassing Congress, especially when IEEPA was not clear on the matter. Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Sonia Sotomayor, Trump and Obama appointees, respectively, grilled Sauer about how IEEPA did not spell out that the president could unilaterally enact tariffs, even if it did give the president the power to "regulate imports."
The Supreme Court could also factor the non-delegation doctrine into its finding, either in an avoidant or direct way. The key question is, even if IEEPA could be read to allow tariffs, would that reading hand the president Congress’s core tariff authority without a limiting principle?
Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, seemed particularly interested in the issue, asking Sauer if Congress could "delegate to the president the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations as he sees fit."
If the Supreme Court were to take the avoidant route, according to Ilan Wurman, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, it could interpret IEEPA narrowly to avoid a possible finding that Congress improperly passed off its tariff authority to the president. Wurman told Fox News Digital that would be easier than directly concluding that Congress gave up its constitutional power to another branch of government.
But, Wurman said, "on the other hand, every century or so the Supreme Court should strike something down under the non-delegation doctrine. Give it a little life here and there, right?"
A decision is expected by late June.
Outrage over mass shooting suspect's 60K bail fueled by repeat offender's different treatment
The suspect in a mass shooting in Alabama was handed a $60,000 bond while the recent arrest of a repeat offender in the attack of an elderly woman was ordered to stay behind bars until trial.
Clarke County District Attorney Stephen Winters said Brandon Pugh allegedly attacked a 75-year-old woman in her Grove Hill, Alabama home on Nov. 2 while she was asleep, according to WALA. The woman was able to escape and go to a neighbor's house to call for police while Pugh was attempting to undress inside her home.
Pugh was convicted of indecent exposure three times. He also pleaded guilty to burglary in 2019 after he broke into a woman's home and intended to sexually assault her and commit theft.
A judge ordered Pugh to be held in jail without bond under Aniah's Law, which gives judges more authority to deny bail to people charged with serious crimes, such as murder, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape, first-degree robbery and more. Pugh was charged with first-degree burglary and elder abuse.
ALABAMA SHOOTING SUSPECT WALKS FREE ON $60K BOND AS COMMUNITY DEMANDS HE STAY LOCKED UP
According to the report, a petition to keep Pugh locked up until his trial since it's not his first serious offense.
Fox News Digital reached out to an attorney who last represented Pugh.
One of the suspects in an Oct. 4 mass shooting that took place following the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic college football game in Montgomery, Alabama, was given a $60,000 bond. Montgomery Police Chief Jim Graboys said two people were killed and 12 were injured, adding that only one of the 14 victims was the intended target. He said there were multiple shooters.
The suspect, Javorick Whiting, 19, was arrested on Oct. 16 and charged with attempted murder in relation to the mass shooting. According to court documents, the person Whiting allegedly shot was last reported in critical condition.
After Whiting was taken into custody, a judge set bond at $60,000, which Whiting was able to post on Oct. 17 through a bail bond company, court records obtained by Fox News Digital show.
Prosecutors filed a motion to increase Whiting's bond.
"The current bond amount is woefully inadequate to protect the public from this dangerous and violent criminal," the DA's office wrote.
CINCINNATI POLICE UNION RIPS ARREST OF WHITE VICTIM IN VIRAL STREET ATTACK AS POLITICAL INTERFERENCE
District Judge Michael Godwin denied the motion to increase bond, writing that prosecutors didn't present any new evidence. Godwin wasn't the judge who set Whiting's $60,000 bond.
Richard White, Whiting's attorney, said in an interview with Fox News Digital that a shift to no bail would be a "slippery slope."
"There are innocent people that get arrested and it's a slippery slope when you start just no bail for people," White said. "But I do understand people's frustration with that. But I just think, you know, it's a slippery slope. And look, the case is politicized. I think that has no business in the criminal justice system."
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey previously expressed her frustrations that Whiting was released on bond in a Facebook post.
"Today, we learn that one of the four suspects has been released back onto the streets," Ivey wrote on Oct. 20. "This is exactly the legal loophole that I and many in the Legislature sought to close when I signed the Safe Alabama package. Next May, all Alabama voters will have a chance to end mandatory bail for those suspected of attempted murder by voting to expand Aniah’s Law. I will not forget today’s troubling news when casting my vote."
Lawmakers recently passed legislation which would add attempted murder to the list of eligible charges in Aniah's Law, but it still needs to be approved by voters in the state.
Archaeologists unearth evidence of biblical power struggle beneath Jerusalem: 'Screamed with excitement'
A group of excavators recently uncovered the first-ever Assyrian inscription found in Jerusalem — shedding light on ancient power struggles described in the Bible.
The inscription, which was carved on a small pottery fragment, was uncovered at the Tzurim Valley National Park in East Jerusalem. The find was announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on Oct. 22.
Though the fragment was unearthed in the Tzurim Valley, it was originally part of rubble near the Western Wall, beside the Temple Mount.
ANCIENT ESTATE TIED TO GROUP IN THE BIBLE UNEARTHED WITH 'FASCINATING' TREASURES IN ISRAEL
The inscription belonged to the Assyrian civilization, the dominant empire in the Middle East during the time of biblical kings.
The Assyrians ruled much of the Near East from the 9th to the 7th centuries B.C., before Nineveh, their capital, fell. The inscription was written in Akkadian and dates back 2,700 years, according to officials.
"The inscription provides rare evidence of correspondence between the court of the King of Assyria and the King of Judah," the IAA said, calling the fragment "tiny, extremely rare and historic."
Archaeologist Moria Cohen, who spotted the artifact, told the IAA she was sifting soil when she suddenly noticed "a potsherd with a strange pattern."
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"I looked closely, and it seemed like cuneiform script — which felt so unlikely, because even though many fascinating finds have been uncovered here, we’ve never found anything like this," said Cohen.
"I checked again, and when I realized it wasn’t decoration but actual cuneiform writing — I screamed with excitement …[The] thought that after 2,700 years I’m the first person to touch this fragment — it’s incredibly moving. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime find."
The pottery piece, just about 2.5 centimeters long, records an exchange between ancient rulers.
Historians believe it was part of a royal bulla, or seal impression, used to convey a message about a tax payment or other obligation.
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The inscription specifies a deadline — specifically, the first day of the month of Av — and mentions a chariot officer, according to experts.
"Although the fragment does not include the name of the King of Judah to whom the message was addressed, its chronological context and partial text suggest it was sent to the court of one of the Judean kings — Hezekiah, Manasseh or Josiah early in his reign — when Judah was a vassal kingdom under Assyria," the IAA noted.
"While we cannot determine whether the delay was technical or politically motivated, the very existence of such an official message may indicate a point of tension between Judah and the imperial administration," the release added.
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Excavation director Ayala Silberstein said the inscription "provides direct evidence of official correspondence between the Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah.
"The discovery strengthens our understanding of the depth of Assyrian presence in Jerusalem and the extent of its influence on the city’s administration," Silberstein added.
"It also expands our knowledge of the status of the new neighborhood that developed at that time on the slopes west of the Temple. It appears this area served as a center for high-ranking officials and ministers."
In sum, Israeli officials said the fragment "holds enormous significance."
"It opens a window into the diplomatic and administrative relations between Judah and Assyria — providing the first-ever evidence of official communication between Jerusalem and the most powerful empire of its time," officials added.
Billy Bob Thornton says Hollywood told him he ‘wasn’t Southern enough’: 'I am just off the turnip truck'
Billy Bob Thornton opened up about the challenges he faced as a Southerner trying to make it in Hollywood during the early years of his career.
While appearing alongside his "Landman" co-star Sam Elliott in a joint interview with Fox News Digital, the 70-year-old Arkansas native shared his view that there was a "certain prejudice" when he first arrived on the scene in Los Angeles. Thornton recalled that he wasn't considered for as many roles as actors from coastal hubs like New York and explained how his experiences shaped his view of the industry.
"It certainly makes you, at least for a period of time, stay in your wheelhouse," Thornton said. "A guy from the Bronx can play a guy from Mississippi in the movies, I've found over the years. But a guy from Mississippi can't really play a guy from the Bronx."
BILLY BOB THORNTON CLAIMS THERE'S A 'PREJUDICE IN HOLLYWOOD' AGAINST SOUTHERNERS
"There was a certain prejudice with Southern actors for a long time," he continued. "I don't know, I actually did an audition once for a student film, and they told me I wasn't Southern enough."
"It was about a guy from Alabama just off the turnip truck in California," Thornton added. "And I said, ‘Well, I am just off the turnip truck from Arkansas.’ And it's like, ‘What do you mean?’ And what they were looking for was that Foghorn Leghorn [accent], you know, the rooster on the cartoon. That's the accent they were looking for, and I never really heard that. I grew up down there."
Thornton noted that while he initially struggled, he could later have his pick of roles after he rose to fame and established himself as a bankable actor.
"Here's what it is," he said. "Once you're successful, I could walk into Universal Studios and say I wanna play Bette Davis. And they go, ‘Oh, that sounds like a good idea.’ And then when I was coming up, I couldn't get a part as a hillbilly."
WATCH: BILLY BOB THORNTON RECALLS HE ‘COULDN’T GET A PART AS A HILLBILLY' DURING EARLY YEARS OF HIS CAREER
Originally from Hot Springs, Arkansas, Thornton moved to Los Angeles around 1985 to pursue a career in acting. For the first few years, he faced difficulty landing roles and supported himself by working as a telemarketer, offshore wind farmer and fast-food manager in between auditions.
After taking on smaller roles in movies and TV series, Thornton made his breakthrough at the age of 41 when he directed, wrote and starred in the 1996 independent movie "Sling Blade." The crime thriller became a surprise hit at the box office and received rave reviews from critics. Thornton won the Academy Award for best screenplay and earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in the lead role. He went on to earn a best supporting actor Academy Award nomination for his performance in the 1998 neo-noir crime thriller "A Simple Plan."
The "Goliath" actor has also earned numerous accolades for his work in television, including two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award nomination. In 2024, he received a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the first season of "Landman."
Created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, "Landman" is set in the high-stakes world of the modern Texas oil boom. Inspired by Wallace's "Boomtown" podcast, the Paramount+ show follows several characters whose livelihoods depend on oil — from oil rig workers and landmen to executives and speculators. Thornton stars as Tommy Norris, a crisis manager navigating the moral and economic pressures of the energy industry. The first season premiered in November 2024, and in March, the show was greenlit for a second season, which began production in May.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Thornton reflected on what he had learned about real-life oil workers from filming "Landman" in Texas and living in the show's world for two seasons.
WATCH: BILLY BOB THORNTON SHARES WHAT HE'S LEARNED ABOUT REAL-LIFE OIL WORKS FROM STARRING IN ‘LANDMAN’
"I think the thing that I learned that I wasn't quite aware of before — because I knew some about the oil business — but I knew people more on the sort of suit side of it, you know, in Texas. One of the things that surprised me was how many people who had had broken lives are working in the oil fields," he explained. "Got ex-cons and all kinds of things working out there because they can make from $120,000 to $180,000 a year to take care of their families when they try to straighten their lives out."
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"And they couldn't make that much money anywhere else," Thornton added. "So they're willing to risk life and limb to support their family."
Many members of the show's ensemble cast, including Demi Moore, Ali Larter, Andy Garcia, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph, Paulina Chávez, Kayla Wallace, Mark Collie and James Jordan, are returning for the second season.
In April, Paramount announced that Elliott had joined the show in a recurring role. The 81-year-old actor will be playing T.L., the father of Thornton's character. Elliott previously starred in Sheridan's acclaimed "Yellowstone" prequel series "1883," which aired from 2021 to 2022. In the Western saga, Elliott played Shea Brennan, a former Pinkerton agent and Civil War veteran who leads a group of settlers westward on the Oregon Trail.
The "Tombstone" star told Fox News Digital that he jumped at the chance to team up with Sheridan again when he was offered the role.
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"Having worked with Taylor on ‘1883’ was one of the great experiences of my career," he said. "I mean, this man is a genius in terms of putting a pen to the page. And when he asked me to come on and join a cast headed by Billy Bob Thornton, you know it ain't gonna get any better for me. At least at this point in my career, you know, it's just a blessing to be able to join this bunch."
Elliott went on to say that Sheridan "just has a way of telling the truth in his work, on the page."
WATCH: SAM ELLIOTT SHARES WHY HE JOINED THE CAST OF ‘LANDMAN’ SEASON 2
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"He tells great stories, and he draws these incredible relationships between characters and does it with humor and does with drama and does all the things that we actors want to have an opportunity to do," he said. "'1883' for me had more colors than anything I've ever done. I paid the price for it, but it was again one of the great joys of my career, so I just think we're all lucky to be here and have that to draw from."
"And I think that's one of the things that drives this show and has made it so successful and addictive, apparently, for people that are waiting to see it again," Elliott added. "I don't think I've ever been involved in something that so many people on the audience end of it were so excited to see."
The official plot synopsis for "Landman" season two reads: "As oil rises from the earth, so do secrets — and Tommy Norris’s breaking point may be closer than he realizes. Facing mounting pressure from M-Tex Oil, Cami Miller, and the shadow of his kin, survival in West Texas isn’t noble — it’s brutal."
The new season of "Landman" premieres Nov. 16 exclusively on Paramount+.
Students launch conservative group after teacher called Charlie Kirk 'garbage' after his assassination
Students at a Rhode Island high school where a teacher mocked Charlie Kirk after his assassination are launching a Turning Point USA chapter to promote conservative values and free expression on campus.
"What inspired me personally to start this Turning Point chapter was the teacher at our school said after Charlie Kirk's death, he made a TikTok about how he has no remorse over him and how he was a hateful person," Brayden Ryan, vice president of the Turning Point USA chapter at Barrington High School in Rhode Island, told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday.
Shortly after Kirk’s public assassination Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University during his "American Comeback Tour," social studies teacher Benjamin Fillo posted a video online saying that Kirk "hated the LGBTQ community" and "hated women’s rights."
Fillo, who was placed on administrative leave after his video post, also said in a video that Kirk "thought he proved how tough he was with his words... What a piece of garbage. Look what happens... Bye, Charlie!"
When conservative activist and mother Nicole Solas issued a public records request to review Fillo's curriculum, including handouts, assignments, videos, links, resources, guides, worksheets, workbooks, prompts and his emails, Barrington Public Schools said it would charge her $117,132 in order to gather all the materials. Solas is a mom living in a different school district whose kids are in a private school because the National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI) sued her for sending public records requests four years ago.
Ryan, a freshman, said that starting the chapter has been "difficult" due to the political demographics of the area, but that he and fellow students are pushing ahead.
TURNING POINT USA SAYS CAMPUS CHAPTER REQUESTS SURGE TO OVER 32,000 AFTER KIRK'S ASSASSINATION
"I feel like we should give space to other students, a free and safe space to other students, other conservative students, to speak their own personal values, such as their religious beliefs and their political beliefs," Ryan said.
Caleb Kaplan, president of the Turning Point USA chapter, told Fox News Digital that some have been supportive of their efforts, while others have campaigned to reinstate Fillo.
"I'm not going to name any names out of respect, but they have been campaigning or making petitions to get the teacher that we spoke about back in a position," Kaplan said.
Kaplan, who is also a freshman, said the group tries to handle the pushback in a respectful way.
"We don't reward hate with hate," Kaplan said. "All we do is we push harder and we try to recruit more people to join."
"Barrington High School students are always welcome and encouraged to pursue new clubs that reflect their interests," Sarah Dell, spokesperson for Barrington School District, told Fox News Digital. "As with all proposed student organizations, there is a process outlined in our student activities protocol. The group of students expressing interest in forming a student Turning Point USA chapter has been provided that information. This is one of about a dozen new proposed student clubs currently moving through the same process."
Fox News Digital has also reached out to Fillo for comment.
Gen Z loves both Trump and Mamdani for the same reason
What do President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani have in common? Not much, except this: young adults love them.
In fact, both men owe their electoral victories in part to Gen Z, my generation. Seventy-eight percent of voters ages 18 to 29 turned out for Mamdani on Nov. 4, according to one breakdown, including 67% of young men and 84% of young women.
Just a year earlier, many in this same demographic were heading to the polls to cast their votes for Trump. The president won 46% of Gen Zers last year, including 56% of young men and 40% of young women, significantly improving his standing among this group compared to 2020 and 2016.
If this wild swing from right to left has given you whiplash, I don’t blame you. But there is some method to the madness.
NEW POLLS REVEAL MAMDANI HAS COMMANDING LEAD OVER RIVALS WEEKS FROM ELECTION DAY
What drew young adults to Mamdani is the same thing that drew them to Trump: his promise to be different, to radically upend a system that Gen Zers believe has failed and disenfranchised them.
It is not a coincidence, for example, that Trump’s approval among young adults was highest in February and March of this year when he began aggressively rolling out his agenda. Of course, some of that can be attributed to the honeymoon effect that every president enjoys at the start of his term. But the policies themselves earned Gen Z’s favor.
Take the Department of Government Efficiency, for instance: nearly three in four college-age Americans said they supported Trump’s efforts to slash waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. Older voters might have found DOGE’s cuts jarring, but for young adults it felt like the first time something was actually getting done.
FOX NEWS VOTER POLL: CHANGE CANDIDATE MAMDANI DEFEATS LEGACY POLITICAL FIGURES
Mamdani’s proposals obviously are radically different from Trump’s. Instead of gutting government to make it more responsive, Mamdani wants to increase its size and scope in just about every respect. Indeed, during his victory speech on Tuesday, Mamdani insisted he’ll prove there’s no problem "too small" for his government to solve.
That’s a terrifying thought to those familiar with political reality and history. But to young adults my age who too often are unacquainted with either, Mamdani’s pledge sounds like a genuine attempt to make New York City’s government work for them rather than against them — with some free stuff thrown in along the way.
This point is key. Young adults feel as though they have no place in our government and economy, and they are desperate for a way in. Older Americans might dismiss Gen Z’s concerns as a rite of passage, but the fact is the American dream they watched their parents and grandparents achieve feels completely unattainable now.
Unlike older generations, for example, many young adults are saddled with crippling student loan debt from chasing degrees that no longer provide the cushy white-collar careers they were promised. And on Nov. 4, a new report found that the median age of a first-time homebuyer in the U.S. is now 40 years old — an all-time high.
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This is why Gen Zers were the most optimistic about Trump’s plan to bring down the cost of housing, but also why they’re wooed by Mamdani’s inane promise to freeze rent across the Big Apple. Anything — anything — is better than the current trajectory.
It also helps that both Mamdani and Trump made a deliberate effort to connect with young adults where they’re at: social media. Call it TikTok populism, but Gen Zers are simply much more likely to be persuaded by the candidate who understands how to communicate with them. Trump did this by barnstorming the independent podcast scene, and Mamdani did it with catchy reels and influencer endorsements.
Ultimately, my generation is motivated less by policy specifics and more by a broad agenda that promises to dismantle the status quo. Maybe that makes Gen Z young and dumb, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a young voter who cares. We’re not interested in preserving an establishment we have no stake in, nor are we willing to settle for the managed decline that keeps older generations comfortable but sacrifices our chance at a prosperous future.
If Republicans want to keep building on the inroads Trump made with Gen Z, they need to recognize this and make good on Trump’s promise to upend the way Washington works. What Gen Z wants is change — and fast.
I commanded an F-35B squadron. People win wars, not technology
This past September, China’s new J-35 stealth fighter successfully launched from its Fujian aircraft carrier for the first time. This marked a major milestone for their naval aviation program, and a technological advancement long sought after by Beijing. It’s also a clear signal: China wants to challenge the F-35s and America’s dominance at sea.
I understand what it means to cross that kind of threshold. I spent my career flying F-18s off aircraft carriers and at TOPGUN. I was the only Marine ever to fly the F-22 Raptor. I’m also the first Marine qualified to fly the F-35B and had the honor of commanding the first operational squadron of F-35s in the Marine Corps. I’ve seen up close what it takes to move a fifth-generation fighter from the design room to the flight line and how much harder it is than it looks on paper. I’ve seen firsthand what this aircraft can do, and more importantly, what it takes to make it work.
The J-35 is a notable step forward for China’s aviation fleet. Their fifth-generation stealth fighter is designed to meet the punishing demands of carrier operations: catapult launches, arrested landings, corrosion, salt spray and constant exposure to the harsh maritime environment. The sea is no joke, and it can be deadly. To handle those rigors, a jet’s airframe is heavily reinforced, its landing gear strengthened, and its systems adapted for naval operations. On paper, it’s impressive.
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Yet, as my experiences taught me, paper and reality are two different things. While the launch and recovery tests are a real achievement, they are just the first step. No matter how promising a new aircraft may be, it will face years of testing, setbacks and refinement. It takes time to learn how to operate underway.
The J-35 may be able to fly from a carrier, but that doesn’t mean it will thrive there. Sustained carrier operations push machines and people to their limit. China has struggled to achieve engine reliability, stealth and parts availability, and these aspects are exponentially harder at sea. The challenges are not just technical, but operational, logistical and human. The salt, the heat, the constant motion and the volatile weather are all parts of daily life aboard a carrier. Anyone who’s worked on a flight deck knows how unforgiving that environment is.
When I flew the F-35 for the first time, it was clear this jet would change how we fight. But as I led the pilots of the first F-35 squadron, I realized it wasn’t the technology that would make the difference. It was our American servicemembers, the men and women flying and fixing these machines, that do. Advanced technology amplifies our capabilities, but it means nothing if you can’t lead.
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And that’s the real advantage of the U.S. military. Not the aircraft, not our technology; it’s our leaders. There are thousands who serve aboard the ships, dedicated to maintaining our advanced equipment and working together to ensure we can fight in any clime and place, at any time. Their training, discipline and mindset are a force multiplier, a uniquely American advantage that can’t be measured on paper.
China can build aircraft and carriers that bear a striking resemblance to ours, but they can’t replicate the culture of leadership that defines American military aviation. The mindset, initiative, adaptability and ownership of our people who operate these systems are what make them unbeatable.
Our adversaries will not stop. The J-35 will continue to improve. It will get smarter, stealthier, and more capable. But the decisive factor will never be the aircraft. It will always be the person in the cockpit and the team that supports them.
It’s important to remember this is where we must never lose our advantage. And we can never forget that our most important investment is in the skillset and abilities of the American servicemembers. Maverick was on to something when he proclaimed in Top Gun, "It’s not the plane; it’s the pilot." He was right. Stealth fighters don’t win wars; people do. And they do it by leading themselves, their team, and their machines, in the harshest environment on the planet.
Trump’s 50-year mortgage just introduces a new kind of debt
The montage of the American Dream begins with a front door and a mortgage. President Donald Trump is correct to say that the dream is slipping out of reach for too many families. Home prices have skyrocketed, mortgage rates have doubled since 2021, and young Americans are finding it more challenging than ever to buy a home and put down roots.
So it’s no surprise that the administration is exploring new ways to "make housing affordable again." One of those ideas, a 50-year fixed-rate mortgage, promises smaller monthly payments by stretching out the life of the loan.
But the problem isn’t the rates or lengths of mortgages; it’s the cost of the house.
Extending loan terms just spreads the pain over more years. Longer mortgages might lower the monthly bill, but they multiply the total debt. On a $400,000 loan at 6% interest, a 50-year mortgage means paying roughly $1.26 million over the life of the loan, more than triple the original amount. After 20 years, you’d still owe almost $350,000.
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The real challenge is that the government has made it too expensive to build and buy homes in the first place. Washington and local governments pile on costs at every step through tariffs, taxes, fees and endless red tape. Builders can’t build affordably when they’re forced to navigate an obstacle course of regulation and delay.
Even Bill Pulte, President Trump’s housing chief and a longtime homebuilder himself, has acknowledged how high interest rates and housing costs are "really hurting people." He’s right about the pain families are feeling, but the solution is lower costs. As any economist can tell you, affordability begins with more supply, not more subsidies.
Mackenzie Bishop, a homebuilder with Abrazos Homes in Albuquerque, recently laid out the math in blunt terms. Local taxes and fees add more than $40,000 to the cost of every new home before a single nail is hammered. Add property tax increases of 50 to 70% on multifamily projects, and new construction grinds to a halt. Multiply that across the country, and it’s no wonder builders can’t keep up with demand or why the homes that do get built are out of reach for working families.
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It’s the same story nationwide. Tariffs have raised the prices of building materials like lumber, steel and concrete. Meanwhile, permitting and environmental reviews can delay projects for years, driving up financing costs and draining the incentive to build at all.
These are the hidden taxes that keep America’s housing supply artificially scarce, and that scarcity – not the length of the mortgage – is what drives prices higher.
Even as inflation has cooled from its peak, prices are still rising about 3% a year. "Sticky" costs like rent, insurance and shelter remain stubbornly high. That means families’ paychecks are stretched thin before they even start saving for a down payment. The Federal Reserve may eventually cut interest rates, but unless we fix the underlying supply problem, housing will remain unaffordable no matter the loan term.
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The good news is that conservatives already know how to fix this. Instead of inventing new forms of debt, we can make it easier and cheaper to build the homes Americans need. That means streamlining permitting and cutting the bureaucracy that slows construction, eliminating tariffs that drive up the price of materials, and expanding legal immigration to rebuild the skilled trades workforce that keeps the housing market moving.
It also means reforming zoning laws that allow a handful of activists to block entire neighborhoods and phasing out federal subsidies that inflate prices by distorting credit markets. Together, these reforms would tackle the real causes of high housing costs: scarcity, inefficiency and government overreach.
Do those things, and the market will do what it does best: deliver abundance, innovation and opportunity.
The goal of homeownership is worth fighting for. It strengthens families, builds communities and creates generational wealth. But we can’t borrow our way to prosperity. The answer to high housing costs isn’t a longer mortgage; it’s a lighter burden.
President Trump’s instinct to put working families first is right on target. The best way to make housing affordable again is to unleash America’s builders, entrepreneurs and workers, not to create a new kind of debt. Let builders build. Let markets work. Let families keep more of what they earn. That’s how we restore the American Dream: build, baby, build.
Police raid on newspaper prompts $3M payout, apology amid press freedom outcry
Officials in Marion County, Kansas, have agreed to pay more than $3 million and issue a formal apology over a 2023 police raid on a small-town newspaper that ignited national backlash and raised alarms about government overreach and press freedom.
The Marion County Record was raided after it received information about a local restaurant owner’s driving record — a story the paper ultimately chose not to publish. Days later, police obtained search warrants accusing the newsroom of identity theft and computer crimes, seizing computers, phones and reporting materials from both the paper’s office and the home of its publisher, Eric Meyer.
Meyer’s 98-year-old mother and co-owner, Joan Meyer, collapsed and died the day after the raid — a loss her son attributed to the stress of the search. The incident drew condemnation from national media organizations and First Amendment advocates who said it reflected a growing willingness by government officials to intimidate journalists.
"They intentionally wanted to harass us for reporting the news, and you’re not supposed to do that in a democracy," Meyer said after the settlement was announced.
KANSAS POLICE RAID NEWSPAPER'S OFFICE, PUBLISHER'S HOME TO SEIZE RECORDS; REPORTER INJURED
Two independent prosecutors later found that no crimes had been committed and said the warrants relied on inaccurate information from an "inadequate investigation."
As part of the settlement, Marion County Sheriff Jeff Soyez issued a written apology acknowledging his office’s role in the raid and expressing "sincere regrets" to Meyer and others targeted.
Former Police Chief Gideon Cody, who ordered the raid, resigned soon after and now faces a felony charge of interfering with a judicial process for allegedly persuading a potential witness to withhold information from investigators. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in February.
Meyer said he hopes the outcome will deter future attempts by public officials to retaliate against journalists.
"The goal isn’t to get the money. The money is symbolic," Meyer said. "The press has basically been under assault."
FORMER KANSAS REPORTER ACCEPTS $235K SETTLEMENT OVER POLICE RAID OF LOCAL NEWSPAPER
The raid and ensuing lawsuit have become a national case study in press freedom and accountability, underscoring how even small local newsrooms can face government pressure — and how costly such overreach can become when it violates constitutional rights.
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The federal Privacy Protection Act generally prohibits police from searching newsrooms or seizing materials from journalists, except in rare circumstances involving alleged criminal wrongdoing — a defense that local officials cited at the time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bill to end government shutdown survives key hurdle before House-wide vote
The House will vote on reopening the federal government Wednesday after lawmakers' funding bill survived a key hurdle earlier in the morning.
The bipartisan deal to end the 42-day government shutdown advanced through the House Rules Committee overnight, with all Republicans supporting the measure and all Democrats against.
It now moves to the full House for consideration, where multiple people familiar with GOP leaders' conversations told Fox News Digital they believe it will pass with nearly all Republicans on board.
Passage through the House Rules Committee is a meaningful step toward ending the shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history by roughly a week.
MIKE JOHNSON SPEAKS OUT AFTER SENATE BREAKTHROUGH ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
The panel's hearing to advance the bill lasted more than six hours, kicking off Tuesday evening and ending shortly after 1 a.m. on Wednesday.
Democrats attempted to force votes on amendments dealing with COVID-19-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year and other issues opposed by the GOP, though all failed.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made a notable surprise appearance at one point, testifying in favor of his own amendment to extend those subsidies for another three years.
The lengthy hearing saw members on opposite sides of the aisle clash several times as well, with Democrats repeatedly accusing Republicans of robbing Americans of their healthcare and taking a "vacation" for several weeks while remaining in their districts during the shutdown.
"I am sick and tired of hearing you all say we had an eight-week vacation," House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said at one point. "I worked every day. I don't know about you. I don't want to hear another soul say that."
Democrats and some Republicans also piled on a provision in the funding bill that would allow GOP senators to sue the federal government for $500,000 for secretly obtaining their phone records during ex-special counsel Jack Smith's investigation.
"I think there's gonna be a lot of people, if they look and understand this, they're going to see it as self-serving, self-dealing kind of stuff. And I don't think that's right," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said.
"I'm trying to figure out what we can do to force the Senate's hand to say, 'You're going to repeal this provision and fix it,' without amending it here."
The bill will now get a House-wide "rule vote," a procedural test that, if it passes, allows lawmakers to debate the legislation itself.
Lawmakers are expected to then hold a final vote sometime on Wednesday evening on sending the bill to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature.
Trump signaled he was supportive of the legislation in comments to reporters on Monday.
THE 5 LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS IN HISTORY: WHAT HAPPENED, HOW THEY ENDED
"We'll be opening up our country very quickly," Trump said when asked if he backed the deal.
The Senate broke through weeks of gridlock on Monday night to pass the legislation in a 60-40 vote, with eight Democrats joining the GOP to reopen the government.
Meanwhile, travel disruptions have been causing chaos at U.S. airports, with air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers being forced to work without pay since last month. Many of those employees had been forced to take on second jobs to make ends meet, fueling staffing shortages and flight delays that threatened to overshadow the Thanksgiving holiday.
Millions of Americans who rely on federal food benefits were also left in limbo amid a partisan fight over whether and how to fund those programs during the shutdown.
The bill would extend fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Jan. 30 to give negotiators more time to strike a longer-term deal for FY 2026.
It would also give lawmakers some headway with that mission, advancing legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch.
They are three of 12 individual bills that are meant to make up Congress' annual appropriations, paired into a vehicle called a "minibus."
In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs conducted by the Trump administration in October, with those workers getting paid for the time they were off.
A side-deal struck in the Senate also guaranteed Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are set to expire at the end of this year.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., however, has made no such promise in the House.