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  • 4 killed, 6 injured: Florida attorney general investigating deadly incident in Cuba

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    Cuba’s government has accused a group of armed Cubans living in the U.S. of attempting to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism, following a deadly shootout near Cayos Falcones.The Cuban Embassy in the United States announced that its personnel engaged a speedboat registered in Florida when the boat entered Cuban territorial waters located a little more than 100 miles southeast of Marathon and east of Havana.Speedboat registered in FloridaThe Cuban Ministry of the Interior announced on social media Wednesday afternoon that on Wednesday morning, a speedboat with a Florida registration number of FL7726SH entered Cuban territorial waters.The speedboat approached one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayos Falcones, Corralillo municipality, Villa Clara province.According to Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior, when border guard troops approached the boat, the crew opened fire, prompting the soldiers to return fire, resulting in four deaths and six injuries.The Cuban government claims to have seized assault rifles, handguns, explosive devices, and Molotov cocktails from the boat.Public records indicate that the boat’s owner resides in Miami Lakes.Men identifying themselves as FBI agents were seen approaching the home and speaking with residents through a Ring camera, as reported by a sister station in Miami. “In the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region,” the Cuban Ministry of the Interior said in a statement. “Investigations by the competent authorities continue in order to fully clarify the events.”Florida leaders and representatives respondRick Scott took to X and said a full investigation into this deeply concerning situation was needed. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stated on X that he’s directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to work with the federal, state and law enforcement partners to begin an investigation. “The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” Uthmeier said.

    Cuba’s government has accused a group of armed Cubans living in the U.S. of attempting to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism, following a deadly shootout near Cayos Falcones.

    The Cuban Embassy in the United States announced that its personnel engaged a speedboat registered in Florida when the boat entered Cuban territorial waters located a little more than 100 miles southeast of Marathon and east of Havana.

    Speedboat registered in Florida

    The Cuban Ministry of the Interior announced on social media Wednesday afternoon that on Wednesday morning, a speedboat with a Florida registration number of FL7726SH entered Cuban territorial waters.

    The speedboat approached one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayos Falcones, Corralillo municipality, Villa Clara province.

    According to Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior, when border guard troops approached the boat, the crew opened fire, prompting the soldiers to return fire, resulting in four deaths and six injuries.

    The Cuban government claims to have seized assault rifles, handguns, explosive devices, and Molotov cocktails from the boat.

    Public records indicate that the boat’s owner resides in Miami Lakes.

    Men identifying themselves as FBI agents were seen approaching the home and speaking with residents through a Ring camera, as reported by a sister station in Miami.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    “In the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region,” the Cuban Ministry of the Interior said in a statement. “Investigations by the competent authorities continue in order to fully clarify the events.”

    Florida leaders and representatives respond

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    Rick Scott took to X and said a full investigation into this deeply concerning situation was needed.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stated on X that he’s directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to work with the federal, state and law enforcement partners to begin an investigation.

    “The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” Uthmeier said.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

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  • The White House wants AI companies to cover rate hikes. Most have already said they would. | TechCrunch

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    The proliferation of AI data centers plugging into the national electrical grid has helped increase consumer electricity prices, driving up the average national electricity price by more than 6% in the last year.

    That’s not a good look for the incumbents ahead of this fall’s elections, and President Donald Trump addressed the challenge in his State of the Union speech last night.

    “We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs,” Trump said. “They can build their own power plants as part of their factory, so that no one’s prices will go up.”

    The hyperscalers in question don’t need to be told. They have already made public commitments in recent weeks to cover electricity costs by building their own power sources, paying higher rates, or both, part of a broader effort to solve PR problems around data center expansion and win over skeptical communities.

    On January 11, Microsoft announced its policy “to ensure that the electricity cost of serving our datacenters is not passed on to residential customers.” January 26, OpenAI committed to “paying its own way on energy, so that our operations don’t increase your energy prices.” On February 11, Anthropic made the same pledge to “cover electricity price increases that consumers face from our data centers.” Yesterday, Google announced the largest battery project in the world yesterday to support a data center in Minnesota.

    What these commitments means in practice, and who will determine which data centers are responsible for which price increases, remains unknown. The White House has not released the text of the proposed pledge.

    “A handshake agreement with Big Tech over data center costs isn’t good enough,” Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly said on social media. “Americans need a guarantee that energy prices won’t soar and communities have a say.”

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    White House spokesperson Taylor Rodgers said that next week, companies will send representatives to formally sign the pledge at the White House. Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle and OpenAI are reportedly among those set to attend. However none of the companies have confirmed their attendance.

    Even if tech companies committ to taking on electricity costs, on-site power plants may not be a panacea—they can still have adverse impacts on the surrounding environment, and will stress supply chains for natural gas, turbines, photovoltaics and batteries, depending on how companies aim to power their compute.

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    Tim Fernholz

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  • Commentary: Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris have traveled parallel paths. Will they collide in 2028?

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    Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris have long circled one another.

    The two moved in the same political slipstream, wooed the same set of Democratic donors and, for a time, even shared the same group of campaign advisors.

    Harris rose from San Francisco district attorney to elected positions in Sacramento and Washington before twice running unsuccessfully for president.

    Newsom climbed from San Francisco mayor to lieutenant governor to California’s governorship, where he quietly stewed as Harris leapfrogged past him into the vice presidency. While she served in the White House, Newsom tried any number of ways to insinuate himself into the national spotlight.

    Now both have at least one eye on the Oval Office, setting up a potential clash of egos and ambition that’s been decades in the making.

    Newsom, whose term as governor expires in January, has been auditioning for president from practically the moment the polls closed in 2024 and horrified Democrats realized Harris had lost to Donald Trump.

    Harris, who’s mostly focused on writing and promoting her campaign autobiography — while giving a political speech here and there — hasn’t publicly declared she’ll seek the White House a third time. But, notably, she has yet to rule out the possibility.

    In a CNN interview aired Sunday, Newsom was asked about the prospect of facing his longtime frenemy in a fight for the Democratic nomination. (California’s gallivanting governor is embarked on his own national book tour, promoting both the “memoir of discovery” that was published Tuesday and his all-but-declared presidential bid.)

    “Well, I’m San Francisco now, she’s L.A.,” Newsom joked, referring to Harris’ post-Washington residency in Brentwood. “So there’s a little distance between the two of us.”

    He then turned zen-like, saying fate would determine if the two face off in the 2028 primary contest. “You can only control what you can control,” Newsom told CNN host Dana Bash.

    A decade ago, Newsom and Harris swerved to keep their careers from colliding.

    In 2015, Barbara Boxer said she would step down once she finished her fourth term in the U.S. Senate. The opening presented a rare opportunity for political advancement after years in which a clutch of aging incumbents held California’s top elected offices. Between Lt. Gov. Newsom and state Atty. Gen. Harris, there was no lack of pent-up ambition.

    After a weekend of intensive deliberations, Newsom passed on the Senate race and Harris jumped in, establishing herself as the front-runner for Boxer’s seat, which she won in 2016. Newsom waited and was elected governor in 2018, succeeding Jerry Brown.

    Once in their preferred roles, the two got along reasonably well. Each campaigned on the other’s behalf. But, privately, there has never been a great deal of mutual regard or affection.

    Come 2028, there will doubtless be many Democrats seeking to replace President Trump. The party’s last wide-open contest, in 2020, drew more than two dozen major contestants. So it’s not as though Harris and Newsom would face each other in a one-on-one fight.

    But dueling on the national stage, with the country’s top political prize at stake, is something that Hollywood might have scripted for Newsom and Harris as the way to settle, once and for all, their long-standing rivalry.

    The two Californians would start out closely matched in good looks and charisma.

    Those who know them well, having observed Newsom and Harris up close, cite other strengths and weaknesses.

    Harris has thicker skin, they suggested, and is more disciplined. Her forte is set-piece events, like debates and big speeches.

    Newsom is more of a policy wonk, a greater risk-taker and is more willing to venture into challenging and even hostile settings.

    Newson is more fluent in the ecosphere of social media, podcasts and the like. Harris has the advantage of performing longer on the national stage and bears nothing like the personal scandals that have plagued Newsom.

    But Harris’ problem, it was widely agreed, is that she has run twice before and, worse, lost the last time to Trump.

    “To a lot of voters, she’s yesterday’s news,” said one campaign strategist.

    “She had her shot,” said another, channeling the perceived way Democratic primary voters would react to another Harris run. “You didn’t make it, so why should we give you another shot?”

    (Those half-dozen kibbitzers who agreed to candidly assess the prospects of Newsom and Harris asked not to be identified, so they could preserve their relationships with the two.)

    Most of the handicappers gave the edge to Newsom in a prospective match-up; one political operative familiar with both would have placed their wager on Harris had she not run before.

    “I think her demographic appeal to Black women and coming up the ranks as a Black woman working in criminal justice is a very strong card,” said the campaign strategist. “The white guy from California, the pretty boy, is not as much of a primary draw.”

    That said, this strategist, too, suggested that “being tagged as someone who not only lost but lost in this situation that has set the world on fire … is too big a cross to bear.”

    The consensus among these cognoscenti is that Harris will not run again and that Newsom — notwithstanding any demurrals — will.

    Of course, the only two who know for sure are those principals, and it’s quite possible neither Harris nor Newsom have entirely made up their minds.

    Those who enjoy their politics cut with a dash of soap opera will just have to wait.

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    Mark Z. Barabak

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  • Trump’s science and tech man lays out White House’s global AI strategy

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    U.S. policy is often reported through announcements, personalities and regulatory skirmishes. Far less attention is paid to the economic mechanisms that actually move structures and determine outcomes.

    To understand how the White House is organizing a multipronged strategy for AI adoption and export, and how its pieces are meant to work together in practice, I had an exclusive sit down with Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

    Tanvi Ratna: The fundamental issue you speak about at the summit is the widening AI adoption gap between the developed and developing world. What makes that a concern for the White House right now?

    Michael Kratsios: The divergence in AI adoption between developed and developing countries is growing every day. We see the world in two broad categories, and different tools are needed for each.

    Developing countries are at risk of falling behind at a fundamental inflection point. That is why we urge them to prioritize AI adoption in sectors that deliver concrete benefits: healthcare, education, energy infrastructure, agriculture, and citizen-facing government services.

    Michael Kratsios testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness on Capitol Hill on Sept. 10, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

    For too long, countries seeking development support faced a false choice. We believe the American AI Exports Program offers a different path: trusted best-in-class technology, financing to overcome adoption barriers, and deployment support, so governments can learn how and where to use these tools.

    America remains the undisputed leader in AI, from GPUs to data centers to frontier models and applications. That leadership brings with it a responsibility to share the foundations of a new era of innovation. We stand ready to work with partners around the world so creativity, freedom and prosperity shape today’s technological revolution.

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    Tanvi Ratna: A lot of governments say they want AI leadership. Your delegation came in talking about real AI sovereignty, rejecting global governance, and launching an export program with multiple prongs. What is fundamentally different about this approach, and how should countries understand the system you’re building?

    Michael Kratsios: The hope of the United States is that the pursuit of real AI sovereignty, the adoption and deployment of sovereign infrastructure, sovereign data, sovereign models and sovereign policies within national borders and under national control, will become an occasion for bilateral diplomacy, international development, and global economic dynamism. The American AI Exports Program exists to make that happen.

    Real AI sovereignty means owning and using best-in-class technology for the benefit of your people, and charting your national destiny in the midst of global transformations. We urge nations to focus on strategic autonomy alongside rapid AI adoption rather than aiming for full self-sufficiency. AI adoption cannot lead to a brighter future if it is subject to bureaucracies and centralized control.

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    We deeply believe that the best pathway for the developing world to fully realize the untold benefits of AI is through the adoption of the American AI stack. The American AI stack has the best chips, the best models and the best applications in the world, and that is what countries ultimately need to deploy AI effectively.

    Tanvi Ratna: When you say the American AI stack, are you talking about selling products, or shaping the foundation on which countries build while keeping sensitive data under national control?

    Michael Kratsios: Working with the American AI stack allows nations to build on the best technologies in the world while keeping sensitive data within their borders. Independent partners are critical to unlocking the prosperity AI adoption can deliver. That is why the president launched the American AI Exports Program.

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    American companies can build large, independent AI infrastructure with secure and robust supply chains that minimize backdoor risk. They build it, and it belongs to the country deploying it.

    Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, speaks at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Feb. 21, 2026.

    Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, speaks at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Feb. 21, 2026.

    Tanvi Ratna: If this is an adoption strategy, then cost and complexity become the bottlenecks. Your public remarks emphasize financing and deployment sophistication as the two biggest hurdles for developing countries. How are you actually removing those barriers?

    Michael Kratsios: Developing countries face two major obstacles to AI adoption. One is financing. The AI stack is expensive. Through the energy and material demands of its infrastructure, it brings the digital transformation of our world back into physical reality. Data centers, semiconductors, power production all require real labor and real resources.

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    The second barrier is a deficit in the technical sophistication needed to deploy AI tools effectively. To address this, we announced a U.S. government-wide suite of support initiatives to facilitate global adoption of trusted AI systems, create a competitive and interoperable AI ecosystem, and advance the American AI Exports Program in both developed and developing partner nations.

    Tanvi Ratna: Spell out that suite. What are the prongs, capital, integration, standards, execution, and which agencies are being activated?

    Michael Kratsios: We unveiled a new set of initiatives across the federal government supporting the American AI Exports Program, which was launched by executive order last July.

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    The first new initiative within it is the National Champions Initiative. It is designed to include the leading technology companies of partner countries directly into the American AI stack. We want the best technologies from all our partners and allies to be part of that ecosystem wherever the American AI stack goes.

    The second is a full suite of financing and funding opportunities. We are mobilizing support through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Export Import Bank, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and a new World Bank fund, with additional programs launched by Treasury and other parts of the U.S. government. The message is simple: this is serious. Every possible financing avenue is being brought to bear.

    The third is the creation of the U.S. Tech Corps. It is a reimagining of how the Peace Corps can make an impact in the modern era. We are seeking Americans with technical backgrounds who can help deploy American technology abroad, because there is no better tool to drive economic development, health improvements, and quality of life gains than AI.

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    And finally, we believe one of the fastest ways to drive global adoption is through standards, particularly as the next wave of innovation centers on AI agents. How those agents communicate and coordinate their actions will benefit from unified standards, which is why NIST has launched a dedicated initiative.

    Tanvi Ratna: The National Champions Initiative is easy to misunderstand. Critics hear American stack and assume dependency. Your framing suggests the opposite, integrating partner champions so countries do not have to choose between importing the stack and building domestic capability. Is that the point?

    Michael Kratsios: Exactly. To integrate partner nation companies with the American AI stack and ensure that no country has to choose between completing the stack and developing domestic AI, we established the National Champions Initiative. Partners need the opportunity to build native technology industries, and facilitating that is a core part of the exports program.

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    Tanvi Ratna: You have also criticized previous U.S. approaches to AI diffusion for restricting partners. What did that get wrong strategically?

    Michael Kratsios: The previous approach treated partners as second-tier actors with significant restrictions on access to advanced technology. That was a lose-lose AI diplomacy strategy. It cut off partners from the best technology and limited American companies from competing globally.

    Under President Trump, the United States is rethinking how it advances international development and how technology can deliver lasting impact. We believe both developed and developing countries can build sovereign AI capability if given the chance.

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    Tanvi Ratna: Let’s talk about the Tech Corps, because it would be easy to dismiss it as a feel-good addition. In your model, it sounds like an execution layer. What would these teams actually do on the ground?

    Michael Kratsios: These will be like Peace Corps volunteers, except the focus is on technology. We are looking for people with technical backgrounds who want to help implement AI solutions.

    If a country wants to improve agriculture through precision farming, apply AI to healthcare systems to improve hospital efficiency, or modernize digital public services, American technologists through the Tech Corps and the Peace Corps will be able to support those efforts.

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    A lot of young people today care deeply about real-world impact. What is special about this moment is that the United States has incredible technology, the best chips, models, and applications, and we are being more deliberate about sharing it.

    Tanvi Ratna: You put unusual emphasis on AI agents and interoperability. Why does the White House see standards as a strategic lever now?

    Michael Kratsios: The next wave of AI innovation over the next year or two will center on agents. How those agents communicate and orchestrate their actions would benefit greatly from unified standards. NIST has launched an initiative to develop standards for agents, so these systems can interoperate securely and effectively.

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    Tanvi Ratna: You also linked this export architecture to supply chains, from chips to data centers to power and minerals. Where does Pax Silica fit? Is it the hard backbone complement to the adoption layer?

    Michael Kratsios: Pax Silica is a broader alliance focused on supply chain challenges that the United States and many partner nations have faced. It is a small, select group of countries working together to alleviate these challenges. India is a tremendous addition.

    AI adoption depends on secure physical inputs. The AI stack is tangible: data centers, semiconductors, power generation. Pax Silica helps address those vulnerabilities while the exports program accelerates adoption. They are complementary.

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    Tanvi Ratna: Since India hosted the summit and joined Pax Silica, what role do you see for India within this strategy?

    Michael Kratsios: India is a technology powerhouse. It graduates an incredible number of engineers, has deep domestic talent, and is building strong products and applications. We look forward to working with them.

    India has long been a strong partner in how the United States shares technology abroad. Our major hyperscalers have data centers and research operations here and employ large numbers of Indian engineers. We believe many Indian companies can ultimately become part of the American AI stack.

    Tanvi Ratna: When critics frame this as being about China, you resist that characterization. How does the administration view competition?

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    Michael Kratsios: We do not see this as being about any one competitor. This is about the fact that the United States has the best AI technology in the world, and many countries want it in their ecosystems. We are excited to share it and build mutually beneficial partnerships globally.

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    Tanvi Ratna is a policy analyst and engineer with a decade of experience in statecraft at the intersection of geopolitics, economics, and technology. She has worked on Capitol Hill, at EY, at CoinDesk and others, shaping policy across sectors from manufacturing to AI. Follow her takes on statecraft on X and Substack. 

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  • Armed man enters secure Mar-a-Lago perimeter, shot dead by Secret Service

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    An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m.The man had a gas can and a shotgun, authorities said. Investigators identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.He’s believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle.Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. The investigation is ongoingThe man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early Sunday morning.Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile. Asked whether the man was previously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”The FBI encouraged residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation. Martin was described by family as quiet and averse to gunsOn Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for Martin at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.Braeden Fields, Martin’s cousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martin as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.“He’s a good kid,” Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity.“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.He said his cousin didn’t discuss politics.“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”Trump faced two assassination attempts during his last campaignSunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. One rally attendee was killed by the gunman.White House brings in shutdown politicsWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”Leavitt used her post to blame Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department, which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changes to the president’s deportation campaign.The Secret Service is among the agencies where the vast majority of employees are continuing their work but missing a paycheck.“Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” Leavitt said. “It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI. Both Trump and his wife posted statements on social media after the incident, but they were unrelated to the shooting.Numerous recent acts of politically motivated violenceIn the past year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address there on Tuesday night.

    WASHINGTON —

    An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.

    Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m.

    The man had a gas can and a shotgun, authorities said. Investigators identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

    He’s believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle.

    Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign.

    The investigation is ongoing

    The man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

    “He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

    The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early Sunday morning.

    Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile. Asked whether the man was previously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”

    The FBI encouraged residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.

    In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation.

    Martin was described by family as quiet and averse to guns

    On Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for Martin at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.

    Braeden Fields, Martin’s cousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martin as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.

    “He’s a good kid,” Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.

    He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity.

    “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.

    He said his cousin didn’t discuss politics.

    “We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

    Trump faced two assassination attempts during his last campaign

    Sunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.

    A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.

    Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.

    Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. One rally attendee was killed by the gunman.

    White House brings in shutdown politics

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”

    Leavitt used her post to blame Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department, which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changes to the president’s deportation campaign.

    The Secret Service is among the agencies where the vast majority of employees are continuing their work but missing a paycheck.

    “Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” Leavitt said. “It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”

    The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI. Both Trump and his wife posted statements on social media after the incident, but they were unrelated to the shooting.

    Numerous recent acts of politically motivated violence

    In the past year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

    Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address there on Tuesday night.

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  • Armed man enters secure Mar-a-Lago perimeter, shot dead by Secret Service

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    An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m.The man had a gas can and a shotgun, authorities said. Investigators identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.He’s believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle.Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. The investigation is ongoingThe man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early Sunday morning.Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile. Asked whether the man was previously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”The FBI encouraged residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation. Martin was described by family as quiet and averse to gunsOn Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for Martin at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.Braeden Fields, Martin’s cousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martin as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.“He’s a good kid,” Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity.“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.He said his cousin didn’t discuss politics.“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”Trump faced two assassination attempts during his last campaignSunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. One rally attendee was killed by the gunman.White House brings in shutdown politicsWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”Leavitt used her post to blame Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department, which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changes to the president’s deportation campaign.The Secret Service is among the agencies where the vast majority of employees are continuing their work but missing a paycheck.“Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” Leavitt said. “It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI. Both Trump and his wife posted statements on social media after the incident, but they were unrelated to the shooting.Numerous recent acts of politically motivated violenceIn the past year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address there on Tuesday night.

    WASHINGTON —

    An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.

    Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m.

    The man had a gas can and a shotgun, authorities said. Investigators identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

    He’s believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle.

    Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign.

    The investigation is ongoing

    The man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

    “He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

    The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early Sunday morning.

    Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile. Asked whether the man was previously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”

    The FBI encouraged residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.

    In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation.

    Martin was described by family as quiet and averse to guns

    On Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for Martin at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.

    Braeden Fields, Martin’s cousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martin as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.

    “He’s a good kid,” Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.

    He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity.

    “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.

    He said his cousin didn’t discuss politics.

    “We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

    Trump faced two assassination attempts during his last campaign

    Sunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.

    A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.

    Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.

    Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. One rally attendee was killed by the gunman.

    White House brings in shutdown politics

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”

    Leavitt used her post to blame Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department, which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changes to the president’s deportation campaign.

    The Secret Service is among the agencies where the vast majority of employees are continuing their work but missing a paycheck.

    “Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” Leavitt said. “It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”

    The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI. Both Trump and his wife posted statements on social media after the incident, but they were unrelated to the shooting.

    Numerous recent acts of politically motivated violence

    In the past year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

    Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address there on Tuesday night.

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  • Trump-appointed arts panel approves his White House ballroom proposal

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    The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump’s appointees, on Thursday approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood.The meeting was supposed to be on the design, with a final vote expected at next month’s session. But the chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., made a motion to also vote on final approval, and six of the seven commissioners who were all installed by the Republican president since the start of the year voted in favor twice. One commissioner, James McCrery, did not vote because he was the initial architect on the project.“Our sitting president has actually designed a very beautiful structure,” Cook said before the voting. “The United States just should not be entertaining the world in tents.”Cook echoed one of Trump’s arguments for adding a ballroom to the White House: It would end the long-standing practice of erecting temporary structures that Trump calls tents on the South Lawn to host visiting dignitaries for state dinners and other functions.Cook said no other president had taken steps to correct that “until President Trump.”The project will be the subject of additional discussion by the National Capital Planning Commission in March.At the fine art’s commission’s January meeting, some commissioners questioned the lead architect about the “immense” design and scale of the project even as they broadly endorsed Trump’s vision for a ballroom roughly twice the size of the White House itself.Some changes suggested at that meeting were made and were welcomed by the commissioners on Thursday.Trump’s decision in October to demolish the East Wing prompted a public outcry when it began without the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment that are typical even for relatively minor modifications to historic buildings in Washington.The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction of the ballroom. A court decision in the case is pending.The project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by one of Trump’s top White House aides. The commission has jurisdiction over construction and major renovations to government buildings in the region.___This story has been corrected to reflect that the ballroom was approved by six of the seven commissioners and that one commissioner did not vote because he was the initial architect on the project.

    WASHINGTON —

    The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump’s appointees, on Thursday approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood.

    The meeting was supposed to be on the design, with a final vote expected at next month’s session. But the chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., made a motion to also vote on final approval, and six of the seven commissioners who were all installed by the Republican president since the start of the year voted in favor twice. One commissioner, James McCrery, did not vote because he was the initial architect on the project.

    “Our sitting president has actually designed a very beautiful structure,” Cook said before the voting. “The United States just should not be entertaining the world in tents.”

    Cook echoed one of Trump’s arguments for adding a ballroom to the White House: It would end the long-standing practice of erecting temporary structures that Trump calls tents on the South Lawn to host visiting dignitaries for state dinners and other functions.

    Cook said no other president had taken steps to correct that “until President Trump.”

    The project will be the subject of additional discussion by the National Capital Planning Commission in March.

    At the fine art’s commission’s January meeting, some commissioners questioned the lead architect about the “immense” design and scale of the project even as they broadly endorsed Trump’s vision for a ballroom roughly twice the size of the White House itself.

    Some changes suggested at that meeting were made and were welcomed by the commissioners on Thursday.

    Trump’s decision in October to demolish the East Wing prompted a public outcry when it began without the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment that are typical even for relatively minor modifications to historic buildings in Washington.

    The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction of the ballroom. A court decision in the case is pending.

    The project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by one of Trump’s top White House aides. The commission has jurisdiction over construction and major renovations to government buildings in the region.

    ___

    This story has been corrected to reflect that the ballroom was approved by six of the seven commissioners and that one commissioner did not vote because he was the initial architect on the project.

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  • Trump’s revenge tour could have thousands of federal agents in Colorado next (Letters)

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    Federal agents coming en masse to Colorado next?

    RE: “Trump plans to host governors at White House, but only Republicans,” Feb. 8 news story

    President Trump’s initial ban on Democratic governors from the National Governors Association meeting at the White House was bad enough. Worse, for Colorado, Trump personally uninvited Gov. Jared Polis from the bipartisan dinner (with gubernatorial spouses) that follows. It’s obvious Trump is royally enraged at our state.

    Why? Recall: Tina Peters, former Mesa County clerk and current MAGA martyr, is sitting in state prison, beyond the reach of Trump’s presidential pardon. And Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was a key Republican vote in forcing the release of the Epstein files — in revenge, Trump cancelled a big water project in her district.

    But Trump is never really done with revenge, is he?

    Don’t be surprised if Trump targets Colorado as the next stop on the ICE circus tour. Aside from his pre-existing grievances against us, we’re a natural target. Deep blue state. A “sanctuary city” as the state capital, run (like Minneapolis) by another young, earnest, progressive mayor. Tons of undocumented immigrants, easily swept up in the dragnet.

    Coloradans need to start preparing.

    Marty Rush, Salida

    Political Armageddon could really be on the horizon

    Re: “The problem with making every election an existential threat for the U.S.,” Feb. 8 commentary

    While I appreciate David M. Drucker’s notion that we need not declare that the sky is falling before and after each election, I do believe this administration and its Republican cohorts in the House and Senate have crossed some governance red lines that contradict the basic principles this country was founded on.

    Shooting and beating American citizens in the streets, demolishing history, covering up obvious crimes, threatening our allies, targeting political adversaries and using the office for personal enrichment are just a few things that have occurred and gone unchecked by powers that control Congress.

    Most recently, they have been trying their absolute hardest to preserve power or at least limit the damage in the upcoming elections with their calls for gerrymandered districts, laws that will restrict voting and a needless investigation into a settled election.

    While Drucker points out the pendulum frequently swings back in our politics, I fear this time the damage left behind by the lack of checks and balances will exist for many election cycles to come. For these reasons, the next election and certainly the following could be political Armageddon, resulting in the sky actually falling on this republic.

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    DP Opinion

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  • Judge blocks Trump administration from moving former death row inmates to Colorado’s ‘Supermax’ prison

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    WASHINGTON — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from transferring 20 inmates with commuted death sentences to the nation’s highest security federal prison, warning that officials cannot employ a “sham” process for deciding where to incarcerate the prisoners for the rest of their lives.

    U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled late Wednesday that the government cannot send the former death row inmates to the “Supermax” federal prison in Florence, Colorado, because it likely would violate their Fifth Amendment rights to due process.

    Kelly cited evidence that officials from the Republican administration “made it clear” to the federal Bureau of Prisons that the inmates had to be sent to ADX Florence — “administrative maximum” — to punish them because Democratic President Joe Biden had commuted their death sentences.

    “At least for now, they will remain serving life sentences for their heinous crimes where they are currently imprisoned,” wrote Kelly, who was nominated to the bench by President Donald Trump.

    In December 2024, less than a month before Trump returned to the White House, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment.

    On his first day back in office, Trump issued an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to house the 37 inmates “in conditions consistent with the monstrosity of their crimes and the threats they pose.”

    Twenty of the 37 inmates are plaintiffs in the lawsuit before Kelly, who issued a preliminary injunction blocking their transfers to Florence while the lawsuit proceeds. All were incarcerated in Terre Haute, Indiana, when Biden commuted their death sentences.

    Government lawyers argued that the bureau has broad authority to decide what facilities the inmates should be redesignated for after their commutations.

    “BOP’s designation decisions are within its exclusive purview and are intended to preserve the safety of inmates, employees, and surrounding communities,” they wrote.

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  • California, other states sue over Trump administration’s latest cuts to HIV programs

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    California and three other states sued the Trump administration Wednesday over its plans to slash $600 million from programs designed to prevent and track the spread of HIV, including in the LGBTQ+ community — arguing the move is based on “political animus and disagreements about unrelated topics such as federal immigration enforcement, political protest, and clean energy.”

    “This action is lawless,” attorneys for California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota said in a complaint filed in federal court in Illinois against President Trump and several of his officials.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding had been allocated to disease control programs in all four states, though California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s office said his state faces “the largest share” of the cuts.

    That includes $130 million due to California under a Public Health Infrastructure Block Grant, which the state and its local public health departments use to fund their public health workforce, monitor disease spread and respond to public health emergencies, Bonta’s office said.

    “President Trump … is using federal funding to compel states and jurisdictions to follow his agenda. Those efforts have all previously failed, and we expect that to happen once again,” Bonta said in a statement.

    Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the named defendants, repeatedly has turned his agency away from evidence-backed HIV monitoring and prevention programs in the last year, and the Trump administration has broadly attacked federal spending headed to blue states or allocated to initiatives geared toward the LGBTQ+ community.

    The White House justified the latest cuts by claiming the programs “promote DEI and radical gender ideology” but did not explain further. Health officials said the cuts were to programs that did not reflect the CDC’s “priorities.”

    Neither the White House nor Health and Human Services immediately responded to requests for comment.

    The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said the cuts would derail an estimated $64.5 million for 14 county grant programs, resulting in “increased costs, more illness, and preventable deaths,” the department said.

    Those programs focus on response to disasters, controlling outbreaks of diseases such as measles and flu, preventing the spread of diseases such as West Nile, dengue and hepatitis A, monitoring and treating HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, fighting chronic illnesses such as diabetes and obesity, and supporting community health, the department said.

    Those cuts also would include about $1.1 million for the department’s National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Project, which is focused on detecting emerging HIV trends and preventing outbreaks.

    Dr. Paul Simon, an epidemiologist at the UCLA Fielding School and former chief science officer for the county’s public health department, said slashing the program was a “dangerous” and “shortsighted” move that would leave public health officials in the dark as to what’s happening with the disease on the ground.

    Considerable cuts also are anticipated to the City of Long Beach, UCLA and nine community health providers who provide HIV prevention services, including $383,000 for the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s community HIV prevention programs, local officials said.

    Leading California Democrats railed against the cuts. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said the move was an unlawful attempt by Trump to punish blue states that “won’t bend to his extremist agenda.”

    “His message to the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV is clear: their lives are not a priority, political retribution is,” Padilla said in a statement.

    The states argue in the lawsuit that the administration’s decision “singles out jurisdictions for disfavor based not on any rational purpose related to the goals of any program but rather based on partisan animus.”

    The lawsuit asked the court to declare the cuts unlawful and to bar the administration from implementing them or “engaging in future retaliatory conduct regarding federal funding or other participation in federal programs” based on the states exercising their sovereign authority in unrelated matters.

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    Kevin Rector, Gavin J. Quinton

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  • TrumpRx is launched: How it works and what Democrats say about it

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    WASHINGTON  — The White House’s TrumpRx website went live Thursday with a promise to instantly deliver prescription drugs at “the lowest price anywhere in the world.”

    “This launch represents the largest reduction in prescription drug prices in history by many, many times, and it’s not even close,” President Trump said at a news conference announcing the launch of the platform.

    Drug policy experts say the jury is still out on whether the platform will provide the significant savings Trump promises, though it will probably help people who need drugs not commonly covered by insurance.

    Senate Democrats, meanwhile, called the site a “vanity project” and questioned whether the program presents a possible conflict of interest involving the pharmaceutical industry and the Trump family.

    What is TrumpRx, really?

    The new platform, trumprx.gov, is designed to help uninsured Americans find discounted prices for high-cost, brand-name prescriptions, including fertility, obesity and diabetes treatments.

    The site does not directly sell drugs. Instead, consumers browse a list of discounted medicines, and select one for purchase. From there, they either receive a coupon accepted at certain pharmacies or are routed directly to a drug manufacturer’s website to purchase the prescription.

    The White House said the reduced prices are possible after the administration negotiated voluntary “most favored nation” agreements with 16 major drugmakers including Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

    Under these deals, manufacturers have agreed to set certain U.S. drug prices no higher than those paid in other wealthy nations in exchange for three-year tariff exemptions. However, the full legal and financial details of the deals have not been made public, leaving lawmakers to speculate how TrumpRx’s pricing model works.

    What does it accomplish?

    Though the White House has framed TrumpRx as a historic reset for prescription drug costs, economists said the platform offers limited new savings.

    But it does move the needle on the issue of drug pricing transparency, away from the hidden mechanisms behind how prescription drugs are priced, rebated and distributed, according to Geoffrey Joyce, director of health policy at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics.

    “This has been a murky world, a terrible, obscure, opaque marketplace where drug prices have been inconsistently priced to different consumers,” Joyce said, “So this is a little step in the right direction, but it’s mostly performative from my perspective, which is kind of Trump in a nutshell.”

    Still, for the uninsured or people seeking “lifestyle drugs” — like those for fertility or weight loss that insurers have historically declined to cover — TrumpRx could become a useful option, Joyce said.

    “It’s kind of a win for Trump and a win for Pfizer,” Joyce said. “They get to say, ‘Look what we’re doing. We’re lowering prices. We’re keeping Trump happy, but it’s on our low-volume drugs, and drugs that we were discounting big time anyway.’”

    Where does it fall short?

    Early analyses by drug policy experts suggest many of the discounted medications listed on the TrumpRx site were already on offer through other drug databases before the platform launched.

    For example, Pfizer’s Duavee menopause treatment is listed at $30.30 on TrumpRx, but it is also available for the same price at some pharmacies via GoodRx.

    Weight management drug Wegovy starts at $199 on TrumpRx. Manufacturers were already selling the same discounted rates through its NovoCare Pharmacy program before the portal’s launch.

    “[TrumpRx] uses data from GoodRx, an existing price-search database for prescription drugs,” said Darius N. Lakdawalla, a senior health policy researcher at USC. “It seems to provide prices that are essentially the same as the lowest price GoodRx reports on its website.”

    Compared to GoodRx, TrumpRx covers a modest subset of drugs: 43 in all.

    “Uninsured consumers, who do not use or know about GoodRx and need one of the specific drugs covered by the site, might benefit from TrumpRx. That seems like a very specific set of people,” Lakdawalla said.

    Where do Democrats stand?

    Democrats slammed the program this week, saying it would not provide substantial discounts for patients, and called for greater transparency around the administration’s dealings with drugmakers. To date, the administration has not disclosed the terms of the pricing agreements with manufacturers such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

    In the lead-up to the TrumpRx launch, Democratic members of Congress questioned its usefulness and urged federal health regulators to delay its debut.

    “This is just another Donald Trump pet project to rebrand something that already exists, take credit for it, and do nothing to actually lower healthcare prices,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said Friday. “Democrats will continue fighting to lower healthcare costs and push Republicans to stop giving handouts to billionaires at the expense of working-class Americans.”

    Three other Democratic senators — Dick Durbin, Elizabeth Warren and Peter Welch — raised another concern in a Jan. 29 letter to Thomas March Bell, inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services.

    The three senators pointed to potential conflicts of interest between TrumpRx and an online dispensing company, BlinkRx.

    One of Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr., joined the BlinkRx Board of Directors in February 2025.

    Months before, he became a partner at 1789 Capital, a venture capital firm that holds a significant stake in BlinkRx and led the startup’s $140-million funding round in 2024. After his appointment, BlinkRx launched a service to help pharmaceutical companies build direct-to-patient sales platforms quickly.

    “The timing of the BlinkRx announcement so closely following the administration’s outreach to the largest drug companies, and the involvement of President Trump’s immediate family, raises questions about potential coordination, influence and self-dealing,” according to an October 2025 statement by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

    Both BlinkRx and Donald Trump Jr. have denied any coordination.

    What’s next?

    The rollout of TrumpRx fits into a suite of White House programs designed to address rising costs, an area of vulnerability for Republicans ahead of the November midterms.

    The White House issued a statement Friday urging support for the president’s healthcare initiative, dubbed “the great healthcare plan,” which it said will further reduce drug prices and lower insurance premiums.

    For the roughly 8% of Americans without health insurance, TrumpRx’s website promises that more high-cost, brand-name drugs will be discounted on the platform in the future.

    “It’s possible the benefits will become broader in the future,” Lakdawalla said. “I would say that the jury remains out on its long-run structure and its long-run pricing effects.”

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    Gavin J. Quinton

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  • Congressional report: National Guard in DC has cost taxpayers $330 million – WTOP News

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    The Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard to D.C. has cost taxpayers more than $330 million, and that figure could nearly double if personnel remain in the District through the end of the year, according to a new congressional report.

    For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.

    The Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard to D.C. has cost taxpayers more than $330 million, and that figure could nearly double if personnel remain in the District through the end of the year, according to a new congressional report.

    The report from Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security Committee also states there is no measurable evidence to show whether the presence of National Guard personnel is making D.C. safer.

    Guard personnel have been deployed in the District since last August, when President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency and placed the D.C. police department under federal control.

    “While combating crime must be a priority at all levels of government, it is not clear that the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on deploying the National Guard, purportedly to support this effort, is effective in making the nation’s capital any safer,” the report states.

    Crime has gone down during the Guard’s deployment, but D.C. leaders have pointed out it was trending downward before the president’s declaration.

    How long will Guard personnel remain in DC?

    The length of the Guard’s deployment remains open-ended and is now expected to extend through at least July, when Washington celebrates the America 250 commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

    But various officials have indicated that Guard personnel could remain in D.C. through the end of the year.

    If that happens, the report states the cost to taxpayers will be on track to exceed more than $600 million. That is more than the entire budget for D.C. police, which is $599 million for fiscal year 2026.

    More than 2,000 service members from several states are deployed in the District.

    Supporters of the deployment, including Republican members of Congress, say Guard personnel have helped make the city safer by being a visible presence.

    Before winter set in, Guard members were involved in a lot of activities related to “beautification” of the nation’s capital, painting fences, pruning trees and spreading mulch.

    While they are armed, they are not allowed to make arrests. Guard leaders told lawmakers they have been involved in helping to deal with scuffles on the National Mall.

    Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot by a gunman just blocks from the White House last year. One of them died and another was seriously injured.

    The report concludes with questions about the effectiveness of the mission and the deployment of Guard members to help deal with crime.

    The report states “it remains unclear, for the price of $332 million (and counting), whether the National Guard has actually made D.C.’s streets safer,” and whether resources would be better spent on their “normal missions,” including responding to disasters across the country.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Mitchell Miller

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  • Fox Nation reveals the scandals and secrets of America’s first presidents in ‘The White House’

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Fox Nation’s original docudrama series ‘The White House’ takes viewers inside the betrayals, scandals and power struggles that shaped America’s earliest presidents and their families.

    The eight-part series spans from John Adams’ presidency through James Madison’s tenure, ending with the deadly War of 1812 and the burning of the White House.

    Premiering February 6 with a two-episode debut, the series dramatizes real events from the White House’s formative years, beginning with President John Adams.

    TRUMP LAUNCHES MASSIVE ‘FREEDOM 250’ PUSH TO IGNITE AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

    Fox Nation’s new docudrama “The White House” brings the earliest years of America’s first presidents and their families to life, premiering Feb. 6. (Fox Nation)

    “Power, rivalry, scandal, and war engulf three U.S. presidents and two first ladies, shaping a nation within the newly built White House,” reads the description of the show.

    A FIRST LADY LIKE NO OTHER: HOW MELANIA TRUMP MADE PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY

    Early storylines explore Adams’ struggle to lead a fragile new nation as Vice President Thomas Jefferson quietly works against him behind the scenes.

    The first two episodes also examine the strain on John and Abigail Adams’ marriage as political ambition and rivalry intensify inside the White House.

    Image from Fox Nation's new docudrama 'The White House.'

    As the United States approaches its historic 250th anniversary, Fox Nation will debut new weekly episodes of “The White House.” (Fox Nation)

    Later episodes examine the scandals, secrets and personal losses that defined the nation’s first years. The series also depicts Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings and the deadly duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.

    FOR 2026, YOU SHOULD MAKE A RESOLUTION TO KNOW THE REVOLUTION

    As the United States approaches its historic 250th anniversary, Fox Nation will roll out new episodes weekly. Fox Nation President Lauren Petterson said the series offers Fox Nation subscribers a new look at the private moments behind the nation’s history.

    “While Americans know the broad strokes of our nation’s history, this series provides a revealing new perspective on what unfolded inside the president’s home,” Petterson said.

    Image from Fox Nation's new docudrama 'The White House.'

    The first two episodes will explore how political ambition and rivalry strain John and Abigail Adams’ marriage inside the White House.

    “We are thrilled to share this gripping and immersive look inside the American legacy,” she added.

    “The White House” premieres February 6 exclusively on Fox Nation.

    CLICK HERE TO JOIN FOX NATION

    Madison is a writer for Fox News Digital on the Flash team.

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  • White House slams Democrat governor for urging public to track ICE agents with new video portal

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    The White House and conservatives are slamming New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill after she announced her administration is launching a portal to monitor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and alert people to their presence.

    Sherrill, a U.S. Navy veteran who entered office just a few weeks ago, encouraged New Jerseyans to film federal immigration enforcement operations when they see them, saying on a recent episode of The Daily Show, “We want documentation, and we are going to make sure we get it.”  

    “We are going to be standing up a portal so people can upload all their cell videos and alert people,” she said. “If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out, we want to know.”

    In response, Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, remarked, “If Sherill was as committed to tracking down criminal illegal aliens as she was ICE officers, New Jersey residents would be much safer.”

    WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES WALZ OF UNDERMINING LAW ENFORCEMENT, BLOCKING ICE COOPERATION

    New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill and ICE agents during an operation. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

    Jackson told Fox News Digital “ICE officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults because of dangerous, untrue smears by elected Democrats.

    “Just the other day, an officer had his finger bitten off by a radical left-wing rioter,” she said. “ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities, and local officials should work with them, not against them.”

    Sean Higgins, a spokesperson for Sherrill, framed the governor’s actions as protecting New Jerseyans from federal overreach.

    “Keeping New Jerseyans safe is Governor Sherrill’s top priority,” Higgins told Fox News Digital. “In the coming days, she and acting Attorney General [Jennifer] Davenport will announce additional actions to protect New Jerseyans from federal overreach.”  

    DEM GOVERNOR DUCKS QUESTION ON ‘MONSTER’ ILLEGAL ALIEN WHO FRACTURED 8-YEAR-OLD’S SKULL WITH ROCK ATTACK

    New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill walks onto stage during her inauguration ceremony in Newark.

    New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill arrives on the stage during her inauguration ceremony in Newark, N.J., Jan. 20, 2026. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

    While speaking on the show, Sherrill cited the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in confrontations with ICE agents in Minneapolis. She accused agents of shooting Pretti “execution style,” which she called “unacceptable.”

    “They have not been forthcoming,” the governor said of ICE. “They will pick people up. They will not tell us who they are. They will not tell us if they’re here legally. They won’t check. They’ll pick up American citizens.”

    The White House was not the only critic of Sherrill’s announcement.

    New Jersey Assembly Republican Leader John DiMaio ripped into the governor, saying her portal “puts everyone at risk” and continues a long trend of targeting law enforcement.

    “For years now, New Jersey has been moving in the wrong direction and making it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs and easier for criminals to exploit the system,” DiMaio said in a statement. “This portal continues that trend by targeting the people whose job it is to protect our communities.”

    NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR TO LAUNCH PORTAL FOR UPLOADING VIDEOS OF ICE TACTICS: ‘THEY HAVE NOT BEEN FORTHCOMING’

    Newark NJ ICE Protest

    Protesters gather outside the Delaney Hall Detention Facility during protests over federal immigration enforcement raids June 12, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova)

    “Encouraging people to film and upload law enforcement activity risks escalating tensions and endangering both officers and the public,” he said.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    DiMaio pointed to recent ICE arrests in New Jersey, which he said included arrests of sex offenders who also endangered children.

    “ICE has taken real criminals off our streets — offenders convicted of serious crimes against children and violent acts that put innocent lives at risk,” DiMaio said. “At a time when leaders should be lowering the temperature, this piles on. It sends a message that enforcing the law is something to be shamed instead of respected.” 

    Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

    Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

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  • After a year of tensions, Colombia’s Petro and Trump make peace

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    President Trump recently called Colombia’s leader, Gustavo Petro, a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

    Petro, meanwhile, has labeled Trump a murderer and compared him to Adolf Hitler.

    But on Tuesday, the two leaders made nice — mostly — in a closed-door meeting at the White House that both described as productive.

    Trump described the two-hour conversation, which touched on energy, Venezuela and bilateral efforts to combat drug trafficking, as “fantastic.”

    Petro, in turn, called the confab “very positive” and said it had an “optimistic and constructive tone.”

    He brought Trump Colombian coffee, and First Lady Melania Trump a gown crafted by Indigenous artisans.

    Trump gifted him a framed portrait of the two men shaking hands, scrawled with the words: “I love Colombia.”

    The meeting did not erase the considerable political differences between Trump, who believes the U.S. should dominate the Western Hemisphere, and Petro, a former left-wing guerrilla who opposed the recent U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

    Yet it did appeared to ease tensions between Colombia and the United States, longtime allies whose relationship soured over the last year amid public clashes between Trump and Petro.

    Relations between the nations grew tense shortly after Trump returned to the White House for a second term.

    Petro refused to receive U.S. military flights of deported migrants, acquiescing only after Trump threatened heavy tariffs on Colombian goods.

    After Petro gave a speech at the United Nations General Assembly slamming U.S. support for Israel and calling on American troops to disobey Trump and “obey the orders of humanity,” the State Department announced it was revoking the visa of Petro and several of his family members.

    In the fall, Trump accused Petro of failing to stop cocaine production — and of being a drug trafficker.

    Washington removed Colombia’s certification that it is doing enough to eliminate cocaine crops and halted aid to the nation, which in 2023 surpassed $740 million. The Colombian government recalled its ambassador to the United States.

    Tensions peaked after the U.S. bombed Caracas and captured Maduro last month.

    Petro said the U.S. had “kidnapped” Maduro and dared Trump to launch a similar strike in Colombia. “Come get me. I’m waiting for you here,” he said.

    Trump did not discard the possibility of a U.S. military operation in Colombia, saying, “It sounds good to me.”

    Relations thawed with a Jan. 7 phone call between the leaders, in which they agreed to meet in person. The U.S. granted Petro a temporary visa so that he could visit the White House.

    Colombian officials said Petro planned to focus on defending his record in deterring drug trafficking, even though cocaine production is rising in Colombia. Acting Justice Minister Andrés Idárraga Franco recently said that Petro’s administration has extradited more criminals to the United States than any of his conservative predecessors, including one accused trafficker who was delivered to U.S. authorities this week.

    Reporters are typically allowed into the Oval Office to ask questions of ahead of meetings between Trump and other heads of state, but they were not on Tuesday.

    Although Trump praised the meeting as productive, he tempered his praise.

    “You know, he and I weren’t exactly the best of friends,” Trump said. “But I wasn’t insulted because I’d never met him. I didn’t know him at all. And we got along very well.”

    Speaking to journalists at the Colombian Embassy in Washington after the meeting, Petro mentioned climate change and criticized the U.S. operation in Venezuela and what he described as the “genocide” in Gaza.

    He said Trump gave him one of his trademark red ball caps. He said he took a pen to change Trump’s slogan, so that it now reads: “Make Americas Great Again.”

    Times staff writer Ana Ceballos in Washington contributed to this report.

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    Kate Linthicum

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  • Trump unveils new rendering of sprawling White House ballroom project

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    President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared a new rendering of the planned White House ballroom, touting the project as a historic addition he said would “serve our Country well” for “Centuries into the future.”

    “This is the first rendering shown to the Public,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

    Trump said the rendering, shown from the perspective of the Treasury Building, depicts a plan to replace the existing East Wing with a new East Wing anchored by the White House’s first formal ballroom. 

    He added that the structure would match the White House in height and scale.

    SPRAWLING NEW $200M WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM TO BE PAID FOR BY TRUMP AND DONORS

    A rendering of the proposed White House ballroom shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Feb. 3, 2026. (Donald Trump/Truth Social)

    The 90,000-square-foot space, designed to seat roughly 650 guests, is already under construction and is expected to cost more than $200 million, with funding coming from Trump and private donors, the administration previously said.

    “If you notice, the North Wall is a replica of the North Facade of the White House, shown at the right hand side of the picture,” Trump added in his post about the new rendering.

    FROM THE OVAL OFFICE TO THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER, THE GILDED MAKEOVER EXPANDS

    A rendering of the new White House ballroom.

    The White House has never had a formal ballroom. (White House)

    On July 31, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the planned construction of the sprawling ballroom. 

    “The White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders in other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building’s entrance,” Leavitt said during a press briefing, adding the new ballroom will be “a much-needed and exquisite addition.”

    A rendering of the new White House ballroom.

    The new space is expected to seat around 650 guests. (White House)

    Since returning to office, Trump, a former real estate developer, has embarked on a series of projects aimed at altering the look and feel of the White House and other iconic Washington landmarks. Over the weekend, the president announced in a Truth Social post that the Trump Kennedy Center will close later this year for a two-year renovation.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    In October, Trump unveiled a new monument planned to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year. The monument, a near twin of Paris’s iconic Arc de Triomphe, is meant to welcome visitors crossing the Memorial Bridge from Arlington National Cemetery into the heart of the nation’s capital.

    Trump has also added golden accents to the Oval Office, added a “walk of fame” to the colonnade outside the Oval Office, renovated the Lincoln bathroom, paved part of the Rose Garden and installed two large American flags on the White House grounds.

    Amanda covers the intersection of business and politics for Fox News Digital.

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  • Lady Victoria Hervey on Her Appearance in the Epstein Files

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    Though far-right politics have an upper-class history in the UK, Hervey thinks the Reform UK pitch is “getting voters from everywhere.” She adds, “It appeals to everybody. It doesn’t matter what your background is. Rich, poor background, it’s just—do you love your country? Are you patriotic?”

    In February, her phone was stolen out of her hand in Pimlico. She partly blames immigration for certain changes in the UK. “It’s a little bit like America, you know? In England, we’re having the same problem. War veterans and people like that are being forgotten, and yet they’re giving people money that are coming over the border, and these people are getting housing, and they’re getting credit cards.” (Impoverished asylum seekers in the UK are often given debit cards loaded with about $60 for food, clothing and toiletries.)

    And so, she found herself at the penthouse of the Hay-Adams Hotel just days before the inauguration in January, at the “Stars and Stripes and Union Jack Party,” where Farage toasted the deep ties between the Trump movement and his upstart political party. British Serbian opera singer Nevena Bridgen sang a mashup of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Save the King.” The night’s attendees included right-wing royalty Steve Bannon and Liz Truss, along with bicontinental political strategists Raheem Kassam (an investor in DC hotspot Butterworth’s), Michael Pack, Nile Gardiner, and former diplomat Andy Wigmore.

    The MEGA plan to make her homeland look more like it used to is simple, according to Hervey. “Strong borders, low taxes, safe place,” she says. “Have a proper police.” Two days after the inauguration, she flew back to London to join Farage for a high-class Reform UK fundraiser at the private club Oswald’s, which was founded by second-generation nightlife impresario Robin Birley in 2018.

    In a sequined black minidress and black fur coat, Hervey moved through a crowd that billionaire property developer Nick Candy, Candy’s then-wife, singer and actor Holly Valance, former Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns, and Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough, a relative of Winston Churchill.

    “Photos weren’t allowed. I had one of them on my Instagram, and I had gotten told off by Nick Candy—I had to get it off!” Hervey says. “People were having a good time. I think they really raised money that night and got some big donations.”

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    Erin Vanderhoof

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  • Trump says ‘dilapidated’ Kennedy Center will close for two years for renovations

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    Less than a year after taking over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and appointing himself chairman, President Trump has announced that the venue will shut down for two years, beginning July 4, to undergo a major renovation.

    “This important decision … will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music and Entertainment, far better than it has ever been before,” Trump wrote Sunday on his social media website.

    Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who serves as an ex officio member of the center’s board of trustees, condemned Trump’s decision to close the venue in a statement issued early Monday.

    “As President Trump continues his demolition tour of Washington, he’s now setting his sights on one of America’s great cultural institutions,” Whitehouse said. “And yet again, he’s bucking rules and convention to do so. If he succeeds, it will be because of a series of suspect and illegal actions to commandeer the Kennedy Center as a clubhouse for his friends and political allies and install leadership who will satisfy his every whim.”

    Whitehouse attributed Trump’s decision to an attempt to cover up “his failures by shuttering a national landmark that belongs to the American people” and noted that the president announced his intentions without getting input from “the Board, Congress, and others, as law and precedent dictate.”

    The president’s announcement came in the wake of a cascade of Trump-initiated changes for the center that began in mid-December when its board voted to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center and quickly added the president’s name above Kennedy’s on the building’s exterior.

    Prominent artists soon began canceling performances, including jazz drummer Chuck Redd, who pulled out of a Christmas Eve show, and the jazz group the Cookers, which canceled two New Year’s Eve performances.

    Additional cancellations included banjo player Béla Fleck and “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz, who announced he no longer intended to host a May 15 gala at the center. Opera star Renée Fleming followed, although scheduling conflicts were the reason given.

    There was also the stunning news last month that the Washington National Opera’s board approved a resolution to leave the venue, which it has occupied since 1971.

    Last week brought a new low for the center’s calendar when renowned composer Philip Glass added his name to the growing list of protest cancellations. Glass sent a letter to the Kennedy Center board saying that he would no longer stage June’s world premiere of Symphony No. 15 “Lincoln” at the center.

    “Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony. Therefore, I feel an obligation to withdraw this Symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership,” Glass wrote in the letter, which was shared with The Times.

    The National Symphony Orchestra had commissioned the piece and appeared to be caught off guard by Glass’ announcement. Executive Director Jean Davidson said the orchestra only learned of the news at the same time as the press.

    Arts watchers soon began wondering about the orchestra’s future at the center. Would it leave like the Washington National Opera? Roma Daravi, Kennedy Center head of communications, said that wasn’t a possibility.

    “The relationship is strong, and we have a wonderful season here with Maestro [Gianandrea Noseda] in his 10th year leading the NSO,” Daravi wrote in an email, noting the “record-breaking success at the recent Gala benefiting the NSO which launched the new season. The event raised $3.45 million, marking an all-time fundraising record for the organization.”

    Daravi’s email did not hint at the prospect of the center closing. Trump also did not appear to be leaning in that direction early last week when he posted on his social media site that he was intent on bettering the arts complex.

    “People don’t realize that the Trump Kennedy Center suffered massive deficits for many years and, like everything else, I merely came in to save it, and, if possible, make it far better than ever before!” Trump wrote.

    In Sunday’s post announcing the Kennedy Center’s imminent closure, Trump didn’t acknowledge the recent cancellations, nor did he make mention of myriad reports that ticket sales at the venue had been plummeting. He simply said the closure would result in extraordinary results.

    “[I]f we don’t close, the quality of Construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many Events using the Facility, will be much longer. The temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result!” Trump wrote.

    Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell confirmed the news on X, writing, “I am grateful for President Trump’s visionary leadership. I am also grateful to Congress for appropriating an historic $257M to finally address decades of deferred maintenance and repairs at the Trump Kennedy Center.”

    It remains unclear whether the National Symphony Orchestra will perform elsewhere during the closure. The orchestra did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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    Jessica Gelt

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  • What Trump’s next pick to lead the Federal Reserve means for your wallet

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    No institution has more influence over what Americans can afford than the Federal Reserve, one most people rarely follow but feel every month in their finances.

    That influence isn’t always obvious. The Fed doesn’t decide what groceries or cars cost, but it does determine how expensive it is to borrow money to pay for them. And right now, borrowing is costly. High interest rates mean larger monthly payments on mortgages, car loans and credit cards, even if the sticker price of a home or vehicle hasn’t changed.

    That makes the Fed’s leadership especially consequential. On Friday, President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to succeed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a move that could alter how aggressively the central bank approaches interest rates.

    TRUMP NOMINATES KEVIN WARSH TO SUCCEED JEROME POWELL AS FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR.

    Kevin Warsh, former governor of the U.S. Federal Reserve, was tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the Fed. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

    Trump has blamed Powell for not cutting rates more aggressively, even as he has repeatedly described the economy as strong. Historically, rate cuts have usually been reserved for times of economic weakness, not growth.

    That disagreement over rates has real-world consequences. For many Americans, the effects are most visible in the housing and auto markets, two of the biggest expenses for most families. You’re not paying more because the home or car suddenly costs more. You’re paying more because the money to buy it does.

    Those elevated borrowing costs are acting like a form of second inflation, pushing mortgages, car loans and credit card bills to levels that stretch household budgets thin. That’s why everyday life can still feel more expensive. Prices may not be climbing as quickly anymore, but the cost of paying for big purchases continues to rise.

    THE PRICE OF BUILDING A HOME KEEPS CLIMBING — AND UNCERTAINTY ISN’T HELPING

    New homes being built by CastleRock Communities in Kyle, Texas.

    Mounting costs on builders ultimately get passed on to buyers, pricing many out of the market. (Matthew Busch/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

    Economists say affordability will not meaningfully improve until the Fed begins cutting rates and keeps them low long enough to ease pressure on long-term borrowing.

    That backdrop has become a political liability for Trump, who campaigned on restoring affordability and easing household financial strain but now faces growing voter skepticism over whether those promises are materializing.

    A recent Fox News poll underscores the stakes. When voters were asked what President Donald Trump’s top priorities should be, nearly four in 10 cited either the economy overall (19%) or prices (17%).

    Affordability concerns are also giving Democrats an early edge in the generic congressional ballot, which asks voters which party they would support in their U.S. House race this November. While largely hypothetical at this stage, the question offers an early baseline for the coming election, according to Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who said the poll is an early read, not a forecast.

     “We ask about it at this point simply to get a sense of how short-term forces might play out in the general election,” Shaw said.

    YEAR IN REVIEW: HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ECONOMIC AGENDA IS SHAPING UP SO FAR

    President Donald Trump looks on at a crowd gathered at a rally addressing the nation's economy in Pennsylvania

    President Donald Trump has begun a nationwide tour to address economic concerns.  (Daniel Torok/Official White House Photo)

    Democrats leaned heavily on affordability themes in state and local elections this fall, and it paid off.

    In places like Virginia, New York and New Jersey, where voters have been squeezed by high housing costs and utility bills, Democratic candidates seized on Trump’s early economic moves, including his trade policy, to argue that his policies were worsening the affordability crisis rather than easing it.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani waves to supporters after being elected the next mayor of New York City.

    Democratic New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani placed affordability at the center of his campaign to helm America’s largest city. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis/Getty Images)

    They promised to rein in energy costs, expand affordable housing and protect middle-class wages, a message that resonated with voters and, analysts say, reflects a broader trend. In an economy where many still feel stretched thin, the party that speaks most directly to people’s pocketbooks often wins.

    The Fed’s decision about rate cuts will shape the economy’s trajectory and how affordable life feels for millions of Americans in the new year.

    Amanda covers the intersection of business and politics for Fox News Digital.

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  • Meet the un-Gavin. Kentucky’s governor sees a different way to the White House

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    FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gavin Newsom was in his element, moving and shaking amid the rich and powerful in Davos.

    He scolded European leaders for supposedly cowering before President Trump.

    He drew disparaging notice during a presidential rant and captured headlines after being blocked from delivering a high-profile speech, allegedly at the behest of the White House.

    All the while, another governor and Democratic presidential prospect was mixing and mingling in the rarefied Swiss air — though you probably wouldn’t know it.

    Flying far below the heat-seeking radar, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear leaned into the role of economic ambassador, focusing on job creation and other nutsy, boltsy stuff that doesn’t grab much notice in today’s performative political environment.

    Like Newsom, Beshear is running-but-not-exactly-running for president. He didn’t set out to offer a stark contrast to California’s governor, the putative 2028 Democratic front-runner. But he’s doing so just the same.

    Want someone who’ll match Trump insult for insult, over-the-top meme for over-the-top meme and howl whenever the president commits some new outrage? Look to Sacramento, not Frankfort.

    “I think by the time we reach 2028, our Democratic voters are gonna be worn out,” Beshear said during a conversation in his state’s snowy capital. “They’re gonna be worn out by Trump, and they’re gonna be worn out by Democrats who respond to Trump like Trump. And they’re gonna want some stability in their lives.”

    Every candidate enters a contest with a backstory and a record, which is condensed to a summary that serves as calling card, strategic foundation and a rationale for their run.

    Here’s Andy Beshear’s: He’s the popular two-term governor of a red state that three times voted overwhelmingly for Trump.

    He is fluent in the language of faith, well-liked by the kind of rural voters who have abandoned Democrats in droves and, at age 48, offers a fresh face and relative youth in a party that many voters have come to see as old and ossified.

    The fact he’s from the South, where Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton emerged the last time Democrats experienced this kind of existential freak-out, also doesn’t hurt.

    Beshear’s not-yet-candidacy, still in the fledgling phase, offers a mix of aspiration and admonition.

    Democrats, he said, need to talk more like regular people. Addiction, not substance use disorder. Hunger, not food assistance.

    And, he suggested, they need to focus more on things regular people care about: jobs, healthcare, public safety, public education. Things that aren’t theoretical or abstract but materially affect their daily lives, like the costs of electricity, car insurance and groceries.

    “I think the most important thing we should have learned from 2024 is [Democratic voters are] gonna be looking for somebody that can help them pay that next bill,” Beshear said.

    He was seated in the Old Governor’s Mansion, now a historic site and Beshear’s temporary office while the nearby Capitol undergoes a years-long renovation.

    The red-brick residence, built in the Federal style and completed in 1798, was Beshear’s home from age 6 to 10 when his father, Steve, lived there while serving as lieutenant governor. (Steve Beshear went on to serve two terms as the state’s chief executive, building a brand and a brand name that helped Andy win his first public office, attorney general, in 2015.)

    It was 9 degrees outside. Icicles hung from the eaves and snowplows navigated Frankfort’s narrow, winding streets after an unusually cold winter blast.

    Inside, Beshear was seated before an unlit fireplace, legs crossed, shirt collar unbuttoned, looking like the pleasantly unassuming Dad in a store-bought picture frame.

    He bragged a bit, touting Kentucky’s economic success under his watch. He spoke of his religiosity — his grandfather and great-grandfather were Baptist preachers — and talked at length about the optimism, a political rarity these days, that undergirds his vision for the country.

    “I think the American people feel like the pendulum swung too far in the Biden administration. Now they feel it’s swung way too far during the Trump administration,” Beshear said. “What they want is for it to stop swinging.”

    He went on. “Most people when they wake up aren’t thinking about politics. They’re thinking about their job, their next doctor’s appointment, the roads and bridges they drive, the school they drop their kids off at, and whether they feel safe in their community.

    “And I think they desperately want someone that can move the country, not right or left ideologically, but actually forward in those areas. And that’s how I think we heal.”

    Beshear doesn’t shy from his Democratic pedigree, or stray from much of the party’s orthodoxy.

    Seeking reelection in 2023, he seized on the abortion issue and the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade to batter and best his Republican opponent.

    He’s walked the picket line with striking auto workers, signed an executive order making Juneteenth a state holiday and routinely vetoed anti-gay legislation, becoming the first Kentucky governor to attend an LGBTQ+ celebration in the Capitol Rotunda.

    “Discrimination against our LGBTQ+ community is unacceptable,” he told an audience. “It holds us back and, in my Kentucky accent, it ain’t right.”

    For all of that, Beshear doesn’t shrink from taking on Trump, which, essentially, has become a job requirement for any Democratic officeholder wishing to remain a Democratic officeholder.

    After the president’s rambling Davos address, Beshear called Trump’s remarks “dangerous, disrespectful and unhinged.”

    “From insulting our allies to telling struggling Americans that he’s fixed inflation and the economy is amazing, the President is hurting both our families’ financial security and our national security,” Beshear posted on social media. “Oh, and Greenland is so important he’s calling it Iceland.”

    But Beshear hasn’t turned Trump-bashing into a 24/7 vocation, or a weight-lifting contest where the winner is the critic wielding the heaviest bludgeon.

    “I stand up to him in the way that I think a Democratic governor of Kentucky should. When he’s doing things that hurt my state, I speak out,” Beshear said. “I filed 20 lawsuits, I think, and we’ve won almost all of them, bringing dollars they were trying to stop from flowing into Kentucky.

    “But,” he added, “when he does something positive for Kentucky, I also say that too, because that’s what our people expect.”

    Asked about the towel-snapping Newsom and his dedicated staff of Trump trollers, Beshear defended California’s governor — or, at least, passed on the chance to get in a dig.

    “Gavin’s in a very different situation than I’m in. I mean, he has the president attacking him and his state just about every day,” Beshear said. “So I don’t want to be critical of an approach from somebody that’s in a very different spot.

    “But the approach also has to be unique to you. For me, I bring people together. We’ve been able to do that in this state. That’s my approach. And in the end, I’ve gotta stay true to who I am.”

    And when — or make that if — both Newsom and Beshear launch a formal bid for president, they’ll present Democratic voters a clear choice.

    Not just between two differing personalities. Also two considerably different approaches to politics and winning back the White House.

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    Mark Z. Barabak

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