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Republicans question Trump’s ‘privately funded’ ballroom after report points to taxpayer burden

June 17, 2026 1:11pm EDT / Fox News

John Thune says the reported figures represent a ‘different narrative than what we’ve heard’ from the White House

By Alex Miller, Fox News

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President Donald Trump’s colossal ballroom could be backed by hundreds of millions in taxpayer money, and after months of the president declaring that it was completely privately funded, lawmakers aren’t happy.

A report from the Washington Post found that estimates for Trump’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom had skyrocketed to $600 million. Of that, about half would come from taxpayer-funded sources.

Both Republicans and Democrats had already drawn a sharp line against dipping into taxpayer funds to pay for the project earlier this year when confronted with tacking on roughly $220 million in security enhancement funding for the ballroom through budget reconciliation.

TRUMP DEMANDS SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN’S OUSTER FOR AXING BALLROOM SECURITY FUNDING

President Donald Trump holds a design rendering of a proposed $400 million presidential ballroom at the White House.(Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)

“We have to have a serious conversation about the benefit to the taxpayers, right? If [taxpayers aren’t paying for it,], it’s a different bar, but if they’re paying for it, we have to have a totally different conversation,” Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said. “Is that how they want their money spent?”

The Post’s report, published Tuesday, reviewed documents between the White House and Clark Construction, a McLean, Va.-based company leading the construction of the ballroom, dating back over the last several months.

A project summary from March 5 detailed that the ballroom, which Trump initially said would cost $100 million, would clock in at $600 million.

Of that, $293 million was expected to come from private donors. The remaining $307 million was to come from the Secret Service, White House Military Office and Executive Residence. All three are funded by taxpayers.

SENATE REPUBLICAN THREATENS TO DERAIL ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE OVER TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR REQUEST

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396057694112

When asked the veracity of the reported figures, Clark Construction referred Fox News Digital to the White House and noted that all project information was confidential.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle did not deny the figures in a statement and said, “The [East Wing Modernization Project is] inextricably tied to the security of the president, the White House grounds and the certain security infrastructure assets.”

“The press release announcing the construction of the ballroom highlighted coordination with the White House Military Office and the United States Secret Service regarding design features and planning,” Ingle said. “President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million, which will be a secure and appropriate venue for presidents for generations to come.”

“The events over the weekend and the foiled attempted attack on the historic UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House proves exactly why the East Wing Modernization Project is severely needed for large-scale events, which include drone proof structures and drone ports among other critical security enhancements,” he continued.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he had not yet seen the report but noted that it would be a “different narrative than what we’ve heard.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS BALK AT $1B WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM REQUEST: ‘YOU MADE THAT NUMBER UP’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Republicans advanced a Trump-backed funding deal out of the Senate with the help of Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28, 2028.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu)

“I think there’s a rationale, particularly when it comes to the security parts of this to keep that place safe we need to be responsible for,” Thune said. “I just don’t know enough about how it’s being used — what it’s being used for.”

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said he would prefer the ballroom to be paid for with private funding but was open to dipping into taxpayer dollars if the goal was to “make it safer, protect the president.”

When asked if he or other Republicans were contacted by the White House about the use of taxpayer money for the ballroom, Scott said, “No.”

“You’d have to, and you know you’d think it’d have to come up over here for funding, and I haven’t seen anything yet,” Scott said.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said lawmakers had seen this situation before with another project: the renovations to the Federal Reserve’s headquarters going over budget that spurred, in part, a public feud with former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

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“I think when you move quickly, that’s when mistakes are made,” Tillis said.

“It’s not surprising that the estimates were up. I have the same view about the Arch,” he continued, referring to Trump’s proposed United States Triumphal Arch. “You know, we think it’s gonna be $25 million. I don’t know what the number is right now, but my guess is it’s gonna be a lot more than that.”

“And we ought to be very thoughtful, go through the process versus fitting things into arbitrary timeframes,” he added. “Never works out.”

Some Republicans shrugged off the report, largely because it was produced by the Washington Post.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said,”You lost me at Washington Post.”

“I have no idea,” Moreno said. “Do I trust the Washington Post? No, but it does — when you have a cat litter situation, and you don’t want it to spill, newspapers serve a really good purpose.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

Deep-red state wrapped race calls before DC started counting, despite same poll deadline

2026-06-17 15:13:31 EDT / Fox News

Both jurisdictions closed polls at 8 p.m. Eastern, but long lines and mail ballots left D.C. far behind

By Robert Schmad Fox News

Published June 17, 2026 3:13pm EDT

Fox News correspondent Christina Coleman reports on California’s ballot counting after Los Angeles mayoral race results were called six days after the primary on ‘Hannity.’

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Voters in Alabama knew the outcomes of their Tuesday night elections hours before officials in D.C. began releasing results despite both jurisdictions officially closing their polls at the same time.

Both D.C. and Alabama were scheduled to officially close their polling stations at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday night. Alabama counted the vast majority of its votes within about an hour, with the Associated Press calling them at 8:40 p.m. and 9:31 p.m., respectively.

Officials in D.C., meanwhile, only began counting votes at 10:47 p.m., around the time the Associated Press declared Rep. Barry Moore the winner of Alabama’s GOP primary – the most hotly contested race in the state.

Democratic-led jurisdictions including California and Washington, D.C., have faced criticism from Republicans and election-integrity advocates who argue that prolonged ballot counting undermines public confidence and leaves major races unresolved for days or even weeks after Election Day. Election officials in those jurisdictions have defended the timelines, pointing to mail-in ballot rules, postmark deadlines and verification requirements they say are necessary to ensure every lawful vote is counted.

CALIFORNIA’S SLUGGISH VOTE COUNTING RIPPED ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM: ‘EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING’

Ballots are stacked on a table at the central count in Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Nov. 5, 2024, during the 2024 U.S. presidential election.(Vincent Alban/Reuters)

D.C.’s first results were delayed after long lines kept some polling places open past the scheduled 8 p.m. close. Long lines at some D.C. polling stations forced the district to wait almost three hours after polls officially closed to start the counting process.

Further delaying the count was the large number of mail ballots and the district’s move to ranked-choice voting, an election method that can require multiple rounds of counting.

NYC POLLS ARE CLOSED BUT RACE FAR FROM OVER DUE TO RANKED-CHOICE VOTING

Voters enter the polling place at the Cleveland Park Public Library in Washington, DC, on Nov. 8, 2022, during the midterm elections.(Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“When you get [20,000 to] 30,000 ballots on election night through the mail, it is not possible to process that number on election night,” D.C. Board of Elections executive director Monica Evans told a local media outlet on June 9.

As of publishing, less than 70% of ballots have been counted in D.C. more than a day after voting began. Roughly 400,000 people voted in Alabama’s Tuesday elections, compared to only around 100,000 ballots cast in D.C. that same night.

DEMS PICK POTENTIAL SUCCESSOR TO DC’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATE AFTER DECADES-LONG INCUMBENCY

A sign marks an early voting site at the Stead Park Recreation Center in northwest Washington on May 29, 2024.(Robert Yoon/AP Photo)

D.C.’s pace of vote counting drew criticism on social media.

“It’s now 10:30 pm, polls were supposed to close 2.5 hours ago, this is an absolute disaster from DCBOE,” DMV New Liberals, a local group of centrist Democrats, wrote to X on Tuesday night in response to news that the city hadn’t begun counting votes yet.

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“In the District of Columbia, just 64% of votes from yesterday’s election have been counted. And there aren’t even that many of them,” conservative pundit Byron York wrote at 11:19 a.m. on Wednesday.

The D.C. Board of Elections did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

How to read the US-Iran draft agreement: Big commitments from Washington, not from Tehran

2026-06-17T16:18:24.304Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/17/politics/how-to-read-us-iran-agreement-mcgurk-analysis

• The draft US-Iran agreement includes big commitments from Washington, Brett McGurk writes.
• The essence of this memorandum of understanding (MOU) in practice is that Iran gets a lot now, including tens of billions of dollars, in exchange for not shooting at ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
• The agreement has two phases: Phase 1 gets underway now and phase 2 kicks everything else to be resolved in a “final agreement” to be negotiated over the next 60 days.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

Brett McGurk is a CNN global affairs analyst who served in senior national security positions under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Now that CNN has received a full text of the draft agreement between the US and Iran, we can begin to more fairly assess its merits. Of course, before the White House officially releases the text, what CNN received may not be final or could change. But we now know enough to assess the terms, and I’ll try my best to do so.

From the text we have now seen, it’s remarkable how much the United States is offering for little in return. I’ve negotiated difficult agreements with Iran and this document stands out in providing Iran much of what it’s demanded in the past — and rarely gotten.

Trump appears to have determined that a deal — any deal — was a better alternative to the status quo. For its part, Iran effectively held the Strait of Hormuz hostage and demanded that the US meet its price. The tactic appears to have succeeded.

The essence of this memorandum of understanding (MOU) in practice is that Iran gets a lot now, including tens of billions of dollars, in exchange for not shooting at ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Understanding the text

According to a draft copy obtained by CNN, the full 14 points of the agreement can be read here. To understand how it works, we need to break out what happens immediately upon signing (now) and what is anticipated in the future. Think of the agreement as two phases. Phase 1 gets underway now and phase 2 kicks everything else to be resolved in a “final agreement” to be negotiated over the next 60 days. That 60-day period can be extended by mutual consent.

Like many deals with Iran, this text is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle with some articles referencing others — and some provisions focused on the future whereas others apply immediately.

To unlock what must happen now, go to Article 13. It states that immediately upon signing, “Articles 4, 5, 10 and 11” of the MOU must be underway. So those are the articles that apply right now, and must be in effect before phase 2 talks even begin.

Let’s review them:

Article 4 and 5 (Strait of Hormuz): Under these two articles, the United States lifts its naval blockade and Iran removes obstacles (such as mines) to ensure that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz returns to pre-war levels within the next 30 days. If the agreement stopped here, it’s a good one for the US and the global economy as it solves the core problem of the strait with both countries agreeing to allow ships to transfer at pre-war levels.

But the agreement does not stop there. In fact, this is where Iranian obligations end and American obligations begin.

Article 10 (sanctions waiver):Under this article, the United States “immediately after the signing … will issue waivers for exports of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products and their derivatives, and all related services, including banking, insurance, transportation, and the like.”

This a significant concession. On its face, it returns Iran to the status it enjoyed under the Obama-era nuclear deal (the JCPOA) with unlimited oil and petrochemical sales at market prices. Some energy experts have already assessed that this article alone would deliver $60-$70 billion a year directly to Iran.

That’s $60-$70 billion for doing nothing other than opening the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the war.

Article 11 (frozen funds):This article is tricky, a jigsaw-within-the-jigsaw. It says: “The United States undertakes that … frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be released and made fully available.” Inside that ellipse, the text reads “in light of the progress of negotiations towards a final agreement.”

That might be read to caveat the release of funds in exchange for Iran’s performance in the 60-day talks towards a more permanent deal. But recall Article 13: those 60-day talks do not begin without “implementation” of this article on frozen funds. Thus, the frozen funds must be dealt with in some form now and perhaps even before Iran is required to meet its requirements in the strait.

Also significant, this article states that Iran’s central bank can determine the beneficiary of the funds once released. That is entirely different from other deals with Iran — such as a hostage deal in 2023 — that made these funds available solely for non-sanctioned beneficiaries (such as humanitarian goods). While the language could certainly change, I do not recall any deals separate from the JCPOA that simply released Iran’s frozen assets for any beneficiary as designated by Iran.

Has Iran made any new commitments to the United States over the longer term in exchange for these concessions? From the text we have, it does not appear so.

Article 8 (nuclear weapons):According to the text received by CNN, Iran “reiterates that it will never produce nuclear weapons.”

Trump is touting this article as somehow preventing Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon. But the Obama-era JCPOA text was stronger: “Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire nuclear weapons.” This is not a political point. It’s a fact. The language on nuclear weapons is not new, and it’s actually weaker than what the United States had in the deal that Trump abandoned during his first term.

To be fair, the Trump administration has destroyed much of Iran’s nuclear program, and the MOU ensures the status quo during the 60-day talks. Iran is not in position to breakout to a bomb, and its starting position is far worse than during the Obama-era.

But the MOU as currently written does not map out the path to a broader and more permanent deal. Instead, it makes such a path more difficult given the relief provided to Iran at the outset.

As for the nuclear material and the nuclear program itself, those “will be adequately addressed in a final agreement.” In other words, Iran has made no commitments on these issues whatsoever.

Article 9 (reconstruction fund):This is the much discussed $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran. The MOU does not establish such a fund right away, but it does require the United States “together with its regional partners, to create a comprehensive plan agreed upon by both parties for the rehabilitation and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran, while ensuring financing of at least $300 billion.”

This plan is to be “formulated within 60 days” and would be a part of a final agreement with Iran.

Let’s be clear what this means: There is no “final agreement” without a $300 billion reconstruction fund. Iran will not agree to nuclear commitments or anything else unless this fund is a reality. That is surely how they read Article 8, and it’s what Article 8 says. No deal without the fund.

Article 7 (all sanctions):This is perhaps the most important article, and it will make negotiating a longer-term deal quite difficult. It states: “The United States commits to ending, on a schedule to be agreed upon as part of the final agreement, all types of sanctions currently facing the Islamic Republic of Iran.” It then goes on to list UN Security Council Sanctions, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolutions, and “all unilateral U.S. sanctions, both primary and secondary.”

Tehran will read this for what it says: the United States has committed to lifting all (emphasize “all”) sanctions on Iran — for terrorism, missiles, human rights, drones, proliferation of weapons, etc. — as part of a “final agreement” on the nuclear program. That goes beyond anything the US has ever done or offered in the past. To justify such a move from the United States, Iran would presumably need to foreswear its support for terrorism and change the entire character of the Islamic Republic. It’s hard to imagine the United States lifting all sanctions solely in exchange for nuclear steps. But the MOU as currently written only envisions a final nuclear deal.

There is nothing whatsoever in this text about Iran’s support for terrorism groups, human rights abuses against its own people, plots to assassinate Americans, its missile and drone program or its proxies across the Middle East region.

As for the IAEA, what Iran is talking about there is a clean bill of health despite its known prior weaponization work. That should not be on the table. Iran had a weapons program. Everyone knows it. Iran has not acknowledged it. Until it does so, there is no clean bill of health.

Finally, the MOU purports to establish “an immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon” and commits the United States and Iran from using force — or threatening force — against each other.

Trump may have already violated this provision when, at the G7 summit in France, he said today of Iran and future behavior: “If I don’t like it, we’ll back to shooting at them, dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their heads.”

In any case, stating on paper that a war ends across the Middle East without any commitments from Iran to stop supporting the terrorist groups that foment war across the Middle East (including Hezbollah in Lebanon) does little in fact. So long as Hezbollah is massed in Lebanon and shooting at Israel, Israel will shoot back to defend itself. The path to ending the war in Lebanon runs through Israel and Lebanon, not through Tehran.

As for the Iranian people, the United States has now committed to non-interference in Iran’s affairs, which Iran will read to mean no further sanctions for human rights abusers or those responsible for killing innocent Iranians in the streets. Iran will like that provision. It’s stated in Article 2, for nothing in return from Iran.

Based on this text and what we know about Iran’s negotiating strategy as well as its behaviors across the Middle East and globally over 47-years, it’s unlikely the United States will succeed in moving from this one-sided MOU to a comprehensive deal on the nuclear program or anything else.

The United States appears to have given away much of its leverage in exchange for opening the Strait of Hormuz. And as those talks drag on or deadlock, the peace the MOU purports to establish may not last.

Trump admin approves $351 million for White House security measures amid questions over ballroom funding

June 17, 2026 2:18pm EDT / Fox News

The funds come from the One Big Beautiful Bill, which gave $1.7B to the Secret Service for personnel and infrastructure

By James Cirrone, Fox News

President Donald Trump offers an exclusive look at the White House Ballroom project, discussing its innovative design and its role as a secure venue for formal events. Trump states it’s a gift to America, funded by patriots, providing ample space for up to 2,000 guests, ensuring the safety of leaders for generations to come.

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The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released $351.6 million to the Secret Service for “White House Security Measures,” all while President Donald Trump continues to advocate for a ballroom to be built where the East Wing used to be.

The funds were approved on Friday, with $340.8 million being put into an account called “Procurement, Construction, and Improvements.” The other $10.75 million will go toward an “Operations and Support” account, according to a database maintained by the OMB.

This money comes from a section of the One Big Beautiful Bill, passed last July through the budget reconciliation process, that gave $1.7 billion to the Secret Service. The law requires these funds to be used for personnel, training facilities, programming, technology, retention and signing bonuses for agents.

REPUBLICANS EYE PICKING UP $400M TAB FOR TRUMP’S BALLROOM AS SOME DEMS OPEN TO ‘DISCUSS’ IDEA

President Donald Trump holds a design rendering of a proposed $400 million presidential ballroom at the White House.(Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)

It is unclear if the $351.6 million approved last week for security measures will be spent on the ongoing ballroom project, which has been challenged in court.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the East Wing Modernization Project “is inextricably tied to the security of the President, the White House grounds and the certain security infrastructure assets”

“The press release announcing the construction of the ballroom highlighted coordination with the White House Military Office and the United States Secret Service regarding design features and planning,” he said. “President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million, which will be a secure and appropriate venue for Presidents for generations to come.”

“The events over the weekend and the foiled attack on the historic UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House proves exactly why the East Wing Modernization Project is severely needed for large scale events, which include drone proof structures and drone ports among other critical security enhancements,” Ingle added.

The Secret Service did not immediately return a request for comment.

Trump has said that there will be a “massive” six-story complex underneath the ballroom that would include a military hospital, research facilities, various meeting rooms and security infrastructure related to drone and missile defense.

In late May, Trump said the construction will cost $400 million. He has also maintained that the ballroom will be funded through private donations and not with taxpayer dollars.

TRUMP CLAIMS DONOR FUNDED WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM INCLUDES HIDDEN BUILD BELOW WITH SECURITY FOCUS

President Donald Trump displays a rendering of his proposed $250 million White House ballroom as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22, 2025.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the contractor on the project estimated the ballroom would cost $600 million, with more than half of that sum coming from taxpayers.

Trump has long said the ballroom is needed to make presidential events more secure. The most recent threat to the White House came on Sunday, when the FBI said it disrupted an alleged plot to use explosives attached to drones to attack buildings near the UFC Freedom 250 event.

To make way for the planned ballroom, the East Wing was demolished in October 2025, which prompted a lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The nonprofit argued that the Trump administration had bypassed key review processes and must seek approval from Congress for the project.

In March, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the administration had likely exceeded its authority and ordered a halt to all above-ground construction.

PRESERVATION GROUP SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT

On April 17, a three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit court stayed Leon’s order and allowed construction to continue pending an appeal from the White House.

Days after the D.C. Circuit’s ruling, a gunman showed up at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, which was being held at the Washington Hilton, and fired at Secret Service agents at a security checkpoint.

President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2026, with the construction site of his proposed ballroom visible.(Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

After the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended, Trump and his allies renewed their calls for a White House ballroom so similar security lapses would not be possible in the future.

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A shooting outside the White House on May 23 prompted Trump to once again argue that the ballroom is necessary.

“This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’s Dinner shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C. The National Security of our Country demands it!” he wrote on Truth Social on May 24.

James Cirrone is a writer on the Breaking/Trending News team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to james.cirrone@fox.com.

Georgia Republican legislative leaders reject governor’s call for 2028 redistricting

2026-06-17T18:16:14.427Z / CNN

By Associated Press

Updated 1 hr 52 min ago

Updated Jun 17, 2026, 2:16 PM ET

PUBLISHED Jun 17, 2026, 2:16 PM ET

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Georgia Governor Brian Kemp speaks during a press conference where he will sign bills into law, including one suspending the Georgia motor fuel tax, at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia on March 20, 2026.

Alyssa Pointer/Reuters

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Georgia’s Republican legislative leaders on Wednesday rejected Gov. Brian Kemp’s call to redraw congressional and legislative districts during a special session, citing concerns about moving too quickly after a US Supreme Court decision weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters.

House Speaker Jon Burns sent Kemp a letter hours before a special session was set to begin Wednesday, and he announced the decision as demonstrators filled the Georgia Capitol with chants of “Black voters matter!”

The decision marked a setback for both Kemp and President Donald Trump, who has urged Republican-led states to redraw congressional districts to their advantage. Ten states already have enacted new congressional districts ahead of the November midterm elections. Georgia would have been the first to change districts for the 2028 elections.

Burns said lawmakers want to take their time after the court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which struck down Louisiana’s congressional map as an illegal racial gerrymander and laid the groundwork for other Southern states to redraw their congressional districts. Burns said it was more important for lawmakers to focus on economic matters rather than “partisan games.” He also cited pending litigation over existing Georgia districts and the need for the state to understand the full ramifications for how race can or cannot be used in redistricting.

Republican legislative leaders did not rule out revisiting redistricting later this year.

Minority voting rights are especially salient in Georgia, where the Capitol complex includes a statue of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and sits blocks from where the slain civil rights icon lived, preached and led the movement that yielded the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

It’s not guaranteed that Georgia Republicans can get what they want from potential new maps.

Partisan gerrymandering involves redistributing voters — packing certain citizens into fewer districts or dividing them across more districts. Around metro Atlanta, spreading non-White, Democratic-leaning voters across more districts could make more seats seem to lean Republican. The risk, however, is that more battleground districts emerge because White metropolitan voters are trending less conservative, which could give Democratic candidates of any race or ethnicity more chances to win.

That’s perhaps not a major factor in the Georgia state Senate, which already is considered gerrymandered for Republicans. But it could be a consideration when drawing state House and US House maps.

Kemp was effectively asking Republicans, especially in metro Atlanta, to redraw their own boundaries and take on new, unfamiliar territory.

WATCH: Unearthed video shows leftist Senate hopeful celebrating anti-fossil fuel group’s arrival in Texas

June 17, 2026 1:02pm EDT / Fox News

James Talarico recently flip-flopped on that stance when he criticized Democrats who advocate for eliminating oil and gas

By Adam Pack, Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6398578379112

‘Welcome to Texas’: James Talarico greets anti-fossil fuel activists in unearthed video

State Rep. James Talarico, D-Texas, participated in a welcome Zoom call with the Texas chapter of Third Act, a climate activism group for seniors, on June 12, 2024. (Vimeo/Third Act – June 12, 2024)

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FIRST ON FOX: Senate candidate James Talarico lavished praise on a left-wing activism group that worked to eliminate Texas’ oil and gas industry, in an unearthed video obtained by Fox News Digital.

Talarico participated in a June 2024 organizing call celebrating the expansion of Third Act, a climate advocacy and protest group for individuals over 60, into the Lone Star State. At the time, the organization was ramping up efforts to isolate the fossil-fuel industry by pressuring major banks to cut financial ties with the sector and targeting the buildout of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals on the Texas Gulf Coast.

“This is the frontline in the fight to save democracy and save our planet, and so your arrival couldn’t come at a better time,” Talarico, who was serving in his third term as a state representative, told the group in pre-recorded remarks. “I look forward to working alongside all of you in this important work, and I just want to thank you for coming to Texas.”

Later on the call, Talarico described the climate activists’ efforts as the highest calling, describing it as “as the most important work in the most important time in the most important place.”

“Welcome to Texas,” State Rep. James Talarico, D-Texas, told the climate activists on the June 12, 2024 organizing call.((Vimeo/Third Act – June 12, 2024)

DEM SENATE CANDIDATE IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER ANTI-MEAT COMMENT RESURFACES: ‘THIS WILL HAUNT HIM’

Two weeks after that call, Third Act Texas called for a transition to “100% renewable resources as soon as possible.”

Talarico’s comments appear to complicate his recent efforts to position himself as a defender of Texas energy workers while sharply criticizing Democrats who advocate eliminating oil and gas production.

The Democratic Senate nominee and fundraising juggernaut is seeking to flip a Senate seat held by Republicans for nearly four decades by distancing himself from his more radical stances. He will likely need support from independent and moderate voters, including some of the 470,000 people employed in the oil and gas industry, to defeat GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton in November.

“The idea that politicians in Washington think they can just eliminate this industry, eliminate these jobs — it’s something we’re going to have to fight against,” Talarico said on a podcast in January with Democratic House candidate Bobby Pulido. “Too many people in our party talk about eliminating oil and gas. And one, it’s just not practical and two, it would do so much damage to our state and do damage to our entire country, which relies on our industry here in Texas.”

Third Act was heavily involved in the climate movement’s #StopLNG campaign and boasted that it “successfully pressured” the Biden administration to pause new LNG export facilities in early 2024.

The group’s Texas chapter also calls for the eventual elimination of LNG and all fossil fuel production on the Texas Gulf Coast, according to a statement on its website.

A participant holds a sign at a rally and march in Manhattan, New York City, on March 21, 2023, organized by Third Act NYC and allied environmental groups to pressure major banks to stop financing fossil fuel expansion.(Erik McGregor/LightRocket)

Campaign spokesman JT Ennis told Fox News Digital that Talarico “supports LNG production and backed legislation to strengthen it in the Texas legislature.”

The campaign did not clarify if Talarico still supports Third Act Texas.

MS NOW ANALYST ADMITS TALARICO ‘NOT A MODERATE,’ HAS PROGRESSIVE VIEWS LIKE CROCKETT

In 2021, Talarico authored an aggressive climate bill that would have enacted strict caps on greenhouse gas emissions, including a 90% reduction below 1990 levels by 2050. While the measure left implementation to state regulators, such drastic emissions reductions in the nation’s largest oil- and gas-producing state would have likely required sweeping changes to the fossil-fuel industry.

The Senate hopeful also introduced legislation that year requiring climate change lessons in K-12 schools to “inspire the next generation of climate activists,” The Washington Free Beacon reported.

By 2025, Talarico took positions on legislation indicating more support for the oil and gas industry. He backed backed legislation aimed at boosting the LNG production through interstate cooperation and supported a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment that would redirect public funds to infrastructure projects in regions home to significant oil and gas production.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Republicans’ Senate nominee, speaks during a runoff election night event in Plano, Texas, on May 26, 2026.(Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Talarico’s praise of Third Act Texas’ launch in June 2024 came as the group gained national attention for helping orchestrate sustained climate protests outside Citigroup’s headquarters in New York City to pressure the bank to halt investments in new fossil-fuel projects.

The group’s founder, environmental activist Bill McKibben, led “Third Actors” in staging a mock funeral procession and “die-ins” during the summer of 2024 that blocked the entrance to the bank’s headquarters. At the end of its Summer of Heat on Wall Street campaign, the group bragged that around 200 of its members were arrested during the disruptive actions.

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During the Texas organizing call, McKibben described Texas as a critical front in the climate movement because of its outsize role in fossil-fuel production.

“You’ve got, you know, half the hydrocarbons in the world down there, and too many of the hydrocarbon executives,” he said. “Don’t think of it as a problem, think of it as an opportunity. You can get an awful lot done, even more than we can up in Vermont.”

On Iran, Trump is committing the cardinal sin from the ‘Art of the Deal’

2026-06-17T18:28:54.421Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/17/politics/analysis-trump-iran-deal

• In 2015, Donald Trump criticized President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear negotiations, warning that appearing desperate to make a deal was the worst negotiating mistake.
• Now Trump’s own administration is openly acknowledging its eagerness to exit the Iran conflict, with officials stating they want to get this thing over with.
• The president declared at the G7 summit that the alternative to his Iran agreement would be a worldwide depression.

Toward the end of the Obama administration’s negotiations over its Iran nuclear deal in 2015, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump chimed in with some advice from his book, “The Art of the Deal.”

“Message to Obama re: Iran: ‘The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it,’” he posted on Twitter.

Trump and his administration are now committing this cardinal sin in their efforts to obtain their own nuclear deal with Iran.

In fact, it looks a lot like they’re giving up on even claiming their memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran is a favorable document to the US. The Trump administration is making it abundantly clear they just want out of this war.

Trump’s overriding desire to extract himself has been clear for a long time; he has repeatedly pulled back on his threats, downplayed Iranian provocations and resisted a return to large-scale hostilities.

But over the last 24 hours, this attitude has moved from the subtext to the text.

The administration has repeatedly suggested that its handling of the MOU is about catering to Iran.

Perhaps most striking were comments the administration made without attribution.

“The consensus of the team was we want to get this thing over with, and the deal is the way to do it in a way that maximizes our upside and minimizes our downside,” an administration official directly involved in the talks told CNN’s Alayna Treene.

Wanting to “get this thing over with” sounds a lot like what Trump warned against in 2015.

And in case that quote didn’t raise your eyebrows, witness the US official who urged people not to “read too much into the language of the MOU,” which they called a “political document.”

“What’s more important than the actual document is the understandings we have with each other,” the official added.

The official added that Trump’s negotiating team “came up with language that allows (Iran) to say what they need to say for their domestic politics.”

Trump echoed that on Wednesday at a press conference at the G7 summit in France.

“Some things aren’t even mentioned in the agreement,” Trump said, adding, “But we have an understanding of certain things without writing it. And if they don’t honor that, we’ll probably go back to bombing them until they honor it.”

That’s an astounding level of spin. Suddenly, the administration’s negotiations shouldn’t be judged on what they’ve actually produced, but instead … the vibes between the two sides?

Of course, it’s now easy to see why they’re going with this line. The agreement released by the US Wednesday includes numerous US concessions to Iran — including immediate ones that would enrich Tehran. Iran’s concessions, meanwhile, are mainly just a return to its pre-war footing by opening the Strait of Hormuz and (again) committing to not obtaining a nuclear weapon.

And the suggestion that this is about catering to the political needs of the Iranians certainly doesn’t sound like the US is negotiating from a position of strength and imposing its will.

Then there was Trump on Wednesday at the G7, where he said, remarkably, that the agreement he made was necessary to avert a “worldwide depression.”

“The alternative would be a worldwide depression,” he said. “You know, the stupid people want to have a worldwide depression. And they’re stupid people.”

Trump added: “You can only go so far. You drive somebody into the ground, a lot of bad things happen. Number one, the strait would never open, because they don’t like floating billion-dollar ships up and down the strait when there are rockets flying over them and mines all over the place. The strait … wouldn’t be open for a long time.”

That’s about as blunt as the president can get in acknowledging that Iran’s leverage just proved too much and that he needed to cut bait and get what he could.

There is still much to negotiate. This is really the beginning of the process, with the much-more-difficult negotiations set for the next 60 days after the agreement is formally signed on Friday.

But for the author of the “Art of the Deal” and his administration to rhetorically concede so much leverage up front is shocking.

Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady but leaves door open to hike

June 17, 2026 / 3:18 PM EDT / CBS News

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate unchanged amid resurgent inflation, but nearly half of its policymakers said they would support a rate hike later this year.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kept the federal funds rate, which affects borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, in its current range of 3.5% to 3.75%. Economists had widely expected the central bank to keep rates steady.

The so-called easing bias — a sentence in recent FOMC policy statements signaling the central bank was leaning toward cutting interest rates — was removed from the June guidance, which was significantly slimmer than the typical statement.

“You might have already noticed something, a difference in today’s policy statement,” Warsh said in a press conference to discuss the Fed’s latest interest rate decision. “It’s a bit shorter, a bit simpler and it dispenses with some older language. That statement just gives you the facts as best we can judge it.”

The Fed also released its Summary of Economic Projections on Wednesday, which shows that nearly half of FOMC members said they could support a rate hike later this year. The vote to keep rates steady was unanimous, with all FOMC voting members in favor of maintaining the current range.

“Inflation remains elevated relative to the Committee’s 2% goal, in part reflecting supply shocks that have driven price increases in certain sectors, including energy,” the FOMC said in Wednesday’s statement.

“Today’s meeting confirms that the Fed’s recent hawkish shift was not just about higher energy prices,” Kay Haigh, global head and CIO of Fixed Income and Liquidity Solutions at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said in an email. “Despite the recent pullback in oil, half of the members of the FOMC expect rate hikes as soon as this year, reflecting strong labor market and inflation data.

Haigh added, “Our base case remains that the Fed can just about avoid hikes, but the path is narrow, and there will be a high premium on the incoming inflation data.”

This week’s meeting is the first presided over by new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, who was picked by President Trump to succeed former chair Jerome Powell.

Investors and economists will be closely watching Warsh during his 2:30 p.m. ET press conference for indications of how he plans to keep the U.S. economy on track, as well as his outlook on inflation and the labor market.

Mr. Trump had repeatedly pressed Powell, whose term as Fed chief ended in May, to lower interest rates. But with U.S. inflation at its highest level in more than three years and well above the Fed’s 2% annual target, many economists expect the FOMC to remain on the sidelines through year-end.

“Warsh has two immediate jobs at this first meeting: getting the FOMC and the broader Fed leadership aligned with his vision going forward, and making sure the markets have confidence in what he’s doing,” said Hank Smith, head of investment strategy at investment firm Haverford Trust, in an email before the meeting.

Smith added, “This is not the environment for a rate cut or a rate hike — it’s an environment for ‘steady as she goes’ — and I’ll be listening for whether he projects that kind of discipline and team-building in his first press conference.”

The Fed’s new inflation forecast

Another major change in the Fed’s economic projections is a sharp increase in inflation expectations for 2026. The central bank’s previous forecast, issued in March, forecast that the Personal Consumption Expenditures index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, would end the year at an annual rate of 2.7%.

But in today’s forecast, the FOMC members are penciling in inflation rising to an annualized 3.6% by year-end. Excluding volatile energy and gas prices, inflation could hit 3.3%.

“The median official now expects headline and core inflation well above 3% by the end of this year, and core inflation to reach 2.5% by end-2027,” Oxford Economics said in a note to investors.

House bill would strip federal funding from colleges with alleged ties to Chinese Communist Party

June 17, 2026 12:32pm EDT / Fox News

The Espionage Protection Act would amend the National Security Act of 1947 to block grants for intelligence programs

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6398563474112

GOP congressman aims to cut federal funds to universities linked to CCP-affiliated organizations

Rep. Pat Fallon unveiled legislation that would strip federal intelligence-related funding from colleges maintaining ties to Chinese Communist Party-linked groups, arguing it is necessary to protect sensitive U.S. research and national security.

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FIRST ON FOX: New legislation introduced in the House of Representatives threatens federal funding for colleges and universities working with organizations with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

The Espionage Protection Act, authored by Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, would amend the National Security Act of 1947 to prohibit federal funding for intelligence programs at universities that maintain contractual or in-kind relationships with organizations tied to the CCP.

“American citizens and or professors at these institutions would be compromised and would be doing highly sensitive research and the Chinese Communist Party could benefit from that illegally,” Fallon told Fox News Digital.

“There have been instances of this where they’re using their either trained assets for the Chinese Communist Party or they’re sympathetic – stealing highly sensitive research, biotechnology, etc. and bringing it back to Beijing,” he added.

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, is seen on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 6, 2022.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

‘SERIOUS CONCERNS’: GOP SOUNDS ALARM ON TAXPAYER FUNDS GOING TO ‘HIGH RISK’ UNIVERSITIES VULNERABLE TO CCP

The legislation would revoke federal funding for grant programs, including: Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence, Intelligence advanced research projects, undergraduate and graduate training, Stokes Scholarship Programs and SMART Scholarship for Service Program.

Fallon singled out the Confucius Institute, a nonprofit educational fund by the CCP, for particular scrutiny. While the number of universities who work with the Confucius Institute has seen a dramatic decline due to funding threats in the past, the organization still works with a number of schools.

The Texas congressman also told Fox News Digital he supports an outright ban on student visas for Chinese nationals.

A Riverside County school district in California is under investigation for allegedly issuing invalid diplomas to nonresident Chinese students and engaging in possible financial misconduct, according to a lengthy audit that found potential fraud and unlawful financial practices.(FoxDIGITAL/iStock)

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS NEW WAVE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISA REVOCATIONS: ‘NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO A VISA’

“It would wholly take away one of the major concerns, which would be with Chinese students coming over and stealing technologies and other sensitive data… so it definitely needs to be explored and looked into,” he said.

The debate around whether Chinese students should be allowed in U.S. schools has created some divide within the GOP. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump said an outright ban could damage relations between Beijing and D.C., and discussed some of the benefits of allowing Chinese professionals into the country.

“I frankly think that it’s good that people come from other countries and they learn our culture and many of them want to stay here,” Trump said following his meeting with President Xi Jinping last month.

TRUMP JOLTS IMMIGRATION HAWKS WITH SURPRISING DEFENSE OF CHINESE STUDENTS IN USA

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.(Kenny Holston/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump noted that the idea of letting Chinese students in U.S. schools “doesn’t sound like a very conservative position – and I’m a conservative… commonsense guy. I think MAGA is common sense.”

Xi and Trump met in Beijing last month, where Trump described the meeting as “incredible” and “very successful,” despite the traditional rift between the two world powers.

Trump’s comments about Chinese students in the U.S. sparked some backlash from members of the GOP who take a hard line position on immigration, including former Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

REP. GREENE RAISES RED FLAG AFTER TRUMP INDICATES US WILL ACCEPT 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS

“Trump says it’s insulting to tell China their students can’t go to our universities, imagine being an American student and receiving a rejection letter while 500,000 Chinese students get in,” Greene said to The New Republic.

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The Trump administration says foreign student visa vetting will be a continued process rather than a one-time check.(iStock)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was critical of the Trump administration’s stance on Chinese students last year, and signed legislation to block colleges from hiring students from China and other “countries of concern” in academic labs.

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The IIE Open Doors Report, which is sponsored by the State Department, estimates that more 260,000 Chinese students are in the U.S. as of the 2024-2025 academic school year. Most students hold F-1 visas, which don’t automatically expire upon graduation from a university.

In April, Fallon announced that he was running for chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. If he wins, he said he plans to root out CCP influence in the U.S.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

Victims ID’d in B-52 bomber crash that killed 8 at Edwards Air Force Base

June 17, 2026 / 1:36 PM EDT / CBS News

Edwards Air Force Base has released the names of the eight people killed in a B-52 Stratofortress bomber crash on Monday. The deceased include military personnel, Boeing employees and government civilians.

The deceased include weapons system officers Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, and Maj. Alexander Davis, 34. Estrella was part of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Edwards. 419th Test Squadron pilots Maj. Robert Dee, 40, and Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, were also among the dead.

The others killed were Jeremy Smith, 32, a flight test engineer from the 419th Flight Test Squadron; Christopher Rischar, 41, a contractor and flight test engineer; retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, a Boeing pilot; and Col.Gregory Watson, 53, a weapons officer for Boeing and Air Force reservist assigned to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas.

“It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that I can now share the names of the eight extraordinary Americans we lost during Monday’s B-52 crash,” Col. Thomas Tauer, 412th Test Wing commander, said in a news release identifying the deceased. “They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates. … These Airmen were more than coworkers. They were friends, mentors, teammates and valued members of our Edwards and Air Force family.”

The service members killed in the B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base. Edwards Air Force Base

The group was acting as a Combined Test Force, or CTF, which the airfield described as a unique construct where active-duty airmen work with military contractors and governments civilians to complete specific projects.

As standard practice, the military makes public identifications 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.

The crew was embarking on a test mission for the Air Force’s Radar Modernization Program when the plane took off around 11:20 a.m. local time, CBS News previously reported. The plane crashed on the runway shortly after taking off and burst into flames.

Aerial footage taken shortly after the crash showed a large burn mark and a huge plume of smoke, which could be seen for miles. Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, described the crash as “unsurvivable,” despite immediate efforts from first responders.

The airfield will remain closed until at least Thursday, the base previously said. Flight test operations are expected to resume early next week.

The Radar Modernization Program is meant to upgrade B-52 bombers so the planes can continue flying into the 2050s. The aircraft have “tremendous” payload capacity and range, according to Doug Birkey, the executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The planes are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Some B-52s were recently deployed during the Iran war.

Footage shows billowing smoke after a B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base. UC San Diego/CalFire Alert California cam

But the age of the B-52s poses a risk, Birkey said. They are among the oldest planes in the Air Force’s fleet, with those still in service today having been built in the early 1960s. The U.S. military is paying nearly $50 billion to upgrade those planes, with the hopes of keeping them flying until the 2050s.

“When you are dealing with aircraft of this age and when you are pressing for the high-performance type scenarios, we’re asking folks to take a lot of risk,” Birkey told CBS News on Tuesday. “And clearly, eight people paid with their lives.”

The U.S. Air Force’s Accident Investigation Board will examine the incident, the base said. The board’s investigation process can take up to six months to form initial conclusions on the cause of the crash.

Supporting families who lost loved ones and other team members remains the base’s primary objective, it said. The test wing has stood up an Emergency Family Assistance Center to provide support, like mental health services, childcare assistance, legal counsel, and chaplain support for anyone at Edwards Air Force Base, according to the Air Force.

Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the bomber program, encouraged members of the command to look after each other in an X post on Wednesday.

“Please take the time to check in on your wingmen. Grief affects us all differently, and there is absolute strength in asking for help when you need it,” the post from the commander and command chief of AFGSC said.

The U.S. Air Force does much of its aerospace testing at Edwards. The facility is located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles.