Category: USA Politics

The Court of International Trade on Friday appeared skeptical of President Donald Trump‘s use of a little-known emergency trade law to justify his sweeping, 10% global tariffs — teeing up a familiar, if technically new, legal fight focused on when and how a sitting president can act to unilaterally impose steep import fees on most U.S. trading partners.

During nearly two hours of arguments, a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of International Trade grappled with Trump’s use of Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — an emergency provision designed to address “large and serious” balance-of-payments problems — and its applicability in today’s economy.

Under Section 122, a president has the authority to unilaterally impose import fees of up to 15% on U.S. trading partners for a period of 150 days, to respond to large and serious “balance of payments deficits,” or instances that risk immediately depreciating the power of the dollar.  

Arguments before the court hinged on interpretation of the “balance of payments deficits” phrase, and whether the persistent U.S. trade deficits cited by Trump in invoking Section 122 aligned with the kind of crisis that Congress had envisioned when it passed the trade law in the mid-1970s. 

TRUMP WARNS SUPREME COURT TARIFF SHOWDOWN IS ‘LIFE OR DEATH’ FOR AMERICA

Members of the three-judge panel appeared skeptical of the Trump administration’s arguments, and questioned whether Congress intended the statute to apply to specific instances of international currency pressures, rather than long-running trade imbalances.

“Are you really saying that a large trade deficit alone is sufficient?” the judge asked Justice Department lawyer Brett Shumate, adding, “I don’t think it is, and I think Congress didn’t think it is.”

Congress, Shumate argued, had provided presidents with broad discretion to assess economic conditions, and to identify what “balance of power” deficits warrant emergency intervention. 

Shumate also ticked through a list of other economic indicators Trump cited in his proclamation — including the current account deficit, and the “net international investment” position, among other things.

“The important point,” Shumate said, “is that Congress provided the president [with] discretion.”

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS 5 TRUMP TARIFF EXECUTIVE ORDERS 

The arguments come weeks after a group of 24 attorneys general sued the administration over Trump’s use of Section 122, arguing that the move was an illegal attempt to “sidestep” the Supreme Court’s ruling in February that blocked Trump’s use of an emergency economic powers law to unilaterally impose his so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs. 

Shumate said Friday that both authorities — IEEPA and Section 122 — were available to Trump, and told the court that Trump could have invoked Section 122 earlier.

Lawyers for the challenges told the court Friday that upholding the administration’s broader view of the law would effectively turn Section 122 into an all-purpose trade weapon. 

TRUMP TARIFF PLAN FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE AS COURT BATTLES INTENSIFY

Jeffrey Schwab, a lawyer representing one set of challengers in Friday’s case, said the government’s theory was “very, very, very broad,” adding that it could allow the president to act “at any point, at any moment that he wants, forever.”

Trump is the first president to attempt to use both IEEPA and Section 122 to unilaterally impose tariffs. 

The case is seen broadly as one that could help define the outer bounds of presidential tariff authority.

If nothing else, the novelty of both cases, and the skepticism on display by the trade court Friday suggests the new Section 122 tariffs might follow a legal fight that is similar to his first.

Nerdeen Kiswani, a Palestinian-American activist, blasted what she called Zionist aggression after investigators foiled a Molotov cocktail plot against her life — but refused to condemn political violence across the board.

In the past, Kiswani’s organization, Within Our Lifetime (WOL), has drawn scrutiny for refusing to condemn U.S.-designated terror organizations.

“For years, I and so many other Palestinian organizers have been the targets of coordinated harassment, threats, stalking,” Kiswani said at a press event.

Undercover investigators prevented Alexander Heifler, 26, from carrying out a plan to make and use Molotov cocktails against Kiswani late last month. According to court filings, Heifler had made as many as 12 incendiary devices and was preparing to throw them at Kiswani’s car and home.

NURSE FIRED FOR RANT AGAINST ISRAELIS IN TIMES SQUARE AS SPIDER-MAN TRIES TO STOP CONFRONTATION

She also said she believed Palestinians had the right to act in their own interests.

“I believe that in accordance with international law, the victims of a genocide have the right to defend themselves, and I also believe the American people should be concerned about Zionist terrorist organizations attempting to assassinate their critics on the streets of American cities.”

She did not clarify if self-defense also included acts of violence.

CONTRIBUTOR FOR FAR-LEFT OUTLET CALLS FOR ‘WIPING OUT ISRAEL,’ SAYS ISRAELIS ‘MUSTN’T FEEL SAFE’

NYC MAYOR MAMDANI’S WIFE LIKED POSTS CELEBRATING OCT 7 TERROR ATTACKS BUT GETS SOFT TREATMENT FROM THE PRESS

Reacting to Kiswani’s statement, Yuval David, a fellow with the Middle East Forum, a pro-Israel research group, said Kiswani’s framing did not come as a surprise.

“She refuses to condemn political violence, and she also refuses to condone terrorism because she tries to manipulate the narrative to justify terrorism by calling it resistance,” David said.

David noted that Kiswani’s organization has shied away from condemning violence against Israel in the past.

WOL made headlines in the wake of Hamas’ terror attack on Israel in October 2023 for its anti-Israel support, stating in online messaging that “we are anti-Zionists” and that the “liberation of Palestine requires the abolition of Zionism.”

David recalled WOL’s messaging to its followers at the outset of the Israel-Hamas war.

“A month after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad attacks [Kiswani] and her organization published maps of Jewish organizations across New York City, labeled them as having, quote, ‘blood on their hands.’ And told followers to, quote, ‘know your enemy.’ She said that the map should serve as a call for every struggle to act,” David said.

The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism has said WOL demonstrates “very explicit support for violence against Israeli civilians in support of terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”

For its part, WOL has said it is anti-Zionist, not antisemitic.

After news of the plot against Kiswani broke, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called on viewers to denounce violence across the board.

“We do not tolerate any kind of violent extremism in this city. No one should face violence for their political beliefs or for their advocacy. And I am relieved she is safe,” Mamdani said in a press event.

NYC BOOSTS PATROLS AMID ‘HEIGHTENED THREAT ENVIRONMENT,’ AFTER GUNMAN RAMS TRUCK INTO MICHIGAN SYNAGOGUE

When asked if she would condemn political violence in the wake of the foiled plot, Kiswani blasted the inquiry.

“Since its inception, Fox News has not only cheerled the Israeli occupation of Palestine, it has spread lies that launched the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which led to the deaths of over a million people, and it presently supports Trump and Israel’s war on Iran,” Kiswani told Fox News Digital.

“It is ironic that a news network that glorifies violence when carried out in the interest of American imperialism puts the burden on me, the Palestinian victim of a Zionist terrorist plot, to explain my position on political violence,” she continued.

A Canadian politician went viral on social media after spelling out the acronym of an identity in the LGBT community known as “MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+,” sparking mockery and comparisons online that it sounded like a “WiFi password.” 

Leah Gazan, a member of Canada’s New Democratic Party, shared the term during recent public remarks, in which she lamented the Canadian government cutting $7 billion from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada’s budget.

“When the budget was released, I was shocked to find out that Prime Minister Carney is cutting $7 billion between Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations,” Gazan said. 

“They provided zero to deal with the ongoing genocide of MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+,” Gazan said. “This is abhorrent. This is callous.”

CANADIAN OPPOSITION LEADER TELLS ROGAN ‘FAKE REFUGEES’ ARE STRAINING ECONOMY, MUST BE DEALT WITH LAWFULLY

The term stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual Plus people. MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ is a term adopted by the Canadian government in its efforts to keep track of missing and murdered indigenous people. Notably, the lengthy acronym excludes indigenous missing boys and straight men.

Many accounts poked fun at Gazan, such as the Morse Report, which wrote on X that the LGBT community has “gone from a group of people to a PASSWORD you have to set for a banking app!” 

“It’s the WiFi that comes pre-set on the router!” the Morse Report wrote.

The viral video even garnered a comment from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

“The mental institutions were closed far too quickly….” Cruz wrote on X.

“So apparently they’d added murdered people into the LGBT community,” political commentator Matt Walsh wrote on X. “Murdered is now a queer identity. This is the kind of innovation we get from Canada.”

“They front loaded this acronym with true victims —dead or missing girls — and then they leached off that valid suffering,” Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld said. “It’s stolen valor. It’s stolen victim hood.”

CANADA’S CARNEY UNDER PRESSURE TO ACT AFTER SYNAGOGUES SHOT AT IN LATEST ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS

Gazan shared a clip of her speaking on X, along with a lengthy written post in which she continued to rail against the Canadian government for not meeting its “legal obligations to end the ongoing genocide against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.”

“Is the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people not in the national interest?” Gazan wrote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Gazan for comment.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell summoned Wall Street bank heads to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for a flash meeting to warn them of cybersecurity threats posed by AI giant Anthropic, according to a Thursday night report from Bloomberg.

Bessent and Powell convened the last-minute meeting at Treasury’s D.C. headquarters in order to ensure the banks were ready to guard against risks from Anthropic’s latest model, Claude Mythos Preview, a powerful new AI model that experts warn marks a profound shift in the technology.

Each bank summoned is marked by the Fed as “structurally important” to the global financial system. The attendees included chief executives from Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan was in attendance, a source with knowledge of his schedule told Fox News Digital. Spokespeople for Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo declined to comment. Citigroup and Morgan Stanley did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

PENTAGON’S AI BATTLE WILL HELP DECIDE WHO CONTROLS OUR MOST POWERFUL MILITARY TECH

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon was also summoned but was unable to attend, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar. JPMorgan, notably, is a member of Anthropic’s “Project Glasswing,” an initiative to use Mythos as a defense against future similar models. JPMorgan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mythos has garnered a swell of intrigue online thanks to Anthropic’s claims that the AI can autonomously identify and exploit software weaknesses.

The company touted Mythos as a “frontier model” that can outperform “all but the most skilled humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities.” It claimed the model has already identified thousands of software flaws previously unknown to their developers, including some that were decades old inside companies widely considered to be security strongholds.

“This could make cyberattacks of all kinds much more frequent and destructive, and empower adversaries of the United States and its allies,” Anthropic wrote in a blog post. “Addressing these issues is therefore an important security priority for democratic states.”

ANTHROPIC’S DEMOCRATIC TIES UNDER FIRE AS TRUMP ADMIN SEVERS PENTAGON CONTRACTS

In light of the security risks, a source close to Anthropic told Fox News Digital that the company has briefed senior U.S. government officials about Mythos, though did not specify which agencies.

The increasingly relevant AI titan was once a core partner of the U.S. military, securing a $200 million contract with the Pentagon in July 2025.

However, the partnership split open in February after the company drew redlines against the War Department using its technology for autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance. After issuing the company an ultimatum, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic as a supply chain risk, barring federal contractors from using its products.

Anthropic sought to appeal that designation, but a federal appeals court rejected their plea Wednesday.

When asked to comment on the Treasury’s Tuesday meeting, the Department of War referred Fox News Digital to a statement in support of the Wednesday ruling from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Today’s D.C. Circuit stay allowing the government to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk is a resounding victory for military readiness,” Blanche posted on X Wednesday. “Our position has been clear from the start — our military needs full access to Anthropic’s models if its technology is integrated into our sensitive systems. Military authority and operational control belong to the Commander-in-Chief and Department of War, not a tech company.”

The Department of Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board did not immediately return requests for comment.

An immigration appeals board has issued a final order of removal for anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil, advancing the Trump administration’s effort to deport the Columbia University graduate, according to his legal team.

The Justice Department’s Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ruled Thursday to deny Khalil’s bid to dismiss the case, marking a significant development in the administration’s push to deport him from the U.S.

Khalil, a 31-year-old lawful permanent resident, has been at the center of a broader federal crackdown on noncitizens involved in anti-Israel campus protests tied to the war in Gaza. He was the first person whose arrest became publicly known as part of the crackdown.

His legal team blasted the decision as “baseless and politically motivated,” arguing the government is retaliating against his speech and lacks evidence to support the case.

MAHMOUD KHALIL AVOIDS EXPLICIT HAMAS CONDEMNATION, CRITICIZES ‘SELECTIVE OUTRAGE’ AMID PALESTINIAN SUFFERING

“In all my decades as an immigration lawyer, I have never seen such a baseless and politically motivated decision,” Khalil’s lead attorney, Marc Van Der Hout, said in a statement issued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “The BIA’s decision has absolutely no support in the record, violates a federal court order, and we’ll be fighting it until the end.”

The Trump administration has argued Khalil’s protest activity was “aligned with Hamas,” a claim cited by the Department of Homeland Security and other officials, though authorities have not publicly detailed specific evidence linking him to the terrorist group.

Khalil has also denied allegations of antisemitism. Officials have also cited a rare foreign policy provision of U.S. immigration law, sometimes referred to as a “Rubio determination,” as well as alleged issues tied to his green card application.

Despite the ruling, Khalil’s attorneys say he cannot be deported while his separate federal habeas case continues to play out in court.

A federal judge in New Jersey previously found the government’s justification for detaining Khalil was likely unconstitutional and ordered his release.

After his arrest, Khalil spent 104 days in immigration detention, missing the birth of his first child before a federal judge in New Jersey ordered his release.

Khalil later suffered a setback in his federal case when a U.S. appeals panel ruled that the New Jersey judge overstepped his authority by ordering his release. In a 2-1 decision, the panel found the case must proceed through the immigration court system before it can be challenged in federal court.

His lawyers are now requesting the full appeals panel reconsider that decision and have asked one of the judges to step aside over his prior role as a Justice Department official involved in investigating student protesters.

Khalil has denied wrongdoing and said the case is an attempt to silence him.

“I am not surprised by this decision from the biased and politically motivated Board of Immigration Appeals. I have committed no crime. I have broken no law. The only thing I am guilty of is speaking out against the genocide in Palestine — and this administration has weaponized the immigration system to punish me for it,” Khalil said in a statement released by the ACLU.

DHS FIRES BACK AFTER MAHMOUD KHALIL TARGETS TRUMP ADMIN FOR $20M OVER DETENTION

“My family is here. My life is here. I reject any attempt to intimidate me out of my home based on lies and ideological attacks,” he said. “This is not justice. This is just another attempt to retaliate against me.”

Khalil, a prominent organizer of anti-Israel protests at Columbia University in 2024 who the Trump administration is seeking to deport, was initially arrested in 2025 at his university-owned apartment in New York City.

Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told him at the time they were revoking his green card, according to his attorney, Amy Greer. He was later transferred to a detention center in Louisiana.

Khalil played a major role in protests against Israel that rocked Columbia University in 2024 and met with school officials on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of student groups pushing the university to divest from Israel. He completed the requirements for a Columbia master’s degree in late 2024.

Born in Syria, he is the grandson of Palestinians who were forced to leave their homeland, his lawyers said in a legal filing. His wife, a U.S. citizen, gave birth to the couple’s child while he was in detention.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously defended the Trump administration’s actions following Khalil’s arrest in March, saying he allegedly distributed pro-Hamas propaganda fliers on campus.

“This administration is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying in our country and then siding with pro-terrorist organizations that have killed Americans,” Leavitt told reporters at a White House press briefing at the time, noting that on her desk were the “pro-Hamas propaganda fliers with the logo of Hamas” on them that Khalil allegedly was distributing.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy for siding with terrorists, period,” she said.

Fox News Digital has contacted the Justice Department for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Congressional Democrats want President Donald Trump ousted through extraordinary measures, despite previously dismissing similar calls targeting former President Joe Biden.

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers have called on Trump’s Cabinet to effectively depose him using the 25th Amendment, arguing that the president is unfit to serve over his comments and actions regarding Iran. Their demands were sparked by his social media declaration that a “whole civilization will die” unless the Iranian government agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“I certainly think the president should be removed,” Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said. “I mean, he’s unfit for office. I think the 25th Amendment, and if not, then impeachment.”

But less than two years ago, Republicans made the same argument against Biden that Democrats ignored.

SENATE DEM ACCUSES TRUMP OF BEING ‘UNFIT FOR OFFICE,’ JOINS GROWING CALL TO IMPEACH, OUST PRESIDENT

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., at the time wrote a letter to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for him, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, to invoke the 25th Amendment.

“If President Biden is unwilling to resign, for the sake of our great nation, you must do your duty to relieve him of his constitutional powers and duties,” Schmitt wrote.

Now, only a small group of Senate Democrats have made the case for Trump’s ouster, while most of the enthusiasm has come from the House.

Democrats’ calls to remove Trump through impeachment and conviction or the 25th Amendment cannot happen without widespread GOP support. House Democratic leadership, however, continues to provide a platform for those discussions.

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., will hold a caucus-wide briefing on the workings of the 25th Amendment Friday afternoon.

EX-TRUMP ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE JOINS LEFT-WING CALLS FOR THE 25TH AMENDMENT AS IRAN DEADLINE NEARS

In the summer of 2024, Republicans demanded that Biden be removed from office after a disastrous debate performance against Trump and following a report from former Special Counsel Robert Hur that called into question the then-president’s cognitive ability and handling of classified documents.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at the time, “There’s a lot of people asking about the 25th Amendment, invoking the 25th Amendment right now, because this is an alarming situation.”

GOP INFIGHTING REPLACES CLASH WITH DEMS, DERAILS PATH TO END HISTORIC DHS SHUTDOWN

“Our adversaries see the weakness in this White House, as we all do,” Johnson added. “I take no pleasure in saying that. I think this is a very dangerous situation.”

Democrats quickly closed ranks and disputed accusations that Biden’s mental acuity was rapidly declining. Some, however, did call for Biden to drop out of the race against Trump over fears he would not be able to beat his political foe in a rematch after stumbling during their only debate.

Top congressional Democrats, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reportedly urged Biden privately to step aside, and dozens of Democrats publicly called on him to exit the race while there was still time to find a replacement.

Neither, however, called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked against Biden. Pelosi did, however, renew her call to see Trump ousted through that process in recent days. 

“Donald Trump’s instability is more clear and dangerous than ever,” Pelosi said on X. “If the Cabinet is not willing to invoke the 25th Amendment and restore sanity, Republicans must reconvene the Congress to end this war.”

Schumer has so far stopped short of calling for Trump’s removal from power.

Trump, when pressed on next moves in Iran, joked in April during a Cabinet meeting that if he revealed what comes next, his own Cabinet would oust him.

“I can’t say what we’re going to do because if I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here for long. They’d probably — what is it called? The 25th Amendment — They’d institute the 25th Amendment,” Trump said. “Which they didn’t do with Biden, which is shocking.”

The Navy is canceling a long-delayed overhaul of the USS Boise after costs ballooned to nearly $3 billion, with Secretary of the Navy John Phelan saying the submarine no longer made financial or strategic sense to repair.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Phelan said the Los Angeles-class attack submarine had already consumed roughly $800 million and would require another $1.9 billion to complete — despite offering only about 20% of its remaining service life. Instead, the Navy plans to redirect funding and skilled labor toward building and delivering newer Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines, part of a broader push to accelerate ship production and overhaul troubled acquisition programs.

“At some point, you just cut your losses and move on,” Phelan said.

The Navy originally awarded a roughly $1.2 billion contract in 2024 under the Biden administration to overhaul the submarine, nearly a decade after it was first slated for repairs, but updated estimates later showed the total cost to complete the work had surged far beyond initial projections.

“The Boise has been pier-side since 2015, cost nearly $800 million already, and it’s only 22% complete — the math really does not work,” he added.

TRUMP UNVEILS MARITIME ACTION PLAN AS CHINA DOMINATES GLOBAL SHIPBUILDING

The decision comes as the Navy faces mounting pressure to expand and maintain its fleet amid growing competition with China, which has built the world’s largest navy by number of ships. U.S. officials have increasingly emphasized the need to speed up shipbuilding and submarine production to keep pace with rising global demands.

Boise’s problems long predate the canceled contract.

The submarine last deployed in 2015 and was slated to begin a routine overhaul the following year, but delays at Navy shipyards left it waiting years for an available dry dock.

As maintenance was pushed back, the situation worsened. The submarine lost its full operational certification in 2016 and its ability to dive in 2017, effectively sidelining it from combat operations.

Despite being a frontline attack submarine, Boise remained tied up at port for years as the Navy struggled with a growing backlog of repairs across its fleet, driven by limited dry dock space, workforce shortages and competing maintenance priorities.

The overhaul originally was planned to begin in 2016 but was repeatedly delayed for nearly a decade before the Navy finally awarded a contract in 2024 — by which point the submarine had already spent years out of service.

US TO EXPEDITE NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBS TO AUSTRALIA THAT WILL SIT NEAR CHINA’S DOORSTEP

Even after work began, the timeline stretched further, with repairs not expected to be completed until 2029 — meaning the submarine would have spent roughly 15 years inactive by the time it returned to sea.

Over time, Boise became one of the clearest examples of the Navy’s broader maintenance and shipyard challenges, frequently cited by lawmakers and defense analysts as a case study in delays, rising costs and declining readiness.

Phelan said a key factor in the decision was freeing up scarce shipyard labor and engineering talent currently tied up in the Boise overhaul, which he said could be better used to accelerate construction of newer submarines.

“One of our big constraints in our shipyards, particularly in submarine building, is labor and engineering talent,” Phelan said. “We have a lot of that dedicated to this, which we could free up and put onto the Virginia-class submarine or Columbia and try to shift the schedule left on those.”

He argued the overhaul no longer made sense from a return-on-investment perspective, comparing the cost of repairing the aging submarine to building a new one.

“The Boise represents 65% of the cost of a new Virginia-class submarine, yet it only delivers 20% of the remaining service life,” Phelan said, adding that equates to roughly three deployments.

The Boise, commissioned in 1992, is a Cold War-era attack submarine designed primarily for open-ocean combat, while newer Virginia-class submarines are quieter, more versatile and better suited for modern missions, including intelligence gathering, special operations and operating in contested coastal environments.

“Is it time we just simply pull the plug on that one?” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-N.D., asked during a confirmation hearing in June 2025.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle called the situation “an unacceptable story” and “like a dagger in the heart” for the submarine force.

No public criticism immediately surfaced after the decision was announced Friday.

Phelan described the program’s failure as the result of multiple factors over more than a decade, including engineering challenges, shifting priorities and strain on the Navy’s industrial base.

“I can’t point to one thing that killed it,” he said. “I think it was a combination … the complexity of the engineering, COVID impacts, and pressure on the industrial base.”

The cancellation is part of a broader effort by Navy leadership to reevaluate underperforming programs and change how the service approaches acquisitions, Phelan said.

“We’re reviewing every program,” he said, adding the Navy is pushing for “radical transparency” and a shift away from what he described as a culture of accepting delays and rising costs.

Phelan said the decision reflects a broader push to prioritize speed and efficiency in delivering war-fighting capability to the fleet.

“We need to be more disciplined and move out faster,” he said. “The president wants things yesterday.”

A hefty backdrop sign toppled toward Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Benjamin Franklin reenactor and a woman portraying Betsy Ross on Thursday as the governor unveiled headliners for the “Commonwealth Concert Series” in anticipation of the nation’s semiquincentennial. 

Shapiro, Franklin and Ross announced five free, star-studded concerts would take place around the commonwealth leading up to America’s 250th birthday on July 4 – at a cost of $675,000 from Pennsylvania’s Marketing to Attract Marquis Events program.

As Shapiro joked that state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, would be a good singer for a concert in that city, he pivoted to announcing the finale of the series. 

“Then on June 27th, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the newly refurbished, refashioned, redone Point State Park,” he boomed, before being interrupted by a crashing sound as the large “America250PA” backdrop fell forward, nearly clipping him, Ross and Franklin.

$20M ‘ONE SMALL STEP’ CAMPAIGN AIMS TO REBUILD AMERICAN PRIDE AHEAD OF 250TH ANNIVERSARY

“You all right, Doctor Franklin?” Shapiro asked.

“I feel like Sandra Day O’Connor,” Franklin replied – referencing a near-catastrophic incident in 2003 in Philadelphia as the Reagan-appointed Supreme Court justice was announcing the opening of the Constitution Center on Independence Mall.

At that event, Day O’Connor counted down to the pulling of ribbons to unveil the center, and when her count hit zero, a large horizontal beam crashed down within inches of her head.

WASHINGTON MONUMENT TO BECOME ‘BIRTHDAY CANDLE’ AS US MARKS START OF 250TH YEAR

Shapiro announced several acts including Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum), The Fray, Cole Swindell and Gabby Barrett, before the sign crashed down. 

After ensuring all on the dais were unharmed Thursday, Shapiro finished his announcement, saying that Third Eye Blind would headline that final concert at the park – which is at the “point” confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers.

“I don’t know if you saw this the other day, we redid the fountain there. Austin Davis, the great lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, y’all should give them a little grief for this. He turned that fountain on so high, he soaked himself and every other guest who was there that day,” Shapiro quipped.

“Third Eye Blind and Nelly, that’s going to be a good one.”

It’s only 2026, but the first major cattle call of potential Democratic presidential contenders in the 2028 White House race is underway.

Eight Democrats who may launch presidential campaigns are speaking in New York City at the National Action Network’s 35th Anniversary Convention.

The gathering, hosted by the civil rights organization’s founder, the Rev. Al Sharpton, gives White House hopefuls an opportunity to speak directly to an influential group of Black leaders and activists who are key players in the Democratic Party’s base.

Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Wes Moore of Maryland, along with Rep. Ro Khanna of California, spoke over the past two days, while Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona are scheduled to appear Saturday.

KAMALA HARRIS’ TRAVELS AND COMMENTS CLEARLY POINT TO 2028

On Friday, two veterans of former President Joe Biden’s administration are in the spotlight: former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the convention’s biggest draw, former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris, in front of a very friendly crowd, was interrupted by chants of “run again.”

Asked by Sharpton if she would seek the presidency again, Harris answered, I might. I might. I’m thinking about it….I’ll keep you posted.”

The preseason moves in the next race for the Democratic presidential nomination have been underway for a year, with the potential contenders making stops in the early voting nominating states, such as New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Iowa, as well as in other key electoral battlegrounds.

The showdown for the 2028 Democratic nomination is expected to draw a crowded and competitive field.

“We have a pretty good bench. In fact, you’ve invited so many of them to come right here, they’ve been on this stage, or they’re going to be,” Pritzker told Sharpton on Thursday.

HARRIS, NEWSOM, STIR 2028 SPECULATION AT MAJOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEETING

Sharpton said earlier this week that when it comes to the potential contenders, he wants to “know what their vision is now, and what they’re doing now. So I’ve invited all of the people that could run.”

Black voters have long played a very influential role in Democratic Party presidential politics.

Case in point: the 2020 White House race.

After fourth and fifth place finishes in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, a battered and bruised Joe Biden finished a distant second to Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Nevada caucuses.

21 DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028

But a major backing from Black voters fueled Biden’s landslide victory in the next contest, the South Carolina primary, which launched him towards the Democratic nomination and eventually the White House.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is giving thumbs down to the White House hopefuls appearing at Sharpton’s confab.

“Democrats are kicking off the 2028 primary by parading Kamala Harris and a roster of failed governors trying to outrun their own records,” RNC national press secretary Kiersten Pels told Fox News.

Fox News’ Alexis McAdams contributed to this report

Israel Flores Ortiz, an 18-year-old illegal immigrant accused of groping more than a dozen high school girls in Fairfax County, Virginia, was found guilty on nine counts Thursday. The guilty verdict came after critics of Soros-funded Democratic Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano accused him of flubbing the case by not subpoenaing witnesses until the day before. 

After an all-day hearing in which a dozen victims testified, a judge found Flores Ortiz guilty of nine misdemeanor counts of assault and battery and not guilty of three other counts, reported local outlet WUSA9. One charge was thrown out by the judge, according to WJLA reporter Nick Minock. 

Flores Ortiz, 18, was facing 13 counts of assault and battery for allegedly inappropriately touching female classmates at a Fairfax County, Virginia, school, according to police. 

Flores Ortiz is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration in 2024, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He was attending 11th grade. 

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Local police were alerted March 5 by Fairfax High School about reports of multiple assaults on campus. An arrest warrant was issued, and Flores Ortiz turned himself in on March 7.

His sentencing is set for April 21. 

During the hearing, Sean Kennedy, president of Virginians for Safe Communities, accused Descano of intentional “incompetence” and of purposely reducing the charges so that it would be harder to deport Flores Ortiz.

“DESCANO DOES IT AGAIN(,) Fairfax HS illegal alien groping case collapsing TODAY because FFX Soros DA Steve Descano only subpoenaed victims & witnesses yesterday!” Kennedy wrote on X Thursday. “This IS NOT incompetence—it’s intentional.” 

After the hearing, Kennedy, who was present in court during the hearing, told Fox News Digital that Descano’s office “deserves no credit for this verdict — a Pyrrhic victory as it is.” 

“First, Descano undercharged the illegal alien groper with simple assault and battery instead of sexual battery which would have entailed registering as a sex offender or the more serious charge of aggravated sexual battery carrying a felony sentence of 20 years,” he said. “Then, Descano sought to release the offender on bail which the judge rightly rejected. Next, prosecutors sent out the witness and victims subpoenas only the day before — imperiling the case altogether.” 

Despite this, he credited the guilty verdict to the victims, saying, “the girls showed up in force and forced Descano to try the case.”

“Disgustingly, Descano’s chief deputy diminished Flores Ortiz’s sexual assaults as ‘grabbing butts’ in her opening statement supposedly advocating on behalf of victims after having tried to block the media from covering the case,” he said. “This victory belongs entirely to the courageous and relentless victims who got themselves a modicum of justice.”

“Fortunately,” he concluded, “despite the likely light sentence Flores Ortiz will get ICE will provide him with free transportation home to El Salvador.” 

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This comes as Fairfax County, Virginia’s most populous county and a major suburb of Washington, D.C., is facing increased national scrutiny for a spate of crimes and violence by criminal illegal immigrants. The Trump administration has appealed to the county’s Democratic leadership, as well as new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, to not release illegal immigrants being charged with serious crimes.

During the hearing, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were prepared to arrest Flores Ortiz for deportation if he was released Thursday. 

“If Fairfax County’s sanctuary politicians choose to release this predator back into our communities, (ICE) stands ready to take him into custody and deport this sexual deviant,” DHS posted on X. 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a detainer has been filed and that he could face removal from the country.

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Virginia parents expressed disgust, frustration and fear about Fairfax High School’s handling of complaints alleging Flores Ortiz groped several girls from behind on school grounds.

Parent Stacy Langton told Fox News Digital recently that “it’s terrifying as a parent, because when I send my daughters to school, I think they’re safe in the care of the school.”

“And in this case, they absolutely were not safe, and I don’t know what parent wouldn’t be completely distraught at the idea that their daughters could be getting sexually battered while they’re changing classes,” Langton said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Descano’s office for comment.