The White House slammed Democrats for playing "partisan games" and calling for an investigation into alleged insider trading after President Donald Trump paused customized reciprocal tariffs for 90 days on Wednesday. 

"It is the responsibility of the President of the United States to reassure the markets and Americans about their economic security in the face of nonstop media fearmongering. Democrats railed against China’s cheating for decades, and now they’re playing partisan games instead of celebrating President Trump’s decisive action yesterday to finally corner China," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in comment to Fox Digital when asked about Democrats claiming Trump manipulated the market. 

Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., wrote a letter on Thursday to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, as well as Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, calling for an investigation into potential insider trading. 

"This sequence of events raises grave legal and ethics concerns. The President, his family, and his advisors are uniquely positioned to be privy to and take advantage of non-public information to inform their investment decisions," the senators wrote. 

TRUMP SAYS HE'LL 'TAKE A LOOK' AT EXEMPTING SOME LARGER US COMPANIES HIT ESPECIALLY HARD BY TARIFFS

Trump, ahead of pausing the reciprocal tariffs, posted to Truth Social, "BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!" and "THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT." The president had previously said he would not pause tariffs but was open to negotiating with other nations. 

Trump paused only the higher, customized tariffs he placed on nations that historically installed trade barriers on U.S. goods, with nations across the world instead facing a lower 10% tariff on goods, as the Trump administration and world leaders hash out negotiations for the reciprocal tariffs. 

DONALD TRUMP'S ALLIES, SUPPORTERS AND DONORS, LED BY ELON MUSK, PUSH TO END TARIFF WAR

China, however, was not part of the tariff pause and was instead hit with a higher 125% tariff after retaliating with its own additional tariffs against the U.S.

"I’m going to do my best to find out," Schiff, who has long been a Trump foe, told Time of investigating the president for alleged insider trading. "Family meme coins and all the rest of it are not beyond insider trading or enriching themselves. I hope to find out soon."

CHARLIE GASPARINO BREAKS DOWN TRUMP'S TARIFF PAUSE: ‘THIS IS WHAT FORCED THE HAND’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the customized tariffs were paused due to Trump wanting to be "personally involved" in negotiations as dozens of nations contacted the White House to strike deals.

"We've had more than 75 countries contact us. And I imagine after today, there will be more. So it is just a processing problem. Each one of these solutions is going to be bespoke. It is going to take some time. And President Trump wants to be personally involved. So, that's why we're getting the 90-day pause," Bessent said during a gaggle with the media outside the White House on Wednesday afternoon. 

Trump added on Wednesday that he was watching the volatile bond market, calling it "tricky" and making people a "little queasy," but denied it persuaded him to change course on customized tariffs. 

"I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy. You know, they we're getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid, unlike these champions, because we have a big job to do. No other president would have done what I did. … I know the presidents, they wouldn't have done it, and it had to be done," Trump added in his remarks. 

It comes after Kemi Badenoch told the BBC Tory local leaders would be free to share power with Reform.

A source said the issues being discussed by government officials and the firm remain unresolved.

The prime minister says he wants to ensure every community has specialist neighbourhood officers.

In 1957, rockabilly singer Bob Ehret repeated, "We’ve got to stop the clock, baby; to spend more time with you" – and in a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle strongly considered the benefits of doing so, in a way.

Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Daylight Saving was grounded in good-faith efforts to reduce energy consumption, but that instead it has led to increased auto accidents in the dark, workplace issues, and objections from the agriculture sector that relies on early-morning sunlight.

"We find ourselves adjusting our clocks… springing forward and falling back in the fall. For many Americans, this biannual ritual is a minor inconvenience… But when we take a closer look at the implications of changing the clocks, its impact on our economy, our health and our everyday lives, we can see that this practice is more than an annoyance," Cruz said.

"The idea was simple. Fewer hours of darkness meant less electricity consumption for lighting and heating."

TRUMP'S DAYLIGHT SAVINGS PLAN

However, unlike the early 1900s, when the U.S. economy was heavily reliant on energy consumption tied to daylight hours, today’s effects from sunrise and sunset timings are "de minimis," he said.

Cruz, along with Massachusetts neurology physician Dr. Karin Johnson, spoke about the health concerns associated with changing the time twice a year and with the permanence of Daylight Saving Time, versus Standard Time.

"Research has shown that the abrupt shift in time, especially the spring transition when we lose an hour of sleep," Cruz said, as Johnson spoke about the effects on people’s circadian rhythm, vascular system and sleep deprivation.

The panel also hosted an official from the National Golf Course Owners Association, as he and other lawmakers spoke of the increased revenue from evening tee times and other tourist activities only possible during daylight hours.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Lisa Blunt-Rochester of Delaware agreed that it was time to consider a "permanent time for our country."

She noted a bill from then-Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to abolish DST stalled in the House.

"This body [then] took a harder look at how time changes work state-by-state," she said.

"What works in my home state of Delaware may not work in Washington state, but I know I speak for many Americans when I say it's time. It's time to figure this out."

‘I CAN’T SLEEP BECAUSE OF RACING THOUGHTS AT NIGHT — HOW CAN I STOP THEM?’: ASK A DOCTOR

Witnesses to the hearing noted that it is indeed southern states like Florida and Texas where the negative effects of a permanent Daylight Saving Time would be most felt.

Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., spoke about his work shifting Daylight Saving Time twice to help assuage some of the issues that were brought up each time, including better guaranteeing trick-or-treating happens at worst at dusk.

Markey quipped that his decades-long work on this issue earned him the nickname "the Sun King."

"We need to stop the clock," Blunt-Rochester said. "We know that changing the clock disrupts sleep, which can lead to negative health outcomes. Several studies have noted issues with mood disturbances increase hospital admissions, and even heart attacks and strokes."

Lock The Clock movement founder Scott Yates testified about the flawed history of DST, noting a time during the 1970s energy crisis that the Nixon administration briefly made DST permanent.

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Nixon signed the law in December 1973 while embroiled in Watergate – but it took effect the first week the following year – Jan. 6, 1974.

"So you can imagine, the worst Monday of the year already is the one after the holiday break where you have to go back to school and everything – to have an extra hour of sleep robbed away right before that. You can understand why it was so unpopular and why it was repealed," Yates said, noting that months later, Nixon resigned.

The burglary by the "Plumbers" at the Watergate Hotel also notably occurred during nighttime hours.

"So maybe – if we had more daylight, the Watergate break-in doesn't happen," Cruz quipped in response.

"And history would be different."

EXCLUSIVE – After President Donald Trump made surprising gains in solid-blue New York in 2024, one Republican congresswoman capitalized on the momentum with an aggressive fundraising campaign in the Empire State. Her goal is to flip some districts to red in the upcoming midterms and help her party’s goal of expanding the House majority in 2026.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., has already hauled in more than $1 million in donations in the first quarter, with more than $223,000 of that being transferred to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s war chest. She attributes those seven-figures to 5,500 donations from more than 2,400 donors.

Tenney told Fox News Digital that she believes the 2026 election will be a "referendum" on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who created what she described as a "catastrophic powder keg" in the state prison system. New York Attorney General Letitia James, she added, "Is extremely unpopular and has engaged in malicious prosecution and lawfare.

"We'll have the weakest governor that we've had in a long time on the Democratic side facing a Republican," Tenney said. 

BILL MAHER SUGGESTS ANDREW CUOMO'S NURSING HOME SCANDAL MAY COST HIS NYC MAYORAL CAMPAIGN

Tenney, the founder of the House Election Integrity Caucus, attributed her gains in 2022 and 2024 to "aggressive advocacy" and grassroots efforts geared toward Republicans and Democrat-leaning moderates. 

In addition to sending more Republicans from New York to the House of Representatives, Tenney hopes to challenge the governor’s seat and several statewide offices. She also believes that Republicans have a chance at the New York City mayoral race. 

Hochul’s predecessor, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is seen as the top contender for the mayor’s race. He has already reported big campaign dollars and favorable public polling. Meanwhile, current mayor Eric Adams has decided to run in the June primary as an independent. Fellow Democrats have turned on Adams for cooperating with the Trump administration on curtailing illegal immigration. 

Tenney was elected to the state legislature in 2010 when Cuomo began his first term as governor. Within a year, Tenney said, Cuomo "reversed all the policies that he said he was going to run on," and instead implemented policies that she called "catastrophic." 

SECOND COVID NURSING HOME DEATH'S CASE AGAINST CUOMO TOSSED

"Trump did well in New York in 2024. He got his best numbers, his best turnout that he's had in the two prior races. But I think that the referendum is on Kathy Hochul and the down-ballot Democrats who are still very unhinged, still talking about things that are 80-20 wins for Republicans," Tenney said. She said Democrats remain focused on issues proven to flop with voters, such as forcing biological males into women's sports and unchecked illegal immigration. 

Tenney said it's important for Republicans to continue to deliver wins on their side, vowing to use her position on the House Ways and Means Committee to extend Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and "start our road to prosperity and begin the Golden Age." Tenney also sits on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, which oversees the energy sector – another focal point for Republicans, especially in Tenney's district. 

Tenney said "people are worried about rising energy costs and the policies in New York State put forth by Hochul and the Democrats," which are driving up energy costs for seniors. 

"That is a looming, really catastrophic issue that is facing New York," Tenney said. "And the Democrats have compromised our state on that issue, and it's going to prevent us from having prosperity, energy, and energy security as well." 

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Tenney believes that the new, post-2024 environment has given Republicans an opportunity in her home state. 

" I don't want to turn the lights out on New York State. It's my home state. It is the state I love. I love my district and my communities. We want to make New York Great Again," she said. "The only way to do that is to start replacing some of these Democrats with Republicans who are common sense and who care about preserving and protecting New Yorkers and are concerned about the future of New York." 

President Donald Trump’s push to increase the number of illegal immigrants who self-deport was originally the brainchild of former Sen. Mitt Romney, who pitched the idea of encouraging voluntary departures during his 2012 bid for president.

"The answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home because they can't find work here because they don't have legal documentation to allow them to work here," Romney said during a Republican primary debate in 2012, when asked how the U.S. could deport the millions of illegal immigrants in the country.

Romney was largely mocked for the idea during that campaign, including by Trump, who told Newsax in November 2012 that Romney’s "maniacal" and "crazy" proposal had turned off Latino voters.

THOUSANDS LEAVE COUNTRY VOLUNTARILY AMID TRUMP SELF-DEPORT PUSH, DHS SAYS

Fast-forward to 2025, and self-deportation has become a central theme of Trump’s effort to speed the overall number of removals, with Trump sending an Oval Office video message last month to illegal immigrants encouraging them to use the CBP Home app to voluntarily leave the country.

"Leave now and self-deport voluntarily. If they do, they could potentially have the opportunity to return legally at some point in the future," Trump said in the video, adding that those who do not self-deport "will be found, they will be deported, and they will never be admitted again to the United States."

"Using the CBP home app to leave the United States voluntarily is the safest option for illegal aliens," Trump added.

That message has seemingly hit home over the last month, according to Department of Homeland Security Data (DHS) shared with Fox News Digital, which shows that more than 5,000 people have used the app to arrange their voluntary departure to the United States.

IMMIGRATION THINK TANK COOKS UP SCHEME TO USE ‘SNITCHES’ TO FORCE MIGRANTS TO SELF-DEPORT

The push to increase that number has accelerated in recent days, with the administration unveiling a new plan to fine illegal immigrants who have received a final order of removal $998 for every day they fail to comply with the order and remain in the country. That fine is in addition to fines of $1,000-$5,000 for those who claimed they would self-deport but subsequently failed to do so.

DHS has also released a flyer spelling out the benefits of self-deportation, which boasts that illegal immigrants will be able to keep the money they earned while in the United States and retain the ability to legally migrate to the country in the future.

TRUMP ADMIN UNVEILS PLAN COSTING MIGRANTS MASSIVE FINE FOR EVERY DAY THEY DON'T SELF-DEPORT

"Illegal aliens should use the CBP Home app to self-deport and leave the country now. If they don’t, they will face the consequences," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News on Tuesday. "This includes a fine of $998 per day for every day that the illegal alien overstayed their final deportation order."

National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is supporting Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, for re-election as the Lone Star State incumbent faces a challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – but country music star John Rich has sided with Paxton, who announced a U.S. Senate bid this week.

"John Cornyn is a leader who delivers on President Trump's agenda and for the people of Texas in the U.S. Senate. He's a proven fighter, man of faith, and essential part of the Republican Senate Majority," Scott asserted in a post on X.

John Rich compared Cornyn to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and expressed support for Paxton.

TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON ANNOUNCES RUN FOR US SENATE

"Cornyn is the Lindsey Graham of Texas... and that's about the WORST thing you could say about someone in my book," Rich declared in a post on X, adding, "@KenPaxtonTX Go get 'em!"

A Cornyn campaign spokesperson contacted by Fox News Digital on Thursday had not provided a comment from the lawmaker by the time of publication, and a Graham campaign spokesperson declined to comment.

President Donald Trump drew conservative backlash after endorsing Graham for re-election last month.

CORNYN'S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN SPARKS QUESTIONS ON BOTH PARTY FLANKS AS DEMS CHASE ‘THE GHOST OF A BLUE TEXAS’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., supported Cornyn last month as the lawmaker launched his re-election bid.

"I’ve been honored to work alongside @JohnCornyn – one of the most effective and respected conservative leaders in the country. He was tireless and instrumental in building our majority. We need to keep him in the Senate & in the fight to deliver on President Trump’s agenda," Thune declared in a post on X.

FACING POSSIBLE PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM TRUMP ALLY, LONG-SERVING SENATOR GETS BACKING OF LEADER THUNE

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Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, expressed support for Paxton this week, tweeting, "Ken Paxton for Senate!"

The House passed the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act on Thursday, with 208 Democrats voting against the President Donald Trump-backed measure that would crack down on noncitizen voting.

The SAVE Act, which passed 220-208, now heads to the Senate, where it will need the support of some Democrats to meet the 60-vote threshold for advancement. Democrats have rejected the bill, despite polling indicating bipartisan support for voter ID requirements. 

A Gallup Poll released ahead of the 2024 election found that 84% of respondents favor requiring a photo ID to vote, and 83% support requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote for the first time. 

If passed in the Senate and signed into law by Trump, the SAVE Act by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, would require voters to obtain proof of citizenship in person before they register for a federal election, and it would remove noncitizens from voter rolls. 

TRUMP-BACKED BILLS ON ACTIVIST JUDGES, NONCITIZEN VOTING HEADING FOR HOUSE-WIDE VOTES

"After four years of mass illegal immigration facilitated by the Biden administration, it is more important now than ever to ensure only American citizens are voting in American elections. By passing the SAVE Act, House Republicans are once again proving our commitment to defending the will of the American people," House GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer told Fox News Digital. 

VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT PHOTO ID REQUIREMENT TO VOTE, NEW POLL SAYS

Meanwhile, Democrats have rejected the implication that illegal immigrants are voting in U.S. elections. Nineteen Democrat-led states and Democrat leaders sued the Trump administration's election integrity executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote in American elections. 

"Noncitizens attempting to register to vote is exceedingly rare, and if they do, they face severe consequences, including fines up to five years in prison, and deportation," Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., said on the House floor, urging her colleagues to reject the SAVE Act. 

"Coupled with President Trump's recent anti-voter election executive order, the SAVE Act would end the voter registration process for all Americans as they know it. Republicans have repeatedly failed to present any evidence that noncitizen voting at a federal level has ever affected the outcome of any election," Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., added in opposition to what he called the "extremist anti-voter SAVE Act."

The SAVE Act passed a procedural hurdle known as a "rule vote" on Wednesday. A simple majority of House lawmakers was needed to pass the "rule" to allow for debate and eventual House-wide votes on the legislation.

It was first introduced in July 2024 under former President Joe Biden's administration and failed to pass through the Democrat majority in the Senate. Roy reintroduced the bill in January as the bill was more likely to pass under a Republican-controlled House, Senate and White House. 

"The American people have spoken very clearly that they believe only American citizens should vote in American elections. There's nothing controversial about that," Roy said on the House floor ahead of the votes. 

"This legislation is designed to restore that faith, to save our elections, to save election integrity. I'm proud to have worked on this bill with my friend, the Chairman, with my colleagues on this side of the aisle, and I would note that five of my Democrat colleagues joined us last summer to vote for this bill. Hardly a partisan exercise to say that we should protect the elections of the American people," he added. 

The bill made headway during the 2024 presidential election as the Republican National Committee (RNC) led voter integrity efforts in battleground states across the country. Trump has long supported the legislation and held a Mar-a-Lago press conference last summer with House Speaker Mike Johnson affirming Republican support for the bill. 

Voter registration is handled on the state level, so rules requiring proof of citizenship or photo ID differ by state. Thirty-six states request or require identification to vote. The SAVE Act would federalize the issue, requiring proof of citizenship to vote and removing non-citizens from voter rolls. 

When Virginia, led by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, attempted to remove non-citizens from the state's voter rolls, Biden's Justice Department rejected the program and tried to restore the canceled voter registrations. The Supreme Court's conservative majority upheld Virginia's removal of about 1,600 people from the voter rolls. 

In a massive victory for President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., the House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that will set the stage for a massive conservative policy overhaul.

The legislation passed mostly along party lines on Thursday morning after a long night of negotiations between House GOP leaders and fiscal hawks who were critical of its spending cut levels.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., held a press conference on Thursday morning in a bid to allay conservatives' concerns.

HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS CHAIR URGES JOHNSON TO CHANGE COURSE ON SENATE VERSION OF TRUMP BUDGET BILL

"I'm happy to tell you that this morning, I believe we have the votes to finally adopt the budget resolution so we can move forward on President Trump's very important agenda for the American people," Johnson said. "Our first big, beautiful reconciliation package here, involves a number of commitments. And one of those is that we are committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people, while also preserving our essential programs."

Thune said, "We are aligned with the House in terms of what their budget resolution outlined in terms of savings. The speaker has talked about $1.5 trillion. We have a lot of United States senators who believe in that as a minimum."

It comes after the House's initial plan to vote on the legislation Wednesday was quickly scuttled at the last minute in the face of more than a dozen Republican holdouts.

Congressional Republicans are working on a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process. By lowering the Senate's threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, it allows the party in power to pass significant fiscal and budgetary policy changes.

In this case, Republicans are looking for some added funds for border security, defense, and to raise the debt ceiling – while paring back spending on the former Biden administration's green energy policies and in other sections of the federal government, likely including entitlement programs.

GOP lawmakers are also looking to extend Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the provisions of which expire at the end of this year. They'll also need new funding for Trump's efforts to eliminate taxes on tipped and overtime wages.

The House passed its own version of the plan earlier this year, calling for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to offset the new spending and attempt to bring down the national debt – which is over $36 trillion.

The Senate's plan closely aligns with the House version, but mandates a minimum of $4 billion in cuts, a significant gap to bridge.

An unrelated vote was held open for over an hour on Wednesday night, with lawmakers growing impatient on the House floor, while Johnson huddled in a back room with holdouts.

One House Republican told Fox News Digital there was some frustration with how Johnson handled the matter.

"He kept the entire conference out on the floor for 80 minutes while you play graba-- with these people," the GOP lawmaker fumed. "And all day it was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to get this done.'"

MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE

That House Republican said, "All the chatter we were hearing was [holdouts were] down to single digits. But 17, 20 people were in that room. So clearly there was a much bigger problem than they were letting on all day."

Traditionally, the House and Senate must pass identical reconciliation frameworks to begin the work of crafting policy to fit into that framework. 

Republicans are also working up against the clock – the debt ceiling is expected to be reached sometime this summer, after which the U.S. government risks a national default if it does not raise that limit to pay its debts.

Trump's 2017 tax cuts are also projected to expire at the end of this year if they are not extended. 

FIRST ON FOX: Former Attorney General William Barr fired off a letter Thursday to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, warning her against backing dozens of multimillion-dollar lawsuits targeting oil companies like Chevron – which was recently ordered to pay a coastal parish $745 million for decades-old actions by a now-defunct subsidiary.

In his letter to Murrill, Barr referenced Republican Gov. Jeff Landry’s reported support for several lawsuits in which parishes – Louisiana’s version of counties – and powerful attorneys are seeking tens of billions in culpability tied to land loss.

"As you know, the Trump administration is committed to unleashing America's domestic energy production," Barr wrote, citing President Donald Trump’s executive order "Protecting American Energy from State Overreach."

The recent case in Plaquemines Parish against Chevron, Barr argued, is the first example of Louisiana "subjecting energy producers to arbitrary or excessive fines through retroactive penalties cast as damages for alleged environmental harm."

$3B LA LAWSUIT COULD ‘DESTROY’ GULF ENERGY INDUSTRY, CRITICS WARN, AS STATE'S POSITION QUESTIONED

That case focused on allegations that Texaco – which was dissolved into Chevron around the turn of the century – was culpable for the effects of coastal erosion due to its pre-1980s energy development projects.

"We are concerned Louisiana is in the process of doing just this by its acquiescence to the wave of 43 lawsuits devised by prominent plaintiff's lawyers against American oil and gas companies on behalf of Louisiana's coastal parishes," Barr said.

After the ruling, Chevron lead trial attorney Mike Phillips told Fox News Digital the company plans to appeal the verdict to address "numerous legal errors that led to this unjust result."

"This verdict is just one step in the process to establish that the 1980 law does not apply to conduct that occurred decades before the law was enacted. Chevron is not the cause of the land loss occurring in Breton Sound," Phillips said.

GOV LANDRY: TRUMP AND MUSK ARE DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

"[T]he state seems to have largely ceded control of the litigation to the private plaintiff's lawyers and deferred to their legal positions," the letter reads, adding that plaintiffs' claims run "clearly contrary" to the 1978 law, and are "devoid of legal merit."

In his letter to Murrill, Barr said he was deeply concerned by agreements made with Landry in relation to the lawsuits. Landry had been criticized by the state-based Pelican Institute and other sources for his apparent closeness to plaintiffs’ attorney John Carmouche – a donor who he recently named to the Louisiana State University board.

Barr went on to argue that pre-1980 damages do not qualify for grandfathering under a relevant 1978 natural resources law and that "serious constitutional issues of retroactivity due process and takings" exist in Louisiana’s arguments.

Instead, he said, Louisiana should consider whether the federal government is responsible for the "vast majority" of the land-loss phenomenon that attorneys are trying to blame on energy companies.

Barr wrote the letter on behalf of the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, the American Energy Institute, the United States Energy Association and First Principles.

"We are concerned these suits, if they continue, will impact critical current LNG plants and operations in the coastal zone, curtail new energy investments in Louisiana, constrain funding available for new production in the Gulf of America, and undermine President Trump's efforts to re-establish American energy dominance," Barr said.

Neither Carmouche nor Landry responded to requests for comment on the original lawsuit.

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Attorney Jimmy Faircloth, representing state agencies in the suit, told the Times-Picayune that the Landry administration supports the energy industry and its positive impact on jobs.

Faircloth reportedly said the case is more about Texaco’s alleged "sins of the past" and failure to enforce regulations in past decades.

Voters in parts of England will elect councillors and mayors on 1 May.

Plaid renews calls for Tata takeover as the Chancellor puts all options on table for British Steel.

FIRST ON FOX - Republican Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas is taking sides in the Lone Star State's burgeoning GOP Senate primary battle between longtime Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Gooden, a four-term lawmaker who represents a congressional district which includes parts of eastern Dallas as well as large swaths of suburban, exurban, and rural areas east of the city, endorsed Paxton on Thursday. He is known as a MAGA firebrand and ally of President Donald Trump.

"Attorney General Paxton is the conservative champion we need in the U.S. Senate," Gooden wrote in a statement shared first with Fox News.

He predicted that Paxton "will take a sledgehammer to the establishment, secure the border, and fight hard for President Trump’s agenda. Ken Paxton has my complete and total endorsement."

GET READY FOR A NASTY AND EXPENSIVE GOP SENATE PRIMARY IN TEXAS

Gooden, who is a member of the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees, is the second member of the Texas congressional delegation to back Paxton, following Republican Rep. Troy Nehls, who endorsed the attorney general on Wednesday.

As he gears up for what will most certainly be his roughest re-election of his decades-long career, Cornyn has the backing of the top Republican in the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

And Republican sources confirmed to Fox News that Thune, as well as Sen. Tim Scott, R–S.C., the NRSC chair, have personally asked Trump to back Cornyn.

CORNYN'S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN SPARKS QUESTIONS ON BOTH PARTY FLANKS AS DEMS CHASE 'THE GHOST OF A BLUE TEXAS'

The president's grip on the GOP is stronger than ever and any endorsement Trump may make in the emerging Republican Senate primary in Texas would be extremely influential.

Paxton announced his candidacy Tuesday night in an appearance on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle."

"It's time for a change in Texas," Paxton, who first won election as state attorney general in 2014, said as he launched his campaign.

And pointing to conservative Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Paxton argued that "it's time that we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas and also support Donald Trump in the areas that he's focused on in a very significant way."

Paxton has flirted for a couple of years with launching a 2026 primary challenge against Cornyn, a former state senator, former Texas Supreme Court justice, and former state attorney general, who first won election to the U.S. Senate in 2002.

ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE'S AIMING FOR IN 2026

Paxton has long claimed Cornyn does not represent the conservative values of Texans, and has accused the senator of not being an ally of Trump. He has also regularly labeled Cornyn a "RINO," a "Republican in name only" – an insult MAGA and "America First" Republicans have regularly used to criticize more mainstream or establishment members of the GOP.

Cornyn, during the early stages of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race, had said he would prefer that the GOP take a new direction, which angered Trump. But the senator endorsed Trump in late January of last year, after the then-former president won both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, the first two contests in the Republican presidential nomination calendar.

Since Trump returned to the White House three months ago, Cornyn has been supportive of the president's Cabinet nominees and agenda.

ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE'S AIMING FOR IN 2026

In the senator's campaign launch video last month, the announcer highlighted that during Trump's first term in office, "Texas Sen. John Cornyn had his back."

And Cornyn told reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that he had "a 92% voting record with President Trump."

"It's unclear to me exactly what is motivating Mr. Paxton, other than vanity and personal ambition, certainly it's not going to make a lot of difference in terms of the voting record, because I've been a supporter of President Trump and his agenda," the senator argued.

Paxton grabbed national attention in 2020 for filing the unsuccessful Texas vs. Pennsylvania case in the Supreme Court that tried to overturn former President Joe Biden’s razor-thin win over Trump in the Keystone State, and for speaking at the Trump rally near the White House that immediately preceded the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists aiming to disrupt congressional certification of Biden’s Electoral College victory.

During Biden's four years in the White House, Paxton took the administration to court numerous times.

While Paxton, who's in his third four-year term as Texas attorney general, has long been a legal warrior in the MAGA movement, he also has plenty of personal political baggage.

Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges soon after taking office in 2015, and also came under investigation by the FBI over bribery and corruption allegations from former top staffers. In 2022, he survived a bruising primary amid his many legal difficulties.

In 2023, Paxton was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives, but he was later acquitted of all charges by the state Senate. 

The charges in the long-running federal corruption probe were dropped during the final weeks of the Biden administration. 

While Paxton for years has denied any wrongdoing and has survived his legal fights, he would likely continue to face tough optics and plenty of incoming fire over his past predicaments during a Senate showdown.

"Paxton has a checkered background. He is a con man and a fraud and I think the people of Texas know that," Cornyn charged on Wednesday.

And the senator added: "This is what will be litigated during the course of this campaign."

Matt Mackowiak, a veteran Republican strategist and communications consultant based in Texas and Washington, D.C., pointed to the bruising intra-party battle ahead as he told Fox News that "this is going to be the most expensive, nastiest, most aggressive, most personal U.S. Senate primary in Texas history."

"You have two candidates who are going to raise significant funds, who are in significant positions, who do not like each other and have not liked each other, whose teams do not like each other and the stakes could not be higher," Mackowiak said.

Potentially complicating the primary battle is a possible Senate bid by conservative Rep. Wesley Hunt, who represents a Houston-area district.

The third-term 43-year-old Texas Republican and rising MAGA star has made his case to the president's political team, sources confirm to Fox News. Hunt's argument is that he's the only person who can win both a GOP primary and a general election, a source familiar with the discussions confirmed to Fox News.

An outside group supportive of Hunt is currently spending seven figures to run ads across the Lone Star State to increase the lawmaker's name recognition.

The eventual winner of next year's GOP primary will be considered the favorite in the general election against whomever the Democrats nominate.

Former Democratic Rep. Colin Allred has said he'll decide by this summer if he'll mount a 2026 Senate campaign.

Allred, a former Baylor University football player and NFL linebacker who later represented Texas' 32nd Congressional District (which includes parts of Dallas and surrounding suburbs), was last year's Democratic challenger in the race against Cruz.

The House tries again this morning to align with the Senate on a framework for the President Donald Trump’s tax cut bill. 

A vote could come as early as the 10 a.m. ET hour. 

No alignment? No bill.

THE SPEAKER'S LOBBY: ‘WHOSE THROAT DO I GET TO CHOKE?’

More than a dozen House conservatives balked last night, blocking Republicans from even voting on the blueprint. 

They spoke with House GOP leaders for more than an hour. House Speaker Mike Johnson,R-La., also spoke with President Trump. Some conservatives met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate committee chairs. 

The holdouts want more assurances that the Senate will cut more spending than they greenlighted in their revamped budget early last Saturday morning. 

What would unlock the votes today? Either an informal promise from the Senate to cut more. Or, the House could alter the Senate package and Senate to sync with the House. 

MIKE JOHNSON PUNTS HOUSE VOTE ON TRUMP TAX AGENDA AFTER GOP REBELLION THREATENED DEFEAT

An alternative is for the House to vote to add two steps to process - sending the House and Senate plans to a conference committee to finally blend the resolutions into one. 

Changing the bill and going to a conference committee are cumbersome, time-consuming steps. Rather than 8 steps to finish the bill, that would create 10. The House is stuck on step 4. 

Thune has said the Senate can’t tackle another update and overnight vote series. It’s already done two versions. 

This underscores the wide divide between what the House wants to tackle - and what the Senate is capable of tackling. 

The House and Senate must approve the same measure at this stage in order to get to the bill itself. And these steps were supposed to be easier. 

This also jeopardizes Johnson’s goal of finishing the bill by Memorial Day. 

It’s about the math: Johnson can only lose 3 votes. And he has north of a dozen nays now. 

Moreover, the House and Senate are out of alignment. Whatever can advance in the Senate can’t pass the House and vice versa. That could imperil the ultimate passage of the bill itself.

The 2024 presidential election is just five months in the rearview, but the country is already trudging toward the 2026 midterms — at least at the annual Pennsylvania Leadership Conference.

In a straw poll of 267 conference participants from eight states, including Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania state Treasurer Stacy Garrity was the clear favorite to win the Republican primary for its 2026 gubernatorial election. She received 41% of the vote, as Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Penn., came in a distant second at 9%. 

While 2026 is still long down the road, and neither Pennsylvania politician has formally announced a run, both Republicans embraced the opportunity to tease their potential bids. 

"Appreciate the support from conservatives across Pennsylvania. No decisions made yet—but I’m listening and focused on doing whatever it takes to help Republicans win in 2025 and beyond," Garrity said following her straw poll win at the leadership conference. 

DEM TAKES AIM AT TRUMP, TILLIS IN 2026 SENATE LAUNCH VIDEO FOR 'TANKING OUR ECONOMY'

Garrity made history in 2024 by receiving the most votes in a Pennsylvania state election – crushing Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro's 2022 record by half a million votes. Garrity campaigned for re-election alongside Sen. Dave McCormick, who unseated longtime Democrat Sen. Bob Casey.

DEM GOVERNORS REVOLT AGAINST TRUMP'S 'LIBERATION DAY' TARIFFS

Shapiro wasn’t up for re-election in 2024, though his name was floated as a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris. But 2026 presents an opportunity for Republicans to gain control of the state's highest office. Speeches at the leadership conference prove that big Republican wins in 2024 have invigorated the party's base in the traditionally competitive battleground state. 

"We as a party are here as winners. The Keystone State sent President Trump back to the White House, sent Bob Casey back to Scranton, elected a Republican Attorney General for the first time in over a decade. And next November, the Keystone State will send a Republican to the Governor's Mansion," Garrity said during her remarks. 

Garrity emerged as the frontrunner in a hypothetical matchup against Meuser, 2022 GOP nominee Doug Mastriano, and state Sens. Kristin Phillips-Hill and Scott Martin. If Garrity, a President Donald Trump ally, and Meuser decide to throw their names into the gubernatorial race, it could tee up a competitive primary. Both Pennsylvanian politicians have indicated announcements could come as early as this summer. 

Garrity told the Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Saturday a decision on her gubernatorial bid is coming "probably in the summer." Meuser, who also spoke at the conference, confirmed to Fox News Digital that his own decision will come by mid-summer or sooner. 

"I’ve been encouraged by the strong support I’ve received from people all across Pennsylvania urging me to consider a run for governor. Right now, I’m doing my due diligence, meeting with stakeholders, and seriously evaluating how I can best serve the Commonwealth.

"I expect to make a decision by mid-summer, or sooner if appropriate. In the meantime, I’m staying focused on advancing President Trump’s America-First Agenda in Congress — growing our economy, securing the border, and unleashing American energy dominance," Meuser told Fox News Digital. 

As Garrity and Meuser continue representing Pennsylvania as they mull 2026 gubernatorial campaigns, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania told Fox News Digital they are "excited to have strong potential candidates" for governor. 

"There is no question that Pennsylvanians are NOT better off with Josh Shapiro as our Governor, and they will be ready to make a change in November 2026. Shapiro's scandal-ridden administration, combined with his recent use of $5 million of taxpayer money to promote antisemitism, have set the stage for a GOP victory. Republicans are excited to have strong potential candidates to be our next Governor," the Republican Party of Pennsylvania said in a statement. 

JOSH SHAPIRO TELLS MAHER HE'S 'DAMN PROUD' OF BEING JEWISH, DODGES WHETHER IT FACTORED INTO VP SNUB IN 2024

The Republican Party of Pennsylvania's accusations relate to Shapiro's $5 million donation to a Philadelphia Muslim community center. Front Page Magazine reported that an imam at the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society once said, "Jews are the vilest people." Shapiro himself is Jewish. 

Speaking on a Philadelphia stage after Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., was announced as Harris' running mate in 2024, Shapiro assured the crowd, "I am proud of my faith," following accusations Shapiro was snubbed for the job because of his support for Israel amid Democrat discontent over the war in Gaza. 

The Republican Governor's Association, Garrity and Shapiro did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.

Sources say Cabinet Office chief Pat McFadden wants to "lead by example" on civil service reform.

A strike by hundreds of Birmingham refuse workers has seen rubbish piled high on streets.

A CMS committee report warns of the need to safeguard "culturally distinct British productions".

Ministers say telling people what to buy is not the answer to US tariffs but they will back UK manufacturers.