Dem rep offers rare praise for Trump, vows to help work on key part of tariff plan
A moderate Democrat is expressing cautious optimism at President Donald Trump’s stance on tariffs in a stark departure from most of his party’s infuriated reaction.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, pointed out in a lengthy statement that he himself proposed a 10% blanket tariff on U.S. imports earlier this year and said he was happy Trump’s baseline policy was the same – and even publicly pledged to work with Trump on enshrining it in federal law in a subsequent interview with Fox News Digital.
“What I can say now is I’m pleased the president is building his tariff agenda on the foundation of a universal 10% tariff like the one I proposed in the BUILT USA Act. This ring fence around the American economy is a good start to erasing our unsustainable trade deficits,” Golden said in his statement.
“I’m eager to work with the president to fix the broken ‘free trade’ system that made multinational corporations rich but ruined manufacturing communities across the country. But tariffs must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity.”
TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT TELLS COUNTRIES NOT TO RETALIATE AFTER SWEEPING ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS
He noted, however, that Trump “introduced a number of new tariff policies” alongside the 10% universal tax, and that he would need time to review the policies in detail before weighing in on them further.
“We need to make sure that the new approach benefits working people — that means supporting unions, the trades and apprenticeship programs, cutting regulations that hold back production, unleashing American energy and using tariff revenue to support domestic manufacturers that create good-paying jobs for Americans,” he said.
“Tariffs are a first step in rewriting a rigged trade system, but they cannot be the last one.”
He told Fox News Digital in a brief interview Thursday that he was open to working with Trump on codifying the 10% tariffs measure in federal law.
“I’m really glad that he included that in his kind of broader strategy that he rolled out yesterday. And on the reciprocal tariffs, I would assume that he wants flexibility, he probably likes doing that through an executive order,” Golden said. “But I’m of the mind that the 10% global tariff is something that should be part of a longer-term strategy for the U.S. And so, you know, I’m hoping that I can help the president get some members of Congress to support doing that in a bill and maybe put it on his desk.”
“I think that the president and his team would have to do some heavy lifting to make sure that the House Republicans supported it, but if they didn’t have a lot of defections, you know, could I find some like-minded Democrats for a 10% global tariff? I think so.”
While it’s far from a full embrace of Trump’s tariff plan, Golden’s comments are still more optimistic than those of his fellow Democratic lawmakers.
FRANCE ASKS US TO BE ‘COOPERATIVE’ INSTEAD OF ‘CONFRONTATIONAL’ FOLLOWING TRUMP’S ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS
“I have always said that when used strategically, tariffs are a critical tool,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Axios. “However, the key word is ‘strategically.’ I’m concerned about the chaotic and immediate implementation of these wide-reaching tariffs.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, pledged to force a vote targeting the new national emergency Trump is using to justify the 10% blanket tariff.
“I’ll soon introduce a privileged resolution to force a vote on ending the made up national emergency Trump is using to justify these taxes. Republicans can’t keep ducking this — it’s time they show whether they support the economic pain Trump is inflicting on their constituents,” Meeks said in a statement.
Golden has been known to break from his party on several key occasions.
Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which he has represented since January 2019, was won by Trump by roughly 10% in 2024.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump’s plan involves a 10% blanket tariff on all imports into the U.S., as well as tariffs of up to 50% on both adversaries and allies.
It also introduces some level of reciprocal tariffs on countries that tax U.S. exports, though in most cases, the U.S. rate is lower than the foreign country’s.
“April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn. The day America’s destiny was reclaimed. And the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said in remarks announcing his plan Wednesday.
Russia fires back at Trump’s ‘illegal and unacceptable’ Iran threats
Russia is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran, calling them “illegal and unacceptable.”
Trump in recent days has increased his threats against Iran and warned that there could be direct conflict if the Islamic Republic doesn’t stop arming the Houthi terrorist group or halt its nuclear program. Russia, meanwhile, said Thursday that it’s committed to finding solutions to Iran’s nuclear program that respects its rights to peaceful nuclear energy, according to Reuters.
“The use of military force by Iran’s opponents in the context of the settlement is illegal and unacceptable,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted by the news agency as saying.
“Threats from outside to bomb Iran’s nuclear infrastructure facilities will inevitably lead to an irreversible global catastrophe. These threats are simply unacceptable,” she reportedly added.
TRUMP THREATENS TO BOMB IRAN UNLESS THEY END NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM AND BEGIN TALKS ON NEW DEAL
Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer specializing in Russia’s war-fighting strategy and Putin’s thinking, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that “Russia’s statement is consistent with the diplomatic posture that it’s trying to project of being Iran’s strategic partner.”
“In reality, Russia and Iran are not natural allies. They share a very turbulent history and there’s plenty of distrust in the relationship. The Russians don’t trust Iranians to have a fully operational militarized nuclear capability,” she continued. “But they would never admit it in public. At one point, during the Obama administration, Moscow was siding with Washington in terms of economic sanctions on Iran and complied with Washington’s request not to sell S-300s air defense missiles to Tehran.
“Putin is angling to serve as a broker between the Trump administration and the Iranian government on the nuclear issue,” she also said.
Trump’s overtures via a letter to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, to jump-start talks on dismantling Tehran’s illicit nuclear weapons program, were met with rejection on Sunday.
TRUMP THREATENS IRAN OVER NUKES AS DNI GABBARD CLAIMS TEHRAN IS NOT BUILDING BOMBS
Trump told NBC the day before, “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”
“But there’s a chance that if they don’t make a deal, that I will do secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago,” he added.
Secondary “tariffs,” or sanctions, would mean slapping financial penalties on any country that does business with Iran.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday, “We don’t avoid talks; it’s the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far,” according to The Associated Press. He added, “They must prove that they can build trust.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, just shy of the 90% weapons-grade. Experts say it could have a nuclear weapon within weeks if it were to take the final steps to building one. Fox News Digital reported in late March that Iran’s regime has enriched enough uranium to manufacture six nuclear weapons, according to a U.N. atomic agency report.
Dems blasted for ‘disappointing stunt’ over taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners
Georgia state House Democrats staged a walkout to protest a vote on a bill headed to the governor’s desk for his signature prohibiting taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries for inmates.
The bill passed on a 100-2 vote, and both recorded no votes were from Democrats.
The legislation, SB 185, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Randy Robertson, bars the Georgia Department of Corrections from providing taxpayer-funded transgender medical treatments, including surgeries and hormonal treatments, to prison inmates. Robertson contends there are about five inmates incarcerated in the DOC that receive treatments.
The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature.
PRISONERS HAVE NO ‘CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT’ TO SEX CHANGES, RED STATE AG TELLS COURT IN BRIEF BACKING TRUMP
“This disappointing stunt underscores a troubling disconnect between Democrats and the values of the people they serve,” Republican House Majority Whip James Burchett told Fox News Digital. “They knew they had no response to the substance of the bill. So, rather than debate its merits, they chose to abandon their duties by leaving the chamber.”
However, Democratic House Whip Sam Park contended it was Republicans playing politics, not Democrats.
“Republicans continue to waste time on their manufactured culture wars while Georgians struggle with increasing costs of housing, food, healthcare and an increasingly uncertain economy due to Republican leadership in D.C.,” Park said. “We walked out to make it clear: Georgia Democrats are here to fight for working families, not political distractions.”
TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE
Georgia Republicans have taken an aggressive approach toward transgender issues this legislative session with the introduction of several bills that seek to align with President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
Some of those bills, in addition to SB 185, include blocking taxpayer-funded medical treatments for state employees, prohibitions on prescribing puberty blockers to minors and a ban on biological males competing in girls high school sports.
It’s unclear how much cosmetic or surgical transgender treatments cost each taxpayer in Georgia, but the Gender Confirmation Center estimates alterations can be anywhere from $8,000 to $50,000, depending on the type of procedure.
Other states this year have moved to introduce similar bills banning taxpayer-funded transgender treatments for inmates, including Utah and Kentucky. California was among the first states to provide transgender procedures for prison inmates in 2017 after a legal battle launched by an inmate two years earlier.
ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH
In January and February 2025, Trump signed executive orders rolling back federally-funded “gender ideology” initiatives. These orders define “sex” strictly as male or female, mandate federal agencies to conform to this definition and prohibit transgender individuals from using single-sex federally-funded facilities. They also prevent federally funded transgender treatments for both inmates and minors and ban biological males from competing in women’s sports.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Yesterday’s walkout by Georgia Democrats during a vote to ban taxpayer-funded sex reassignment surgeries for prisoners is a disgraceful display of misplaced priorities,” Rep. Houston Gaines, vice chairman of the Georgia House Majority Caucus, said.
“By storming out of the legislative session, these lawmakers abandoned their duty to represent their constituents and engage in the democratic process, all to grandstand over an issue that most Georgians find absurd.”
Former Biden staffer says she feels ‘lied to’ as devastating revelations emerge
Former Biden campaign aide Ashley Allison said Wednesday that she felt “lied to” while discussing revelations from a new book about the 2024 presidential campaign, specifically former Biden White House chief of staff Ron Klain revealing that the former president was exhausted and “out of it” during preparation for the June debate.
“Do you feel lied to?” CNN host Abby Phillip asked Allison, who worked on the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign.
Allison said, “Yes. I think I hadn’t been around the president before that debate, and I worked for Joe Biden. And if the people around him knew that he was not capable, it is unacceptable to me that they allowed him to go onto that stage. I deserve better as a voter, not even as a Democrat, as a voter and as an American, I do.”
Ron Klain told author Chris Whipple that former President Biden was “fatigued, befuddled, and disengaged” during debate preparation, according to an excerpt from Whipple’s new book, as reported by The Guardian. He also reportedly told Whipple that he was “startled” by Biden’s exhaustion and said the former president seemed “out of it.”
NANCY PELOSI URGED BIDEN NOT TO DEBATE TRUMP IN A PLAY TO HIS EGO, BOOK SAYS
Turning to “The View” co-host Ana Navarro for her reaction to the excerpt, Phillip said, “Ana, I know that Joe Biden is a friend. But in this excerpt, the part about the pool, he went off – this is in the middle of the debate prep – went off to the pool, and he took a nap. And that was before the biggest debate of this campaign. That’s not even the governance of the country. So Joe Biden, maybe he has the best intentions. I’m sure that you believe that. But the right decision, it seems pretty unequivocally, is that he should not have run for reelection.”
Navarro, a supporter of Biden, said that she had been texting with Klain, who reportedly told her that his remarks were taken out of context.
She insisted that something happened to the former president in the days leading up to the debate.
“I’ve known Joe Biden for over 25 years. Certainly, the Joe Biden today is not the Joe Biden of five years ago, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 25 years ago. It‘s not. But also, I will tell you, and I think that comes out also in the book and the excerpt that I read, something clearly happened that day, around those days, that was not the case the day after. I saw Joe Biden, 24 hours after that debate, here in New York. He was a completely different person,” she said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
“I saw Joe Biden when he came to ‘The View’ after he dropped out, and he was a completely different person than what we saw at that debate. What happened around those days, I don’t know. And can I tell you something? I don’t care, because I want to talk about the future and how we fight Donald Trump and how we get rid of Donald Trump,” she said.
Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton referred to it as a cover-up.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Allison echoed her earlier point, saying, “What we are hearing right now is unacceptable to me, and I am a Democrat.”
“That night of the debate was terrifying for many, many, it was scary. It hurt my heart, but it was very clear that that might not have been the first time. And I find that I find that unacceptable. I would find that unacceptable in a Trump Administration, in an Obama Administration, in a Bush administration and in a Biden administration,” she added.
Senators from both parties seek to shift powers from presidency to Congress
Two senior lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill that would reassert Congress’ powers over U.S. tariffs, a day after President Donald Trump announced a new wide-ranging tariff strategy during his “Liberation Day” speech on Wednesday.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., on Thursday introduced the Trade Review Act of 2025, which would require the president to notify Congress about any new tariffs within 48 hours of imposition.
The bill also requires that Trump provide an explanation of the rationale along with an analysis of the tariffs’ potential impact on the U.S. economy. Congress would have to approve the new tariffs within 60 days or allow them to expire.
If enacted, the bill would shift certain trade policymaking powers from the executive branch to the Congress.
WHAT IS TRUMP’S NEW LIBERATION DAY AND WHAT TO EXPECT APRIL 2?
“For too long, Congress has delegated its clear authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the executive branch,” Grassley, a Trump ally who is skeptical of tariffs, said in a statement.
“Building on my previous efforts as Finance Committee Chairman, I’m joining Senator Cantwell to introduce the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 to reassert Congress’ constitutional role and ensure Congress has a voice in trade policy,” he continued.
TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT TELLS COUNTRIES NOT TO RETALIATE AFTER SWEEPING ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS
Cantwell said in a statement that Trump’s tariffs would hurt sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and technology and have reverberating effects on consumers.
“Ultimately, consumers will pay the price,” Cantwell said in a statement. “It’s time for Congress to take action to counter the president’s trade war.”
READ THE BILL – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:
Grassley’s home state of Iowa heavily relies on farm crop exports, while Cantwell’s Washington state is home to many export-heavy companies such as Boeing.
Trump on Thursday compared the tariffs to a medical operation, and said the “patient lived, and is healing.” “The prognosis is that the patient will be far stronger, bigger, better, and more resilient than ever before,” he wrote on Truth Social.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Thursday’s bill was introduced after four Republican senators joined Democrats in approving a separate resolution on Wednesday that would repeal Trump’s emergency declaration levying tariffs on Canadian imports. Grassley was not one of the Republican defectors. The resolution is likely dead on arrival in the House.
Top chef killed in freak accident during tropical vacation with boyfriend
An acclaimed pastry chef was killed by a boulder during a picturesque hike on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, officials said.
Gianna Buzzetta, a 26-year-old from California, was hit by a falling boulder on March 23 as she was exploring the Makaleha Falls in Kauai with her boyfriend, Connor Quinton, the Kauai Fire Department said.
“They heard a really loud noise. [Quinton] looked up, but couldn’t figure out where the noise was coming from,” her dad, Sal Buzzettta, told 10News.
“Within a second, it happened … The rock dislodged from quite a ways up … then it landed on her,” he said.
NEVADA GIRL, 7, KILLED IN LAKE TAHOE SKI RESORT BOULDER ACCIDENT: POLICE
Due to the remote location, there was no cell service, and Quinton sprinted to find help. According to the Kauai Fire Department, when first responders arrived, they found Buzzetta unconscious at the base of the falls, with labored breathing and heavy bleeding from an apparent head wound.
The chef needed to be airlifted to a local hospital, where she was later declared dead.
Caty Buzzetta, Gianna’s mother, said that Quinton was fulfilling her daughter’s lifelong dream to hike the 5.2-mile round trip hike to the cascading waterfall.
“She had told her boyfriend, Connor, that day, he had fulfilled her dreams, and it was the best day of her life,” Caty Buzzetta told KGTV.
The couple was set to get engaged and start a life together prior to the freak accident, her parents shared.
Buzzetta was a pastry chef at Michelin-starred French restaurant Jeune et Jolie, in Carlsbad, California. According to an online fundraiser, Buzzetta helped the restaurant achieve three Michelin stars over the years.
VACATION ABROAD TURNS TRAGIC FOR AMERICAN NURSE AFTER ACCIDENT LEAVES HER ‘ALL METAL’
“She was a huge part of the team. Super creative, super talented, incredibly hardworking,” her boss, John Resnick, told Fox 5 San Diego. “Humble, confident — I mean all these things that we want to see in the people we work with. So from that professional talent standpoint, she was incredible… Our whole team loved working alongside her.”
In a post on their Instagram page, Jeune et Jolie announced that it is raising funds for Buzzetta’s family by providing a special dinner service.
“Gianna was our former Pastry Chef, and our friend. She brought such joy, intensity, passion and love to this restaurant and to our team,” the restaurant’s team wrote. “Her sudden loss leaves all of us heartbroken, and searching for ways to be of help to her family.”
“And so, we are doing the one thing we know how to do. We are coming together as a restaurant, and welcoming guests in to celebrate the relationships that give our lives meaning,” they said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital has reached out to Jeune et Jolie for comment.
Expert reveals reasons why 90% of Americans don’t sleep through the night
Sleep is of great importance to overall health, but many people struggle to get quality slumber.
In an annual survey by U.S. News, which was released in March, thousands of Americans weighed in on their sleep habits.
While the National Institutes of Health recommends seven to nine hours of sleep every night, 58% of people reported sleeping six to seven hours a night.
HEAT EXPOSURE LINKED TO BETTER SLEEP, EXPERTS SAY — HERE’S WHY
Meanwhile, one in five Americans (20%) reported only getting four to five hours.
The survey also found that 25% of respondents use over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids.
The largest finding revealed that 89% of U.S. adults wake up regularly during the night.
More than one in three (40%) Americans said they wake up often, even if it doesn’t happen daily.
Reasons for sleep struggles
Sleep expert Wendy Troxel, PhD — a RAND Corporation senior behavioral specialist and licensed clinical psychologist in Utah — shared a few reasons Americans aren’t sleeping through the night.
JUST ONE NIGHT OF POOR SLEEP COULD HAVE THESE SURPRISING HEALTH EFFECTS
“Given the stress and uncertainty in today’s world, it is not particularly surprising that a striking number of people are facing trouble staying asleep,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Other health conditions like chronic pain — or sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or insomnia — can also disrupt sleep, according to Troxel.
Environmental factors like pollution and rising global temperatures can also contribute to “fragmented sleep,” as temperature can manipulate the circadian rhythm, the expert added.
“As part of the circadian rhythm (which regulates sleep-wake cycles among other things), the body’s core temperature naturally decreases at night, signaling that it’s time to sleep,” she said.
“If you wake up and can’t get back to sleep, get out of bed and do something calming but distracting.”
“A cooler environment facilitates this temperature drop, promoting deeper and more restful sleep.”
The recommended temperature for quality sleep is between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, according to experts.
Troxel recommended using breathable bedding, wearing lightweight sleepwear and using fans or air-conditioning to regulate temperature.
“Investing in temperature-regulating mattresses or mattress pads can also help maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the night,” she advised.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Troxel also named menopause as a “significant factor” for sleep disruptions, with about 60% of women experiencing restless nights during this transition.
“Hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle and during menopause influence thermoregulation and can contribute to sleep disruptions in women,” she said.
To prevent waking up in the middle of the night, Troxel shared that “one of the most effective strategies” is stimulus control.
“If you wake up and can’t get back to sleep, get out of bed and do something calming but distracting, like reading a book or gently stretching,” she suggested. “This can help break the habit of being awake and frustrated in bed.”
“You want your brain to associate your bed as a sanctuary for sleep, not as a place for frustration and worry,” she added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Troxel also encouraged people to resist the urge to check the clock in the middle of the night.
“Seeing the time at 3 a.m. only exacerbates stress and anxiety,” she said.
Tom Cruise breaks silence on co-star Val Kilmer’s death with emotional tribute
Tom Cruise paid tribute to Val Kilmer Thursday while presenting at CinemaCon.
Cruise took the stage in Las Vegas, Nevada, to reveal new footage from his upcoming film, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”
Prior to the debut, Cruise took a moment to honor his “Top Gun” co-star, who died on Tuesday of pneumonia.
VAL KILMER DEATH: JOSH BROLIN, CHER AND MORE HOLLYWOOD STARS HONOR LEGENDARY ACTOR
“I’d like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer for a moment,” Cruise said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I can’t tell you how much I admired his work.”
Cruise said he was grateful to work with Kilmer once again in the 2022 film, “Top Gun: Maverick,” before asking for a moment of silence.
VAL KILMER, ‘TOP GUN’ AND ‘BATMAN FOREVER’ STAR, DEAD AT 65
“If we just all take a moment to remember the wonderful time we had with him – let’s just take a moment,” he said before closing with, “I wish you well on your next journey.”
Kilmer, who starred in many high-profile films, including “Batman Forever” and “Tombstone,” died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 65.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
The Associated Press reported that Kilmer died of pneumonia.
When Kilmer and Cruise reunited for “Maverick,” nearly 30 years after the original “Top Gun” was released, it was like the actors had never left each other’s sides.
“It was like no time had passed at all,” Kilmer shared with Entertainment Weekly. “We blew a lot of takes laughing so much. It was really fun… special.”
Although he could portray his character, he still had difficulty due to damage from a tracheostomy. Kilmer required the use of a breathing tube.
“I can’t speak without plugging this hole [in his throat]. You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat,” he told People magazine in 2021.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP