Politics
Top House Republican prepares end-run around Speaker Johnson on Ukraine aid
A top House Republican lawmaker is preparing to circumvent Speaker Mike Johnson, R– La., to force a vote on a bill related to Ukraine aid and U.S. border security.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, said that he was preparing the legislative maneuver as a fail-safe in the event Johnson does not bring a Ukraine aid bill to the floor.
“It’s existential, it’s time-sensitive. Whether it’s our [bill] or somebody else’s, we’ve just got to get the money out the door,” Fitzpatrick told reporters on Thursday morning.
Traditionally, House leadership of the majority party controls which bills get put up for a vote. However, the measure Fitzpatrick filed, known as a discharge petition, would allow rank-and-file members to force a vote on certain legislation with the support of a simple House majority.
NATO CHIEF, EUROPEAN ALLIES DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM MACRON SUGGESTION OF TROOP DEPLOYMENT INTO UKRAINE
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R– Pa., left, told reporters he is preparing a discharge petition to force a vote on Ukraine aid if House Speaker Mike Johnson does not act soon.
Before it can be activated, however, the measure must sit in the House Rules Committee untouched for seven days.
“All this is doing is adding a pressure point on something that’s very time-sensitive to at least have a backstop in place. So, if nobody can come to a conclusion as to what to put on the floor, if somebody’s afraid to put something on the floor, then we’re ready to go,” Fitzpatrick told Fox News Digital.
He led a bipartisan bill earlier this month aimed at providing roughly $66 billion in military-only aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, which would also institute strict border measures like the Trump administration’s “Remain In Mexico” policy.
SENDING EUROPEAN TROOPS TO UKRAINE REMAINS AN OPTION, SAYS FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON
The bill was introduced after a larger $118 billion border policy and foreign aid package failed in the Senate amid Republican protests that it did not go far enough to solve the migrant crisis.
Since then, lawmakers in both the House and Senate have urged Johnson to hold a vote on some form of Ukraine aid, citing Kyiv’s recent losses in the war against Russia amid a shortage of ammunition and personnel. They have argued that helping Ukraine defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin now would prevent a wider European conflict – one that could possibly involve the U.S. in a direct conflict with Moscow.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to Congress for more aid multiple times. (Photo by Eric Lalmand / Pool / Photo News via Getty Images)
Johnson has not provided much clarity on his strategy for dealing with Ukraine. He is under immense pressure from his right flank to withhold any bills related to Ukraine aid, with a significant portion of the GOP calling for the U.S. to not get involved.
It would be a major step for one of Johnson’s fellow Republicans to sideline him on a high-level item like Ukraine, but it could also afford him an opportunity to escape GOP hardliners’ wrath.
Fitzpatrick said he has not discussed the discharge petition with Johnson.
Fox News Digital asked Fitzpatrick whether the measure is also aimed at giving Johnson some wiggle room with GOP Ukraine aid critics. The Pennsylvania Republican smiled and nodded, saying, “Your words, not mine.”
KYIV RESIDENTS SPEAK OUT AS UKRAINE WAR ENTERS THIRD YEAR: ‘I TRY TO BE OPTIMISTIC’
With the current makeup of the House, Fitzpatrick would need 217 lawmakers to sign onto his discharge petition in order for it to make it to the floor.
Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., whose district has a significant Ukrainian population, expressed hope that House negotiators are “getting closer to an agreement” and would not have to take “extraordinary” measures.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital he thinks House Speaker Mike Johnson could put a Ukraine aid bill on the floor. (Getty Images)
“We continue to stand with them to provide lethal support, but also the appropriate oversight, and hopefully we can get to an agreement that does that and secures our border. I think the speaker understands that there is significant interest in getting such a deal done,” Molinaro said.
House Freedom Caucus Policy Chair Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, was pessimistic about the move.
“I think the speaker is inclined to want to put Ukraine on the floor anyway,” Roy said. “So, discharge petition or not, what’s going to happen is, we’re going to bust the [spending] caps, we’re going to spend more money, we’re not going to secure the border. Ukraine is going to get funded. And the American people are going to be wondering what the hell the difference is between the two parties.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment. Calls were not returned at press time.
Politics
US military announces another deadly strike against ‘narco-terrorists’
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The U.S. military announced another deadly strike against a vessel that it alleges was involved in “narco-trafficking” efforts.
“On April 19, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” U.S. Southern Command indicated in a post on X.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the post continued.
US MILITARY KILLS 2 SUSPECTED CARTEL OPERATIVES IN LATEST EASTERN PACIFIC LETHAL STRIKE, SOUTHCOM SAYS
The U.S. military announced that it killed three “narco-terrorists” in a strike in the Caribbean on Sunday, April 19, 2026. (@Soutcom via X)
SOUTHCOM indicated that the attack killed three men.
“Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed,” the post noted.
President Donald Trump’s administration has carried out dozens of deadly strikes against vessels of alleged “narco-terrorists.”
US MILITARY CONDUCTS MORE DEADLY STRIKES AGAINST VESSELS OF ALLEGED ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis L. Donovan, nominee for commander of U.S. Southern Command, testifies during his Senate confirmatino hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 15, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
In a completely different part of the world, amid ongoing tensions between America and Iran, the U.S. attacked an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on April 19.
“Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots enroute to Bandar Abbas, Iran. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade,” U.S. Central Command noted.
US SEIZES IRANIAN SHIP AFTER OPENING FIRE; PAKISTAN TALKS IN DOUBT
President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody,” CENTCOM noted.
Politics
Uproar over mama bear killing could help launch a state wildlife coexistence program
SACRAMENTO — A month after a public uproar over a mama bear being euthanized after swiping at a resident in Monrovia, state lawmakers are considering mandating the use of nonlethal ways to help allow wildlife and humans to coexist.
Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) said she believes the bear’s death, and the state’s decision to kill four wolves last year that were preying on cattle, raised public concern.
“That made everybody realize we have to do better here,” she told The Times on Thursday. “We need to recognize the importance of seeing ourselves, humans, as part of a larger ecosystem that includes animals and plants and our world and trying to protect it.”
Senate Bill 1135, introduced by Blakespear, would direct the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to create the Wildlife Coexistence Program, which would provide public education, offer technical assistance and maintain a statewide incident reporting system. It would help communities deploy nonlethal devices to deter predators, like barriers or noise and light machines.
At a legislative hearing on Tuesday, Blakespear told the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water that a three-year state initiative offering similar services was seeing positive results — until it was discontinued two years ago after funding ran dry. She said it was time to implement a permanent program.
“Human population growth, habitat loss and the growth of industry across California inevitably leads to interaction between humans and wildlife,” Blakespear told legislators. “No two animal species are the same and each has unique behavior patterns and territories. SB 1135 recognizes these differences and gives communities the tools to prevent conflict and respond when it occurs.”
The bill would also rename a state program that reimburses ranchers who lose livestock to wolves, calling it the Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program. It would require ranchers seeking compensation to show they were using nonlethal deterrents approved by the department.
Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) stressed that life in rural areas is different than living in a city. She said some families and cattle ranchers have a genuine fear of predators.
“When these baby calves drop on the ground and then two wolves start ripping them apart, it’s not the prettiest thing you’ve ever witnessed,” said Grove, who abstained from voting on the measure. “These wolves are not puppies.”
More than 30 organizations are supporting the legislation, including the National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, California State Assn. of Counties, Animal Legal Defense Fund and Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife.
The California Farm Bureau and the California Cattlemen’s Assn. are in opposition due to concerns over funding.
Last month, Blakespear sent a letter to the chair of the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review requesting $48.8 million to implement the legislation, with $25 million earmarked for addressing wolf encounters. Half of the money for wolf conflicts would go toward deterrents; the remainder would compensate ranchers for their losses.
Kirk Wilbur, vice president of government affairs cattlemen’s association, said the organization is concerned about that division of funding — especially if funding is reduced.
Wilbur told legislators Tuesday that the organization supports some aspects of the bill and was having productive conversations with Blakespear to address their concerns.
The bill ultimately passed the committee with a 5-to-1 vote and now heads to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Human wildlife conflicts have made headlines in California recently, with a bear refusing to leave a basement for weeks in Altadena and a mama bear dubbed Blondie crossing paths last month with a woman walking her dog in Monrovia.
Blondie swiped the woman’s leg, and was subsequently euthanized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Her two cubs were sent to the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. The bear’s death upset many in the community, as thousands had signed a petition calling for other solutions, like relocation.
Deadly wildlife attacks on humans, however, are rare in California.
There have been six reported human fatalities from mountain lions since 1890, according to the state Fish and Wildlife Department. The agency recorded one human fatality from a coyote in 1981 and another fatality from a black bear in 2023. The department has no recorded human fatalities from gray wolves.
Politics
Trump ally diGenova tapped to lead DOJ probe into Brennan over Russia probe origins
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The Justice Department is turning to former Trump attorney Joeseph diGenova to spearhead a probe into ex-CIA Director John Brennan and others over the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, as the department reshuffles leadership of the sprawling inquiry.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has tapped diGenova to serve as counsel overseeing the matter, according to a New York Times report, putting a former Trump attorney in a key role in the high-profile probe. A federal grand jury seated in Miami has been impaneled since late last year.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
DOJ ACTIVELY PREPARING TO ISSUE GRAND JURY SUBPOENAS RELATING TO JOHN BRENNAN INVESTIGATION: SOURCES
Joseph diGenova represented President Donald Trump during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)
DiGenova, a former U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., who represented Trump during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, has repeatedly accused Brennan of misconduct tied to the origins of the Russia probe—allegations that have not resulted in criminal charges.
He also said in a 2018 appearance on Fox News that Brennan colluded with the FBI and DOJ to frame Trump.
The origins of the Russia investigation have been the subject of ongoing scrutiny by Trump allies, who have argued that intelligence and law enforcement officials improperly launched the probe.
BRENNAN INDICTMENT COULD COME WITHIN ‘WEEKS’ AS PROSECUTORS REQUEST OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS
Joseph diGenova has previously said that ex-CIA chief John Brennan colluded with the FBI and DOJ to frame Trump. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)
DiGenova’s appointment follows the ouster of Maria Medetis Long, a national security prosecutor in the South Florida U.S. attorney’s office. She had been overseeing the inquiry, including a false statements probe related to Brennan and broader conspiracy-related investigations.
As the investigation continues, federal investigators have issued subpoenas seeking information related to intelligence assessments of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
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John Brennan has denied any wrongdoing related to the Russia investigation. (William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Brennan has previously denied wrongdoing related to the Russia investigation and has defended the intelligence community’s assessment that Moscow interfered in the 2016 election.
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