Politics
Johnson Installs Crawford on Intelligence Panel, Pulling It Closer to Trump
Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday appointed Representative Rick Crawford of Arkansas as the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, a move that was seen as aligning the powerful panel more closely with the agenda of President-elect Donald J. Trump.
The appointment of Mr. Crawford came amid much consternation on Capitol Hill over Mr. Johnson’s sudden and unexpected removal on Wednesday of Representative Michael R. Turner of Ohio, who had served for three years as the top Republican on the panel and had at times been critical of Mr. Trump.
Mr. Turner had been an influential, and increasingly lonely, G.O.P. voice in support of America’s traditional role in intelligence-gathering operations and supporting allies abroad.
But he had voted to certify President Biden’s victory over Mr. Trump in 2020. Mr. Crawford, by contrast, voted to object to the 2020 election results. While Mr. Turner played a pivotal role in the Republican push on Capitol Hill to continue sending aid to Ukraine for its battle against Russian aggression, Mr. Crawford has at times voted against funding Kyiv’s war effort.
And in the wake of his abrupt ouster, Mr. Turner told people that Mr. Johnson had informed him that he was being removed because of “concerns from Mar-a-Lago,” according to two people familiar with the conversations.
Since Mr. Johnson made his move, Democrats and some Republicans have blasted the decision to remove Mr. Turner, who was known for working in a bipartisan manner. Appointment to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is one of the most serious jobs in Congress, and the lawmakers selected for the job are trusted with some of the nation’s most sensitive information.
“Mike Turner has robustly promoted the safety of the American people and the free world, and his unjustified ouster is likely being applauded by our adversaries in Russia and China,” Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader, said on Thursday, calling it “shameful.”
Mr. Turner was not trusted among top aides to Mr. Trump, but was nevertheless blindsided by his defenestration.
The Ohioan was among a group of committee chairmen who visited Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago last weekend, where Trump aides presented Mr. Turner with a birthday cake with a candle. He appeared in a good mood and spoke briefly with Mr. Trump at the event, according to people who observed them.
But beyond the niceties, displeasure with Mr. Turner was brewing. Mr. Trump and his top aides have long viewed members of the intelligence community as adversaries, and some close to Mr. Trump view Mr. Turner as being too close to what they pejoratively call “the deep state.”
According to one person familiar with the matter, the president-elect was “not happy” to hear that Representative Mike Waltz of Florida, a member of the Intelligence Committee who is in line to be his national security adviser, had proposed bringing on a top aide of Mr. Turner’s for his National Security Council staff.
At the same time, members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, with whom Mr. Trump is close, have been angry with Mr. Turner since last year, when they accused him of being “reckless” in raising alarms about a national security threat during debate over the renewal of a key provision in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
But both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Trump’s advisers have been adamant that the president-elect made no direct order to fire Mr. Turner.
Mr. Johnson said the decision to remove Mr. Turner from the panel was his alone and noted that the Ohioan would still serve as the House’s point person to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“The House Intel Committee will play a pivotal role in this work in the new Congress, and Rick Crawford will provide principled leadership as its chairman,” Mr. Johnson said in a statement announcing Mr. Crawford’s appointment.
A person close to Mr. Johnson said the speaker viewed him as the choice of the former speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and that Mr. Johnson wanted to select his own team.
Mr. Johnson said on Wednesday that the intelligence community and everything related to the panel “needs a fresh start.”
But the change at the top of the intelligence committee was seen as a victory for the so-called America First wing of the party in a long-simmering civil war within the G.O.P.
Mr. Crawford is seen as less reliable in his support of Ukraine aid than Mr. Turner. The two men voted similarly with regards to renewing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
In a statement, Mr. Crawford said he planned to serve as a check on the intelligence community.
“Without aggressive oversight and vigorous protection of Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights, the I.C. is prone to give in to mission creep and skirt U.S. laws,” he said. “In all our work, I pledge to preserve Americans’ constitutional rights even as we work to support the I.C. in doing everything required to collect indispensable information from our foreign adversaries.”
Mr. Johnson started remaking the committee last year to be more aligned with Mr. Trump when he appointed Representatives Ronny Jackson of Texas, Mr. Trump’s former White House physician, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, the former leader of the House Freedom Caucus.
He will soon have more appointments to make. In addition to the departure of Mr. Waltz, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York is also expected to join the Trump administration, creating two more vacancies.
Politics
Video: Democrats Confront RFK Jr. on Vaccines and Health Care Fraud
new video loaded: Democrats Confront RFK Jr. on Vaccines and Health Care Fraud
transcript
transcript
Democrats Confront RFK Jr. on Vaccines and Health Care Fraud
Lawmakers confronted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine messaging and the Trump administration’s handling of health care fraud. The health secretary was also criticized over comments he made about psychiatric medications and Black children, which he denied.
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“A deadly measles outbreak in Texas killed an unvaccinated 6-year-old, the first such death in a decade. Do you agree with the majority of doctors that the measles vaccine could have saved that child’s life in Texas?” “It’s possible, certainly.” “President Trump approved your decision to end the C.D.C.’S pro-vaccine public messaging campaign?” “We’ve done better at preventing —” “That’s not answering my question. You suspended this pro-vaccine messaging campaign, but somehow you’re spending taxpayer dollars to drink milk shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock.” “Our nation has a long and painful history of separating Black children from their families. During slavery, Black children were taken from their parents and sold with no regard for their humanity. When you suggested re-parenting Black children, when you sow doubt about the safety of vaccines and when you promote unproven statements that have no basis in science, you endanger the lives of everyone across this nation.” “If we’re going to pursue fraudsters, it’s not just the people who might make simple, honest mistakes that could be corrected. It’s the people at the top that help to perpetuate this fraud. And the administration’s position seems to be that it’s only the recipients and not the providers that commit fraud. We want an even-handed approach to these fraud investigations, including those whose schemes have cost the American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.”
By Jorge Mitssunaga
April 16, 2026
Politics
Tennessee governor signs nuclear family month resolution as critics push back on exclusions
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed a resolution declaring June Nuclear Family Month as an alternative to the usual LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
Lee, a Republican, signed House Joint Resolution 182 April 9 after it passed the House in April 2025 and the Senate last month.
The legislation highlights the importance of celebrating the traditional family unit, described as “consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children.”
“The nuclear family is under attack in our beloved State and nation, and it is our responsibility to uplift, protect, and support values that help Tennessee prosper,” the resolution adds.
NASHVILLE TEACHER HAS RECORD CLEARED AFTER REFUSING TO READ SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BOOK TO FIRST-GRADERS
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a resolution declaring June “Nuclear Family Month,” promoting traditional family structures as an alternative to Pride Month. (Getty Images)
A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have begun to speak out against the resolution, and a representative for GLAAD gave Fox News Digital its opinion on the bill.
OHIO TEACHER SUES HIGH SCHOOL FOR DEMANDING HE REMOVE LGBT POSTER INSIDE CLASSROOM
LGBTQ community members hold flags and placards during a rally. (Roy De La Cruz/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“The strongest families are grounded in love, not legislative definitions. It is disturbing to see lawmakers use their platform to intentionally exclude their own constituents,” the organization wrote in a statement.
“Instead of drafting resolutions that aim to divide Tennessee families, Gov. Lee should be focused on building a state where every family is treated fairly, and every child has the opportunity to succeed.”
The news of the legislation comes a few days after the pride flag at Stonewall National Monument’s federal flagpole in New York City, a well-known symbol for the LGBTQ+ community, was restored after a two-month legal battle and settlement with the Trump administration.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee responds to questions during a news conference Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/AP)
“This is a victory for the LGBTQ+ community and for our entire city,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote in an X post Monday. “It’s a reminder that New Yorkers won’t let our history be rewritten.
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“Our administration will keep working to ensure LGBTQ+ New Yorkers can live safely and with dignity in our city.”
Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.
Politics
Hegseth recites ‘Pulp Fiction’ speech at Pentagon prayer service
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, leading a Pentagon prayer meeting, quoted a fictional bible verse taken from a violent monologue in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film “Pulp Fiction,” originally delivered by actor Samuel L. Jackson just before his character shoots a helpless man to death.
The secretary used the prayer to frame the war in Iran as an act of divine justice, the same justification Jackson’s character cites in the film before pulling the trigger.
Hegseth told the audience at a monthly Pentagon worship service held Wednesday that he learned the prayer from the lead mission planner of a team called “Sandy 1,” which recently rescued downed Air Force crew members in Iran.
Hegseth said the verse is frequently spoken by combat search-and-rescue crews, who call the prayer “CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17” from the Bible.
“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother,” Hegseth recited. “And you will know my call sign is Sandy 1, when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”
The infamous Ezekiel 25:17 speech from “Pulp Fiction” is almost entirely a screenwriter’s creation; only the final refrain is loosely inspired by the actual biblical verse. The majority of the monologue in Tarantino’s film is adapted from the opening of the 1976 Japanese martial arts film “The Bodyguard,” with action star Sonny Chiba.
Hegseth’s minute-long prayer closely followed those scripts, with only the last two lines resembling language from the Bible. In Hegseth’s version, he replaced “and they shall know that I am the Lord,” from the book of Ezekiel with the call sign for a U.S. A-10 Warthog aircraft.
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said some outlets accused Hegseth of mistaking Jackson’s Golden Globe-winning performance with actual scripture, and called that narrative “fake news.”
“Secretary Hegseth on Wednesday shared a custom prayer, referenced as the CSAR prayer, used by the brave warfighters of Sandy-1 who led the daylight rescue mission of Dude 44 Alpha out of Iran, which was obviously inspired by dialogue in Pulp Fiction,” Parnell wrote on X. “However, both the CSAR prayer and the dialogue in Pulp Fiction were reflections of the verse Ezekiel 25:17, as Secretary Hegseth clearly said in his remarks at the prayer service. Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality.”
“Pulp Fiction” co-writer Roger Avary, who shared the Academy Award for Original Screenplay with Tarantino, weighed in Thursday, posting on X: “I am perfectly fine with @SecWar
quoting Jules in Pulp Fiction if it keeps bullets from hitting our soldiers.”
Hegseth has frequently used his prayer sessions to call for violence in the ongoing Iran war. In last month’s sermon, he asked God to “grant this task force clear and righteous targets for violence.”
The services are not mandatory, a senior defense analyst with knowledge of Pentagon operations told The Times, but some who work closely with Hegseth’s office feel an “implied pressure” to attend and “fill seats.”
The effect — some feel — is less attention on the Pentagon’s wartime efforts, and more on supporting political stunts, according to the source, who is not authorized to speak to the media and requested anonymity.
“We have managers and leaders that are missing mission critical work to go listen to ‘Pulp Fiction’ quotes,” the source said. “It delays our ability to make operational, mission related war-fighting decisions.”
The prayer came amid an ongoing clash between the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV, who has spoken out in recent weeks against the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. Statements from the Vatican were met with a series of reprisals from President Trump, who said he doesn’t “want a pope” who criticizes the president of the United States.
On Thursday, the pope released a statement against military leaders who conflate war with divinity.
“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” he said.
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