US NATIONAL NEWS
From Trump to governor: Sanders prepares to take on new role
Published
3 years agoon
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — After running a campaign heavily focused on national politics and her time as President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she wants to keep her attention on Arkansas as she takes charge as the state’s 47th governor.
Sanders will be sworn in Tuesday, becoming the first woman governor of Arkansas, her home state. She also is ascending to the post her father, Mike Huckabee, held for more than a decade.
Sanders, who served nearly two years as White House press secretary, is the best-known former Trump official to assume elected office. Since winning election, the 40-year-old Republican has largely avoided weighing in on the former president who endorsed her bid and appeared prominently in her campaign materials.
“Right now, my focus is strictly on Arkansas, getting sworn in here on Jan. 10 and hitting the ground running for my first legislative session,” Sanders told The Associated Press in an interview last week when asked if she will support Trump’s 2024 presidential bid.
Keeping the focus on Arkansas will be tested as she embraces legislative priorities that include overhauling the state’s education system, cutting income taxes and adopting new public safety measures.
“She clearly has some national aspirations,” University of Arkansas political science professor Janine Parry said. “In order to fulfill those, it’s likely she’ll have to show some capacity for governance.”
Sanders takes office as Trump’s influence in the GOP appears to be waning. Sanders’ predecessor, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, is considering a run for president and has said Trump winning the Republican nomination would be the “worst scenario” for the party.
Sanders, however, has said she thinks the country would be better off right now if Trump were in office.
She faces an environment most governors would dream of. Arkansas sits atop more than $2 billion in reserve funds and Republicans expanded their supermajority in the state Legislature in November.
Sanders said the first bill on her agenda she wants the Legislature to pass is an education reform measure containing a pay raise for teachers, a focus on improving literacy rates and more school safety measures.
Sanders has not proposed a specific pay hike amount though House and Senate committees have recommended $4,000 teacher raises. In his lame duck budget proposal last year, Hutchinson recommended education funding be increased by $550 million over the next two years to accommodate teacher raises.
Sanders also supports some form of school choice — parental empowerment as she puts it — to allow state money to be used for private schools or homeschooling. “Parents should be able to decide how and where their kids can best be educated,” she said.
Sanders has indicated she will follow the lead of another high-profile GOP governor, Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis, another potential presidential contender. Her pick for education secretary, Jacob Oliva, is one of the top Florida school officials.
Sanders said she would support legislation similar to a Florida law that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Critics, who have dubbed the ban the “Don’t Say Gay” law, have said that type of restriction marginalizes LGBTQ people.
Sanders said she also hopes to begin fulfilling her promise to phase out the state income tax, though she did not have a specific amount of a cut she’d push for this year. Hutchinson has signed several income tax cuts into law the past eight years.
The incoming governor’s agenda also includes public safety measures, with Sanders supporting a new prison and a “truth in sentencing” law.
And she wants to look at work requirements for the state’s Medicaid expansion, despite a federal judge blocking such a requirement.
Sanders stopped short of saying whether she will continue Medicaid expansion, but wants to examine its costs and sustainability. “My job and my goal is not to take assistance away from the people who need it, but we also can’t bankrupt the state,” she said.
Her inauguration marks the first time in 42 years Arkansas will have a governor without any experience in elected office. Hutchinson, a former congressman, has been a fixture in Arkansas politics since the 1980s.
That’s created uncertainty in the Legislature. Democrats, whose ranks have shrunk in the Legislature, said they’re wary but keeping an open mind.
“We know the rhetoric, we know the Trump administration we’ve seen,” said Democratic Rep. Tippi McCullough, the House minority leader. “We know all of that. But we don’t now how she’s going to govern.″
Republicans, some of whom clashed with Hutchinson in his final years in office, said they view the lack of elected experience as a plus.
“The main difference is just the freshness of perspective,” said Republican Sen. Bart Hester, the chamber’s incoming president pro tem. “I feel like Gov. Sanders is coming in with no strings attached.”
Sanders sought advice from her father and others, and said she plans to be hands-on while dealing with the Legislature.
“I don’t know how to be anything other than involved and hands-on in whatever I’m doing,” Sanders said.
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Politics
FORMER PRESIDENTS, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS GATHER FOR OPENING OF OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER
Published
6 days agoon
June 18, 2026
CHICAGO (FNN NEWS) — The long-awaited Barack Obama Presidential Center officially opened Thursday with a star-studded dedication ceremony on Chicago’s South Side, drawing former presidents, national leaders, celebrities, and thousands of invited guests.
The ceremony began at 11 a.m. CDT with Chicago native and Grammy Award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson performing the national anthem.
Obama Center Opens
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama delivered remarks celebrating the opening of the center, which is designed to serve as a cultural, educational, and civic engagement hub.
The opening marks the formal debut of one of the most anticipated presidential centers in modern history. The campus opens to the public on Juneteenth and is expected to attract visitors from across the United States and around the world.
Former Presidents in Attendance
Among the dignitaries attending the ceremony were:
- Former President Joe Biden
- Former President George W. Bush
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Former First Lady Jill Biden
- Former First Lady Laura Bush
- Former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton
National Leaders and Celebrities Attend
The event also attracted prominent political leaders, civil rights advocates, entertainers, and business leaders, including:
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
- Civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Al Sharpton
- Media icon Oprah Winfrey
- Comedians David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Stephen Colbert
- Actor Tom Hanks
- Tennis legend Billie Jean King
- Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts
Several attendees, including Newsom and Shapiro, are widely viewed as potential contenders for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
A Landmark for Chicago’s South Side
The opening of the Obama Presidential Center represents a significant milestone for Chicago’s South Side, bringing national attention, tourism, and economic development opportunities to the community.
Thousands of invited guests attended the ceremony, while residents and supporters gathered at a free public watch party to celebrate the historic occasion.
The center is expected to serve as a lasting tribute to the legacy of the nation’s 44th president while inspiring future generations of leaders through civic engagement, education, and public service.
About the Obama Presidential Center
The Obama Presidential Center is a world-class campus dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The center includes museum exhibits, public gathering spaces, educational programming, and community resources aimed at fostering leadership and civic participation.
Politics
State Department Offers Up to $15 Million in Rewards for MS-13 Leaders Wanted on Terrorism, Drug Trafficking Charges
Published
6 days agoon
June 18, 2026
WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — The U.S. Department of State announced Thursday that it is increasing reward offers totaling up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of two senior leaders of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a transnational criminal organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
Reward Offers Increased
The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías, also known as “Porky,” and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Víctor Eduardo Morales Zelaya, also known as “Cuervo.”
The reward offers were announced by Thomas “Tommy” Pigott, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State.
MS-13 Leadership in Honduras
According to federal court documents, Archaga Carías and Morales Zelaya are the highest-ranking members of MS-13 operating in Honduras. Authorities allege they direct the gang’s criminal operations, including:
- Drug trafficking
- Money laundering
- Murder
- Kidnappings
- Other violent criminal activities
Federal authorities also allege the two men are responsible for coordinating the importation of significant quantities of cocaine into the United States. Both remain fugitives.
Among America’s Most Wanted
Archaga Carías is listed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and is also among the most wanted fugitives sought by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) established under Executive Order 14159. The task force is a permanent, whole-of-government initiative focused on dismantling criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in the United States and abroad.
How to Provide Information
The reward offers were authorized by the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), which supports global law enforcement efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI through WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram at +1-832-267-1688.
Individuals located outside the United States may also contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Those within the United States may contact their local FBI field office.
Confidentiality Guaranteed
U.S. officials emphasized that all identities of individuals providing information will be kept strictly confidential. Government officials and employees are not eligible for rewards based on information obtained through their official duties.
US NATIONAL NEWS
Rubio, Jaishankar Discuss Strait of Hormuz Security During Diplomatic Call
Published
2 weeks agoon
June 13, 2026
WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to discuss recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a State Department readout released Friday.
According to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, the conversation focused on maritime security and commercial shipping in one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
Focus on Maritime Security
During the call, Rubio stressed that commercial vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz should immediately comply with instructions issued by U.S. forces as they work to maintain regional peace and security.
The secretary also emphasized U.S. concerns regarding the transportation of Iranian oil and warned that violations of U.S. enforcement measures would not be tolerated.
Critical Global Waterway
The Strait of Hormuz serves as a vital shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf to international markets and is one of the world’s most important energy transit corridors. Any disruption to commercial traffic through the region can have significant implications for global energy supplies and international trade.
The call highlights continued diplomatic coordination between the United States and India on regional security issues and freedom of navigation in key international waterways.
