US NATIONAL NEWS

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Clashes with AP Reporter Over Trump’s Tariffs and Taxes

Published

9 months ago

March 11, 2025

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Clashes with AP Reporter Over Trump's Tariffs and Taxes

WASHINGTON (FNN) – Tensions escalated between The Associated Press (AP) and Trump’s White House Tuesday during a heated exchange between White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and AP reporter Josh Boak.

During the briefing, Mr. Boak questioned President Trump’s economic policies, claiming his proposed tariffs amounted to tax hikes on Americans. However, Ms. Leavitt pushed back on that assertion.

“He’s actually not implementing tax hikes. Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people,” Ms. Leavitt said firmly.

She further defended President Trump’s economic agenda, emphasizing his commitment to eliminating:

Taxes on tips
Taxes on overtime
Taxes on Social Security benefits

“He is committed to all three of those things, and he expects Congress to pass them later,” she added.

Mr. Boak pressed further, asking, “Have you ever paid a tariff? Because I have. They don’t get charged on companies; they get charged on the imports.”

In response, Ms. Leavitt countered, “And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not seen in decades, revenues will stay here, wages will go up, and our country will be made wealthy again.”

The confrontation revealed the ongoing rift between the White House and the AP, particularly after the AP was barred from some press events for refusing to adopt the White House’s requested terminology of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America’ in its widely used AP Stylebook.

Despite this strained relationship, Ms. Leavitt still called on the wire service during Tuesday’s press briefing, which led to the fiery exchange.

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What’s Next for AP?

The AP has yet to respond to the White House’s renewed pressure on terminology changes. Media analysts predict the standoff could intensify as the administration continues its push to redefine traditional media language.

_____________________________________________________________________

J Willie David, III
Florida National News and FNN News Network
News@FloridaNationalNews.com

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US NATIONAL NEWS

President Trump’s Politico Interview: Democrats Lost Control — I Took it Back

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

FNN NEWS

In a wide-ranging interview with Politico, President Donald J. Trump reflected on the progress of his second term as it approaches the one-year mark — detailing how he is reversing the economic wreckage left by Biden, unleashing an investment surge, slamming the door on illegal border crossings and maritime drug smuggling, and restoring an America First posture abroad.

Here are some of the key moments:

“The Democrats love to say, ‘Affordability, affordability,’ but then they never talk about it. They’re the ones that gave us the high prices. I’m the one that’s bringing them down.” (Watch)
“I inherited a total mess. Prices were at an all-time high when I came in. Prices are coming down… Look at energy.” (Watch)
“We have $18 trillion being invested. Car companies are moving back that left us years ago. AI is coming in at levels never seen before. Factories are opening up all over the country… Ultimately, you know what it reduces itself to? Jobs. You’re going to have jobs like you’ve never seen in the United States.” (Watch)
“When I go on a trip, I only have one place in mind — it’s the United States… Most of my time is spent here, but when I do go outside, it’s only going outside for here. For instance, settling and solving the problem with China. That has a huge effect in the United States.” (Watch)
“I want to see people that contribute. I don’t want to see Somalia. I don’t want to see a woman that marries her brother… then becomes a congressman and does nothing but complain.” (Watch)
“Two years ago, a year ago, under Biden, this country was out of control; millions of people pouring through, totally unchecked, totally unvetted. And now, we have nobody coming in… Nobody ever talks about that anymore. They should talk about that.” (Watch)
“Obamacare was set up for insurance companies to become rich… They’ve been paid trillions — not billions — trillions of dollars and what I’m saying is very simple: I don’t want to pay them anything. No money for the insurance companies… I want to pay the money directly to the people and let the people get their own healthcare. But you know who’s fighting me on that? The Democrats.” (Watch)
“Trillions of dollars goes to the insurance companies. I want that money to go to the people and let the people go out and buy their own healthcare. It works like magic, but you know who doesn’t want it? The Democrats because they’re corrupt people — because they’re totally owned and bought by the insurance companies.” (Watch)
“[Zelensky] is going have to get on the ball and start accepting things… because they’re losing. They’ve lost territory — long before I got here… You certainly wouldn’t say it’s a victory.” (Watch)
“I hate to see young, beautiful people being killed.” (Watch)
“I have no vision for Europe. All I want to see is a strong Europe. I have a vision for the United States — America First. It’s ‘Make America Great Again.’” (Watch)
“We save 25,000 people every time we knock out a boat. On average, they kill 25,000 Americans. I don’t like doing that, but the drugs coming in through the sea — they’re down by 92 percent… Nobody wants to drive boats to America loaded up with drugs anymore.” (Watch)
“[Birthright citizenship] was meant for the babies of slaves… That case was not meant for some rich person coming from another country, putting a foot in our country, and all of a sudden their whole family becomes United States citizens.” (Watch)
“I’m one of the people that survived, but they weaponized the government. We had the most weaponized government… They indicted me. I came out good — here we are in the White House. Things are looking nice, but they were vicious… They’re sick people.” (Watch)

Tech

NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Returns to Earth After 245-Day ISS Mission

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

FNN NEWS

WASHINGTON, D.C. (FNN) — NASA astronaut Jonny Kim returned to Earth early Tuesday alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, concluding an eight-month science mission aboard the International Space Station focused on advancing life on Earth and preparing for future deep space exploration.

The trio landed safely under parachute at 12:03 a.m. EST (10:03 a.m. local time) southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft. Their departure from the station occurred at 8:41 p.m. EST on Dec. 8.

Record-Breaking Mission and First-Time Flyers

Across 245 days in orbit, the crew circled Earth 3,920 times and traveled nearly 104 million miles. Kim and Zubritsky completed their first spaceflights, while Ryzhikov—on his third mission—now holds 603 cumulative days in space.

The crew launched to the ISS on April 8 as part of a mission that contributed to NASA’s long-running efforts to advance scientific discovery and human spaceflight capabilities.

Scientific Research to Benefit Earth and Future Missions

While aboard the ISS, Kim supported numerous experiments and technology demonstrations. His work included studying the behavior of bioprinted tissues with blood vessels in microgravity—research that could accelerate space-based tissue production and improve medical treatments on Earth.

Kim also tested multi-robot remote command capabilities for the Surface Avatar investigation, a study that could inform the development of robotic assistants for future lunar and Martian missions. In addition, he contributed to research on in-space manufacturing of DNA-mimicking nanomaterials, which may enhance drug delivery systems and support emerging fields in regenerative medicine.

Return to Houston and the Future of Exploration

After routine medical checks in Kazakhstan, the crew will travel to the recovery staging area in Karaganda. Kim will then return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

For more than 25 years, astronauts have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, enabling scientific breakthroughs not achievable on Earth. As commercial partners expand human spaceflight services and develop new low Earth orbit destinations, NASA is directing its focus toward deep space exploration through the Artemis program and preparing for eventual human missions to Mars.

Politics

Rep. Eric Swalwell Sues Housing Chief Bill Pulte, Alleging Mortgage Records Misuse

Published

2 weeks ago

November 29, 2025

FNN NEWS

WASHINGTON (FNN) – A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell accuses Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte of abusing his authority to improperly access and weaponize confidential mortgage data belonging to Swalwell and other political critics of President Donald Trump.

The lawsuit comes less than two weeks after Pulte referred the California Democrat to the Justice Department for possible mortgage-fraud prosecution — an investigation Swalwell says is politically motivated and retaliatory. Swalwell is seeking a court order requiring Pulte to withdraw the referral, along with unspecified monetary damages, alleging violations of federal protections and his First Amendment rights.

Pulte did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Lawsuit Claims Retaliation Against Trump Critics

Swalwell, currently running for governor of California, previously served as a House impeachment manager during Trump’s 2021 impeachment trial. His filing argues that Pulte has acted as a central figure in what Swalwell describes as “a campaign of retribution” against political opponents of the president.

“Those efforts have resulted in the Department of Justice conducting a series of high-profile criminal investigations and prosecutions nakedly targeting some of the President’s most outspoken critics,” the lawsuit states.

The Nov. 13 referral from Pulte to the Justice Department alleged that Swalwell intentionally misrepresented his Washington, D.C., residence status to secure favorable mortgage terms. Swalwell denies this, saying his sworn affidavit clarified that the property would serve as his wife’s primary residence, not his own.

Mortgage Investigation Scandal Widens

Internal investigations have already begun within the FHFA regarding whether Pulte and his associates improperly accessed private mortgage files. Pulte, who installed himself as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has drawn alarm from industry observers by purging watchdog officials and leadership from the agencies.

Swalwell’s suit calls Pulte’s actions “unprecedented and unlawful,” particularly the practice of obtaining confidential mortgage records and using them to push DOJ criminal referrals.

The Justice Department previously named Ed Martin as a special prosecutor overseeing mortgage-fraud inquiries into prominent Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. On Monday, a federal judge dismissed the separate criminal cases against James and former FBI Director James Comey, ruling that the prosecutor responsible for filing charges had been improperly appointed.