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FDA vaccine advisers to meet in March on flu strain selection

By Reuters
February 25, 2026 6:15 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

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Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo [Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab]

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Feb 25 (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday its advisory committee is set to meet on March 12 to discuss and make recommendations on the strain composition of flu vaccines for use during the 2026-2027 season.

Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up [here.]

• Last year, the meeting was canceled, one of many disruptions to vaccine-related advisory panels under health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has overseen sweeping restructurings at the FDA and CDC, moves that have resulted in the removal of multiple senior public‑health officials and career scientists.
• Public health experts and lawmakers raised concerns about the cancellation, which was unusual for the annual process that helps manufacturers prepare for the next flu season.
• Instead of holding the usual public advisory panel vote, the FDA made the strain selection internally and issued recommendations directly to manufacturers.
• The committee advises the FDA by reviewing vaccine safety and effectiveness data and recommending whether vaccines should be approved, updated, or modified.

Reporting by Christy Santhosh and Padmanabhan Ananthan in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona

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Dem rising star’s SOTU rebuttal ripped by conservatives: ‘Anyone who claims she is a “moderate” is a liar’

Published February 25, 2026 1:03pm EST | Fox News

Virginia’s Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger was widely panned by conservatives on social media over her rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union, with many calling out the governor for labeling herself as a “moderate” during the campaign but changing her tune.

Spanberger’s speech contained several examples of supporting far-left causes that drew criticism online, including school walkouts over ICE, touting “affordability” despite pushing to raise taxes and slamming Trump.

Her overall speech quickly drew heat from conservatives online over her policies and her tone.

“This Spanberger speech can basically be summed up as ‘I AM A DEMOCRAT WHO IS MODERATE AND NORMAL. PLEASE BELIEVE I AM MODERATE AND NORMAL,’”Mark Hemingway, senior writer for Real Clear Investigations,posted on X.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s SOTU rebuttal drew strong pushback from conservatives.(Mike Kropf/Getty Images)

“Abigail Spanberger comes off like the radical psychopath she is,” Matthew Boyle, Washington Bureau Chief for Breitbart News,posted on X. “Anyone who claims she is a ‘moderate’ is a liar. Plain and simple.”

“Abigail Spanberger campaigned as a moderate but governs as a left-wing activist,” GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburnposted on X. “There is no room for moderates in today’s Democrat party.”

“It’s despicable to hear Abigail Spanberger speak so plainly like a supposed moderate when she’s governing with a legislature that’s more akin to Gavin Newsom in California or, say, Maura Healy in Massachusetts,” Newsbusters managing editor Curtis Houckposted on X.

TRUMP’S ‘HOME RUN’ SOTU SPEECH SPARKS PRAISE FROM CONSERVATIVES ONLINE WHILE LEAVING DEMOCRATS SEETHING

“Spanberger passed exactly one test,” Ruthless podcast co-host Josh Holmesposted on X. “A year from now you’ll have absolutely no idea who gave the Democrat response.”

“Abigail Spanberger tanks,”Trump-Kennedy Center President Richard Grenellposted on X. “She’s so nervous. It’s like she didn’t practice the actual speech.”

“The focus of Abigail Spanberger’s rebuttal is ‘affordability’ as her party proposes sweeping tax hikes on nearly every sector of the Virginia economy,” Daily Caller senior editor Amber Dukeposted on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office for comment.

A top Republcantold Fox News Digital earlier this week that Spanberger would never have been given airtime in the Democrats’ official response to Trump’s State of the Union if it weren’t for her support of the commonwealth’s controversial redistricting and adherence to the party line.

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Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers an address in Richmond.(Al Drago/Getty Images)

“Our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities, where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans,” Spanberger said during her speech. “They have done it without a warrant. They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies. They have sent children — a little boy in a blue bunny hat — to far-off detention centers, and they have killed American citizens in our streets.

“And they have done it all with their faces masked from accountability,” she continued. “Every minute spent sowing fear is a minute not spent investigating murders, crimes against children or the criminals defrauding seniors of their life savings.”

At one point in her speech, Spanberger appeared to briefly lose her place on the teleprompter:

“But as the President spoke of his perceived successes tonight, he continues to cede economic power and technological strength to Russia … bow down to … China …to bow down to a Russian dictator, and make plans for war with Iran,” she said, as her prepared remarks cited China as the technological rival.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

White House to host Big Tech in pledge to rein in power costs

February 25, 2026 5:06 PM UTC / Reuters

By Jarrett Renshaw and Laila Kearney

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Wiring sits inside of the Data Hall of the Microsoft data center campus, currently under construction, after Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President Brad Smith announced a plan to spend $4 billion on an additional artificial intelligence data center, in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, U.S., September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Audrey Richardson

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• Meeting with Microsoft, Meta, Anthropic slated for March 4
• Pledge expected to build on prior Microsoft commitments
• Trump says told Big Tech they must build own power plants

Feb 25 (Reuters) – The White House said on Thursday it will host leading data center and artificial intelligence companies next week including Microsoft , Anthropic and Meta Platforms to formalize a deal to shield consumers from rising power costs.

The meeting, scheduled for March 4 and first reported by Reuters, is expected to advance an initiative President Donald Trump unveiled during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, in which he said he had told major technology firms they must build their own power plants to run the rapidly-expanding fleet of data centers and other artificial intelligence infrastructure.

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The pledge under discussion is expected to resemble commitments already offered earlier this year by Microsoft to invest in new electricity generation and efficiency measures.

“Major Tech companies will join President Trump at the White House next week to formally sign the Rate Payer Protection Pledge that he announced during his historic State of the Union address,” said Taylor Rogers, White House spokeswoman.

The Trump administration supports efforts to advance artificial intelligence in competition with China, but the impacts of the proliferation of AI data centers on power prices have become a potential vulnerability for Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections.

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Microsoft did not say whether it would be in attendance next week or whether it would sign any new pledge. “We appreciate the Administration’s work to ensure that data centers don’t contribute to higher electricity prices for consumers,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President.

A spokesperson for Meta declined to comment.

“American families shouldn’t pick up the tab for AI,” Anthropic spokesperson Sarah Heck wrote on X. “In support of the (White House) rate payer protection pledge, Anthropic has committed to covering 100% of electricity price increases that consumers face from our data centers.”

Trump has made the global AI race, and securing the vast amounts of electricity needed to power it, a primary focus of his second term. That agenda, however, has become politically precarious ahead of the midterms as energy demand growth from data centers pushes up power bills over a wide swath of the country.

The recent proliferation of giant data center projects — needed for the expansion of artificial intelligence technologies — has been met with increasing local and state protests over concerns of rising bills and pollution tied to the developments. Some data center plans, or related power projects, have been cancelled or postponed following opposition from surrounding towns.

Last month, the Trump administration and several governors from states in the country’s largest electric grid, PJM Interconnection, released a framework for addressing surging power bills in the region.

PJM covers the world’s biggest concentration of data centers. Projections for a massive increase in the number of the centers connecting to the grid has led some power costs in the market to surge by about 1000% in less than two years.

Part of the White House plan to rein in power costs tied to data centers will build on the PJM framework, two sources told Reuters.

Reporting by Laila Kearney and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Timothy Gardner

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

EXCLUSIVE: Tech company leaders will head to the White House in March to meet with President Donald Trump to pledge they will generate their own power for new data centers, saving taxpayers from picking up additional energy costs, Fox News Digital learned.

“Major Tech companies will join President Trump at the White House next week to formally sign the Rate Payer Protection Pledge that he announced during his historic State of the Union address,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital Wednesday.

“Under this bold initiative, these massive companies will build, bring, or buy their own power supply for new AI data centers, ensuring that Americans’ electricity bills will not increase as demand grows,” she added. “President Trump is committed to ensuring American AI dominance while simultaneously lowering costs for working families.”

The Trump administration has promoted the proliferation of artificial intelligence to keep the U.S. as the world’s tech leader, which has included the creation of new data centers and mounting concern energy prices could increase for everyday Americans as the centers open up shop.

Companies participating in the March 4 event will include Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle and OpenAI. Trump, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, are leading the effort, Fox Digital learned.

TRUMP TROUNCES BIDEN ENERGY RECORDS IN JUST MONTHS AS ADMIN CELEBRATES 1 YEAR OF ‘HISTORIC GAINS’: DATA

The event follows Trump’s announcement during his State of the Union speech Tuesday that the companies would produce their own energy for the data centers.

“Tonight, I’m pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new rate payer protection pledge,” he said. “You know what that is? We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs.”

“We have an old grid,” he said. “It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that’s needed. So I’m telling them, they can build their own plant. They’re going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company’s ability to get electricity, while at the same time, lowering prices of electricity for you.”

The AI race has pitted the U.S. against China as tech leader, with the Trump administration amplifying efforts to not cede ground to the Asian nation since January 2025. Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania are among states seeing expanded data center campuses and AI growth.

A White House official told Fox Digital that the president and administration have been working on the initiative for a while, including Trump posting about the issue on Truth Social in January.

The companies will agree to protect Americans from price hikes and lower electricity prices in the long term, Fox Digital learned.

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The event is expected to focus on cost-of-living concerns for Americans, with Trump underscoring the importance of America’s tech leadership and future to expand AI and how it bolsters U.S. jobs, while ensuring Americans are protected from energy price increases.

The biggest omissions in Trump’s State of the Union — and why they matter in 2026

President proposes congressional stock trading ban, new retirement options while avoiding details on $38.56T national debt and slowing job growth

By Morgan Phillips
Fox News
Published February 25, 2026 12:35pm EST

President Donald Trump delivered a sweeping State of the Union address Tuesday night, promoting new policy proposals on retirement savings, energy infrastructure and congressional ethics while touting his administration’s record on border security, the economy and global military operations.

But despite the wide-ranging speech — which included calls for a congressional stock trading ban, a new 401(k)-style retirement option and ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran — several areas notably were absent or only briefly addressed.

The omissions matter in 2026 as the administration heads into a pivotal year marked by record federal debt levels, cooling job growth, intensifying great-power competition with China and ongoing global instability.

With Congress narrowly divided and international tensions high, the State of the Union offered a key opportunity for the president to outline how his second-term agenda will address long-term fiscal sustainability, labor market momentum and U.S. strategy abroad — questions that remain central to lawmakers, markets and U.S. allies.

National debt and deficit

Despite emphasizing economic growth and vowing to root out fraud, the president did not lay out a detailed plan to address the nation’s $38.56 trillion debt or the long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare.

Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,”2025 tax and spending legislation, is projected by the Congressional Budget Office to add another $4.2 trillion to the deficit throughout the next decade.

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking down his universal tariffs creates a $2 trillion revenue gap that the president didn’t address. He claimed “alternative statutes” would fill it, but there’s potential for courts to strike down those as well.

The issue also has prompted concern within Trump’s own party.

Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., while praising the president’s address, warned afterward that the national debt poses an “existential threat” that must be addressed to preserve economic stability for the next 250 years.

Outside fiscal watchdogs echoed that concern.

“The state of our Union is more indebted than ever,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “The Supreme Court has opened a massive revenue hole of nearly $2 trillion (with the tariff ruling) that the Administration and Congress must fill.”

Trump proposed a new “war on fraud” task force Tuesday night, to be led by Vice President JD Vance, claiming that rooting out corruption — specifically targeting the Somali community in Minnesota — could recoup enough stolen taxpayer funds to “balance the budget overnight.”

The debt carries heightened urgency in 2026 as interest payments approach $1 trillion annually and lawmakers face looming deadlines on entitlement trust fund solvency and future budget negotiations.

The White House pushed back on concerns about long-term fiscal risks.

“The reality is that President Trump has already slashed the deficit by nearly 23 percent in his first full 11 months versus the same time period in 2024,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a Wednesday statement.

“The CBO has also repeatedly underestimated economic growth, with 2025 GDP growth having eclipsed the CBO’s meager 1.9 percent projection for the year,” Kush said. “Smaller deficits and higher growth thanks to President Trump’s economic policies are going to slash, not grow, America’s debt-to-GDP ratio.”

President Donald Trump delivered a sweeping State of the Union address Tuesday night, promoting new policy proposals on retirement savings, energy infrastructure and congressional ethics.(Kenny Holston /Pool via Reuters)

Job growth

“The roaring economy is roaring like never before,” Trump boasted during the speech. “More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country.”

But the president failed to touch on 2025’s lagging job growth: the labor market added 181,000 jobs in all of 2025,much fewer than the 1.46 million jobs that were added in 2024.

Economists note that while headline job totals can mask fluctuations, the sharp deceleration in hiring relative to 2024 highlights a labor market that has softened even as other economic indicators remain positive.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed Trump “mocked” affordability issues and failed to note weak job numbers.

“Trump didn’t simply ignore the affordability crisis,” Schumer said. “He mocked it yet again. The average American sitting at their table trying to figure out how they’re going to pay that damn bill, was furious that he said, ‘it doesn’t matter.’”

“He bragged last night about job creation,” Schumer said. “Well, job creation is … at its lowest point in over 20 years outside of a recession, its lowest point in 20 years. And he brags about it.”

China and the Indo-Pacific

While Trump used his address to declare a “Golden Age” of security, the world’s most significant geopolitical theater — the Indo-Pacific — was hardly mentioned.

Despite a record-breaking $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan just two months ago and a planned high-stakes visit to Beijing in April, the President did not once mention Taiwan, the South China Sea or a broader regional strategy by name.

While Trump mocked “Chinese technology” in the context of the Venezuelan raid, he offered no public reassurance to allies in Tokyo, Canberra, Australia, or Taipei, Taiwan, which are navigating Beijing’s expanding military reach.

The omission follows a pattern established in the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) released in January, which for the first time in a decade scrubbed direct references to Taiwan’s security.

Though the U.S. has long held a policy of strategic ambiguity — refusing to say whether it would come to Taiwan’s defense if China invaded — some analysts have detected a fragile détente between the U.S. and China.

The absence is notable in 2026 as Washington prepares for high-level talks with Beijing and regional allies closely monitor U.S. commitments amid rising cross-strait tensions and expanding Chinese naval activity.

A White House official told Fox News Digital there has been no change in policy toward Taiwan.

“The U.S. One China policy, which provides for executive branch interactions with both sides of the Taiwan Strait, remains the same as the first Trump Administration,” the official said, noting that U.S. policy continues to be based on the Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-PRC Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances to Taiwan.

Despite the wide-ranging speech — which included calls for a congressional stock trading ban, a new 401(k)-style retirement option and ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran — several areas were notably absent or only briefly addressed.(Matt Rourke/The Associated Press)

Cuba and the embargo

Despite a marked escalation in U.S. policy toward Cuba, Trump made no reference to the island, the longstanding embargo or recent moves to tighten economic pressure. The omission is noteworthy given how central Havana has become to broader U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere.

Under Trump’s second term, the administration has significantly reinforced sanctions and pressure on Cuba, moving beyond the decades-old embargo to block crude oil and fuel supplies that left the island largely without vital energy imports after Venezuelan shipments dried up, contributing to widespread blackouts and worsening humanitarian conditions.

SPEECHWRITERS SPLIT AFTER TRUMP’S RECORD-BREAKING SOTU: ‘LIVING IN HIS OWN REALITY’ VS. ‘RESOUNDING SPEECH’

In late January, Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency on Cuba and authorizing tariffs aimed at halting the supply of oil to the island.

Caribbean leaders also highlighted the regional consequences of U.S. policy on Cuba at a major summit this week, warning that the fuel and economic crisis could have broader security and migration implications across the Caribbean basin.

The issue carries regional implications in 2026 as Caribbean leaders warn that prolonged instability in Cuba could fuel migration flows and strain hemispheric security coordination.

While President Donald Trump used his address to declare a “Golden Age” of security, the world’s most significant geopolitical theater — the Indo-Pacific — was hardly mentioned.(Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Russia-Ukraine: referenced but little detail

Trump did touch on the war in Ukraine in his State of the Union, framing an ambition to “end” the conflict as part of his foreign policy narrative. But he offered no detailed outline of how the administration plans to achieve that goal or how U.S. diplomacy, military aid or leverage with European allies will be marshaled to bring it about — leaving a key foreign policy challenge largely undefined for the nation.

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“We’re working very hard to end the ninth war, the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine, where 25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month — think of that, 25,000 soldiers are dying a month,” Trump said.

The speech came on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The lack of detail stands out in 2026 as the war enters its fifth year and European allies look to Washington for clarity on long-term security guarantees and reconstruction support.

A White House official said the president’s team has made “tremendous progress” toward ending the conflict and reiterated that “The President has a humanitarian heart and wants this war settled so the senseless killing ends.”

The official added that “we’re looking at some very good things happening on Ukraine and Russia.”

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Download this: Subscribing to digital apps has gotten a lot more expensive

February 25, 2026 / 1:51 PM EST / CBS News

The pain of higher prices today isn’t limited to things like food and health care costs. Americans now pay nearly 20% more for TV, music, news and other digital apps than they did in 2020.

So concludes a recent analysis from DepositAccounts, an online platform owned by LendingTree that allows users to compare bank accounts. Researchers looked at 15 widely used subscription services, ranging from streaming platforms like Hulu and Spotify to online video tool Zoom Pro, to assess how their prices have changed over the last six years.

“We’ve kind of gotten used to seeing notes from these subscription services saying we’re raising our costs by $1, $2, $3, which doesn’t seem like very much,” Matt Schulz, a chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree, told CBS News. “But when you factor in that some people subscribe to 10 or 15 different things, a couple of dollars a month extra on all of those adds up to real money over the course of the year.”

Some Americans are pulling the plug. A January survey of 2,000 people by DepositAccounts found that one-third said they had cancelled at least one paid digital subscription in the last six months due to cost.

On average, subscribers pay for 4.5 services, which amounts to $84 a month, or $1,008 annually, according to a separate analysis by DepositAccounts.

Big hikes for Disney+ and Apple TV subscribers

---

Subscribers to Disney+ are now being charged $18.99 a month for an ad-free plan, more than double what they were paying six years ago, the analysis found. Disney upped the price for the streaming platform’s ad-free tier, while bundling plans with Hulu and ESPN, in September 2025.

Apple TV subscription costs have also surged, with the cost of a standard plan for the online video service jumping 108% from 2020 when adjusted for inflation, according to DespoitAccounts.

Streaming now accounts for the largest share of TV viewership, at around 48%, outpacing broadcast and cable, according to Nielsen.

Not all digital platforms have gotten pricier. For example, subscription costs for Apple’s iCloud storage platform are down nearly 20% since 2020, while Apple Music prices have sunk more than 12%, according to DepositAccounts.

Edited by Alain Sherter

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/prices-for-streaming-services-jumped-nearly-20-between-november-and-december-bls-finds/

U.K. gym hopes “kidulting” trend will hook grownups by putting the fun back in fitness

February 25, 2026 / 11:50 AM EST / CBS News

London — If you’ve been struggling to stay active, there’s a trend that one gym chain is hoping will make working out feel a lot more like playtime.

“Welcome to kidulting! Come in, come in!” trainer Rachel Dennis said recently as she greeted people bounding through the door at the David Lloyd gym in Enfield, North London.

“We’re gonna play ‘stuck in the mud,’” she announced. Screams and laughter quickly filled the room as tagged players froze like statues until others crawled through their legs to “free” them to run around again.

The kidulting fitness class is all about channeling your inner child, and the atmosphere is fun, even silly.

“How’s that heart rate? We feelin’ a little warmer?” Dennis asked as the pace picked up.

At David Lloyd Clubs in the U.K., members can relive their younger years with the classes built around playground and PE class games — an effort to take the “work” out of the workouts.

Pran Varatharajan cheered as he held up another classmate’s legs, pushing her in a wheelbarrow race.

The pace is fast, and the kidulters quickly moved onto the next game.

People take part in a “kidulting” exercise class at the David Lloyd Enfield gym in North London, in February 2026. CBS News

“Who remembers the parachute?” Dennis asked, holding up the massive piece of colorful fabric. “If you’re yellow, you’re gonna be … shall we be a banana?” she said, assigning teams.

The classes bring back a range of childhood favorites — games most people haven’t played since elementary school.

After racing back and forth across the fabric, it was time for a quick round of “popcorn,” with the grownups huffing and puffing to keep colorful balls bouncing around on the parachute.

During a quick break, class member Sophie Doe told CBS News her heart was pounding. She particularly enjoyed the parachute, and said she hadn’t played some of the games since she was seven or eight.

“It’s the joy of being a kid, as an adult,” Kielan Edwards, a personal trainer at David Lloyd Enfield, explained of the kidulting trend, as he let CBS News’ correspondent try out the “Joyride,” an exercise bike transformed to look like an iconic Little Tikes Cozy Coupe.

Kielan Edwards, a personal trainer at David Lloyd Enfield, explains the “kidulting” trend to CBS News’ correspondent Tina Kraus as she tries out the “Joyride,” an exercise bike transformed to look like an iconic Little Tikes Cozy Coupe toy car. CBS News

“A lot of people find it very laborious getting used to the exercise before they turn it into a habit. But that’s because they’re forgetting the fun element of it,” he said. “We’re trying to replicate those memories that you might have had while you were younger here, in a more, sort of, gym-based environment.”

“What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?” Dennis called out to her class.

“Dinner time!” they yelled back, sprinting across the floor.

“I think it just kind of gives you a chance to reminisce, it also gives you a chance to revisit that period of your life that you thought was gone and you’re not gonna get back,” said Varatharajan.

Trainers say kidulting works because being a kid never gets old, and scientists seem to agree, with research showing that when exercise is fun, people are far more likely to make a habit out of it.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health says adults who engage in playful, childlike activities report better cognitive function and memory as they age.

Yosemite worker fired for hanging trans pride flag on El Capitan sues National Park Service

February 25, 2026 / 1:43 PM EST / CBS News

A former Yosemite employee is suing the federal government for alleged unlawful termination, arguing that their dismissal last year for hanging a transgender pride flag from El Capitan violated their constitutional rights.

Shannon “SJ” Joslin, a wildlife biologist who uses they/them pronouns, received a termination notice from the National Park Service in August, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C. The firing came roughly three months after Joslin and a group of climbers draped a large, pink, blue and white striped flag — a symbol of trans pride — from the California park’s most iconic rock formation.

Joslin, who was a park ranger at Yosemite for nearly five years, has said the flag was hung outside of work hours. It aimed to celebrate the transgender community amid mounting political attacks from the Trump administration, attorneys said in court filings.

“This administration is targeting Dr. Joslin because it wants to scare people into silence,” Joanna Citron Day, an attorney representing Joslin, said in a statement. “Dr. Joslin exercised their First Amendment rights and is being punished to send a clear message—speech the administration doesn’t like will not be tolerated.”

A group of climbers unfurled a trans pride flag on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California, on May 20, 2025. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Attorneys are looking to have Joslin immediately reinstated to the National Park Service, which is among the defendants listed in the lawsuit. Others include the park service’s parent agency, the Department of the Interior, as well as the Department of Justice, and the heads of each of them.

A spokesperson for the National Park Service told CBS News in a statement that the agency does not “comment on the specifics of personnel actions.” It also said it “will not tolerate violations of laws and regulations that impact those resources and experiences.”

“Yosemite National Park was designated by Congress to highlight the beautiful natural and cultural features of the area,” the spokesperson said. “No matter the cause, demonstrating without a permit outside of designated First-Amendment areas detracts from the visitor experience and the protection of the park. To safeguard the protection of visitors, visitor experiences, and park resources, many demonstrations require a permit.”

CBS News has reached out to the Justice and Interior departments for comment.

Joslin’s termination notice said they had “failed to demonstrate acceptable conduct” while still a probationary employee of the National Park Service, just weeks before their probation period ended. It cited regulations prohibiting demonstrations on Yosemite grounds, outside of certain locations that are designated “First Amendment areas.”

Joslin also faced a criminal investigation, according to the lawsuit, escalating what their attorneys called a “vindictive campaign” that violated the biologist’s rights to free expression under the First Amendment, as well as their rights to privacy.

The lawsuit questions the Park Service’s definition of Joslin’s conduct as a “demonstration,” although it notes that activism is an integral part of the history of Yosemite. The park is widely considered the birthplace of American environmental advocacy and climbers on El Capitan have raised flags for numerous political and social causes in the past. It asks the judge to find that regulations were “selectively enforced” in this case, because the flag is seen as a challenge to the Trump administration’s stance on trans rights.

“If Dr. Joslin had hung a flag the administration liked, they would be working at Yosemite today,” said Clayton Bailey, another attorney on Joslin’s case. “That reality is totally antithetical to the basic First Amendment freedoms promised to everyone.”

Yosemite’s current policies include regulations banning large banners, flags or signs displayed in the wilderness without a permit, as well as rules governing demonstrations within the park. Demonstrations require permits if they involve more than 25 people or are held outside one of the park’s “designated free speech locations.”

Those regulations appeared in a version of the park’s policy book dated May 20, 2025, the same day Joslin and the group of climbers hung the flag from El Capitan. It was electronically signed by the park’s acting superintendent on May 21, 2025. An earlier version, which was dated May 22, 2024, appeared on the Yosemite website as recently as May 1 of last year, and did not include regulations related to banners or flags.

Federal judge: Trump’s ‘third country’ deportation policy is unconstitutional | Fox News

By Breanne Deppisch | Fox News

Published February 25, 2026 2:08pm EST

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from deporting illegal immigrants to so-called “third countries” without first giving them notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal, in a high-stakes case that is likely headed to the Supreme Court.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, a Biden appointee, comes months after lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit in Boston challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s process of deporting illegal immigrants in the U.S. to so-called “third countries” — countries that are not their home country and were not previously designated in their removal orders.

Murphy ultimately sided with the migrants Wednesday, ruling that DHS’s third-country removal policy is unlawful and violates due process protections under the U.S. Constitution.

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“This case is about whether the government may, without notice, deport a person to the wrong country, or a country where he is likely to be persecuted, or tortured, thereby depriving that person of the opportunity to seek protections to which he would be undisputedly entitled,” Murphy said.

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President Donald Trump wrote a letter that will be sent to migrants who legally obtained citizenship.(Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Department of Homeland Security “has adopted a policy whereby it may take people and drop them off in parts unknown — in so-called ‘third countries,’ and, ‘as long as the Department doesn’t already know that there’s someone standing there waiting to shoot . . . that’s fine,’” Murphy continued.

“It is not fine, nor is it legal,” he said.

Neither DHS nor DOJ immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the case or whether it plans to appeal the ruling.

Murphy also rejected the Trump administration’s claim that certain migrants living in the U.S. illegally lacked due process, noting that the clause applies to all “persons” within the U.S., regardless of immigration status.

“These are our laws, and it is with profound gratitude for the unbelievable luck of being born in the United States of America that this Court affirms these and our nation’s bedrock principle: that no ‘person’ in this country may be ‘deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,’” Murphy said.

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Murphy stayed the ruling from taking force for 15 days to allow the Trump administration time to appeal the case to the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, given what the judge acknowledged was the “importance” and “unusual history” of the case in question.

The ruling comes after Murphy presided for months over a class-action lawsuit filed by migrants challenging deportations to third countries, including South Sudan and El Salvador, as well as Costa Rica and Guatemala, which the administration has reportedly eyed in its ongoing wave of deportations.

‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO

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Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters building in Washington D.C., United States on July 3, 2023. (Photo by Celal Güneş/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)(Getty Images)

He has sparred with the Trump administration while overseeing the case, including in May, when he accused the administration of failing to comply with a court order requiring it to keep in U.S. custody six migrants who were deported to South Sudan without due process or notice.

Murphy previously ordered that the migrants remain in U.S. custody at a military base in Djibouti until each of them could be given a “reasonable fear interview,” or a chance to explain to U.S. officials any fear of persecution or torture, should they be released into South Sudanese custody.

The judge’s order is the latest attempt by federal court judges to rein in the Trump administration as it continues to deport migrants to third countries, including El Salvador and South Sudan.

Murphy previously acknowledged the criminal histories in question after Trump officials blasted the individuals removed as the “worst of the worst.”

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“The court recognizes that the class members at issue here have criminal histories,” Murphy wrote in an order last year.

“But that does not change due process,” he wrote. “The court treats its obligation to these principles with the seriousness that anyone committed to the rule of law should understand.”

White House officials, meanwhile, have blasted so-called “activist” judges as attempting to enact a political agenda, and have repeatedly rejected the notion that illegal immigrants are not entitled to due process.

Lower court judges have repeatedly ruled that the Trump administration has violated due process by failing to notify migrants of their imminent removals, or afford them the opportunity to challenge their deportations in court — a view reiterated, albeit narrowly, by the Supreme Court four separate times since Trump took office.

The Trump administration, for its part, succeeded in a separate Supreme Court case last year that narrowed the ability of federal courts to issue so-called nationwide injunctions blocking executive orders from taking force.

Related Article

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Federal judges in New York and Texas block Trump deportations after SCOTUS ruling

Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.

Rubio urges Caribbean leaders to cooperate on gangs as Cuba worries grow

February 25, 2026 4:49 PM UTC / Reuters / By Simon Lewis

Summary
Companies

US has blocked oil shipments to Cuba, increasing pressure
CARICOM leaders also discuss migration, drug trafficking
Jamaica’s PM calls for dialogue between Cuba and US

BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Feb 25 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday called for deeper cooperation on tackling criminal gangs as he met Caribbean leaders, even as regional concerns grew over the potential fallout from Washington’s squeeze on Cuba.

The Trump administration is blocking off oil shipments to Cuba, worsening a humanitarian crisis and ratcheting up the pressure on Washington’s long-time foe in the wake of the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a key Cuban ally, on January 3.

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Rubio addressed a closed-door meeting of CARICOM, the Caribbean group that comprises 15 member states and five associated members, in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and was holding bilateral meetings with some of the regional leaders.

The Trump administration was “giving priority to the Western Hemisphere after (the region) largely being ignored for a very long time,” Rubio said, according to a transcript of his remarks.

“We are interested in rebuilding and constructing a new dynamic in this Western Hemisphere in which we partner with all of you on the issues we share in common,” Rubio said. The U.S. and Caribbean countries would need to cooperate more to tackle international criminal groups involved in drug trafficking through the region, he said, highlighting that these groups are heavily armed.

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“We recognize that many of these groups are buying weaponry from the United States, and that we are committed and continue to work very hard with our law enforcement agencies to shut that down,” Rubio said, adding that the U.S. was also taking a tough approach with criminal gangs in Haiti.

Rubio also said Venezuela’s interim authorities had made significant changes since the U.S. operation to seize Maduro, citing the release of political prisoners, but said “they will need the legitimacy of fair, democratic elections.”

CUBA CONCERNS

Rubio did not mention Cuba in the remarks that were made public. President Donald Trump had previously threatened tariff hikes against any nation sending energy supplies to Cuba and has urged the island’s leaders to reach a deal to avert a worsening humanitarian crisis.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department said it would allow the sale of Venezuelan oil for use in Cuba, as long as the transactions do not support the military or government, in what appeared to be an easing of restrictions.

The Treasury said it was taking the action in “support and solidarity for the Cuban people.” The U.S. has separately pledged to provide $9 million of humanitarian assistance to Cubans that is being delivered by the Catholic Church.

Ahead of Rubio’s arrival, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness appealed for a collective response from CARICOM to the crisis in Cuba, which is not a member but maintains ties with the group. Cuba has long sent doctors, as well as teachers, to work in neighboring countries. Washington is also pushing for countries to stop participating in the Cuban medics program that is a source of foreign currency for the Cuban government.

“Humanitarian suffering serves no one. Apart from our fraternal care and solidarity with the Cuban people, it must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba. It will affect migration, security and economic security across the Caribbean basin,” Holness said on Tuesday, calling for “constructive dialogue between Cuba and the United States aimed at de-escalation, reform and stability.”

The meeting’s host, Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew, said CARICOM should be a conduit for dialogue over Cuba’s future. “A destabilized Cuba will destabilize all of us,” he said.

Reporting by Simon Lewis; Editing by Alistair Bell

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