FIRST ON FOX: Top Democratic candidate James Talarico, who is running for U.S. Senate in Texas, is facing criticism for suggesting concerns about biological males in girls’ sports are a “far-right conspiracy.”

Since rising to the national stage, Talarico, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, has faced intense criticism for his history of highly controversial, progressive statements and policy positions.

Now, the latest Talarico controversy stems from an unearthed 2021 interview with Fox 7 Austin in which he referenced “trans children” in sports. Talarico was being interviewed about Democrats fleeing the state to block a special legislative session. During the interview, he accused Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of filling the special session with “far-right conspiracy theories about trans children causing problems on sports teams, which we know does not occur in the state of Texas.”

He also knocked Abbott for including critical race theory in the legislative agenda, which he said, “We know is not being taught in the state of Texas.”

[TALARICO CONFRONTED ON PAST TWEETS ACCUSING WHITE PEOPLE OF SPREADING ‘VIRUS’ OF RACISM]

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico speaks at a campaign rally on March 2, 2026, in Houston.(Danielle Villasana/Getty Images)

“If we were focused on actual issues, that would be one thing, but we’re not,” said Talarico.

Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, ripped into Talarico over the statement, saying,”James Talarico calls parents ‘conspiracy theorists’ for not wanting him to talk to kids about getting a sex change or how ‘little White boys’ are domestic terror threats.”

Kraft told Fox News Digital that”once again, James Talarico is proving that he is a creep who has zero chance of winning in a red state like Texas.”

In 2021, Texas passed a bill banning biological males from competing in K-12 girls’ sports. The bill was signed into law by Abbott. Two years later, Texas expanded the policy, passing the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” which banned biological men from competing in women’s sports at the collegiate level.

Talarico voted against both the K-12 and collegiate sports bills. He also voted against a bill to ban sex change surgeries for children, asserting that “gender-affirming care is not child abuse.”

While debating the bill on the Texas House floor in 2021, he made one of his most controversial comments, asserting that “God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is non-binary.”

[PROGRESSIVE INFLUENCER ERUPTS AFTER ILLINOIS PRIMARY LOSS, DROPS PROFANE ANTI-TRUMP, -ICE RANT]

Talarico also recently took heat for giving his sixth-grade students an “Obama memoir” assignment in 2012.(John Moore/Getty Images; Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Talarico was also recently mocked for a “creepy” comment he made on a podcast about loving transgender children.

During a 2023 episode of “A Superbloom Podcast,” Talarico was asked by host Candice King, “What is something that you love, other than family and friends?”

Talarico responded, “I love, I’m just saying this because it’s on my mind, the trans children who showed up yesterday at the state Capitol to advocate for their humanity.” He added that “they shouldn’t have to, but it was an inspiration to watch.”

Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., ripped into Talarico, calling him a “creepy goofball.”

Women’s sports activist Riley Gaines wrote, “James Talarico loves ‘trans kids’ so much that he advocates for them to cut off healthy, functioning body parts. Quite the display of love.”

[GOP CANDIDATE CITES ‘FAILURE’ OF NEWSOM, DEMS AS NEW POLL SHOWS REPUBLICANS LEADING CROWDED CALIFORNIA FIELD]

Talarico will face off against either Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who are locked in a particularly bitter primary runoff race.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Talarico has also been an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, co-authoring legislation in 2021 to teach DEI in Texas schools. In promoting the bill, Talarico argued that “radicalized White men are the greatest domestic terror threat.”

[CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP]

“There but for the grace of God go I,” he wrote in a tweet, continuing, “As a white man, I’m susceptible to the same radicalization. Thankfully, I was exposed to diversity at a young age and explicitly taught the values of equality, inclusion, and justice. But not every young white boy is so lucky.”

The day a Texas anti-DEI bill took effect, Talarico tweeted, “Texas teachers can’t talk about race,” calling it “a dark day in our state’s history.”

Talarico’s campaign declined to comment.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

By Dana Bash, CNN

Published 1:13 PM EDT, Thu March 19, 2026

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U.N. nuclear watchdog chief says “a lot has survived” of Iran’s nuclear capabilities

March 19, 2026 / 3:04 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency said Thursday that “a lot has survived” of Iran’s nuclear capabilities and military operations alone cannot destroy them.

In an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said there had already been damage done to Iran’s nuclear sites, and said last year’s strikes on three nuclear facilities were “quite effective.”

“There has been a lot of impact on the program. One cannot deny that this has really rolled back the program considerably, although, you know, I’m very skeptical about these metrics, days, minutes, months, because everything is relative,” Grossi said. “But my impression is that once the military effort comes to an end, we will still inherit a number of major issues that have been at the center of all of this.”

Grossi said one of those issues is Iran’s inventory of uranium at 60% enrichment, as well as facilities, infrastructure and equipment, which could be damaged.

Iran had rapidly increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in recent years. As of mid-June 2025, before U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities, Iran had enriched roughly 972 pounds, or more than 440 kilograms, of uranium up to 60% purity, according to estimates from the IAEA.

President Trump has said an objective of the ongoing war with Iran is to prevent the country from developing a nuclear weapon. While the Defense Department has prepared several options for the president regarding next steps in the conflict, Mr. Trump has not made up his mind on whether he would send U.S. forces into Iran and seize its nuclear material.

But Grossi said removing cylinders with the material would be difficult.

“I’m not saying it’s impossible. I know that here there are incredible military capacities to do that, but it would be very challenging operation for sure,” he said.

Grossi said the IAEA did not see “major activity” by Iran to rebuild its enrichment capacity before the U.S. and Israeli started its strikes, but said “a lot has still survived.”

“They have the capabilities, they have the knowledge, they have the industrial ability to do that,” he said.

Grossi said the extensive program underscores the need for diplomacy to deal with Iran’s nuclear program after combat operations.

“It’s going to be needed,” he said of talks.

In the weeks and hours leading up to the second round of U.S. strikes in nine months, special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, were engaged in indirect talks with Iranian negotiators over a potential nuclear deal in the days before Operation Epic Fury. U.S. and Israeli strikes nearly three weeks ago, which resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier Thursday that the U.S. has struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury, and previewed that the day would bring the “largest strike package yet, just like yesterday was.”

Mr. Trump has said that one of the objectives of the ongoing operation is to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, though he has also touted strikes last year on three Iranian nuclear facilities that he said “obliterated” the sites.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, meanwhile, told the Senate on Wednesday that the intelligence community assessed that Iran’s nuclear program was “obliterated” last year in the strikes dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer. In written testimony to senators, Gabbard said “there has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability. The entrances to the underground facilities that were bombed have been buried and shuttered with cement.”

Trump explains why he kept Japan in the dark on Iran strikes: “Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?” – CBS News

March 19, 2026 / 3:52 PM EDT / CBS News

President Trump brought up Pearl Harbor while seated next to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office on Thursday, as he explained why the U.S. didn’t give allies like Japan a heads-up before striking Iran.

A Japanese reporter asked Mr. Trump why the U.S. didn’t alert allies like Japan ahead of the Iran strikes, a decision that the reporter said “confused” the Japanese. The president, in his response, said his administration “didn’t tell anyone” about the Feb. 28 military action in advance.

“Well one thing, you don’t want to signal too much, you know?” Mr. Trump said. “When we go in, we went in very hard. And we didn’t tell anyone about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? OK? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? OK? Right?”

“We had to surprise them, and we did,” the president said of Iran. “… If I go and tell everybody about it, there’s no longer a surprise.”

Takaichi appeared taken aback by the president’s remarks, her eyes momentarily widening. Takaichi speaks some English but largely spoke through a translator at the event.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Trump in the Oval Office on March 19, 2026. Pool/CBS News

The Japan and the U.S. have officially been allies since 1952, although the scars from World War II took longer to heal in many cases.

In 2016, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a somber visit to the Pearl Harbor memorial site alongside then-President Barack Obama. Abe offered his “sincere and everlasting condolences” to the Americans who lost their lives in the surprise Japanese attack of Dec. 7, 1941, and in all of World War II. Abe said he was “rendered entirely speechless” by the deaths of so many U.S. service members. More than 2,400 Americans were killed in the Pearl Harbor attack.

“On behalf of the Japanese people, I hereby wish to express once again my heartfelt gratitude to the United States and to the world for the tolerance extended to Japan,” Abe said at the time. “…Japan and the United States, which fought a fierce war that will go down in the annals of human history, have become allies with strong ties rarely found anywhere in history.”

Mr. Trump also had strong ties with Abe, a friendship that hasn’t been matched with more recent prime ministers. Abe was assassinated during a speech in Japan in 2022.

GOP hardliners wavering on support for Bondi subpoena after testy briefing | CNN Politics

Published Mar 19, 2026, 3:43 PM ET | Updated Mar 19, 2026, 3:58 PM ET | By Annie Grayer, Manu Raju, Alison Main

US Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche arrive for a closed-door briefing for members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on Wednesday.

Nathan Howard/Reuters

Conservative hardliners who supported subpoenaing Attorney General Pam Bondi in the House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein probe are now indicating that they are open to changing their position after Bondi met with the panel for a briefing that turned contentious with Democrats.

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert told CNN on Thursday that she’s “absolutely” considering withdrawing her support for the subpoena because it “is absolutely shameful to have her come in there willingly to answer anything that we want to ask, and to be treated that way. It just shows what’s to come.”

Bondi’s voluntary meeting with committee members behind closed doors on Wednesday erupted when Democrats stormed out of the room in frustration, saying she would not commit to complying with her subpoena.

Boebert told Bondi that she was “embarrassed” that she had voted to subpoena her for a deposition during the briefing, according to two sources familiar with the exchange. The congresswoman also said she would withdraw the subpoena if she could, the sources added.

CNN has reached out to Boebert for comment on the closed-door meeting.

Five Republicans on the panel voted earlier this month to subpoena Bondi.

House Oversight Chair James Comer told reporters on Thursday that he plans to talk to his fellow Republicans about what the next steps are, but indicated he plans on honoring the subpoena. Comer was not one of the five Republicans to vote for the subpoena and has said he didn’t think it was necessary.

“I haven’t talked to Republicans, I’m sure I’ll give them a call this weekend,” Comer said. “I don’t know what is going to happen. We’ll talk to the Republicans. But as of now, I plan on moving forward with all of our subpoenas.”

Comer said if he were to rescind Bondi’s subpoena he would have to talk to counsel because he is not sure how the process would be handled.

Boebert said she hasn’t talked to the White House “at all” about her support for the subpoena, but slammed Democrats for how they handled Bondi’s appearance on Capitol Hill.

“They claim that no one is above the law, and when someone says they’ll follow it, they’re like, no, no. I know on our side that’s BS, so it must be BS when you say it right, and the way they behaved, it makes me not want to support a subpoena to force her to come in and be treated the way she was treated yesterday, it was really embarrassing,” she said.

Rep. Tim Burchett, another Republican who voted to subpoena Bondi, implied Wednesday’s proceedings made him frustrated with Democrats on the panel, calling their walkout “all staged.”

“She was there, they had an opportunity, and they blew it,” he said.

Pressed if Bondi should still answer to the subpoena, Burchett responded, “It’s up to her. We’re not going to get much out of this deal,” lamenting the handling of the Epstein files.

“You know, if we’d have just gone a little slower, we would have gotten there a little faster,” he said.

GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, who led the push to subpoena the attorney general in the House Epstein probe, said her support for the Bondi subpoena is not wavering.

“No one has asked me and I won’t,” she told CNN.

Democrats have argued that DOJ offered Wednesday’s briefing to try to get out of the subpoena for a deposition with Bondi.

“We are once again demanding that Attorney General Pam Bondi make it clear that she’s going to come in for an under oath deposition that she’s under subpoena to do, and that we’re not going to participate in fake hearings and briefings like the one that they tried to set up yesterday to get out of sworn, under oath testimony,” Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said Thursday.

Comer wrote in the subpoena cover letter that his panel is investigating the “possible mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation” into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

“The Committee has questions regarding the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates and its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Comer wrote, referring to the law passed by Congress last year mandating the Justice Department’s release of the files.

The Justice Department’s release of the Epstein case files so far has prompted complaints from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, with critics saying they believe the files were overly redacted and demanding greater transparency.

During Wednesday’s briefing, Democrats pushed Bondi to say whether she still planned to appear for a deposition, according to sources. The attorney general said repeatedly that she planned to “follow the law,” the sources said.

When Bondi emerged from the briefing, she repeated the same refrain about the subpoena that she told lawmakers inside the room: “I made it crystal clear, I will follow the law.”

A DOJ spokesperson earlier this week called the subpoena “completely unnecessary,” but did not say whether the attorney general would comply.

“This subpoena is completely unnecessary. Lawmakers have been invited to view the unredacted files for themselves at the Department of Justice, and the Attorney General has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress,” the spokesperson said.

CNN’s Casey Riddle contributed to this report.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called for an immediate de-escalation in the Middle East, urging a halt to U.S.–Israeli strikes on critical infrastructure as fighting intensifies across the region.

“France calls for the immediate implementation of a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, whether related to water or to energy,” Macron wrote on X, reinforcing France’s push for diplomacy even as the United States and Israel emphasize military pressure against Iran and its proxies. “Freedom and security of navigation must be restored.”

President Donald Trump recently struck a mixed tone on France’s role, saying he had spoken with Macron and was cautiously optimistic Paris ultimately would help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route for oil and energy supplies.

MULTIPLE ALLIES DECLINE US CALLS FOR STRAIT OF HORMUZ SUPPORT AMID RISING MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS

President Donald Trump struck a mixed tone on France’s role Thursday.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

On “a scale of 0 to 10,” Trump said Macron had been “an eight.”

“Not perfect, but it’s France,” he said at a press briefing in the White House Monday.

Trump went on to say he believes Macron “is going to help” regarding securing the Strait of Hormuz, but added, “I don’t do a hard sell on them because my attitude is we don’t need anybody. We’re the strongest nation in the world.”

“I’m almost doing it … because I want to find out how they react,” Trump said, suggesting the U.S. is also testing its allies.

In a future crisis, he warned, “I’ve been saying for years that if we ever did need them, they won’t be there. Not all of them, but they won’t be there.”

The divide reflects a broader question shaping the conflict: whether diplomacy can contain Iran’s regional network, or whether force is required to dismantle it.

WORLD LEADERS SPLIT OVER MILITARY ACTION AS US-ISRAEL STRIKE IRAN IN COORDINATED OPERATION

A satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, vital for global energy supply.(Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

That tension is playing out most clearly over the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that serves as one of the world’s most critical energy choke points, with roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies passing through it each day.

In recent weeks, Iran has disrupted traffic through the strait with drone, missile and naval threats, raising fears of a broader economic shock as commercial shipping slows and global energy markets face increasing uncertainty.

Macron said France “will never take part in operations to open or free” the critical waterway “in the current context,” emphasizing that France is “not a party to the conflict.”

Paris instead has proposed escorting commercial vessels only after hostilities subside, in coordination with regional actors.

At the same time, European allies — including France — signaled they are not entirely stepping back from efforts to secure the strategic waterway.

Leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan expressed in a joint statement released Thursday a “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while calling on Iran to “cease immediately its threats” against commercial shipping.

A European diplomat told Fox News that the United Kingdom is leading a diplomatic effort to build support among European and Gulf partners for a coordinated response, with discussions underway on how such a mission could be structured.

NATO HEAVYWEIGHTS BALK AT HORMUZ MISSION AS TRUMP WARNS ALLIANCE AT RISK

A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight March 10 to March 11, 2026.(Fadel itani / AFP via Getty Images)

However, European officials remain divided over timing, with concerns that launching such an effort during active hostilities could introduce new high-value targets into the conflict, according to the diplomat.

France pushes diplomacy across Iran-linked fronts

Lebanon has emerged as a second front in the war after Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, began attacking Israel following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

The group launched rockets and drones from southern Lebanon, prompting Israeli retaliatory strikes and escalating the conflict into a broader regional confrontation tied directly to Tehran, Iran, and its proxy network.

While distancing itself from direct military involvement, France is intensifying its diplomatic push in Lebanon, urging direct negotiations between Israel and Beirut following signals from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that he is open to talks.

French officials view this as a “window of opportunity” to stabilize the border and prevent further escalation, arguing that both sides share an interest in preventing Lebanon from becoming a launchpad for attacks against Israel.

But Israeli officials have sharply pushed back, arguing that diplomacy cannot succeed while Hezbollah remains armed and active.

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that since Hezbollah joined the fighting following strikes on Iranian regime, the group has launched hundreds of rockets, missiles and drones toward Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Israel has come under sustained attack from Lebanese territory in recent weeks.

“Since March 2nd, Israel has been attacked from Lebanese territory more than 2,000 times with missiles and drones,” he wroteon X Tuesday.

Sa’ar warned that the crisis extends beyond the region, calling disruptions to maritime routes “naval terrorism that harms the global economy.”

While expressing openness to normalization with Lebanon, Sa’ar made clear that Hezbollah remains the central obstacle.

“The obstacle to this is Hezbollah,” he said, adding that Beirut must take “meaningful action” against the group’s weapons, funding and leadership.

Analysts say that gap — between France’s diplomatic push and Israel’s security demands — reflects a deeper structural problem that has persisted for years.

France has “potential influence that they never use … essentially the stick,” David Schenker, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs who oversaw Lebanon policy during the first Trump administration and now directs the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Fox News Digital.

He argued that Paris has failed to use its leverage to pressure Hezbollah or its backers.

While Schenker said direct negotiations between the Lebanese government and Israel could be useful, he questioned whether they would change realities on the ground.

“I don’t see how a ceasefire in and of itself changes the status quo,” he said.

TRUMP PRESSES NATO PARTNERS ON SUPPORT AS HEGSETH BLASTS HESITATION

Hezbollah launches long-range missiles from Lebanon into northern Israel within 48 hours of strikes on Iran, escalating the widening conflict amid Operation Epic Fury.(Hadi Mizban/AP)

Lebanese leaders repeatedly have pledged to assert a state monopoly over weapons, but “they haven’t really done much,” Schenker said, adding there is “zero confidence” they would move forward given Hezbollah’s opposition.

Even the Lebanese army has signaled its limits, prioritizing “national unity and the safety of the army above disarmament,” he said.

On the ground, the situation continues to deteriorate rapidly.

Violence in Lebanon has surged dramatically since the war in Iran began.

“There has been a 400% increase in violence events in Lebanon,” said Bassel Doueik, a researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), adding that Israeli strikes and Hezbollah clashes have displaced at least 1 million people.

Doueik said Israel appears to be seeking to create a buffer zone south of the Litani River in Lebanon,warning the escalation could lead to “another occupation of southern Lebanon similar to 1982.”

At the same time, Hezbollah — long backed by Iran — continues to operate as a powerful armed force inside Lebanon, complicating efforts to reach any durable political settlement.

France has played a leading diplomatic role in Lebanon for years, including backing the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). But the mission has faced growing challenges, including restrictions on movement and attacks on its personnel, raising criticism about its effectiveness.

Critics argue that repeated diplomatic initiatives have failed to curb Hezbollah’s military buildup, leaving Israel increasingly skeptical of new proposals.

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French President Emmanuel Macron meets with President-Elect Donald Trump at the Elysee Palace on December 7, 2024 in Paris, France. Donald Trump was among the wave of foreign dignitaries descending on Paris this weekend to attend a reopening ceremony at Notre-Dame Cathedral, more than five years after it was damaged in a major fire.(Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)

“The French are specializing in carrots,” Schenker said, arguing that Paris has been reluctant to use pressure despite its influence in Lebanon.

But he added that the transatlantic divide is not entirely one-sided.

“This is a war that was launched by Israel and the United States, and they disagreed with it,” he said, noting that protecting global energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz should be “an international responsibility.”

Efrat Lachter is a foreign correspondent for Fox News Digital covering international affairs and the United Nations. Follow her on X @efratlachter. Stories can be sent to efrat.lachter@fox.com.

Senators meet with border czar Tom Homan as lawmakers search for way out of DHS shutdown

March 19, 2026 / 3:55 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — A group of senators met with border czar Tom Homan on Thursday as negotiators continue to seek an agreement to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement and end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

More than a month into the funding lapse, the meeting marked a key development as progress to date has appeared stagnant. Democrats and the White House have been trading proposals in recent weeks, but the two sides have remained far apart.

“First step is dialogue, and this is the very first time that we have had that” in six weeks, Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama said. “I hope that we will see more of that in the days to come.”

She added that Thursday’s meeting was not a negotiation, but a conversation, and there is “no guarantee of anything.”

“I think it was helpful,” she said.

While Democrats have been trading offers with the White House, Senate Republicans have pushed publicly for member-level talks in recent weeks. Democrats have argued that they needed assurances that the administration is serious about the negotiations, while voicing skepticism that talks with Senate Republicans would yield a breakthrough.

Tom Homan, White House border czar, departs following a meeting with lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol on March 19, 2026. Daniel Heuer / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Meanwhile, pressure has mounted to fund the many agencies DHS oversees, including TSA. Hundreds of TSA officers have quit in recent weeks as workers have gone without pay, while staffing issues have created chaos at airports. Democrats have tried to pass funding for individual agencies, but Republicans have blocked those attempts. Republicans have in turn tried to approve funds for all of DHS on a temporary basis, which Democrats have likewise blocked.

The talks come as DHS leadership is undergoing a change after the actions of federal law enforcement have been intensely scrutinized in the wake of the killings of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January. GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma is expected to be confirmed in the coming days as the new DHS secretary, replacing Kristi Noem. Homan was brought in to lead operations in Minnesota as Noem’s leadership faced criticism from members of both parties.

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top appropriators in the Senate, were in the meeting with Homan. Other appropriators, including GOP Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, were also in attendance, as were Sens. Angus King, a Maine independent, and Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat. King, Hassan and Shaheen were involved in negotiations to end the longest government shutdown in history last fall.

Leaving the meeting, a number of senators declined to comment on the private conversation. Hoeven told reporters “we made some progress,” but Murray said the two sides remain a “long ways apart.”

The Senate is set to leave town for a two-week recess at the end of next week. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told reporters earlier in the day that the impasse “needs to get resolved by the end of next week.”

“I can’t see us taking a break if the government’s still shut down,” he added.

Thune said ahead of the meeting that it marked a positive development, saying “we’ve been encouraging this for a while, and glad to see both sides sitting down.”

Homan said leaving the meeting that “we need to get the government back open.”

Nikole Killion, Alan He and Caitlin Huey-Burns contributed to this report.

Fetterman explains why he crossed party lines to support Mullin for DHS chief | CNN Politics

3 hr ago PUBLISHED Mar 19, 2026, 12:14 PM ET

By Morgan Rimmer

Sen. John Fetterman speaks during Wednesday’s confirmation hearing.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman cast the deciding vote Thursday to advance Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to serve as US Department of Homeland Security secretary, crossing party lines to send President Donald Trump’s nominee to the full Senate for consideration.

He explained in a post on X his decision to join Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in backing the Oklahoma Republican senator to replace outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

“In January, I called on the president to fire Noem—and he did. I truly approached the confirmation of my colleague and friend, Senator Mullin, with an open-mind,” Fetterman wrote.

“We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS. My AYE is rooted in a strong committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin for our nation’s security,” he continued.

[Related article Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Homeland Security secretary, departs after his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Wednesday. Evan Vucci/Reuters Mullin grilled by Senate colleagues over temperament, stolen valor and ICE in tense DHS confirmation hearing 8 min read]

If confirmed, Mullin will lead a department of more than 260,000 employees that oversees critical agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard.

Trump announced earlier this month that he was moving Noem to a new position and naming Mullin to replace her.

The committee voted to advance his nomination 8-7.

The panel’s recommendation hinged on Fetterman’s decision after Republican Chairman Rand Paul declared he would not support Mullin, citing concerns with the Oklahoma senator’s temperament.

During Mullin’s grilling by some of his Senate colleagues Wednesday, Paul reprised a long-simmering feud in which Mullin called him a “snake” and said he “understood” why Paul’s neighbor had attacked him in 2017. Paul also cited a 2023 hearing in which Mullin appeared prepared to physically fight a witness.

“I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault that caused me so much pain and my family so much pain. I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force,” Paul of Kentucky told Mullin during the hearing.

Repeatedly, Paul pressed Mullin to apologize for his comments, but Mullin refused. Instead, Mullin argued the pair should “set it aside,” and move forward with considering his nomination.

“I can set it aside, if you’re willing to set it aside. Let me earn your respect. Let me earn the job. I won’t fail you. I won’t back down from a challenge,” he said.

After the back-and-forth, Fetterman encouraged both men to move on.

“I know there’s a lot of hard personal feelings here, and absolutely I would, I — It’s terrible, what’s happened and political violence, I mean, it’s, it’s rampant so now. But also, also President O’Brien’s here, not for round two. He’s here because he fully supports your … so it’s about, it’s about letting it go and moving on,” Fetterman said, referencing President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Sean O’Brien – the witness at the 2023 hearing.

At the top of Thursday’s meeting, the top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Gary Peters, said he planned to vote no on the nomination and also questioned whether the lawmaker had the “experience or the temperament” to serve in the role.

Majority Leader John Thune has said he hopes to hold a full Senate vote on Mullin’s nomination early next week.

网传文件称卓荣泰高调赴日引日本不满 台外交部：人为变造

（台北综合讯）台湾行政院长卓荣泰包机赴日看球赛争议持续发酵，有网传文件指他高调赴日引起日本政府不满。台湾外交部称，网传文件夹杂简体字，属于“人为变造”；日本驻台机构则表示“没有评论”。

卓荣泰3月7日包机赴日本观看世界棒球经典赛中华台北队对垒捷克队赛事，成为台日1972年断交后首名赴日的现任行政院长。

综合“ETtoday新闻云”和《自由时报》报道，有台湾网民星期四（3月19日）曝光文件称，日本高市早苗政府特例同意卓荣泰赴东京观赛，前提是卓荣泰要以私人身份、观光名义出行，全程保持低调，不主动或被动与日本政要接触。

网传文件称，桌荣泰的行程被媒体曝光后，令日本高层勃然大怒，表达强烈抗议和遗憾，认为此举影响日台关系，要求台北妥善处理，包括对外表明这是卓荣泰的私人行程。

台湾外交部随后在官网发新闻稿说，上述文件内容多处与台湾公文书格式不符，並出现明显简体转繁体痕迹，甚至夹杂简体字，整体判断为经“人为变造”的文件。

台外交部称，变造文件散布错假信息、意图误导舆论的行为，相关手法与过往资讯干扰操作相似，均属恶意干扰台湾对外关系的作为，企图损害台日关系。 “有关卓院长赴日一事，台日双方都表达此为单纯的私人行程至明，类似变造、恶意操作的目的并无法得逞。”

日本台湾交流协会则回复《联合报》说：“日本方面并没有立场就此发表评论。”

为智障群体开慈善诊所 陈诗菱医生当选《海峡时报》年度人物

发布/2026年3月19日 23:20

《海峡时报》新加坡年度人物颁奖典礼3月19日在淡马锡店屋（Temasek Shophouse）举办，主宾尚达曼总统（左三）为当选年度人物的陈诗菱医生（右三）、年度青年人物的叶祎琳（左二）和年度人物（国际影响）奖的纪振瑞（右二）颁奖。《海峡时报》总编辑何仲伟（左一）和瑞士银行亚太区总裁康瑞博（Iqbal Khan，右一）见证。 （海峡时报）

从17岁以义工身份首次接触到智障者，到30多岁创办慈善组织为他们争取更全面的医疗照护，陈诗菱医生放弃专科医生事业，开办专为失智和智障群体服务的诊所，迄今已帮助约500名患者和超过1000名看护者。

今年45岁的陈诗菱当选2025年《海峡时报》新加坡年度人物，她星期四（3月19日）从尚达曼总统手中接过奖座。

2014年，陈诗菱遇到一名因为骨关节炎疼痛和自信心受挫，而突然不愿出门的40岁唐氏综合症患者。经过数周的照护和鼓励，当他最终重新踏出家门时，陈诗菱也认识到，为智障群体提供全面的医护服务，是保障他们生活质量的关键。

她发现，当时的医疗保健体系还存在很多不足之处，并意识到如果想要看到改变，就要亲自去做。于是，她创办了非盈利组织Happee Hearts Movement，并开办了本地首家专为智障成年人服务的综合诊所IDHealth，以极低的价格为他们提供各类看诊和看护服务。

陈诗菱在获奖感言中说，17岁第一次当义工接触到多名智障者时，一时之间有些招架不住，甚至对自己说“下次再也不来了”。但自那次以后，她每个星期天都坚持回去，一坚持就是六年。这个群体也影响了她的一生，“有些东西我一旦看到了，就无法视而不见”。

“在这个过程中，我看到了很多人的痛苦、挣扎和心碎，也体会到巨大的力量、坚韧、快乐，以及他们心中浓浓的爱意。他们不仅展现了、更教会了我，什么才是真正地活着。”

她感谢所有支持着她的家人、朋友、伙伴和旧日同学，并说赢得这个奖项不会带来什么改变。“我在昨天、今天和明天所做的事是一样的……我希望在我有生之年，我们可以成功建立一个生态系统，支持有智力障碍或自闭症者和他们的家人，确保他们有尊严地好好生活。”

今年的新加坡年度人物奖入围者还包括：打造了全岛最大社区花园“兀兰植物园”，为居民提供自然疗愈处的加内什（Ganesh Kumar，41岁）；放弃了高薪理财顾问工作，创办助乐慈善机构，全职为囤积者整理住家的吴建麟（47岁）；从16岁开始做社区援救者，至今已帮助超过70人的20岁南洋理工学院学生李哲恺（20岁）；一人打三份兼职工、养育六个孩子，同时还为弱势家庭孩子提供免费早餐的莉迪亚（Lydia Susiyanti Sukarbi，36岁）。

每周花10小时修订维基百科内容，帮助更多人获取知识、了解新加坡的沈鑫佑（37岁）；创办独立出版社Epigram Books，支持本地英文文学创作者的黄为忠（Edmund Wee，73岁），以及数十年如一日推动司法可及工作，让有精神健康问题和相关障碍弱势群体也能获得充分司法辅助的余美娟律师（61岁），也获提名。

《海峡时报》今年也首次评选年度青年人物奖（Young Singaporean of the Year）和年度人物（国际影响）奖（Singaporean of the Year（International Impact）），表彰为社会做出杰出贡献的18岁以下国人，以及在国际舞台上为国争光的国人或新加坡企业。

体操选手叶祎琳获青年奖 慈善家纪振瑞获国际影响奖

在15岁那年，一边完成O水准考试，一边在印度尼西亚世界竞技体操锦标赛上创造历史，成为我国首名成功晋级决赛的体操运动员叶祎琳，获颁青年人物奖。今年即将17岁的叶祎琳，也在去年12月的泰国东南亚运动会上，夺得女子平衡木银牌。

为确保每一分善款都用在刀刃上而自己开办慈善基金会，20多年来花费800多万元资助数百名柬埔寨和尼泊尔的贫困儿童的希望行动基金会（Operation Hope Foundation）创办人纪振瑞（77岁），则获颁国际影响奖。

陈诗菱获得2万元奖金，叶祎琳、纪振瑞，以及七名年度人物入围者则分别获得5000元奖金。他们也都将获得由新加坡航空赞助的机票奖励，以及由千禧国际酒店集团提供的奖励。

《海峡时报》总编辑何仲伟致辞中说，所有获提名的人都提醒着人们，英雄主义不止是一时的壮举，更是持之以恒地托举他人。“他们让我们看到，哪怕在一个复杂变动的世界中，善意、仁慈与坚定的行动，依然是我们最强大的力量，是社区的心跳，也是新加坡精神的体现。”