博客

USTR’s Greer sees no changes in data rules that bar Chinese vehicles from US

2026-04-09 20:25:04 UTC / Reuters

By Nora Eckert and David Shepardson

April 9, 2026 8:25 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attends a press conference with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (not pictured) after two days of meetings with a Chinese delegation, in Paris, France March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo

• US lawmakers in both parties oppose Chinese car factories in US
• In January, Trump said he supported Chinese vehicle factories here
• Biden-era rule banned Chinese hardware, software on cars in US

WARREN, Michigan/WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) – U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration does not plan any changes ‌to a crackdown on vehicle hardware and software from China, which effectively bars Chinese cars from the U.S. market.

The rules were adopted in January 2025 under President Joe Biden, based on national security concerns linked to the ability of vehicles to collect sensitive data on American owners.

Stay up to date with the latest news, trends and innovations that are driving the global automotive industry with the Reuters Auto File newsletter. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

The rules imposed ​a sweeping ban on the use of key Chinese software and hardware in vehicles on American roads. ​The software prohibitions took effect in March, and those on hardware take effect n 2029.

“We don’t ⁠see any change in that — so it seems like it would probably be difficult for certain countries to establish ​new production here, given those sets of rules,” Greer said.

He said U.S. officials plan a video conference with Chinese officials to discuss “deliverables” for ​President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May but the auto sector is not on the agenda.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

“We really coalesced around a handful of areas where we want to have outcomes, nothing really directly on the auto industry, specifically right now,” Greer said.

Lawmakers from both ​parties in Congress oppose letting Chinese automakers open plants in the U.S. In January, Trump said he was open to ​Chinese automakers building vehicles here.

“If they want to come in and build a plant and hire you and hire your friends and ‌your neighbors, ⁠that’s great, I love that,” Trump told the Detroit Economic Club.

Last week, Democratic senators Tammy Baldwin, Elissa Slotkin and Chuck Schumer urged Trump to bar Chinese automakers from building vehicles in the U.S. and to prevent Chinese cars assembled in Mexico or Canada from entering the country.

“We must be clear-eyed that inviting China’s automakers to set up shop in ​the United States would confer ​an insurmountable economic advantage impossible ⁠for American automakers to overcome, and it would trigger a national security crisis that could never be reversed,” the lawmakers said in a letter to Trump first reported by Reuters.

​Greer said it was unclear if Chinese vehicles operated by Canadian consumers could be ​driven across the ⁠border.

“I don’t know how that will be resolved,” Greer said.

The ban has the strong backing of major carmakers — including General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai — and other auto groups. Last month, auto trade groups representing nearly all major car companies urged the U.S. government ⁠to keep ​Chinese carmakers out of the country.

Last week, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno said ​he will propose legislation to seal off the U.S. so “there’s never a scenario where a Chinese automobile will enter our market, that’s hardware, that’s software, ​that’s partnerships.”

Reporting by Nora Eckert in Warren, David Shepardson in Washington and David Lawder in Chicago; Editing by David Gregorio

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Judge says Pentagon must restore press access

April 9, 2026 / 7:43 PM EDT / CBS News

By Jacob Rosen

Jacob Rosen Justice Department Reporter

Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump’s 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

Read Full Bio

Jacob Rosen

A federal judge ruled the Defense Department violated a court order requiring it to ease stringent restrictions imposed on reporters who cover the Pentagon and blocked a new press policy issued by the department last month.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman again sided with the New York Times and its reporter Julian Barnes, who filed a lawsuit last year that argued the new Pentagon policy violated the First Amendment, Fifth Amendment and due process provision of the Constitution.

Last month, Friedman struck down some of the Pentagon’s strict controls on how journalists with Pentagon press passes are allowed to report — ending a policy that has caused many news outlets, including CBS News, to leave the Pentagon.

Friedman ruled that the Pentagon failed to comply with his March order and said a revised press policy, which the Pentagon instituted after his order, was also unlawful.

The new Pentagon rules expelled all reporters from the building unless they were accompanied by government escorts and removed media outlets’ office spaces from the building.

“The Department cannot simply reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking ‘new’ action and expect the Court to look the other way,” Friedman wrote. “Nor can the Department take steps to circumvent the Court’s injunction and expect the Court to turn a blind eye.”

Friedman’s March ruling halted some of the most onerous restrictions imposed on news outlets, including one provision that said reporters who “solicit” classified or sensitive information from military personnel could be deemed a security risk and barred from the building. He also struck down a section that referred to Pentagon access as a “privilege” rather than a “right.”

Some sections were left in place, including restrictions on where reporters are allowed to go in the Pentagon without an escort.

The March ruling also ordered the Pentagon to reinstate Barnes and several other Times reporters’ press passes. It’s not clear what the impact will be on other news outlets.

“This ruling powerfully vindicates both the Court’s authority and the First Amendment’s protections of independent journalism,” attorney Gibson Dunn, who represents the Times, told CBS News in a statement.

Friedman’s order Thursday requires a Pentagon official “with personal knowledge” to sign a sworn declaration to him by April 16 “describing the steps taken to ensure compliance” with the order.

“The Court cannot conclude this Opinion without noting once again what this case is really about: the attempt by the Secretary of Defense to dictate the information received by the American people, to control the message so that the public hears and sees only what the Secretary and the Trump Administration want them to hear and see,” Friedman wrote Thursday. “The Constitution demands better. The American public demands better, too. Over the past few weeks, the Court has received dozens of letters and postcards from people across the country explaining what the First Amendment means to them.”

Although a Pentagon spokesperson said the department would pursue an appeal of Friedman’s ruling last month, the Justice Department has not yet filed one.

Judge blocks Pentagon’s latest bid to limit press access

2026-04-09T22:50:31.804Z / CNN

By Devan Cole

9 min ago

PUBLISHED Apr 9, 2026, 6:50 PM ET

Federal agencies US military National security Media

See all topics

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

A federal judge tore into the Department of Defense on Thursday for attempting an end-run around his decision voiding parts of a restrictive press policy rolled out by Secretary Pete Hegseth last year, saying the Pentagon had flouted his ruling when it quickly implemented a tighter policy.

“The Department cannot simply reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking ‘new’ action and expect the court to look the other way,” US District Judge Paul Friedman wrote in a stinging ruling in a case brought by The New York Times.

Under the new policy, Friedman said, the Pentagon “has invoked slightly different language” but is still violating the constitutional rights of national security reporters who have long been granted access to the department’s sprawling headquarters in Northern Virginia.

“The curtailment of First Amendment rights is dangerous at any time, and even more so in a time of war,” the appointee of former President Bill Clinton wrote. “Suppression of political speech is the mark of an autocracy, not a democracy — as the Framers recognized when they drafted the First Amendment.”

The judge said officials at the Pentagon cannot enforce the new policy against several Pentagon reporters at the newspaper and ordered it to take steps to restore their physical access to the building.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

伊朗最高领袖穆杰塔巴提出三点主张

2026年4月10日 07:20 / 联合早报

伊朗最高领袖穆杰塔巴提出三点主张

3月13日，在巴基斯坦伊斯兰堡的圣城日集会上，一名什叶派妇女手持伊朗已故最高领袖哈梅内伊（下）及新最高领袖穆杰塔巴（上）的画像。 （法新社）

伊朗最高领袖穆杰塔巴星期四（4月9日）晚就前任最高领袖哈梅内伊殉难40天和当前战事等议题发表书面讲话，提出三点主张：侵略者必须赔偿损失，霍尔木兹海峡的管理将进入新阶段，伊朗绝不放弃正当权利，并将本地区所有“抵抗阵线”视为整体。

新华社报道，穆杰塔巴在9日讲话中回顾近期局势发展，他表示伊朗在冲突中付出重大牺牲，指责敌人犯下严重罪行，对他的父亲哈梅内伊表达缅怀和悼念。他宣布，伊朗民族在这场“强加的战争”中取得“决定性胜利”，伊朗正崛起为重要力量，霸权体系正走向衰落，这一切成果源于伊朗军民的浴血奋战。

穆杰塔巴特别强调人民参与的重要性：“你们在广场上的呼声，将影响谈判结果。”他呼吁全国团结，呼吁民众持续积极参与、互相扶持，以减轻战事压力，并提醒民众警惕敌对媒体发布的信息。

就地区局势，穆杰塔巴向伊朗“南方邻国”喊话，呼吁他们正确理解当前形势，远离“剥削你们的专横者”，向伊朗展示善意。他明确提出三点主张：一是伊朗必定向侵略者追索“战争赔偿”，追讨“烈士血债”；二是伊朗对霍尔木兹海峡的管理必将进入一个新阶段；三是伊朗绝不放弃自身正当权利，将把地区所有“抵抗阵线”作为一个统一整体加以考量。

穆杰塔巴说，伊朗将在谈判桌和战场上推进既定目标，“彻底战胜敌人”。

穆杰塔巴3月8日被伊朗专家会议推举，正式接任成为伊朗最高领袖，自上任以来从未公开露面。

Strait of Hormuz toll would set ‘dangerous precedent,’ UN shipping agency warns

2026-04-09 13:26 EDT / Fox News

President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that there may be a US-Iranian toll system coming for ships that travel through the key waterway

By Greg Norman-Diamond Fox News

Published April 9, 2026 1:26pm EDT

The United Nations’ shipping agency warned Thursday that imposing a toll on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz would “set a dangerous precedent.”

The remark comes after President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that there may be a U.S.-Iranian toll system coming for ships that travel through the key waterway. Trump told ABC News, “We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture,” and, “It’s a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people.”

“There is no international agreement where tolls can be introduced for transiting international straits. Any such toll will set a dangerous precedent,” a ‌spokesperson ⁠for the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization told Reuters on Thursday.

The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran,Oman and the United Arab Emirates, is one of the world’s most critical energy choke points, carrying roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day along with about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas.

LIVE UPDATES: US MILITARY ‘LOADING UP AND RESTING,’ TRUMP SAYS, AS IRAN TESTS CEASEFIRE

A ship is seen passing through the Strait of Hormuz during a two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8, 2026.(Shady Alassar/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also warned on Wednesday that a reported Iranian plan to charge ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz would be “completely unacceptable.”

“I don’t think that the international community would be ready to accept Iran setting up a toll booth for every ship that crosses the strait,” Mitsotakis, representing the world’s leading shipping power,told CNN.

HEGSETH DECLARES ‘DECISIVE MILITARY VICTORY’ OVER IRAN

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)

“This agreement cannot, I repeat, cannot include a sort of a fee that ships will have to pay every time they cross the strait,” he continued. “This was not the case before the war started, and it cannot be the case after the war finishes.”

The Trump administration had reached a ceasefire deal with Iran on Tuesday.

The Callisto tanker sits anchored as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 10, 2026.(Benoit Tessier / Reuters)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action!Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday morning. “We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin’ around’in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will.”

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

Mamdani ripped after conceding key campaign pledge won’t happen this year

April 9, 2026 2:18pm EDT / Fox News

Conservative commentators say NYC voters ‘got played’ by the mayor with a promise that ‘won’t ever happen’

By Andrew Mark Miller , Amanda Macias, Fox News

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing backlash online after admitting that his campaign pledge to make city buses free is hitting funding roadblocks.

Conservatives were quick to react to a Politico interview where the mayor acknowledged that one of his most hotly discussed campaign promises wouldn’t be fulfilled this year as his administration works to gain support from lawmakers in Albany.

“It won’t ever happen. It was a high-profile promise that won’t ever happen. It wasn’t really meant to,” wrote conservative media host Jason Rantz on X.

“Turns out socialist slogans don’t survive contact with reality,” National Republican Congressional Committee Press Secretary Mike Marinella posted on X.

FROM FREE BUSES TO CITY-OWNED GROCERY STORES, HERE ARE MAMDANI’S KEY ECONOMIC PROMISES

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a Ramadan Iftar hosted by his team at the New York Taxi Workers Association, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in New York.(Angelina Katsanis / AP)

“Hahahahahahahahahaha. You got played, NYC,” wrote Amy Curtis, a conservative writer, on X.

“Mamdani lied about free buses — and basically everything else in his campaign,” wrote Tim Young, a media fellow at The Heritage Foundation, on X. “And the idiots of New York fell for it,” he added.

“Socialism is like a toxic ex: big promises upfront, disappointment later,” conservative media outlet Prager U posted on X. “Just ask New York about those free buses.”

Others, however, defended the effort, pointing to the complexities of funding major transit changes and praising the administration for continuing negotiations.

SOCIALIST NYC MAYOR MAMDANI CLASHES WITH HOCHUL OVER TAX HIKES AS SOME CRITICS WARN OF CATASTROPHE

The Empire State Building behind an MTA bus in New York, US, on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025.(Michael Nagle/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Mamdani’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the mayor remains committed to the plan, adding that his administration is working with state officials to make fare-free buses a reality before the end of his term.

“Mayor Mamdani is committed to delivering fast and free buses by the time he leaves office, full stop,” a spokesperson said, noting ongoing discussions with N.Y. Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.

“In the meantime, the Mamdani administration will continue to work with our partners at the state and local level to make commutes faster and our transit system more affordable for all New Yorkers.”

Mamdani never explicitly pledged to fulfill the campaign platform in the first year but said he intended to accomplish the goal by the end of his first four-year term.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, during a news conference at the WIN NYC family shelter in New York, on Thursday, March 5, 2026.(Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Making buses fast and free, the fast thing we’re already getting started on,” Mamdani said in January. “And what I’ve said is that by the time I’m finished being mayor, they’re going to be free. What we have to deliver, however, in this very year, required by law, but also required just by being a good mayor, a balanced budget for this fiscal year [and for] the next fiscal year.”

As an assembly member, Mamdani launched a free bus pilot program in Queens that he has touted as highly successful citing increased ridership by more than 30% and showing a nearly 40% drop in assaults on bus operators.

Still, Mamdani’s critics argue that the cost of free buses is fiscally risky and logistically flawed for the behemoth New York City system and warn it would likely to degrade the very service it aims to improve.

The debate comes as Mamdani advances a broader affordability agenda built on campaign promises such as city-owned grocery stores and rent freezes, proposals that have rattled Wall Street and drawn sharp criticism.

The clash underscores a widening divide between progressive ambitions for the city and the financial sector that has long powered its economy.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

Federal appeals court rejects Anthropic bid to block Pentagon blacklist in AI dispute

April 9, 2026 3:20pm EDT / Fox News

The order conflicts with a separate federal court’s order last month that blocked the government’s moves against Anthropic

By Alex Nitzberg Fox News

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Wednesday rejected Anthropic’s request to block the Department of War from blacklisting use of the AI company’s technology, a move that conflicts with an order a different federal court issued last month in a separate lawsuit regarding the same issues.

“In our view, the equitable balance here cuts in favor of the government. On one side is a relatively contained risk of financial harm to a single private company. On the other side is judicial management of how, and through whom, the Department of War secures vital AI technology during an active military conflict. For that reason, we deny Anthropic’s motion for a stay pending review on the merits,” the April 8 order states. “Nonetheless, because Anthropic raises substantial challenges to the determination and will likely suffer some irreparable harm during the pendency of this litigation, we agree with Anthropic that substantial expedition is warranted.”

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Thursday, an Anthropic spokesperson noted, “We’re grateful the court recognized these issues need to be resolved quickly and remain confident the courts will ultimately agree that these supply chain designations were unlawful. While this case was necessary to protect Anthropic, our customers, and our partners, our focus remains on working productively with the government to ensure all Americans benefit from safe, reliable AI.”

ANTHROPIC’S DEMOCRATIC TIES UNDER FIRE AS TRUMP ADMIN SEVERS PENTAGON CONTRACTS

President Donald Trump, left, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, April 6, 2026(Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The War Department referred Fox News Digital to a Wednesday social media post from Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Today’s D.C. Circuit stay allowing the government to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk is a resounding victory for military readiness. Our position has been clear from the start — our military needs full access to Anthropic’s models if its technology is integrated into our sensitive systems. Military authority and operational control belong to the Commander-in-Chief and Department of War, not a tech company,” Blanche noted in the post on X.

The War Department in January requested “unrestricted use” of Anthropic for “all lawful purposes,” but the AI company drew two red lines, saying it would not be used for domestic surveillance or lethal autonomous weapons.

The administration framed the refusal as corporate insubordination, and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in February that the War Department “has no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans (which is illegal) nor do we want to use AI to develop autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement.”

President Donald Trump said in February that the U.S. would never allow “the radical left, woke company to dictate how our great military fights and wins wars.”

In a February 27 Truth Social post, Trump said he was “directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology.”

“There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels,” Trump indicated in the post.

DC COURT RULINGS STALL TRUMP AGENDA ACROSS IMMIGRATION, POLICING, FED — RAISING STAKES ON EXECUTIVE POWER

Anthropic Co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei speaks at the “How AI Will Transform Business in the Next 18 Months” panel during INBOUND 2025 Powered by HubSpot at Moscone Center on Sept. 4, 2025, in San Francisco, California(Chance Yeh/Getty Images for HubSpot))

War Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed Anthropic in a post on X the same day, declaring that he was “directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security.”

A letter in March notified Anthropic that the War Department had determined that use of the company’s products posed a “supply chain risk,” according to a copy of the letter attached to a court filing.

But then in a case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, a judge issued a preliminary injunction order last month blocking the government from implementing those moves against Anthropic.

TECH COMPANY REFUSES PENTAGON DEMANDS ON UNRESTRICTED USE OF ITS AI

President Donald Trump arrives to address the nation from the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“This Order restores the status quo. It does not bar any Defendant from taking any lawful action that would have been available to it on February 27, 2026, prior to the issuances of the Presidential Directive and the Hegseth Directive and entry of the Supply Chain Designation. For example, this Order does not require the Department of War to use Anthropic’s products or services and does not prevent the Department of War from transitioning to other artificial intelligence providers, so long as those actions are consistent with applicable regulations, statutes, and constitutional provisions,” the March order from U.S. District Judge Rita Lin stated.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

US House to vote on aviation safety bill next week

2026-04-09 5:12 PM UTC / Reuters

By David Shepardson

April 9, 2026 5:12 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

节点运行失败

An aircraft approaches to land at San Diego International Airport in San Diego, California, U.S., January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote next week on a sweeping aviation safety reform ​bill to address dozens of recommendations issued after a January 2025 collision ‌of an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people.

Two House committees on March 26 voted unanimously on the legislation to require installation of ​collision-prevention technologies on all military aircraft by 2031, except fighters, bombers and ​drones, and establish requirements for equipping collision-mitigation technologies for civilian airplanes ⁠and helicopters.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

The legislation, which is expected to be considered under fast-track House rules ​that require two-thirds approval, also addresses deficiencies in the Federal Aviation Administration’s safety culture, ​enhances air traffic control training and procedures, and strengthens the safety of airspace around Reagan Washington National Airport, where the fatal collision occurred.

The bill includes a review of flight frequency at Reagan – ​which has the nation’s single busiest runway – to determine if it can handle ​current traffic.

The House failed to pass a separate aviation bill in February after the Pentagon withdrew ‌its ⁠support and despite pleas from lawmakers and relatives of those killed in the American Airlines collision, the worst U.S. aviation disaster since 2001.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

The ROTOR Act passed the Senate unanimously in December but needed a two-thirds majority in the House to pass ​under fast-track rules and ​it fell one ⁠vote short.

If the House passes the ALERT Act, the House and Senate would likely meet to work out differences between ​the two bills before any measure could become law.

National Transportation ​Safety Board ⁠Chair Jennifer Homendy said the ALERT bill addresses its 50 recommendations proposed after the 2025 mid-air collision and said any final legislation must also do so. “Anything less than that ⁠would ​be counter to aviation safety and dishonor the lives ​of 67 people who died on January 29, 2025, and their families who have fought tirelessly for ​safety change,” Homendy told Reuters.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese, Rod Nickel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Unity tested: Democrats face off over Israel and AIPAC dark money during DNC meeting

2026-04-09T13:42:16-04:00 / Fox News

Resolutions on Palestinian statehood, arms limits and AIPAC influence face debate at DNC spring meeting

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published April 9, 2026 1:42pm EDT

DNC Chair Ken Martin brags that Democrats are ‘winning up and down the ballot’

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin boasts of ‘win after win’ at the ballot box, pointing to Democrats’ recent special election victories.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Listen to this article

3 min

Democrats are united in their opposition to President Donald Trump and his unprecedented second-term agenda.

But as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) huddles in New Orleans for its spring meeting, the party is once again coping with deep internal divisions over Israel’s military actions and a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group’s recent meddling in Democratic Party primaries.

The DNC’s Resolutions Committee debated and held test votes Thursday on resolutions recognizing a Palestinian state, putting limits on military aid to Israel and taking aim at what one resolution calls the “growing influence” of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is best known by its acronym AIPAC, and other so-called dark money groups.

Two resolutions on placing conditions on military aid to Israel and recognizing a Palestinian state were referred to the DNC’s Middle East Working Group. The resolution calling out AIPAC was defeated after the Resolutions Committee passed a broader resolution targeting all dark money groups. The nonbinding resolutions were among more than 100 on a range of issues that are being considered.

SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL DROPS AS DEMOCRATS TURN AGAINST KEY US ALLY: POLL

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin addresses party members at the DNC’s summer meeting on Aug. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

The resolutions were the latest face-off between DNC leaders who support Israel and a growing base of progressives who give Israel a thumbs down. One DNC committee member, speaking anonymously, called the resolutions “problematic” for the party.

The potential for divisive dialogue and verbal explosions over these issues comes eight months after similar showdowns at the DNC’s 2025 summer meeting in Minneapolis.

This year’s spring meeting also comes as a Pew Research national survey released this week showed that 80% of Democrats and independents who lean toward the party hold unfavorable views of Israel, up nearly 30 points since 2022. An NBC News poll conducted earlier this year indicated that 57% of Democrats held a negative view of Israel, up from 35% after Hamas killed roughly 1,200 people in a sneak attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023.

JOHN FETTERMAN CALLS OUT AOC’S ‘CLUELESS’ ANTI-ISRAEL COMMENTS IN MUNICH

Israel Defense Forces personnel gather near military vehicles along the border with Gaza Sept. 3, 2025.(Ammar Awad/Reuters)

But negative opinions have surged since Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza over the past two and a half years has resulted in more than 72,000 people being killed, according to health officials in the Palestinian territory. And Israel joined the U.S. in attacking Iran in a nearly month-and-a-half long war which polls suggest is unpopular with most Americans.

“Israel’s behavior has turned Americans against it,” longtime DNC member James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute and a critic of Israel, said in a social media post this week. “It seems that Americans don’t like folks using our money & weapons to commit genocide & steal Palestinian land.”

The resolution criticizing AIPAC and other corporate-aligned spending in Democratic primaries was authored by Allison Minnerly, a DNC member from Florida who at last year’s summer meeting grabbed a spotlight as she unsuccessfully pushed for a resolution urging an arms embargo on Israel.

DEMOCRATS FACE-OFF OVER ISRAEL AT KEY PARTY MEETING

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin (center) huddles with Allison Minnerly, a committee member from Florida, at a meeting of the DNC’s Resolutions Committee Aug. 26, 2025, in Minneapolis.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

After Minnerly’s resolution was defeated, DNC Chair Ken Martin pulled his own resolution, which called for “unrestricted” aid to Gaza and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Martin then created the Middle East Working Group, which will meet for a fourth time at the spring meeting.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Some Democrats blame the party’s support for Israel for their 2024 election setbacks, when they lost control of the White House and Senate and fell short in winning back the House majority.

Fox News reached out to the DNC and AIPAC for comment.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

US Republicans block bid to rein in Trump Iran war powers

2026-04-09 17:18:52 UTC / Reuters

By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan

April 9, 2026 5:18 PM UTC Updated 44 mins ago

节点运行失败

Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic effort to end U.S. attacks on Iran, as Donald ​Trump’s party continued to prevent efforts to rein in the Republican ‌president’s war powers.

Representative Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, presided over an abbreviated “pro forma” House session, ending it before a group of Democrats could seek to pass the resolution via unanimous ​consent.

Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives have tried and repeatedly failed ​in recent months to pass war powers resolutions to force Trump ⁠to obtain lawmakers’ authorization before launching military operations, in both Venezuela and Iran.

Trump’s ​threat early this week that “a whole civilization will die” intensified concern from Democrats, ​dozens of whom called for Trump’s removal from office. The 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians.

“Threatening genocide is not a negotiating tactic,” ​Representative Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat, told a news conference outside the Capitol ​after the pro forma session, held because Congress is out of Washington for the two-week ‌Easter recess.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Trump ⁠announced that he had agreed to a ceasefire in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran on Tuesday, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its civilian infrastructure.

The ​White House says Trump’s ​actions are legal ⁠and within his rights as commander-in-chief to protect the U.S. by ordering limited military operations.

Iran says its nuclear program is ​peaceful. The Trump administration has sought to portray the war as ​a decisive ⁠victory, although the top U.S. general said U.S. troops stood ready to resume fighting.

Trump’s fellow Republicans hold slim majorities in both the Senate and House, and have almost ⁠unanimously backed ​all of his policies.

Although the U.S. Constitution says ​that Congress, not the president, can declare war, that restriction does not apply for short-term operations or ​if the country faces an immediate threat.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, editing by Deepa Babington

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab