President Donald Trump will deliver his first official State of the Union address of his second term Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, as viewers watch for viral moments and headline-grabbing exchanges like those that have defined past speeches.

Here are the top five moments from past State of the Union addresses.

1. Reagan surprises the crowd with first-ever acknowledgment of a guest in the audience

It’s become commonplace in recent years for presidents to acknowledge guests in the audience during SotU addresses, but President Ronald Reagan’s 1982 address was the first time the practice was rolled out. 

Reagan’s speech came just weeks after Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into Washington’s 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River shortly after taking off in an accident that killed 78 people. 

Three people survived the crash thanks to civilians on the ground who rushed to their aid, including Congressional Budget Office assistant Lenny Skutnik, who stripped off his shoes and clothes and dove into the frigid waters.

Reagan honored Skutnik in his speech, which made honoring people in the crowd a common theme in the years to come. 

‘Just two weeks ago, in the midst of a terrible tragedy on the Potomac, we saw again the spirit of American heroism at its finest — the heroism of dedicated rescue workers saving crash victims from icy waters,’ Reagan said. ‘And we saw the heroism of one of our young government employees, Lenny Skutnik, who, when he saw a woman lose her grip on the helicopter line, dived into the water and dragged her to safety.’

2. Speaker Pelosi tears up Trump’s 2020 speech

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked a social media firestorm and cemented herself in State of the Union infamy in February 2020 when she stood up and tore Trump’s speech into pieces after he had finished.

When Fox News asked Pelosi afterward why she did it, she responded, ‘Because it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives.’ She added, ‘I tore it up. I was trying to find one page with truth on it. I couldn’t.’

Pelosi’s outburst came on the heels of Trump’s first impeachment trial, which ended in a Senate acquittal the day after the speech.

‘Speaker Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member’s reunion with his family. That’s her legacy,’ the White House tweeted after Pelosi tore up the speech, referencing individuals who Trump mentioned during his address.

3. Rep. Joe Wilson ‘You lie!’ outburst at President Obama

One of the most remembered moments from a State of the Union address came in 2009 when South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson interrupted President Barack Obama’s address, which at the time was far less common than it later became. 

‘There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants,’ Obama said, talking about his controversial Obamacare plan. ‘This, too, is false. The reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.’

‘You lie!’ Wilson shouted from his seat on the Republican side of the chamber, causing widespread yelling from other members in the audience.

Wilson later apologized to Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. 

‘This evening, I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the president’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill,’ Wilson said in a written statement. ‘While I disagree with the president’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility.’

4. Rep. Boebert heckles Biden over Afghanistan withdrawal during 2022 address

‘You put them in, 13 of them,’ GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert shouted at Biden as he talked about Afghanistan veterans who ended up in caskets due to exposure to toxic burn pits. Boebert was referencing the 13 U.S. service members killed during Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. 

Boebert was wearing an outfit that said ‘Drill Baby Drill’ in opposition to Biden’s energy policies and her outburst drew some boos from the audience.

At another point, Boebert and Greene started chanting ‘build the wall’ when Biden was talking about immigration. 

5. President Biden blasts GOP lawmakers in 2023 address, prompting jeers from Republicans in the crowd

‘Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage — I get it — unless I agree to their economic plans,’ Biden said to Congress, prompting a shake of the head from then-GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the background and shouts from the crowd and shots of other Republicans shaking their heads. 

‘Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans, some Republicans, want Medicare and Social Security to sunset,’ Biden continued, which caused an even more pronounced shake of the head from McCarthy, who mouthed ‘no’ as Republicans continued to jeer. 

‘I’m not saying it’s the majority,’ Biden continued, which resulted in even more boos from the raucous crowd. 

‘Let me give you — anybody who doubts it, contact my office. I’ll give you a copy — I’ll give you a copy of the proposal,’ Biden continued to say over increasingly louder shouting from the crowd. 

‘That means Congress doesn’t vote — I’m glad to see — no, I tell you, I enjoy conversion,’ Biden said, apparently meaning to say ‘conversation.’

Biden’s speech continued to devolve from there as Republican outrage interrupted him on multiple occasions. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry beginning Sunday as a partial government shutdown continues.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday blamed Democrats for shutting down the government, saying they were causing ‘serious real world consequences.’

‘This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress,’ Noem said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. ‘Shutdowns have serious real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security.’

The suspension of the programs, which allow some travelers to quickly get through airport security, was first reported by The Washington Post, which noted the changes would begin Sunday at 6 a.m. EST.

Noem said the department was making ‘tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians.’

She said TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would be ‘prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts.’ The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), she added, will halt all non-disaster-related response to prioritize disasters.

Noem noted the suspension comes as a major storm is expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized the Trump administration for ‘idiotically’ shutting down the programs ‘to punish the American people.’

‘This is Trump and Kristi Noem purposely punishing the American people and using them as pawns for their sadistic political games,’ he said in a statement. ‘TSA PreCheck and Global Entry REDUCE airport lines and ease the burden on DHS staff who are working without pay because of Trump’s abuse of the Department and killing of American citizens.’

He called on the administration to immediately reverse the decision.

The third government shutdown in under half a year began on Feb. 14 after Democrats and Republicans were at an impasse on reaching a deal regarding President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

DHS was the only department left without federal funding after Democrats walked away from a bipartisan plan released last month in response to the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal law enforcement agents in Minneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations.

DHS is the third-largest Cabinet agency with nearly 272,000 employees. Roughly 90% of DHS workers were expected to continue working, many without pay, according to the department’s Sept. 2025 government shutdown plan.

DHS has jurisdiction over numerous agencies and offices, including CBP, TSA, FEMA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller contributed to this report.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided an update Sunday morning, saying TSA PreCheck is operating normally Sunday following reports that it had been suspended amid the partial government shutdown.

The suspension of the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs was first reported by The Washington Post, which noted the changes would begin Sunday at 6 a.m. EST. DHS says it will now be evaluating PreCheck on a ‘case by case basis.’

‘At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public. As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly,’ TSA wrote in a statement on X.

‘Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America’s skies,’ it added.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday blamed Democrats for shutting down the government, saying they were causing ‘serious real world consequences.’

‘This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress,’ Noem said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. ‘Shutdowns have serious real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security.’

Noem said the department was making ‘tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians.’

She said TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would be ‘prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts.’ The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), she added, will halt all non-disaster-related response to prioritize disasters.

Noem noted the suspension comes as a major storm is expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized the Trump administration for ‘idiotically’ shutting down the programs ‘to punish the American people.’

‘This is Trump and Kristi Noem purposely punishing the American people and using them as pawns for their sadistic political games,’ he said in a statement. ‘TSA PreCheck and Global Entry REDUCE airport lines and ease the burden on DHS staff who are working without pay because of Trump’s abuse of the Department and killing of American citizens.’

He called on the administration to immediately reverse the decision.

The third government shutdown in under half a year began on Feb. 14 after Democrats and Republicans were at an impasse on reaching a deal regarding President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

DHS was the only department left without federal funding after Democrats walked away from a bipartisan plan released last month in response to the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal law enforcement agents in Minneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations.

DHS is the third-largest Cabinet agency with nearly 272,000 employees. Roughly 90% of DHS workers were expected to continue working, many without pay, according to the department’s Sept. 2025 government shutdown plan.

DHS has jurisdiction over numerous agencies and offices, including CBP, TSA, FEMA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller contributed to this report.

‘I can’t believe they just left!’

‘Why didn’t they just stay until they fixed it?’

‘Why didn’t they make them stay?’

I must have fielded forty questions last week from colleagues, friends and acquaintances. Even reporters and editorial staff from other news organizations. And that’s to say nothing of a few Congressional aides.

Everyone had the same question. They were in disbelief that lawmakers just abandoned the Capitol a week ago Thursday and left the Department of Homeland Security without funding on Saturday at 12:00:01 am et.

The Senate tried twice to avert the partial government shutdown on Thursday. The Senate failed to break a filibuster on a placeholder, undetermined funding bill. And then Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., objected to a request by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., to approve a stopgap, two-week funding bill. Passage of the bill would require agreement of all 100 senators. But all it took was one objection. And Murphy, speaking for many Democrats on both sides of the Capitol, interceded to sidetrack Britt’s effort.

‘I’m over it!’ shouted an exasperated Britt on the Senate floor, as Congress pitched at least part of the federal government into its third shutdown since October 1.

Democrats are refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security until there’s a specific agreement to reform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And – few Democrats will say this out loud – but their base insists on Democrats shuttering DHS over ICE tactics after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

This is somewhat ironic. Republicans funded ICE through 2029 via last year’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill. So thanks to Democrats, TSA, the Coast Guard and FEMA – all under the DHS aegis – are without money right now. That means tens of thousands of employees are technically working without paychecks as they scan passengers at airports, patrol the seas and respond to natural disasters.

This brings us back to the basic question: Why didn’t they just stay until they figured it out?

As a reporter, I have covered dozens of shutdowns, partial shutdowns, near shutdowns, flirtations with shutdowns. That’s to say nothing of various permutations of interim spending bills – long and short – known as Continuing Resolutions or CRs. Those bills keep the funding flowing at the old spending level – until lawmakers all agree on something new. Sometimes one CR begets another CR. And even another one after that until everything’s resolved. The exercise can go on for months.

But as it pertains to DHS, lawmakers weren’t going to solve the issues surrounding ICE right away. So both the House and Senate got out of Dodge last Thursday as the deadline loomed. Lawmakers were everywhere from the Middle East to Munich when the bell tolled midnight Saturday and DHS lumbered into a slow-speed funding crash.

Failure to fund the Department of Homeland Security may seem unreasonable from a policy standpoint – regardless of what you think of ICE. But it’s not unreasonable if you understand the politics and Congressional procedure to fund ICE.

Let’s say they were on the precipice of an agreement to fund DHS. That may involve some last-minute trading of paper between Senate and House leaders. Maybe a call or two from the President to reluctant Republicans. If lawmakers believed a deal was within range, it’s doubtful that leaders would have cut Members loose. They would have stayed if there was a viable path to nail something down last Friday, have the Senate expedite the process and vote on either Saturday or Sunday (albeit after the deadline) and then have the House vote on Monday. That’s all under the premise of a deal being close.

They were nowhere near that stage when lawmakers called it last Thursday. Democrats didn’t send over their offer for days after a brief shutdown of 78 percent of the government more than two weeks ago. Democrats then criticized Republicans and the White House for slowly volleying a counteroffer. Democrats then rejected the GOP plan – only sending back another plan late Monday.

Getting a deal which can pass both the House and Senate – and overcome a Senate filibuster – takes time. And there simply wasn’t a deal to be had yet.

This is where things get really interesting. With no agreement in sight, you simply don’t anchor lawmakers in Washington with nothing to do. There’s nothing to vote on. There are no committee meetings scheduled. All tethering lawmakers to DC does is stir up trouble.

There’s a line in the song ‘Trouble’ in The Music Man by Meredith Willson: ‘The idle brain is the devil’s playground.’ Who knows what kinds of mischief you would have, just making very cranky lawmakers hang around Washington for days – without anything to vote on. Keeping everyone here does not contribute to securing a deal. Yes, all 532 House and Senate Members (there are two House vacancies) must eventually be dialed-in to vote on a bill to fund DHS. But we aren’t there yet. A handful of Members in the House, Senate and people at the White House will be the ones to negotiate an agreement. Rank-and-file Members marooned in Washington with nothing to do but post outrageous things on social media and appear on cable TV is counterproductive.

Now, let’s look at the other scenario of being close to an agreement. House and Senate leaders may believe they are still a little short of votes. But if something is viable, leaders know they can nail down the votes with some arm-twisting, legislative and ego massaging and a few forceful phone calls. Yes, that process may require elbow grease. But in that instance, keeping everyone in Washington for a few extra days and blowing up a long-awaited Congressional recess actually helps the process.

Why?

Think of the Stockholm Syndrome. You demand that everyone stay in Washington for an extra day or two and the ‘hostages’ will start to come around to the viewpoints of their captors. Yes, everyone is frustrated and mad. But they feel the bill is something they can support and finally end this triumvirate of government shutdowns. In this case, the fustigation builds – but just a little. Everyone is happy to vote yes and rush off of Capitol Hill.

If they were close to nailing down an agreement on DHS funding, then Congressional leaders would have deployed a version of the Stockholm Syndrome to wrap up everything.

But with no deal, leaders were more afraid of the mayhem they may trigger by keeping everyone in Washington. The devil would romp freely through the playground of idle brains.

So how will you know when there’s a deal?

When everyone’s present and accounted for.

Turkey’s massive military, trade, Islamic diplomacy and education expansion into Africa is, some analysts say, undermining U.S. goals, as Ankara capitalizes on wars and conflicts on the continent.

Experts claim Turkey’s military sales appear to be based on maximizing profit, without worrying about what the arms sold do to the balance of power, particularly in Jihadist areas such as the Sahel.

Recently, multiple reports claimed Turkish companies have sold military drones to both sides in the 3-year-long conflict in Sudan.

‘Turkey is really capitalizing on all these conflicts in Sudan, in Ethiopia, in Somalia, to strengthen its military presence, its diplomatic and economic engagements,’ Turkey analyst Gönül Tol, told an American Enterprise Institute seminar in Washington last week. Tol, founding director of the Middle East Institute’s Turkey program, added that the country is ‘one of the top, top weapons providers to Africa. So if there is more chaos, that will only help Erdogan strengthen his hands.’

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated in October that overall trade volume with the African continent has shot up from $5.4 billion in 2003, to $41 billion in 2024. He told a business and economic forum in Istanbul that the state-backed carrier Turkish Airlines is literally leading the way into African countries for Turkish companies, now flying to 64 African destinations.

Erdogan told the forum that over the past two decades, ‘we have advanced our relations hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, and most importantly, heart-to-heart, to a level that could not even be imagined.’

Drone sales to Sudan’s warring partners would only prolong the war, conduct which is directly against U.S. policy. Just last month, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that ‘the U.S. is working with allies and others to bring an end to external military support to the parties, which is fueling the violence.’

‘Turkish drones, marketed as cost-effective and politically low-friction alternatives to U.S. or European systems, have proliferated across African conflict zones,’ Mariam Wahba, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

‘Reporting that Turkish firms supplied drones to both the Sudanese (government) Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (the opposing militia in the conflict) underscores Ankara’s transactional approach: access and influence take precedence over stability, civilian protection or alignment with Western policy objectives,’ she said.

In a 2025 FDD report, Sinan Siddi, senior fellow and director of the organization’s Turkey Program, wrote, ‘The deal between Baykar and SAF is worth $120 million, resulting in the sale of six TB2 drones, three ground control stations, and 600 warheads.’  Siddi claimed the deal took place after the U.S. placed sanctions on such sales.

Although Turkish drones are also claimed to have been sold to Sudan’s RSF militia, the company said to have been involved is reported to have publicly denied making the sale. The company did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A State Department spokesperson, when asked by Fox News Digital about the allegations said, ‘We refer you to the Government of Turkey for comment on reports related to any Turkish firms operating in Sudan.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the Turkish government but received no response.

The TB2 drone reportedly sold to the Sudanese government is made by a company said to be owned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law. Experts say the TB2 is one-sixth the cost of a U.S. Reaper drone. Fox News Digital reached out to the company, but received no response.

The U.S. Africa Command’s Africa Defense Forum recently reported it ‘typically costs between $2 million and $5 million per aircraft, though total system packages — including ground control stations, communication systems, and training — often cost significantly more, sometimes reaching $5–$15 million per system depending on the contract. The TB2 is recognized for its high cost-efficiency, with operational costs estimated at only a few hundred dollars per hour.’

Particularly in Africa’s Sahel region, the FDD’s Wahba claimed Turkey is trying to return to the principles of its Ottoman Empire, which ruled for centuries and promoted the culture of imposing caliphates – areas where Islamic law is strictly enforced.

Wahba said, ‘On the whole, this is a worrying development that risks undermining U.S. interests. In addition to backing Islamist movements such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, which does not bode well for its ideological orientation, Ankara is pursuing a neo-Ottoman foreign policy that is already taking concrete shape across parts of Africa.’ 

‘Turkey’s arms sales across Africa are best understood’, the FDD’s Siddi told Fox News Digital, ‘not as ad hoc commercial transactions, but as a deliberate strategy to expand Ankara’s political, military and economic footprint on a continent increasingly contested by global and middle powers.’

He said, ‘By exporting drones, small arms and security services to fragile states such as Sudan… the Erdogan government positions Turkey as a low-cost, low-conditionality alternative to Western partners, while simultaneously opening new markets for its rapidly growing defense industry. These weapons transfers are designed to buy diplomatic leverage, secure access to ports, bases and contracts and cultivate client relationships with regimes and militias that can advance Turkey’s regional ambitions.’

The number of embassies Turkey operates in Africa has rocketed from 12 in 2002, to 44 today. Wahba said the 64 African destinations Turkish Airlines flies to is a useful indicator. ‘As a state-backed carrier, its rapid expansion of direct routes into African capitals mirrors Turkey’s diplomatic and security priorities. The airline functions as a soft-power and access enabler for Ankara’s broader agenda.’

Wahba claimed this all should matter for Washington, ‘because Ankara’s model increasingly competes with, and in many cases directly undercuts, U.S. priorities on conflict mitigation and stability.’

For more than a month, Michal Weits has kept suitcases packed by the front door of her house in Tel Aviv.

‘We have our bags ready for weeks,’ she said. ‘Three weeks ago, there were rumors that it was the night the U.S. would attack Iran. At midnight, we pulled the kids out of their beds and drove to the north, where it is supposed to be safer.’

Weits, the artistic director of the international documentary film festival Docaviv, is speaking from her own traumatic experience. During the 12-day war, an Iranian missile struck her Tel Aviv home. She, her husband, and their two young children were inside the safe room when it collapsed on her.

‘After an Iranian missile hit our home and we lost everything we had, we also lost the feeling of ‘it won’t happen to me,’’ she said. ‘We are prepared, as much as it’s really possible.’

Weits remembers the surreal contrast of those days. Four days after being injured in the missile strike, while still in the hospital, she was told she had won an Emmy Award for the documentary she produced about the Nova massacre on Oct. 7.

‘Four days earlier an 800-kilogram explosive missile fell on our home and I was injured, and four days later I woke up on my birthday to news that I had won an Emmy,’ she said. ‘It can’t be more surreal than this. That is the experience of being Israeli, from zero to one hundred.’

She says Israelis have learned to live inside that swing. ‘Inside all of this, life continues,’ she said. ‘Kids go to school, you go to the supermarket, Purim arrives and you prepare, and you don’t know if any of it will actually happen. We didn’t make plans for this weekend because we don’t know what will happen.’

That gap — between visible routine and private fear — defines this moment. The fear she describes is now part of the national atmosphere.

On the surface, Israel looks normal. The beaches are crowded in the warm weather. Cafés are full. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange has risen in recent days. Children go to school as Israelis prepare for the Jewish holiday of Purim and costumes are being prepared.

But inside homes and across local news broadcasts, one question dominates: when will it happen? When will President Donald Trump decide whether to strike Iran — and what will that mean for Israel?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the Home Front Command and emergency services to prepare for possible escalation, with Israeli media reporting a state of ‘maximum alert’ across security bodies.

Speaking at an officer graduation ceremony this week, Netanyahu warned Tehran: ‘If the ayatollahs make a mistake and attack us, they will face a response they cannot even imagine.’ He added that Israel is ‘prepared for any scenario.’

The military message was echoed by the IDF. ‘We are monitoring regional developments and are aware of the public discourse regarding Iran,’ IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said. ‘The IDF remains vigilant in defense, our eyes are open in every direction and our readiness in response to any change in the operational reality is greater than ever.’

Yet the psychological shift inside Israel goes deeper than official statements.

For years, Israelis lived with rockets from Hamas. The Iranian strikes felt different.

‘The level of destruction from Iran was something Israelis had not experienced before,’ said Israeli Iran expert Benny Sabti. ‘People are used to rockets from Gaza. This was a different scale of damage. It created real anxiety.’

Iron Dome, long seen as nearly impenetrable, was less effective against heavier Iranian missiles. Buildings collapsed. Entire neighborhoods were damaged.

‘People are still traumatized,’ Sabti said. ‘They are living on the edge for a long time now.’

At the same time, he stressed that the country is better prepared today.

‘There are feelings, and there are facts,’ Sabti said. ‘The facts are that Israel is better prepared now. The military level is doing serious preparation. They learned from the last round.’

The earlier wave of protests inside Iran had sparked hope in Israel that internal pressure might weaken or topple the regime. Weits told Fox News Digital, ‘I am angry at the Iranian government, not the Iranian people. I will be the first to travel there when it’s possible. I hope they will be able to be free — that all of us will be able to be free.’

Despite losing her home and suffering hearing damage from the blast, she says the greater loss was psychological. ‘There is no more complacency,’ she said. ‘The ‘it won’t happen to me’ feeling is gone.’

Across Israel, that sentiment resonates.

A leading domestic energy advocacy group praised EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s announcement that his agency would undo recent additions to the federal ‘mercury and air-toxics standards’ (MATS) for coal-fired power plants.

Zeldin said removing the restrictions allows the already ‘robust’ MATS standards to remain in effect, ensuring both public health and the health of America’s coal industry amid a push for U.S. energy dominance.

‘The Biden-Harris Administration’s anti-coal regulations sought to regulate out of existence this vital sector of our energy economy. If implemented, these actions would have destroyed reliable American energy,’ Zeldin said, adding that protecting the environment and supporting industry and baseload power is not a ‘binary choice.’

In response, Power the Future founder Daniel Turner told Fox News Digital the move is a significant step toward revitalizing the American coal industry and, in turn, fueling economies in economically depressed industrial communities throughout Appalachia and beyond.

‘Since the war on coal, we have weakened our grid, driven electricity prices through the roof, outsourced major industries to Mexico and China, but most of all driven tens of thousands of Americans into ruin because of a globalist agenda,’ Turner said Friday, adding that the costs of a crippled coal industry went far beyond shuttered infrastructure.

‘The cruel Obama-led war on coal ruined numerous towns across rural America, drove families into poverty, caused alcoholism, opioid addiction, domestic violence, and suicide to skyrocket.

‘Power The Future started because of coal miners, the acceptable casualties in the globalist climate change agenda,’ added Turner, whose group is based in coal-heavy Virginia.

‘Restoring America’s coal dominance is good for our national security and economy, and it restores the dignity of small-town coal workers whose labor is vital to America’s survival.’

Many of America’s poorest counties are in what were once very wealthy coal communities, including McDowell and Mingo counties in West Virginia and Bell, Letcher, McCreary and Breathitt counties in Kentucky, where Vice President JD Vance’s family is from.

During much of the 20th century, McDowell County — and its seat, Welch — was the No. 1 coal-producing county in the U.S. and home to 100,000 people — a population boom some credit with spurring construction of what became the nation’s first parking deck, which is still standing today in Welch.

Now, about one-quarter of McDowell residents live in poverty while the median income is around $30,000.

Turner alluded to those conditions in comments to Fox News Digital, saying people must ‘never forget or forgive the drivers of the war on coal for their cruel attacks on a vital industry found only in rural America.

‘[Anti-coal politicians] fly private jets to attend global climate summits while they orchestrated an evil attack on the coal miner making America weaker and China richer.’

Turner quipped that any ‘anti-coal activist’ is invited to join him in visiting coal-producing communities but may be unhappy to get dirt on their clothing and find lodging not up to ‘Four Seasons’ standards.

‘We need coal. There is not one product around you right now that was not touched by coal, and to lower prices, bring market stability and ensure economic growth, we need to dominate the coal industry,’ Turner said.

‘Sadly, the liberal elite who launched the war on coal are too ignorant or too indifferent to know this. The ignorant can be educated, and that’s what I try to do at Power The Future. But the indifferent must be defeated, as they are a threat to our liberty, property and prosperity. I will never stop until I defeat them all,’ he said, calling President Donald Trump the ‘greatest coal president in history.’

Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy fired back at the policy change, telling the AP that ‘by weakening pollution limits and monitoring for brain-damaging mercury and other pollutants, they are actively undermining any attempt to make America — and our children — healthy.’

Is the concept of ‘equal time’ outdated on today’s broadcast networks? The Federal Communications Commission put regulations on the books in 1934 requiring equal air time for political candidates during an election season. But that doesn’t extend to cable, or to streaming, or to the booming podcast world. You could get technical and claim the broadcast networks often come to people today via cable or satellite connections, not an antenna.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr recently suggested late-night comedy shows and daytime talk shows like ABC’s ‘The View’ could be evaluated for potential violations of the old equal-time rules. On Monday, Feb. 16, ‘Late Show’ host Stephen Colbert gaudily announced that he invited Texas state Democrat Rep. James Talarico for an interview, but lawyers told him ‘in no uncertain terms’ that he couldn’t do this, so he posted a Talarico interview on YouTube instead. When that YouTube video drew over 8 million views, it was painted by liberal journalists as a great victory over President Donald Trump. But Trump never objected to this interview.

Colbert had to unfurl the nightly rant about being a courageous dissident and all that rot: ‘Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV, because all Trump does is watch TV, OK? He’s like a toddler with too much screen time. He gets cranky and then drops a load in his diaper.’

Then, surprisingly, CBS put out a statement that suggested Colbert was a liar, that the interview was not banned: ‘The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett.’ On Tuesday, Colbert sputtered. ‘They know damn well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS’s lawyers.’

Colbert wasn’t in danger of having to invite Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn. He might have to interview Crockett – who appeared on the show last year, before she was a candidate. This whole stunt could be painted as a campaign booster for Talarico, who raised millions of dollars off the appearance. 

Then came the weirdness of CBS News covering this spat, giving both sides equal time and weight. On Wednesday’s ‘CBS Mornings,’ reporter Elaine Quijano ran the opposing views, and then added another liberal view: ‘Monday was the first known time a late night talk show changed its programming since the FCC issued its new guidance. Anna Gomez, the only Democratic-appointed FCC commissioner, worries that decision could enable censorship.’

The ‘PBS News Hour’ also turned to Gomez for an attack on Trump and Carr: ‘Anything they don’t like, they want to control and they want to censor.’ Defunded PBS still sounds bitter.

The supreme irony in this entire kerfuffle is that Colbert represents the exact opposite of equal time. Overall, Alex Christy of NewsBusters reported that from September 2022 through Thursday, Colbert has brought on 230 liberal or Democrat guests, to only one Republican – and that Republican was former Rep. Liz Cheney after she was drummed out of office in a primary. So, let’s wink and say 231 to zero.

CBS could easily change the name of its late-night comedy show to ‘The People’s Republic of Colbert.’ Anyone who wants to end their day by listening to a long interview with Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is not looking for giggles. But that’s what viewers found on January 20. Colbert announced with fanfare that this was the 19th time he’d platformed Sanders.

This is not a ‘bona fide news interview,’ if we’re going to use FCC lingo. It’s the lamest kind of ‘Sunset Semester’ socialism session. ‘Define oligarchy for us’ isn’t even a question. It’s a prompt.

But Colbert also put this ball on the tee for Bernie:  ‘This is a red-letter day for you. Here you are administering the oath of office to Mayor Mamdani and I just—you’ve been fighting, you’ve been carrying the banner of democratic socialists for a long time. What was that like to swear in the first Democratic Socialist mayor of a major city?’ He found it ‘extremely gratifying.’

When that YouTube video drew over 8 million views, it was painted by liberal journalists as a great victory over President Donald Trump. But Trump never objected to this interview.

It was the same situation with Talarico – two Democrats talking like Democrats. Colbert nudged: ‘It’s not the first time you’ve caused some drama. ‘FCC opening probe into The View after appearance by Talarico.’ Do you mean to cause trouble?’

Overall, the late-night ‘comedy’ show guest count in 2025 was overwhelmingly stacked: 99% of the political guests are liberals or Democrats. It’s the same on ‘The View.’ In 2025, Whoopi & Co. interviewed 128 liberals or Democrats to two Republicans or sort-of conservatives. Again, that’s being generous. The two are now former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was fulminating against Trump, and Cheryl Hines, who was forced into defending her husband, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

These are the shows that are the most passionately painting themselves as brave upholders of Democracy when they practice nothing of the sort. Only one side is worth hearing, and the other side is only worth smearing. 

President Donald Trump turned up the heat on progressive Democrats during his public remarks Thursday, including slamming New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her ‘horrible’ efforts at diplomacy during the Munich Security Conference. 

‘Her performance was horrible,’ Trump told the media aboard Air Force One on the way to an event in Rome, Georgia, Thursday. ‘I was surprised, actually. I didn’t know she was stupid.’

Ocasio-Cortez joined the Munich Security Conference last weekend, and faced criticisms for a handful of ‘sputtering’ and ’embarrassing’ responses, including when she was asked, ‘Would and should the U.S. actually commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan if China were to move?’

The progressive New York Democrat delivered an answer that included a handful of pauses, punctuated by repeatedly saying ‘uhm.’ 

She ultimately answered: ‘This is, of course, a very long-standing policy of the United States, and I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point, and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise.’ 

Vice President JD Vance called the response ’embarrassing,’ while social media corticis compared it to ‘Kamala cringe’ or that she ‘SELF-DESTRUCTED’ with her answer. 

Ocasio-Cortez is seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, with Trump’s sharp critique of the left-wing Democrat lawmaker setting a tone for potential future campaign attacks. 

Ocasio-Cortez made a point to downplay 2028 speculation during the security conference. 

She said she joined the forum that attracts hundreds of world leaders, business titans and celebrities ‘not because I’m running for president, not because I’ve made some kind of decision about a horse race or a candidacy, but because we need to sound the alarm bells that a lot of those folks in nicely pressed suits in that room will not be there much longer if we do not do something about the runaway inequality that is fueling far-right populist movements.’

Earlier Thursday, when Trump held the first Board of Peace meeting, he described Ocasio-Cortez as a weak representation for the U.S. on the world stage. 

‘She was unable to answer a simple question. And she could have said, ‘Well, I’m studying it, and I’ll report back to you next week.’ You know, you can get away with that. But she just went ‘uhhh.’ I think it could be a career ending answer because for 25 years, anybody running against her, I think Susie is going to use that, that little piece of stuff. It was not good. It was not good. That was not a natural,’ Trump said. 

The White House told Fox News Digital on Friday that ‘Trump is always transparent with his thoughts, and he’s right – AOC should be working on behalf of the American people instead of embarrassing our country on the world stage.’

‘It’s ridiculous that third-rate congresswoman AOC decided to frolic around Munich, where no one knows or cares who she is, while New Yorkers are suffering as a result of Democrats’ shutdown, which is cutting off resources to FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard, and thousands of federal law enforcement officers,’ White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. 

Trump, later that day during a steel event in Georgia, took a shot at Democrats who have promoted a message of ‘affordability.’ Left-wing Democrats such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani carried out a successful campaign in 2025 on a message of lowering costs for New Yorkers, including by increasing taxes on some high-earners in the state. 

Trump has slammed the party for using the term, arguing sky-high inflation under the Biden era was caused by Democrat policies. 

Trump took aim at Democrats again on Thursday for their message of affordability, claiming he hasn’t heard the media specifically promote affordability in weeks because he ‘won affordability.’ 

‘I added $9 trillion, and your retirement accounts and 401 Ks are at the highest level they’ve ever been. And then I have to listen to the fake news talking about affordability. Affordability. Do you notice what word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability. Because I’ve won, I’ve won affordability,’ he said on Thursday from Georgia. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for additional comment Friday afternoon. 

In 1839, not long before President Donald Trump’s favorite president, Andrew Jackson, died, an admirer offered him an ancient roman sarcophagus, thought to have once held the remains of an emperor. Jackson, declined the offer, saying, ‘my republican feelings and principles forbid it.’ There may be a lesson here.

Since Trump returned to the White House just over a year ago, it seems like every single day something new is being named after him. The Kennedy Center, the Institute of Peace building, a new class of battleship, the Palm Beach airport and, who are we kidding, eventually the White House ballroom.

Meanwhile, a giant banner featuring Trump’s stern features was placed on the Department of Justice this week, not the first public building to be adorned with the visage of the president glaring down at us.

It all seems to have gone a bit too far, but not for the reasons generally cited. Instead, the pure quantity of Trump-branded government buildings is starting to diminish the meaning and impact of all of them.

To be clear, there is no risk of a major political backlash from voters as Trump’s name and image get plastered around Washington like posters for a Dave Matthews Band concert. People who hate him call it ‘Dear Leader’ fascism and people who love him takes selfies. Everyone else just shrugs and says, ‘Well, that’s Trump.’

Culturally, the question of whether naming everything after yourself is crass or unseemly is subjective and a matter of personal taste. As a priority to voters, it falls somewhere below good taste in music.

And after all, every city has its John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. boulevards, though, in fairness, they were killed, which is a major advantage if your goal is getting stuff named after you.

No, the real question is whether this avalanche of eponymous enterprises are burnishing, or diminishing, the president’s legacy, and in the far-seeing eyes of history, very often, less is more.

I get it, Trump spent his whole life making buildings grow out of the ground so he could slap his name on them, big as life and usually in gold. It is an admirable and very human impulse to leave something lasting.

The president was very good at leaving his mark. Trust me, I lived in New York City for 20 years, and you really can’t miss it. But now it turns out that all of that glass and steel is flimsy and impermanent compared to Trump the man, who, say what you will, will be spoken of and debated for centuries.

It is not in flinty metal or in the cold plastic of physical reality where Trump’s true legacy must now be forged. Rather, it is in the invisible fire of the future, where the man, not the buildings will be judged.

Trump has the immortality shot, with his bold vision not just in America but around the globe. He stands to be the most consequential figure of the early 21st century. We don’t need to name every county courthouse and 1-95 rest stop after him.

Throwing your name up everywhere in giant fonts is actually exactly the kind of eccentric behavior that gets mocked for thousands of years. Like Caligula threatening to make his horse a consul of Rome, it will be used by many to suggest narcissistic mania in Trump, because it already is used that way.

Trump is never going to be the modest Abe Lincoln type with the shawl and aw shucks, ‘Nobody will remember my speech,’ attitude. That’s cool, his braggadocio is fun. But I don’t want to live in a world where I check my Trump watch to see if it’s time for a Trump burger on my way to Trump airport.

As it turned out, ‘Old Hickory’ Andrew Jackson would be buried in a plain pine box, though the ancient treasure he declined is still housed by the Smithsonian. And instead of paying homage to him through a marble masterpiece, we keep little pictures of him in our pockets.

More importantly, our current commander in chief still draws on Jackson’s strength and values to this very day, fancy Roman sarcophagus or not.

The more things we name after Trump, the less it means, and the more it feels forced, when it needn’t be. Nobody, including Trump, has to convince us that he is a figure of historical magnitude. Seeing that advertised again and again starts to make it all seem a little bit cheapened.