INTERNACIONAL
Massie faces backlash over Epstein demand, critics suggest he should ‘seriously reconsider’ Congress
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump’s top House GOP critic admitted in a recent interview that he once offered Republican leaders his vote in exchange for a public expression of gratitude for his role in forcing the disclosure of the federal government’s Jeffrey Epstein files.
It’s a move that has drawn backlash from at least one of his fellow House Republicans and others in the right-wing sphere.
«Anyone who uses the victims of Epstein’s horrific sexual abuse to advance a political agenda or chase public recognition should seriously reconsider their line of work,» said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.
In an interview with Politico earlier this week, Massie said he had made the offer when the speaker had approached him for his support on a key vote.
LAWMAKERS ESCALATE EPSTEIN PROBE WITH POSSIBLE BILL GATES SUBPOENA
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., arrives for a House vote on Feb. 3, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
«One day, they needed my vote, and I offered to give them my vote if [Johnson] would issue a press release thanking me for my good work on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. That’s all I required to get my vote. And I think he probably went and gave somebody else a bill to pass instead of doing the public statement,» Massie said.
He told Fox News Digital that it was a test of whether Johnson would take responsibility for opposing his effort to force the vote — but said Johnson refused.
«I wanted to see if the speaker would admit that it was a mistake to oppose the [bill], but even with all the new revelations about depraved and illegal activity of rich and powerful men, the speaker refused to acknowledge the success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act,» Massie said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
But the move also caught blowback from others in the Republican social media sphere, which has erupted into a civil war of sorts between Massie and Trump’s supporters.
«Coming soon to a campaign ad: Thomas Massie requires that he be praised publicly in order to secure his vote in Congress,» right-wing influencer Ryan Saavedra wrote on X.
Sean Davis, who founded conservative outlet «The Federalist,» wrote on social media, «Good grief. It really is all ego-driven.»
Some defended him, however, like an X account tied to someone only identified as «Jeremy»: «You really can’t blame the guy who’s constantly getting crapped on my conservatives for wanting the speaker of the house to say something positive about the Epstein files coming out and giving him the credit. It is childish on the surface, but this is also how their games work.»
Massie last year led a handful of Republicans to join with Democrats to force consideration of the Epstein Files Transparency Act over the objections of House leadership and Trump, who argued the legislation did not come with sufficient protections for the identities of Epstein’s sex-trafficking victims.
The bill was aimed at forcing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release nearly all information on Epstein’s case, and Massie maintained its language did provide for sufficient coverage for the late pedophile’s victims.
But Johnson and Trump both affirmed they supported efforts for government transparency but maintained they could not support Massie’s bill.
THESE HOUSE MAVERICKS DEFIED THEIR OWN PARTIES MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE IN 2025
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., walks with staff and his security detail. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Notably, however, all House members except for Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., wound up voting for the bill.
In the view of Matthew Green, professor of politics at The Catholic University of America, Massie’s ask — and its denial — underscores how reliant Johnson is on the president for support.
Republicans currently hold just a one-vote majority in the chamber amid the recent resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and the sudden death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif, both of which happened in January. Republicans will likely win back a seat in March when Georgia holds a special election to fill Greene’s vacancy.
But until then, Johnson has battled against a vanishingly small margin of error to pass GOP-led priorities, a margin Massie has made consistently smaller.
In this case, Green believes Massie was asking for something that would threaten one of the key things holding the party together: Trump’s support.
«What he was actually asking for, to my mind, was illustrating how closely Republican leadership is or has to be aligned with President Trump,» Green said.
«You know, to just say ‘I support a bill’ or ‘I think this bill is a good idea,’ you’d think would be a relatively harmless ask, but with the Epstein files, you had the president, until the very end, saying, ‘Do not vote to release these,’ and the speaker agreeing.»
GOP MUTINY FORCES HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON TO DELAY VOTE ON KEY PIECE OF TRUMP’S AGENDA
President Donald Trump pictured on Feb. 5, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In the lead-up to a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Trump slammed the effort, calling on Massie to abandon his push and condemning the «Democrat Epstein Hoax» in a post to Truth Social.
It’s the president’s opposition to Massie’s Epstein transparency push that makes Green think the Kentucky lawmaker knew his request would go unfulfilled.
«He knew the answer would be no,» Green said. «If Johnson said yes, it would be not only going against what he had said about the bill himself, but also potentially upsetting President Trump.»
Despite the improbable nature of the request, Green thinks it’s noteworthy Massie was willing to negotiate at all.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
«What is interesting, though, is that he suggests that he actually was willing to vote yes in exchange for something,» Green said.
Massie’s office did not address Van Orden’s statement about his vote offer.
congress,jeffrey epstein,donald trump,politics
INTERNACIONAL
El sector privado en Cuba empieza a importar combustible para uso particular, pese al asedio petrolero de Estados Unidos
Pequeñas empresas privadas cubanas han empezado a importar directamente combustible en pleno asedio petrolero de EE.UU., mientras firmas internacionales asentadas en la isla exploran esta vía.
La opción, una bocanada de aire frente a la asfixia energética inducida por Washington, está sin embargo amenazada tanto por la farragosa burocracia cubana, con sus múltiples condiciones y retrasos, como por la sombra ambigua de las sanciones estadounidenses.
Además, los volúmenes que se están contratando son en todo caso para necesidades empresariales concretas y no servirían de ninguna forma para atender las necesidades energéticas del país, de unos 110.000 barriles diarios (de los que 40.000 proceden de pozos propios).
Según confirmaron varias fuentes, el Gobierno cubano ha celebrado encuentros en los últimos días con empresarios extranjeros y emprendedores locales para explicarles cómo podría realizarse esa gestión, mientras la parálisis económica y social que atenaza progresivamente la isla.
Se trata de concretar el anuncio que hizo en noviembre pasado el ministro de Comercio Exterior e Inversión Extranjera, Oscar Pérez-Oliva, de que «en breve» iba a permitirse a empresas extranjeras y mixtas importar su propio combustible, «cuando sea necesario».
Hasta el momento el Estado cubano detentaba el monopolio de la importación de petróleo y combustibles -principalmente mediante tanqueros propios y rentados- y de la venta minorista de productos refinados dentro de la isla.
Varios participantes en estas reuniones con responsables del Gobierno explicaron que la importación de depósitos de combustible dentro de buques cargueros sería similar a la de cualquier otro producto en el exterior (a través de una importadora estatal), un proceso habitualmente lento.
Sin embargo, añadieron, habría que cumplir algunos requisitos extra de seguridad, por tratarse de material peligroso, y contar en destino con una localización segura también certificable o almacenarlos en empresas estatales ya acondicionadas para este uso.
Las autoridades cubanas recalcaron a los empresarios que el combustible que puedan importar particulares es exclusivamente para autoconsumo y no está permitida la reventa.
Según explicaron algunos interesados, la importación se realizaría en depósitos cilíndricos de acero inoxidable del tipo isotanque T11, que tienen capacidad para entre 21.000 y 26.000 litros. Estos dispositivos pueden instalarse en cualquier carguero porque se insertan en una estructura metálica de medidas estándar.
Varias empresas con sede en Estados Unidos tienen licencias específicas para exportar diésel en isotanques a Cuba, pero exclusivamente para clientes privados. No obstante, algunos empresarios en Cuba apuntan que están explorando opciones de compra en otros países de la región.
No es evidente que la importación de combustible por el sector privado en Cuba esté incluida dentro de la orden ejecutiva que firmó el pasado 29 de enero el presidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump.
El texto, específicamente, prevé aranceles «a los bienes importados a Estados Unidos que son productos de cualquier otro país que directa o indirectamente venda o provea de alguna forma petróleo a Cuba».
EFE solicitó a la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Cuba una aclaración formal, para confirmar si la expresión «a Cuba» incluía también a empresas privadas -locales o internacionales establecidas en la isla- que no estén controladas por el Estado cubano o su red de empresas.
La legación diplomática respondió escuetamente remitiendo al texto original de la orden ejecutiva.
Fuentes involucradas en este comercio indican a EFE a este respecto que han recibido «señales» de que la administración estadounidense está dispuesta a tolerar estos envíos.
En este mismo contexto, el semanario británico The Economist publicaba en su último número que la administración estadounidense contempla permitir la entrada a la isla de un cierto volumen de combustibles para atender necesidades básicas.
La presión de EE.UU. está paralizando progresivamente la economía cubana, que se encontraba ya en su peor crisis en décadas. Tan solo en los últimos cinco años, la isla ha perdido un 15 % de su producto interno bruto (PIB) y más de un 20 % de su población. La desigualdad y la pobreza se han disparado.
El Gobierno cubano ha puesto en marcha un duro plan de contingencia para tratar de subsistir sin petróleo importado, algo insostenible a medio plazo. Los hospitales están en servicios mínimos, el transporte público prácticamente desaparecido y el combustible severamente racionado.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Former Transportation Secy. Pete Buttigieg tops the list of potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders in a new poll conducted in New Hampshire, which has traditionally held the first primary in the race for the White House for over a century.
Twenty percent of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire said they would vote for Buttigieg if the 2028 presidential nomination contest was held today. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York were tied for second at 15%, with former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ 2024 nominee, and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona each at 10%, with everyone else in single digits.
The University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll was released Thursday, a couple of hours before Buttigieg arrived in New Hampshire to campaign with Democrats running in this year’s midterm elections.
Asked about the survey by Fox News Digital, Buttigieg noted,» I’m not on any ballot right now.»
EARLY MOVES ALREADY WELL UNDERWAY IN 2028 WHITE HOUSE RACE
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg greets patrons during a stop at a restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Feb. 19, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )
«Obviously it feels good to be well received,» added Buttigieg, who made plenty of friends in the Granite State as he came in close second in the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, slightly behind Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Buttigieg’s stop in New Hampshire was his third in an early voting state in the Democratic nominating calendar since stepping down as Transportation secretary following the end of former President Biden’s administration, following trips last year to South Carolina and Iowa. While he mostly avoids 2028 talk, Buttigieg has said he would consider what he brings «to the table» in regards to another White House run.
As he kicked off a three-day swing in key New England swing state, Buttigieg teamed up with Rep. Chris Pappas, the clear frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a fellow Democrat. Shaheen’s seat is a top GOP target in the midterms.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, center, and Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, a Democratic Senate candidate, campaign in Manchester, N.H. on Feb. 19, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Later Thursday, Buttigieg joined the state’s other Democratic House member, Rep. Maggie Goodlander. And he was scheduled to hold more events on Friday and Saturday, including a grassroots mobilization event that was expected to draw some top New Hampshire supporters from his 2020 presidential campaign.
Buttigieg is heading next week to battleground Nevada, and a source familiar told Fox News Digital Buttigieg has plans to campaign for candidates in Ohio, Georgia and Pennsylvania in the weeks ahead.
«I’m a big believer in going everywhere across the media landscape and geographically. Some are well known places on the political map. Some are a little bit off the beaten path. All of them deserve attention,» Buttigieg told Fox News Digital.
NEWSOM’S UPCOMING STOP IN KEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY STATE SPARKS MORE 2028 BUZZ
He added that he’ll «continue to go wherever I think I can be useful in elevating attention to issues and working with candidates I believe in and Chris Pappas is a great example of a candidate I am proud to be supporting and speaking up for.»
Newsom will be next up in New Hampshire.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during an election night press conference at a California Democratic Party office Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)
The California governor’s tour for his new book, «Young Man in a Hurry,» will bring him to Portsmouth, New Hampshire on March 5. It will be his first stop in the state in two years.
Newsom grabbed headlines this past weekend, as he was one of a handful of potential Democratic presidential contenders to speak at the high-profile Munich Security Conference in Germany.
TRUMP HAMMERS AOC MUNICH STUMBLES AS ‘NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR THE UNITED STATES’
Ocasio-Cortez was among the other Democrats in Munich. But the progressive champion, who has long been laser focused on affordability and other domestic issues, has faced intense criticism for nearly a week over a gaffe in Munich, when she asked during a panel discussion whether the U.S. should send troops to defend Taiwan from a possible invasion by China.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attends the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Liesa Johannssen/Reuters)
The four-term lawmaker appeared to stall for nearly 20 seconds before offering that the U.S. should try to avoid reaching a clash with China over Taiwan.
Social media posts on the right slammed her for offering up a world salad.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
But it wasn’t just Republicans who critiqued Ocasio-Cortez.
A veteran Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely told Fox News Digital, «It is abundantly clear that AOC is not ready for prime time given her remarks in Europe.»
pete buttigieg,gavin newsom,alexandria ocasio cortez,democrats elections,presidential primaries,new hampshire
INTERNACIONAL
NATO country orders citizens to immediately evacuate Iran, warning ‘possibility of a conflict is very real’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
NATO country and U.S. ally Poland warned its citizens Thursday to immediately flee Iran, with its prime minister saying the «possibility of a conflict is very real.»
The remarks from Donald Tusk come as the U.S. has been bolstering its military presence in the Middle East, with tensions escalating over Iran’s nuclear program.
«Please leave Iran immediately and under no circumstances travel to this country,» Tusk said Thursday in the town of Zielonka outside of Warsaw, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency. «I do not want to alarm anyone, but we all know what I am referring to. The possibility of a conflict is very real.»
«In a few, a dozen, or several dozen hours, evacuation may no longer be possible,» Tusk reportedly added.
RUSSIA URGES IRAN, ‘ALL PARTIES’ IN MIDDLE EAST TO SHOW RESTRAINT AMID US MILITARY BUILDUP
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, center, followed by Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, watches an open test of unmanned weapon systems conducted by the Polish Armaments Group at the Military Institute of Armament Technology training ground in Zielonka, near Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its strike group are moving from the Caribbean toward the Middle East.
The move would place two aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the region.
WORLD’S LARGEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER HEADS TO MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN NUCLEAR TENSIONS SPIKE DRAMATICALLY
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, was seen in the North Sea during the NATO Neptune Strike 2025 exercise in September 2025. (Jonathan Klein/AFP via Getty Images)
The USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago.
On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command posted photos showing F/A-18 Super Hornets landing on the decks of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
F/A-18 Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 14 land on the deck of USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea in this image released Wednesday, Feb. 18, by U.S. Central Command. (U.S. Central Command)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
«When launched from a catapult on an aircraft carrier, the Super Hornet can go from a full stop to airborne in under 3 seconds,» CENTCOM said.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
iran,middle east,military,nato,europe,world
Del himno peronista de Kelly Olmos al exabrupto de Agustina Propato: las perlitas del debate por la reforma laboral
Andrea Rincón habló después del escándalo con Milo J: “Yo no dije que está endemoniado ni poseído”
El sector privado en Cuba empieza a importar combustible para uso particular, pese al asedio petrolero de Estados Unidos
Sueldos, indemnizaciones, banco de horas y vacaciones: qué cambiará con la reforma laboral
Lanús vence a Flamengo en el cruce de ida por la Recopa Sudamericana
Reforma laboral: ¿qué pasará si la oposición logra voltear el capítulo del fondo de asistencia laboral?
Reforma laboral bomba: menos indemnización, más horas y despidos más fáciles — el cambio que puede sacudir el empleo en Argentina
Cristian Ritondo: “Vamos a apoyar la ley de modernización laboral, pero no el régimen de licencias por enfermedad”
El dólar no sólo cae en la Argentina: qué pasa con otras monedas emergentes y cuáles son las causas
Tras el anuncio de la CGT, también habrá paro total de los medios de transporte de pasajeros en el país
POLITICA2 días agoReforma laboral bomba: menos indemnización, más horas y despidos más fáciles — el cambio que puede sacudir el empleo en Argentina
- POLITICA2 días ago
El Gobierno endurece las medidas de seguridad y control en la marcha prevista contra la reforma laboral en el Congreso
- INTERNACIONAL3 días ago
House Dem’s graphic chicken decapitation ‘horrified’ her college roommates: ‘Blood went everywhere’
