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Trump ally stands firm against ‘big, beautiful bill’ despite pressure: ‘It’ll completely backfire’
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EXCLUSIVE — One of the leading opponents of President Donald Trump’s «big, beautiful bill» declared not even the commander in chief will be able to deter him from speaking out against what he sees as a bill that falls short of Republicans’ goal of cutting government waste.
«It’ll completely backfire on him,» Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital of any attempts by Trump to sway him on the current legislation.
Johnson has become a prominent voice of opposition against the House GOP’s offering to the budget reconciliation process. Senate Republicans finally began the tedious process of parsing through the bill this week.
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Sen. Ron Johnson says not even President Trump can sway him on the «big, beautiful bill.» (Getty Images)
Lawmakers in the upper chamber, Johnson included, are determined to make changes to the bill, with most wanting to make reductions to Medicaid and food stamps more palatable. Trump has made it clear his bill must pass but has acknowledged the Senate will need to make a few changes.
Trump’s directive has been to deliver a bill that can survive the razor-thin majorities in both chambers.
Johnson, however, wants to see spending returned to pre-pandemic levels, cuts that are trillions of dollars deeper than what House Republicans could stomach. And he is ready to vote against the bill unless he sees the changes he wants.
And he believes that a pressure campaign from the president against him and other like-minded fiscal hawks will fail.
He said a better approach would be to work with lawmakers and fiscal hawks like him to gain a better understanding of the reality of the country’s fiscal situation, a reality that «is grim,» he said.
SEN. RON JOHNSON PROPOSES ‘LINE-BY-LINE’ CUTS TO PASS TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol after the House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act May 22, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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Johnson has been up front about his disdain for the bill but has so far avoided public retribution from Trump. In fact, the two have spoken twice this week, once on Monday and later during a Senate Finance Committee meeting at the White House Tuesday.
The lawmaker has told Trump he’s in Trump’s corner and that he wants «to see you succeed,» but he has been steadfast in his position that the bill does not go far enough to tackle the national debt.
And the debt continues to climb, nearing $37 trillion and counting, according to Fox News’ National Debt Tracker.
The House’s offering set a goal of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade, which lawmakers in the lower chamber have pitched as a positive step forward to righting the country’s fiscal ship, an offering Johnson panned as falling drastically short of the GOP’s promises to cut deep into government spending.
«What’s so disappointing about what happened in the House is it was all rhetoric. It’s all slogans,» Johnson said. «They picked a number. Literally, they picked a number out of the air.»
GOP SENATORS EXPRESS ‘CONCERNS,’ ‘SKEPTICISM’ OVER TRUMP’S SPENDING BILL AFTER MUSK RANT
Johnson views this attempt at the budget reconciliation process as a rare opportunity to «do the hard things» when it comes to spending cuts, but others in the GOP have been more hesitant to cut as deep.
Johnson said a main reason Republicans have so far fallen short of meeting the moment for the most part is that lawmakers don’t understand just how much the federal government shovels out the door year in and year out.
The lawmaker recalled a moment roughly three years ago during a debate over another year-end omnibus spending bill, when each of the dozen appropriations bills is crammed into one, bloated package that is universally reviled and almost always passes.
He asked his colleagues if they really knew just how much the government spends, and no one «volunteered to answer.»
«Nobody knew. I mean, think of that. The largest financier in the world. We’re supposedly, in theory, the 535 members of the board of directors, and nobody knew,» he said. «Why would they? We never talked about it.»
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Johnson has been busy trying to better educate his colleagues, putting together his own charts and graphs that cut out the «noise,» like the latest nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office report that found the legislation would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over a decade. The GOP has universally panned that projection.
«We can’t accept this as a new normal,» Johnson said. «We can’t accept — you can take pot shots of CBO, but you can’t deny that reality. [It] might be off a little bit, but that is the trajectory, and that’s undeniable.»
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President Donald Trump’s lengthy State of the Union address Tuesday evening included a handful of attention-grabbing moments that stole the show as the president touted a national «turnaround» in a speech heavily focused on the economy.
Trump’s speech beat records, becoming the longest SOTU speech in modern history at about an hour and 48 minutes. It highlighted his administration’s efforts to cut taxes, ease housing costs and lock down the border as he touted turning a new page for the nation.
Fox News Digital compiled the top five moments of the speech, stretching from Democrat outbursts to moments of heightened emotion as Trump spotlighted American heroism.
1. Al Green ejected again
Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green was once again ejected from the joint address after holding a sign declaring, «Black people aren’t apes!»
Green held the sign as Trump made his way to the dais Tuesday evening, and remained standing with the sign even after Trump began the speech.
Green was spotted in a heated back and forth with two House Republicans, Reps. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Pat Fallon, R-Texas, before he was escorted out of the speech shortly after it began.
The longtime Texas left-wing lawmaker was removed by security during Trump’s 2025 joint address to Congress after repeatedly interrupting the president by shouting and shaking his cane. The outburst led to the House censuring Green, including 10 Democrats joining the GOP in the March 2025 vote.
2. ‘USA’ chants break out as men’s hockey team honored
Trump invited the U.S. men’s hockey team to the speech, just days after their gold medal win over Canada at the Winter Olympics. The body broke out into chants of «USA» as lawmakers of both parties stood to honor the Olympians.
The team filled the aisles of the chamber as Trump welcomed them as examples of American triumph during his speech.
Hockey goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, in particular, received a hero’s welcome when Trump announced he would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Hellebuyck made 41 saves during the U.S.’ game against Canada Sunday, which helped keep the score tied at 1–1, forcing it into overtime.
MEDAL OF HONOR FOR STAFF SGT MICHAEL OLLIS AFTER 13 YEARS BRINGS BITTERSWEET ‘VALIDATION,’ SISTER SAYS
«I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor, which we will be given and which has been given to many athletes over the years,» Trump said. «But when I say many, not too many, like 12. It’s called the highest civilian honor in our country. The Presidential Medal of Freedom.»
3. Trump reprimands Dems: ‘You should be ashamed’
Trump’s speech included dinging Democrats for voting against tax cuts under the «big, beautiful bill,» for unleashing sky-high inflation woes under the Biden administration and for allegedly worsening the housing crisis.
At one point, Trump took direct aim at Democrats’ lax immigration policies, calling on lawmakers to stand and reaffirm their belief that the «first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.»
«One of the great things about the State of the Union is how it gives Americans a chance to see clearly what their representatives really believe,» Trump said. «So tonight, I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration and reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.»
Republicans were seen standing and applauding, while Democrats remained seated, leading to Trump admonishing left-wing lawmakers.
Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green was once again ejected from the joint address after holding a sign declaring, «Black people aren’t apes!» (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images )
«Isn’t that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up,» Trump said. «That is why I’m also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who blocked the removal of criminal aliens.»
«In many cases, drug lords, murderers all over our country,» he said. «They’re blocking the removal of these people out of our country. And you should be ashamed of yourself.»
The speech already had sparked Minnesota Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar to shout at Trump, including claiming he’s «killed Americans.»
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Trump spoke out against the widespread fraud scandal linked to Minnesota’s Somali community, as well as how Democrats «cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security,» leading to Omar to shout at Trump.
«They have instituted another Democrat shutdown, the first one costing us two points on GDP, two points we lost on GDP, which probably made them quite happy, actually,» Trump said. «Now they have closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers.»
Omar shouted, «You have killed Americans.» And was heard saying, «you are a murderer.»
4. Trump honors military heroism
Trump honored several members of the military stretching back to World War II Tuesday, delivering a series of emotional moments throughout the evening.
In addition to announcing Hellebuyck’s upcoming Presidential Medal of Freedom, Trump awarded military honors to two military pilots, a Coast Guard petty officer and two National Guard members Tuesday evening.
Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to 100-year-old naval aviator Royce Williams, a veteran of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam.
«In 1952, Royce was in the dogfight of a lifetime legendary dogfight flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes,» Trump recounted. «It was his first aerial combat of the war, and despite being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the takedown of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt. His story was secret for over 50 years. He didn’t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew.»
He also presented the Medal of Honor to Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, who piloted an Army Chinook helicopter during the January mission that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and was wounded by hostile fire.
Trump also recognized U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe with the Purple Heart after Wolfe was attacked on the streets of Washington, D.C., ahead of Thanksgiving 2025. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was fatally injured in the same attack, and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan received the Legion of Merit for extraordinary heroism after rescuing 165 people during the deadly Texas floods in July 2025. Trump reunited Ruskan with an 11-year-old girl he rescued in July 2025, Milly Cate McClymond.
UNSUNG HEROES OF 2025: FIRST RESPONDERS AND EVERYDAY AMERICANS WHO SAVED LIVES ACROSS US
President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address included a handful of top moments, including awards to military veterans and Democrat outbursts. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)
«It was Scott’s first ever rescue mission,» the president said, describing him as young, but very brave. «He lifted not just Milly Cate, but 164 others to safety. People watched Scott from a distance and they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.»
«The winds were blowing, the rain was pouring, everything was going. And that rapid water, nobody’s ever seen anything like it,» Trump continued. «Tonight, Scott and Milly Cate are here together, reunited for the very first time.»
5. Young girl who nearly died in illegal immigrant-involved truck crash honored
Trump invited a wide-ranging swath of guests to his speech, from everyday moms to war veterans, as well as seven-year-old Dalilah Coleman.
Coleman nearly lost her life in 2024 in a multi-car pileup in California that involved a tractor trailer driven by an illegal immigrant.
«Dalilah Coleman was only five years old in June 2024, when an 18-wheel tractor trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more,» Trump said. «The driver was an illegal alien, let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders, politicians and California.»
Dalilah Coleman nearly lost her life in 2024 in a multi-car pileup in California that involved a tractor trailer driven by an illegal immigrant. ( Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The Trump administration has cracked down on noncitizen truck drivers, tightening eligibility requirements for non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) in September 2025 and Trump signing an executive order in April requiring truck drivers pass English literacy tests.
The crackdowns are aimed at increasing road safety.
Trump detailed the medical triumphs the young girl has made since the horrific crash, calling her a «great inspiration» as well as giving a shout out to her dad, Marcus Coleman, as «a fantastic man.»
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«Doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk or talk, have a good life. She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in the first grade, learning to walk. And she’s here this evening with her dad, Marcus,» Trump said, as GOP lawmakers applauded the young girl.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
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INTERNACIONAL
Kim Jong Un taps teenage daughter as ‘missile general’ for North Korea nuclear program: reports
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has handed his teenage daughter a leadership role in the regime’s powerful «Missile Administration,» the body that oversees Pyongyang’s nuclear forces, South Korean media reported Monday.
The girl, Ju Ae, who is believed to be 13 or 14 years old, was assessed by South Korean intelligence received on Sunday to be acting as a «missile general director» while authorities monitor developments at the ongoing Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, the reports said.
The Chosun Daily, citing high-level government sources familiar with the matter, said intelligence agencies obtained reports that Kim’s daughter has been elevated to the position.
While Jang Chang-ha is officially listed as director of the administration, intelligence suggested Kim’s daughter is receiving briefings from generals and issuing directives.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, and his daughter, Ju Ae, right, attend a ceremony on Saeppyol Street in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP via Getty Images)
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service recently told lawmakers that her public profile signals she is also in the «stage of being designated as a successor,» adding that circumstances have been seen where she provides opinions on policy, The Associated Press reported.
The teen has appeared alongside her father at high-profile military events, including intercontinental ballistic missile launches and weapons inspections.
North Korean state media first confirmed her existence in November 2022, and described her only as a «beloved child» when she accompanied Kim at the launch of the Hwasong-17 ICBM.
Her name has never been officially disclosed by Pyongyang.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter, Ju Ae, celebrate the New Year, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (KCNA via Reuters)
Her reported role comes as Kim continues to showcase advances in the country’s weapons programs.
On Feb. 18, Kim was photographed taking the wheel of a nuclear-capable 600mm multiple rocket launcher in Pyongyang, touting it as among the most powerful of its kind.
State media showed rows of launch vehicles and said the rockets, which Kim claimed rival short-range ballistic missiles and use artificial intelligence in their guidance systems, have «completely changed» modern artillery warfare, Reuters reported.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Kim was re-elected general secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea on Feb.22, a decision announced by state-run media following the party’s Ninth Congress.
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North Korea has suspended all meaningful diplomacy with the United States and South Korea since the collapse of a 2019 summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.
This came over disagreements about sanctions relief in exchange for steps to wind down Kim’s nuclear and missile program.
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Venezuela: «La amnistía excluye a más de la mitad de los presos políticos», denuncia la líder de una ONG de derechos humanos
La activista caraqueña Andreína Baduel es la coordinadora de la ONG Comité para la Liberación de los Presos Políticos (CLIPP) que critica la discriminación, lentitud, injusticia y falta de transparencia que presenta el sistema judicial y penal chavista desde que los hermanos Delcy y Jorge Rodríguez anunciaron el 8 de enero la excarcelación de “todos” los detenidos y la promulgación de la Ley de Amnistía en Venezuela.
También es hermana de Josnars Baduel, un detenido por razones políticas, que clama ser liberado por ser inocente y para ser operado por las lesiones que le dejaron las torturas que le propinaron los carceleros del régimen chavista. Josnars fue detenido en 2020, acusado de participar en la Operación Gedeón y sentenciado a 30 años de cárcel.
Además Andreína es la cuarta hija del ex ministro de Defensa, Raúl Isaías Baduel, muerto en prisión en 2021 por haber denunciado la corrupción y el rumbo comunista totalitario que estaba dirigiendo su propio “compadre” y principal aliado, Hugo Chávez hace dos décadas.
En su entrevista con Clarín, asegura que no descansará hasta ver libre a su hermano y a todos los presos políticos.
-¿Tiene la esperanza de que la ley de amnistía pueda liberar a su hermano?
-Lamentablemente la ley de amnistía no promueve la justicia, ni la reparación, ni da garantías para que no se repita la represión. Además excluye a más de la mitad de los presos políticos y restringe el retorno de los exiliados. Nosotros celebramos que hayan aprobado los instrumentos legales como la amnistía, porque beneficia a unos cuantos, pero esto no significa que realmente haya voluntad política para iniciar la reconciliación, la convivencia y la democratización.
-¿Cuál es la situación de su hermano Josnars en la cárcel del Rodeo I? ¿Va a sumarse a la huelga de hambre de los presos políticos?
-No se va a incorporar a la huelga de hambre porque está muy enfermo y débil. Las torturas que le propinaron en el 2020 cuando lo detuvieron le causaron muchas lesiones, al punto que le deben realizar cuatro cirugías y no le dan permiso médico.
-¿Ha podido verlo en la cárcel?
-Lo pude ver en condiciones de horror. Me tocó la visita este sábado y lo encontré muy desgastado físicamente. Necesita hacerse cuatro operaciones quirúrgicas por las torturas recibidas. Me permitieron verlo sólo por 15 minutos a través de un vidrio. No pude darle ni un abrazo. Estamos en presencia de nuevas muertes bajo custodia del Estado -dice quebrándole la voz al referirse a la muerte de su padre en las mismas condiciones de su hermano-.
-¿De qué acusan a su hermano?
-Mi hermano Josnars es inocente. Lo vinculan arbitrariamente a la Operación Gedeón. Josnars fue imputado por los delitos de «traición a la patria», «terrorismo», «conspiración», «tráfico de armas» y «asociación para delinquir» y sentenciado a 30 años de cárcel en 2024.
-¿Cuál es la situación de los militares y de los que vincularon a la Operación Gedeón?
-Los 187 militares presos por razones políticas están excluidos de la amnistía. Pero insistimos en que deben ser liberados. Nosotros hemos denunciado que los 32 detenidos por la Operación Gedeón en el Fuerte Guaicaipuro deben presentar fe de vida y establecer la visita de los familiares debido que muchos presentan un estado crítico de salud.
-¿Pudo ver al gendarme argentino Nahuel Gallo?
-Supe que el gendarme argentino comparte celda con mi hermano. Nahuel Gallo sí se incorporó a la huelga de hambre.
Este lunes, en el centro de reclusión del Rodeo I, a una hora en coche de Caracas, liberaron a 30 detenidos políticos, entre ellos 11 cadetes que habían sido arrestados por jugar “the call of duty”.
La ley de amnistía no ha sido expedita y rápida. La salida de los detenidos continúa siendo a cuentagotas. Desde que fue promulgada la ley el jueves pasado han salido unos 95 presos políticos, mientras que el diputado chavista Jorge Arreaza, presidente de la comisión especial de seguimiento, afirma que han liberado a 170 personas, de los 379 que han prometido la semana pasada. Quedan excluidos unos 400 tras las rejas.
La comisión ha recibido más de 2.700 solicitudes para beneficiarse de la libertad plena. Hay en fila unos 11.000 venezolanos bajo régimen de presentación que deben seguir el proceso de contratar a un abogado para hacer los trámites pertinentes para eliminar las restricciones y obtener libertad plena.
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