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Trump hails Vance and Rubio as ‘extraordinary’ duo: hammer and velvet glove
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President Donald Trump lauded Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as «extraordinary» statesmen who complement each other’s strengths as they take the MAGA platform to the world stage.
Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace — an international forum aimed at funding Gaza’s reconstruction and coordinating a postwar stabilization force — convened its inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C., Thursday with delegations from more than 40 countries participating. Trump lauded the pair as he addressed the massive body of foreign leaders and representatives.
The meeting comes just less than a week after Rubio flew to Germany and delivered a speech before the Munich Security Conference, which earned applause from conservatives at home as he railed against unchecked mass migration and how it is destabilizing Western civilization.
JD VANCE CALLS AOC MUNICH MOMENT ‘MOST UNCOMFORTABLE 20 SECONDS OF TELEVISION’ HE HAS EVER SEEN
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as their wives, attended the Olympics opening together earlier in 2026. (Kevin Lamarque / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Vance led the U.S.’ delegation to the Security Conference in 2025, and delivered a speech that was viewed as a defining moment for the newly inaugurated Trump White House and for Vance himself on the world stage. Vance warned in his 2025 speech that European governments and institutions are drifting toward censorship, citing policies he said police speech, curb religious expression and pressure online platforms.
Trump lauded both of the administration leaders in his remarks, explaining that while the pair approach diplomacy «very differently,» the «result is the same.»
The president first celebrated Vance, remarking that he is «brilliant» and an excellent student.
RUBIO SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE WHILE AOC, WHITMER, AND NEWSOM TAKE HEAT
«JD graduated in a four-and-a-half-year college in two years, and then he went to Yale, and he graduated at the top of his class, went to the military. Great. But when he went to Yale, there was one person that was marginally ahead of him. So he married her. Can you believe it? He married the person that was ahead,» Trump said, referring to second lady Usha Vance.
Usha Vance is pregnant with her fourth child. (Getty images)
Trump continued that Vance is «a brilliant guy and a great guy, and he’s been my friend,» before noting that he can be a «little bit tough on occasion.»
LIZ PEEK: AT MUNICH SHOWDOWN AOC SERVES WORD SALAD AS RUBIO CHANNELS STRENGTH
«We gotta slow him down just a little bit on occasion,» Trump said. «He says his mind.»
As for Rubio, Trump called him «the opposite extreme» of Vance.
DAN GAINOR: FROM SECRETARY OF STATE TO SECRETARY OF MEMES, RUBIO WINS OVER MAGA
«Now then we have the opposite extreme,» he said. «We have your friend sitting in the back. Your best friend. Sitting in the back is Marco. Marco does it with a velvet glove, but it’s a kill, right? The result is the same. They do it very differently,» he said.
Vance has previously called Rubio his «closest friend in the administration» or «best friend in the administration» in public remarks, including in October while on a podcast and again while speaking with Fox News earlier in February.
Trump went on to joke that Rubio did such an excellent job delivering his speech before the Munich conference he considered firing him.
«Marco, you really did yourself proud two days ago in Munich. In fact, so proud that I almost terminated his employ because they were saying, ‘Why can’t Trump do this?’ I do, but I say it differently. But Marco, don’t do any better than you did. please. Because if you do, you’re out of here.»
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a bilateral meeting with China’s Foreign Minister (not in picture) in Munich, Feb. 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. ( Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
«I want my guys to do great. And the acclaim he’s gotten and they claim JD gets is, is great,» he continued.
The praise follows Rubio and Vance joining a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni earlier in February in Italy, and Vance leading a delegation that included Rubio during the Olympics’ opening ceremony in Milan.
Vance’s foreign policy profile became a point of media scrutiny earlier in 2026, when U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Vance did not join Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida to monitor the operation, while Rubio was with the president.
Vance’s office previously brushed off report over his absence, citing that Trump and Vance limit the «frequency and duration» of time they spend together outside the White House due to «increased security concerns.»
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«I think it’s so interesting the media wants to create this conflict where there just isn’t any conflict,» Vance told Fox News earlier in February of the media scrutiny.
«Marco’s doing a great job. I’m trying to do as good of a job as I can. The president’s doing a great job. We’re going to keep on working together,» he added.
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Protesters attacked a Communist Party headquarters in Cuba overnight, ransacking the building and attempting to set it on fire, while video from the scene appeared to capture gunfire and a man on the ground outside, according to footage obtained by Fox News Digital.
Cuban state media later denied that anyone had been struck by police gunfire and announced five arrests.
Dramatic footage shows a large crowd gathered outside the building in the city of Morón as a fire burns in the street and protesters throw burning objects at the structure.
Protesters can be heard chanting «Libertad, libertad!» — Spanish for «Freedom, freedom!» — moments before gunfire rings out in the video.
RUSSIAN ‘DARK FLEET’ TANKER BELIEVED TO BE DELIVERING OIL TO CUBA, DETECTED OFF US COAST AMID TRUMP BAN
Protesters carrying flaming objects approach a Communist Party headquarters in Morón, Cuba, during overnight unrest. Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows demonstrators attempting to set fire to the building amid protests linked to widespread blackouts. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
A young man appears to collapse as others nearby scream in Spanish: «They shot him! They’re shooting! They said they wouldn’t shoot, but they shot him.»
The video then shows people carrying the injured man away from the scene.
In another video obtained by Fox News Digital, large crowds can be seen marching through Morón’s unlit streets before unrest spread to the Communist Party headquarters.
Morón is located on Cuba’s northern coast about 250 miles east of the capital Havana near the tourist resort of Cayo Coco.
«The image circulating shows the scene of the protest, but it’s important for the public to know the truth: no one was injured by gunfire,» state media outlet Vanguardia de Cuba said on X.
«Media manipulation seeks to sow fear and confusion among our people. Let’s not fall for provocations,» it added.
TRUMP DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY OVER CUBA, THREATENS TARIFFS ON NATIONS THAT SUPPLY OIL TO COMMUNIST REGIME
Protesters gather outside a Communist Party headquarters in Morón, Cuba, as a fire burns in the street during overnight unrest. Video obtained by Fox News Digital appeared to show demonstrators attempting to set fire to the building amid protests linked to widespread blackouts. (Reuters)
State media said police had detained five people and that a «drunken» participant fell and was being treated for injuries in hospital.
Over the past week, several small groups of residents across Havana have banged pots in protest against extended blackouts.
Cuba has faced rolling blackouts, food shortages and renewed protests tied to the island’s worsening energy and economic crisis.
A recent nationwide blackout was triggered by a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the island’s largest power station, cutting electricity across much of the country, according to Reuters.
The crisis has been compounded by fuel shortages after the Trump administration moved to curtail oil shipments to the island, particularly from Venezuela — one of Cuba’s main suppliers.
Cuban officials say U.S. sanctions have worsened the country’s economic difficulties, while repeated power plant failures and an aging electrical grid have left millions facing prolonged blackouts that have fueled growing public frustration and protests.
A Cuban woman wearing a T-shirt with the United States flag sells coconut cookies, Saturday, on a Havana street. (Yamil Lage / AFP via Getty Images)
«What initially began peacefully, and after an exchange with local authorities, turned into acts of vandalism against the headquarters of the Municipal Party Committee,» the state-run Invasor newspaper reported, according to Reuters.
«A smaller group of people stoned the entrance of the building and started a fire in the street with furniture from the reception area,» it added.
Vandals also targeted several other state-run establishments in the area, including a pharmacy and a government market, the report said.
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On Friday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that he was holding talks with the U.S. government, marking the first time the Caribbean country has confirmed widespread speculation about discussions with the Trump administration.
Díaz-Canel said that no petroleum shipments have arrived in Cuba in the past three months and blamed a U.S. energy blockade for that. He said that the island is running on a mixture of natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants.
Fox News’ Efrat Lachter, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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INTERNACIONAL
Furia por los apagones en Cuba: pedradas, destrozos y fuego en una sede del Partido Comunista
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Republicans face high hurdles as they defend their razor-thin control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, but the Senate GOP campaign chair says he remains «incredibly optimistic» his party can not only hold but expand its current 53–47 majority.
Republicans are battling stiff political headwinds as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in the midterms, and a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns amid persistent inflation and President Donald Trump‘s underwater approval ratings.
«There’s no doubt the climate has gotten more and more difficult by the day, it seems like at times,» National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Sen. Tim Scott said in a recent Fox News Digital interview.
But he added, «The good news is we have a president who made promises, he’s been keeping those promises, and we have been able to recruit the highest quality candidates anyone could want in every single battleground state.»
WHAT THE SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHIEF TOLD FOX NEWS
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chair Sen. Tim Scott says he remains «incredibly optimistic» the GOP can not only hold but expand its majority. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The NRSC chair told Fox News Digital in December 2025 that in the battle for the majority, «54 is clearly within our grasp right now, but with a little bit of luck, 55 is on our side.»
Asked again a week ago, Scott said, «I think we have a possibility of more than 53 seats.»
STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING
Scott’s rival, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told Fox News Digital in January that «President Trump is creating a toxic agenda that’s harming people.»
And Gillibrand emphasized she’s «optimistic that we have a shot to take back the majority.»
Here’s a look at the top 10 Senate seats that could flip in the midterms.
MAINE
Longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is the only Republican senator running for re-election this year in a state that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried in her 2024 presidential election loss to Trump.
And Collins has seen a deterioration of her poll numbers among Mainers from her last re-election six years ago.
But Collins, who has long been a top target of the rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has proven impossible to beat, to date.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, departs the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, on July 24, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
Complicating the Democrats’ push to flip the seat is a competitive primary between two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has the tacit backing of longtime Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and the DSCC, and veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner, who is running to the left of the governor and who is backed by progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
NORTH CAROLINA
Republicans are defending an open seat in the southeastern battleground state, with GOP Sen. Thom Tillis retiring at the end of 2026.
Democrats landed their top recruit when former two-term Gov. Roy Cooper launched a Senate campaign in summer 2025. Cooper enjoys tons of name ID in North Carolina and is 6–0 when running statewide races.
Republicans are rallying around former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley, who has the president’s backing.
RNC Chair Michael Whatley announces his run for Senator for North Carolina on July 31st, 2025 in Gastonia, N.C. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The race is expected to be one of the most expensive and competitive Senate showdowns this year.
OHIO
Democrats scored another major recruiting victory when former longtime Sen. Sherrod Brown announced he would challenge Republican Sen. Jon Husted.
A former lieutenant governor, Husted was appointed to the Senate a year ago after then-Sen. JD Vance stepped down to serve as vice president.
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who was appointed to fill now-Vice President JD Vance’s seat, is running in the midterms to serve the final two years of Vance’s term. (Getty Images)
Ohio, once a premiere general election battleground, has turned red over the past decade, and Democrats view Brown as their only competitive candidate in the race to serve the final two years of Vance’s term.
Brown lost re-election in 2024 by roughly four points while Trump carried Ohio by 11 points.
Similar to North Carolina, the showdown is expected to be very expensive and competitive.
ALASKA
Democrats were given a big boost in the red-leaning state when former Rep. Mary Peltola announced in February that she would challenge GOP incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is running for re-election in the 2026 midterms. (Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images)
Peltola lost re-election 15 months ago in the at-large district that covers the entire state by three points, while Trump carried Alaska by 11 points.
IOWA
Republicans are defending an open seat in Iowa, a onetime swing state that’s shifted to the right over the past decade.
But the GOP has rallied around Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is backed by Trump, in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, who is running in the 2026 race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, sits for a Fox News Digital interview on Sept. 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )
Hinson, a former local TV news anchor who flipped a Democratic-held seat in 2020, is seen as a rising star in the party.
Democrats have a contested primary that includes state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian, state Sen. Zach Wahls and military veteran Nathan Sage.
TEXAS
Longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is in the middle of a competitive and combustible GOP nomination runoff battle against state Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton.
Trump, to date, has stayed neutral in the runoff, which will be held in late May.
Cornyn enjoys the backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the NRSC, which worries that the seat would be vulnerable if Paxton, who has plenty of political baggage, wins the primary.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, and his bitter rival, Sen. John Cornyn, are facing off in a May runoff, further extending their bloody primary battle for the GOP Senate nomination. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Democrats, who are eyeing the seat in the right-leaning state, nominated state Rep. James Talarico, a rising star in the party.
MICHIGAN
Republicans are optimistic they can flip a seat in the Great Lakes battleground, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring.
The GOP, led by Trump, has coalesced around former Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost an extremely close Senate race in 2024 even as Trump won Michigan by one point.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost the 2024 Senate election in Michigan, is making a second straight run in the Great Lakes battleground state. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )
The Democratic primary is a three-way race between center-left Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a self-described «pragmatist,» and progressive physician Abdul El-Sayed, who is backed by Sanders.
The primary already has exposed divisions on the future of the state’s manufacturing sector and support for Israel, and the nominee won’t be decided until August.
GEORGIA
Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democratic senator seeking re-election in the midterms.
The aim was to paint Ossoff, the only Senate Democrat running for re-election in a state Trump won in 2024, as a far-left progressive.
But ousting Ossoff won’t be easy, in part because the senator’s robust fundraising has built a massive war chest.
Senator Jon Ossoff is the only Democratic senator seeking re-election in 2026 in a state President Donald Trump carried in 2024. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
And Republicans are in the middle of an ugly three-way among Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who has the backing of term-limited popular, conservative Gov. Brian Kemp.
Trump has remained neutral, to date, ahead of the May primary.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Republicans are hoping to flip the long-held Democratic Senate seat in New England’s only swing state, thanks to the retirement of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the first woman in the nation’s history to be elected governor and senator.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the first woman in the nation’s history elected governor and senator, is retiring at the end of the year. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
While most Democrats are rallying around four-term Rep. Chris Pappas, there’s a spirited primary on the Republican side between two former senators seeking a return to Capitol Hill. Former Sen. John E. Sununu, an older brother to former Gov. Chris Sununu, has the backing of the president. But Trump’s first-term ambassador to New Zealand, former Sen. Scott Brown, remains in the race.
Republicans are trying to break their 16-year losing streak in U.S. Senate elections in the Granite State.
MINNESOTA
The retirement of Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is giving the GOP hopes they can flip the seat in the blue-leaning state.
And the NRSC landed what they say is a top-tier recruit in former NBC sports reporter turned conservative pundit and activist Michele Tafoya.
Michele Tafoya is interviewed by Fox News Digital as she launches a Republican Senate campaign in Minnesota. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Tafoya is part of a crowded GOP field that also includes 2024 Senate nominee Royce White, a former NBA basketball player; retired U.S. Navy officer Tom Weiler, a 2022 GOP congressional nominee; former state Senator David Hann and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze.
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Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flannagan, a progressive, is facing off against more moderate Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, who appears to have the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in the race for their party’s nomination.
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