INTERNACIONAL
Trump wants to revive the lagging US shipbuilding industry. Here are the hurdles he faces
President Donald Trump is turning his attention to the U.S. shipbuilding industry, which is leagues behind its near-peer competitor China, and recently signed an executive order designed to reinvigorate it.
Trump’s April 10 order instructs agencies to develop a Maritime Action Plan and orders the U.S. trade representative to compile a list of recommendations to address China’s «anticompetitive actions within the shipbuilding industry,» among other things.
Additionally, the executive order instructs a series of assessments regarding how the government could bolster financial support through the Defense Production Act, the Department of Defense Office of Strategic Capital, a new Maritime Security Trust Fund, investment from shipbuilders from allied countries and other grant programs.
But simply throwing money at the shipbuilding industry won’t solve the problem, according to Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute think tank’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology.
«It is unlikely that just putting more money into U.S. shipbuilding – even with foreign technical assistance – will make U.S. commercial shipbuilders competitive with experienced and highly-subsidized shipyards in China, Korea, or Japan,» Clark said in a Monday email to Fox News Digital. «In the near to mid-term, the government will need to also drive higher demand for U.S.-built ships.»
US RISKS PUSHING EUROPEAN ALLIES INTO CHINA’S ARMS WITH NEW TARIFFS, EXPERTS WARN
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 10 aimed at boosting the U.S. shipbuilding industry. (Getty Images)
Clark also said the executive orders appear to complement the SHIPS for America Act, a series of legislative measures introduced in December 2024 in both the House and Senate aimed at fostering growth within the U.S. shipbuilding industry and strengthening the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet that is capable of transporting military materials during times of conflict.
Specifically, the SHIPS Act includes provisions establishing a Strategic Commercial Fleet Program, which would seek to develop merchant vessels that could operate internationally, but are American-built, owned and operated. The legislation would also seek to beef up the U.S.-flag international fleet by roughly 250 ships in 10 years.
«If we implement the EO and the SHIPS Act together, the government would create incentives to flag and build ships in the U.S. and provide capital to the shipbuilding industry so it could meet the increased demand with greater efficiency and lower costs,» Clark said. «This will not result in the U.S. surpassing China, Korea or Japan as shipbuilders, but it would provide the U.S. more resilience.»
The U.S. is drastically behind near-peer competitors like China in shipbuilding. China is responsible for more than 50% of global shipbuilding, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, compared to just 0.1% from the U.S.
However, Trump has indicated interest in working with other nations on shipbuilding, and suggested working with Congress to pass legislation authorizing the purchase of ships from foreign countries when signing the orders. Specifics were not provided.
US RISKS PUSHING EUROPEAN ALLIES INTO CHINA’S ARMS WITH NEW TARIFFS, EXPERTS WARN
The ship CMA CGM Marco Polo is seen heading up river in Savannah, Georgia, to the Port of Savannah on May, 26, 2021. (Stephen B. Morton, File/The Associated Press)
But doing so could upend a century-old law known as the Jones Act – a controversial law fundamental to the current U.S. shipbuilding environment that requires that only U.S. ships carry cargo between U.S. ports and stipulates that at least 75% of the crew members are American citizens. It also requires that these ships are built in the U.S. and that U.S. citizens own them.
Proponents of the Jones Act assert it is key to national security and prevents foreigners from gaining entry to the U.S. But experts claim the law has significantly hampered U.S. shipbuilding, and is undercutting competition while keeping shipbuilding costs high.
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Efforts to repeal the legislation have failed amid bipartisan support in Congress. But some experts claim eradicating the law is a first step in changing the shipbuilding industry in the U.S.
Drone shot of a massive container ship arriving in the Port of Long Beach, California. (istock)
«Anyone who is serious about reviving the shipping industry should basically start by getting rid of the Jones Act,» Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told Fox News Digital Thursday. «It’s not everything, but it’s a start.»
Colin Grabow, an associate director at the Cato Institute’s Center for Trade Policy Studies, said shipbuilding issues in the U.S. are multifaceted, but the Jones Act is a major part of the problem. Still, he doubts efforts to repeal it will prove successful.
«I think the bar has been set so low, it is hard not to think that, absent the Jones Act, that we’d be doing any worse,» Grabow said. «And in fact, I think we’d do better. And why do I think we’d do better? It’s because… fundamentally, I think an industry that doesn’t have to compete will become uncompetitive. I think it’s just kind of axiomatic.»
White House,Trump’s First 100 Days,Donald Trump,Japan,China
INTERNACIONAL
Israel despliega miles de policías en Jerusalén ante un nuevo Ramadán marcado por las restricciones
EFE/Jim Hollander
Israel desplegará miles de agentes policiales en la Ciudad Vieja de Jerusalén para supervisar el mes sagrado del Ramadán, que comienza este fin de semana, en medio de crecientes tensiones por las restricciones de acceso que las autoridades israelíes mantienen sobre la Explanada de las Mezquitas. El operativo, anunciado este lunes por el comandante de la policía del Distrito de Jerusalén, Avshalom Peled, incluirá efectivos de la Policía Fronteriza y unidades de refuerzo trabajando día y noche en los lugares sagrados y rutas utilizadas por los fieles musulmanes.
La policía israelí informó que miles de agentes estarán de servicio durante las oraciones de los viernes, que concentran las mayores multitudes en la mezquita de Al Aqsa, tercer lugar más sagrado del islam. Peled enfatizó que el objetivo es “garantizar que todos los musulmanes puedan rezar en el Monte del Templo”, la denominación judía para el recinto. Sin embargo, la gobernación palestina de Jerusalén denunció que las autoridades israelíes volverán a limitar los permisos para palestinos de Cisjordania ocupada a hombres mayores de 55 años y mujeres mayores de 50, siguiendo los criterios aplicados durante el Ramadán de 2025.
El alto oficial policial Arad Braverman indicó que la policía había recomendado emitir 10.000 permisos para residentes de Cisjordania, quienes necesitan autorización especial para ingresar a Jerusalén, aunque precisó que el número final y las restricciones de edad serán decididos por el gobierno de Benjamin Netanyahu. Durante el año pasado, Israel impidió a palestinos de entre 12 y 55 años —50 en el caso de las mujeres— acceder a la Explanada durante los viernes de rezo, justificando las medidas en razones de seguridad.
Las autoridades palestinas también acusan a Israel de obstaculizar los preparativos habituales del Ramadán. Según la gobernación de Jerusalén, funcionarios israelíes impidieron que el Waqf Islámico —organismo administrado por Jordania y encargado de gestionar el recinto desde 1967— realizara instalaciones esenciales como toldos para sombra y clínicas de atención médica temporal. Una fuente del Waqf confirmó que 33 de sus empleados fueron impedidos de entrar al recinto en la semana previa al mes sagrado.
El Waqf islámico gestiona la administración cotidiana de la Explanada bajo custodia jordana desde la Guerra de los Seis Días de 1967, cuando Israel ocupó Jerusalén Este. El tratado de paz entre Israel y Jordania de 1994 reconoce “el papel especial del Reino Hachemita en los lugares sagrados musulmanes de Jerusalén”, aunque Israel mantiene el control de seguridad y acceso al sitio. Esta división de responsabilidades ha generado tensiones recurrentes, especialmente durante el Ramadán, cuando cientos de miles de palestinos acuden a rezar a Al Aqsa.
Israel siempre ha justificado las restricciones argumentando que durante el Ramadán aumentan los “intentos de terroristas para incitar al desorden o cometer cualquier tipo de violencia”. Sin embargo, desde el inicio de la ofensiva israelí en Gaza en octubre de 2023, el gobierno de Netanyahu no solo prohibió el acceso de gazatíes a Jerusalén, sino que ha aplicado restricciones más estrictas para los palestinos musulmanes que residen en Cisjordania.
El contexto para este Ramadán es particularmente tenso. Cisjordania vive desde comienzos de 2023 su mayor escalada de violencia en dos décadas. Según datos de Naciones Unidas, más de 1.000 palestinos han muerto en el territorio desde octubre de 2023 por operaciones del Ejército israelí y ataques de colonos. Durante 2024 se registraron cerca de 500 fallecimientos palestinos, y en lo que va de 2026 las cifras ya superan las 210 víctimas.
La Explanada de las Mezquitas, conocida como Monte del Templo para los judíos, es el primer lugar sagrado del judaísmo y el tercero del islam. El recinto ha sido foco constante de enfrentamientos entre las autoridades israelíes y la población palestina, especialmente durante el mes de Ramadán, cuando las tensiones históricas se intensifican. Con este nuevo operativo policial, Israel busca mantener el control sobre un espacio que condensa décadas de conflicto religioso, político y territorial en Tierra Santa.
cupula de la roca,edificio,edificios religiosos,exterior,grupo,paisaje urbano
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Gran Bretaña también avanza en un plan para prohibir o limitar el uso de redes sociales a menores de 16 años
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EXCLUSIVE: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a high-profile women’s rights activist who fled Sharia law, has endorsed Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, for re-election in a critical Senate race that could determine whether the GOP retains its majority.
In a video announcing her endorsement, Ali, a speaker and author who fled Somalia after suffering female genital mutilation, said that «only John Cornyn has a proven record of stopping radical Islamic extremism.»
«I’ve seen firsthand what radical Islam does to women, to families, and to nations who ignore the warning signs. America is not immune, and neither is Texas,» she went on, adding, «That’s why experience matters.»
This comes amid an already contentious Senate primary race in Texas between Cornyn, who has held the seat since 2002, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas. President Donald Trump has not weighed in on the race, though he recently hinted he may do so, saying, «My problem is I’m friendly with all of them.»
TEXAS GOVERNOR EXPOSES ‘HYPOCRISY’ OF DEM PUSH FOR STATES’ RIGHTS IN MINNESOTA AFTER BIDEN YEARS
Left: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Center: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Right: Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas. (Official website of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton; Kevin Dietsch/Getty; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Texas leaders have recently sounded the alarm about the growth of Sharia law in the Lone Star State. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott recently issued a proclamation designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as «foreign terrorist organizations» and «transnational criminal organizations» under Texas law.
Ali emphasized the importance of Cornyn’s experience in pushing back against Sharia law, taking subtle jabs at Paxton and Hunt, who would be first-term senators.
She said that Cornyn «has taken the threat seriously when others choose denial or political games.»
«If you want a Texas that protects its people and defends its values, you need a leader who understands the danger and knows how to stop it,» she said.
«To keep Texas strong and safe from radical Islam, vote John Cornyn.»
GOP GOVERNOR LAYS OUT PLAN TO ‘PURGE’ TERRORISTS AND TERROR SUPPORTERS FROM STATE
Author Ayaan Hirsi Ali attends a book presentation of ‘Reformiert Euch! Warum der Islam such aendern muss – Refurbished you! Why Islam must change’ on April 20, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. ( (Photo by Christian Marquardt/Getty Images))
In response, Cornyn told Fox News Digital, «I am honored to be endorsed by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has spoken fearlessly about the dangers of radical Islam from her own experience.»
Cornyn’s office pointed to several actions he has taken as senator to push back on Sharia Law in the U.S., including recently Introducing the Defeat Sharia Law in America Act, which the office said aims to clarify that discriminating based on Sharia Law is a violation of the Civil Rights Act, co-sponsoring the No Sharia Act, which it said prohibits U.S. courts from enforcing foreign laws or judgments that violate the Constitution and calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate «EPIC Ranches City» in Texas, a master-planned development that allegedly marketed itself as a Muslims-only community.
In 2025, Cornyn also introduced legislation to strip the tax-exempt status from organizations that provide material support to designated terrorist groups, specifically targeting CAIR. He also co-sponsored the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which directs the Secretary of State to designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
«For many years now, I have worked to confront this radical ideology, from working to ban Sharia Law, to identifying, arresting and prosecuting terrorist organizations, and calling on the DOJ to investigate the EPIC City development,» Cornyn said. «I will continue to protect Texans from the threat of radical Islamic ideology anywhere in our country.»
TEXAS REPUBLICANS LAUNCH ‘SHARIA FREE AMERICA CAUCUS’ AIMED AT DEFENDING ‘WESTERN CIVILIZATION’
People arrive at a mosque to attend Friday prayers, in Plano, Texas, on April 11, 2025. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
Ali’s endorsement comes just over two weeks until the GOP’s primary election day in Texas.
Cornyn, a high-ranking Senate Republican, has also been endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee as well as the National Border Patrol Council.
Meanwhile, Paxton, who has served as the top attorney for Texas since 2015, was recently endorsed by Turning Point Action, the political arm of the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. Hunt, a U.S. Army veteran, has been endorsed by Veterans for America First.
Both Paxton and Hunt have also spoken out against Sharia Law in Texas. Paxton sued CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, seeking to shut them down and bar their operations in Texas. He also sued the developers behind EPIC as well, arguing they violated Texas securities law by selling investment interests without proper registration and by failing to verify accredited investor status as required.
Hunt has said Sharia law is «completely incompatible with the founding principles of the United States of America» and argued it should have no place in U.S. legal or civic systems.
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) questions former Special Counsel Jack Smith as he testifies during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on January 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, US, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Al Drago/Getty Images; Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
All three Republican candidates have touted their support for Trump and their records of supporting his agenda in their respective offices.
Trump recently told reporters that he may weigh in on the primary race soon, saying, «I’m giving it a very serious look.»
«You know, my problem is I’m friendly with all of them. I like all of them, all three,» Trump said.
«But you’ll be seeing soon,» he went on. «They say whoever I endorse wins. That’s probably right.»
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Whichever Republican emerges victorious from the primary election will face off against either leading Democratic voice Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, or progressive rising star state Rep. James Talarico.
According to Paxton’s office, Ali will appear at a campaign roundtable with religious leaders in North Texas later this week.
elections,senate elections,texas,islam,republicans
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