Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday called on the Biden administration to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism after the country’s alleged crimes against humanity during its invasion of Ukraine.

Graham, R-S.C., also said on ABC News’ ‘This Week’ that the U.S. should begin training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16s – one day after Vice President Kamala Harris announced at the Munich Security Conference that the administration ‘formally determined’ Vladmir Putin’s forces had committed crimes against humanity.

‘They need the weapons system,’ Graham said of Ukraine. ‘We’re talking about the vice president of the United States declaring that Russia is involved in crimes against humanity in Germany of all places, echoes of World War II. How can you say that – and she is correct – and not give the victim of the crime against humanity the defensive weapons they need to stop the crime?’

‘So, we need to do two things quickly,’ he continued. ‘Make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law, which would make it harder for China to give weapons to Russia, and we need to start training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 now.’

Graham said he was more optimistic about Ukraine winning the war than ever before because of solidarity on the issue at home and abroad.

‘I’ve never seen NATO so united,’ he said. ‘The Germans have stepped up to the plate. There’s bipartisan support for winning this war in Ukraine, for giving the Ukrainians the weapons they need to defend themselves. I’m not worried about provoking Putin, I want to beat him.’

During her speech Saturday, Harris said Russia is committing ‘a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population’ in Ukraine.

‘Gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape and deportation, executions, killings, beatings and electrocution,’ the vice president said. ‘Russian authorities have forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine to Russia, including children.’

‘From the starting days of this unprovoked war, we have witnessed Russian forces engage in horrendous atrocities and war crimes. Their actions are an assault on our common values, an attack on our common humanity,’ she said.

The United States continues to lead the world in contributions to Ukraine with nearly $200 billion in promised or sent financial, military and humanitarian aid.

Some members of Congress are looking to put a stop to the spending, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, who introduced a resolution to end military and financial aid to Ukraine.

‘How much more for Ukraine? Is there any limit?’ asked Gaetz, R-Fla., on the House floor. ‘Which billionth dollar really kicks in the door? Which redline we set will we not later cross?’

The proposal would also urge Ukraine and Russia to seek a peace deal, requiring them to renew their negotiations.

The ‘Ukraine Fatigue Resolution’ has at least 10 co-sponsors and calls for the U.S. to ‘end its military and financial aid to Ukraine and urges all combatants to reach a peace agreement.’

In January, President Biden approved additional security assistance to Ukraine, including 31 Abrams M1 tanks. 

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.

SEN ERIC SCHMITT (R-MO) SLAMS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE TO THE OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT

MARIA BARTIROMO: I want to get your take on the Ohio train derailment response as well. For two weeks, FEMA’s said they were not going to help Ohio because the damages were not eligible, which was just mind boggling. You are on the Commerce Committee. What kind of response should the country be having to the potential cancerous chemicals that were dispersed? And how worried are you that that goes into other states beyond Ohio?  

SEN ERIC SCHMITT: Well, I think there’s a complete disconnect here when you hear the president talking about sending American tax dollars to Ukraine to help pay for their pensions. And he does nothing about the millions of people who stream across our southern border distributing fentanyl. Human trafficking and crime across the country. It is completely out of touch to not address this. And people to judge was a no show this week in our committee to talk about FAA problems they had in January with the travel system across the country. He’s been a no show in Ohio. And so the American people are right to be upset about this. They demand answers. They demand a presence by this administration to know that they’re going to take care of these issues. But I think it’s part and parcel. A lot of these folks who claim to be environmentalists don’t care much about the environment. They care about climate alarmism to scare people so they can gather more and more power and control. That’s what this is about. But again, the biden administration and p bu to judge specifically has absolutely failed on this ohio environmental disaster.  

REPS LANCE GOODEN (R-TX) AND JODEY ARRINGTON (R-TX) REACT TO SEC. BLINKEN’S ‘SOFT ON CHINA’ RESPONSE TO PROVOCATIONS

MARIA BARTIROMO: Lance Gooden. Told him it could never happen again. I’m sure the Chinese are shaking in their boots. What is your response to the way Biden is handling China?  

REP LANCE GOODEN: Well, he’s been absent ever since the Afghanistan withdrawal, and his actions there have given China the green light to go forward with what they’ve been doing. This president of our country is weak and the president of China is very strong. He’s a ruthless dictator. He plays to win. He’s playing the long game. The Chinese civilization has been around for a lot longer than ours, and they are looking toward the long game, which is why they’re sending their citizens across our southern border. They’re sending drugs in our community to kill our children and our families. And they don’t care what Joe Biden’s protege in Munich says. They don’t respect him. I suspect there’ll be more of the same Jody Arrington.  

REP JODEY ARRINGTON: We have a saying, Lance and I and the Texans that we represent all hat no cattle. This guy is all talk. Blinken, Biden. They’re projecting weakness. We’re not respected by our adversaries. We’re not trusted by our friends. This is the new sort of world order because of the Biden projection of weakness there. Our adversaries are emboldened. And it’s it’s it’s trade related. It’s border related and it’s spy balloons. It’s collecting data. It’s buying up land around strategic assets. The list goes on. The bottom line is they don’t respect our president and commander in chief.  

PETER SCHWEIZER TELLS MARIA THAT THE EVIDENCE IS MOUNTING AGAINST THE BIDEN FAMILY’S BUSINESS TIES TO CHINA

MARIA BARTIROMO: Yeah, John Ratcliffe told us so right before the election that what those 51 had written was not true. But look, you both have done incredible reporting on this subject. Peter, do you see any hope of justice here?  

PETER SCHWEIZER: Yeah, I do. Look, I think the investigation is ongoing. I think the evidence continues to mount and the Biden team will not answer a basic question, which is when it comes to China, for example, you had three Chinese businessmen that funneled tens of millions of dollars to you. Each one of those three, Che Fang, Henry Zhao, Chairman, ye all had direct, abiding and deep ties to Chinese intelligence when they were arranging these deals for the Bidens. And that’s not me saying that. That’s according to Hong Kong corporate records. They were business partners with the vice minister of state security who was responsible for foreign recruitment of spies. They were business partners with a former family of the director of the Ministry of State Security, which runs the entire spy apparatus. In the case of Chairman Yee, they actually worked as part of the spy apparatus. So what I would say is, you know, some attractive journalist needs to go to Jim Clapper and these other 50 intelligence experts and ask them, does this not have the hallmark of a Chinese intelligence operation? And I think if they give you an honest answer, the answer would be yes.  

REP CLAUDIA TENNEY (R-NY) ON HOW THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS IGNORING TO REPORT ON THE IRANIAN REGIME

MARIA BARTIROMO: Congresswoman, I want to get your take on Iran. You have been very supportive of the women in Iran amidst all of these protests. You sent a letter to the administration slamming it for failing to comply with a mandated reporting requirements on Iran’s military capabilities. Tell us what you want to know.   

REP TENNEY: Well, first of all, the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act, requires that the Biden administration disclose to the American people and to the Congress what is happening with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. That’s the Iranian military and what their weapons situation is. Are they continuing to arm Hezbollah, the Houthis, unknown terrorist organizations? And they failed to report it’s been over 240 days, I believe, since they were supposed to report, and they failed to do that. And that’s critical to know what’s happening with Iran. The biggest disruptor of peace and potential peace in the Middle East and and the biggest state sponsor of terrorism across the nations in the Middle East. So we’re demanding that the Biden administration provide that information. And we we just have received no response to date.  

Secretary of State Antony Blinken bat down the idea that the United States is in a ‘Cold War’ with China, claiming that relations between Washington and Beijing can’t be reduced to a ‘bumper sticker.’  

‘This is obviously among the most consequential but also complex relationships that we have and probably the same can be said by many other countries around the world, and of course, we’re in a vigorous competition with China and that’s something we’re not at all shy about,’ Blinken told NBC host Chuck Todd during an interview aired on ‘Meet the Press’ Sunday. 

Todd, noting how the U.S. is expanding its military presence in Guam, the Philippines and Australia, helping Japan change its national security posture and continuing to arm Taiwan, challenged Blinken, ‘If it’s not a Cold War, what is it?’

‘We intend to compete very vigorously. We’ve taken important steps over the last couple of years to invest in ourselves so that we can compete effectively, but also to align with allies and partners around the world so that we have a shared approach to some of the challenges that China poses,’ Blinken continued in response. ‘And as we’re doing that, we have a strong interest in trying to manage the relationship responsibly and to make sure to the best of our ability that competition doesn’t veer into conflict or into Cold War.’ 

‘I don’t think that’s in our interests. And also, it’s important to note, that there are some very big issues out there that are affecting all of our citizens and are affecting people around the world where if we can it would be in our interest to find ways to cooperate. On climate, on global health, on the macroeconomic situation around the world,’ he added. ‘And we have a responsibility to at least try to do that. So that’s why I saw you can’t reduce this to a bumper sticker or to a label. It’s complicated. It’s consequential. And we need to manage it responsibly.’

Blinken also appeared on ABC’s ‘This Week’ and CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ on the heels of what’s been reported as a ‘confrontational’ meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Blinken reportedly spoke directly to Wang about the ‘unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law’ by China flying a high-altitude surveillance balloon across the U.S., warning that the ‘irresponsibly act must never again occur.’

Blinken confirmed to ABC host Martha Raddatz that the Chinese diplomat offered no apology for the episode. 

On the contrary, Wang said at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. military shooting down the Chinese spycraft off the coast of South Carolina, after the surveillance balloon was detected above Montana and traversed the U.S., was ‘absurd’ and ‘hysterical,’ claiming ‘Cold War mentality is back.’

‘More than 40 countries have had these balloons go over their territory,’ Blinken told ABC. ‘So there’s a real concern I’m hearing here from other countries, allies and partners alike, about this program. And I think countries are – I was going to say pleased, but pleased is the wrong word. They appreciate the fact that we’ve exposed it.’ 

‘Once over the United States, the balloon attempted to surveil very critical, important military installations. We protected the sensitive information that it was trying to surveil,’ Blinken told Raddatz. ‘At the same time, we got information about the balloon itself as was traversing the country going west to east. And then when it was safe to do so, there was no danger to people on the ground, President Biden ordered that it be shot down.’

Blinken said he also warned Wang that there would be consequences for China sending ‘lethal support’ to Russia in the war against Ukraine.  

China’s spy craft incursion over the U.S. and dozens of other countries around the world shows how Beijing is a serious threat in its pursuit of global domination, U.S. Gen. Jack Keane (Ret.) said Sunday.

Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst, asserted on ‘Fox News Sunday’ that the discovery of alleged Chinese spy crafts penetrating U.S. airspace is a ‘wake-up call.’

‘The spy balloon incident is a reminder to most and a wake-up call to some in terms of how serious China is as an adversary in seeking regional and global domination,’ the retired general said.

The U.S. shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon two weeks ago off the coast of South Carolina that had been flying across the U.S. for several days.

Keane said that China’s threat is further increased due to the country’s ‘rapid military growth’ and ‘exploding’ nuclear program.

‘We’ve got to make certain that we have a military deterrent to deal with that threat, that I believe has eroded significantly,’ he said.

Keane said he believes the ncident can be used as a ‘catalyst’ to ‘galvanize’ the U.S. against such threats.

‘We don’t shoot down a surveillance balloon when the mission is complete, we shoot it down before it starts,’ Keane said. ‘That has got to be the lesson learned.’

A partially paralyzed Denver city councilman was forced to lift himself out of his wheelchair and onto a debate stage – sparking a call for equal access after video of the moment spread in the news and on social media.

Denver City Council member Chris Hinds, a Democrat who is paralyzed from the chest down, was seen in the video hoisting himself onto the stage floor at the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre because the stage did not have wheelchair access.

While the theater later apologized, Hinds said he was humiliated by the experience, which happened Monday in front of dozens of onlookers.

Hinds said in a statement Wednesday that he was ‘incredibly disappointed and disheartened’ by the lack of wheelchair access for the City Council debate.

‘The unfortunate and humiliating experience I had has elevated the conversation about accessibility to the national stage,’ he said in another statement Friday.

Hinds told USA Today that debate organizers had initially suggested lifting him onto the stage, but he said he responded that his wheelchair weighs 400 pounds alone and that he weighs ‘almost another 200.’

‘And they said, ‘All right, well how about you get out of the wheelchair and we’ll just lift the chair up?” Hinds recalled. ‘They gave me a chair that I could cling on to so I’m not just laying on stage.’

‘I felt like a circus monkey,’ he said. ‘Just there on display for everyone to do whatever.’

Hinds, who is running for reelection, said the organizers eventually decided to have the debate in front of the stage.

He posted a campaign video about the incident on Saturday.

‘You may have seen me in the news recently for an incident that brought accessibility to the national stage,’ he said in the video. ‘Democracy should be representative of all the people. … Everyone deserves access to housing, transportation and representation.’

The top five dirtiest cities in the country are run by Democrat mayors, a new study has found.

Among 152 of the biggest cities across the United States, Houston won the No. 1 spot for dirtiest city, followed by Newark, New Jersey, San Bernardino, California, Detroit and Jersey City, New Jersey, according to a study released Thursday by LawnStarter.

LawnStarter measured each city across four categories: pollution, which measures things like air quality and greenhouse gas emissions; living conditions, like the percentage of homes containing mold or rats; infrastructure, which measures waste output and regulations; and consumer satisfaction, or the percentage of residents who find the city dirty.

Houston, which is run by Democratic Mayor Sylvester Turner, ranked No. 1 in overall score for the dirtiest city. It ranked third in the nation on pollution, fourth on poor living conditions, 12th on infrastructure and 34th on consumer satisfaction.

Houston also ranks third-worst in greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial facilities and has the biggest cockroach problem, the study said, citing data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Turner’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Newark, which is run by Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka, came in second place for dirtiest city, earning the No. 3 spot for worst consumer satisfaction and No. 5 for poor living conditions.

San Bernardino, which is run by Democratic Party-endorsed Mayor Helen Tran, earned the No. 1 spot for worst pollution and worst consumer satisfaction.

Detroit, run by Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan, ranked No. 4 for worst consumer satisfaction and No. 9 for pollution.

Jersey City, run by Democratic Mayor Steven Fulop, ranked No. 2 for poor living conditions and No. 15 for consumer satisfaction.

The cleanest city in the country, by contrast, is Virginia Beach, which ranked No. 149 on pollution and No. 132 on consumer satisfaction, according to the study.

The mayor of Virginia Beach is Robert Dyer, a Republican.

‘For the second consecutive year, Virginia Beach, Virginia, outshines all other cities in our ranking,’ the study said.

EXCLUSIVE: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to kick off a pro-police tour starting in New York City to speak with law enforcement officers in blue-led cities who feel unsupported.

DeSantis will begin the tour Monday morning by speaking with police officers and law enforcement union officials at a diner in red-leaning borough of Staten Island. The governor will then head to Fort Washington, a Philadelphia suburb, and Elmhurst, Illinois, near Chicago, where he will meet with sheriffs, chiefs of police and other local law enforcement officials, his political team told Fox News Digital.

Paul DiGiacomo, president of New York City’s Detectives’ Endowment Association, will be in attendance at Monday’s event. He told Fox News Digital that New York’s bail reform law that ended cash bail requirements for many criminal charges has endangered law enforcement.

‘It’s a law enforcement rally to send a message back to some of our elected officials that the laws that they have enacted in the state of New York are not working – specifically the bail reform laws – and it’s putting my members, detectives and cops in danger, as well as the public,’ he said. ‘It’s gone too far to the left over the last couple of years.’

DeSantis is expected to tout his efforts to support law enforcement and reduce crime in Florida, where he recently proposed legislation to strengthen bail laws, toughen penalties for sex criminals and other anti-crime measures.

According to the governor’s office, DeSantis implemented the largest recruitment package for law enforcement officers in state history last year, awarding $5,000 signing bonuses to officers willing to relocate to Florida from blue states.

News of DeSantis’ upcoming trip to Chicago caused a backlash last week, prompting Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker to condemn the Florida governor as ‘homophobic.’

‘Well he doesn’t represent the values of the people in Illinois,’ Pritzker told WGN 9. ‘In fact, he is the antithesis of that. He’s demonstrated that he’s homophobic, that he has tendencies to promote racism.’

DeSantis has been discussed as a potential GOP nominee to run for the presidency in 2024 although he’s made no official announcement.