Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., sparred during a hearing on federal judges’ nationwide orders against the Trump administration, and the Democrat dismissed her colleague’s claims of ‘lawfare.’

‘Understand this is the second phase of lawfare,’ Cruz said during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing, ‘Rule by District Judges II: Exploring Legislative Solutions to the Bipartisan Problem of Universal Injunctions.’ 

‘Now that their efforts to indict President Trump and stop the voters from re-electing him have failed, they’re going and seeking out individual radical judges,’ the Texas Republican claimed. 

Klobuchar disputed this, telling Cruz the injunctions from federal judges were a result of President Donald Trump ‘violating the Constitution.’

‘Why would Trump-appointed judges …,’ the Minnesota Democrat began before being interrupted by Cruz.

‘Why don’t you file them in red districts?’ Cruz asked. ‘Why are the Democrat attorneys general seeking out left-wing, blue swing districts?’

Klobuchar claimed the spike in nationwide injunctions from district judges halting Trump administration actions are not because ‘these judges are crooked or lunatics or evil.’ And she warned that making such claims could instigate threats and violence against them. 

Cruz criticized Democrats for not sufficiently denouncing threats against conservative Supreme Court justices in recent years. But Klobuchar called that a lie, explaining, ‘We came together and got more funding for the judges and changed things so that they had more protection.’

While multiple Democrats criticized ‘judge shopping’ during the hearing, they were careful not to get behind Republican bills to end all nationwide injunctions. 

‘It’s impossible to separate the hearing from President Trump’s record in office,’ said ranking member Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

But ending judge shopping, as Democrats have proposed in the past, wouldn’t completely address the issue, said majority witnesses John N. Matthews, a law professor at Notre Dame Samuel Bray, and Jesse Panuccio, partner at Boies Schiller Flexner. He was previously the acting associate attorney general at the Department of Justice (DOJ), chairman of the DOJ’s Regulatory Reform Task Force and vice chairman of the DOJ’s Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud. 

‘I think the incentive for forum shopping is that you think you can get a judge who can be a ruler for the whole nation. So, fix the problem of judges overreaching,’ Panuccio. 

The White House is taking a top-down approach in making sure Republicans are united on President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs plan.

U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer briefed House Republican staffers on the administration’s strategy on Wednesday evening, Fox News Digital was told.

Greer opened the call stressing that Trump was ushering in a magnitude of economic change not seen since the post-World War II era.

He also said the U.S. had been subjected to unfair trade practices for decades since lowering its own tariffs against other countries in a bid to bolster global trade, Fox News Digital was told.

Examples Greer cited for Capitol Hill aides included both Brazil and the European Union, while stressing that exemptions would be made for foreign products already subject to U.S. penalties — rather than double up on the taxes.

While political communications offices often hold coordinated messaging calls on important issues, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that it was the first such communications policy call between this White House and House Republican staff.

It underscores tariffs’ importance in the Trump administration’s policy platform, as the White House works to ensure the GOP is in lock-step on its messaging.

When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a White House official emphasized that the Trump administration has been the most transparent in history, and that the president wants to ensure his allies are armed with the most up-to-date information.

And while the vast majority of Republicans are praising Trump’s moves, some GOP lawmakers have conceded to at least some concerns.

‘I think tariffs that are equal to what they’re charging are defensible. We want a level playing field,’ Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told Fox News Digital on Wednesday evening. ‘The automobile one can be messy because the parts are from all over.’

Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine., spoke out in support of a Democratic bid to exempt Canada from tariffs on the Senate floor Thursday, hours before Trump’s formal announcement.

‘The price hikes that will happen for Maine families, every time they go to the grocery store, they fill their gas tank, they fill their heating oil tank, if these tariffs go into effect, will be so harmful,’ Collins said of the Canada tariffs specifically.

‘And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least. Therefore, I will support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do so likewise.’

Another GOP lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital on Thursday, however, downplayed any longstanding concerns. 

‘I think as long as it’s a short-term tool, folks will be OK with it,’ the GOP lawmaker said.

During the Thursday evening call rallying House GOP aides, first-term Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., sent out a statement backing Trump’s move but conceding she understood the concerns.

‘The U.S. is taking action to address decades of unfair trade barriers that have put American manufacturers, producers, and businesses at a huge disadvantage. I support President Trump’s efforts to create a level playing field and his long-term strategy to strengthen our critical domestic supply chains,’ Fedorchak said.

‘At the same time, I recognize the challenges these tariffs create for North Dakota’s farmers and producers, and I will continue to advocate for expanding market opportunities for our products as well as other policies to help counter the negative impacts tariffs may create for producers.’

A number of Republican lawmakers were at the White House in support of the announcement on Thursday, including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

‘President Trump is sending a clear message with Liberation Day: America will not be exploited by unfair trade practices anymore,’ Johnson said in a public statement. ‘These tariffs restore fair and reciprocal trade and level the playing field for American workers and innovators. The President understands that FREE trade ONLY works when it’s FAIR!’

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a close Trump ally, wrote on X, ‘President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs are a brilliant economic strategy. Joe Biden left the United States with a whopping $1.2 trillion trade deficit at the end of his regime.’

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Trump’s plan involves a 10% blanket tariff on all foreign imports into the U.S., as well as tariffs up to 50% on both adversaries and allies.

It also introduces some level of reciprocal tariffs on countries that tax U.S. exports, though in most cases, the U.S. rate is lower than the foreign country’s.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday evening vowed to ‘fight’ the new round of tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, and said he would turn to other international partners to get through the rocky times ahead. 

‘President Trump has just announced a series of measures that are going to fundamentally change the international trading system,’ Carney told reporters following Trump’s Rose Garden announcement. ‘We’re in a situation where there’s going to be an impact on the U.S. economy, which will build with time.

‘In our judgment, it will be negative on the U.S. economy that will have an impact on us,’ he added, noting millions of Canadians will be impacted.

While Trump did not issue any additional tariffs against Canada following the 25% tariffs already in place on all Canadian imports, the 10% tariff on its energy exports and the blanket tariff on all aluminum and steel, he did announce a 25% tariff on all foreign vehicle imports. 

He also pointed out that Trump said there could be future targeted tariffs against pharmaceutical companies, lumber and semiconductors — tariffs that will have wide affect on U.S. trading partners beyond Canada and Mexico, but across Europe and Asia.

‘In a crisis, it’s important to come together,’ Carney said. ‘It’s essential to act with purpose and with force, and that’s what we will do.’

Before the tariff announcement, Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said at an election campaign event on Wednesday that he supports ‘targeted, reciprocal’ tariffs on American goods — and if his party wins the general election on April 28 and he becomes prime minister, he would like to sit down with President Donald Trump and create a new trade deal, replacing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which the president signed in 2020.
 

Poilievre also said that Canada must maintain control of its border and freshwater and protect both its automotive industry and supply-managed farm sectors.

David Adams, president and CEO of Global Automakers of Canada — a national trade association representing the Canadian interests of 16 automakers, including BMW Canada, Inc. and Nissan Canada Inc. — said in a statement, ‘Tariffs are taxes that hurt consumers by increasing costs, driving up inflation, and unfairly impacting workers on both sides of the border.’

‘Governments should look to long-term solutions to remove these tariffs, prioritizing the elimination of regulatory barriers to industry competitiveness and providing automakers with flexibilities to respond in these uncertain times.’

Reactions from European Union leaders began to emerge following Trump’s announcement that he will hit the EU with 20% tariffs on all imported goods, with disappointment, concern and commitments to continue negotiations with the U.S.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, generally seen as a Trump ally, said Trump’s tariffs were ‘wrong’ and warned they would not only harm American and European pocketbooks, but aid Western adversaries.

‘We will do everything we can to work towards an agreement with the United States, with the goal of avoiding a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favor of other global players,’ Meloni said in a statement on Facebook.

‘In any case, as always, we will act in the interest of Italy and its economy, also engaging with other European partners,’ she added.

Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Simon Harris, said he ‘deeply regret[s]’ the new tariffs but said he is committed to working with Washington to end this tariff war. 

‘I must be honest tonight that a 20% blanket tariff on goods from all EU countries could have a significant effect on Irish investment and the wider economy,’ he said, noting the effects would ‘likely be felt for some time.’

Chairman of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee Bernd Lange called for a united response from countries targeted by Trump.

‘While President Trump might call today ‘Liberation Day,’ from an ordinary citizen’s point of view this is ‘Inflation Day,’ he said, reported Reuters. ‘Because of this decision, U.S. consumers will be forced to carry the heaviest burden in a trade war.’

Lange said the EU will respond through ‘legal, legitimate, proportionate and decisive’ measures.

Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter said her government would work to figure out the next steps.  

The U.K., along with the president of Mexico ahead of the announcement, said they would continue to work with the U.S. and would not rush to enforce reciprocal tariffs.

Similarly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that while Trump’s decision was ‘not the act of a friend,’ his country would not impose reciprocal tariffs, reported Reuters. 

He reportedly condemned the U.S. tariffs as totally unwarranted and said Australia will continue to negotiate to have the tariffs lifted. 

A Democrat-led resolution undoing President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Canada advanced past the Senate on Wednesday after multiple Republicans joined their counterparts in support of it. 

Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky supported the resolution, bucking the president to do so. The final vote was 51 to 48. 

‘As I have always warned, tariffs are bad policy, and trade wars with our partners hurt working people most. Tariffs drive up the cost of goods and services,’ former GOP Senate leader McConnell said in a statement afterward. 

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso slammed the resolution’s passage, saying in a statement, ‘Senator Kaine’s goal was not to make law. It was simply an effort to undermine President Trump’s successful work to secure the Northern Border.’

 ‘Speaker Johnson already declared Senator Kaine’s resolution dead on arrival in the House of Representatives. It will never make it to President Trump’s desk,’ he explained. ‘This meaningless messaging resolution will not stop Senate Republicans from making America’s communities safer.’

The privileged resolution was introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and would end the emergency Trump declared at the northern border on Feb. 1. 

In a statement of administrative policy ahead of the vote, Trump’s White House said his advisors would urge the president to veto the resolution if it passed the Senate. 

‘President Trump promised to secure our borders and stop the scourge of fentanyl that’s poisoning our communities, and he’s delivering. Democrat Senator Tim Kaine is trying to undermine the President’s Emergency Declaration at our Northern Borders—a measure that prioritizes our national security—for reasons that defy logic,’ a White House official told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement on Tuesday.

‘Under Joe Biden’s failed leadership, criminal networks, fentanyl, and terrorists ran rampant along the northern border. Today’s stunt by Tim Kaine proves once again how woefully out of touch the Democrat Party is with the American people as they use a matter of national security for political gamesmanship. The stakes are too high to reverse course; the declaration must stay in place,’ they continued. 

Kaine pushed back, telling Fox News Digital in a statement, ‘The Trump Administration’s own threat assessment report on fentanyl did not mention Canada—not even once. Trump’s order is a blatant abuse of his authority, and it is critical that Congress push back before he inflicts even more damage to our economy and to the relationship with one of our top trading partners and closest allies.’

The resolution was required to be brought to the floor for a vote, due to its privileged nature, and it only required a simple majority vote of 51 senators to pass.

Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to call out multiple Republicans he warned against voting in favor of the resolution.

‘Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul, also of Kentucky, will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy,’ he said in a post. 

Collins revealed in floor remarks earlier in the day that she would vote in favor of the resolution.

‘Mr. President, the price hikes that will happen for Maine families, every time they go to the grocery store, they fill their gas tank, they filled their heating oil tank, if these tariffs go into effect, will be so harmful. And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least. Therefore, I will support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do so likewise,’ she said. 

Paul has been a vocal critic of tariffs during his entire tenure, including during the Trump administration. He is a co-sponsor of the Kaine resolution. 

He told reporters before the vote, ‘I think tariffs on trade between US and Canada will threaten our country with a recession. I think they’re a terrible idea economically and will lead to higher prices. Tariffs are simply taxes. Republicans used to be and conservatives, in particular, used to be against new taxes.’

The White House is clapping back against media reports alleging intelligence officials have been using the end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal to send classified information, describing the allegations as ‘false’ in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

The statement from National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Brian Hughes comes after Politico published a report suggesting Trump National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and his team have used the app frequently to discuss sensitive communications on a variety of different issues. 

‘This is a clear attempt by some in media and the Democrats to obscure the simple truth: The President and his national security team are delivering for the nation by confronting our adversaries and standing with our allies to bring peace through strength,’ Hughes said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Hughes added that Signal is ‘an approved’ messaging app, particularly as it pertains to unclassified info, ‘and any claim NSC officials are sending classified information over these channels is false.’

Questions have circulated about the Trump administration’s use of Signal since The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg released his exposé alleging he was accidentally invited by Waltz to a sensitive group chat on the encrypted messaging app. Critics of the Trump administration have said the messages included ‘war plans’ for an attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

There have also been debates over whether the information discussed in the chat uncovered by Goldberg was classified information or contained ‘war plans.’  

Media reports from The Wall Street Journal, Politico and The Washington Post have claimed Waltz and his team have frequently used Signal and other public messaging platforms to discuss sensitive topics and official government business. 

‘Using Signal to send unclassified information is appropriate, and these same facts have been reported multiple times in the last few days,’ Hughes said, noting there are federal agencies that ‘automatically install’ Signal on government devices.

‘Some in NSC, like those in the media and many areas across the federal government, use the Signal app,’ Hughes added. ‘All communications are a reflection of a thoughtful dialog of those committed to the effective implementation of the president’s agenda.’

In December, before President Trump took over the White House from Joe Biden, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency called on senior government and political officials to switch to end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms like Signal.

Still, critics of the Trump administration are demanding answers. On Tuesday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee sent letters to ‘non-principal agency officials’ who were part of the original Signal group chat that accidentally included Goldberg. 

The letters call for the individuals, who Democrats say may have ‘firsthand knowledgeconcerning the discussion of sensitive and/or classified national security information on Signal,’ to appear before Congress for transcribed interviews.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, sent another letter to Waltz Tuesday as well, demanding he and his staff stop using Google’s Gmail for official government business after The Washington Post published a report claiming members of the president’s National Security Council were using personal Gmail accounts to discuss official business. 

The letter to Waltz demanded he turn over all communications relating to official government business that he or his staff sent over Signal or other ‘unauthorized messaging and email applications and platforms.’

Waltz has taken responsibility for the leaked Signal chat that Goldberg accidentally accessed, but he also insisted ‘no classified information’ was ever discussed in the messaging thread.