House Republicans are pushing legislation to ban Chinese nationals from getting student visas in the U.S.

Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., has been sounding the alarm for weeks over what he sees as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) exploitation of the American visa program meant for studying in the U.S.

He’s now expected to introduce the Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act, or the Stop CCP VISAs Act, on Friday.

The bill is still being circulated for co-sponsors, Fox News Digital was told, but people expected to support the bill include Reps. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Brandon Gill, R-Texas.

‘Every year we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the U.S. on student visas. We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,’ Moore said.

‘Just last year, the FBI charged five Chinese nationals here on student visas after they were caught photographing joint US-Taiwan live-fire military exercises. This cannot continue.’

He called on Congress to act on ‘China’s exploitation of our student visa program.’

‘It’s time we turn off the spigot and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals,’ he said.

The incident Moore referenced involved five former University of Michigan students who graduated in May as part of a joint program with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China accused of spying on the U.S. military.

They’re accused of covering up surveillance efforts on a National Guard facility in Michigan during a training operation with the Taiwanese military.

The former students, all Chinese citizens, were confronted by a sergeant major of the Utah National Guard in August 2023, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Oct. 1.

Moore’s legislation is likely to be challenged by Asian American and progressive groups, as previously similar attempts have been.

The group Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC, according to its website) previously criticized Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., for calling for a ban on Chinese nationals studying in the U.S.

‘It is unconscionable to suggest limiting the fields of study or remove visa options for all students from China. This rhetoric follows the racial profiling and racist statements made by public officials such as FBI Director Wray and President Trump,’ the group said in 2020.

A federal judge tore into lawyers from the Justice Department on Wednesday, homing in on a retweet from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about disqualifying transgender troops from service ‘without an exemption.’

U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee who previously stated that the idea of only two sexes is not ‘biologically correct,’ heard arguments on the Pentagon’s attempt to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military as trans rights groups seek a preliminary injunction to halt the policy entirely.

During the hearing, Reyes pointed to a post on X in which Hegseth quoted, ‘Pentagon says transgender troops are disqualified from service without an exemption.’ The post in question linked to a Fox News Digital article about an internal Pentagon memo.

The memo, revealed in a court filing late last month, says U.S. service members who are transgender or otherwise exhibit gender dysphoria are prohibited from military service unless they obtain an exemption.

When Reyes questioned government lawyers that Hegseth’s repost made it appear that all transgender troops would be disqualified from service, DOJ lawyer Jason Manion argued that Hegseth was only using ‘shorthand’ for the broader policy. 

‘Look at the words in the policy,’ said Manion.

‘No!’ said Reyes. ‘Do you really think you can do that, say one thing in public and then come here to court and say something else entirely?’

Reyes then said that Manion had until Monday to deliver a declaration from Hegseth that he didn’t actually mean all transgender people.

‘His words are that this covers all transgender people. I’m not going to speculate that he was just being sloppy,’ Reyes said of Hegseth.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 that requires the Defense Department to update its guidance regarding ‘trans-identifying medical standards for military service’ and to ‘rescind guidance inconsistent with military readiness.’ 

Government lawyers have argued that Trump and Hegseth have broad authority to set policies for national defense.

As of December, around 4,240 active duty, guard, and reserve service members have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced the ‘most consequential day of deregulation’ in U.S. history Wednesday, as it put the Biden administration’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 — which cracked down on fossil fuel power plants — on the chopping block.

‘President Trump promised to kill the Clean Power Plan in his first term, and we continue to build on that progress now,’  EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in an announcement that was first obtained by Fox News Digital. ‘In reconsidering the Biden-Harris rule that ran afoul of Supreme Court case law, we are seeking to ensure that the agency follows the rule of law while providing all Americans with access to reliable and affordable energy.’ 

The Biden administration finalized its Clean Power Plan 2.0 in April 2024, cracking down on existing and future fossil fuel-fired power plants as part of the previous administration’s sweeping climate agenda. The plan required existing coal-fired power plants and new baseload natural gas-fired power plants to install carbon capture technology by 2032 in an effort to effectively eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. 

The 2.0 plan was touted in 2024 as one of the Biden administration’s most ‘aggressive’ climate policies, while conservative lawmakers slammed it as one that could have a ‘catastrophic’ impact on the nation’s electric grid. 

The Clean Power 2.0 plan followed the 2015 Clean Power Plan under the Obama administration, which worked to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants and set national standards for carbon emissions. The Supreme Court in 2022, however, struck down the Clean Power Plan in the case West Virginia v. EPA, curbing the agency’s ability to broadly regulate carbon emissions. 

‘The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the 2015 Clean Power Plan in West Virginia v. EPA, holding that the major questions doctrine barred EPA from misusing the Clean Air Act to manipulate Americans’ energy choices and shift the balance of the nation’s electrical fuel mix,’ the EPA noted in its press release. ‘The Biden Administration issued its own rule in 2024 which many critics say is just another attempt to achieve the unlawful fuel-shifting goals of the Clean Power Plan.’ 

The EPA continued in its press release that the Trump administration’s executive orders and actions to ‘Power the Great American Comeback,’ combined with the announcement putting the Biden administration’s ‘Woke Green Agenda’ under reconsideration, marks the ‘most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history.’

‘These announcements represent the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in the history of the United States,’ the press release stated. ‘While accomplishing EPA’s core mission of protecting the environment, the agency is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to unleash American energy, lower costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, restore the rule of law, and give power back to states to make their own decisions.’ 

Zeldin has been on a warpath against corruption and mismanagement within the EPA in recent weeks, including making waves Tuesday evening when he announced the agency was terminating $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects.

Eight nonprofits had been awarded the funds, according to Zeldin, including the Coalition for Green Capital, Climate United Fund, Power Forward Communities, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv and the Justice Climate Fund. These organizations have partnered with various groups, including Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity and the Community Preservation Corporation.

‘This termination is based on substantial concerns regarding program integrity, objections to the award process, programmatic fraud, waste and abuse and misalignment with the agency’s priorities, which collectively undermine the fundamental goals and statutory objectives of the awards,’ Zeldin said in a video announcement Tuesday. 

‘The EPA will once again be an exceptional steward of your tax dollars. I will have it no other way,’ Zeldin said.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and Landon Mion contributed to this report. 

As the Trump administration seeks to mediate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced that he plans to propose ‘bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs’ this week in a bid to goad Russia into making peace.

The U.S. and Ukraine declared in a joint statement on Tuesday that Ukraine would be willing to agree to a 30-day ceasefire.

‘Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,’ the statement noted.

But Graham noted in a Wednesday post on X that he is ‘skeptical that Russia will accept the ceasefire’ and is ‘very doubtful they want to end this war.’

‘In order to move toward peace, I will be introducing bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs against Russia before the end of the week. If they do not pursue the ceasefire with the same vigor as Ukraine, there will be hell to pay,’ Graham warned. 

‘I expect overwhelming bipartisan support for my proposal,’ he noted.

The U.S.-Ukraine statement noted that America ‘will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace’ and ‘immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.’

Graham has served the U.S. Senate for more than 22 years. Prior to that, he served eight years in the House.

Iran, Russia and China are set to hold high-level talks in Beijing Friday to discuss Tehran’s near-nuclear capabilities. 

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, informed reporters about the meeting on Wednesday. The trio of nations has friendly relations, and all are parties to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal. 

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said the talks will be on ‘developments related to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions.’

The Friday meeting will follow a closed-door meeting of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Iran’s uranium enrichment that has breached 60%, dangerously close to the 90% enrichment needed to make a bomb. 

That meeting, which was requested by the U.S. and its allies, could discuss the triggering of so-called snapback sanctions – sanctions that were lifted under the JCPOA. 

The U.S. left the Iran nuclear deal during President Donald Trump’s first administration. But the other parties to the agreement – Britain, Iran, China, Russia, Germany and France – could decide to call back the international sanctions before the Security Council resolution behind the deal expires in October. 

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will preside over the meeting, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi in attendance. 

Tehran has provided Moscow with drones and missiles for its offensive in Ukraine. And China, Iran and Russia conducted joint naval drills on Monday. 

The meetings follow an unsuccessful attempt by Trump to restart talks on a new nuclear deal. Iran recently rebuffed a letter Trump sent on the matter and said it would not negotiate with ‘bullying’ countries. 

‘It is unacceptable for us that they give orders and make threats. I won’t even negotiate with you. Do whatever the hell you want,’ said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Trump has insisted he’d prefer diplomacy, but will not rule out military tactics to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. 

‘If we have to go to the military option, it will be very, very bad for [Iran],’ he said. 

Tehran still denies it is pursuing a nuclear weapon, but experts have said there is no civilian use for 60% enriched uranium. 

Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had agreed to assist the U.S. in communicating with Iran on its nuclear program.

‘It is clear that Iran is seeking negotiations based on mutual respect, constructive negotiations,’ Peskov said of possible nuclear talks. 

The directors of the Central Intelligence Agency and Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) spoke by phone for the first time in more than two years, reports say. 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe called his Russian counterpart Sergey Naryshkin on Tuesday and ‘discussed the issues of interaction of both intelligence agencies in areas of common interest and the settlement of crisis situations,’ Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported, citing a statement from the SVR’s press office. 

It added that both Ratcliffe and Naryshkin agreed ‘on maintaining regular contact between the SVR and CIA directors with the aim of facilitating international stability and security and reducing confrontation in relationships between Moscow and Washington.’ 

The CIA, when contacted Wednesday by Fox News Digital, declined to comment on the matter. 

Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency intelligence officer who specialized in Russian military doctrine, told Fox News Digital that the ‘Ratcliffe-Naryshkin meeting is supposed to be part of the revival of the CIA-SVR cooperation, which also has been tried before and abandoned.’ 

‘Although such cooperation could be valuable, for example, in the counter-terrorism arena, it always eventually fails because there’s a dramatic difference between how the Russians and Americans see the world,’ she said.

‘We are ostensibly in a period of another attempted reset with Russia. Every U.S. president attempted to reset U.S. relations with Moscow and every one of them has failed,’ Koffler continued. ‘There’s such a fundamental difference between the ways that Moscow and Washington see the world and their role in it that eventually, the policies each pursues come into collision with one another. The way that Russia and the U.S. have defined their national interests have placed the two nations in direct confrontation with each other.’

‘The two are mutually irreconcilable. And this is clearly demonstrated in the war in Ukraine, which has been sacrificed and destroyed in the proxy battle between Moscow and Washington,’ Koffler added. 

‘It is possible that President Trump, who is a realist, will place Russia-U.S. relations on a transactional basis, without the ideological angle, as all the previous administrations, that always drove an edge between the two. It remains to be seen if he will succeed,’ Koffler also said.