Category: The Hill
FCC blacklists foreign-made drones over security, spying concerns
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned new foreign-made drones from being sold in the U.S. on Monday, citing national security concerns. In a notice, the FCC said it was adding uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and their critical components made in foreign countries to its covered list. Such a distinction bars such products from being sold…
FDA approves oral version of Wegovy
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Novo Nordisk’s oral version of the Wegovy weight loss pill, the first such pill approved for use. Novo Nordisk said in a Tuesday release that the GLP-1 pill is intended for once-daily use to “reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long-term and to reduce the…
Trump unveils ‘Golden Fleet’ class of Navy battleships named for himself
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story Trump unveils ‘Golden Fleet’ class of Navy battleships named for himself President Trump announced on Monday a new class of battleships as part of the U.S. Navy’s “Golden Fleet.” © AP Photo The president said that…
Cannon keeps Jack Smith’s classified records report under wraps for now
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday lifted restrictions on the release of former special counsel Jack Smith’s findings from his investigation into President Trump’s handling of classified records — but she gave the president a 60-day window to challenge her order. Cannon did not immediately lift her order barring the Justice Department from sharing…
China blasts US seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers: ‘Grossly violates international law’
China on Monday accused the U.S. of violating international law in seizing oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, appearing to take the side of Caracas as Washington looks to take a third oil tanker this month. “The U.S. practice of arbitrarily seizing other countries’ vessels grossly violates international law,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin…
‘Slow-walking’ safety? Trump DOT threatens to yank $24M over Colorado’s illegal CDL mess.
The Department of Transportation warned Colorado that the state could lose $24 million in federal highway funding if it continues to drag its feet on addressing illegally issued commercial driver’s licenses, according to a press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News.
‘Colorado has two options: Revoke the licenses immediately, or I will pull federal funding.’
In September, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared the results of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audit, which found “systemic noncompliance” among state driver licensing agencies in several states, including Colorado.
The audit revealed that 22% of Colorado’s non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally. Most of those licenses were reportedly issued to Mexican nationals. Drivers who are citizens of Mexico or Canada are ineligible to obtain non-domiciled CDLs and must instead acquire licenses from their home countries.
Some of the CDLs issued to immigrants by Colorado reportedly had expiration dates that exceeded the drivers’ lawful presence in the U.S.
The DOT demanded that the state immediately pull the illegal licenses to come into compliance with federal laws.
A Monday press release from the department claimed that Colorado had “admitted that these violations were not accidental, but the result of a 2016 statewide policy decision to disregard federal law and give trucking licenses to ineligible Mexican citizens.”
Blaze News reached out to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, and the governor’s office for comment. The Colorado DOT directed Blaze News to contact the state’s Department of Revenue, which oversees the Division of Motor Vehicles.
RELATED: Exclusive: DOT withholds $40M from blue state for flouting English requirements for truckers
Sean Duffy. Photographer: Ryan Collerd/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The DOT asserted that the state has been “slow-walking a purge of illegally issued truck licenses,” cautioning that Colorado could lose $24 million in federal highway funds. The DOT also warned that it could decertify Colorado’s CDL program.
According to the department, Colorado has not produced a complete audit or accounting of the illegal licenses.
“This continued delay signals a lack of urgency that puts public safety at risk,” the press release read.
RELATED: Trump’s DOT claims 53% of New York’s non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally
Photo by GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images
“Colorado doesn’t get to pick and choose what federal rules it follows — especially when the driving public is at risk,” Secretary Duffy stated. “It’s been nearly two months since Colorado admitted that they knowingly broke the law and gave Mexican nationals trucking licenses. Colorado has two options: Revoke the licenses immediately, or I will pull federal funding. Every day that goes by is another day unqualified, unvetted foreign truckers are jeopardizing the safety of you and your family.”
Colorado received notice of its noncompliance in September, the same time the DOT also issued a similar notice to Texas. On September 29, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced that it had complied with the DOT’s request and immediately suspended the issuance of certain CDLs.
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Witkoff says Ukraine remains ‘fully committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace’
Special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russia and Ukraine are committed to achieving peace amid negotiations on ending the ongoing war between the two countries. Witkoff said on the social platform X that he, along with President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum, held a “series of productive and…
Senate stares down fraught health care battle with ObamaCare subsidies set to expire
Senate negotiators are set for a high-wire act on health care in the coming weeks after leaving Washington for the holidays without a resolution on the expiring enhanced subsidies, with lawmakers increasingly shifting into campaign mode as the calendar flips to the new year. The chamber has been consumed for months by a fight over…
