Category: The Hill
Federal judge blocks IRS from sending ICE taxpayer information for deportations
A federal judge has blocked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from handing over the home address information of taxpayers who may be undocumented to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a 94-page ruling Friday in a lawsuit brought by the Center for Taxpayer Rights against the IRS that called the…
Chiefs special teams coach dismisses Trump kickoff rule criticism: ‘He has no idea what’s going on’
Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub brushed off President Trump’s criticism of the National Football League’s (NFL) new kickoff rule, saying Trump has “no idea what’s going on.” “He doesn’t even know what he’s looking at,” Toub said at a Thursday press conference in response to a reporter’s question about Trump’s comments. “He…
Fox News host on Trump-Mamdani meeting: ‘I think JD Vance is jealous’
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade said that President Trump and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani had gotten along “fantastic” during their Friday meeting and that J.D. Vance was “jealous.” “I think J.D. Vance is jealous,” the “Fox & Friends” host said. “I think the president wants to use him [Mamdani] as a running mate….
Trump administration targets immigrant truck drivers in Pennsylvania
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has threatened to revoke nearly $75 million in federal funding from Pennsylvania for “illegally” issuing commercial driver’s licenses to “ineligible and unqualified foreign drivers.” Duffy announced the possible withholding of funds on Thursday, alleging that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) had found multiple instances of Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation…
Marjorie Taylor Greene announces she is resigning from Congress
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) announced on Friday that she is resigning from Congress, saying she refused to be a “battered wife” following her public fallout with President Trump in which he un-endorsed her and called her a “traitor.” The decision comes one week after Trump pulled his support from the Georgia Republican as her fissures with the president reached a boiling…
Trump warns Mamdani ahead of high-stakes Oval Office meeting: ‘He has to be careful’
President Donald Trump has offered a preview of his highly anticipated meeting with New York City’s newly elected socialist mayor.
Trump’s meeting with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) in the Oval Office Friday afternoon is proving to be one of the most highly anticipated sit-downs of his second term. Trump described Mamdani, a staunch progressive and outspoken critic of the president, as “a little bit different” but remained optimistic about the meeting.
‘I give him a lot of credit.’
“He’s got a different philosophy,” Trump told Brian Kilmeade Friday. “He’s a little bit different.”
One of the focal points of Mamdani’s campaign was affordability, an issue that has also been a pillar of Trump’s administration. Although their respective solutions to address affordability are at odds, Trump maintained that the two New Yorkers are ultimately “looking for the same thing.”
RELATED: Is Trump meddling with Mamdani’s candidacy?
Photo by BG048/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
“I give him a lot of credit for the run. He did a successful run, and we all know that runs are not easy,” Trump said. “But I think we’ll get along fine. Look, we’re looking for the same thing. We want to make New York strong.”
Since his decisive victory in early November, Mamdani has continued to rail against Trump and his administration. During his victory speech, Mamdani infamously told Trump to “turn the volume up.” In response, Trump issued Mamdani a warning but commended his campaign nonetheless.
RELATED: Zohran Mamdani becomes first openly socialist mayor of New York City
Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
“Well, I was hitting him a little hard too, in all fairness,” Trump said. “It’s hard to be totally friendly to the opponent, you know. … He had some interesting opponents. But he ran a good race. I don’t know exactly what he means by ‘turn the volume up’ because ‘turn the volume up,’ he has to be careful when he says that to me.”
“I think it’s going to be quite civil. You’ll find out.”
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A payout scheme for senators deepens the gap between DC and the rest of us
During the final hours of the shutdown fight earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) slipped a toxic provision into the continuing resolution that reopened the government. The clause created a special pathway for select senators to sue the federal government, bypass its usual legal defenses, and claim large payouts if their records were subpoenaed during the Arctic Frost investigation.
The result? About eight senators could demand $500,000 for every “instance” of seized data. Those instances could stack, pushing potential payouts into the tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. That is not an exaggeration. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has all but celebrated the prospect.
Graham said he wanted ‘tens of millions of dollars’ for seized records while victims of weaponization still face shattered lives.
No one else would qualify for compensation. Only senators. Anyone who spent years helping victims of political weaponization — often pro bono, while prestige law firms chased billable hours — can see the corruption in plain view. The message this provision sends on the central Trump-era promise of accountability could not be weaker: screw the people, pay the pols.
The surveillance of senators was wrong. It should never have happened. But senators did not face what ordinary Americans endured. Senators maintain large campaign accounts to hire top lawyers. They operate out of official offices, armed with constitutional protections such as the Speech and Debate Clause. They do not lose their homes, jobs, savings, or businesses. Thousands of Americans did. Many still face legal bills, ruined livelihoods, and ongoing cases. They deserve restitution — not the politicians who failed them.
Graham helped push this provision forward. As public criticism grew, he defended it. On Sean Hannity’s show the other day, he said: “My phone records were seized. I’m not going to put up with this crap. I’m going to sue.” Hannity asked how much. Graham replied: “Tens of millions of dollars.”
Democrats will replay that clip across every battleground in the country going into an uphill midterm battle in 2026.
Graham embodies the worst messenger for this fight. He helped fuel weaponization long before he claimed victimhood. He urged the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to pass the Steele dossier to the FBI. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he did nothing to slow the Justice Department and FBI as they pursued political targets. He even supported many of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees who later embraced aggressive lawfare tactics. If anyone owed restitution to victims, Graham sits high on the list.
RELATED: Trump’s pardons expose the left’s vast lawfare machine
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Fortunately, enough Republicans recognize the political and moral disaster of funneling taxpayer funds to senators while real victims remain abandoned. The House advanced a measure today to repeal the provision. Led by Reps. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas), the House forced the Senate to address in public what it attempted to smuggle through in private.
Thune defended the measure in comments to Axios. He argued that only senators suffered statutory violations and said the provision was crafted to avoid covering House members. He did not explain why any House member who was illegally surveilled should receive no remedy.
The Senate leader also claimed the financial penalty would deter a future Justice Department from targeting lawmakers, citing the actions of special counsel Jack Smith. His emphasis on “future” misconduct glossed over a critical fact: The provision is retroactive and would cover past abuses.
That defense cannot survive daylight. Repeal requires 60 Senate votes, and not a single Democrat will fight to preserve a payout for Graham. Republicans should not try either. Efforts to strike the measure need to begin immediately. Senators — especially Thune — should commit to an up-or-down vote. If they want to send tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to Graham, they should do it in public, with the country watching.
Washington already reeks of grift and self-dealing this year. If senators protect this provision, that smell will spread nationwide.
