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As international competition for trade, commerce and military power in the Pacific grow, America’s maritime decline threatens our national security and our economy. The only way to fix it is to rebuild American shipbuilding with American workers and American crews.

In the 20th century, we were a dominant maritime power, with massive fleets and shipyards that helped secure victory in World War II and meant most goods traveled the world on U.S.-built ships. But that edge has disappeared over time. For much of the 21st century, shipbuilding remained on the back burner of national priorities, shipyards shrank and closed, taking good-paying jobs with them.

China now dominates the world’s sea lanes and is massively outbuilding the United States on merchant and naval fleets. China has the world’s largest commercial fleet and is building over 1,000 vessels every year. In 2024, the United States built only five merchant vessels, while China built 1,400. China also has three times as many naval warships as the United States.

This has dangerous implications for our economic and maritime security. In the event of a military or trade conflict, President Xi Jinping could prohibit Chinese ships from entering American ports, an action that could cause industry bottlenecks, cut off supply to needed goods and jack up prices — basically overnight.

SEN WICKER: ENDING CHINA’S DRONE DOMINANCE WITH A MADE-IN-AMERICA REVIVAL

This is not just hypothetical. On April 3, 2025, China leveraged its virtual industrial shipping monopoly and prevented rare earth exports to the U.S., thereby kneecapping U.S. production on everything from smartphones to fighter jets. Although China’s action was ultimately narrow in scope, it showed the world that China could flex its muscle on the world’s seas with devastating effects for the United States and the global economy.

To maintain our economic and military leadership, America must rebuild its maritime industry.

And today, we have a president who seems to recognize this urgent need. In February, President Donald Trump unveiled his Maritime Action Plan, a blueprint to make American ships again. It would provide long-term and stable funding for U.S.-built ships, shipyards and mariners and cut regulatory red tape to meet the maritime needs of our country today.

REP. BRIAN MAST: DEMOCRATS' 43-DAY SHUTDOWN WAS NOT A STRATEGY — IT WAS A DISASTER

We share the goal of revitalizing the U.S. maritime sector. That’s why we introduced the SHIPS for America Act with Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young and Mississippi Republican Rep. Trent Kelly. It’s the most ambitious and comprehensive legislation in a generation to set America on the path to regain our position as the greatest maritime power in the world. 

The SHIPS for America Act sets a national goal of expanding the U.S.-flagged international fleet by 250 ships over 10 years, upgrading and expanding America’s private shipyards for repairing and building commercial ships, training and employing skilled workers and providing funding through the creation of the Strategic Commercial Fleet Program. 

Whether you’re talking about Mare Island in California or Gulf Port in Mississippi, this comprehensive bill would deliver much-needed investments to America’s rusted maritime sector. It would modernize shipyards, strengthen workforce development and stabilize supply chains so that we can have a modern, capable merchant and naval fleet while reducing dependence on foreign suppliers. All of that sends a signal to the industry: American shipbuilding is back, and it’s time to invest in it.

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That will create thousands of good-paying American jobs where workers can actually raise a family, save for the future and get ahead. Our SHIPS for America Act is about more than building ships in ports. It’s about building every part of a ship in America.

From the steel that makes up the ship’s hull to the electronics that are necessary to navigate across oceans, this will galvanize every industry that plays a part in building ships, benefiting not just coastal cities, but hardworking communities in every corner of the country.

Never before have we witnessed such comprehensive alignment among Republicans and Democrats, industry and organized labor for rebuilding our great nation’s maritime industry.

It’s clear to us that the opportunity is now. Let’s get to work.

Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate. He serves on the Armed Services, Environment and Public Works, Energy and Natural Resources, Aging, and Joint Economic Committees. He is chair of the Airland Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM SENATOR MARK KELLY

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The second James Comey indictment is not just absurd, it’s deeply troubling.

Trying to prosecute a guy for threatening the president’s life by posting a picture of seashells?

After a previous, much broader indictment against the fired FBI director despised by President Donald Trump was thrown out of court?

But don’t take my word for it:

JAMES COMEY INDICTED FOR ALLEGED THREATS AGAINST TRUMP: DOJ

ABC’s Jonathan Karl: "Even Trump’s allies are privately calling it ‘embarrassing,’ or as one very prominent former Trump DOJ official told me last night, ‘depressing.’"

National Review’s Andy McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor: "This farce, then, is nothing more than a continuation of Trump’s lawfare campaign against a political enemy. It is inconceivable that Comey could be convicted of a crime in these circumstances, but the president’s minions are putting him through the anxiety, expense, and stigma of the judicial process." 

Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley said on Fox: "I must be in a parallel universe to be talking about the shell art of James Comey…Just showing the picture’s going to be a weak case in terms of a threat."

"It’ll be thrown out. It’s classic revenge," Ty Cobb, a Trump White House lawyer in the first term, told CNN.

LEGAL EXPERTS WARN COMEY ‘86 47’ INDICTMENT FACES FIRST AMENDMENT HURDLES

The seashell collection, which Comey said he found on a North Carolina beach, said 86 47. In restaurant parlance, 86 means to get rid of a customer or dish, not kill them. And the other numbers refer to the 47th president. It was spectacularly bad judgment for Comey to post the photo on his Instagram account.

But after an uproar, Comey deleted the posting and said he in no way meant to suggest political violence.

 "I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go," Comey said after the new charges were filed.

It’s no secret at this point that the Justice Department has become an aggressive player in Trump’s retribution campaign. One reason he fired Pam Bondi as attorney general is that he was unhappy with the pace of the probes.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche denied yesterday that the president had ordered him to bring the indictment. "Anybody who tries to put forward some narrative that this is just about seashells or something to the contrary is missing the point," he told CBS. "You cannot threaten the president of the United States."

But Trump didn’t have to make a secret phone call to demand the indictment. He talks openly about those he views as enemies, such as Letitia James. He said he was glad when ex-special prosecutor Bob Mueller died.

In the past, Trump has referred to Comey as "scum," "slimeball" and a "lying scumbag."

Trump told reporters yesterday that 86 is "a mob term for kill them, you know? You ever see the movies? "‘86 ‘em,’ the mobster says to one of his wonderful associates."

Pressed by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on whether he felt his life was in danger, Trump said "probably."

"The people like Comey have created tremendous danger, I think, for politicians and others. You know, Comey is a dirty cop, he’s a very dirty cop...He’s a crooked man."

Other presidents might have declined comment on what is now an ongoing criminal prosecution, but that’s not Donald Trump.

FORMER FBI AGENT SAYS COMEY CHARGES HINGE ON INTENT EVIDENCE AND JURY INTERPRETATION

The first indictment, last September, came after Secret Service agents tracked down the former FBI chief. It included charges of leaking and lying to Congress, but Tuesday’s stripped-down version deals only with the shell photo.

Trump defenders say he was persecuted during his first term with four criminal cases. So this, in their view, is proper payback.

But during the campaign I lost track of how many times Trump told me "the best retribution will be success."

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

Instead, he’s gone after political opponents, law firms, news organizations and others with a vengeance.

These efforts have so far fallen short in court. The Comey indictment is such a stretch that even most conservative legal commentators aren’t defending it.  

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A group of cultural and historic preservation groups on Wednesday called on a federal judge to block President Donald Trump from making major renovations to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which has undergone significant changes since the president returned to office last year.

The groups asked U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent any construction ahead of the scheduled July 6 project launch, saying they worry the president and the center's board of trustees will ignore historic preservation rules that aim to maintain the building.

Attorney Greg Werkheiser said after the hearing that the laws that govern the process "go to the very fundamental question of: Do we slow down and take stock before we make changes to properties that define the American experience?"

Justice Department attorneys, representing the president and board, argued that the administration's plans for the building are limited in scope and well within the authority of the board as they claimed extra approvals were not needed.

TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER'S BOARD VOTES UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE $257M RENOVATIONS AND TWO-YEAR CLOSURE

After returning to the White House, Trump ousted the center's previous leadership and replaced it with a handpicked board of allies who named him chairman, a move that sparked backlash from many artists. Trump's name was also later added to the building’s facade so that it reads: "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."

Trump announced the scheduled renovations for the center earlier this year.

The hearing on Wednesday came after a separate one the day before regarding the future of the center.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, has also filed a lawsuit to stop renovations as an ex officio member of the board, and Cooper is also overseeing that case.

The center's executive director, Matt Floca, a former facilities manager who was bumped up to the Trump-selected board, testified that the scheduled renovations are simply to repair decades of wear and tear, including extensive water damage to a part of the building that was nicknamed "the swamp."

"The most efficient and effective way to complete the magnitude of projects we need to complete is to close the center," Floca said.

Attorneys for the preservation groups questioned claims about the limited scope of the project, citing Trump's statements that he would "fully expose" the building's steel skeleton.

Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth said those concerns have been blown out of proportion.

"There’s no risk that there will be unilateral changes … that we’ll wake up and the building will be gone," Roth said.

TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER'S NEW LEADER REVEALED AS RIC GRENELL EXITS TOP ROLE

The lawsuits regarding the Kennedy Center's fate come amid other fights against Trump's efforts to change historical landmarks in the nation's capital.

Since he returned to office last year, Trump has frustrated preservationists, including by paving over the White House’s Rose Garden. Last year, the White House tore down its East Wing to make room for the president's proposed $400 million ballroom, although construction of the ballroom has been halted by a judge as litigation continues.

Trump also has plans to erect a 250-foot "triumphal arch" to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The North Carolina State Board of Elections identified approximately 34,000 dead people on the state's voter rolls following a comprehensive data comparison with a federal database.

Earlier this month, the NCSBE submitted over 7.3 million voter records to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database as part of an initiative to strengthen the accuracy and integrity of the state's voter registration list. The NCSBE clarified that the identification of deceased individuals on the state's voter rolls does not necessarily indicate illegal votes were cast.

"While we expected to find some cases, this is higher than we anticipated," Sam Hayes, the executive director of the State Board of Elections, said in a press release. 

"The benefit of entering into cross-state and federal database checks is that it allows us to uncover issues like this. Our goal is to use every available and legal tool at our disposal to achieve the most accurate voter rolls possible," he continued. "Now, we must roll up our sleeves and begin the hard work to act of verifying that every person registered to vote in North Carolina is eligible. Our team, along with our state and federal will do what’s necessary to meet this responsibility."

TRUMP DOJ DEMANDS MINNESOTA VOTING RECORDS OVER SAME-DAY REGISTRATION 'VOUCHING' CONCERNS

The discovery came amid the agency's ongoing effort to verify the citizenship status of voters, which the NCSBE voted along party lines earlier this month to do after facing lawsuits from the Trump administration for allegedly failing to maintain an accurate voter list.

The NCSBE said it will work with county boards of elections to remove the names from the voter rolls.

Federal law requires states to remove from their voter rolls people who are ineligible for reasons such as being deceased and North Carolina already has a process of biennial list maintenance to remove ineligible voters from its roles, according to Dr. Andy Jackson, Director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, who indicated that the state removed 500,000 ineligible voters through this program in 2025. 

However, as Jackson points out for deceased voters, it can take 8 to 10 years for their names to be removed.

"Working with the SAVE database has already helped improve" North Carolina's list maintenance system, Jackson added, calling the system "crucial."

ELECTION PROBE TARGETS 'UNUSUAL' REPORTS IN WAKE OF VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING REFERENDUM: AFPI

The second Trump administration has increased oversight and investigations into election integrity matters, including through updates to the SAVE program last year.

The Trump administration has also launched a nationwide push to obtain full statewide voter-registration lists and list-maintenance records, suing those states failing to comply. The Justice Department has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia to try to force the release of the data, according to the Associated Press.

The Republican National Committee's official election integrity account on X said that the findings in North Carolina "is EXACTLY" why the Trump administration is forcing states to clean up their voter rolls.

"Turns out checking state voter rolls against federal records actually helps keep them more accurate. Who knew?" quipped Ohio Secretary of State and candidate for Ohio Auditor of State Frank LaRose.

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The "peace talks" with Iran – if they can even be called that – are going nowhere fast.

First, President Donald Trump canceled a visit by JD Vance to the non-existent talks. Then he canceled the lower-level delegation of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Now the Iranians have come back with a proposal that entirely favors them – and which Trump has already rejected. 

The murderous mullahs say they want to end their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. halts its blockade of Iranian ports. So far so good.

TRUMP PUSHES SHAKY DEAL WITH IRAN AS HORMUZ IS SHUT AGAIN, BUT OPPONENTS GIVE HIM NO CREDIT FOR PROGRESS

But then – guess what – they would put off the question of nuclear disarmament till some undetermined time in the future.

The president’s response to their pitch: How about never? Does never work for you?  

Trump has told advisers he is not satisfied with the proposal, submitted through the mediators in Pakistan. Frustrated might be a better word.

TRUMP’S LAST-MINUTE DELAY: WHY HE WAS NEVER GOING TO OBLITERATE IRAN IN THE FIRST PLACE

The president posted before Saturday’s attempted assassination: "Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the ‘Hardliners,’ who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the ‘Moderates,’ who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!"

Marco Rubio said: "What we’re dealing with here is a regime that’s run by a bunch of lunatics. They chant ‘death to America, ‘death to Israel,’ and we have to take that seriously."

He added: "The goal here is simple: they can never have a nuclear weapon. And if you want to make sure they never have a nuclear weapon, you have to take away the things that would allow them to deliver one. That means their missiles, their drones, and their ability to threaten the region. So yes, that includes going after those capabilities."

Since U.S. airstrikes killed all of Iran’s top leaders, Axios reports, the government is consumed by "warring factions" that cannot settle on a "coherent" position.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf, has been taking a hard line.

Meanwhile, despite a ceasefire orchestrated by Trump, Israel and Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, continue to attack each other in Lebanon. Hezbollah has rejected the peace plan.

"The United States is no longer in a position to dictate its policy tto independent nations," said Defense Ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik, adding that the Trump administration "must abandon its illegal and irrational demands."

Oil prices have shot up as the peace process remains in limbo. Gas prices rose yesterday to an average of $4.18 a gallon, their highest level in four years.

All this has fueled criticism that Trump, under pressure from Israel, launched the war impulsively and without a clear exit strategy.

The president keeps saying he’s won the war and "we have all the cards."

But Trump is boxed in at the moment. He badly wants out of an unpopular war, but Iran, as usual, is being intransigent. And no agreement on nukes is worth anything without independent inspections. This was the same dilemma that faced the Obama administration.

WHY TRUMP’S WAR SPEECH FAILED: DECLARING VICTORY BUT STILL BOMBING IRAN BACK TO THE ‘STONE AGES’

The United Arab Emirates, which just left OPEC, could provide additional oil shipments now freed from the alliance’s restrictions.

There is a political dimension to this standoff as well. If Trump can’t come to terms on Iran’s nuclear enrichment – the very reason for going to war – it will undermine his ability to claim victory, as Tehran well knows.

The president posted yesterday:

"Iran has just informed us that they are in a ‘State of Collapse.’ They want us to 'Open the Hormuz Strait,' as soon as possible." Now why would they tell him that?

Here’s one thing I know from decades of covering the man: Despite his threats to destroy Iranian civilization, Trump will never do that. His heart isn’t in it. He doesn’t want to go down in the history books as having wiped out an ancient civilization.

That’s why Trump keeps extending the ceasefire deadlines in hopes of reaching anything he can pronounce a reasonable agreement.

The U.S. military, as the president says, has obliterated Iran’s air force and navy. In that sense, it’s been a major victory, even if Democrats and some of Trump’s former allies in conservative media don’t want to admit it.

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But Iran does have one card to play, and that is doing nothing.

Donald Trump started this war, and after two months, is still trying to figure out how to get out of it.

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The University of Nebraska at Kearney canceled a transgender-focused faculty training module after backlash erupted online and drew swift condemnation from Republican Gov. Jim Pillen.

The voluntary workshop, titled "How Can I Move From Supporting to Empowering Trans-spectrum Students?", was part of the school’s Monday Morning Mentor series and referenced a 20-minute program developed by a North Carolina college aimed at helping professors create a more inclusive classroom environment.

The program drew attention after Libs of TikTok shared a university email about the training on X, criticizing the initiative and calling for the school to be defunded.

"University of Nebraska at Kearney … wants faculty to attend a meeting where they’ll be taught about Empowering Trans Students and creating a DEI-inclusive classroom," the account posted. "This university receives our tax dollars … DEFUND … So sick of this trash."

TRUMP ADMIN TERMINATES SOME AGREEMENTS WITH DISTRICTS, COLLEGE ON TRANSGENDER STUDENTS

Pillen reposted the criticism Monday and condemned the training.

"This nonsense is completely irrelevant and destructive to the University of Nebraska’s teaching mission, and out of touch with the values of the state it serves," Pillen wrote on X. "University leaders must immediately root out this and all other similar programming across the entire system."

He warned that failure to act could lead to investigations or funding cuts.

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD MEETING FALLS INTO CHAOS AMID SJSU LAWSUIT VS TRUMP ADMIN OVER TRANS SCANDAL

"If the University cannot police its own ranks and rid itself of the woke disease that has degraded so many 'elite' higher education institutions, it risks investigations, cuts to its funding, and, most importantly, the loss of the confidence of the people it serves," he added.

The university removed the module Tuesday, according to Nebraska Public Media.

UNK said its focus "remains on rigorous academics and student success through effective teaching and creating a welcoming environment for all students," the outlet reported, and that "the module referenced has been removed."

NUMBER OF YOUNG ADULTS IDENTIFYING AS TRANSGENDER PLUNGES BY NEARLY HALF IN TWO YEARS

"We have addressed the issue and corrected our review process moving forward," the school said.

Pillen later called the decision "good news."

"Following my post last night, the University of Nebraska at Kearney took down the objectionable content," he wrote on X. "That is good news."

He added that higher education institutions must remain aligned with public expectations.

"The mission of education in America is not the advancement of woke indoctrination — it’s to grow critical learners and thinkers prepared to become the next generation of leaders and business builders," Pillen said. "That’s the mission, and we cannot allow Nebraska institutions to be distracted from it."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the University of Nebraska at Kearney for comment.

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A Florida man is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting a woman in the neck and dragging her back into her home, authorities said.

Officers with the Wildwood Police Department responded around 11:30 p.m. Saturday to reports of an argument followed by a gunshot, according to an arrest report cited by WKMG.

When police arrived, they found a woman with a gunshot wound to the neck lying in a driveway. She was airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

FLORIDA MAN WHO WAS HALF-NAKED, 'HIGH ON METH' BREAKS INTO HOME, GRABS CARPET CLEANER

Robert Anthony Morgan, 40, was arrested and charged with attempted felony murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and discharging a firearm in public or on residential property.

Police said Morgan was seen crawling under a partially open garage door before jumping into a backyard pool. Officers pulled him from the water and took him into custody.

The victim’s mother told investigators there was a history of domestic violence between Morgan and the victim. She said she saw him drag the woman back onto the property after the shooting, according to WKMG.

BODY CAMERA VIDEO SHOWS POLICE OFFICER ALLEGEDLY KIDNAPPED BY ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECT IN ROADSIDE SHOWDOWN

When she asked if he had called for help, Morgan allegedly replied, "She’s fine," and threatened to shoot her if she contacted police.

Authorities recovered a rifle from the garage floor and found blood in the street leading to the home, WESH reported.

The woman’s four children were inside the home at the time of the incident, according to reports.

Morgan, who has a prior conviction for felony battery, made an initial court appearance Monday and is being held without bond.

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