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Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is facing escalating backlash from within his own party, with one House Democrat saying this week she has more success working with a Republican senator and another calling for him to step down.The criticism reflects growing friction between Fetterman and his progressive political base as he breaks with Democrats on key issues, including his support for Israel, backing of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and openness to voter ID. Once a darling of the political left who exchanged endorsements with socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Fetterman now finds himself a target of attacks from his own party.”I have more success in working with the one on the R side of the aisle than I do with the D side of the aisle,” Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., said at a recent event, contrasting Fetterman with Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa.DAVID MARCUS: CAN JOHN FETTERMAN SAVE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FROM ITSELF?The remark drew jeers from the audience at the event, where Houlahan spoke in opposition to the SAVE America Act, GOP-led legislation that includes voter ID requirements and other changes to election rules.Houlahan urged voters to call “the office of your choice in the Senate” to voice opposition to the bill, adding that requiring “some form of ID is not an unreasonable ask,” but that “this bill is not that.”Fetterman did not respond to a request for comment but said in a March 17 statement that he would vote against beginning debate on the bill while underlining his support for Voter ID.”Stop turning this into a Christmas list and attacking vote-by-mail,” he said.Houlahan declined further comment.Last week, Rep. Brendan Boyle of Northeast Philadelphia took intraparty tensions with Fetterman to the next level by demanding his ouster.Boyle, who did not respond to a request for comment, lambasted Fetterman for helping Mullin get confirmed.”Once again Senator Fetterman shows why he is Trump’s favorite Democrat,” Boyle said in a statement. “He needs to go.”‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOST JOY BEHAR UNLOADS ON FETTERMAN FOR BACKING TRUMP’S DHS PICKRep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., a combat veteran and political moderate who has vocally opposed Mullin’s candidacy, echoed Boyle and blasted Fetterman for effectively getting the secretary confirmed.”If you needed any more proof that Fetterman has completely abandoned his constituents, here it is. Pennsylvanians deserve a Senator that actually fights for them,” Ryan said in a statement.Fetterman was not always a political maverick, having once been a progressive favorite praised for his blunt and unfiltered style. As lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, he championed the legalization of marijuana and pushed aggressively for criminal justice reforms supported by Democrats. He aligned with the democratic-socialist Sanders wing of the party and hung pride and weed flags from his balcony at the State Capitol.In 2020, Harrisburg Republicans inserted language in a budget bill to ban flags other than the national, commonwealth and POW/MIA banners from being posted at the Capitol, to which Fetterman quipped, “it’s kind of flattering that they changed Pennsylvania law just for me.”Now, Fetterman recently claimed his party is “governed by TDS” — Trump Derangement Syndrome — and that he will always refuse to label Republican opponents “fascist” or make references to the Third Reich.Fetterman also told “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” that he has encountered his former 2022 Republican foe Dr. Mehmet Oz — the current federal Medicaid administrator — and that the two maintain a civil relationship with no ill will.He also issued a statement defending his support for Mullin.”In January, I called on the president to fire [Kristi] Noem — and he did. I truly approached the confirmation of my colleague and friend, Senator Mullin, with an open mind,” Fetterman said.”We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS. My ‘aye’ is rooted in a strong committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin for our nation’s security.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, blasted Democrats on Wednesday for, in his view, dodging attempts to put an end to the funding lapse for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has stretched past the 40-day mark over disagreements about imposing safeguards on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.Cruz argued Democrats would endanger the country by allowing the enduring gridlock to continue.”They are only responsive to their radical open-border base,” Cruz said.A compromise to separate out funding and ICE from the rest of DHS looked poised to finally break the stalemate earlier this week, but those talks stalled amid fierce criticism from both sides.JOHNSON TURNS UP HEAT ON SCHUMER AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON, AIRPORT DELAYS MOUNTTo Cruz, the blame lies squarely with Democrats. Asked if they’re moving the goalposts, Cruz said there’s little doubt in his mind that’s the case.”Of course they are. Chuck Schumer went on Morning Joe and said, “If the Republicans offer to fund everything except [Enforcement and Removal Operations] and ICE, that he will take that deal,” Cruz said.”And so, the Republicans came back, President Trump said, ‘We’ll take your deal.’ And [Chuck] Schumer just walked all the Democrats off and said, ‘No, we don’t want that deal. We want a shutdown.’”SEN KENNEDY SAYS HE WOULD ACCEPT DEMOCRATS’ OFFER TO ‘OPEN UP EVERYTHING’ BUT ICEFunding for DHS originally lapsed on Feb 14 when Democrats made their support for funding the DHS conditional on 10 operational reforms to ICE.Among other items, Democrats demanded a ban on masks, more stringent warrant requirements for detaining suspects in public and visible identification for the agency’s agents.Following a pair of deadly confrontations between Immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota and civilian protestors, Democrats argue that lawmakers must implement those reforms to ensure public safety.Republicans have balked at those demands, arguing that they would handcuff Trump’s immigration enforcement plans.Cruz believes there’s a greater danger to leaving the agency unfunded.”We’ve had four terror attacks in the last two weeks all by radical Islamic terrorists,” Cruz said. “DHS was created to prevent terror attacks and yet the Democrats are putting every American at risk because of their radical politics.”SCHUMER KNOCKS TRUMP ON IRAN, PLAN TO SEND ICE TO AIRPORTS: ‘ASKING FOR TROUBLE’A vehicle-ramming at a synagogue in Michigan, a university shooting in Virginia, the detonation attempts in New York and another shooting in Texas have left members like Cruz urging Democrats to fully fund the agency.”The Democrats don’t care,” Cruz said.Among continuing talks, Republicans have presented Democrats with what they described as a “final offer.” It remains unclear when the details of those negotiations will become publicly available.

President Donald Trump’s push to expand U.S. mining and loosen China’s global grip on critical minerals is colliding with his administration’s defense in court of a Biden-era veto blocking Alaska’s copper-rich Pebble Mine, reviving scrutiny of Donald Trump Jr.’s past opposition to the project.The fight over Pebble Mine has spanned multiple administrations. Including in 2014, when the Obama Environmental Protection Agency concluded mining in Bristol Bay’s headwaters could damage the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery. Biden’s EPA vetoed the project in January 2023, prompting a lawsuit from Pebble and the state of Alaska. The Trump Department of Justice is now defending that veto in court. The clash under the Trump administration has given Pebble supporters new ammunition to argue the White House is undercutting its own agenda as Trump races to secure domestic supplies of copper and other minerals critical to defense systems and advanced technology.It also puts Trump Jr.’s stance on Pebble Mine back in focus. In 2020, Trump Jr. publicly opposed the mine, joining GOP operative Nick Ayers, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, in citing concerns about the local bay’s ecosystem. FROM MOJAVE TO BEIJING: HOW AMERICA QUIETLY CONCEDED THE RARE EARTH RACE”As a sportsman who has spent plenty of time in the area I agree 100% [with Ayers],” Trump Jr. wrote on X in August 2020. “The headwaters of Bristol Bay and the surrounding fishery are too unique and fragile to take any chances with. #PebbleMine.”John Shively, CEO of Pebble Limited Partnership, the company hoping to develop the mine, contended that the Trump DOJ defending the Biden-era veto undermines the president’s agenda and would force the United States to cede copper and rare earth minerals to Beijing. Shively called the veto a “textbook example of D.C. bureaucrats imposing their will on Alaska.””It sort of conflicts a little bit with what President Trump is doing,” Shively told Fox News Digital in an interview. “I’ll give him credit. One of the things I like to say in life is, ‘If you don’t recognize a problem, you’re never going to solve it.’ Well, they have recognized we’re in serious trouble in getting minerals in this country and metals, and so it’s a little surprising they continued the EPA lawsuit.”The White House and EPA did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. The DOJ, which is representing EPA in court as it fights to keep the Biden-era veto in place, declined to comment and deferred to the EPA.Since Trump took office, his administration has moved quickly to dismantle the environmental policies of his liberal predecessors and strengthen the United States’ mineral supply. Trump signed executive orders that declared a national emergency on critical minerals, directed federal agencies to fast-track permitting processes and expanded the government’s list of critical minerals by adding copper and nine others to the list.Trump Jr., an avid outdoorsman, has not spoken to the president or anyone in the administration during this term about Pebble Mine, but he did weigh in on the matter with his father in the first term, a source close to Trump Jr. told Fox News Digital. One industry source who spoke to Fox News Digital pointed to Trump Jr. and Ayers, attributing the Trump administration’s position on Pebble Mine in part to them. Ayers, like Trump Jr., openly opposed the mine in an X post in 2020.”Like millions of conservationists and sportsmen, I am hoping @realDonaldTrump will direct @EPA to block the Pebble mine in Bristol Bay,” Ayers wrote on X. “A Canadian company will unnecessarily mine the USA’s greatest fishery at a severe cost. This should be stopped.” Pebble, which is spearheading the mine project, is a U.S. offshoot of Canadian company Northern Dynasty Minerals.Ayers did not provide comment for this story.The source close to Trump Jr. said that in the first administration, the president’s son told associates he was concerned, having been to Bristol Bay to fish on multiple occasions, about the mine’s potential effect on the ecosystem there.The industry source balked at the Trump administration’s Pebble Mine contradiction, saying it was rooted in profit motives. The source told Fox News Digital that “these guys are cheap dates. … Like you sold your soul for a fishing trip on a boat for a week.” “How can you open at the one hand this reserve of rare earths to stop the Chinese from cornering the market, but then say, ‘We’re not going to have our own mining industry’?” the source said.CHINA’S RARE EARTH TECH OBSESSION ENSNARES US RESIDENT AS CCP LOOKS TO MAINTAIN STRANGLEHOLDWhen asked about potential outside influences affecting the administration’s position, Shively said: “Instead of focusing on comments from the past, we hope the administration is worried about the next president using this EPA veto to shut down signature Trump energy and critical mineral projects.”The veto, also known as a “kill switch,” is a rarely-used mechanism of the Clean Water Act. The law allows a company to seek a mining permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but the EPA can use the kill switch to block the permit.Pebble’s permit request was rejected in the first Trump term, but Pebble won a reversal of that decision through an internal appeals process. That internal process was still playing out when the Biden administration issued the veto.Pebble is asking the court to scrap the veto and allow the company to continue with the permitting process.Pebble lawyers have argued that the company “spent decades and a billion dollars planning the safest and least impactful mine possible” and that studies adequately addressed the salmon concerns.China is the world’s leading import source for more than two dozen critical minerals, including most rare earth minerals. The Trump administration has said that domestic access to critical minerals, including rare earths, is fundamental to national security and AI infrastructure.The United States has, in recent decades, gone from dominating the production of the world’s rare earths to relying on China, which now controls roughly 70% of mining and nearly 90% of refining, Fox News Digital previously reported. China dominates the refining of many critical minerals and more than half of global copper refining, while the U.S. imports roughly 45% of its copper supply. Pebble says the mine could supply about 15% of U.S. copper demand.”We’ve already committed to building a lot more defense capacity,” Shively said, noting that copper would be used for nuclear submarines, large aircraft carriers, jets and more crucial defense supplies.In addition to copper, the Pebble mineral deposit is also rich in rare earths, Shively said, noting Pebble could mine rhenium and molydbdenum, which is used to strengthen steel. Shively said the veto, if the court approves it, would set a dangerous precedent that allows future administrations and activists to level broader Clean Water Act vetoes. The current veto targets an expansive 220,000-acre area of Alaska containing an estimated 80 billion pounds of copper, according to court papers. “If they can use this tool against us, they can use it anywhere in the country,” Shively said. “And when you get rabid environmentalists in government, they tend to use these kinds of tools.”Briefing in the lawsuit is set to be completed by mid-April, and the court could issue a decision anytime after that or call for oral arguments to continue examining the fight.

The mother of a slain Washington, D.C. congressional intern urged the family of Sheridan Gorman to “fight back” after she wrote a touching tribute on the college student’s obituary.Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman, 18, was shot and killed on March 19 while she was at a pier near campus in the city’s Rogers Park area. 25-year-old Jose Medina-Medina, the suspect in Gorman’s murder, entered the country illegally on May 9, 2023, and was apprehended then released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym, whose son Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting in Washington, D.C., June 30, 2025, wrote a touching tribute to Gorman and her family after she was killed.”My sincerest condolences to the family. I and my family understand what you are going through as I went through the same thing July 1, 2025 with our innocent 21 yr old son. I pray for all of you,” Tarpinian-Jachym wrote. “The pain is the worse pain any family can go through and know your family is in my prayers along with all the other families who have gone through this.”FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON XIn an interview with Fox News Digital, Tarpinian-Jachym said she was “disgusted” upon learning about Gorman’s death.”I cried. I was angered. I was disgusted. This is an ongoing issue in Chicago and a lot of these cities that should have never happened,” she said. “I was just really angered at that and, um, angered that there are no people in elected positions in these cities, in states. They just don’t care. They don’t about us, the victims, and the lifelong trauma this has on a family.”Tarpinian-Jachym’s son, Eric, was killed in a drive-by shooting when several individuals exited a vehicle and began firing shots at a group of people, which included the congressional intern. He wasn’t the intended target, police said.SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER”They need to fight. And I think parents of victims. We need to band together, all together,” Tarpinian-Jachym said. “My heart goes out to the Gormans. I understand what they’re going through.” Tarpinian-Jachym also said she thinks leadership in Chicago and Illinois need to be held responsible.SEND US A TIP HERE”The people in charge in Chicago should be held responsible for this. You know, I think the governor, the mayor, it’s disgusting what they’ve been saying for the last year. It really, it’s heart-wrenching to me that all these people are getting murdered,” she said.Medina-Medina is expected in court Friday morning.LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCASTGorman, who attended Yorktown High School in Yorktown Heights, New York, was described in an obituary as someone who “had a way of making people feel seen, valued, and believed in.” While in high school, Gorman participated in field hockey, lacrosse and bowling “among many other activities.””People often say someone ‘lit up a room’ or had ‘inner and outer beauty,’ but in Sheridan’s case, those phrases fall way too short. She radiated something even greater—a rare and unmistakable warmth, a spirit that was vibrant, compassionate, and full of life. She was funny, kind, and deeply loving, with a heart that made space for everyone,” her obituary states. “She loved fiercely—her family, her friends, her community, and her faith. She brought people together, lifted them up, and made the ordinary moments feel extraordinary simply by being in them.”LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUBMedina-Medina, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to DHS.Following an arrest for shoplifting in Chicago, Medina was released on June 19, 2023, DHS said.He was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, three felony counts of aggravated assault with discharge of firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the Chicago Police Department.At the time of his June 2023 arrest, Medina-Medina told officials he was living at Leone Beach Park fieldhouse in Rogers Park in 2023, which was being used as a city-sponsored shelter for migrants.