NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Americans are rightfully concerned about affordability. From healthcare and housing to groceries and utility bills, Americans have been finding these everyday necessities difficult to afford for far too many years. In response, President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are pursuing multiple policies meant to lower costs for the American people. While the President and our former Republican congressional colleagues usually have good economic and regulatory instincts, there are some policies worth reconsidering, as they could exacerbate the affordability crisis.For example, as Congress assesses the proposed 10 percent price cap on credit, Republicans should follow their instincts by recognizing price controls like this have a long history of producing harmful unintended consequences for working families and small businesses.When governments mandate an artificially low price for a product or service in a competitive market, the result is always the same: reduced supply. This is not just a theory. It’s historical fact. In 1971, President Nixon set price controls on retail gasoline sales. Because drivers paid less at the pump than the true cost of gas, demand increased. But since producers and gasoline retailers could not recover their full costs from the artificially low prices, they supplied less to the market. The result was a predictable shortage of…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Thursday that his country could “completely destroy” South Korea if it feels threatened, escalating rhetoric while ruling out renewed talks.Speaking at North Korea’s week-long Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, Kim labeled South Korea the “most hostile enemy” and said “the conciliatory attitude that South Korea’s current government advocates on the surface is clumsily deceptive and crude,” according to state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).Kim said North Korea “can initiate arbitrary action” if South Korea engages in “obnoxious behavior” directed at his country, dismissing recent efforts by Seoul to improve relations.”South Korea’s complete collapse cannot be ruled out,” Kim said, according to KCNA. During the congress, Kim outlined sweeping five-year policy goals centered on expanding North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. The country is believed to possess around 50 warheads and enough fissile material to produce up to 40 more, according to an estimate last year from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.The North Korean leader said the country’s “international status has risen extraordinarily.””It is our party’s firm will to further expand and strengthen our national nuclear power, and thoroughly exercise its status…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! An official with the Department of Homeland Security told state election officials Wednesday that federal immigration agents will not be stationed at polling locations during the November midterm elections, as some Democrats have warned the Trump administration could attempt to interfere in the elections through intimidation or racial profiling.Heather Honey, DHS’ deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, told secretaries of state on a call that “any suggestion that ICE will be present at any polling location is simply not true,” according to Arizona’s Democrat Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.A spokeswoman for Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, also a Democrat, said Honey likewise assured officials that immigration agents would not be stationed at polling locations. Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, also posted on X that DHS “confirms to Secretaries of State that ICE agents will not be at voting locations this year.”Honey, who has previously endorsed claims that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election against former President Joe Biden, participated in the call, which also included representatives of the FBI, US Election Assistance Commission, Postal Service and other federal agencies to discuss coordination ahead of the midterms. Fox…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the backlog of VA disability compensation and pension benefit claims is “consistently” under 100,000 for the first time since 2020.The last time the backlog was this low was in May 2020, during President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House.”Under President Trump, VA is providing Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors all of the benefits they have earned as quickly and conveniently as possible,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins said in a news release.This milestone means the department has now slashed the backlog of veterans waiting for VA benefits by 63% since Trump returned to office in January 2025 after it rose 24% under the Biden administration, according to the release. The department said that reducing the claims backlog has been an urgent priority for Collins.The claims backlog was well above 100,000 from 2021 to 2024 during the Biden administration and was at 264,717 when Trump returned to office. During Trump’s first administration, the department reached the lowest disability claims backlog on Dec. 21, 2019, when it was at 64,783 claims.A VA claim for compensation or pension is considered backlogged once it has been…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Baltimore man faces first-degree murder and multiple armed robbery charges after authorities say he carried out a nine-day crime spree that left a convenience store clerk dead.Baltimore police said 52-year-old Brian Burrows was arrested in connection with a commercial armed robbery and the fatal shooting of Khaled Saleh Mohamed Alshariki on Feb. 13.Court records show Burrows has been charged in three separate cases stemming from incidents on Feb. 6, Feb. 13 and Feb. 15. In total, he faces 21 charges, including one count of first-degree murder, three counts each of armed robbery, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in a violent crime and handgun on person.He also faces two counts each of robbery and second-degree assault, along with charges including reckless endangerment, theft and discharging a firearm. According to police, officers responded to reports of a shooting around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 13 and found a 36-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso. The victim, later identified as Alshariki, was transported to a nearby hospital where he died.FOX45 News in Baltimore reported it obtained charging documents in the cases, which state surveillance footage captured a suspect approaching Alshariki…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Chagos Islands deal fell into disarray Wednesday amid conflicting U.K. government messages about whether ratification was paused for talks with the United States over the strategic Indian Ocean military base Diego Garcia.Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer had told members of Parliament that ratification of the deal to cede the islands to Mauritius had been paused while discussions with Washington continued.A U.K. government spokesperson later denied there was any formal suspension of the process, insisting no deadline had ever been set and reiterating that Britain would not move forward without American backing.”We are continuing discussions with the U.S., and we have been clear we will not proceed without their support,” the spokesperson said, Reuters reported. The confusion saw critics claim the deal reveals weaknesses that could affect Western security amid heightened tensions.”The U.S. saw this first-hand when the U.K. alerted Mauritius to an impending operation against Iran — an alert Mauritius then protested,” Robert Midgley, spokesperson for Friends of the British Overseas Territories, told Fox News Digital.”This is what prompted President [Donald] Trump’s statement,” Midgley said, after Trump publicly criticized the deal despite having initially supported it.Trump had reignited the controversy Feb.…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Trump administration has moved to block the Venezuelan government from covering the legal expenses of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as he fights federal drug trafficking and weapons charges in New York, according to a court filing from his attorney.Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty in federal court in New York on Jan. 5 to drug trafficking and weapons charges, days after American forces captured them at the presidential palace in Venezuela.In a letter to U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case in the Southern District of New York, Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the U.S. was preventing the Venezuelan government from covering his client’s legal fees.”The government of Venezuela has an obligation to pay Mr. Maduro’s fees. Mr. Maduro has a legitimate expectation that the government of Venezuela would do so, and Mr. Maduro cannot otherwise afford counsel,” Pollack wrote. In the letter, dated Feb. 20, Pollack argued that under “Venezuelan law and custom, the government of Venezuela pays the expenses of the President and First Lady.”Pollack said that Maduro and the Venezuelan government were subjected to sanctions by the Department of the Treasury’s…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill was booed by fans attending the NJ Devils hockey game at the Prudential Center on Wednesday.The game marked the NHL return of Team USA Olympic hero Jack Hughes since he scored the winning goal against Canada in the gold medal game on Sunday.Sherrill was in attendance to welcome Hughes and other Olympic players back to stateside ice, but when she was announced by the PA spokesperson for the ceremonial puck drop, the Newark crowd erupted in relentless boos for her and her husband, Jason Hedberg. Still, Sherrill went on to make a social media post that included photos of her, Hughes and other players, celebrating the gold medal. Sherrill was mocked in response, as many critics pointed out how loudly she was booed.”You managed to somehow get booed loudly during the most festive thing at the Rock ever,” one X user wrote.Another user wrote, “Didn’t everyone boo you?”Sherrill has been a target of criticism from patriotic Americans dating back to her 2025 campaign, when it was revealed she was kept from participating in her Naval Academy commencement due to disciplinary action involving midshipmen stealing test answers in a…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A toddler had a heart-stopping brush with a coyote right outside his Pasadena, California, home on Monday, according to surveillance footage that captured the frightening moment. In the video, the 3-year-old boy ran out onto the driveway before abruptly freezing in his tracks. He then turned around in panic, fleeing at full speed while letting out a terrified shriek.Moments later, the coyote appeared on camera, trailing closely behind the boy. As the animal moved through the family’s front yard and past the camera, a much louder scream — appearing to come from an adult — rang out.According to local outlet KABC-TV, the boy’s mother was right behind him when the harrowing run-in unfolded. “Sal went out the gate like he always does before me,” Aida Svelto told the outlet, referring to her son. “Then I heard a scream, and Sal came running back. He grabbed onto my legs, then I screamed because I saw a big, giant coyote.”After the scream, the coyote reappeared on camera, retreating back the way it had come.Salvo was reportedly left unscathed, despite the close call.RUNNER FOUGHT OFF MOUNTAIN LION WITH STICK JUST WEEKS BEFORE FATAL ATTACK ON SAME…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Prominent figures from across the media, business and political landscapes showed up as guests to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.Notable attendees included Erika Kirk, the widowed wife of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, David Ellison, the media mogul and CEO of Paramount, and Kevin O’Leary, the Shark Tank media personality and businessman.Several of the more notable attendees were highlighted by Trump during his address.Kirk received a mention from the president as he condemned political violence of all kinds in his address.”We must all come together to reaffirm that America is one nation under God, and we must totally reject political violence of any kind,” Trump said.Charlie Kirk, who was just 31-years-old at the time of his death, was killed by a gunman on Sept. 10, 2025, while conducting a political debate event at Utah Valley University.The U.S. men’s hockey team also made an appearance on Tuesday, receiving praise from Trump fresh off their gold medal victory in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. TRUMP SHAMES DEMOCRATS IN VIRAL STATE OF THE UNION CHALLENGE ON MIGRANT CRIME: ‘FIRST DUTY’”Congratulations to team U.S.A.,” Trump said as the players streamed into…