WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is resetting federal fuel standards that were used by President Joe Biden’s administration to impose severe regulations on American car manufacturers. The president unveiled the changes in the Oval Office, promising that the reset of the Biden-era fuel economy standards will save American families a combined $109 billion. The president said he will realign the standards with real world market conditions. “Combined with the insane electric vehicle mandate, Biden’s burdensome regulations helped cause the price of cars to soar more than 425%, and in one case, they went up 18% in one year,” Trump said. “Today, we’re taking one more step to kill the Green New Scam.” The president added that his administration’s action “is expected to save the typical consumer at least $1,000 off the price of a new car, and we think substantially more than that.” Trump was flanked by Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as well as Republican lawmakers and the CEOs of major American carmakers Ford and Stellantis. “Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg illegally twisted mileage standards to create an electric vehicle mandate — jacking up car prices for American families and forcing manufacturers to produce vehicles no one wanted,” said Duffy. “I’m proud to stand with President Trump in the Oval Office today to say that those days are over. This administration understands the freedom of every American family starts with affordable cars. That’s why our new standards will make that dream more achievable by letting auto manufacturers produce the cars that fit families’ needs at a lower price.” Trump’s move was praised by auto leaders, including Ford CEO Jim Farley, who said in a statement ahead of the announcement, “As America’s largest auto producer, we appreciate President Trump’s leadership in aligning fuel economy standards with market realities. We can make real progress on carbon emissions and energy efficiency while still giving customers choice and affordability. This is a win for customers and common sense.” Farley said in the Oval Office that Trump’s move will allow Ford to “invest in affordable vehicles made in the U.S.” “We believe that people should be able to make a choice” between gas-powered, hybrid, and electric cars, Farley added. “And we will invest more in affordable vehicles.” Under Biden’s rules, auto manufacturers were required to increase fuel efficiency to an average of around 50 miles per gallon for vehicles by 2031. The Trump administration took immediate action to eliminate the former president’s policies of fuel efficiency, and shortly after Duffy was sworn in as Transportation secretary in January, he signed an order to roll back Biden’s fuel economy standards. 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. Biden’s stringent rules, which were imposed under the 1975 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, worked as a “backdoor electric vehicle mandate,” according to the Trump administration. The White House argues that the reset of fuel economy standards “will realign” the Corporate Average Fuel Economy program with what Congress initially intended and will take a major burden off of car manufacturers. Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said the Trump administration’s move would also give Americans more freedom when shopping for vehicles. “We look forward to working further with [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] on environmentally responsible policies that also allow us to offer our customers the freedom to choose the vehicles they want at prices they can afford,” Filosa said. A spokesperson for General Motors said in a statement on Wednesday that it supports the goals of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed rules as well as its “intention to better align fuel economy standards with market realities.” “We have long advocated for one national standard that upholds customer choice and provides the auto industry long-term stability,” the spokesman said. “As we review the proposal, we remain committed to offering the best and broadest portfolio of electric and gas-powered vehicles on the market.”

The season's coldest arctic air will plunge into the Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas

He targeted the University of Delaware Police Department

GOP strategists are weighing in on what Republican candidate Matt Van Epps’s victory in yesterday’s special congressional election in Tennessee means for Republican chances in the upcoming midterm elections. Epps, a former combat veteran and West Point graduate, defeated his Democrat opponent Aftyn Behn last night by a margin of nearly nine points in a race that drew extensive national media attention after Democrats secured electoral victories in several states last November. Epps will represent Tennessee’s 7th congressional district in the House succeeding Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., who resigned from Congress to pursue a private sector job. The Daily Signal spoke with Chapin Fay, the founder and CEO of Lighthouse Public Affairs, about his key takeaways from the Tennessee race. Fay emphasized the Republican victory in spite of the adverse conditions affecting Republican turnout yesterday. “This was an off-cycle, December special election heading into the midterms, which are historically difficult for the party in power. Despite the national Democrat machine and the media, this Democrat candidate did not even come close,” Fay explained. “This is not to say there weren’t mistakes made, so I think the Republicans will modify their strategy,” Fay noted, adding “I absolutely think Republicans will take lessons from this.”  “If Democrats are overconfident and run more far left candidates, the midterms won’t be the bloodbath they think it will be,” Fay concluded. As for what more Republicans can do, Fay pointed out that “President [Donald] Trump and his agenda needs to be paying dividends next year.” He contended that the president’s priorities of “fewer wars, protecting Americans from the scourge of drugs” are “all good things.” Fay also spotlighted the importance of candidate selection. “Running a far-left candidate will work in places like NYC, but not Tennessee and certainly not the swing states Trump won. My advice is to run candidates that align with the politics and issues of the district,” he said. “The desire is to nationalize all these races when members of Congress are local elected officials. Run good candidates that align with the district and the issues but also have a positive policy agenda and clearly articulate it. Have your three points and run with it,” Fay continued. Matthew Bartlett, a co-founder of Darby Field Advisors and a Trump administration official during the president’s first term, told The Daily Signal that “Just like in New Jersey, Virginia, New York, it’s no surprise which party won, but it’s the margins that count because the margins lead to money and momentum.” “It is not an unmitigated disaster because the Republican candidate didn’t lose, but a nine-point win in an R-22 district a few months back should absolutely raise eyebrows,” Bartlett continued, referencing Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris in the district in the 2024 presidential election. Bartlett contended that it was affordability issues that had brought the GOP to power. “You need to recognize just how tough it is for people in America and demonstrate every day that you are fighting on their behalf,” Bartlett said. Matt Terrill, the managing partner of Firehouse Strategies, a public affairs firm in Washington, also emphasized affordability in comments to The Daily Signal. “Democrats want to take your money and spend your money, and the only thing you get for it is higher prices,” Terrill explained as a potential line of messaging when asked about what advice he would give to Republicans regarding a winning message. “Every campaign is about ‘the now.’ What are you doing for me now,” Terrill noted. The public affairs expert expressed that GOP elections without Trump on the ballot would be different than when the president was also running. “President Trump is able to perform quite well with younger voters and traditionally Democrat voters. But in the 2024 election they were turning out for him,” Terrill said. “Looking at the playbook in 2024, Republicans won on safety and security and on affordability,” Terrill concluded. The post Republican Strategists React to Tennessee Special Election Results appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Scott Bessent Eviscerates the Old Grey Lady on Her Own Stage

As part of Democrats’ smear campaign to brand War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth as a war criminal for ordering a lethal strike on a boat suspected of bringing deadly drugs to the U.S., Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) went so far as to claim that Caribbean drug runners carrying cocaine are not a direct threat to Americans.  Despite the fact that cocaine is involved in more than 20,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. annually, Rep. Smith attempted to dismiss the threat during an interview with MS Now (formerly MSNBC) on Tuesday.  Smith said that he could sympathize with The U.S. military if they killed people they mistakenly thought were carrying bombs during the Biden administration - but not with the Trump administration’s deadly strike on a boat suspected of running drugs:  “When you're in the middle of an insurgency with roadside bombs and car bombs and all of that, even in the aftermath of the Afghanistan pullout, when we had that suicide bomber killed 13 service members and hundreds of people in Kabul, and we did that strike against a car that we thought was a threat that turned out not to be a threat. I have some sympathy for that. “But, people on a boat in the middle of the Caribbean carrying cocaine are not a direct threat to the lives of our service members or Americans, and there's certainly not a direct threat once that boat has been blown out of the water and two survivors are clinging to it. “So it's important to draw that distinction.” At issue is a September strike on a boat suspected of running drugs, where the second hit killed two of those on board. The strike was part of the Trump Administration's ongoing effort to stop the flow of deadly, illegal drugs into the U.S.      

The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to ensure that their shredded cheese products are not contaminated with metal fragments.According to an FDA enforcement report, Ohio-based Great Lakes Cheese Co. — which touts itself as "an award-winning, premier manufacturer and packager of natural and processed bulk, shredded, and sliced cheeses" — initiated a recall on Oct. 3.'Wrap it securely before putting it in the trash.'On Dec. 1, the FDA classified the recall as Class II, which describes "a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote."There are three classes of recall. A Class II designation is the second-most serious. The most serious, Class I, concerns situations when there is a reasonable probability that the use or exposure to a problematic product will cause adverse health consequences or death.While Great Lake Cheese Co. made the potentially contaminated shredded cheeses, they were sold by various brands including Always Save, Borden, Brookshire's, Econo, Food Club, Happy Farms, Laura Lynn, Publix, Simply Go, Stater Bros. Markets, and Sunnyside Farms.The bulk of the recalled cheeses were low-moisture part-skim shredded mozzarella — 235,789 cases — but a number of Italian-style and pizza-style shredded cheese blends, such as Simply Go Italian Style Six Cheese Blend, have also been recalled.The cheeses are customarily sold at big stores such as Aldi, Target, and Walmart.RELATED: MAHA movement WINS: PepsiCo releases NEW Cheetos and Doritos alternatives amid RFK Jr.'s health crusade Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe recalled cheese was distributed to Puerto Rico and the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.Great Lakes Cheese Co. did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.The FDA notes on its website that consumers who suspect that they have a recalled food in their possession can generally return the items to the store where they were purchased for a full refund. The agency urges consumers not to give the potentially contaminated product to others such as a food bank or a pet and noted that if chucking the recalled product, consumers should "wrap it securely before putting it in the trash."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Trump administration is continuing its deportation operations in more cities. Now the Department of Homeland Security is launching another operation in a Southern sanctuary city. The DHS confirmed in a Wednesday press release that it is surging resources for increased deportations in New Orleans, Louisiana. 'It is asinine that these monsters were released back onto New Orleans streets to COMMIT MORE CRIMES and create more victims.'The project, dubbed Operation Catahoula Crunch, is targeting criminal illegal aliens who have been allowed to "roam free thanks to sanctuary policies that force local authorities to ignore U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest detainers," according to the DHS. “It is asinine that these monsters were released back onto New Orleans streets to COMMIT MORE CRIMES and create more victims. Catahoula Crunch targets include violent criminals who were released after arrest for home invasion, armed robbery, grand theft auto, and rape. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are restoring law and order for the American people," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.RELATED: 'So dumb it hurts my soul': DHS brutally fact-checks viral 'new data' from Cato Institute Photo by Scott Olson/Getty ImagesThe press release included mugshots of some of the "worst of the worst" criminals targeted in the operation. The listed criminals are from Honduras, Vietnam, Jordan, Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the commencement of the operation Wednesday morning: "The men and women of DHS law enforcement have landed in The Big Easy. Operation Catahoula Crunch will remove the worst of the worst from New Orleans, Louisiana, after the city’s sanctuary politicians have ignored the rule of law.""LAW AND ORDER WILL PREVAIL," she added. Border Patrol commander of operations Gregory Bovino, who has been at the head of many of the widely publicized deportation operations across the country, signaled that the new operation was off to a good start: "We are here arresting criminals who should not be here. The state, local and federal law enforcement partners in Louisiana are excellent partners!!"Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An exchange between Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and an attorney from a Democratic attorney general's office has gone viral on social media.The case involves a pro-life pregnancy center objecting to a subpoena from the New Jersey state attorney general's office to provide a list of its donors. Thomas cornered a representative for the AG's office in oral arguments about the justification for the legal targeting of the faith-based group.Even Justice Elena Kagan, a liberal justice on the court, appeared to be sympathetic to the pro-life center's plight.Thomas zeroed in on the point that there had been no complaints from donors about the center, while Sundeep Iyer, the chief counsel to the New Jersey attorney general's office, was defending the investigation into whether donors had been deceived."Did you have complaints that formed the basis of your concern about the fundraising activities here?" Thomas asked."We certainly had complaints about crisis pregnancy centers," Iyer responded."No, about this crisis pregnancy center," Thomas interrupted."So, I think we've been clear from the outset that we haven't had complaints about this specific —" Iver replied."So you had no basis to think that they were deceiving any of their contributors?" Thomas interrupted again."I don't think that's correct, Your Honor," Iyer stammered."I think we had carefully canvassed all of the public information that is provided on the website of First Choice in making a determination that we wanted to initiate an investigation," he continued."But you had no factual basis," Thomas asserted."I don't think that's true, Your Honor. I think, for example, you could take a look at a comparison between the donation page of First Choice that we have carved out, from the very beginning —" Iyer said."But you had no complaints?" Thomas asked."We had no complaints, but the state governments [and] federal government initiate investigations all the time in the absence of complaints, where they have a reason to suspect that there could be potential issues of legal compliance," Iyer responded."Well, that just seems to be a burdensome way to find out whether someone has a confusing website," Thomas asserted.Iyer went on to argue that the existence of complaints would be material to the merits of the case, but not to whether the state officials had standing for the subpoena.Audio of the exchange was posted to social media, where it went viral.The Supreme Court is considering whether the state court must enforce the subpoena against First Choice Women’s Resource Centers before the faith-based pregnancy center can challenge it in federal court.RELATED: Leftist war on pro-life pregnancy centers faces Supreme Court reckoning The center argues that the subpoena violates its First Amendment right to free speech as well as the right to free association.Even Justice Elena Kagan, a liberal justice on the court, appeared to be sympathetic to the pro-life center's plight."An ordinary person, one of the funders of this organization or any similar organization, presented with this subpoena and then told, 'But don't worry, it has to be stamped by a court,' is not going to take that as very reassuring," she said during the case.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

New Scandal Erupts in MN After Dem-Appointed Judge Tosses $7.2M Taxpayer-Fraud Conviction