Trump offers to help India, Pakistan amid growing conflict: ‘I want to see them stop’
President Donald Trump wants India and Pakistan to cease fighting and is open to helping both countries broker a peace agreement, following strikes from India against Pakistan early Wednesday. India launched missiles against at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned,” according to India’s Defense Ministry. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military reported that the strikes killed at least 26 people — including women and children — and claimed the strikes amounted to an “act of war.” “Oh, it’s so terrible. My position is, I get along with both,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “I know both very well, and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop. And hopefully they can stop now. They’ve got a tit for tat, so hopefully they can stop now. But I know both. We get along with both countries very well. Good relationships with both. And I want to see it stop. And if I can do anything to help I will. I will be there as well.” The Associated Press, Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Nick Kalman contributed to this report. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Texas’ youngest learners are behind in math and reading. A pair of bills aims to get them back on track.
Students who are behind in third grade rarely catch up. Texas lawmakers want to intervene earlier.
Pivotal trade talks with Beijing loom as Trump swears in new US ambassador to China: ‘What timing’
Former Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue was sworn in as U.S. ambassador to China Wednesday, with President Donald Trump remarking on the timing of the ceremony as trade talks between the two nations are set to kick off. “We’re swearing in our next ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. What timing, David. What timing? Only you could have picked this timing,” Trump quipped as Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepared to swear Perdue in. The Senate confirmed Perdue April 29 in a 67–29 vote. His swearing-in ceremony comes as China and the U.S. are set to begin trade talks following Trump’s tariffs on the nation in recent months. “Our new ambassador brings to this position a lifetime of experience at the highest levels of business and politics,” Trump said. “And he is at the highest level. Over four decades in business, he rose to lead several major American corporations, including as the president and CEO of the footwear giant Reebok, where he did very well and did a great job. And later the CEO of Dollar General. Likewise, he did a great job. David also lived and worked in Singapore and Hong Kong for several years, developing a wealth of experience negotiating and doing tremendous business deals for lots of different leaders that he worked with.” SCOTT BESSENT SAYS US DOESN’T WANT TO DECOUPLE FROM CHINA AHEAD OF SCHEDULED MEETING WITH CHINESE COUNTERPART Trump told Perdue to “say hello to President Xi when you’re over there.” The Trump administration has leveled tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods as the president looks to bring parity to the nation’s chronic trade deficit with foreign countries. Trump paused his April 2 reciprocal tariff plan on dozens of nations in April as countries called on the administration to make trade deals, but he upped the ante on China as the country rebuked Trump’s trade policies with tariffs of its own, including 125% duty taxes on U.S. goods. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are scheduled to meet with their Chinese counterparts over the weekend in Switzerland to discuss economic matters, Bessent said on Fox News Tuesday. CHINA’S ECONOMIC WOES THREATEN REAL WAR AMID TARIFF BATTLE “We have shared interests,” Bessent said. “This isn’t sustainable, as I said before, especially on the Chinese side – and, you know, 145%, 125% is the equivalent of an embargo. We don’t want to decouple – what we want is fair trade.” China’s Ministry of Commerce said Friday that officials were “evaluating” an offer from the Trump administration to hold trade talks on the 145% U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. “The U.S. has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China,” the statement said, according to Reuters. US OFFICIALS TO MEET WITH CHINESE COUNTERPARTS IN SWITZERLAND AMID TRADE WAR “Attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in coercion and extortion would not work,” the statement added. Trump and the administration have previously said they were willing to hold trade negotiations with China, including the president saying April 8, “We are waiting for their call. It will happen.” Trump continued during the ceremony that Perdue would help lead the charge to end the flow of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl into the U.S., an issue Trump has railed against while leveraging tariffs on China to end the illegal drugs from entering the U.S. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “They have to stop fentanyl from coming in,” Trump said. “And that’ll be a very big part. And I had that understanding with President Xi before I left, last time. And we had a deal, and he would have honored the deal. But when Biden came in, of course, nothing ever happened with him. He didn’t know what the hell he was doing. But that would have saved a lot of lives, that election cost us a lot of lives and a lot of heartache. The fact that we went through four years of misery, and you look at what’s coming through the border and the job of getting murderers out of our country, so many, so many bad things happened.” Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
Blue state governor vows ‘resistance’ as Trump admin targets sanctuary policies
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., promised President Donald Trump‘s administration “resistance” on Wednesday following Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s immigration press conference near the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield, Illinois. “Secretary Noem must have not realized she was visiting during Latino Unity Day where we come together to celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of our community,” Pritzker said in a press release. “Today, Secretary Noem was met by a force stronger than her: the people of Illinois. Illinoisans are sending a clear message to Trump’s lackeys that we will not let you mess with us without a resistance.” Noem hosted the Illinois press conference “to call out the state’s sanctuary policies that undermine the rule of law and endanger fellow Americans,” urging Pritzker and his fellow Illinois Democrats to “abandon these dangerous sanctuary policies” and “return to law and order.” Noem was joined by two “Angel Families,” who had family members killed by illegal immigrants in Illinois. DEM GOVERNOR BLASTS TRUMP, MUSK IN NEW ATTACK CAMPAIGN AS 2028 BUZZ GROWS Fox News reported at least two dozen protesters were shouting and holding up signs during Noem’s press conference. Before the press conference began, the location was changed to the site where a woman was allegedly killed by a noncitizen. “Unlike Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, Illinois follows the law,” Pritzker fired back after Noem’s press conference. POTENTIAL 2028 HOPEFUL ACCUSED OF ‘INCITING VIOLENCE’ AFTER CALL FOR ‘MASS PROTESTS’ AGAINST TRUMP While Noem raged against Pritzker’s policies, the Illinois governor and potential 2028 presidential contender, who has stood out among the Democratic Party as a vocal opponent to Trump’s second term, accused the Trump administration of violating due process with their illegal immigration crackdown. “The Trump administration is violating the United States Constitution, denying people due process, and disappearing law-abiding neighbors, including children who are U.S. citizens. Yet, they are taking no real action to promote public safety and deport violent criminals within the clear and defined legal process,” Priztker said. Pritzker continued his streak of speaking out against the Trump administration as their latest contention found its way to his backyard on Wednesday. “Trump-Noem publicity stunts do not make our communities safer or our immigration system smarter,” Pritzker said. Ahead of Noem’s visit, Pritzker trolled the Homeland Security secretary in an apparent dig for once killing a dog, as outlined in her book released last year when she was still the governor of South Dakota. “We would urge all pet owners in the region to make sure all of your beloved animals are under watchful protection while the Secretary is in the region,” Pritzker’s office wrote in a statement to reporters. The Department of Homeland Security responded to Pritzker’s press release in a statement to Fox News Digital. “What’s unlawful and unconstitutional is Governor Pritzker’s sanctuary city laws that embolden violent criminal illegal aliens that victimize and kill Americans.” Fox News’ Olivianna Calmes contributed to this report.
Stefanik grills university president over disciplinary action on campus antisemitism
Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik grilled the president of Pennsylvania’s Haverford College during a congressional hearing Wednesday over disciplinary action on campus-related antisemitism since Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Haverford College President Wendy Raymond tried to sidestep Stefanik’s question of whether there had been any disciplinary action taken against a student group that was accused of antisemitism at the college. Raymond said the group’s statements were “repugnant” and indefensible, though did not elaborate on potential discipline. “I’m asking about the disciplinary action,” Stefanik repeated. “You were the one university president who failed to lay out if any disciplinary action has been taken, if any suspensions or expulsion. So I am asking you, was there any disciplinary action taken?” Raymond again denounced the group’s statements, but said she would not speak to individual cases. When pressed on whether the college took “any” disciplinary measures related to antisemitism, Raymond began to sidestep again before answering, “Yes, there have been some.” COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LAYS OFF AROUND 180 STAFF AFTER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REVOKES GRANTS Stefanik then asked about a mathematics professor at the college who allegedly made an antisemitic post online and whether the college launched an investigation or took any disciplinary action against the educator. “Respectfully, representative, I will not be talking about individual cases,” Raymond responded. “Respectfully, President of Haverford, many people have sat in this position who are no longer in the positions as president of universities for their failure to answer straightforward questions,” Stefanik said. ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS OCCUPY UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BUILDING, 30 ARRESTED Stefanik was referencing her grilling of Ivy League college administrators from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard, her alma mater, in December 2023 regarding whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” violates the respective school’s codes of conduct. The school leaders, however, waffled in their responses. “It can be, depending on the context,” Harvard’s then-President Claudine Gay responded to the question. “Antisemitic speech when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation – that is actionable conduct, and we do take action,” Gay said when pressed to answer “yes” or “no” if calls for the genocide of Jews break school rules. Both Gay and Penn’s then-President Liz Magill resigned from their high-profile positions shortly after the hearing, while footage of the exchanges spread like wildfire on social media. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Trump inherited FAA rocked by staffing issues that earned little attention from Dems shifting blame
Many of the same Democrats slamming the Trump administration for several ongoing transportation issues were silent as the Biden administration oversaw an understaffed, outdated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that resulted in dangerous travel conditions across the country. Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have accused the Trump administration of “breaking the federal government” and having “decimated the FAA.” Jeffries blamed the Trump administration for a spate of cancellations at Newark Airport this week. However, a month-over-month comparison of air accidents under the Biden administration and the first few months of the Trump administration shows a significantly lower number of accidents in March and April. Throughout former President Joe Biden’s four years in office, there were an average of 115 air accidents in April. Under Trump, there were just 67 air accidents in the month of April. A report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in March shows that the Trump administration inherited an outdated system from Biden with “severe shortcomings.” DUFFY BLASTS BIDEN, BUTTIGIEG FOR IGNORING REPORT ABOUT FAILING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM: ‘DID NOTHING!’ After Trump’s return to the White House, GAO advised the administration that it had made nine recommendations to the FAA under the Biden administration that remain open, and that “urgent attention” is needed to remedy the safety issues left by Biden. GAO said that under the Biden administration the FAA “did not prioritize or establish near-term plans to modernize unsustainable and critical systems.” Other government reports revealed that the Biden FAA was further hindered by severe staffing issues. A June 2023 report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Transportation Department revealed that the FAA “made limited efforts to ensure adequate controller staffing at critical air traffic control facilities.” AMERICANS DESERVE TO HAVE A ‘STATE-OF-THE-ART’ AIR TRAVEL SYSTEM: SEAN DUFFY The report said that “as a result, FAA continues to face staffing challenges and lacks a plan to address them, which in turn poses a risk to the continuity of air traffic operations.” The office said it had determined that 20 of 26 (77%) critical facilities were staffed below the FAA’s 85% threshold. Even major facilities like the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control and the Miami Tower were staffed well below the threshold at just 54% and 66%, respectively. Another report by the office released later that year said the FAA’s “lengthy hiring process and COVID-19 restrictions” slowed the agency’s onboarding and training activities, resulting in few new hires having completed their training and obtained certification. The issues had real-world consequences. Politico reported that during January and February 2023, “commercial jets experienced close calls with other aircraft at a faster pace than they had during all of the previous five years combined.” On Jan. 11, 2023, the FAA had to issue a nationwide ground stop due to a system outage of the aging air traffic control system. The pause was described as the first of its kind since 9/11. The GAO’s 2025 report said the 2023 national airspace prompted an operational risk assessment, which found that of the 138 air traffic control systems, “51 (37%) were deemed unsustainable by FAA and 54 (39%) were potentially unsustainable.” TRUMP TO REQUIRE TRUCK DRIVERS TO SPEAK ENGLISH, PASS LITERACY TESTS AS ‘COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS’ MOUNT In 2024, the GAO found that nearly 40% of FAA control systems were still severely antiquated, requiring “urgent updates.” “This is not a new problem,” Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We’ve known this problem has existed. There have been multiple GAO reports over the last four years saying you have real problems with Air Traffic Control and you should do something with it before it actually fails. The last Administration spent $1.2 trillion. The largest infrastructure package known to man. Joe Biden signed this at this White House, and how much was spent to rebuild Air Traffic Control? $5 billion. And of the $5 billion that was given, only $1 billion was actually spent.” “The Biden Administration had made no investments in the system that we now see having issues in Newark. On top of that, they were focused on things like renaming racists roads and changing cockpit to flight deck. This Administration has come in and started looking at the Air Traffic Control system after the DCA crash. Very quickly I saw one piece of the pie where there were issues and then scratched further and there is another piece of the pie. As we looked at it, we see that the whole system needs to be redone and we need to build a brand-new air traffic control system.” In a Tuesday thread on X, GOP Sen. Mike Lee called out the FAA’s past practices and called out the agency’s “woke” approach. “I started calling out the FAA’s hiring practices at Air Traffic Control an entire decade ago, pointing out that they were drifting from their longstanding pattern of hiring people with a solid math and science background and / or experience in aviation — recognizing that such people perform better in these important positions,” Lee said. “But the ATC’s hiring decisions under Obama and later Biden prioritized basically everything else in favor of woke hiring practices,” he continued. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Biden and Jeffries for comment.
President Trump announces multiple judicial nominees, accuses court system of blocking him from doing his job
President Donald Trump – whose second-term agenda has been bogged down by judicial roadblocks – announced several judicial picks in Truth Social posts on Tuesday, and complained in a post on Wednesday that the judiciary is preventing him from executing the job Americans elected him to do. “Our Court System is not letting me do the job I was Elected to do. Activist judges must let the Trump Administration deport murderers, and other criminals who have come into our Country illegally, WITHOUT DELAY!!!” he declared in a Wednesday post. Trump announced Missouri Principal Deputy Solicitor General Maria Lanahan as a nominee to sit as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, calling her “a true patriot” in a Tuesday post. He also picked Judge Cristian Stevens to serve on the same court, calling Stevens, who currently serves on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, “a Great Patriot,” in another post. TRUMP FIELDS QUESTION ABOUT HIS TIMELINE FOR JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS: ‘WE’RE PUTTING ‘EM IN RAPIDLY’ The president also selected Zachary Bluestone to sit on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, referring to him as “a True Legal Warrior” in a Tuesday post. A Tuesday White House press release notes that “Zachary Bluestone is appellate chief and a violent crimes prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.” Trump is tapping Show-Me State Solicitor General Joshua Divine for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri as well as the Western District of Missouri. TILLIS PUTS ONUS ON TRUMP TO AVOID BOASBERG PICKING US ATTORNEY AFTER MARTIN’S NOMINATION APPEARS SUNK “I am proud to nominate Edward Aloysius O’Connell to serve as Associate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Eddie will help fix Violent Crime in the City by restoring the RULE OF LAW to Washington, D.C.,” Trump declared in a post on Tuesday. According to the White House release, “Edward Aloysius O’Connell is Chief of Staff and Deputy General Counsel of the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.” The president’s judicial picks will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS RETURN OF DEPORTED MIGRANT TO US, REJECTING TRUMP REQUEST Last week, Trump announced his pick of Whitney Hermandorfer to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, calling her “a Fighter who will inspire confidence in our Legal System.” She is the Strategic Litigation Unit director with the office of the Tennessee state attorney general. Fox News’ Luke Trevisan contributed to this report
Top House committees accuse Dem fundraising giant of facilitating ‘bad actors’ in bombshell DOJ letter
FIRST ON FOX: Three top committees within the House of Representatives are delivering an update to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday about Republicans’ ongoing investigation into ActBlue. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., have been probing the Democratic fundraising platform for years. “The Committees write today to draw your attention to our ongoing investigation into ActBlue, a political action committee and fundraising platform for the Democrat Party,” the letter said. “The oversight has uncovered that ActBlue has weak fraud-prevention practices and overlooks bad actors, including foreign actors, who take advantage of the platform to make illicit political donations.” SCOOP: REPUBLICANS DISCUSS DEFUNDING ‘BIG ABORTION’ LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN TRUMP AGENDA BILL They said the platform’s “concerning activities” could even have a “direct effect on U.S. political campaigns and elections.” Steil first raised concerns about ActBlue in late 2023 after accusations surfaced that it did not require a card verification value (CVV) number to accept donations via credit card, something lawmakers said made donations significantly less secure. The letter said ActBlue delivered a “lackluster response” to queries on the matter. As recently as August 2024, however, the site had required CVV numbers for donations on pages observed by Fox News Digital, including former Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House campaign. However, Republicans pressed ActBlue further, the letter pointed out. Steil’s panel subpoenaed ActBlue for “documents relating to ActBlue’s donor verification policies, contributions originating outside of the United States, deplatformed entities, and reported unauthorized or fraudulent donations.” “ActBlue’s responsive documents confirmed that the platform accepted unverified payments during a period of record campaign fundraising,” the letter said. “Although ActBlue has since updated its policies to reject donations without safeguards such as a CVV requirement, the Committees’ oversight found that ActBlue implemented these changes only after ensuring that they would not negatively impact Democrat donations.” Subsequent inquiries into whether ActBlue and related entities were meaningfully deterring foreign actors “have shed some light on the nature of their operations, but many questions remain.” The committees released a report last month, claiming “ActBlue executives and staff are aware that both foreign and domestic fraudulent actors are exploiting the platform but do not take the threat seriously.” BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY Fox News Digital reached out to ActBlue with a request for comment. The platform previously dismissed Steil’s accusations as “inaccuracies and misrepresentations.” “We rigorously protect donors’ security and maintain strict anti-fraud compliance practices. We have zero tolerance for fraud on our platform,” an ActBlue spokesperson said late last year. A DOJ spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to comment further.
Delhi cabinet passes historic decision, proposes to conduct cloud seeding to reduce pollution
The Delhi cabinet on Wednesday passed a historic decision to conduct cloud seeding, also known as artificial rain, in the national capital to mitigate pollution. Pollution has been a serious concern for the state for quite some time, and to help curb it.
Frio County public officials among six indicted after elections investigation, Paxton says
A county judge, two city council members and others are accused of vote harvesting.