EPA chief Zeldin announces overhauls to bring agency back to Reagan-level staffing
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing a massive overhaul to slash staffing down to Reagan-era levels and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year, agency chief Lee Zeldin announced on Friday. “This reorganization will bring much-needed efficiencies to incorporate science into our rulemakings and sharply focus our work on providing the cleanest air, land, and water for our communities,” Zeldin said in a press release on Friday. Zeldin announced that he is on a mission to save taxpayers an estimated $300 million annually by next year through an office overhaul that he said will maintain the EPA’s focus on protecting human health and the environment while “recommitting” the agency to “common sense policies.” The EPA employs roughly 15,000 full-time workers, which Zeldin said he is working to bring down to levels “near those seen when President Ronald Reagan occupied the White House,” according to a video announcement of the office overhauls. There were 11,400 EPA staffers in 1984 under the Reagan administration, Reuters reported. 35 DEMOCRATS VOTE WITH GOP TO BLOCK BIDEN RULE ALLOWING NEWSOM’S GAS CAR BAN The EPA said the Office of the Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), and Office of Water will all face restructuring. Zeldin said he will reorganize the agency’s research office to shift its focus on “statutory obligations and mission-essential functions,” including by creating a new office called the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions. The new office will “prioritize research and put science at the forefront of the agency’s rulemakings and technical assistance to states. At the program level, the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention will add more than 130 scientific, technical, bioinformatic and information technology experts to work directly on the backlog of over 504 new chemicals in review that are beyond the statutorily required timeframe. And they’re also going to address the backlog of over 12,000 reviews that are well beyond the expected review timelines in the pesticides program,” Zeldin said. EPA CHIEF TAKES ON MEXICAN ‘SEWAGE CRISIS’ FLOWING INTO US WATERS WHERE NAVY SEALS TRAIN The EPA will also create the Office of State Air Partnerships within the Office of Air and Radiation, which Zeldin said will streamline resolving air permitting concerns across the state, local and tribal levels. “EPA is also creating the Office of Clean Air programs that will align statutory obligations and mission essential functions based on centers of expertise to ensure more transparency and harmony in regulatory development. Similarly, changes to the Office of Water will better align the development of regulations, guidance and policy with the science that underpins it,” Zeldin added of another new office in the agency shakeup. PETA, ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS PRAISE TRUMP ADMIN FOR PHASING OUT ‘CRUEL TESTS ON DOGS’ AND OTHER ANIMALS Zeldin underscored that when he took the reins of the agency earlier this year, he “inherited a workforce that didn’t come into the office.” “In 2024, the record high day of attendance at EPA headquarters in D.C., clocked in around 37%. Upon President Trump’s swearing in, we immediately ended COVID-era remote work,” Zeldin said. SCOOP: BIDEN-ERA GRANT PROGRAM DESCRIBED AS ‘GOLD BAR’ SCHEME BY TRUMP EPA ADMINISTRATOR UNDER SCRUTINY The former New York congressman added that EPA’s budget and awards in granted last year alone, under the Biden administration, sat at $63 billion — though it had previously been funded to the tune of between $6 billion and $8 billion a year, he said. “We are going to massively reduce this excess spending. We owe it to the American taxpayer to be as efficient as possible. We’ve already started to make significant progress by re-examining grants and contracts, real estate footprint, travel costs, staff and more. With the help of DOGE, EPA has identified and canceled more than $22 billion in grants and contracts. These are direct savings for the American people,” Zeldin said.
Dem immigration talking points fizzle as dark picture of Abrego Garcia emerges
Democrats rallying around illegal immigrant KIlmar Abrego Garcia are facing a narrative reckoning as allegations of violent and criminal behavior mount against the man they made a poster child in the fight against President Trump’s mass deportations. In recent weeks, evidence has emerged that Abrego Garcia beat his wife and was caught trafficking migrants during his time living illegally in Maryland. He has since been deported to El Salvador, where several Democrats, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, have rushed to meet with him and decry what they say was a lack of due process extended to him. “The fact that they went to the mat for this guy just shows exactly who they are,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Saturday. “That they are people who don’t put America first. They don’t care about our citizens and protecting our communities. So, I’m glad that the onion’s been peeled back and that their true motivations have been revealed, and this is just one of the cases that we’re getting off the streets.” Van Hollen has led the surge of Democrats traveling to El Salvador since April, after Abrego Garcia was deported to the country in March and sent to its notoriously high-security prison equipped to handle violent gang members, known as CECOT. The Trump administration has repeatedly cited court and police documents showing that the El Salvadoran man was not only in the U.S. illegally, but also connected to the MS-13 gang and that his wife had sounded the alarm to police about his violence. ABREGO GARCIA’S WIFE BEGGED JUDGE FOR PROTECTION ORDER, SAYING ‘HE SLAPPED ME’: AUDIO Democrats and the media had characterized Abrego Garcia as a “family man” and a “Maryland man” who was wrongly deported back in March and the following weeks. Van Hollen met last month with Abrego Garcia and advocated for his release, declaring that the deportation risks “the constitutional rights of everyone who resides in the United States of America.” Van Hollen’s trip sparked other left-wing lawmakers to also make the trip south, including Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Maxine Dexter of Oregon, Maxwell Frost of Florida and Robert Garcia of California last month. At one point, Dexter pledged to remain in El Salvador until Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. But Democrats have gone largely silent amid a flood of newly unearthed evidence against Abrego Garcia. ‘I AM AFRAID’: ANOTHER PROTECTIVE ORDER FILING AGAINST DEPORTED ‘MARYLAND MAN’ CHAMPIONED BY DEMS SURFACES Fox News Digital exclusively reported on Thursday that new court records show Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, filed a protective order against her husband in August of 2020. The order said their shared son and stepchildren needed protection from Abrego Garcia, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse against her and mental abuse against her children. The protection form described an incident in November 2019 when Abrego Garcia allegedly grabbed Vasquez Sura “by the hair in the car,” “dragged” her “out of car and left [her] in the street.” She wrote that he also “broke” her son’s tablet, “broke doors” in the house, pushed her against a wall, broke a phone and a television and damaged the walls that spring. TENNESSEE BODYCAM OF ‘MARYLAND MAN’ TRAFFIC STOP SHOWS TROOPERS’ HANDS TIED DESPITE SMUGGLING CLUES Audio recordings allegedly of Vasquez Sura asking for the protection order in 2020 have also surfaced. “On Wednesday, he hit me, like around like, three in the morning, he would just wake up and like, hit me,” Vasquez Sura told the court in the recordings, Fox Digital previously reported. Vasquez Sura said that while she was trying to escape Abrego Garcia, she saw a neighbor walking their dog and screamed “help.” Vasquez Sura said Abrego Garcia then “grabbed me from my hair, and then he slapped me.” Vasquez Sura asked for the petition to be rescinded, however, saying her family wanted to take part in their son’s birthday, and Abrego Garcia “also agreed to continue counseling and if not [he’s] willing to sign divorce papers.” The 2020 protective order is the second publicly-known order filed against Abrego Garcia. Vasquez Sura filed a separate protective request against her husband in 2021, accusing him of repeatedly hitting her. “At this point, I am afraid to be close to him. I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he [has] left me,” she told a Prince George’s County, Maryland, court, Fox Digital previously reported. “In November 2020, he hit me with his work boot,” she added of the alleged attacks. “In August 2020, he hit me in the eye leaving a purple eye.” DEM SENATOR SAYS ABREGO GARCIA SITUATION ‘NOT GOING TO END WELL’ FOR TRUMP, ARGUES HE’S ‘UNDERMINING’ FREEDOM His wife, however, has since publicly defended him and addressed the domestic violence allegations following the revelation of the first protective order request. “After surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution following a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order, in case things escalated. Things did not escalate, and I decided not to follow through with the civil court process. We were able to work through the situation privately as a family, including by going to counseling,” she said in a statement last month. The Trump administration and conservatives have come out in full force condemning Democrats for supporting an illegal immigrant accused of gang ties, human trafficking and domestic violence. Trump designated violent gangs such as MS-13 and Tre de Aragua as terrorist organizations in his second administration. “I think it’s bizarre that you see these Democrat politicians making a pilgrimage down there … to sit there with this guy, because I never have seen those Democrat politicians meet with angel moms who’ve lost kids because of illegal alien crime,” Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Fox News last week. MARYLAND GOVERNOR SAYS HE WON’T TRAVEL TO EL SALVADOR FOR ABREGO GARCIA “This is
IndiGo passenger behaves inappropriately with cabin crew, handed over to security personnel: ‘Unruly’
An ‘unruly’ passenger aboard IndiGo flight 6E 6404 from Delhi to Shirdi was handed over to security personnel upon landing after he allegedly misbehaved with a member of the cabin crew, the airline said in an official statement on Sunday.
Trump says he could ‘walk away’ from Russia-Ukraine talks, cites ‘tremendous hatred’ on both sides
The U.S. could withdraw from peace talks with Ukraine and Russia if the two sides can’t make progress toward ending their three-year war, President Donald Trump said. Trump made the comments during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, telling host Kristen Welker that there is “tremendous hatred” between Ukraine and Russia. The president says he remains hopeful a peace deal is possible, but confirmed that the U.S. would not remain a mediator indefinitely. “I do believe we’re closer with one party. And maybe not as close with the other, but we’ll have to see,” Trump said. “Five thousand soldiers a week on average, are dying. They’re not American soldiers. But I want to solve the problem.” ZELENSKYY SPEAKS OUT AFTER PUBLIC SPAT WITH TRUMP, VANCE, SAYS DUSTUP ‘BAD FOR BOTH SIDES’ “How long do you give both countries before you’re going to walk away?” Welker asked. “Well, there will be a time when I will say, okay, keep going, keep being stupid,” Trump replied. “Maybe it’s not possible to do,” he added. “There’s tremendous hatred. Just so you understand, Kristen, we’re talking tremendous hatred between these two men and between, you know, some of the soldiers, frankly, between the generals, they’ve been fighting hard for three years. I think we have a very good chance of doing it.” The interview comes just days after Trump blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin, questioning whether his Russian counterpart has any interest in peace. TRUMP INSISTS UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE, BUT MISTRUST IN PUTIN LEAVES EXPERTS SKEPTICAL Trump spoke up on social media last week after Russian forces launched missiles into Ukrainian cities. “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump wrote. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!” Secretary of State Marco Rubio also appeared to temper expectations for a major peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia last week. Rubio argued it was “silly” to put a specific date or timeline on when the U.S. might pull out from mediation, but he said this will be “a very critical week.” Days later, the White House signed a rare earth minerals agreement with Ukraine, a months-long priority for Trump.
Trump says he will not drop tariffs to get China to negotiating table
President Donald Trump said he will not drop tariffs on China to get Beijing to come to the negotiating table. The president discussed his stance on the tariffs, which he defended, in an interview with NBC’s “Meet The Press” recorded Friday from his Mar-a-Lago estate. He claimed that “They said today they want to talk. Look, China, and I don’t like this. I’m not happy about this. China’s getting killed right now,” Trump told host Kristen Welker. “They’re getting absolutely destroyed. Their factories are closing. Their unemployment is going through the roof. I’m not looking to do that to China now. At the same time, I’m not looking to have China make hundreds of billions of dollars and build more ships and more Army tanks and more airplanes.” “You’re not dropping the tariffs against China to get them to the negotiating table?” Welker asked. Trump responded, “No.” CHINA OPEN TO TALKS WITH TRUMP ADMIN ON LOWERING TARIFFS, MINISTRY SAYS “At some point, I’m going to lower them, because otherwise you could never do business with them,” he added later. “And they want to do business very much like their economy is really doing badly. Their economy is collapsing.” Trump pushed back on the premise of Welker’s question about whether he’d consider relief for small businesses. The president said the NBC host should consider larger businesses, such as the car industry, that “are going to make a fortune” because of his tariff plan. Trump also declined to rule out making some tariffs permanent, claiming the U.S. could expect $9 trillion worth of new investments since he took office. CHINESE OFFICIAL REPORTEDLY SEEKING TALKS WITH TRUMP ON FENTANYL INGREDIENTS AMID TRADE WAR He noted that Apple and other tech companies, as well as automobile companies, such as Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Stellantis, have made multi-billion-dollar commitments to bring their plants to the United States. The Chinese government has assembled a list of American products that would be exempt from its 125% tariffs on U.S. goods, Reuters reported last week. Beijing already has exemptions for some U.S. pharmaceuticals, microchips and aircraft engines. Trump also declined to rule out a potential recession in the short term, though he promised the “greatest economic boom in history.” “Is it okay in the short term to have a recession?” Welker asked. “Look, yeah. . . . Everything’s okay,” Trump responded, arguing that the U.S. economy is in a “transition period” and “we’re going to do fantastically.” “Are you worried about a recession?” Welker asked. To that, Trump responded flatly, “No.” “Are you worried it could happen? Do you think it could happen?” she pressed. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Anything can happen,” Trump said. “But I think we’re going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country. I think we’re going to have the greatest economic boom in history.”
Rajnath Singh’s first public remarks over Pahalgam horror: ‘What you desire will certainly happen’
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh – in his first remarks after Pahalgam terrorist attack – said that being a defence minister, it is his responsibility to give a befitting reply to those who dare to attack India.
White House officials celebrate ‘omen’ of Kentucky Derby victor: ‘Sovereignty will ALWAYS win’
White House officials celebrated on social media after a horse named Sovereignty beat out its rival Journalism at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Sovereignty trailed most of the race and didn’t make a big move until near the final turn to edge out Journalism, the favorite horse going into the race, and secure the victory. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was one Trump administration official who took note of the outcome on social media. “Sovereignty > Journalism,” Hegseth wrote. “On the track. And in 2025 America.” HEGSETH, SIGNAL QUESTIONS DOG WALTZ AS POTENTIALLY PERILOUS UN AMBASSADOR CONFIRMATION HEARINGS LOOM Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, also appeared to reference the race in a social media post. “In the Trump Administration, sovereignty will ALWAYS win,” Miller wrote. Journalist Logan Hall called the victory a “powerful omen.” The Trump administration is no stranger to bouts of friction with the media. Hegseth has been the subject of recent scrutiny after The New York Times reported that he shared details of a March military airstrike against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in a chat on the Signal app that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. Hegseth has defended himself against the report, calling the controversy an attempt to “sabotage” President Donald Trump’s agenda. Hegseth accused “disgruntled former employees” of “trying to save their a–” by peddling stories, arguing that the mainstream media’s focus should instead be on “the decimation of the Houthis, how [the U.S. is] pushing back the Chinese, how we have a new defense area at the southern border.” WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF RAILS AGAINST REPORTERS OVER MS-13, TDA COVERAGE Miller also went head-to-head with reporters at a White House briefing last week, admonishing them over their coverage of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua violence in the U.S. Miller accused some members of the media of trying to “shill” for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an accused MS-13 member the Trump administration deported to El Salvador. He also accused the press of only covering the sexual assault and murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray by two alleged Tren de Aragua members in June 2024 because Trump “shamed” them. “Most of your papers never covered her story when it happened, to the extent that you covered it at all, it was because President Trump forced you to cover it by highlighting it repeatedly over and over again,” Miller said. “He had to shame you into covering it.” Fox News Digital’s Taylor Penley, Diana Stancy and Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
REAL ID ‘unnecessary in keeping us safe,’ GOP lawmaker says as deadline looms
With the final REAL ID deadline looming this week, one House Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital he believes it’s an “unnecessary” burden on Americans. “I personally don’t support the REAL ID. I think that it’s unnecessary in keeping us safe,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital in an interview. The Missouri Republican said his state made it “very easy” for residents to comply with the coming May 7 deadline, though he suggested he didn’t agree with it. NO ‘REAL ID’ APPOINTMENTS OPEN IN NEW JERSEY AS RESIDENTS SOUND OFF: ‘GET WITH THE TIMES, NJ’ “I think that when you look at, you know, this was implemented from recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. But yet every one of the terrorists that were here had a passport. I mean, they had more than just a state ID. I don’t think any of them were operating on a state ID,” Burlison said. “It’s once again government seeing an opportunity in making the lives of U.S. citizens more difficult.” REAL ID was created by law in 2005, but the federal government has delayed its implementation multiple times, most recently in 2022. But the Trump administration has made clear the current May 7 deadline is final. ‘MASS SURVEILLANCE’: CONSERVATIVES SOUND ALARM OVER TRUMP ADMIN’S REAL ID ROLLOUT From then, a REAL ID will be needed for domestic airline travel — rather than a normal state-issued license — as well as in areas where federal identification is required. Having a REAL ID itself is not required, particularly if one has a U.S. passport. The Trump administration has argued that finally acting on REAL ID helps the White House’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, millions of whom have entered the country since President Donald Trump was last in office. But the scramble to reach the deadline has led to long lines at DMVs, with some states opening emergency locations in airports and other places to help deal with the surge of people seeking appointments. When previously reached about the deadline by Fox News Digital, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said, “Beginning on May 7, passengers will need a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification to fly, like a passport or military ID. TSA is committed to enforcing the law, as directed by Congress. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Noncompliant passengers may expect wait times or additional measures at airports. If you are an illegal alien without a REAL ID, the only way you will be permitted to fly is if you are self-deporting,” TSA said. Fox News Digital reached out to the TSA for comment on Burlison’s remarks.
Air India, other airlines suspend Tel Aviv flights after Houthi missile attack on Ben Gurion airport
The Israeli military attempted to intercept the missile fired from Yemen but was unable to shoot it down.
Trump shoots down rumors he will seek 3rd term: ‘Not something I’m looking to do’
President Donald Trump downplayed rumors that he intends to seek a constitutionally prohibited third term in the White House on Sunday. Trump addressed the issue during an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, telling host Kristen Welker that he has no plans to pursue another term. “So many people want me to do it,” Trump said when Welker asked about a third term. “It’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do. I don’t know if that’s constitutional,” he added. “But this is not something I’m looking to do.” NOEM RIPS DEMOCRATS OVER SUPPORT FOR DEPORTED MIGRANT Welker then pressed Trump about who he believes could be a successor to the MAGA movement once he leaves office, and Trump referenced both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “There’s a lot of them that are great,” he said of his political allies. “I also see tremendous unity. But certainly you would say that somebody’s the VP, if that person is outstanding, I guess that person would have an advantage.” The wide-ranging interview went on to address illegal immigration, where Trump emphasized that he has no plans to end his emergency declaration relating to immigration. “We have an emergency. We have a massive emergency overall,” Trump told Welker. FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING Trump’s administration says illegal border crossings have dropped roughly 96% compared to President Joe Biden’s term in office, though the White House’s deportation programs have faced legal troubles. “The border now is not the emergency,” Trump said. “The border is — it’s all part of the same thing though. The big emergency right now is that we have thousands of people that we want to take out, and we have some judges that want everybody to go to court.” Just ahead of Trump’s 100th day in office last week, the White House claimed there had been 139,000 deportations since his inauguration.