Supreme Court to hear case on LGBTQ-themed storybooks and parents’ right to opt out
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a closely watched case that could reshape the role of parental rights and religious freedom in public education. At issue is whether a Maryland school district violated the First Amendment by requiring elementary school students to engage with LGBTQ+ storybooks that include topics about gender transitions and same-sex relationships, without allowing parents to opt out. The policy was implemented to disrupt “cisnormativity” and promote inclusivity, according to Supreme Court documents. Initially, the school allowed parents to opt their children out of these lessons, but later reversed this decision, eliminating the opt-out option and not notifying parents when such content was being taught. SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS SWOOPS IN TO SAVE TRUMP FIRING DECISION Parents, supported by religious freedom organizations, argue that this policy infringes upon their First Amendment rights by compelling their children to engage in instruction that contradicts their religious beliefs. The Fourth Circuit Court, a federal appeals court, ruled last year that there was no violation of religious exercise rights, stating that the policy did not force parents to change their religious beliefs or conduct and that parents could still teach their children outside of school. Thomas More Society attorney Michael McHale told Fox News Digital in a previous interview that “while there is an opt-out statute in state law, the school initially abided by it.” “The school decided to yank the opt-out exception, so to speak, and it really triggered the issue of whether the Constitution requires an opt-out in that circumstance,” McHale said. LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS “For the Fourth Circuit to say there was no religious burden, it really seems radical, and given how pressing that issue of school curriculum on sexual orientation, gender identity is, I think it raises an issue worth the Supreme Court’s attention,” he said. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed several executive orders related to gender policies in federal institutions. McHale said these actions could reduce legal conflicts involving religious rights, such as disputes over whether teachers must use students’ preferred pronouns in schools. SCOTUS RULINGS THIS TERM COULD STRENGTHEN RELIGIOUS RIGHTS PROTECTIONS, EXPERT SAYS Mahmoud v. Taylor is one of three major religious cases the Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for this year. Earlier this month, the high court heard a case brought by a Wisconsin-based Catholic charity group’s bid for tax relief, which could alter the current eligibility requirements for religious tax exemptions. At issue in that case is whether the Wisconsin branch of Catholic Charities, a social services organization affiliated with Catholic dioceses across the country, can successfully contest the state’s high court determination that it is ineligible for a religious tax exemption because it is not “operated primarily for religious purposes.” The third case is about whether a Catholic online school can become the first religious charter school in the U.S.
House Dem jumps into crowded Michigan Senate race
Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., launched a bid to represent the Great Lakes State in the U.S. Senate with an ad slamming President Donald Trump. In a video announcing her candidacy, Stevens is flanked by vehicles as she criticizes the administration’s tariff policies and vows to protect Michigan’s auto industry. “[Trump’s] chaos and reckless tariffs are putting tens of thousands of Michigan jobs at risk,” Stevens said in her campaign launch video. She also accused the Trump administration of bringing “chaos.” “Haley will work to bring down costs for Michigan families, continue to boost Michigan’s manufacturing and auto industries, and stand up to the Trump-Musk chaos agenda,” a statement on Stevens’ campaign website reads. REPUBLICAN LAUNCHES SECOND STRAIGHT BID TO FLIP DEMOCRAT-HELD SENATE SEAT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND In the campaign launch ad, Stevens highlighted her work to improve America’s auto industry under the Obama administration – and even included a clip of former President Barack Obama giving her a shoutout. Stevens is the third prominent Democrat to throw her hat in the ring since Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., announced that he would not seek a third term. The congresswoman is set to compete against state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has been endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. LONGTIME HOUSE REPUBLICAN WEIGHS RUN TO FLIP DEM-HELD SENATE SEAT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND On the Republican side, former Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., in 2024, is also running in 2026. Additionally, earlier this month, longtime Michigan Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga told Fox News that his phone “hasn’t stopped ringing” since Peters’ announcement. Michigan will be a major target for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) to flip in 2026 as the party looks to expand its majority in the Senate. When she was elected in 2018, Stevens flipped a Republican-held U.S. House seat, which could make her a formidable candidate for Senate. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
JD Vance champions ‘roadmap’ toward US-India trade deal, says partnership critical to deterring ‘dark time’
Vice President JD Vance touted progress made toward a U.S.-India trade deal on Tuesday, saying a partnership between the Trump administration and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would ensure a 21st century that’s “prosperous and peaceful.” Speaking in the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur, Vance also warned of “dire” consequences in the Indo-Pacific and a “dark time” for the world should the partnership between the U.S. and India fail. “Critics have attacked my president, President Trump, for starting a trade war in an effort to bring back the jobs of the past, but nothing could be further from the truth,” Vance said, referring to Trump’s aggressive tariff policies and commitment to revitalize U.S. manufacturing. “He seeks to rebalance global trade so that America, with friends like India, can build a future worth having for all of our people together.” President Donald Trump and Modi announced in February that the U.S. and India aim to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by the end of the decade. VANCE WAS ONE OF POPE FRANCIS’ LAST VISITORS “Both of our governments are hard at work on a trade agreement built on shared priorities, like creating new jobs, building durable supply chains and achieving prosperity for our workers,” Vance said on Tuesday. “In our meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Modi and I made very good progress on all of those points, and we’re especially excited to formally announce that America and India have officially finalized the terms of reference for the trade negotiations. I think this is a vital step toward realizing President Trump and Prime Minister Modi’s vision because it sets a roadmap toward a final deal between our nations. I believe there is much America and India can accomplish together.” Vance noted that his trip to India was the first time he had visited the birthplace of the parents of his wife, Usha Vance. The vice president, the second lady and their three children visited Modi for dinner on Monday. In his speech Tuesday, Vance said his children have only built a rapport with two world leaders – Trump and Modi, who the second family first met in February at the AI Action Summit in Paris. “Our kids just like him,” Vance said, arguing that children are “brutally honest” and typically good judges of character. “I just like Prime Minister Modi too. And I think it’s a great foundation for the future of our relationship.” “President Trump and I know that Prime Minister Modi is a tough negotiator. He drives a hard bargain. It’s one of the reasons why we respect him. And we don’t blame Prime Minister Modi for fighting for India’s industry,” Vance said. “But we do blame American leaders of the past for failing to do the same for our workers. And we believe that we can fix that to the mutual benefit of both the United States and India.” JD VANCE GEARS UP TO TALK ECONOMIC PRIORITIES DURING TRIPS TO ITALY, INDIA Vance appeared to reference China – though not directly – in addressing the high-stakes nature of trade negotiations between the U.S. and India. “This audience knows better than most: neither Americans nor Indians are alone and looking to scale up their manufacturing capacity,” Vance said. “The competition extends well beyond cheap consumer goods and into munitions, energy infrastructure and all sorts of other cutting-edge technologies. I believe that if our nations fail to keep pace, the consequences for the Indo-Pacific, but really the consequences for the entire world will be quite dire.” “We believe a stronger India means greater economic prosperity. But also greater stability across the Indo-Pacific, which is, of course, a shared goal for all of us in this room,” the vice president continued. “I believe that if India and the United States work together successfully, we are going to see a 21st century that is prosperous and peaceful. But I also believe that if we fail to work together successfully, the 21st century could be a very dark time for all of humanity.” In the past, Vance argued, Washington has approached Modi with an “attitude of preachiness or even one of condensation,” using India “as a source of low-cost labor” while criticizing the prime minister’s government. Vance said the Trump administration recognizes that “cheap, dependable energy is an essential part of making things and is an essential part of economic independence for both of our nations.” He said America is “blessed with vast natural resources and an unusual capacity to generate energy,” arguing that India would benefit from purchasing expanding U.S. energy exports by being able “to build more, make more, and grow more, but at much lower energy costs.” “We also want to help India explore its own considerable natural resources, including its offshore natural gas reserves and critical mineral supplies,” he said. “We believe that American energy can help realize India’s nuclear power production goals, and this is very important as well as its AI ambitions, because as the United States knows well, and I know that India knows well there is no AI future without energy security and energy dominance.” “Americans want further access to Indian markets. This is a great place to do business, and we want to give our people more access to this country,” Vance said. “And Indians, we believe, will thrive from greater commerce in the United States. This is very much a win-win partnership. It certainly will be far into the future.”
Dems fume over ‘due process’ for Abrego Garcia despite long history of party bucking the legal principle
Democrats are facing pushback as they continue to call for due process for illegal immigrant and suspected MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia after years of seemingly ignoring due process for their political rivals. During the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election and the first Trump term, many Democrats called for President Donald Trump to be put in jail despite only facing allegations of impropriety at the time. “He needs to be imprisoned & placed in solitary confinement,” Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters said in October 2019. “But for now, impeachment is the imperative.” “I don’t want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison,” then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly told fellow Democrats in 2019, according to Politico. VANCE SOUNDS OFF ON DEPORTATION, ‘RATIFICATION OF BIDEN’S ILLEGAL MIGRANT INVASION’ VIA ‘FAKE LEGAL PROCESS’ Democrats also assured the public that January 6 prisoners were receiving due process in terms of their treatment in jail despite Republican claims to the contrary and arguing that the defendants were being held for too long. “They want to have a conversation about whether or not their iPads are working or if they have enough time on their iPads,” Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas said in 2023, according to the Dallas Observer. “This is what I’m hearing. As someone who’s been a public defender, let me tell you something: They know nothing about what bad conditions are.” During a Jan. 7 press conference, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said about the January 6th protesters, “No leniency. No leniency for these people. They have the cameras all over. They have their pictures. No matter what part of the country they came from, we ought to go after them right now.” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called for Kyle Rittenhouse to be thrown in jail as his trial was still developing. “Lock up Kyle Rittenhouse and throw away the key,” Jeffries posted on X, then known as Twitter, during the trial where Rittenhouse was facing a homicide charge for his actions during a George Floyd riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse was ultimately acquitted. APPEALS COURT DENIES DOJ BID TO BLOCK RETURN OF KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON Democrats fought vigorously against the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and amplified allegations of sexual assault against him before any due process had been completed investigating those claims. Speaking to CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, called for an independent FBI investigation of claims against Kavanaugh, before explaining why the presumption of innocence and due process should not apply to his case. “I put his denial in the context of everything that I know about him in terms of how he approaches his cases,” Hirono told host Jake Tapper, in response to a question about whether Kavanaugh was entitled to a presumption of innocence. “His credibility is already very questionable in my mind…. When I say that he’s very outcome-driven, he has an ideological agenda, and I can sit here and talk to you about some of the cases that exemplify his, in my view, inability to be fair.” Over the past few weeks, Jeffries and other Democrats have been vocal proponents of due process when it comes to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant with alleged ties to a violent gang who was deported to El Salvador. Many Democrats have railed against the Trump administration over issues like due process and questions about the kind of treatment Garcia could be receiving in the prison he is allegedly being housed in. “Mistakenly removing a U.S. resident that has protection from deportation legally granted to him by an immigration court and then making no effort to get him back not only places Mr. Abrego Garcia’s life in danger, but also violates the basic principles of due process and the rule of law,” Waters said in a recent letter to Trump. The face of the resistance to Garcia’s deportation has been Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who traveled to El Salvador to meet with Garcia last week which drew strong criticism from the White House. Van Hollen also opposed Kavanaugh’s confirmation using the unsubstantiated sexual assault allegations against him. In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said, “If the hill that Democrats want to die on is demanding the return of a violent illegal alien, wifebeater, and foreign terrorist, we are happy to dig that grave for them.” Some on social media have called out Democrats in recent days for alleged hypocrisy on the issue of due process, with many pointing out the millions of illegal immigrants who entered the country under President Joe Biden with little to no concern from his party. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I’m here to remind you that Democrats have never actually cared about due process,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X while quoting the Jeffries post on Rittenhouse. “Hope this helps.” “Democrats do not care about due process, not one bit,” Breitbart senior editor Joel Pollak posted on X. “That’s why we now have millions of illegal aliens in the country to begin with – and also why they trashed the civil liberties of hundreds of witnesses and defendants under Biden.” “The entire purpose of flooding us with immigrants was to make due process impossible,” Twitchy’s Amy Curtis posted on X. “That some are okay with this, and don’t care about undoing the damage done by Democrats does not surprise me.” “It’s important to remember that when it came to BLM mob demands and accusations of sexual assault against men (believe all women), the left/Democrats proudly dismissed Due Process,” conservative commentator Chad Felix Greene posted on X. “They only care about Constitutional rights when they believe it benefits them politically.”
Federal judge orders ICE to reinstate legal status of 133 foreign students
A federal judge in Georgia has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the legal statuses of 133 international students by 5 p.m. Tuesday after their F-1 student visas were suddenly terminated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security (DHS). The students, many of whom are in good academic standing and close to graduation, had their records terminated on Homeland Security’s SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) and they allege this was done without prior notice, proper explanation or an opportunity to respond. SEVIS is a database Homeland Security uses to monitor non-immigrant students. U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Calvert, a Biden appointee, granted temporary restraining orders on behalf of the plaintiffs and ordered ICE and DHS to reinstate student statuses retroactively to March 31, 2025. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SUE OVER TRUMP ADMIN REVOKING VISAS “Plaintiffs are likely to show that Defendants’ termination of the SEVIS registration exceeds the bounds of statutory and regulatory authority and is therefore unlawful,” Calvert wrote. The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU and other groups in the Northern District of Georgia with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting Director of ICE Todd Lyons listed as defendants in the case. The Department of Justice responses to the lawsuit are currently sealed in the court docket. The plaintiffs argue that the SERVIS terminations were used as a coercive tool rather than a lawful enforcement action and that many of the students have no criminal records and were given short notice to leave the U.S. despite maintaining valid student visas. Furthermore, several of the students are enrolled in STEM programs or work placements, suggesting they are high-achieving international students. “DHS’s act of unlawfully terminating SEVIS records appears to be designed to coerce students, including each plaintiff, into abandoning their studies and ‘self-deporting’ despite not violating their status,” the plaintiffs wrote. TRUMP COLLEGE CRACKDOWN: LIST OF STUDENTS DETAINED AMID ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUSES The government argues that the revocations were valid under existing laws and regulations, particularly when students were flagged during criminal record checks or had their visas revoked. They cited grounds for deportability, even when there had been no arrest or conviction. The judge also rejected the government’s claim that granting relief to these students would affect the executive’s “control over immigration.” Calvert found that the terminations exceeded legal authority and likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the Fifth Amendment. Furthermore, the judge found that the plaintiffs had demonstrated a substantial threat of irreparable harm, including loss of legal status, education, employment and mental distress, and that the balance of harms and public interest favored the students. The decision was welcomed by Akiva Freidlin, the senior staff attorney at the ACLU-Georgia. “The Constitution protects everyone on American soil, so the Trump administration cannot ignore due process to unjustifiably threaten students with the loss of immigration status, and arrest and deportation,” Friedlin said in a statement. READ THE ORDER BELOW. APP USERS, CLICK HERE. “We believe this ruling shows the students are likely to prevail on their claims and we are pleased the court ordered the government to halt its unlawful actions while the lawsuit continues.” The case will now be heard for a preliminary injunction, potentially offering longer-term relief, on Thursday, April 24.
Modi govt punishes Bangladesh by halting railway projects due to…, looks for alternatives in…, know its implications
Relations between India and Bangladesh have hit a rough patch as the former has halted Rail connectivity projects worth Rs 5,000 crore. The decision reflects India’s serious concerns over the rising political instability in Bangladesh and its strategic shift towards other countries in the region. From a panoramic view, India sees the changing political shift in Bangladesh as a threatening situation to its interest in the South Asian region.
House Dems demand ‘proof of life’ of Abrego Garcia after being denied meeting in El Salvador
House Democrats who traveled to El Salvador to seek the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding “daily proof of life” after being denied a meeting with the Salvadoran national who was deported from Maryland. Reps. Robert Garcia of California, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and Maxine Dexter of Oregon flew to El Salvador Monday following a visit to the country by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., last week. “We had a meeting this morning with the embassy here in El Salvador and from what we have heard there is no reason for me to believe that our administration, the Trump administration, is doing anything to facilitate his safe return home,” Ansari said. “Since we were not able to get the answers we need today from the embassy, we have written a letter, just as of 30 minutes ago, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, demanding daily proof of life for Mr. Abrego Garcia, demanding he sees – he has access to counsel, and of course, finally, demanding his safe return home,” she added. “And we will not stop until this is complete.” REPUBLICAN SENATOR SAYS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPORTING KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA WAS A ‘SCREW-UP’ Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old immigrant who crossed the border illegally, settled in Maryland and obtained protected legal status, was deported to El Salvador last month. Officials acknowledged in court his deportation was an administrative error, although now some top Trump officials say he was correctly removed and contend he’s a member of the notorious MS-13 gang. Frost said Monday that the traveling Democrats “formally requested” to meet with Abrego Garcia but “we were told at our meeting that the government here has denied our request to see him because this is not an official trip.” READ THE DEMOCRATIC LETTER – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: “We are also worried about our own constituents; we represent people across the entire nation,” Frost told reporters in El Salvador. “We are getting hundreds and hundreds of calls – people saying ‘Go to El Salvador, do something, do something about the fact that president of the United States in the Oval Office is talking about sending U.S. citizens here to El Salvador to the prison here.’” ABREGO GARCIA TRANSFERRED FROM NOTORIOUS EL SALVADORAN MEGA-PRISON “We don’t want to wait until things get worse. We are here to build off of the work of Sen. Van Hollen, who heroically came down here and showed his family and the world for the first time since he was taken down here, that he is alive, that he was alive and he was well at that time,” he added. “What we want to know is where is he at now? What is his condition now? His family deserves to know, the people deserve to know.” Abrego Garcia’s wife Jennifer Vasquez, a U.S. citizen, released a statement Monday saying “we’re deeply grateful to the members of Congress and advocates for justice now on the ground in El Salvador, building on the leadership of Senator Van Hollen.” “Their presence sends a powerful message: the fight to bring Kilmar home isn’t over,” she said. Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
Trump froze funding for Harvard. Money to these universities may also be on the chopping block
The Trump administration is feuding with elite educational institutions, announcing mid-April it would cut off more than $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard University, and this week threatening cuts to another $1 billion of its federal grants and funding. Harvard, in return, is now suing the administration over the funding freeze, which it calls “unlawful and beyond the government’s authority.” The White House responded that Harvard’s “gravy train of federal assistance” is coming to an end. But Harvard isn’t the only school the Trump administration is fighting. Other institutions are facing similar circumstances – starting with New York City’s Columbia University. The Trump administration unveiled plans in March to freeze roughly $400 million in funding for Columbia, prompting the university to enact changes, including expelling and suspending several students involved in protests and demonstrations on campus in support of Palestinians. Additionally, Columbia complied with several other demands from the Trump administration to place additional oversight over the Middle Eastern studies department and ban masks that conceal an individual’s identity. TRUMP ADMIN SLASHES OVER $2.2B IN FUNDING TO HARVARD AFTER SCHOOL DEFIES DEMANDS Still, acting president Claire Shipman issued a statement April 18, providing updates on the university’s work with the Trump administration’s Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, while also claiming that Columbia would push back against efforts that would “require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy as an educational institution.” The Trump administration also announced earlier in April that it would halt more than $1 billion in funding for Cornell University and approximately $790 million for Northwestern University amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations. “These developments are deeply disturbing,” Northwestern University said in an April 10 statement. “They impact the critical research we perform every day, the lives of those who do it and those who benefit from it. They also cut to the core of what makes Northwestern one of the world’s greatest universities.” “This situation is changing rapidly, but we are working quickly and deliberately to gather facts to help us understand and respond to this emerging crisis,” Northwestern said. Roughly $510 million in funds for Brown University could also be on the chopping block, a White House official told the Associated Press April 3, due to allegations of antisemitism at the school. The University of Pennsylvania also faced a freeze on approximately $175 million in federal funding, due to the school’s transgender student athlete Lia Thomas, a biological male who identifies as transgender and competes in women’s events. The funding pause stemmed from when the school “infamously permitted a male to compete on its women’s swimming team,” the Daily Pennsylvanian reported that the White House said. HARVARD WON’T COMPLY WITH TRUMP ADMIN’S DEMANDS AMID THREATS OF CUTTING FEDERAL FUNDING After Harvard refused to comply with a series of requests from the Trump administration to reform various practices on campus, the administration revealed April 18 that it would freeze more than $2 billion in federal funding for the institution. Harvard University President Alan M. Garber said in a statement that the Trump administration tacked on additional requests that go beyond addressing antisemitism on campus, and the institution would not comply because the demands were unconstitutional. Specifically, Garber said the new requests “direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard,” including auditing viewpoints of student, faculty and staff members on campus, and eliminating all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, offices and initiatives at Harvard. “It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner,” Garber wrote. “We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement.” The Trump administration stood up the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism in February, which aims to eradicate bias on campuses that have experienced incidents targeting Jewish students since October 2023. “It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support,” the task force said in a statement. The Associated Press and Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Aircraft crashes in Gujarat, trainee pilot killed, details here…
Eyewitnesses reported that the aircraft suddenly nosedived and crashed into the ground, triggering a loud explosion upon impact. The blast caused panic and fear among residents living nearby, many of whom rushed out of their homes in alarm.
Terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam kills several tourists, raises security concerns as Amarnath Yatra nears
Tourists from Rajasthan were injured in a suspected terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, triggering a major security operation.