Does Trump want a Gaza ceasefire before his Middle East trip?
Parsing through Donald Trump’s Middle East agenda with Steven Cook from the Council on Foreign Relations. US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama want the same things in the Middle East, argues Steven Cook, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations: “disentangling the US from its foreign adventures”. Cook tells host Steve Clemons that Trump wants a deal with Iran, and may be pressuring Israel to end its war on Gaza before his proposed trip to the Gulf region next month. There is a “trust deficit” between Trump and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, adds Cook, and this explains why Trump told Netanyahu to “be reasonable” regarding Syria and Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Adblock test (Why?)
France expels 12 Algerian officials as tensions escalate
Move comes after Algeria expelled French diplomats, following France’s arrest of an Algerian consular official linked to an alleged kidnap. France says it will expel 12 Algerian diplomatic and consular staff members and has recalled its ambassador from Algiers, deepening a crisis that threatens to unravel months of attempted reconciliation between the two countries. The announcement on Tuesday comes a day after Algeria ordered 12 French diplomats to leave within 48 hours. Algiers announced the expulsions after French prosecutors indicted three Algerian nationals, including a consular official, over the alleged kidnapping of a prominent government critic in Paris last year. The activist, Amir Boukhors – better known to his more than one million TikTok followers as “Amir DZ” – was granted asylum in France in 2023. He was abducted in a Paris suburb in April last year and released the next day. French authorities said the three suspects are also facing charges of “terrorist” conspiracy. Strained relations It is the first time France has detained an employee of the Algerian consulate, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between Paris and the former French colony. Advertisement French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday that the expulsions were directly linked to the arrests. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs noted that Algeria’s move, if carried out, would mark the first expulsion of French diplomats from the country since its independence in 1962. Algeria, which has issued nine international arrest warrants for Boukhors on charges including fraud and “terrorism”, is demanding his extradition. The escalation comes despite recent overtures between the two countries. Just a week earlier, Barrot met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and declared bilateral relations had returned to normal after a period of simmering tensions. French President Emmanuel Macron’s backing of Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed region of Western Sahara last year sparked outrage in Algiers. The jailing of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal by an Algerian court last month only added to the strain with Macron calling for his release. Adblock test (Why?)
Top Hegseth advisor Dan Caldwell placed on administrative leave by Defense Department
A top advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon on Tuesday and placed on administrative leave, according to a Defense Department official. Reuters first reported Caldwell had been placed on leave for an “unauthorized disclosure” of information amid an investigation into Pentagon leaks. An official confirmed to Fox News Digital that Reuters’ reporting is accurate but declined to comment on an ongoing investigation. Caldwell previously worked at restraint-minded think tank Defense Priorities and Concerned Veterans for America, a group formerly led by Hegseth. A foreign policy realist, he has argued that the U.S. should dramatically reduce its footprint in Europe and pull out forces in Iraq and Syria. GENERAL WHO HELPED TRUMP DECIMATE ISIS TERRORISTS IN FIRST TERM CONFIRMED AS JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN Last month the Defense Department announced a probe into “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information” and said it planned to use polygraphs to determine the source of leaks. “The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,” DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in a memo. “This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.” He wrote that “information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure” would be referred for criminal prosecution.” Caldwell did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Andrew Cuomo denied almost $3 million in publicly matching funds for mayoral bid, cites ‘software error’
Former New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo was denied nearly $3 million in publicly matched campaign funds by New York City’s campaign finance regulators on Tuesday. The denial of $2.5 million in publicly matched campaign funds followed a frantic email the Cuomo campaign sent out Friday, calling on those who had donated to his campaign to fill out a form to ensure all requirements for the public money were necessarily met. But that effort failed. Public confirmation of the denial was made in a Tuesday press release from the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB), which indicated that at least 20% of Cuomo’s required disclosures contained documentation errors for contributions. The press release also said that the Cuomo campaign failed to meet its required two-part threshold of total contributions, which must be at least 1,000 different individuals, and contributors, which must amount to at least $250,000, needed to obtain the publicly matched funds. CUOMO LANDS KEY ENDORSEMENT AS COMEBACK BID FOR NYC MAYOR HEATS UP “Our campaign officially announced on March 1, and within 13 days, proudly raised an unprecedented $1.5 million, including $330,000 in matchable funds, from more than 2,800 donors. This surpassed the campaign finance board’s threshold for qualifying for matching funds by the filing deadline of March 13. Since the last filing deadline on March 13, the campaign has amassed an additional $1 million, totaling over $2.5 million raised from over 4,100 individuals,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement. “Last Friday, the campaign was informed by the campaign finance board that, due to a technical software error, contributions collected on one of our vendor platforms, NGP, were missing one of the fields required by the Campaign Finance Board, and so while we met the thresholds necessary to receive matching funds, the campaign had to remedy this technical matter.” Azzopardi noted that the “technical software error” had been remedied and the adequate documentation was provided to the city’s campaign finance board. However, the campaign won’t be able to receive matching funds until the next payment period beginning May 12. BILL MAHER SUGGESTS ANDREW CUOMO’S NURSING HOME SCANDAL MAY COST HIS NYC MAYORAL CAMPAIGN Nearly every other top mayoral candidate received payouts Tuesday, according to Politico. However, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams found himself denied $4.5 million in matching funds over the same reasons Cuomo did, in addition to other bookkeeping and compliance mistakes. Polling from Siena College found Cuomo as the front-runner among Democrats, but Adams was not included in the survey results as he will be running for reelection as an Independent. Adams was facing a federal corruption investigation until the Trump administration stepped in and got the case dismissed. As a result of the investigation, one of the NYCCFB’s members, Richard Davis, has recused himself from voting on any matters related to Adams after writing an editorial earlier this year in which he slammed President Donald Trump’s Justice Department for intervening in the Adams case, referring to the move as “ludicrous.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Adams was also denied publicly matched funds during the NYCCFB’s last round of payments announced on March 17.
Sen. Mayes Middleton announces bid for Texas attorney general
Middleton is the second Republican to join what is expected to be a growing field of candidates angling to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton as the state’s top legal official.
Democrat city council sues mayor for allowing ICE into major American prison
The Democrat-controlled city council of New York City is suing Mayor Eric Adams for cooperating with the Trump administration by allowing ICE to conduct immigration investigations at Rikers Island Prison. The city council is asking the court to declare an executive order by the mayor’s office allowing ICE into Rikers Island “illegal, null, and void.” The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of New York on Tuesday. In the suit, the city council accuses Adams of engaging in an illegal “quid pro quo” with the Trump administration by allowing ICE into the city prison in exchange for having the federal corruption charges against him dropped. The suit claims that Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent, prioritized his own political goals over the city’s “prized sanctuary laws,” calling the executive order “the poisoned fruit of Mayor Adams’s deal with the Trump Administration.” NJ GOVERNOR ACCUSED OF HARBORING VIOLENT ILLEGAL CRIMINALS, DOJ LAUNCHES PROBE “Today, in New York City, a corrupt bargain is taking place in plain view: New York City Mayor Eric Adams … is using his official powers to pay off the Trump Administration for dropping criminal charges against him,” the suit claims. “The ‘purchase price’- which was agreed to in advance and is now being proffered – is the safety and wellbeing of immigrant communities and all New Yorkers whose rights are protected by our City’s prized sanctuary laws.” At issue in the suit is an executive order signed by New York City First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro last week that allows federal immigration authorities to operate an office on Rikers Island to help carry out criminal investigations into drug trafficking, organized violence and migrant gang activity plaguing the city. The order states that the safety of New Yorkers has been jeopardized by violent transnational gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua – gangs designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration – and there is a critical need for federal law enforcement to share “real-time” intelligence with the city’s corrections department and police. The order allows federal law enforcement agencies to share intelligence with the corrections department and NYPD about criminal gang activity among individuals both inside and outside of custody. BORDER CROSSINGS HIT RECORD LOW IN MARCH THANKS TO ‘VIGILANT’ WORK OF AGENTS: REPORT It does not give ICE permission to carry out civil immigration enforcement and arrest people simply for being undocumented. The order was issued the week after federal charges against Adams were dismissed. He had been accused of using his position as mayor to receive luxury travel and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish foreign nationals. Adams insisted the case was politically motivated and was pursued in retaliation for his criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a Democrat who is running to unseat Adams, claimed in a Tuesday statement that the order allowing ICE to conduct immigration investigations on criminals at Rikers Island is “a naked attempt by Eric Adams to fulfill his end of the bargain for special treatment he received from the Trump administration.” She said the city council’s lawsuit is an attempt to “protect the rights and safety of all New Yorkers against attacks by the Trump administration—because the city’s mayor won’t stop placing his own personal interests ahead of the people of our city.” ANOTHER PRO-PALESTINE COLUMBIA PROTESTOR DETAINED BY ICE, SANDERS AND DEMS OUTRAGED Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Adams, responded to the lawsuit by calling it “baseless” and “contrary to the public interest.” “The City Council appears to be spreading misinformation,” Mamelak told Fox News Digital. “So let’s be clear: To maintain the trust of the nearly 8.5 million New Yorkers our administration serves and protects every day — and to ensure there was never even the appearance of any conflict — Mayor Adams delegated all powers, responsibilities, and decision-making related to any action authorizing federal officials to investigate crimes at Rikers Island to First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The spokesperson said that Mastro “conducted a thorough and independent assessment — which included multiple visits to Rikers Island, conversations with federal law enforcement and our own Department of Correction officers, and more — and he independently concluded that a federal presence at Rikers to conduct federal criminal investigations is in New York City’s best interest and protects public safety, particularly in our ongoing efforts to target violent transnational gangs now present in our city, including those designated as terrorist organizations.” “Executive Order 50 is expressly authorized by New York City’s local laws — the very laws enacted by the City Council,” said Mamelak. “While we will review the lawsuit, this one seems baseless and contrary to the public interest in protecting New Yorkers from violent criminals. We remain committed to our administration’s efforts to reduce crime and keep New Yorkers safe — we hope the City Council will join us in doing so.” Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Democrats prioritizing illegal immigrants over citizens is ‘mind-boggling,’ White House says
The White House accused congressional Democrats of prioritizing “illegal immigrant gang members” rather than their own constituents. “It’s mind-boggling the priorities of the modern-day Democrat party,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. “I think it’s atrocious that you have Democrats in Congress on Capitol Hill who swear an oath to protect their constituents and to serve them in Washington, D.C., spending more time defending illegal immigrant gang members than their own constituents and law-abiding American citizens,” Leavitt said. STATE DEPT UPGRADES TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR EL SALVADOR, CONSIDERED SAFER THAN FRANCE, OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES The comments come as Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., floated possibly traveling to El Salvador to check on a Maryland resident the Trump administration’s Justice Department admitted it deported to El Salvador in an “administrative error,” should the resident not return to the U.S. by “midweek.” Both Trump administration officials and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele agreed Monday at the White House that they didn’t have the authority to return Maryland resident Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration claims has ties to the MS-13 gang. Additionally, the Supreme Court upheld Thursday a lower court’s order that “requires the government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.” While Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters Monday that El Salvador would call the final shots on whether it would return the Maryland resident, Bukele said it was “preposterous” for El Salvador to do so. “How can I smuggle a terrorist into the U.S.? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States,” Bukele said at the White House Monday. TRUMP, BUKELE FIND COMMON CAUSE ON TRANS SPORTS BAN AND BORDER CRACKDOWN Meanwhile, Van Hollen announced Monday that if Garcia did not return to the U.S. by “midweek,” he personally would travel to El Salvador to check up on Garcia’s well-being and release. “Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia never should have been abducted and illegally deported, and the courts have made clear: the Administration must bring him home, now,” Van Hollen said in a Monday statement. “However, since the Trump Administration appears to be ignoring these court mandates, we need to take additional action.”
AOC claims Republicans will ‘trick’ Americans into identity politics, stoking racial divisions
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told rally attendees not to let Republicans “trick” them into thinking they “can be separated” by race or into stoking “deep divisions along race, identity and culture,” despite President Donald Trump’s recent efforts to rid identity politics from public and private spaces. The progressive “Squad” lawmaker’s comments came at a “Fighting Oligarchy” rally Monday night in Idaho alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. It was the pair’s latest stop in a tour of appearances across the country. “The only chance they have to get away with such an unpopular and hurtful agenda is to stoke deep divisions along race, identity and culture to keep us fighting and distracted. It’s not going to work anymore,” AOC told rally goers. “Don’t let them trick us into thinking we are enemies. Don’t let them trick us into being weak and being into thinking we can be separated into rural and urban, black and white and Latino.” BERNIE SANDERS COMPARES TRUMP, MUSK AND OTHER ‘OLIGARCHS’ TO ‘HEROIN ADDICTS,’ SAYS DRUG OF CHOICE IS ‘GREED’ The rally with AOC and Sanders was largely centered around criticizing “billionaire” oligarchs like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and President Donald Trump, who, as president, has been leading an anti-DEI push that is aimed at ridding identity politics from public and private spaces. In fact, per political analyst and regular MSNBC contributor Eddie Glaude, identity politics was “at the heart” of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss to Trump. “The only thing that was woke or representational about [Kamala Harris’] campaign was her, her body, the fact that she was a woman of color. So I think that the concern, the so-called backlash, to tending to the diversity of the nation actually proves the point,” Glaude said in an interview with NPR shortly after Republican’s November election victories. BERNIE SANDERS SAYS LARGEST ‘FIGHTING OLIGARCHY’ RALLY WITH AOC IS MAKING TRUMP, MUSK ‘VERY NERVOUS’ Meanwhile, since being inaugurated, Trump has implemented executive actions explicitly targeting “identity politics.” “Prior to harmful changes introduced by the Obama and Biden administrations, the United States military offered equality of opportunity to every American capable of and interested in serving their country. Yet these two administrations exploited the military in favor of identity politics—harming our national defense, undermining the non-political nature of our military, and eroding morale and recruitment,” Trump wrote in one of his first Executive Orders after being sworn in. “Due to this ‘woke’ assault, the Services together logged their lowest recruiting records since 1940 with a 41,000-troop shortfall in 2023.” Trump has also taken steps to rid DEI from universities, the federal government and even the private sector. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP According to Trump, it was Democrat President Joe Biden who implemented “illegal and immoral discrimination programs,” which often tied individual success to immutable factors like race, sex and ethnicity. “President Trump is restoring fairness and accountability in federal hiring, and terminating DEI across the federal government,” reads a March fact sheet from the White House.
Texas House approves push to award Attorney General Ken Paxton back pay
The vote instructs lawmakers who are negotiating a budget with the Senate to advocate for awarding Paxton the salary he missed while impeached over corruption allegations.
ACLU of Indiana sues Trump admin, claims DHS violated rights of foreign students
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana filed a suit against the Trump administration on Tuesday, claiming that the lawful status of seven international students in Indiana were reportedly terminated without explanation. The suit claims that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not offer the students any opportunity to challenge the decisions and therefore violated due process rights. The suit names DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Trump administration has targeted hundreds of international students in recent weeks for their engagement in anti-Israel protests, which the administration argued was support for U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hamas. The administration has also revoked visas for international students over past infractions such as traffic violations. “There is no rhyme or reason for DHS’s action,” ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk said. “To terminate an international student’s status, the U.S. government must adhere to regulatory standards and provide basic due process, which it has failed to do.” INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SUE OVER TRUMP ADMIN REVOKING VISAS Plaintiffs claimed international students are allowed to continue their studies and maintain their legal residency status even after their visas get revoked. The lawsuit asked the U.S. District Court to allow the seven international students to continue their studies by reinstating their status. A temporary restraining order has also been requested to provide immediate protection to the students, according to the ACLU of Indiana. Among the students named in the lawsuit, six are Chinese citizens attending Purdue University or Indiana University Indianapolis. Another student is a Nigerian citizen attending the University of Notre Dame. Two of the seven students named were expected to graduate next month. “The impact on these students’ lives is profound, and now they live in fear of being deported at any moment,” Falk continued. “We’re calling on the court to take immediate steps to stop these unlawful actions.” TRUMP COLLEGE CRACKDOWN: LIST OF STUDENTS DETAINED AMID ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUSES Fox News Digital reached out to the DHS for comment, but they did not immediately respond. The lawsuit is one of the increasing number of complaints the White House is facing over student visa revocation. Numerous international students whose visas were terminated without explanation recently also filed another suit against the Trump administration over an alleged violation of due process. Trump administration officials have defended the revocation of student visas, claiming that the government reserves the right to cancel them. “There is no right to a student visa,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on March 28. “We can cancel a student visa under the law just the same way that we can deny a student visa under the law. And we will do so in cases we find appropriate,” Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.