Where Trump’s approval rating as president stands in a brand new national poll
Americans’ concerns over the economy, and specifically inflation and tariffs, appear to be partially fueling the downward trend of President Donald Trump’s approval ratings in a new national poll. Trump stands at 41% approval and 53% disapproval in a Quinnipiac University survey conducted April 3-7 and released on Wednesday. The president stood at 46%-43% approval/disapproval in a Quinnipiac poll conducted during his first week back in the White House, in late January. And Trump was slightly underwater at 45%-49% in mid-February. But the president’s approval ratings are basically unchanged from Quinnipiac’s previous survey, which was in the field early last month. POLL POSITION: WHERE TRUMP STANDS WITH AMERICANS 11 WEEKS INTO HIS SECOND ADMINISTRATION Most, but not all, of the most recent national public opinion surveys indicate Trump’s approval ratings in negative territory, which is a slide from the president’s poll position when he started his second tour of duty in the White House. According to the new Quinnipiac poll, Trump stands at 40% approval and 55% disapproval on his handling of the economy. And asked how the president is dealing with the issue of trade, only 39% of respondents said they approved, while 55% gave Trump a thumbs down. WHERE TRUMP STANDS IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL In the wake of Trump’s blockbuster announcement last week to impose tariffs on dozens of countries across the globe, nearly three-quarters thought the tariffs would hurt the U.S. economy in the short term, while just over half said the move by the president would also hurt the nation’s economy in the long term as well. “A large majority of voters acknowledge the tariffs are delivering a bruising body blow to the economy in the near term. Will time reduce the pain? Some think it will, but a majority don’t envision that happening,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy emphasized. WHY TRUMP, MUSK, FACE BLAME OVER BALLOT BOX SET BACKS LAST WEEK Given a list of four economic issues and asked which one worries voters the most right now, 47% of those questioned in the poll said the price of food and consumer goods, with one-in-five saying the cost of housing or rent, 17% saying the stock market, and 6% pointing to their job situation. “In a rare moment of political unanimity, Democrats, Republicans and independents in equal numbers worry most about the prices of what they eat and what they buy,” Malloy noted. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP According to the poll, voters were divided over which party they think cares more about the needs and problems of people like them. A third of respondents said the Democratic Party, with an equal amount (33%) saying the Republican Party. Thirty-one percent answered that neither party cared more.
DOGE ends 108 ‘wasteful’ contracts, including for an ‘executive transformational leadership training program’
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to slash programs deemed to be useless, announcing Wednesday the elimination of 108 “wasteful contracts.” In a post on X, the Elon Musk-led group said it got rid of the contracts, which have a ceiling value of $250 million and a savings of $70 million. The problem contracts included a $14,000 commitment by the Department of Health and Human Services for an “executive transformational leadership training program.” DOGE SLASHES NEARLY $1M FOR ALPACA FARMING IN PERU, OTHER QUESTIONABLE GRANTS IN LATEST WASTEFUL SPENDING CUT Another was a $5.2 million contract with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the human resources agency for the federal government, to “provide strategic advisory and assistance to improve and transform current processes and organizational systems”. DOGE recently announced $51 million in cuts from the U.S. African Development Foundation, which included hundreds of thousands of dollars for marketing shea butter and pineapple juice, as well as mango drying facilities. The group was created in an effort to slash government waste and provide additional transparency in government spending. It recently helped the U.S. Coast Guard save $32.7 million by eliminating an “ineffective IT program” known as the Logistics Information Management System. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Americans recently shared mixed reviews of the transparency group. Fox News Digital conducted interviews in Knoxville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; Detroit, Michigan; and Houston, Texas, where citizens provided reactions and graded its ongoing efforts. Some criticized DOGE for “trying to do their job with a sledgehammer,” while others praised the group for looking into government waste.
Hegseth says Panama agreed to allow US warships to travel ‘first and free’ through canal
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that U.S. and Panama officials would sign a “framework” agreement allowing U.S. warships to travel “first and free” through the Panama Canal. Hegseth said the two countries had already signed a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation and that they would finalize a document guaranteeing U.S. warships and auxiliary vessels priority, toll-free passage through the canal. When Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama earlier this year, the State Department claimed it had secured a deal for the free passage of U.S. warships. But Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino denied any such agreement had been reached. “I completely reject that statement,” Mulino said at the time. The Panama Canal Authority also said it had “not made any adjustments” to its fee structure. US, PANAMA ‘TAKING BACK’ CANAL FROM ‘CHINA’S INFLUENCE,’ SAYS HEGSETH Earlier Wednesday, Hegseth warned that China’s military presence in the Western Hemisphere is “too large” as he visited Panama to meet with the nation’s officials, visit U.S. troops and tour the canal ports. “Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain,” Hegseth said in brief remarks to the press. “China’s military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere. They operate military facilities and ground stations that extend their reach into space. They exploit natural resources and land to fuel China’s global military ambitions. China’s factory fishing fleets are stealing food from our nations and from our people.” He added that war with China is “not inevitable,” and the U.S. does not seek war in any form. “Together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere.” To strengthen military ties with Panama and reassert influence over the canal, the U.S. will deploy the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, to the region. Hegseth vowed Tuesday that the U.S. will “take back” the Panama Canal from Chinese influence, pointing to port operations controlled by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison. The secretary later said Wednesday that he and Panamanian officials would be signing an agreement that U.S. warships would travel “first and free” through the Panama Canal. TRUMP, HEGSETH REVEAL WHOPPING FIGURE THEY WANT FOR THE NEXT PENTAGON BUDGET Last month the conglomerate agreed to a $19 billion deal to sell a group of 43 ports, including two in Panama, to U.S.-based BlackRock, Trump hailed the agreement, seen as a solution to his complaints that the canal was owned by China, but now that deal may fall apart. China has criticized the deal, opening up antitrust probes, and a Panamanian official has accused CK Hutchison of failing to properly renew its contract in 2021 and owing the country $300 million. After meeting with Mulino, Hegseth said Tuesday the U.S. will not allow China to threaten the canal’s operation. “To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades,” he said. US, PANAMA ‘TAKING BACK’ CANAL FROM ‘CHINA’S INFLUENCE,’ SAYS HEGSETH Hegseth alluded to the ports owned by CK Hutchison. “China-based companies continue to control critical infrastructure in the canal area,” he said. “That gives China the potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama. This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous and less sovereign. And as President Donald Trump has pointed out, that situation is not acceptable.” The Chinese embassy in Panama hit back: “The U.S. has carried out a sensationalistic campaign about the ‘theoretical Chinese threat’ in an attempt to sabotage Chinese-Panamanian cooperation, which is all just rooted in the United States’ own geopolitical interests.” The war of words in Panama comes as China and the U.S. are now locked in a trade war, where Trump slapped Chinese goods with a total 104% tariff. China retaliated with 84% tariffs on U.S. goods.
Senators formally introduce bill to eliminate Department of Education
Republican senators introduced the “Returning Education to Our States Act” on Wednesday morning after President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to close the U.S. Department of Education in late March. The bill, led by Senator Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota and cosponsored by Senators Jim Banks, R-Indiana, and Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, would redirect portions of the Department to other federal agencies such as the Departments of Interior, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Labor, Defense, Justice, and State. “The Department of Education was created to collect education data and advise state and local organizations on best practices,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, told Fox News Digital. “Since then, it has grown into an oversized bureaucracy that dictates one-size-fits-all policies, standards and practices for students across the nation.” “This has been a priority of mine for years, and it’s one that President Trump shares.” TRUMP EDUCATION SECRETARY MCMAHON DROPS INTO HOUSE DEMOCRATS PRESS CONFERENCE The introduction comes amid widespread support among Republicans to eliminate the agency, including the current sitting Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, who detailed her “vision for eliminating the Department of Education” in a Fox News op-ed. McMahon and Rounds recently held a meeting where the “Returning Education to Our States Act” was discussed. In addition to eliminating the agency, the legislation would also make key changes to education compliance requirements, making it so that schools would no longer be required to administer standardized tests to identify struggling schools (CSI and TSI). The bill would also allow schools more autonomy to set teacher certification standards and professional development plans. NEW YORK PREPARES TO BATTLE TRUMP’S DEI FUNDING THREATS IN FIGHT OVER SCHOOLS The executive order issued by President Donald Trump in late March directs the department to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities,” but it takes an act of Congress to formally abolish the department. Co-sponsors of the bill say that this piece of legislation will be the bill that ultimately serves that purpose. “While the average Dept of Ed bureaucrat makes twice as much as a teacher in Indiana, our national test scores are near historic lows. That money should be sent back to the states to empower parents, teachers, and local leaders,” Sen. Jim Banks. R-Indiana told Fox News Digital. “Congress has a golden opportunity to codify President Trump’s executive actions. This bill does that. It’s a win for American education.” TRUMP ADMIN HALTING MORE THAN $500M IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO BROWN UNIVERSITY OVER ANTISEMITISM RESPONSE Fox News Digital also spoke with Montana Senator Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, who weighed in, saying, “We spend more on education than at any point in history, but test scores are declining because those dollars are being squandered by a bloated federal bureaucracy. Closing the DOE will not cut off funds from students who depend on them, but it will eliminate layers of red tape in Washington, D.C. and ensure taxpayer money for education is better spent at the local level, where the dollars support kids, families, and hardworking teachers.” The Republican-led bill could potentially accompany President Donald Trump’s executive order and campaign promise to reshape the American education system as it heads to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for debate.
Greene and Garcia clash over RFK Jr. and vaccines, measles outbreak
Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., clashed Wednesday over the actions of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with the Republican telling the Democrat, “You sound ignorant.” The fiery exchange unfolded during a House Oversight Committee hearing on restoring trust in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where Garcia declared RFK Jr. “has been and will always be a tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist.” “Our current HHS secretary is an anti-vax conspiracy theorist. And that is a fact. He caused a measles outbreak in another country that caused the death, absolutely,” Garcia started saying before Greene interrupted him and said ,”No, he did not. That’s a lie.” “RFK did not cause a measles outbreak. You sound ignorant,” Greene continued as the two began talking over each other. RFK JR MAKES TEXAS STOP TO VISIT FAMILY OF 6-YEAR-OLD MEASLES VICTIM, PUSH MMR VACCINE “Miss Greene, you are an anti-vax conspiracy theorist yourself,” Garcia told her. “You are the No. 1 anti-vax conspiracy theorist in this entire Congress.” “No, I am for choice. I am for parents and people choosing,” she said, before claiming, “Vaccines kill people.” TOP VACCINE OFFICIAL ALLEGEDLY PUSHED OUT OF FDA: REPORT RFK Jr. recently visited Texas to encourage people to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine amid rising measles cases. Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz claimed in January ahead of RFK Jr.’s confirmation hearing, “In 2019, [RFK Jr.] flew to Samoa to discourage people from taking the measles vaccine, deepening hesitancy that was already building. “And it worked,” the Democrat added. “Vaccination rates for eligible 1-year-olds fell to lower than 33%. And just five months later, Samoa found itself in the middle of a measles outbreak. Over 5,000 people got the measles. Eighty-three people died.” Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: White House rolls out implementation of AI for federal employee records
Fox News Digital has learned that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will post an updated Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) at the close of business Wednesday that paves the way for artificial intelligence to improve government efficiency and enhance the federal record-keeping process. This will be the first time the United States government has applied the use of artificial intelligence for federal employee record-keeping after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January to “solidify [America’s] position as the global leader in AI and secure a brighter future for all Americans.” A senior White House official spoke with Fox News Digital, outlining the implementation process, detailing that the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)-approved AI system will be used to drastically speed up the retirement process for the roughly 2.3 million federal employees and improve the accuracy of what is now mostly paper-based record keeping. WHITE HOUSE: US WILL LEAD IN AI, BUT CHINA IS CATCHING UP While the AI system will not be immediately operational, updating the PIA is the first step in opening the door to a full-scale roll-out. The senior White House official explained that the artificial intelligence program has already been tested to 100% accuracy in a simulated environment, but that no testing on actual data can be completed without the updated PIA. Part of the inspiration for using AI to improve federal record keeping comes from Elon Musk’s DOGE keying in on a decommissioned, underground mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania. The mine, which is home to more than 400,000,000 personal records for federal employees, is heavily reliant on an ineffective paper-based system. Though federal employee records are now filed through OPM’s electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), there is also a duplicate paper record printed as a PDF that is stored at the Pennsylvania mine. Operating under the current system, processing the retirement of a federal employee can take weeks or months, per file, and there is still room for human error. With the implementation of artificial intelligence, the senior White House official told Fox it could take less than one second to finalize a federal employee’s retirement. SECURING THE AI FUTURE: HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ACTION PLAN CAN POSITION AMERICA FOR SUCCESS While there is no intention to digitize or remove the hundreds of millions of files that exist in the mine, the AI system would ensure that no new paper files would be added to the already overwhelming number of physical copies that exist. Outdated filing systems have placed a burden on the efficiency of federal record keeping, as many of the files are old, illegible PDFs that can take several employees days or weeks to review, and the results have a higher chance of being inaccurate. “Antiquated, inefficient, and slow are words synonymous with government, all of which ended the day President Trump took office,” Harrison Fields, Principal White House Deputy Press Secretary, told Fox News Digital, “Today’s action follows the president’s historic AI Executive Order and will usher in historic efficiency at the Office of Personnel Management, streamlining the organization tasked with serving as the human resources agency and personnel policy manager for the Federal Government.” THE UNITED STATES NEEDS TO BECOME THE ‘LEADER’ IN AI, GOP LAWMAKER ARGUES The White House also issued an AI-focused concentrated fact sheet Tuesday, establishing federal “Agency Chief AI Officer roles” who “are tasked with promoting agency-wide AI innovation and the adoption of lower-risk AI, mitigating risks for higher-impact AI, and advising on agency AI investments and spending.” The senior White House official clarified to Fox News Digital that despite the AI implementation, federal employees will still be able to self-review and assess personal records at their discretion.
Elon Musk, conservatives drag Trump-appointed justice following Venezuelan deportations ruling
Conservatives are reeling after Trump-appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined liberal justices, dissenting in a 5-4 Supreme Court decision to allow President Donald Trump’s administration to deport Venezuelan nationals under the 1789 Alien Enemies Act. Republicans have celebrated the Supreme Court’s ruling that allows the Trump administration under the wartime immigration law to deport Venezuelan nationals, whom the White House maintains are Tren de Aragua gang members and terrorists. Since the ruling, conservatives have flooded social media with discontent at Barrett for siding with Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent. “This is disappointing,” Trump ally Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said on his personal X account, reacting to Barrett joining the three liberal justices in ruling against Trump’s deportations. Responding to Lee’s disappointment, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk piled on the Barrett critique in an X post: “Suicidal empathy is a civilizational risk.” SUPREME COURT GRANTS TRUMP REQUEST TO LIFT STAY HALTING VENEZUELAN DEPORTATIONS “While this Supreme Court victory for Trump allowing him to deport cartels is huge, it was only a 5-4 decision. Guess who joined the 3 liberal Justices to keep cartels here in America? Amy Coney Barrett,” conservative influencer Rogan O’Handley, known as DC Draino on X, said in a post. PAM BONDI WARNS MIGRANT CRIMINALS ‘WE’RE COMING AFTER YOU’ AFTER SUPREME COURT LIFTS STAY ON DEPORTATIONS LindellTV White House reporter Cara Castronuova asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt about Barrett’s “decision to go with the liberals, and to go actually with the Tren de Araguas” during Tuesday’s White House press briefing. Leavitt did not address Barrett’s vote directly but said the administration wished it was a unanimous decision. “We believe this was a massive victory,” Leavitt replied. “Certainly, we wish this was a 9-0 decision because we firmly believe the president was well within his constitutional authority and the Supreme Court made that very clear last night.” Barrett is no stranger to the ire of Republicans, particularly Trump’s most loyal base, as this isn’t the first time she’s bucked her conservative justices since joining the majority on the nation’s highest court. She delivered a sharp dissent against a 6-3 ruling in 2024 that said the Justice Department went too far in charging Jan. 6 rioters at the U.S. Capitol with obstruction. The Supreme Court on Monday granted Trump’s request to vacate a lower court’s ruling that barred the Trump administration from invoking the 1789 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals from the United States. The act allows the United States to remove “dangerous” immigrants during times of war. At least 261 migrants were deported last month, including more than 100 Venezuelans specifically under the 1789 law. The Supreme Court did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by deadline.
Dem takes aim at Trump in 2026 Senate launch video for ‘tanking our economy’
A former Democratic congressman is taking aim at President Donald Trump and Republican Sen. Thom Tills as he launches a Senate campaign in the key southeastern battleground state of North Carolina. “Trump is shredding our Constitution and tanking our economy. Thom Tillis lacks the courage to stand up to him – I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit on the sidelines,” former Rep. Wiley Nickel argued in a social media post as he declared his candidacy for the Senate on Wednesday. Nickel, an attorney who served as a staffer in former President Barack Obama’s administration before winning election as a state senator and later serving one term in Congress, is the first major Democrat to launch a campaign in the 2026 Senate race in North Carolina. THIS POPULAR FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR WHOM TRUMP URGED TO RUN PASSES ON 2026 SENATE BID IN KEY SWING STATE Democrats haven’t won a Senate election in North Carolina since 2008, but they view Tillis as vulnerable. While Trump carried the state in his 2024 presidential election victory by three points – an improvement over his razor-thin margin in 2020 – Democrats won the statewide races for governor, attorney general and secretary of state. “North Carolina needs a fighter for what’s right for our state, not a rubber stamp for Trump. That’s who Thom Tillis is,” Nickel charged in a campaign launch video posted to social media. POLL POSITION: WHERE TRUMP STANDS WITH AMERICANS 11 WEEKS INTO HIS SECOND TOUR OF DUTY IN THE WHITE HOUSE Nickel edged Republican Bo Hines in 2022 to flip a red congressional district blue. But he declined to seek re-election in 2024 after his district was redrawn to favor the GOP. In his campaign video, Nickel charged that Republicans “gerrymandered my district, so I couldn’t run again.” The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, took aim at Nickel ELON MUSK FRONT-AND-CENTER AS FIRST CANDIDATE IN KEY SENATE RACE LAUNCHES BID “Wiley Nickel is a far-left radical who wants illegal immigrants voting in our elections, drug dealers free on the streets, and parents kept from having a voice in their children’s education,” NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez said in a statement to Fox News. “He’s so out-of-touch he chose to retire instead of facing voters in a tough election year, and he will be rejected by North Carolina voters in 2026.” While Nickel is the first major candidate to enter the race, many national and North Carolina Democrats are hoping that former Gov. Roy Cooper, who in January finished his two terms in office, will also run. WHY TRUMP, MUSK, FACE BLAME OVER BALLOT BOX SET BACKS LAST WEEK Cooper, who was a popular governor, has yet to decide his next political step. North Carolina is a top target for the Democrats in 2026, along with Maine, where moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election in the blue-leaning state. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and in next year’s midterm elections they are targeting open Democrat-held seats in Michigan and New Hampshire as well as Georgia, where first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff is viewed as vulnerable.
Biden aides ‘scripted’ everything, allowed his faculties to ‘atrophy,’ new book claims
White House aides cut off outside access to former President Joe Biden, which ultimately backfired and worsened his cognitive function, according to a new book. The book, “Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” published Tuesday, claims the White House kept Biden from socializing even with those he regarded as friends and allies. “Even Biden’s acquaintances were kept at bay,” Chris Whipple, a former producer for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” wrote. “Bill Daley, former White House chief of staff to Barack Obama, paid frequent visits to one of the president’s senior advisors in the West Wing. ‘I went to the White House a dozen times,’ he told me. ‘Never once did somebody say, ‘Oh, come on in and see the president.’ Never. Everything was scripted.” EX-BIDEN AIDE SAYS FORMER PRESIDENT WAS ‘FATIGUED, BEFUDDLED, AND DISENGAGED’ PRIOR TO JUNE DEBATE: BOOK Not everyone in the White House thought it was a wise strategy, according to the book. Whipple wrote that one White House aide suggested “walling Biden off from the world was a grave mistake.” “‘They were afraid he might say the wrong thing or might feed the mental acuity narrative,’ he told me. ‘And so he started seeing fewer and fewer people. They allowed his faculties to atrophy. But I think, like knives, they have to be sharpened. They get sharpened by rubbing them up against steel. And they don’t get sharpened by sitting in a drawer,’” Whipple wrote. “Uncharted” chronicles the 2024 election cycle and the aftermath of Biden’s appearance at the presidential debate with Donald Trump June 27 that prompted Biden to bow out of the race in July. CRITICS PILE ON BIDEN FOLLOWING ABC INTERVIEW, BLAST HIS REFUSAL TO COMMIT TO COGNITIVE TEST: ‘DISQUALIFYING’ The book also details how, after the debate, Biden conducted an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos July 5 in an attempt to prove to the public his mental faculties were intact amid calls for him to exit the race. But Whipple wrote that Biden sounded “semi-coherent” during the interview, which occurred weeks before Biden withdrew his candidacy July 21. “Stephanopoulos questioned the president gently, like a grandson,” Whipple wrote. “Afterward, when I asked the ABC anchor by email for his impressions, he replied: ‘Heartbreaking up close.’” A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
WATCH: Trump’s border czar gets GOP cheers, Democratic tears at Arizona state Capitol
President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, received a warm welcome from the Republican legislature in Arizona – while Democrats walked out of the special joint session in protest within seconds of his 30-minute speech. “I think this is just another reason why it just shows again that the Democrats are totally out of touch with Americans,” Arizona Senate President Warren Peterson told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We expanded our majorities because immigration is a top issue, especially here in Arizona as a border state. I guess what’s surprising is that they keep doubling down on issues that they’re completely losing on.” State Democrats walked out while holding pieces of paper with the names of people deported under the Trump administration’s mass deportation program, as Homan appeared unfazed, saying, “I love it. Thank you for making my day. I love haters, they make my day every day.” UP TO 1M MIGRANTS WHO USED BIDEN’S CBP ONE APP ORDERED TO DEPORT BY TRUMP ADMIN “We won because of the Hispanic male voting Republican, and the Democrats are completely out with their base on this issue,” Petersen said. “So, they do have some people that are extreme, that are opposed to border security. But what I am finding is that the majority of Hispanics want Arizona to be safe and they want the borders to be secure.” Instead of attending Homan’s speech, several Democrats gathered outside the state Capitol to rally and denounce the administration’s immigration policies, with Rep. Anna Abeytia reportedly in tears as she spoke about the growing “rise of anti-immigration sentiment” in her community. State Sen. Catherine Miranda, a Democrat, called it “disturbing” that Republicans would give “a platform to someone who has caused so much harm in our community.” Miranda claimed Homan is not just responsible for deporting people, but for “kidnappings, disappearances and the deportation of individuals for reasons as unjust as having tattoos, protesting or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “Right now, they might only be going after the right to due process for immigrants, but soon they will be coming for you or your loved one’s due rights processes as well,” Miranda said in a statement. State Rep. Betty Villegas, another Democrat, called ICE “cruel” under Homan’s leadership, “even by Trump-era standards.” COLORADO DEMS ARE ‘POKING THE BEAR’ BY DEFYING TRUMP’S ORDERS, GOP LAWMAKER WARNS Homan was invited by Arizona Senate and House Republicans to talk about the status of illegal border crossings and missing migrant children. At the end of his speech, he signaled his support for state measure Proposition 314, the Secure the Border Act, passed by Arizona voters in November. “Congratulations on your immigration legislation. I know it’s being litigated, but you will win,” Homan said. Homan also said the administration is “not going to apologize” for deporting illegal immigrants through the Alien Enemies Act. “They came here to unsettle this country, to cause harm,” he said. “We will not apologize for sending two planeloads of terrorists out of this country.” MEXICAN MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING HIS CHILD TO BE DEPORTED AFTER ENCOUNTERING ICE OFFICERS IN MONTANA JAIL The Trump administration initiated deportation flights targeting alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Despite a federal judge’s order to ground the planes, the administration went ahead, arguing the flights were already en route and beyond U.S. airspace when the injunction was issued. The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration could continue deportations under the Alien Enemies Act but said deportees must be notified and allowed to challenge their removal.