Trump admin withholds millions from Planned Parenthood for civil rights and executive order violations: report
President Donald Trump‘s administration told several Planned Parenthood affiliates on Monday that it was withholding funding due to possible violations of civil rights laws, according to reports. Politico reported that tens of millions of dollars were being withheld from Planned Parenthood clinics that provide low-income Americans services like contraception, STI testing and other health services. On Monday, nine state affiliates of Planned Parenthood that receive money from the federal government through Title X, a family planning program, got notices saying their funding was being “temporarily withheld.” The publication said that the letter, which was provided by Planned Parenthood, pointed toward “possible violations” of Trump’s executive orders – like the banning of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs – and federal civil rights laws. PLANNED PARENTHOOD APPEARS TO SCRUB INSTAGRAM AS FEARS OF DOGE CUTS LOOM Another policy by Trump that the family planning program allegedly violated had to do with “taxpayer subsidization of open borders.” The Planned Parenthood chapters that received the letters were mostly in GOP-controlled states, the publication noted. The administration also pointed to evidence of violations by citing the mission statement from the clinic, as well as other documents that stress a “commitment to black communities.” The deputy director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Public Affairs, Amy Margolis, reportedly argued that those materials “paint a picture of Planned Parenthood” suggesting it is “engaged, across its affiliates, in widespread practices across hiring, operations, and patient treatment that unavoidably employ race in a negative manner.” FEDS GAVE $700M TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD DURING YEAR OF RECORD ABORTIONS The letter also accuses Planned Parenthood of encouraging illegal aliens to receive care. Planned Parenthood has 10 days to respond to the letter and provide evidence it plans to comply with the president’s executive orders. Once provided, the administration will determine whether to suspend or terminate the grants. Planned Parenthood and HHS did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the matter. In a social media post, Planned Parenthood wrote, “When we say, ‘Care no matter what,’ we mean it. Planned Parenthood health centers’ doors are open to everyone. Period. We’ve fought to protect your care for decades and won’t stop now.” In another post, Planned Parenthood directed its supporters to its website to submit a letter to Congress regarding the funding. NEW REPORT EXPOSES BOTCHED PROCEDURES, POOR CONDITIONS AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD ABORTION CLINICS “The Trump admin withholding Title X funds further strips health care from people across this country,” the post read. “We know what happens when Title X funding is taken away: cancer goes undetected, birth control access is severely reduced, and the STI crisis worsens. People will suffer.” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon reportedly told Politico that payments to 16 Title X providers were being withheld, including nine Planned Parenthood affiliates. The reasoning behind the withholding, Nixon explained, is “to ensure these entities are in full compliance with Federal law and applicable grant terms, and to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.” He further noted that out of Title X’s over $200 million budget, $27.5 million was frozen and under review.
Trump administration reviews billions in Harvard contracts and grants
The administration of President Donald Trump has announced it will undertake a “comprehensive review” of federal contracts with Harvard University, as part of its crackdown on anti-Semitism in the United States. But critics fear the prestigious Ivy League university is the latest target in a purge of pro-Palestinian voices. On Monday, three departments under Trump’s control — the Department of Education, the General Services Administration and the Health and Human Services Department — issued a press release saying that $255.6m in Harvard contracts and $8.7bn in multi-year grants are slated to come under the microscope. “Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic discrimination — all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry — has put its reputation in serious jeopardy.” The announcement follows similar actions taken against another private Ivy League campus, Columbia University in New York, which saw millions in contracts revoked. Advertisement The Ivy League — and Columbia in particular — were an epicentre of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the US, after Israel launched a war against Gaza in October 2023. Student encampments on Columbia’s lawn in April and May 2024 inspired similar protests around the country, as campus activists denounced school ties to Israel and called for an end to human rights abuses in Gaza. Human rights groups and experts at the United Nations have accused Israel of using tactics consistent with genocide in the Palestinian territory. The organisers behind the campus protesters have largely rejected accusations of anti-Semitism, arguing that being critical of Israel’s government is not the same as spreading anti-Jewish hate. They have likened attempts to smear their protests as a form of censorship, designed to dampen free speech. But critics have accused the protesters of creating an unsafe learning environment. There have also been isolated reports of anti-Jewish attacks, including the alleged assault of one 24-year-old Columbia student who was hanging pro-Israel flyers in October 2023. Still, the protests have been, by and large, peaceful. And free-speech experts have denounced the Trump administration as blowing accusations of anti-Semitism out of proportion in order to exercise control over top universities. A list of demands In the case of Columbia University, the Trump administration stripped the school of $400m in grants and contracts on March 7, effective immediately. It accused Columbia of allowing “relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment” on its campus. Advertisement A week later, on March 13, the Trump administration issued a list of demands Columbia would need to comply with to earn back the $400m. They included banning face masks, ensuring law enforcement could arrest “agitators” on campus, and adopting a controversial definition of anti-Semitism that could include criticism of Israel. The Trump administration also called for the Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies to be placed under the control of an external “receivership“. Critics denounced the measures as an attempt to corrode academic freedom. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) called the administration’s move “a blueprint to supercharge campus censorship”. “The letter goes far beyond what is appropriate for the government to mandate and will chill campus discourse,” the organisation wrote in a statement. “Civil rights investigations should not be handled through ad hoc directives from the government.” But the US has long been an ally of Israel’s since the country’s founding, and the Trump administration has backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing campaign in Gaza, even proposing that the US “take over” and “own” the Palestinian territory — turning it into a “riviera of the Middle East”. Critics said Trump’s proposal amounted to a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians who call Gaza home. On March 22, Columbia University agreed to comply with most of Trump’s demands. Law school speaks out The Trump administration touted those concessions as a victory in its news release announcing the review of Harvard’s federal contracts. Advertisement It also indicated that Harvard has signalled it would cooperate with Trump’s priorities. “We are pleased that Harvard is willing to engage with us on these goals,” Sean Keveney of the Health and Human Services Department said in the statement. But the announcement that Harvard was the next school to be singled out comes on the heels of an open letter from its law school, one of the oldest in the nation. More than 90 professors signed the document, which denounces actions taken to “punish people for lawfully speaking out on matters of public concern”. While the letter does not mention Trump or the pro-Palestinian protesters outright, its publication comes after students have been arrested for deportation as the result of their activism. The letter does, however, make note of attempts to “threaten law firms and legal clinics” for their legal work or prior government services — a reference to actions Trump has taken. Trump, for example, has issued executive orders punishing firms like San Francisco’s Perkins Coie LLP, which represented his 2016 election rival Hillary Clinton, and he has fired career prosecutors at the Department of Justice. The Harvard Law professors warned this violates the constitutional right to free speech — and creates an atmosphere of fear. “Whatever we might each think about particular conduct under particular facts, we share a conviction that our Constitution, including its First Amendment, was designed to make dissent and debate possible without fear of government punishment,” the letter reads. Advertisement “Neither a law school nor a society can properly function amidst such fear.” Still, the Trump administration pledged “swift action” if Harvard failed to comply with its demands. “We mean business,” Secretary McMahon posted on social media. Adblock test (Why?)
House committee considering a cap on school voucher spending, increases to public school funding
The House Public Education Committee is slated to discuss priority legislation creating education savings accounts and determining how much state money public school districts receive.
Federal judge postpones DHS’s attempt to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans
A U.S. District judge in San Francisco, California, on Monday granted a motion to postpone the Trump administration’s attempt to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals, which was granted under a program implemented by the Biden administration. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced actions three days after being sworn into her role to strip nearly 350,000 Venezuelan nationals of their protection under the TPS program, which allows them to live and work temporarily in the U.S. By stripping the Venezuelans of their TPS status, the court said Noem is subjecting them to “possible imminent deportation” back to their country, which the State Department has categorized as a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” country because of the “high risk of wrongful detentions, terrorism, kidnapping, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, [and] poor health infrastructure.” The action would reverse the Biden administration’s efforts to extend temporary protections of Venezuelan nations that have been in place since 2021. TRUMP ADMIN PULLING LEGAL STATUS FOR MORE THAN 530K MIGRANTS U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of the San Francisco Federal Court granted a postponement of Noem’s order on Monday, saying, “The Court finds that the Secretary’s action threatens to: inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted, cost the United States billions in economic activity, and injure public health and safety in communities throughout the United States.” Chen also said the government has failed to identify “any real countervailing harm” in continuing TPS for Venezuelan beneficiaries. “Plaintiffs have also shown they will likely succeed in demonstrating that the actions taken by the Secretary are unauthorized by law, arbitrary and capricious, and motivated by unconstitutional animus,” Chen wrote. “For these reasons, the Court grants Plaintiffs’ request to postpone the challenged actions pending final adjudication of the merits of this case.” DHS’ KRISTI NOEM SAYS TRUMP ADMIN WILL RESUME CONSTRUCTION OF 7 MILES OF SOUTHERN BORDER Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS for comment on the decision. The National TPS Alliance – an organization representing individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the U.S. – and individuals from Venezuela who have TPS challenged the Trump administration’s decision to terminate TPS for Venezuelans in the U.S., argue that Noem’s action was unlawful and motivated by racial bias. Venezuelan migrants were allowed to fly directly to the U.S. after applying from abroad under a policy started during the Biden administration that was designed to open legal migration pathways, but President Donald Trump suspended the program when he returned to office in January. JUDGE GIVES MAHMOUD KHALIL LEGAL TEAM MORE TIME TO REVIEW IMMIGRATION CASE The Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela program, CHNV, allowed migrants and their immediate family members to fly into the U.S. if they had American sponsors. They could then remain in the country for two years under a temporary immigration status known as parole. The program first applied to Venezuelans before it was expanded to additional countries. Trump’s efforts to remove legal and illegal migrants from the U.S. since taking office in January as part of his immigration agenda have faced numerous legal obstacles. The Trump administration is also reportedly dismantling internal watchdogs for DHS, including its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which investigated allegations of abuse and discrimination within immigration enforcement, according to Bloomberg News. Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
DHS ending participation in naturalization ceremonies in sanctuary jurisdictions
The Department of Homeland Security will no longer participate in naturalization ceremonies in state, county, and city venues in localities that have adopted sanctuary policies, which limit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts. Leadership at U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) told employees at every field office in a Monday email that the agency will no longer participate in such events. “USCIS will not participate with these state/local entities for administrative ceremonies and instead will host the ceremonies at our offices, privately-owned venues, or other federally owned/operated spaces,” the directive states. “If an entity located in a sanctuary city requests to host a ceremony, we request that you politely decline the invitation.” BLUE STATE SANCTUARY LAWS ENABLED ILLEGAL ‘ABOLISH ICE’ ACTIVIST TO EVADE CAPTURE, SAYS LOCAL DA For example, if the city of Los Angeles wanted to host a naturalization ceremony at a library, museum or school, USCIS would not participate, meaning the event couldn’t be held. The ceremonies are the final step towards becoming a U.S. citizen, and is where the Oath of Allegiance is taken. A senior DHS official told Fox News that sanctuary policies put the public and law enforcement at risk. “Sanctuary policies are an insult to our Constitution, they endanger all levels of law enforcement, and they leave law-abiding American citizens around the country at the mercy of violent and dangerous criminal aliens,” the officials said. “America still welcomes those who come here legally and complete the naturalization process, USCIS will simply do those at locations where the rule of law is still respected.” The change won’t affect someone’s chance of becoming a naturalized American citizen, USCIS said. BLUE STATE LEADER SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT ‘PERFECT STORM’ OF DEM IMMIGRATION POLICIES DECIMATING PUBLIC SAFETY The Trump administration has targeted sanctuary cities as it presses ahead with its mass deportation efforts. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforces U.S. immigration laws nationwide but seeks state and local help, often requesting assistance from local police and sheriffs to alert them to those ordered to be deported. The agency often asks local authorities to hold criminal illegal immigrants until federal officers take custody of the suspects. However, some jurisdictions ignore the requests and release the illegal immigrants back onto the streets. The Trump administration has suggested cutting federal funding to cities that adopt sanctuary policies, in an effort to wield the money as a tool against jurisdictions that get in the way of deportation efforts.
Ken Paxton wants Dallas school officials under oath on transgender athlete policy
Paxton’s office launched an investigation into the district’s policy after an administrator was caught on tape discussing a possible loophole in the state’s ban.
Telehealth for pets? It’s the cat’s meow, a Texas lawmaker says.
Animal health care experts raised concern that telehealth would lead to misdiagnosis and erode what little care already exists in rural Texas.
Texas Senate panel approves $500 million infusion for film incentives
The bill would more than double the amount of money Texas spends to lure film and television projects and has the backing of Texas movie stars including Matthew McConaughey.
Trump: ‘We’ll never stop looking’ for American journalist kidnapped in Syria, Austin Tice
President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would continue to search for Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared in Syria in 2012. Tice, who previously served as a captain in the Marine Corps and was a student at Georgetown University Law Center, started working as an independent journalist for McClatchy, The Washington Post and other outlets in Syria in May 2012 before jihadist militants seized him near Damascus. Trump said that although there has been “virtually no sign” of Tice, his administration would continue to try to secure Tice’s release. “Until we find out something definitive, one way or the other, we’ll never stop looking,” Trump told reporters Monday. “But we have been, and the response – it’s just a lot of dead ends. It’s been done for a long time. The problem is, there’s never been a sighting.” AUSTIN TICE: FBI RENEWS PUSH TO FIND KIDNAPPED AMERICAN JOURNALIST IN SYRIA Trump’s comments come after Tice’s mother, Debra, told reporters at the National Press Club in December that they’d received information suggesting that her son was still alive. “We have from a significant source that has been vetted all over our government: Austin Tice is alive,” his mother Debra Tice said Dec. 6. She later met with former President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, at the White House to discuss her son’s wrongful detainment. Meanwhile, rebels also overthrew Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime in December, prompting the FBI to issue a statement reiterating its push from April 2018 for more information that could lead to Tice’s release. “Given recent events in Syria, the FBI is renewing our call for information that could lead to the safe location, recovery, and return of Austin Bennett Tice, who was detained in Damascus in August 2012,” the FBI said in a statement in December. AUSTIN TICE: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN JOURNALIST MISSING IN SYRIA “The FBI and our government partners remain committed to bringing Austin home to his family, and we are still offering a reward of up to $1 million for information that leads to Austin’s safe return,” the FBI said. Both Trump’s first administration and Biden’s administration have launched efforts to advance the release of Tice. Biden urged the Syrian government to release Tice in 2020, and said the U.S. knew “with certainty” that the Syrian regime was holding him hostage. Syria has publicly denied it has detained Tice. There were 46 American nationals known to be held captive in 16 different countries in 2024, according to the nonprofit Foley Foundation, which advocates for U.S. hostages and was named after James Foley, a U.S. journalist kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012 and killed by ISIS in 2014. That number is now likely closer to the low 30s after the recent releases of hostages in January and February through efforts by the Trump administration. Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and Stephany Price contributed to this report.
Palestinians flee Rafah after new displacement order
NewsFeed Israel has displaced Palestinians again with a new order to evacuate Rafah in southern Gaza. At least people two were killed in an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people during Eid. Over 900 have died since Israel broke the ceasefire on the March 18. Published On 31 Mar 202531 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)