Trump pardons former Hunter Biden business associate Devon Archer
President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Hunter Biden’s former business associate, Devon Archer. “Many people have asked me to do this. They think he was treated very unfairly. And I looked at the records, studied the records, and he was a victim of a crime, as far as I’m concerned. So we’re going to undo that. … Congratulations, Devon,” Trump said on Tuesday ahead of signing the pardoning. Archer was a business associate of former first son Hunter Biden at Burisma Holdings. Archer was convicted in 2018 of defrauding a native American tribe in a scheme that involved the issuance and sale of fraudulent tribal bonds. “We have a pardon for Devon Archer. Devon Archer was a former business partner of the Biden family,” Trump political advisor William Scharf said ahead of Trump signing the pardon. “He was prosecuted relating to a fraud investigation, but notably, the tone and tenor of that prosecution changed dramatically after he began to cooperate with congressional investigators and serve as a witness against Hunter Biden and the Biden family.” “We believe that was an injustice. And therefore, we’re asking you to pardon,” Scharf added. Archer met with Trump over the weekend at the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia, where he said he received some “very encouraging words.” Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
Top Dem used same app used in Atlantic scandal to set up contact with Steele dossier author
FIRST ON FOX: Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, used an encrypted messaging app to work with a lobbyist for a Russian oligarch to connect with the disgraced Steele dossier author. It’s the same app Warner bashed top Trump administration officials for using to discuss plans for a strike on the Houthis in Yemen. Somehow, Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, had been inadvertently added to the Trump administration’s chat. Afterward, Goldberg reported his experience in an article, “The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.” The debacle quickly drew criticism over the non-secure nature of the conversation about national security matters. ‘STOP THEM!’: DEMOCRAT CLASHES WITH TRUMP SOCIAL SECURITY NOMINEE OVER DOGE ACCESS However, the app was also used by vocal critic Warner to reach former British spy Christopher Steele, Fox reported in 2017. “Signal worked great for Senator Warner when he wanted to meet with the disgraced liar Christopher Steele. It’s a little surprising Warner is pretending to be so upset about it today,” a Senate GOP leadership aide told Fox News Digital in a statement. Warner spokesperson Rachel Cohen told Fox News Digital, “The fact that Fox News is in possession of these messages demonstrates exactly why Signal shouldn’t be used to discuss classified national security material like war plans.” Steele infamously compiled a dossier of unverified information about Trump that was ultimately used by FBI and Justice Department officials during the 2016 presidential campaign to get a warrant to conduct surveillance of former Trump advisor Carter Page. However, the dossier was found to be funded through a law firm hired by the Hillary Clinton campaign and was revealed to largely contain uncorroborated and salacious rumors. CAN CONGRESS DEFUND FEDERAL COURTS WITH KEY TRUMP BUDGET PROCESS? Warner began corresponding on Signal with lobbyist Adam Waldman in March 2017, Fox News reported exclusively at the time. Waldman texted Warner, writing, “Chris Steele asked me to call you.” “Will call tomorrow be careful,” Warner replied. The two had some difficulty connecting by phone, according to the messages. Later in the month, the senator pushed Waldman for direct access to Steele. “Can you talk tomorrow want to get with ur English friend,” Warner said in one message. “I spoke to him yesterday,” Waldman had replied. However, when Warner asked for an update on contact with Steele in April, the lobbyist said, “Yes seems to have cold feet from the leaks. Said he wanted a bipartisan letter followed by written questions.” CHUCK SCHUMER FACING ‘UPHILL FIGHT’ AMID LEADERSHIP DOUBTS: ‘MATTER OF WHEN, NOT IF’ During an annual threat assessment of the U.S. intelligence community hearing Tuesday, the vice chairman opened by addressing the recent scandal in which it was revealed 18 people, including National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, were in a group chat on Signal with Goldberg. In the chat, the officials talked about an upcoming attack on the Houthis, a terrorist group in Yemen. Goldberg’s article later exposed this glaring national security vulnerability. “Two of our witnesses here today were members of a group chat that discussed highly sensitive and likely classified information that supposedly even included weapons packages, targets and timing and included the name of an active CIA agent,” Warner said, referring to CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. “It’s also just mind-boggling to me that all of these senior folks were on this line, and nobody bothered to even check security hygiene 101,” the senator remarked. BATTLE OF THE CHAMBERS: HOUSE AND SENATE TENSIONS BOIL OVER AS TRUMP BUDGET HANGS IN LIMBO “I think this is one more example of the kind of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior, particularly towards classified information, that this is not a one-off or a first-time error,” he added, criticizing the administration. Despite the “mistake,” as President Trump called the Signal group chat with Goldberg, Waltz is “not getting fired,” he told Fox News. He added that “nothing important” was in the chat. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also posted on X about the debacle, slamming Goldberg and “his sensationalist spin.” “No ‘war plans’ were discussed,” she said, quoting the title of his article. “No classified material was sent to the thread. “As the National Security Council stated, the White House is looking into how Goldberg’s number was inadvertently added to the thread. Thanks to the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump, and everyone in the group, the Houthi strikes were successful and effective. Terrorists were killed and that’s what matters most to President Trump.”
Bipartisan bill aims to prevent Syrians with terror ties from reaching US border
A bipartisan group of House members is introducing legislation they claim would strengthen border security by identifying and tracking potential terrorists well before they reach the U.S. homeland. “Border security doesn’t begin or end at the border. Across the globe, individuals with ties to terrorist organizations pose threats to our homeland that can’t be downplayed,” Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., said in a release provided to Fox News Digital. “Our constituents are relying on DHS and its partners to identify these threats and address them long before they pose a tangible threat to the communities we represent.” Correa is joined by Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, in introducing the Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security to evaluate terror threats to the U.S. homeland that could potentially originate in Syria, where recent regime change has led to a quickly evolving political situation in a country home to multiple terrorist organizations. ISRAEL FACES NEW SYRIA CHALLENGE AS IT ADJUSTS TO NEW STRATEGY AMID REGIONAL POWER STRUGGLE FOR INFLUENCE The legislation comes just two months after opposition groups in Syria toppled longtime leader Bashar Assad, who ruled the country for almost 25 years. The surprise offensive against Assad was led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, an Islamist group with ties to al Qaeda that is listed by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. One of the group’s leaders, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has become interim leader of the country’s new government, leading to concerns about the future political direction of the country. EVANGELICAL LEADER SAYS US MUST PROTECT SYRIAN CHRISTIANS FROM ATTACKS BY JIHADI TERRORISTS Luttrell said the new legislation, which is set to be voted on in the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday, will require DHS to “evaluate the threat posed to the United States by individuals in Syria with ties to Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) or a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization (STGT).” “The United States cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the growing terrorist threats in Syria. My legislation, the Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act, ensures that DHS is actively identifying and assessing the risks posed by individuals with ties to terrorist organizations before they can threaten our homeland,” Luttrell said in a release to Fox News Digital.
CIA Director Ratcliffe hits back on Dem senator’s group chat allegations: ‘I didn’t say any of those things’
CIA Director John Ratcliffe clashed with a Democratic senator Tuesday over the lawmaker’s description of the Trump administration’s leaked Signal chat – pushing back multiple times before snapping, “I didn’t say any of those things.” The exchange between Ratcliffe and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., happened Tuesday morning during the Senate Intelligence Committee’s annual “Threats to the Homeland” hearing. Much of this year’s hearing, however, centered on the extraordinary news that more than a dozen of Trump’s top national security officials, including Ratcliffe, had inadvertently included Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Golberg in a Signal group chat that discussed plans for a forthcoming strike on the Houthis in Yemen. The news was first reported by Golberg Monday, in a first-person account that sent shockwaves throughout Washington, D.C. TRUMP NOT PLANNING TO FIRE WALTZ AFTER NATIONAL SECURITY TEXT CHAIN LEAK Ratcliffe, especially, was grilled by lawmakers over the Trump administration’s use of the encrypted messaging app to exchange purported classified security information. Senators demanded to know who added Goldberg, a well-known editor and journalist, to the so-called “Houthi PC Small Group,” where he remained unnoticed for several days. Bennet asked Ratcliffe if it was his view that there was nothing wrong with the Signal thread in question, and whether he shared the view of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that the chat in question did not include any targeting information or battle sequence. Bennet said this was in Ratcliffe’s testimony, before noting, “I’m a little staggered that that is your view, Director Ratcliffe.” “Does the CIA have any rules about [the] handling of classified information?” he asked. “Yes or no?” “Yes,” Ratcliffe responded. He added that he had not previously heard of Goldberg, though he acknowledged “clearly he was added” to the Signal thread by someone in the group. “I don’t know how he was added,” Ratcliffe said, before Bennet interrupted, asking, “You don’t know that the president’s national security advisor invited him to join the signal thread,” referring to national security advisor Mike Waltz. TRUMP REVEALS WHO WAS BEHIND SIGNAL TEXT CHAIN LINK “Everybody in America knows,” Bennet said. Ratcliffe said he does not use the app to share classified information, or to share targeting information. “And your testimony as the director of the CIA, is that it’s totally appropriate” to conduct conversations like this on Signal, Bennet asked. “Is it appropriate?” Ratcliffe began to respond, saying “No, that is not what I—” before the Democratic senator cut him off. He then tried again, challenging Bennet: “Did I say it was? When did I use the word ‘appropriate’?’” TRUMP OFFICIALS ACCIDENTALLY TEXT ATLANTIC JOURNALIST ABOUT MILITARY STRIKES IN APPARENT SECURITY BREACH “Clearly, ‘nothing to see here,’ is what your testimony is,” Bennet said. “It was just a normal day at the CIA where we chat about this kind of stuff over Signal. In fact, it’s so normal that the last administration left it here for us.’ That’s your testimony today.” “No, that is not my testimony,” Ratcliffe fired back. “I didn’t say any of those things that you just related, senator.” The back-and-forth wrapped with a blistering remand from Bennet, who told Ratcliffe of the Signal chat: “This sloppiness, this incompetence, this disrespect for our intelligence agencies and the personnel who work for them is entirely unacceptable. It’s an embarrassment,” he said. “You need to do better. You need to do better.” During the hearing, other Democrats, including Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, called for Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign over the Signal chat in question. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously attempted to brush off the Signal chat, telling reporters Monday that the attacks on the Houthis discussed in the group chat “have been highly successful and effective.” “President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including national security advisor Mike Waltz,” she said.
TribCast: How long til there’s a Buc-ee’s on Mars?
The gang talks about Texas’ role in the modern space race, what the aeronautics industry wants from the Legislature and, of course, Elon Musk.
Jasmine Crockett criticized over comment mocking Greg Abbott’s wheelchair
The Texas Democrat made fun of the governor during a speech over the weekend in Los Angeles to an LGBTQ rights group.
Trump administration to shutter HHS’ long COVID office: report
A federal office dedicated to the research of long COVID is set to close following the Trump administration’s decision to slash the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) workforce. Ian Simon, head of the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice (OLC), made the announcement in an email on Monday, Politico reported. “The Office of Long COVID Research and Practice will be closing as part of the administration’s reorganization coming this week,” the email read, according to Politico. “We are proud of what we have accomplished together, advancing understanding, resources, and support for people living with Long COVID.” Fox News Digital reached out to HHS and Simon for more information, but they did not immediately respond. TRUMP ADMIN LAYS OUT WHO EXACTLY WAS CUT AT HHS IN FACE OF ‘DEMOCRAT HYSTERIA’ It is unclear when the OLC will close nor whether its staff will remain employed by the federal government. The Biden-era office was established as a federal response to the widespread and long-term effects of COVID, which can result in chronic conditions that require comprehensive care. ACADEMIC UNIONS PLAN DEMONSTRATIONS OUTSIDE HHS BUILDING, AT MED SCHOOLS, TO PROTEST TRUMP RESEARCH CUTS The decision to shutter the office comes after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during his confirmation hearing in January that he was committed to continuing funding and prioritizing long COVID research. However, President Donald Trump directed HHS in a presidential action last month to “terminate the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID.” The National Institutes of Health (NIH) said more than $1.5 billion was approved in the last several years for its Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, which studies the impact of long COVID. The NIH reported in 2023 that 23 million people were affected by the illness, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2023 that 6% of American adults suffered from long COVID, down from 7.5% in 2022. “While our office is closing, we hope that the work we have been dedicated to will continue in some form,” the email read.
SCOOP: Jasmine Crockett hit with censure effort for mocking paraplegic Texas governor as ‘Hot Wheels’
FIRST ON FOX: A GOP lawmaker is moving to have Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, formally rebuked by the House of Representatives for appearing to mock Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s disability. Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, Crockett’s fellow delegation member, told Fox News Digital he would introduce a censure resolution against the Democratic lawmaker imminently. “The story of our great governor of Texas is one of unwavering resilience and perseverance. Meanwhile, the actions of Jasmine Crockett – stooping to vile levels of discrimination and despicable political attacks – are nothing short of reprehensible,” Weber told Fox News Digital. PAM BONDI ON JASMINE CROCKETT’S COMMENTS: WORDS HAVE CONSEQUENCES | FOX NEWS VIDEO He said the House should censure Crockett “for the venomous rhetoric she spews as a representative of the Democratic Party.” “It’s painfully obvious she was never taught a single thing about Texas class, as her behavior is a disgrace to everything Texas and the United States stands for,” Weber said. Crockett made the comments during an event held by the Human Rights Campaign over the weekend. JASMINE CROCKETT DESCRIBES DEMOCRATIC DONOR TALK ON SCHUMER ‘REMINISCENT’ OF BIDEN BEING TAKEN DOWN “Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there — come on now! And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot a– mess, honey,” Crockett said. Abbott has been paraplegic since age 26, according to his campaign website, when a large oak tree fell on him during a jog. Weber’s resolution calls Crockett’s comments about Abbott “discriminatory in nature” and “the latest in a continued series of inappropriate comments expressed by the representative from Texas,” according to a draft copy shared with Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back. The House voted to censure Rep. Al Green, R-Texas, last month for protesting during President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress. Before the censure could be formally read, however, Democrats derailed House proceedings by gathering around Green and singing, “We Shall Overcome.”
Staffing reductions at Education Department haven’t hit FAFSA office amid Trump cuts, agency says
Staffing reductions have not hit the Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid, despite orders to dramatically cut staff in half and work to dismantle the agency. The Department of Education unveiled plans on March 11 to cut its staff in half, and President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to shutter the agency. But those handling student loan services were not let go, according to a department spokesperson. “No employees working on the FAFSA or student loan servicing were impacted by the reduction in force,” Madi Biedermann, a spokesperson for the Education Department, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. The Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid processes over 17.6 million Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms annually with a staff of roughly 1,400 employees, according to its 2024 report. TRUMP STILL NEEDS CONGRESS’ HELP WITH PLAN TO ABOLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s Education Department said it is further ahead processing FAFSA forms than the Biden administration at this same time last year. The agency announced on March 17 that it had already submitted and processed 8 million 2025-2026 FAFSA forms – a 50% increase in comparison to the previous year. A Gallup poll released in February shows that Americans’ satisfaction with the state of education has declined sharply over the past decade. The poll found that only 24% of Americans are satisfied with the quality of education in the U.S. as of January 2025, compared to 37% in January 2017. Trump’s order to dismantle the Education Department comes after he’s long harped against the agency, claiming on the campaign trail in September that he wanted to cut down on the federal government’s influence over education to “stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth.” On Thursday, Trump said that despite plans to scale down the agency, functions of the department overseeing Pell Grants, student loans, and others that provide services for those with special needs would continue. However, they would move to other agencies. “They’re going to be preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will take very good care of them,” Trump said. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SIGNIFICANTLY DISMANTLED IN NEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER A White House fact sheet on the executive order said the directive aims to “turn over education to families instead of bureaucracies” and instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.” Supporters of shutting down the agency have cited the “Nation’s Report Card,” the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, released every two years, published Jan. 27. The exam tests fourth- and eighth-grade students and found almost stagnant math scores for eighth graders compared to 2022. Reading scores dropped two points at both grade levels. Meanwhile, the executive order is facing multiple lawsuits from unions, school districts and other groups who argue that eliminating the department is unlawful, as only Congress has the authority to shut down a federal agency. Additionally, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the courts to step in and block Trump’s efforts to wipe out the department. “The courts must act to uphold the rule of law and stop Donald Trump’s tyrannical power grab,” Schumer said in a statement Thursday. However, McMahon said the department would partner with Congress to move ahead with plans to close the agency. “We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working through Congress to ensure a lawful and orderly transition,” McMahon said in a statement Thursday.
Oscar-winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal released from detention
Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land who was detained by the Israeli army after being attacked by settlers, has been released. In a post on social media platform X on Tuesday, his fellow co-director Yuval Abraham said: “After being handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base, Hamdan Ballal is now free and is about to go home to his family.” The Associated Press news agency said its journalists had also seen Ballal and two other Palestinian people leaving the police station where they were being held in the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank. Ballal had bruises on his face and blood on his clothes, the AP reported. Ballal said he was held at an army base and forced to sleep under a freezing air conditioner. “I was blindfolded for 24 hours,” he told AP. “All the night I was freezing. It was a room, I couldn’t see anything … I heard the voice of soldiers laughing about me.” Lea Tsemel, the attorney representing the three men, said that they received only minimal care for their injuries from the attack and that she had no access to them for several hours after their arrest. She had earlier said they were accused of throwing stones at a young settler, allegations they deny. Advertisement Ballal and the other directors of No Other Land, which explores the struggles of living under Israeli occupation, had mounted the stage at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month when the film won the Oscar award for Best Documentary Feature. On Monday, around two dozen settlers — some masked, some carrying guns and some in military uniforms — attacked the occupied West Bank village of Susiya in the evening as residents were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Soldiers who arrived pointed their guns at the Palestinians, while settlers continued throwing stones, residents told the AP. Lamia Ballal, the director’s wife, said she heard her husband being beaten outside their home as she huddled inside with their three children. She heard him screaming, “I’m dying!” and calling for an ambulance. When she looked out the window, she saw three men in uniform beating Ballal with the butts of their rifles and another person in civilian clothes who appeared to be filming the violence. “Of course, after the Oscar, they have come to attack us more,” Lamia said. “I felt afraid.” Human rights group Amnesty International called for accountability for the attack. “Hamdan Billal was forcibly disappeared by Israeli soldiers after having been assaulted by Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians … He has now been released, but those who carried out the attacks must be held accountable,” it said in a post on X. Ballal said he was attacked by a well-known settler who had threatened him in the past. Advertisement The settler can be seen with other masked men in a widely circulated video from August in which they threaten Ballal. “This is my land, I was given it by God,” the settler says in the video, in which he also uses profanity and tries to get Ballal to fight him. “Next time it won’t be nice,” the settler says in the video. On Tuesday, a small bloodstain could be seen outside Ballal’s family home, and the car’s windshield and windows were shattered. Neighbours pointed to a nearby water tank with a hole in the side that they said had been punched by the settlers. Basel Adra – another of the film’s co-directors, who is a prominent Palestinian activist in the area – said there has been a massive upswing in attacks by settlers and Israeli forces since the Oscar win. “Nobody can do anything to stop the pogroms, and soldiers are only there to facilitate and help the attacks,” he said. “We’re living in dark days here, in Gaza, and all of the West Bank … Nobody’s stopping this.” The Israeli military said on Monday that it had detained three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at forces and one Israeli civilian involved in what it described as a violent confrontation. Adblock test (Why?)