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Trump’s ‘two sexes’ order spurs state-level efforts to crack down on trans treatments for minors

Trump’s ‘two sexes’ order spurs state-level efforts to crack down on trans treatments for minors

Several states emboldened by President Donald Trump’s executive orders are moving to introduce bills banning transgender medical care for minors, and one legal expert believes it’s a “continuation” of the success other states have achieved in the last several years fighting against the Biden administration. “You go back to 2020, when Idaho became the first state to pass a save women’s sports law, and in 2021, Arkansas was the first state to protect kids from dangerous gender transition, drugs and surgeries,” Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Matt Sharp told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And since that time, we’ve had over 25 states pass both of those laws, plus other measures to protect women’s privacy and safety and schools or women’s shelters or correctional facilities.” “So, what we are seeing is truly the continuation of incredible work by state legislatures and others to address the concerns of gender ideology and make sure that women and children in their states are not being harmed by it,” he said. TRUMP’S ‘TWO SEXES’ EXECUTIVE ORDER COMES ON HEELS OF SCOTUS ACCEPTING ANOTHER CHALLENGE TO LGBT AGENDA So far this year, several states have introduced or considered legislation to ban transgender medical procedures for minors. More than two dozen states already have laws in place restricting such procedures.  Alabama recently passed a bill in the Senate aiming to legally define gender based on one’s biological sex, in line with Trump’s “two sexes” declaration. Georgia’s state Senate also passed a bill this week that would cut state funding for transgender surgical treatments, extending to both minors and adults. The bill aims to block state funds for state employee and university health insurance plans, Medicaid, and the state’s prison system. Some states are still rebelling against Trump’s orders. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, vetoed a bill this week that would have prohibited state funds from being used on gender transition treatments and procedures on minors and allow civil actions against healthcare providers conducting such treatments.  Despite Trump’s executive orders, Democratic attorneys general from 15 states – California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin – issued a joint statement this month doubling down on their support for transgender procedures for minors. LGBT ACTIVISTS MOBILIZE TO CHALLENGE TRUMP’S ‘EXTREME GENDER IDEOLOGY’ EXECUTIVE ORDERS The executive orders, signed in late January, include a reinstatement of the ban on transgender troops in the military, a ban on federal funding for sex changes for minors and a directive requiring federal agencies to recognize only “two sexes,” male and female, in official standard of conduct. “What these executive orders represent is a 180-degree turn from that, rather than the federal government trying to push this dangerous ideology and being an adversary of states and their efforts to protect women and girls, you know, have an ally at the federal government,” Sharp, who filed one of the first state cases against a Connecticut policy allowing men to compete in women’s sports in 2020, said. Sharp described Trump’s executive orders as a “return to normalcy.” “What we saw starting a new Obama administration and continuing in the Biden administration, I think was trying to erase sex and replace it with the concept of gender identity,” he said. “And I think Americans have seen that. They’ve seen the harm that’s caused to countless young women, to young children, pushed to do irreparable damage to their bodies through these gender transition drugs and surgeries to even families who have had their rights violated by policies that were hiding information, lying to parents about a child who was experiencing distress over their sex and gender.” TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,’ DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY While the Trump White House has made its stance on gender-related issues clear, the U.S. Supreme Court will determine a critical ruling this summer on whether the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, which guarantees equal treatment under the law for individuals in similar circumstances, prevents states from banning medical providers from offering puberty blockers and hormone treatments to children seeking transgender surgical procedures. 

Trump executive order expected to block federal money for schools, universities with COVID vaccine mandates

Trump executive order expected to block federal money for schools, universities with COVID vaccine mandates

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Friday barring schools who still have coronavirus vaccine mandates from receiving federal funds.  The order, according to a report from Breitbart confirmed by the White House, prohibits “federal funds from being used to support or subsidize an educational service agency, state education agency, local education agency, elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education that requires students to have received a COVID-19 vaccination to attend in-person education programs.”  It also tasks Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and the Secretary of Education to establish guidelines for compliance and to “provide a plan to end coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates.”  That includes coming up with a system to block federal funding to “educational entities” that have coronavirus vaccine mandates. NO LONGER TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF: TRUMP SIGNS ORDER PRIORITIZING ‘UNIFIED’ US FOREIGN POLICY FRONT TRUMP ISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON RECIPROCAL TARIFFS The nonprofit Immunize.org said as of May 2024, no state required COVID-19 vaccines for any grade level K-12. No College Mandates, a group pushing to end coronavirus vaccine mandates, reported that as of December 2024, 15 of the more than 1,200 institutions it tracked had some form of coronavirus vaccine mandate. An executive order Trump signed in late January called a vaccine mandate for U.S. service members “unfair, overbroad, and [a] completely unnecessary burden.”  That order called to “make reinstatement available to all members of the military (active and reserve) who were discharged solely for refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and who request to be reinstated.”  The order said in August 2021, the Secretary of Defense “mandated that all service members receive the COVID-19 vaccine.” That mandate was rescinded in January 2023.  Trump also signed an executive order in January that removes federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory.  This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Top Trump official teases 2026 bid for California governor if Harris jumps in race

Top Trump official teases 2026 bid for California governor if Harris jumps in race

One of President Donald Trump’s top aides is floating a potential bid for California governor if former Vice President Kamala Harris also runs. Richard Grenell, a longtime Trump loyalist who is serving as U.S. envoy for special missions in the president’s second administration, ended a gaggle with reporters at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday by teasing, “I’ll make a little news.” Grenell then pointed to the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. “If Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions of dollars in educating the voters of how terrible she is, that it’s a new day in California and that the Republican actually has a shot,” Grenell said. SOURCES TELL FOX NEWS THIS TRUMP SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF WILL RUN FOR GOVERNOR There has been plenty of speculation since Harris’ defeat last November, regarding her next political move, with the two potential options likely being launching a 2026 gubernatorial run in her home state of California or seeking the presidency again in 2028. Harris served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general and U.S. senator before becoming vice president. MAJOR CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT PREEDICTS FORMER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS WOULD CLEAR GUBERNATORIAL FIELD Sources in the former vice president’s political orbit say no decisions have been made about any next steps. The Democrats’ field for governor in the heavily blue-leaning state is already crowded. Among the more than a half-dozen candidates already running for governor are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a Harris ally, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Former Rep. Katie Porter, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Senate nomination last year, has expressed interest in launching a campaign. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who served in Congress and as California attorney general before joining the Biden administration, is also seen as a potential contender. But pundits predict that Harris could clear the Democrats’ field if she decides to launch a gubernatorial campaign. It’s been nearly two decades since a Republican won statewide office in California. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election victory. Grenell considered a run for California governor during the 2021 recall election that Newsom eventually ended up easily winning, but he ultimately decided against launching a campaign. Grenell served as ambassador to Germany and as acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term. In his role as U.S. envoy for special missions in Trump’s second administration, he took part in a mission to Venezuela that led to the release of six hostages. Grenell also joined the president in Los Angeles last month to survey the horrific wildfire damage in the area. Grenell, who along with Trump blasted state and local Democratic leaders for their performance handling the wildfire crisis, returned to Los Angeles last week as he accompanied EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on a recovery tour. Grenell isn’t the only California Republican considering or moving toward a gubernatorial campaign in 2026 in the race to succeed Newsom. Fox News confirmed earlier this week that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is planning to announce his candidacy at a scheduled event Monday in Riverside, California. And former Fox News Channel host and conservative commentator Steve Hilton is considering a Republican run for California governor. In California, unlike most other states, the top two finishers in a primary, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election. Fox News’ Kaitlin Sprague contributed to this report.

Bucking Trump order, GOP Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan push to change Mount McKinley’s name back to Denali

Bucking Trump order, GOP Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan push to change Mount McKinley’s name back to Denali

Following President Donald Trump’s move to change the name of the tallest mountain in North America to Mount McKinley, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has once again introduced a measure to designate the mountain as Denali.  Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is the original cosponsor. “In Alaska, it’s Denali,” Murkowski, said, according to a press release.  TRUMP TO RENAME GULF OF MEXICO, MOUNT DENALI ON FIRST DAY IN OFFICE “Once you see it in person, and take in the majesty of its size and breathe in its cold air, you can understand why the Koyukon Athabascans referred to it as ‘The Great One.’  This isn’t a political issue – Alaskans from every walk of life have long been advocating for this mountain to be recognized by its true name. That’s why today I once again introduced legislation that would officially keep this mountain’s quintessential name, ‘Denali.’” Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office to change the name of the mountain from Denali back to Mount McKinley, in honor of President William McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901. “In 1917, the country officially honored President McKinley through the naming of North America’s highest peak.  Yet after nearly a century, President Obama’s administration, in 2015, stripped the McKinley name from federal nomenclature, an affront to President McKinley’s life, his achievements, and his sacrifice,” the executive order declares. MURKOWSKI AND CASSIDY ANNOUNCE THEY’LL VOTE TO CONFIRM TULSI GABBARD TO TRUMP CABINET POST Trump’s order directed the Interior secretary to “reinstate the name ‘Mount McKinley.’” “The Secretary shall subsequently update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming and reinstatement of Mount McKinley.  The national park area surrounding Mount McKinley shall retain the name Denali National Park and Preserve,” the order states. The same order also directed the Interior secretary to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. GOOGLE MAPS, FAA OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGES GULF OF AMERICA AFTER TRUMP DECLARATION: ‘ISN’T IT BEAUTIFUL?’ The controversy over the name of the continent’s tallest peak has persisted over the years, and Murkowski has been engaged in the debate for more than a decade.  She previously pushed measures regarding the mountain’s name several times in the past, including one in 2015 for which Sullivan was the original cosponsor. Interior Sec. Sally Jewell issued an order to change the name from Mount McKinley to Denali in 2015 during President Barack Obama’s White House tenure. “President Obama wants to change the name of Mt. McKinley to Denali after more than 100 years. Great insult to Ohio. I will change back!” Trump declared in an August 2015 tweet. He asked about potentially changing the name while meeting with Murkowski and Sullivan, but the senators expressed their opposition, Sullivan, whose wife is Athabascan, recounted in 2017, according to adn.com.  If “you change that name back now, she’s going to be really, really mad,” the senator said he told Trump, according to the report. “So he’s like, ‘all right, we won’t do that,’” Sullivan recalled. Murkowski is one of the GOP senators who voted to convict Trump after the House impeached him in 2021 following the U.S. Capitol riot — but notably, the Senate vote, which was held after Trump had already departed from office, failed to clear the threshold necessary for conviction. 

NYC council moderates ‘thrilled’ at Homan visit, pledging to help border czar fight ‘progressive monopoly’

NYC council moderates ‘thrilled’ at Homan visit, pledging to help border czar fight ‘progressive monopoly’

Moderate members of New York City’s otherwise overwhelmingly progressive City Council met with President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, on the same day the lawman met with Mayor Eric Adams. Homan, himself a New York State native from the Watertown area, joined a meeting of the bipartisan “Common Sense Caucus” led by Councilmembers Bob Holden, D-Glendale, and Joann Ariola, R-Howard Beach. At the meeting, Homan pledged to act swiftly when informed of another migrant shelter being planned for an outer borough. Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato told 1010WINS after the meeting that Homan had been incensed to learn that Adams’ Office of Asylum-Seeker Operations had announced a 2,200-bed shelter in the Bronx. DEMOCRATIC NYC COUNCILMAN BOB HOLDEN BACKS ZELDIN OVER HOCHUL “Get me that address,” Homan reportedly told Marmorato, R-Throggs Neck. The shelter is planned for a low-income area off the Bruckner Expressway in Mott Haven – not far from the RFK-Triboro Bridge, according to reports. “Enough is enough,” Marmorato – the only Bronx Republican on council – headlined a press release about “migrant dumps” there. Holden is a moderate who famously took office in 2017 by unseating a Democrat who outraised him tenfold while running on the endorsed Republican, Conservative and Dump de Blasio ballot lines. “Today, we had a productive meeting with Tom Homan, the Border Czar, to discuss the serious public safety consequences of sanctuary laws,” Holden said in a statement. “I have full confidence in Homan and his team to enforce federal laws and keep our communities safe.” As for Adams’ meeting with Homan, he appreciated the mayor’s acknowledgment of the crisis, but added, “words are not enough – he needs to take real action.” BLUE CITY POLICE SERGEANTS SAY THEY’RE PAID LESS THAN SUBORDINATES AS BILLIONS GO TO MIGRANTS Adams, who on Thursday also pledged to work with the feds to fight gang proliferation at the city’s Rikers Island prison, announced executive action to reopen an ICE facility on the island in Hell Gate. Holden called the move a “significant first step” toward prioritizing New York City public safety. “I first pitched the idea of reopening the ICE office in December, and I’m glad to see action finally being taken. Thank you to Tom Homan for his leadership on this issue.” Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Brighton Beach Republican and immigrant from Ukraine, noted that her family “came here legally” and slammed the “top-down failures” of the Biden era. “It’s a thrill to have a man of action leading immigration and border enforcement,” Vernikov said on X, formerly Twitter, adding that she was unable to make the meeting itself but sent a staffer in her stead. “The consensus is that we are all done with the media and leftist politicians making excuses for lawbreaking,” she said, adding that she had paved her own path to legal citizenship and now practices immigration law. “Illegal immigration is destroying this city and is offensive to citizens. Full stop. If the mayor won’t revoke sanctuary city status, I expect the Trump administration will provide very compelling and hard-hitting incentives to do so.” Ariola, who took over as the caucus’ GOP co-chair upon longtime Staten Island Councilman Joe Borelli’s retirement, said on X that “we need change – we need it now.” Councilman David Carr, R-New Dorp, also tweeted about the Homan meeting, saying New York needs to stop “shielding” migrants from ICE. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP ri Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, R-Whitestone, reacted to the meeting by pledging to double her efforts to fight the crisis. “Despite the progressive monopoly in this city, I plan to use whatever power I have, in partnership with the Trump Administration wherever possible, to keep my district and my constituents safe,” she said. Democrats currently hold a 44-5 supermajority on the council, with one vacancy from each party. One caucusmember, however, skipped the meeting with Homan, saying that she had a scheduling conflict and that “not every immigrant is a criminal.” “I am an immigrant. No one can ever tell me about the challenges faced by newcomers to New York and to this nation,” Councilwoman Susan Zhuang, who was born in China, told City & State. “Find the criminals and deport them, yes. But leave decent hard-working families alone,” said Zhuang, D-Dyker Heights.

Dem mayor blasted for extending sympathy to suspect killed in officer-involved shooting: ‘Lack of leadership’

Dem mayor blasted for extending sympathy to suspect killed in officer-involved shooting: ‘Lack of leadership’

Milwaukee’s Democratic Mayor Cavalier Johnson deleted a social media post following an officer-involved shooting that said the suspect’s death was also a “tragedy,” leading to criticism from the Milwaukee Police Association. “My thoughts are with the [Milwaukee Police] officer shot in the line of duty today,” the original X post stated. “The entire incident, including the death of the suspect, is a tragedy.” The new version of the post only includes the first line expressing concern for the police officer.  The officer was allegedly shot by a suspect carrying a rifle before the suspect was slain by another officer, Fox 6 Milwaukee reported. NEW YORK STATE PRISON PLACED ON LOCKDOWN AFTER INMATES TAKE OVER, INJURE THREE CORRECTIONS OFFICERS “The original social media post was put up by a staff member.  When the Mayor saw it, he immediately insisted it be taken down. His sentiments are accurately expressed in the video that was posted,” the mayor’s office told Fox News Digital in an email. “My thoughts are with that officer. My thoughts are with that officer’s family. My thoughts are with the Milwaukee Police Department,” Johnson said in the video referenced in his office’s statement. “I’m grateful, and I know that the people of Milwaukee are grateful as well that there are so many brave men and women who are part of this force who put their own selves in the line of danger in order to make sure we have safety in this community.” A Johnson spokesperson told Wisconsin Right Now that “an appropriate reprimand is forthcoming” for the staffer who allegedly posted the original comment. The Milwaukee Police Association said Johnson’s original post was insulting to law enforcement. “MPA President Alexander Ayala contacted the Mayor’s office after seeing a social media post calling the death of a criminal who nearly killed one of our police officers today, a ‘tragedy,’” the association wrote on Facebook. “While we accept the Mayor’s apology that he made in a call to President Ayala, we must make it clear that this sentiment, even in error, insults every Milwaukee Police officer who puts their life on the line for the city.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT Officials and popular voices in the region also blasted the deleted post. “Law Enforcement’s jobs are made harder by leaders like you who insult their service and sacrifice. A police officer almost didn’t go home today because he was shot by someone endangering his community. That is a tragedy, [mayor],” Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann posted. “Your lack of leadership has created the environment for this to happen,” he added. “Yes, he really did call the death of a lowlife thug who shot and very nearly killed a Milwaukee Police officer a ‘tragedy,’” Wisconsin-based radio personality Dan O’Donnell posted. As of 2024, Milwaukee is considered one of the most dangerous cities in Wisconsin, according to SafeHome.org. Statistics from last year indicate that the murder rate in the city had a decline, but carjackings did see an increase, Fox 6 Milwaukee reported. WISCONSIN MAN, DOG FOUND STABBED TO DEATH AT HOME HOURS AFTER POLICE RESPONDED TO POSSIBLE BREAK-IN

Vance eviscerates ‘Soviet’-style European censorship in address to Munich Security Conference

Vance eviscerates ‘Soviet’-style European censorship in address to Munich Security Conference

In a speech to European leaders, Vice President JD Vance said the continent’s recent censorship activities were a bigger threat to its existence than Russia.  “The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China. It’s not any other external actor,” he said in an address at the Munich Security Conference.  “What I worry about is the threat from within the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.” Vance called out former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who said in January that if the right wing German AfD party were to win elections in Germany, the results could go the way of Romania. “These cavalier statements are shocking to American ears,” said Vance.  HEGSETH SAYS HE AND VANCE ARE ‘ON THE SAME PAGE’ DESPITE VP’S REMARK ON US TROOPS IN UKRAINE “For years we’ve been told that everything we fund and support is in the name of our shared democratic values. Everything from our Ukraine policy to digital censorship is billed as a defense of democracy. But when we see European courts canceling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others, we ought to ask whether we’re holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard.” Romania annulled the results of its December presidential election, because President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence reports alleging a Russian influence campaign on social media to the benefit of Calin Georgescu, the dark horse candidate who won the most votes.  “You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do. You can condemn it on the world stage, even. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.” The vice president even called out the organizers of the Munich conference, who he said had “banned lawmakers representing populist parties on both the left and the right from participating in these conversations.” The conference barred the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the newly formed left-populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) for what MSC chair Christoph Heusgen described as a rejection of the conference’s principle of “peace through dialogue.”  Heusgen said the tipping point was when lawmakers with the parties walked out of the room as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was addressing German parliament last June.  “To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation,’ who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election.” He then said Europe had forgotten the lessons of the Cold War and the Soviet Union’s censorship policies.  “Within living memory of many of you in this room, the Cold War positioned defenders of democracy against much more tyrannical forces on this continent. And consider the side in that fight that censored dissidents, that closed churches, that canceled elections,” Vance said.  “Unfortunately, when I look at Europe today, it’s sometimes not so clear what happened to some of the Cold War’s winners. I look to Brussels, where EU commissars warn citizens that they intend to shut down social media during times of civil unrest the moment they spot what they’ve judged to be ‘hateful content’ or to this very country where police have carried out raids against citizens suspected of posting anti-feminist comments online as part of ‘combating misogyny on the internet.’” “Most concerning,” according to Vance, is the United Kingdom.  “The backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs.” Vance recounted Adam Smith Connor, who was found guilty in October of breaching the local government’s Public Spaces Protection Order, after he stood outside an abortion facility nearly two years ago with his head bowed in silent prayer. ” I wish I could say that this was a fluke, a one-off, crazy example of a badly written law being enacted against a single person. But no,” said Vance. VANCE WARNS THE US WILL USE SANCTIONS, MILITARY ACTION IF PUTIN DOESN’T AGREE TO UKRAINE PEACE DEAL: REPORT The U.K. law suggests that those within the buffer zone of 200 meters of an abortion clinic cannot attempt to influence someone’s decision to access an abortion. Those who are in homes within the buffer zone cannot hang signs outside or shout anti-abortion messages that could be heard in range of the clinic.  Vance also called out Sweden, where Danish activist Rasmus Paludan was sentenced to four months in prison for burning copies of the Quran.  “Sweden’s laws to supposedly protect free expression do not, in fact, ‘grant,’ and I’m quoting, ‘a free pass to do or say anything without risking offending the group that holds that belief,’” said Vance.  Vance’s speech had veered away from what European leaders had been expecting to hear – details on President Donald Trump’s plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine and how to strengthen the NATO alliance. “I’m sure you all came here prepared to talk about how exactly you intend to increase defense spending over the next few years, in line with some new target,” said Vance. “I’ve heard a lot about what you need to defend yourselves from, and of course that’s important. But what has seemed a little bit less clear to me, and certainly I think to many of the citizens of Europe, is what exactly it is that you’re defending yourselves for.” The vice president went on: “What is the positive vision that animates this shared security compact that we all believe is so important? And I believe deeply that there is no security If you are afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people.” “The crisis this continent faces right now, the crisis I believe we

Dems likely to ‘waste millions’ on deluge of lawsuits but could cost Trump precious time: expert

Dems likely to ‘waste millions’ on deluge of lawsuits but could cost Trump precious time: expert

Democrats will likely “waste millions” of dollars battling President Donald Trump’s executive orders and actions in court with little success to show for it, according to University of California, Berkeley law professor John Yoo.  Trump “will have some of the nation’s finest attorneys defending his executive orders and initiatives, and the Democrats will waste millions of dollars losing in court,” Yoo, the former deputy assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday when asked whether there are efforts of “lawfare” against Trump in his second administration.  “I expect that Trump will ultimately prevail on two-thirds or more of his executive orders, but the Democrats may succeed in delaying them for about a year or so,” Yoo said.  The Trump administration has been hit by at least 54 lawsuits in response to Trump’s executive orders and actions since his inauguration on Jan. 20. Trump has signed at least 63 executive orders just roughly three weeks into his administration, including 26 on his first day alone.  The executive orders and actions are part of Trump’s shift of the federal government to fall in line with his “America First” policies, including snuffing out government overspending and mismanagement through the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), banning biological men from competing in women’s sports and deporting thousands of illegal immigrants who flooded the nation during the Biden administration.  ‘ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY’: LEGAL EXPERTS SHRED NY V. TRUMP AS ‘ONE OF THE WORST’ CASES IN HISTORY The onslaught of lawsuits come as Democratic elected officials fume over the second Trump administration’s policies, most notably the creation of DOGE, which is in the midst of investigating various federal agencies to cut spending fat, corruption and mismanagement of funds. A handful of Democratic state attorneys general and other local leaders vowed following Trump’s election win to set off a new resistance to his agenda, vowing to battle him in the courts over policies they viewed as harmful to constituents. Upon his inauguration and his policies taking effect, Democrats have amplified their rhetoric to battle Trump in the courts, and also to take the fight to “the streets.” “We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We’re going to fight it in the streets,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in January of battling Trump’s policies.  “Our biggest weapon historically, over three years alongside the Trump administration, has been the bully pulpit and a whole lot of legal action, so my guess is it will continue,” New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said the day after Trump’s inauguration.  Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said at a protest over DOGE and its chair, Elon Musk, earlier in February, “We are gonna be in your face, we are gonna be on your a–es, and we are going to make sure you understand what democracy looks like, and this ain’t it.” ‘PLAYING WITH THE COURTS’: TRUMP ADMIN HIT WITH DOZENS OF SUITS AFTER YEARS OF PRESIDENT CONDEMNING ‘LAWFARE’ The dozens of cases come after Trump faced four criminal indictments, on both the state and federal level, in the interim of his first and second administrations. Trump had railed against the cases — including the Manhattan trial and conviction, the Georgia election racketeering case, and former special counsel Jack Smith’s election case and classified documents case — as examples of the Democratic Party waging “lawfare” against him in an effort to hurt his re-election chances in the 2024 cycle.  Yoo, when asked about the state of lawfare against Trump now that he’s back in the Oval Office, said the president’s political foes have shifted from lawfare to launching cases to tie up the administration in court.  “I think that what is going on now is different than lawfare,” he said. “I think of lawfare as the deliberate use by the party in power to prosecute its political opponents to affect election outcomes. The Democrats at the federal and state level brought charges against Trump to drive him out of the 2024 elections.”  “The lawsuits against Trump now are the usual thrust and parry of the separation of powers,” Yoo explained. “The Democrats are not attacking Trump personally and there is no election. Instead, they are suing Trump as President to stop his official policies.  LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS Yoo said the Republican Party also relied on the courts in an effort to prevent policies put forth during the Obama era and Biden administration, including when President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010, or his 2012 immigration policy, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Republicans also challenged the Biden administration in court after President Biden attempted to forgive student debt through executive action in 2022. ‘LOSING THEIR MINDS’: DEM LAWMAKERS FACE BACKLASH FOR INVOKING ‘UNHINGED’ VIOLENT RHETORIC AGAINST MUSK “Turnabout is fair play,” Yoo said of groups suing over various administrations’ executive actions or policies.   “What makes this also different than the law is that now Trump controls the Justice Department,” he added, explaining that Democrats will spend millions on the cases, which will likely result in delays for many of the Trump policies but will not completely thwart the majority of them.  A handful of the more than 50 lawsuits have resulted in judges temporarily blocking the orders, such as at least three federal judges issuing preliminary injunctions against Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship.  TRUMP 100% DISAGREES WITH FEDERAL JUDGE’S ‘CRAZY’ RULING BLOCKING DOGE FROM TREASURY SYSTEM White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked on Wednesday during the press briefing whether the administration believes the courts have the authority to issue such injunctions. Leavitt appeared to echo Yoo that the administration will be “vindicated” in court as the cases make their way through the judicial system.  “We believe that the injunction actions that have been issued by these judges, have no basis in the law and

Illegal immigrant arrests skyrocket under Trump ICE compared to Biden levels last year: ‘Worst of the worst’

Illegal immigrant arrests skyrocket under Trump ICE compared to Biden levels last year: ‘Worst of the worst’

EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of illegal immigrants have soared under the Trump administration compared to the same period last year under the Biden administration, with some metrics doubling or even tripling. According to Department of Homeland Security data, obtained by Fox News Digital, there were 11,791 interior ICE arrests from Jan 20 to Feb 8., compared to 4,969 during the same period in 2024. That’s a 137% increase. Arrests of aliens with criminal histories have soared by nearly 100% from 4,526 in the same period in 2024 to 8,993 under Trump this year.  Arrests of fugitive aliens at-large, meanwhile, have gone up from 2,164 to 5,538 — a 156% increase. Arrests of criminal aliens in local jails have gone up 59%. TRUMP’S ICE LIMITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASES AMID MOVES TO SHAKE OFF BIDEN ‘HANGOVER’  Arrests of suspected gang members, including those belonging to the bloodthirsty Tren de Aragua, went from 210 in that period in 2024 to 430 under Trump, a 105% increase. The data is the latest sign that the Trump administration’s flat-out push to ramp up arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants, including by loosening the cuffs on ICE agents imposed by the prior administration, is having a significant impact. The administration has said it is trying to target the “worst of the worst,” focusing on criminal illegal immigrants and gang members, but has also stressed that it is not ruling anyone out of contention.  ICE has been conducting operations throughout the country, including “sanctuary” cities that do not cooperate with federal enforcement. Fox reported last week that the administration is using federal prisons to house illegal immigrants as it looks to provide additional bedspace. TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS  The administration is using Guantánamo Bay to house up to 30,000 detainees, with multiple flights leaving last week. Meanwhile, the DOJ has announced legal action against New York and Chicago over sanctuary laws in place there. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Those moves came after a slew of moves in the first days of the administration. President Donald Trump signed orders declaring a national emergency at the border, restarting border wall construction and terminating Biden-era parole policies. The Department of Homeland Security has since removed limits on “sensitive places” placed upon agents by the Biden administration, and has ended Temporary Protected Status for some Venezuelan nationals. “We have thousands of beds in detention facilities that are open today,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said on “Fox News Sunday. “We’ll continue to do ops in the different communities to get these dangerous criminals off of our streets and to get them home.” Other numbers have suggested policies are having an impact on the border as well. Fox News reported this week that the daily average number of known gotaways — illegal migrants who successfully entered the U.S. without apprehension — at the southern border since the beginning of February has plummeted to just 132 per day, down 93% from the highest numbers when former President Joe Biden was in office. Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Gov. Newsom will veto California bill blocking prisons from cooperating with ICE: report

Gov. Newsom will veto California bill blocking prisons from cooperating with ICE: report

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is vowing to veto a bill that would block his state’s prison system from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a report says.  Assembly Bill 15 argues that “when California’s jails and prisons voluntarily and unnecessarily transfer immigrant and refugee community members eligible for release from state or local custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigration detention and deportation purposes, they subject these community members to double punishment and further trauma.”  “The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall not detain on the basis of a hold request, provide an immigration authority with release date information, or respond to a notification request, transfer to an immigration authority, or facilitate or assist with a transfer request any individual who is eligible for release,” reads some of the language of the bill.  However, Newsom’s office told KCRA 3 that the governor would veto the bill if it ever lands on his desk this year. Currently, the legislation has been referred to the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, the station added.  CALIFORNIA CITY PASSES SWEEPING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT BAN ON ALL PUBLIC PROPERTY  A spokesperson for Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on Friday. The bill is sponsored by Mike Gipson, a Democratic lawmaker who represents Los Angeles.  Two years ago, Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 1306, which called for similar actions.  “This bill prohibits the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from providing any information or responding to a request for coordination from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency, regarding the imminent release of an incarcerated non-citizen, if the person is being released under specific circumstances,” Newsom wrote at the time.  TRUMP-SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF TO LAUNCH REPUBLICAN BID FOR GOVERNOR IN RACE TO SUCCEED NEWSOM: SOURCES  “The bill would prevent information sharing and coordination upon a person’s release from CDCR custody for a significant number of people and, as a result, would impede CDCR’s interaction with a federal law enforcement agency charged with assessing public safety risks,” he continued.   “I believe current law strikes the right balance on limiting interaction to support community trust and cooperation between law enforcement and local communities. For this reason, I cannot sign this bill,” Newsom concluded.  More than 10,500 California inmates have been transferred into ICE custody since Newsom took office in 2019, KCRA 3 reported, citing prison system data.