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Melania Trump secures $7.2M for foster care scholarships at LSU ahead of Alabama showdown

Melania Trump secures .2M for foster care scholarships at LSU ahead of Alabama showdown

BATON ROUGE, La. — First lady Melania Trump announced a $7.2 million scholarship endowment at Louisiana State University (LSU) on Saturday, delivering a message of hope to young Americans who have experienced foster care before receiving a special football tribute ahead of the Tigers’ rivalry showdown against Alabama. Trump wore a Dalma suede bomber jacket by Nour Hammour, paired with an Adam Lippes skirt and Manolo Blahnik BB pumps for the occasion, blending her signature polished style with a more relaxed look suited to a college football weekend. The first lady’s visit unfolded against a distinctly LSU backdrop, with purple-and-gold tailgating crowds lining the motorcade route and a massive American flag hanging above the stage inside Patrick F. Taylor Hall.  LSU cheerleaders flanked Trump during her remarks, and the Tiger mascot presented her with both scholarship checks while wearing a signature “Be Best” T-shirt. MELANIA TRUMP CHALLENGES CONGRESS TO MAKE HER FOSTER CARE EXECUTIVE ORDER PERMANENT LAW: ‘THEIR BIRTHRIGHT’ There, university officials, donors and students gathered for an announcement supporting young Americans who have experienced foster care through Trump’s “Fostering the Future” initiative. “This achievement will give young people from foster care an anchor of stability, a strong educational foundation, and a chance to build a wonderful life,” Trump told attendees. The permanent endowment includes a $5 million commitment from MMR Group, led by LSU alumnus James B. “Pepper” Rutland, and an additional $2.2 million raised from 75 LSU Foundation donors. LSU Foundation President and CEO Krista Raney said the contributions had brought the scholarship fund to “more than $7.2 million and growing.” LSU President Wade Rousse said the $5 million leadership gift is expected to generate approximately $200,000 annually, helping students cover tuition, fees, books and room and board. ED ORGERON-LANE KIFFIN PAIRING ALREADY PAYING DIVIDENDS FOR LSU TIGERS DURING PIVOTAL RECRUITING WEEKEND “At LSU, we believe talent is everywhere, but we understand that opportunity is not,” Rousse said. The university also embraced the occasion with several football-themed gifts for the first lady. Trump received a custom purple-and-gold LSU jersey bearing the name “MELANIA” and the number 14, along with a Tigers helmet featuring her BE BEST Fostering the Future logo. Former LSU coach Ed Orgeron, known to fans as Coach O, joined the presentation with a specially designed commemorative football created by Big Game USA, a company owned by LSU alumnus Chris Calandra. The initiative extended beyond the ceremony, with special patches on LSU players’ jerseys, helmet decals, cheerleader uniforms, mascot attire and commemorative fan towels, according to the White House. COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S FIRST FULL SATURDAY IS HERE AND IT’S A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA AT ITS BEST The celebration continued at Tiger Stadium, where the first lady’s Fostering the Future initiative received a special on-field recognition during LSU’s highly anticipated matchup against Alabama. Students joined LSU’s Mike the Tiger mascot and others on the field for a ceremonial check presentation highlighting the $7.2 million scholarship endowment. Trump also appeared on the stadium’s massive Jumbotron as fans cheered and chants of “USA” echoed through the stadium. The game-day atmosphere included a military flyover above Tiger Stadium, adding to the spectacle as thousands of fans gathered for the SEC rivalry. The first lady’s visit extended beyond the scholarship announcement, with LSU incorporating Fostering the Future branding into players’ jerseys, helmets and other game-day elements.  A special Melania Trump challenge coin was also designated for the game’s opening coin toss, according to the White House. The legendary LSU-Alabama rivalry even found its way into the scholarship announcement. After Trump revealed that LSU has 14 Fostering the Future scholars compared with Alabama’s nine, Raney offered a lighthearted observation. “Mrs. Trump, what I heard you say is that LSU has 14 scholarship recipients and Alabama has nine,” Raney said. “So I think that means we’ve already won the first point.” Trump told attendees that 26 universities nationwide are supporting 100 Fostering the Future scholars this semester. “While most eyes will be on the athletes today, I encourage you to recognize LSU’s Fostering the Future scholars, who are just as remarkable,” she said. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Louisiana first lady Sharon Landry and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., were among those in attendance. Trump also received a handcrafted wooden bowl made from a fallen limb of one of LSU’s historic oak trees, a gift symbolizing the lasting impact of the scholarship initiative. Fostering the Future, launched in 2021 as part of Trump’s BE BEST initiative, seeks to expand educational opportunities for young people who have experienced foster care. “A great education does more than prepare someone for work life,” Trump said. “It gives something no one can ever take away.” She closed with an encouraging message to scholarship recipients. “To the Fostering the Future scholars here today, and throughout America: I see you. I believe in you. And I will keep working to create new opportunities with you,” she said.

Trump orders DOJ probe into Democrats over alleged threats against administration officials

Trump orders DOJ probe into Democrats over alleged threats against administration officials

President Donald Trump said he has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open an investigation into instances of Democratic lawmakers “threatening” to impeach Attorney General Todd Blanche, among others. The announcement, which was made via a Truth Social post Saturday afternoon, came after the Democrats regained control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, winning strong majorities in both chambers of Congress. “The Democrats are going around threatening a lot of people, including the Attorney General of the United States, and others, with Impeachment and many other forms of punishment, even though they admit they have no reason to do so,” Trump wrote. Since Election Day, two House Democrats — Reps. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., and Deborah Ross, D-N.C. — have publicly said they would support impeaching Blanche. HOUSE GOP ERUPTS AT STEPHEN MILLER AS TRUMP ELEVATES HIM AFTER MIDTERM MASSACRE: ‘MEGALOMANIAC’ “I personally believe that the offenses of Todd Blanche demand that he be impeached and convicted and removed from office,” Johnson said Thursday in an interview on SiriusXM’s “The Dan Abrams Show.” Ross went on host Dan Abrams’ radio show shortly after Johnson and said she supported impeaching Blanche as well, but she said Democrats “should start with Hegseth.” In his post, Trump denied that any “impeachable acts” had been committed by Blanche or any other administration officials. He didn’t mention Johnson or Ross by name, nor did he mention the fact that Thomas Massie, R-Ky., will likely reintroduce impeachment articles against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday. Trump named only one Democratic politician, Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, in his post. He accused her of saying she would “go after all young people that believe in Republican Values.” TRUMP CALLS OUT SENATE REPUBLICANS AFTER MIDTERM LOSSES Trump appears to have been referring to comments Slotkin made on Oct. 13 at the University of Chicago about wanting to pursue “signature cases” against people who “enabled” Trump. “I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration? Like, that sounds fun, I might get an opportunity.’ I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that,’” Slotkin said. “I want that deterrence message sent.” Trump also said Democrats have been threatening Republican donors “with imprisonment” because of their views. The president did not identify the donors that have allegedly been threatened. Democrats have, however, signaled they plan to investigate some major Republican donors and corporations when they assume control of Congress, Reuters reported this week. This could include donors to the White House ballroom. Trump concluded his post by saying “these EXTORTIONISTS” should be imprisoned, adding that he wanted the DOJ to investigate the alleged actions as a “criminal act.”

Biden-appointed judge probes whether ICE skirted judge’s release orders in Colorado cases

Biden-appointed judge probes whether ICE skirted judge’s release orders in Colorado cases

A Biden-appointed federal judge ordered ICE’s Denver field office director to appear in court Monday amid concerns that immigration authorities violated judicial release orders by immediately rearresting detainees, including at least one instance outside a detention center. Nathan Rasper has been summoned as part of an inquiry involving 14 people who were arrested after being released from immigration detention.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that ICE complied with lawful court orders and that a judicial release order does not permanently shield individuals from immigration enforcement. “When an illegal alien is ordered released by a judge, that does not immunize the alien from immigration enforcement for all time,” DHS said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “ICE may seek to rearrest the alien in a way that complies with the judicial decision. To suggest that ICE cannot do this is nothing short of sabotage.” OBAMA, BIDEN JUDGES DRAW FRESH FIRE AS TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION COURT CLASHES HEAT UP: ‘ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE’ The Nov. 5 order issued by U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney followed an earlier ruling requiring the government to identify every case in Colorado since Oct. 27 in which ICE detained someone within 12 hours of a court-ordered release.  Federal officials subsequently identified 14 petitioners who had been arrested again after being released, but the filing did not provide the precise timing of when the rearrests occurred.  She directed officials to provide the exact dates and times of those releases and rearrests and identify any additional individuals immediately detained following court-ordered releases. The additional reporting requirements followed a Nov. 4 hearing at which Sweeney questioned whether ICE was circumventing judicial orders by briefly releasing detainees before immediately taking them back into custody. At that hearing, she ordered Rasper to appear at a follow-up hearing Monday to address the agency’s practices. The inquiry stems in part from the case of Ramon Quintero Alvarez, who was released from immigration detention Oct. 27 before ICE immediately took him back into custody, according to a government court filing. In a Nov. 3 court filing, federal government attorneys said they would not submit a legal brief defending the lawfulness of Alvarez’s continued detention. The filing prompted Sweeney to convene the Nov. 4 hearing at which Assistant U.S. attorneys Andrew Soler and Kevin Traskos appeared alongside ICE Assistant Field Office Director Nichole Black, who testified under oath about the circumstances surrounding Alvarez’s rearrest. APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM HOLDING MIGRANTS WITHOUT BOND FOR OVER 90 DAYS At a Nov. 4 hearing, Sweeney ordered Alvarez released and barred immigration authorities from detaining him again unless the government demonstrated, by clear and convincing evidence at a bond hearing, that he posed a flight risk or danger to the community. The government must submit the additional information requested by Sweeney by 8 a.m. Monday, ahead of Rasper’s scheduled court appearance later that morning. The proceedings could shed light on ICE’s compliance with judicial release orders, but Sweeney has not indicated whether she intends to pursue contempt proceedings. The dispute comes as ICE faces similar legal challenges across Colorado, where other Biden-appointed federal judges, including U.S. District Judges Nina Wang and S. Kato Crews, have presided over cases involving disputes over immigration detention and court-ordered releases. Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado for comment.