US Defense Secretary Hegseth orders 20% cut in ranks of top officers
Pentagon chief says cuts will maximise ‘strategic’ and ‘operational readiness’. United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has announced steep cuts in the number of top-ranked officers in his latest move to streamline the world’s most powerful military. In a memo on Monday, Hegseth ordered a 20 percent reduction in the number of four-star generals and admirals – currently the highest-ranked personnel in the US military – as well as a 10 percent reduction in the number of general and flag officers. Hegseth’s memo also ordered a 20 percent cut in the number of general officers in the National Guard. The US military had 38 four-star generals or admirals as of March 31, 2025, according to US Department of Defense data. In a video explaining the “Less Generals More GIs Policy”, Hegseth said the US military currently has one general for every 1,400 troops, compared with one for every 6,000 during World War II. “More generals and admirals does not equal more success,” Hegseth said in the video posted on X. “Now this is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers. Nothing could be further from the truth. This has been a deliberated process, working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with one goal: maximising strategic readiness and operational readiness by making prudent reductions in the general and flag officer ranks.” Advertisement Hegseth did not specify which positions would be cut. The nearly 40 active four-star generals in the US military include the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of staff of the army, the chief of naval operations, and the chief of staff of the Air Force, as well as the heads of US Africa Command, US European Command and US Forces Korea. The cuts come as part of a broader drive by President Donald Trump’s administration to reduce the size of the federal government and purge perceived political enemies. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump or his underlings have fired several top military leaders, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q Brown and Navy chief Admiral Lisa Franchetti. Adblock test (Why?)
Game-changer for Noida! Double-decker bus service from Morna Depot to Pari Chowk route coming soon; check fare, stops and other details
Noida is set to introduce double-decker buses later this month, marking a significant step forward in enhancing the city’s public transport infrastructure. This new service is expected to benefit commuters, including students and office workers, by offering a more efficient and spacious mode of transport.
Linda McMahon blasts Harvard in scathing letter telling elite university it will no longer get federal grants
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon sent a scathing letter to Harvard University President Alan Garber on Monday, not only blasting the Massachusetts Ivy League school’s handling of antisemitism on campus but also advising school officials to refrain from applying for future federal grants because they will not “be provided.” In her no-holds-barred letter, McMahon told Garber that the federal government has a “sacred responsibility” to be an important steward of American taxpayer funds, adding that the school has amassed a largely tax-free $53.2 billion endowment and receives billions of dollars in taxpayer funds each year. “Receiving such taxpayer funds is a privilege, not a right,” she wrote. “Yet instead of using these funds to advance the education of its students, Harvard is engaging in a systemic pattern of violating federal law. Where do many of these ‘students’ come from, who are they, how do they get into Harvard, or even into our country – and why is there so much HATE? These are questions that must be answered, among many more, but the biggest question of all is, why will Harvard not give straightforward answers to the American public?” She also said the university has “made a mockery” of the higher education system in the U.S., inviting foreign students to its campuses who engage in violent behavior and show contempt for the U.S. TRUMP SAYS HE’LL REVOKE HARVARD’S TAX-EXEMPT STATUS McMahon slammed the school for adopting an “embarrassing” remedial math program for undergraduates, questioning why a school that’s so difficult to get admitted to has to teach low-level mathematics. She called Harvard out for being embroiled in plagiarism scandals and lambasted the school for allowing Harvard University and the Harvard Law Review to engage in “ugly racism.” McMahon blasted Harvard for hiring former Mayors Bill de Blasio of New York City and Lori Lightfoot of Chicago to teach “leadership” at its School of Public Health. “This is like hiring the captain of the Titanic to teach navigation to future captains of the sea,” she said. IVY LEAGUE SUICIDES, PRINCETON’S 8TH STUDENT DEATH IN 4 YEARS EXPOSE CRISIS AT ELITE SCHOOLS “The above concerns are only a fraction of the long list of Harvard’s consistent violations of its own legal duties. Given these and other concerning allegations, this letter is to inform you that Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided,” McMahon later wrote. “Harvard will cease to be a publicly funded institution and can instead operate as a privately-funded institution, drawing on its colossal endowment, and raising money from its large base of wealthy alumni. “You have an approximately $53 billion head start, much of which was made possible by the fact that you are living within the walls of, and benefiting from, the prosperity secured by the United States of America and its free-market system you teach your students to despise,” she added. In closing, McMahon reminded Garber that the Trump administration had been willing to maintain federal funding to Harvard as long as the school complied with federal law to protect and promote student welfare and stop racial preferencing. HARVARD PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR FAILURE TO ADDRESS ANTISEMITISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA AFTER NEW REPORTS RELEASED “The proposed common-sense reforms – which the Administration remains committed to – include a return to merit-based admissions and hiring, an end to unlawful programs that promote crude identity stereotypes, disciplinary reform and consistent accountability, including for student groups, cooperation with Law Enforcement, and reporting compliance with the Department of Education, Department of Homeland Security, and other Federal Agencies,” McMahon said. “The Administration’s priorities have not changed, and today’s letter marks the end of new grants for the university.” Harvard confirmed to Fox News Digital that it received a letter from the administration on Monday. “Today, we received another letter from the administration doubling down on demands that would impose unprecedented and improper control over Harvard University and would have chilling implications for higher education,” a Harvard spokesperson said. “Today’s letter makes new threats to illegally withhold funding for lifesaving research and innovation in retaliation against Harvard for filing its lawsuit on April 21. “Harvard will continue to comply with the law, promote and encourage respect for viewpoint diversity, and combat antisemitism in our community. Harvard will also continue to defend against illegal government overreach aimed at stifling research and innovation that make Americans safer and more secure,” the spokesperson continued. TRUMP BRANDS HARVARD ‘ANTISEMITIC’ AND A ‘THREAT TO DEMOCRACY’ DURING FUNDING BATTLE McMahon’s letter comes just days after President Donald Trump declared that his administration was going to be taking away Harvard’s tax-exempt status. Trump made the announcement after Fox News reported that his administration asked the Internal Revenue Service to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status. The Ivy League school’s failure to address antisemitism on campus is grounds for losing its 501(c)(3) status, sources said at the time. Trump argued in mid-April that Harvard had “lost its way” and didn’t deserve federal funding. “Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and ‘birdbrains’ who are only capable of teaching FAILURE to students and so-called ‘future leaders,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Look just to the recent past at their plagiarizing President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States Congress.” Harvard has become a target of Trump’s broader crackdown on universities, much of which is in response to last year’s anti-Israel unrest that erupted on campuses across the country. On April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Garber and Harvard Corporation Lead Member Penny Pritzker outlining the institution’s failures and a list of demands from the White House. In the letter, the administration accused Harvard of failing to uphold civil rights laws and to foster an “environment that produces intellectual creativity.” The Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding if Harvard did not reform governance and leadership as well as its hiring and admissions practices by August 2025. The letter emphasized the need for Harvard to change its international admissions process to avoid
Trump admin continues Biden defense of abortion drug mifepristone, asks court to dismiss lawsuit
The Trump administration is asking a federal judge in Texas to dismiss a case that aims to restrict access to the abortion drug mifepristone. The request continues the Biden administration’s position in defense of the drug: that Texas isn’t the proper venue for the lawsuit. In a Justice Department court filing, the Trump administration said Idaho, Missouri and Kansas have no ties to Texas, where the lawsuit was filed, arguing they lack standing in the suit against the Food and Drug Administration over its rules over the pills, which are available online and by mail. MAJOR DRUG STORES START SELLING ABORTION PILL SOME SAY IS ‘DANGEROUS’ FOR WOMEN AHEAD OF LANDMARK SCOTUS CASE “Aside from this litigation, the States do not dispute that their claims have no connection to the Northern District of Texas,” the DOJ wrote. “The states cannot keep alive a lawsuit in which the original plaintiffs were held to lack standing, those plaintiffs have now voluntarily dismissed their claims, and the States’ own claims have no connection to this District.” The three Republican-led states are challenging FDA actions that loosened restrictions on the drug in 2016 and 2021, including allowing for medication abortions at up to 10 weeks of pregnancy instead of seven, and for mail delivery of the drug without a woman first seeing a clinician in-person, Reuters reported. ABORTION PILL USE HAS SPIKED IN RECENT YEARS, NEW REPORT REVEALS: ‘SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE’ A lower court previously rebuffed a request to reverse FDA approval of mifepristone. “The States are free to pursue their claims in a District where venue is proper,” the federal attorneys said. But the brief pointed to weaknesses in the states’ argument beyond standing, noting, for instance, that their challenge to the FDA’s 2016 action allowing the pills to be used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy rather than the previous seven is outside the statute of limitations. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last year, the Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by anti-abortion doctors and medical associations after the justices ruled the plaintiffs could not show they had been personally harmed by the federal government’s regulation of the pill. The Trump administration also argued for the dismissal, saying the states’ challenge to FDA’s 2016 actions is outside the six-year statute of limitations. Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.
Michigan drops charges against pro-Palestine US student protesters
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has dropped charges against seven student protesters from the University of Michigan, citing legal delays and controversies surrounding the US case, which she said has become a “lightning rod of contention”. The decision on Monday puts an end to the case that started in May 2024 when the students, who pleaded not guilty, were charged with trespassing and resisting a police officer while attending a pro-Palestinian campus protest. “We feel vindicated that the case was dismissed,” said Jamil Khuja, a member of the defence team for the students. “These individuals committed no crime whatsoever. They were exercising their right to protest and engage in political speech on public property.” Despite dropping the charges and growing criticism of the case, Nessel on Monday defended her decision to pursue felony charges against the students, saying “a reasonable jury would find the defendants guilty of the crimes alleged”. However, Nessel added in a statement that she dropped the charges nearly a year later because she did not believe “these cases to be a prudent use of my department’s resources”. Advertisement While hundreds of students were arrested during the wave of pro-Palestine campus encampments that swept the United States last year amid Israel’s war on Gaza, most were immediately released. The case in Michigan gained national attention and became symbolic of the nationwide crackdown on pro-Palestine demonstrations, with Palestinian rights advocates arguing that the Nessel case was an attack on freedom of speech and assembly. Defence lawyers for the accused had filed motions for Nessel to recuse herself from the case, citing accusations of bias – assertions that the attorney general dismissed as “baseless and absurd”. “These distractions and ongoing delays have created a circus-like atmosphere to these proceedings,” the attorney general said in her statement. Khuja, the defence lawyer, said the team was “absolutely confident” of winning the case, either by judicial dismissal or not-guilty jury verdict, and criticised Nessel’s characterisation of the pretrial proceedings as “circus-like” as untrue. He said requesting Nessel’s removal from the case was warranted, adding that the charges should have been brought by the county and not the state’s attorney general, according to Michigan’s prosecution procedures. Free speech ‘under attack’ To underscore the alleged bias, the defence lawyer also noted that weeks before filing the charges last year, Nessel had clashed with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, “the only Palestinian in Congress”, for defending the chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which has been used by student protesters. Advertisement Soon after Nessel charged the students, Tlaib accused the attorney general of “possible biases” within her agency, underscoring that other protest movements did not face a similar legal crackdown. The attorney general responded by accusing Tlaib of anti-Semitism, although the congresswoman made no mention of the attorney general’s religion or Jewish identity. “Rashida should not use my religion to imply I cannot perform my job fairly as Attorney General. It’s anti-Semitic and wrong,” Nessel wrote in a social media post in September. The controversy stretched for weeks, with CNN and pro-Israel outlets echoing Nessel’s anti-Semitism allegations against Tlaib without evidence. Khuja said the attorney general ultimately wanted to “make an example out of those protesting for Palestine”. He added that the case was larger than the students and politicians involved. “The First Amendment applies to all speech, but it’s been under attack in order to shield Israel from criticism lately,” Khuja told Al Jazeera. “And this case proved that those who believe in Palestinian rights, their views are just as legitimate as anybody else’s, and the First Amendment protects those views and your right to express them.” Adblock test (Why?)
Pro-Palestine protestors disrupt Dutch WW2 anniversary event
[unable to retrieve full-text content] 5 pro-Palestine protestors were arrested after disrupting a World War II anniversary event in Wageningen, Netherlands.
Palestinian author Mosab Abu Toha wins Pulitzer Prize for commentary
The poet gets the prestigious award for New Yorker essays ‘on the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza’ amid war. Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha, who has been targeted by pro-Israel groups in the United States for deportation, has won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Abu Toha received the prestigious award on Monday for essays published in The New Yorker “on the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza that combine deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir to convey the Palestinian experience” of the war. “I have just won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary,” Abu Toha wrote on social media. “Let it bring hope. Let it be a tale.” The comment appears to be a tribute to his fellow Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza in December 2023. Alareer’s final poem was titled, “If I must die, let it be a tale”. Abu Toha was detained by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2023 before being released to Egypt and subsequently moving to the US. “In the past year, I have lost many of the tangible parts of my memories – the people and places and things that helped me remember,” Abu Toha wrote in one of his New Yorker essays. Advertisement “I have struggled to create good memories. In Gaza, every destroyed house becomes a kind of album, filled not with photos but with real people, the dead pressed between its pages.” In recent months, right-wing groups in the US have called for deporting Abu Toha amid a campaign by President Donald Trump cracking down non-citizens critical of Israel. The author cancelled events at universities in recent months, citing fears for his safety. I have just won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Let it bring hopeLet it be a tale pic.twitter.com/VP6RsPY6vz — Mosab Abu Toha (@MosabAbuToha) May 5, 2025 The Palestinian poet told Al Jazeera’s The Take podcast in December that the feeling of inability to help people in Gaza has been “devastating”. “Imagine that you are with your parents, with your siblings and their children in a school shelter in Gaza,” Abu Toha said. “You are unable to protect anyone. You are unable to provide them with any food, with any water, with any medicine. But now you are in the United States, the country that is funding the genocide. So, it is heartbreaking.” In other Pulitzer categories, New York Times won prizes for explanatory reporting, local reporting, international coverage and breaking news photography on Monday. With the four awards, the New York-based newspaper received the most prizes from Pulitzer’s 14 journalism contests this year. Winners of the award, named after the Hungarian-American newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, are selected by a board of journalists and academics and announced at Columbia University annually. Advertisement The New York Times received the international reporting prize for its coverage of the conflict in Sudan, edging out The Washington Post, which was a finalist in the category for its “documented Israeli atrocities” in Gaza, including investigations into the killings of Palestinian medics and journalists. The Post won the breaking news prize for its coverage of the Trump assassination attempt during a campaign rally last year. The Reuters news agency took the investigative reporting award for a “boldly reported expose of lax regulation in the US and abroad that makes fentanyl”. Adblock test (Why?)
School board races across Texas deal losses for many conservatives
Issues about control of book purchases and how curriculums teach race and gender have led to change on many boards, including Keller, Katy and Mansfield ISDs.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Self Deport, Get $1,000
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… –REAL ID ‘unnecessary in keeping us safe,’ GOP lawmaker says as deadline looms -Former Vice President Mike Pence honored by Kennedy family in receiving the JFK ‘Profile in Courage Award’ -Senator warns of ‘unconstitutional’ judicial overreach ahead of SCOTUS showdown FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security will front the cost of commercial flights and provide a $1,000 stipend to illegal aliens who opt to self-deport from the United States in a move DHS says will save thousands of dollars. The department says this will be 70% cheaper for American taxpayers, as it currently costs DHS, on average, over $17,000 to arrest, detain, and deport someone. DHS told Fox News that paying for aliens to remove themselves, even with the stipend, is anticipated to cost only around $4,500 on average. The stipend would not be paid until it was verified that an individual self-deported. Aliens will use the CBP Home self-deportation app to access this assistance, and DHS expects self-removals, already in the thousands, to ramp up significantly with this announcement…READ MORE FREED PRISONER: Trump meets with American ballerina freed from Russian prison ‘NOT ALLOWED’: Trump shoots down rumors he will seek 3rd term: ‘Not something I’m looking to do’ DISORDER IN COURT: Trump questions judges who block deportations of ‘criminals, including murderers’ ‘AUTHORITY TO REGULATE’: Trump admin sues Colorado, Denver over ‘sanctuary laws,’ alleged interference in immigration enforcement KEEPING TRUMP HONEST: Former VP Pence vows to be a ‘voice against’ Trump when president veers from ‘conservative agenda’ ‘RAPIDLY’: Trump fields question about his timeline for judicial nominations: ‘We’re putting ’em in rapidly’ TRUMP’S 16TH WEEK BACK: Trump’s 16th week in office to include WH meeting with Canada, ongoing trade negotiations ‘SHE IS SO AFRAID’: Trump says Mexican president is afraid of cartels after she rejected his offer to send US troops to Mexico LAST CHANCE: Israel says Trump’s Middle East visit is the ‘window of opportunity’ for hostage deal TOTAL CONTROL: Israel approves plan to capture all of Gaza, calls up tens of thousands of reserve troops: report ACROSS THE ATLANTIC: Rwanda ‘in discussions’ with US to receive deported migrants: report TRUMP CARD: GOP leaders find new major holiday deadline for Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ amid Medicaid, tax divisions ‘BRUTAL’ PREDICTION: Senate Democrats predicting very rough confirmation hearing for UN ambassador pick Mike Waltz ‘LOSING THE BASE’: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene airs frustrations, warns that she represents a ‘not happy’ Republican base ‘WHEELS ARE COMING OFF’: GOP rep urges lawmakers to ‘right-size’ bloated bureaucracy, national debt ‘FIRST THEY CAME’: Democrat Hank Johnson draws Holocaust comparison while blasting deportations ‘RACIAL DISPARITIES’: DOJ opens probe after left-wing DA requires prosecutors to consider race in plea deals ‘WE DELIVER ON THAT PROMISE’: Texas Gov. Abbott signs $1 billion voucher program into law, capping off win for school choice advocates BALLOTS CAST: REAL ID is about to go into effect. Here’s how it may impact voting LASTING LEGACY: Cornyn bringing bill to enshrine Trump EO renaming refuge after Jocelyn Nungaray into law FIRST ON FOX: Red state school district hit with complaint to Trump admin alleging unlawful DEI practices MAY 20 DEADLINE LOOMS: Deadline looms allowing left-wing court to select US attorney as state AGs urge confirmation of Trump pick Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
California Dems run ads against GOP on sex trafficking bill after blocking penalties for teen solicitation
A series of Facebook ads funded by the California Democratic Party is claiming that Republicans are against stronger laws to protect 16- and 17-year-old sex trafficking victims amid a legislative fight over a minor solicitation bill in which Democrats successfully forced the exclusion of harsher penalties for the purchase or solicitation of older teens. The ads began appearing on social media after a vote in the California Assembly last week when Democrat leaders refused to move forward with AB 379, which would have made it an automatic felony to purchase or solicit 16- and 17-year-olds for sex. Featured in each ad is the name and image of a state Republican lawmaker who “voted against stronger laws protecting” older teens from sex trafficking, accusing them of protecting their “political party, not our kids.” SON OF SUSPECTED WOULD-BE TRUMP ASSASSIN ARRESTED ON CHILD PORN CHARGES AB 379, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Maggy Krell, was an attempt to crack down on the buyers in the child sex trafficking trade and to align their punishments with the traffickers. The ad campaign came after the Democrat-controlled Assembly Public Safety Committee decided to move the bill forward as long as it didn’t carry the felony provision for those who solicit older teens for sex. At the time, Krell told Fox News Digital that she was forced to exclude the felony provision in order for the legislation to move forward. “I wholeheartedly disagree with that amendment,” she said. “This has been my life’s work and I will continue to partner with sex trafficking survivors and law enforcement to ensure all minors are protected from the horrors of sex trafficking.” On Thursday, Democrats voted to strip the bill completely from Krell, a former prosecutor who investigated human trafficking, while excluding the automatic felony clause. They also inserted text that read, “It is the intent of the Legislature to adopt the strongest laws to protect 16-and 17-year old victims and strengthen protections in support of survivors of human trafficking.” “Just when you thought the @CA_Dem couldn’t go any lower, any more pathetic and desperate, here they are, trying to falsely spin themselves out of siding with predators over children, (poorly) playing politics over people. SO excited for 2026,” the California Republican Party shared Monday on X. WANDA BARZEE, ONE OF ELIZABETH SMART’S CAPTORS, ARRESTED ON ALLEGED SEX OFFENDER VIOLATION Several Republican lawmakers also pushed back against the accusation that their party doesn’t protect children. “You see my friend Democrats lie… After we called @AsmDems out on the floor last week for removing protections for 16 and 17-year-old victims, they run ads accusing us… of the very thing they are doing,” Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher wrote on X. “You can’t hide from the truth with deceptive ads. It is Democrats who can’t bring themselves to part with weird ideological politics to protect kids.” Assemblyman Josh Hoover, one of several Republicans targeted in the ad campaign, said Democrats were attempting to gaslight Californians. “Make no mistake, these ads are nothing but a distraction from their own failed record on public safety,” he wrote on social media. “I will continue to fight to restore the protections they removed, hold perpetrators accountable, and make sure all minors are treated equally under the law.” The ad campaign was reportedly being pushed by the campaign of Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. Fox News Digital has reached out to the California Democratic Party and Rivas’ campaign. FATHER PRESSES FOR ANSWERS IN COLLEGE FRESHMAN DAUGHTER’S DEATH AFTER FALL FROM DORM: ‘SHE WAS OUR WORLD’ AB 379 came together after older teens were left out of a state law that went into effect this year that makes it a felony to purchase a child aged 15 and younger for sex. Last year, California State Sen. Shannon Groven authored a bill that made it illegal to buy minors for sex, but it excluded 16- and 17-year-olds. Currently, traffickers, not the buyers, face the harshest consequences when convicted of trafficking anyone under 18. Last week, Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he supported harsher consequences for those who solicit minors for sex. Assemblyman Joe Patterson said Newsom has lost control of his own party and that the state Democratic Party is treating him “like a lame duck.” Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez said Democrats across the state have failed Californians on a range of issues, including public safety, affordability and homelessness. “All they have left are dirty lies that are easily rebutted by journalists,” she wrote. The National Republican Congressional Committee also weighed in on the matter. “California Democrats chose predators over children and out-of-touch Democrats Derek Tran and Dave Min have said nothing,” Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for the NRCC, told Fox News Digital while calling out Democrat lawmakers. “Worse, they’re letting their fellow Democrats whitewash their disgusting record of protecting the absolute worst among us.” Last week, Krell said she didn’t care if the bill had her name on it or not, but would support any proposal that included protections for 16- and 17-year-olds.