House Republicans unlock reconciliation process to fund ICE and Border Patrol without Democrats
The House of Representatives approved a budget blueprint funding immigration enforcement for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term over Democrats’ fierce objections on Wednesday. Lawmakers voted 215-211 along party lines to take a critical step toward ending the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security funding lapse that began on Feb. 14. Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., who caucuses with Republicans, voted present. House Democrats united in opposition to the immigration enforcement measure while every Republican present voted in support. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., could spare just a handful of defections with Republicans’ slim majority. REPUBLICANS CAN FUND ICE FOR AN ENTIRE DECADE WITHOUT A SINGLE DEM VOTE: SEN CRUZ The House’s approval of the Senate-passed budget framework unlocks the partisan budget reconciliation process, which Republicans are using to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection without support from congressional Democrats. Trump has given Republicans a June 1 deadline to send a budget reconciliation bill to his desk, giving GOP leadership little room for error. “We have a real sense of urgency about getting this done,” Johnson told Fox News Wednesday. The successful vote came after more than a dozen GOP lawmakers ranging from conservatives to farm-state and Midwestern Republicans withheld their votes over concerns unrelated to the budget framework. Republican leadership held the vote open for more than five hours to win over the numerous holdouts and six GOP lawmakers who voted “no” before flipping to “yes.” Those lawmakers included Reps. Max Miller, R-Ohio, Andy Harris, R-Md., Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., and Michael Cloud, R-Texas. “This is why they say lawmaking is like watching sausage be made,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “That’s what this is, but we’ll get it done.” The budget resolution teeing up funding for Trump’s immigration agenda is just one piece of Republicans’ DHS funding strategy. SENATE BORDER BUDGET TRIUMPHS AFTER ALL-NIGHT SESSION WHILE TRUMP-BACKED HOUSE BILL LAGS House GOP leadership has not specified when it plans to take up a Senate-passed measure funding the rest of the department. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., agreed on a two-track approach to fund DHS by steering around Democratic opposition weeks ago. But Johnson has so far declined to put the Senate’s partial DHS bill on the House floor over concerns that it zeroes out funding for immigration enforcement. Johnson said earlier this week that some “modifications” to the measure may be necessary but has not gone into detail about specific changes. The White House on Tuesday sent Hill offices an internal memo, obtained by Fox News Digital, urging passage of the Senate’s partial DHS bill, raising the pressure on Johnson to act. Many rank-and-file House Republicans want ICE and the Border Patrol funded before the rest of the department, which could mean a delay for several more weeks. “I think that there’s a serious problem with the bill in that it zeroes out, ICE and CBP,” Rep. Eric Burlison, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told Fox News. “It’s one thing to not do the funding, but it’s a whole other thing to put zeros in the bill.” “I know that the speaker’s working on making sure that we have all the assurances and even maybe the cash in hand in terms of reconciliation being wrapped up, finalized before we take the 95% of the rest of Homeland Security,” House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said. Meanwhile, the White House is warning that it will be short on funds to pay the department’s hundreds of thousands of employees beginning in May. “If this funding is exhausted, the Administration will be unable to pay DHS personnel beginning in May, which will once again unleash havoc on air travel, leave critical law enforcement officers—including our brave Secret Service agents—and the Coast Guard without paychecks, and jeopardize national security,” the White House memo published Tuesday states. House Republicans’ approval of the Senate blueprint also effectively shuts the door on adding other GOP priorities to the budget package. Some GOP lawmakers had floated adding affordability-focused provisions, defense supplemental funding and the SAVE America Act to the bill. GOP leadership had argued for weeks that a larger bill risked derailing the budget reconciliation process. “We’re focused on funding Homeland Security and stopping the Democrat shutdown and, in particular, using reconciliation to fund ICE and CBP because Democrats refused to fund it,” Arrington said. “Everything else is not germane to this conversation.”
Melania Trump embraces AI education initiative in White House tech push: ‘She’s been a champion’
EXCLUSIVE: First lady Melania Trump is carving out a forward-looking role in the White House, positioning herself as a leading voice on artificial intelligence and education as the administration embraces emerging technology, according to an exclusive interview with her senior advisor. The first lady this week hosted an immersive event at the White House tennis pavilion, a space she designed during her husband’s first term, where students used Meta virtual reality headsets and AI-powered glasses to explore British landmarks and examine historical artifacts. The event, which coincided with a visit from Queen Camilla, highlighted Melania Trump’s broader initiative, Fostering the Future Together, a global effort focused on expanding access to technology and education for children. “She wanted to create an innovative cross-cultural educational experience,” senior advisor Marc Beckman told Fox News Digital, describing the event as part of her ongoing push to integrate artificial intelligence into learning. TRUMP, ALONGSIDE FIRST LADY, TO SIGN BILL CRIMINALIZING REVENGE PORN AND AI DEEPFAKES Students first used VR headsets to virtually visit sites, including Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge and the Giant’s Causeway before engaging directly with Queen Camilla. They later used AI-enabled glasses to examine curated artifacts from the White House collection and the National Archives, with the technology providing real-time historical context. The artifacts included a portrait of John Adams, the first U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, a World War II-era map associated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a bust of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, all selected to underscore the longstanding relationship between the two nations. Beckman said the initiative reflects a broader focus by the first lady on artificial intelligence and education, which has become a central theme of her work during the administration. FOX NEWS AI NEWSLETTER: CHATGPT ‘CODE RED’ “She has been a champion of artificial intelligence and education for children,” he said. Her interest in AI predates her return to the White House. Before reentering public life, Melania Trump worked to develop an AI-powered audiobook version of her memoir, released in multiple languages and an effort Beckman said gave her firsthand experience with the technology. That background has informed her support for the Presidential AI Challenge, a program aimed at engaging students across all 50 states in technology-focused education and competition. Beckman also pointed to her recent appearance at the United Nations Security Council, where she emphasized the role artificial intelligence could play in expanding access to knowledge and education worldwide. “This theme just keeps going — children, education, technology,” he said. With additional partnerships, regional initiatives and research efforts already in development, Beckman said the first lady plans to continue expanding her AI-focused agenda in the months ahead.
Trump weighs pulling US troops from Germany amid clash with chancellor over Iran war
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday the U.S. is weighing a potential drawdown of American troops in Germany, opening a new front in his escalating feud with the country’s leadership just days after he blasted Chancellor Friedrich Merz over Iran. In a Truth Social post Wednesday afternoon, Trump said the U.S. is “studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany.” He said a determination will be made “over the next short period of time.” The announcement comes after the president on Tuesday criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying he “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities. TRUMP VOWS TO HIT IRAN ‘VERY HARD’ AFTER OBLITERATING NEARLY ’90 PERCENT’ OF REGIME MISSILES “The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. “I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!” The president’s comments were seemingly in response to Merz’s speech in Marsberg Monday, where he said the U.S. was being “humiliated by the Iranian leadership.” ECONOMIST EDITOR SAYS EUROPEAN LEADERS NOW FEAR A TRUE NATO ‘DIVORCE’ AFTER TRUMP PULLOUT THREAT Merz added he hopes the war ends “as quickly as possible.” During both of Trump’s terms, the leaders have publicly clashed on issues, including tariffs and defense. Earlier this month, Merz said he did not believe NATO should be involved in the war with Iran as Trump urged allies to secure the Strait of Hormuz. As of December 2025, there were more than 36,000 active U.S. service members stationed in Germany, more than any other European country, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center. It is unclear how much the president may slash troops. Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
GOP gubernatorial hopeful blasted by critics for ‘lying’ on stage about illegal immigrant hires
Rick Jackson, a Republican gubernatorial hopeful in Georgia, is facing heat from critics calling him a “fraud” and claiming he lied during a debate earlier this week when the candidate struggled to answer whether he has illegal aliens working for him. “I don’t know,” Jackson replied when his fellow Republican frontrunner in the race, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, asked him point-blank whether he has any illegal aliens working for him. Jackson explained he was not directly involved in the hiring process in question, but he also said on the debate stage that anyone making hires for him “obey[ed] the laws,” including verifying employment eligibility using the appropriate federal “verification” measures despite saying the opposite during a sworn deposition. After his contradictory remarks on the debate stage Monday night, Jackson’s critics leaped at the opportunity to call him out, pointing to his sworn remarks from a worker’s compensation case, during which Jackson admitted that new hires were not vetted using mandatory federal I-9 forms meant to ensure employees are eligible to work. FLORIDA GOV DESANTIS TANGLES WITH REPORTER OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, TELLS HER ‘YOU SEEM TO HAVE NO SYMPATHY’ “Rick Jackson is lying to someone. Either he lied in his deposition under oath or he lied to Georgians on the debate stage,” political strategist Phil Vangelakos said after the debate. “It’s pretty clear that he knows he’s employed illegal immigrants.” “Richie Rick Jackson is a fraud that will say what he needs to in order to win and is pretending to be a Trump Conservative, when in fact, he is a Bush moderate,” said Georgia Tea Party activist Debbie Dooley, who is unrelated to the football coach turned Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Georgia, Derek Dooley. “He campaigns against illegals, yet he hires them.” The criticism against Jackson stems from a worker’s compensation lawsuit Jackson found himself embroiled in, which included documents and records indicating he was paying at least one landscaper at his mansion who is undocumented, possibly more. The story was first reported by the New York Post ahead of Monday night’s debate. The suit was filed against Jackson Investment Group, LLC, and JIG Real Estate, LLC, which is owned by the former firm. Jackson is publicly listed as the CEO of both companies as well. SCOOP: TRUMP ALLY TO LAUNCH KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE CAMPAIGN IN BID TO FLIP DEMOCRAT-HELD SENATE SEAT According to the case’s filings, Jackson “maintained a long-standing workforce of multiple laborers performing landscaping and property maintenance work for decades, including individuals without work authorization who nonetheless performed continuous employment for the employer.” Jackson was deposed as part of the case, during which Jackson indicated he was unaware that his hires were undocumented immigrants. However, according to the deposition, Jackson was aware that his new hires were not being vetted using mandatory I-9 verification forms. “No,” Jackson replied when asked in the deposition if he does any employment verification through the I-9 system. In other parts of the deposition, Jackson echoed what he said Monday night, that he was not directly involved with the hiring of workers and only engaged with the landscaping superintendent. DEMOCRATS VYING FOR NYC MAYOR SPAR OVER DEFUNDING POLICE, COMBATING ICE “I know that sounds confusing,” Jackson explained in his deposition. “But most of our — if we have other employees, we usually hire them through JIG or another entity. I’m talking about if JIG has employees, we hire them through another entity. I’m not sure that we have any direct employees, from a payroll standpoint, out of JIG Real Estate.” Greg Bluestein, a reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, pointed out Wednesday that it “didn’t take long” after Monday night’s debate for one of Jackson’s leading opponents in the GOP primary battle, which will culminate with a May 19 primary election, to attack Jackson over the inconsistency of his statements. “No I-9’s, no background checks for decades,” says a narrator in an attack ad from the Jones campaign. The ad then cuts to Jones asking Jackson on the debate stage whether he has any illegal immigrants working for him, to which Jackson responds, “I don’t know.” TRUMP FRONT-AND-CENTER AS NATION’S BIGGEST CITY HOLDS PRIMARY ELECTION FOR MAYOR “He knew,” the narrator chimes in. “He’s not just hiring illegal immigrants, he’s lying to Georgians.” When asked for a response to the backlash, Jackson’s team said the takeaway from the debate “is the universal agreement that Burt Jones has used his office corruptly to enrich himself and attack his political opponents.” The campaign spokesperson also alleged that much of the criticism targeting Jackson stems from people from the Jones campaign. “It’s like a corrupt politician to attack Rick over someone hired by his landscaper,” the spokesperson added. “In the debate exchange, Rick talked about hiring thousands of people per year, a reference that could only be about Jackson Healthcare, which has used E-Verify since 2012. “Rick would never knowingly hire someone in the country illegally and, as governor, he’ll make Georgia No. 1 in criminal illegal deportations.” The primary election on May 19 will also include GOP frontrunners Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Trump EPA chief vows he won’t take ‘morality lessons’ from Dem senator after heated clash
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., traded barbs with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in a fiery Senate hearing Wednesday over cost-benefit analysis of coal plants and whether President Trump’s EPA had done enough to weigh whether hospital bills and insurance claims should factor into the calculus. The heated back-and-forth left Zeldin taking a thinly-veiled dig at Whitehouse long after the Democratic environmentalist had concluded his line of questioning. “We just want to stick to the truth,” Zeldin said. “We want to stick to the science. If you don’t agree with them, you don’t follow their logic, then they’ll want to vilify you … and I’m not going to take morality lessons from people who join all-White country clubs,” Zeldin added. He was referring to reports of Whitehouse’s family membership at Bailey’s Beach Club, a beach club formerly known as Spouting Rock Beach Association. EPA CHIEF TAKES ON MEXICAN ‘SEWAGE CRISIS’ FLOWING INTO US WATERS WHERE NAVY SEALS TRAIN “I think the people who are running the place are still working on that, and I’m sorry it hasn’t happened yet,” Whitehouse said in 2017, referring to allowing minority members. “It’s a long tradition in Rhode Island, and there are many of them. And we just need to work our way through the issues.” The interaction comes as lawmakers weigh President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request for the EPA, a framework that has alarmed Democrats for its proposed 50% reduction to agency funding. Zeldin’s clash with Whitehouse also underscores sharp divisions between the administration and Democrats in Congress over what threat, if any, climate change poses and what resources the U.S. should devote to combating it. Whitehouse, who panned the proposed budget, argued that Zeldin was ignoring secondary costs brought on by fossil fuels. “One plant in Michigan has already cost Michiganders $600 million in excess health costs. That is money out of consumers’ pockets and into the pockets of your fossil fuel polluters, Trump’s big donors. Are you even tracking the consumer costs of those coal plants?” Whitehouse asked Zeldin. “We’re going to get to talk about math?” Zeldin replied. “Oh, this is great; I don’t even know where to start.” “Are you even tracking the consumer costs of those coal plants?” Whitehouse asked again. “Answer that question: Are you even tracking the consumer costs of those coal plants?” ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS PRESENT DIFFERING OPINIONS OF TRUMP’S ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT APPOINTEES Zeldin began replying that the EPA did, in fact, track consumer costs of energy but was cut off. “Where are you tracking the consumer costs of those coal plants?” Whitehouse interjected. Zeldin, setting aside the matter of tracking, turned to confront Whitehouse’s underlying argument about the cost-benefit of coal across the country. “Are you kidding me? Coal plants even staying open – you think that the math is that it’s better for West Virginia if you close down their coal plants and put these people out of work and tell them to learn how to code?” Zeldin said. “According to you, in your mind, that’s saving West Virginia? Is it saving them on energy access? Is it saving them on jobs?” Zeldin added. Whitehouse, running out of his allotted time, closed his line of questioning by proposing that Trump’s administration stood to gain from energy-aligned donors. NEW SEN. JIM JUSTICE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ SHOCKED BY DEMOCRATS’ RESPONSE TO ELON MUSK’S DOGE REVELATIONS “You’re raising costs on purpose because the money that you get when you raise costs from consumers goes to Trump’s big fossil fuel donors,” Whitehouse said. The EPA was given roughly $8.82 billion in the 2026 fiscal year. For 2027, Trump has requested just $4.2B for 2027, a drop that would represent a 52% decrease year over year.
Newsom mocks Trump’s limited-edition passport with fake California driver’s license featuring gov’s portrait
California Gov. Gavin Newsom attempted to mock President Donald Trump this week by parodying a limited-edition U.S. passport featuring the commander-in-chief’s image. The exchange began after the State Department announced that it will roll out special passports to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, prominently featuring Trump’s image on the inside cover. Not to be outdone, Newsom — a frequent critic who often takes to social media to needle the president — jokingly posted an image of a California driver’s license featuring his own portrait. BESSENT MOCKS NEWSOM AT DAVOS AS ‘PATRICK BATEMAN MEETS SPARKLE BEACH KEN’ “IN HONOR OF CALIFORNIA’S 175TH ANNIVERSARY, WE WILL BE ROLLING OUT A VERY SPECIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE FOR EVERY CALIFORNIAN THIS SUMMER!” Newsom’s press office wrote on X. “IT WILL FEATURE A HANDSOME, HIGH-QUALITY PHOTO OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM. MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING IT’S THE BEST LICENSE EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. THIS IS ABOUT CELEBRATING OUR BEAUTIFUL STATE (IT IS NOT ABOUT ME, DESPITE THE VERY HANDSOME PHOTO!). ENJOY! — GOVERNOR GCN.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, the White House said that Trump “is focused on saving our country—not garnering recognition.” “Anyone who finds an issue with President Trump celebrating the greatness of our country during our historic semiquincentennial celebration clearly suffers from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a White House spokesperson added. Since last summer, Newsom has increasingly adopted a Trump-like rhetorical style on social media, mimicking the president’s tone and penchant for self-celebration while criticizing his policies. EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP STATE DEPARTMENT UNVEILS BOLD NEW DESIGN FOR AMERICA250 PASSPORTS “It’s fun to laugh at our s—-for-brains president who is trashing our great country,” a Newsom spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The best way to deal with Trump’s absurd leadership is to call it out with a mirror until he takes his job seriously.” In another provocative post, Newsom’s office shared a mock image of a U.S. passport featuring Trump alongside the deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein. In a separate weekend post, Newsom hurled insults at Trump, calling him a “loser,” a label Trump himself famously uses against his critics. “VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE ARE COMING UP TO ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, IN DC (INCLUDING A TOP REPUBLICAN, I WON’T SAY WHO!) TELLING ME, ‘GAVIN, SIR, YOU ARE AMAZING. AS GOVERNOR OF THE FREE WORLD, YOU MUST GO TO THE WHCA DINNER,’” his office wrote, referring to Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. The event gained additional notoriety after a gunman allegedly shot a U.S. Secret Service agent nearby before being arrested. SOUTH CAROLINA DEMOCRAT SAYS NEWSOM MUST EXPLAIN ‘MANY FAILURES IN CALIFORNIA’ BEFORE PRESIDENTIAL RUN “‘YOU WILL DO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT LOSER TRUMP!’ VERY KIND! I WAS NOT PLANNING ON GOING… BUT NOW EVERYONE IS BEGGING ME BECAUSE I AM MAKING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ‘HOT’ AGAIN. WE’LL SEE. I AM VERY BUSY TONIGHT! THANK YOU!” Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for further comment.
Melania Trump advisor reveals what first lady was thinking as Secret Service rushed WHCA Dinner
First lady Melania Trump’s senior advisor is opening up about how the first lady reacted the night an armed suspect stormed the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in an alleged effort to assassinate President Donald Trump and administration officials. “She was not frightened. She was in full control. She knew what had to be done,” senior advisor Marc Beckman told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. Chaos broke out at the Washington Hilton Saturday evening just as the annual event was kicking off, when an armed suspect stormed the event in what authorities say was an attempt to assassinate the president. The incident prompted Secret Service agents to rush the president and first lady from the room as guests scrambled for cover. While this was not the first attempt on Trump’s life, it was the first time his wife was present. MELANIA TRUMP LAUNCHES ‘ON THE MOVE’ DIGITAL PHOTO SERIES HIGHLIGHTING HER ‘FAST-MOVING LIFE’ “She’s a strong person. She was not injured. Nobody was hurt, fortunately. She was really happy at the end of the day that everyone, in fact, in that room was in good health and was not injured,” he added. Beckman said the first lady quickly took cover at the Secret Service’s direction and then urged others at the table to do the same. During the chaos, a moment of shock appeared on the first lady’s face, with many assuming it was in reaction to the gunshots. Beckman, however, said it was due to something different. “She was learning that the mentalist [Oz Pearlman] was able to guess what Karoline Leavitt’s child, soon-to-be child, was going to be named, which is remarkable. It’s shocking. Hence, the expression. Coupled with literally Secret Service charging through the center of the room,” said Beckman. The first lady joined her husband and administration officials in the briefing room after they were evacuated from the dinner. MELANIA TRUMP HOSTS STAR-STUDDED WHITE HOUSE SCREENING AHEAD OF HER FILM’S RELEASE During an educational event with the Queen of England and students Tuesday at the White House, Trump told members of the media she was doing “very well” after the assassination attempt. Beckman shared that Trump echoes her husband’s stance that the Secret Service did their job well Saturday. COREY COMPERATORE’S WIDOW SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON FINAL MOMENTS WITH HER HUSBAND “The Secret Service is of very great value to the first lady. She holds them out with the highest level of respect,” he said. “They’ve done a tremendous job time and time again. “She has a tremendous amount of respect for the Secret Service, the military and beyond,” Beckman added. Beckman shared that Trump is well aware of the risks that follow being a member of the first family. “She’s very proud to be first lady. She’s very hard-working, she’s decisive and she’s going to keep pressing ahead,” he said.
House passes FISA renewal in bipartisan vote, putting pressure on Senate before looming deadline
Congressional Republicans are racing to extend a controversial spying program before it is scheduled to lapse Friday at midnight. House lawmakers voted 235 to 191 in a bipartisan manner to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term. The vote split Republicans, with more than 20 GOP privacy hawks voting against a three-year extension of the warrantless surveillance program. The successful vote leaves the Senate little time to act before the fast-approaching April 30 deadline. SPEAKER JOHNSON ONE STEP CLOSER TO RENEWING CONTROVERSIAL SPY PROGRAM AFTER CONSERVATIVES FALL IN LINE A swath of House conservatives voted against the FISA renewal bill, citing concerns that the measure does not include more stringent privacy safeguards, such as a requirement for intelligence agencies to obtain a warrant before accessing Americans’ data. The spy law, considered one of the government’s most powerful surveillance tools, allows the U.S. government to gather intelligence on foreigners abroad who are using U.S. platforms, even when those communications involve Americans. “We should all be standing up for the Fourth Amendment,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a leading GOP privacy hawk, said during debate on the FISA renewal bill Tuesday. House leadership attempted to win over some conservative holdouts by adding language permanently banning the Federal Reserve from issuing central bank digital currencies (CBDC) to the FISA renewal bill. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has warned that the sweetener for privacy hawks will be interpreted as a poison pill in the Senate, where Democrats fiercely oppose a CBDC ban. “They know that,” Thune told reporters Tuesday, referring to House Republicans. DEMS PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS TO KEEP OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES FIGHT ALIVE AFTER VOTE TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT Johnson has voiced optimism that the upper chamber will take up the House bill without modifications. “I speak with Leader Thune all the time. They’re watching this very closely, and hopefully they can process what we send them,” Johnson told Fox News Wednesday. “No one, on the Republican side anyway, wants to play around with letting these critical national security tools go unfunded or expire,” he added. “So, I think they’ll move it expeditiously.” The Trump administration has pressured House Republicans for weeks to back an extension of the spy law, arguing the surveillance authority is too vital for national security to expire. “This department strongly supports the reauthorization of FISA 702,” Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday. “It is not hyperbole to say many of the most important missions we have executed could not have happened without the intelligence gathered through FISA 702.” House Democrats, many of whom have fierce objections to a clean extension of the spy law, voted en masse against the measure. “I’m suspicious. The way it’s proposed right now, particularly under this administration,” Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., told Fox News, referring to the FISA renewal bill. “I was more comfortable when I voted for it in 2024. Under this administration, I’m not as comfortable.” Just 42 Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, crossed party lines in support of the measure. “I’ve seen countless, countless instances where the intelligence obtained through section 702 quite literally saved lives,” the Connecticut Democrat said. “So, given the binary choice between reauthorization and expiration, the responsible choice is reauthorization.”
Katie Porter’s ‘F*** Trump’ email day after assassination attempt draws sharp rebuke: ‘Degenerate loser’
California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter sent an email to donors that included the phrase “F*** Trump” four times — once even in the subject line — just a day after the most recent assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life at the White House Correspondents Association dinner on Saturday. The “F*** Trump” email from Porter’s campaign is the latest controversy to trouble Porter, who has previously been scrutinized for shouting and using expletives on camera at a staffer and for threatening to quit an interview with a journalist. Her behavior has raised questions in California and across the country about whether she is fit to run the state. Republican National Committee spokesman Nick Poche said Porter’s “F*** Trump” email show’s she’s not fit to be governor. “Katie Porter is a degenerate loser who is sick in the head, and it’s telling that failing Democrat candidates think their path to victory is to fan the flames of violence right after an assassination attempt,” Poche said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The Democrat Party has completely lost its mind, and anyone who refuses to condemn Porter’s remarks is just as responsible for the rise in left-wing political violence as Porter is.” PATTERN OF LEFTIST VIOLENCE GROWS AS TRUMP NEARS 10 MONTHS IN OFFICE Porter’s email sent out Sunday made no mention of the third assassination attempt on Trump’s life that occurred just the day prior. “Today, I wanna start with one simple, powerful message we all agree on,” the email stated. :Say it with me. Ready, 1 … 2 … 3 … F*** Trump.” “Yeah, that’s right, F*** Trump,” the email continued. “Together, we’re going to kick Trump’s a** in November and stop him in his tracks.” DEM SENATE HOPEFULS UNDER SCRUTINY FOR ‘CHOKE THEM OUT’ RHETORIC AFTER TRUMP ATTACK SCARE Writer and X influencer Bethany Mandel shared with Fox News Digital the email sent by Porter’s campaign. “Imagine Barack Obama surviving three assassination attempts and 18 hours later, a Republican sent a fundraising email like this,” Mandel posted on X. Fox News Digital reached out to Porter’s campaign for comment. The latest assassination attempt on Trump’s life comes as political rhetoric and tensions between Democrats and Republicans have reached a boiling point. Just days before the assassination attempt, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Democrats are in an “era of maximum warfare.” Even in the wake of the assassination attempt and GOP condemnation, Jeffries is not backing down from his comments.
Vance pushes back on report of stockpile concerns as US races to boost missile production
The U.S. military is racing to boost missile production after years of output that lagged behind current demand left key weapons in short supply, according to an analysis of Pentagon procurement data. At current production rates, some of the Pentagon’s most critical munitions would take years — and in some cases decades — to replenish, exposing a gap between battlefield use and industrial capacity that cannot be quickly closed. Major defense contractors have struck new agreements with the Pentagon and pledged to significantly increase production across several high-end munitions programs. But senior military officials warn the buildup will take time. “I think it will take one to two years for them to scale. It won’t be soon enough,” Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo told lawmakers in April. TRUMP-BACKED MILITARY RIGHT TO REPAIR PLAN STRIPPED FROM CONGRESS’ FINAL DEFENSE BILL The push comes as recent combat has drawn down U.S. stockpiles of high-end munitions, exposing a growing gap between how quickly the military can use advanced weapons and the years it takes to replace them, raising concerns about longer-term readiness. The gap between usage and replenishment is also reportedly drawing scrutiny inside the administration. The Atlantic reported that, in closed-door discussions, Vice President JD Vance questioned whether the Pentagon is fully accounting for how much those stockpiles were depleted during the Iran conflict, raising concerns about the availability of key munitions even as defense officials publicly insist U.S. stockpiles remain sufficient. Vance disputed that characterization Wednesday in an interview on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show,” rejecting the report’s sourcing while acknowledging concerns about military readiness. “Of course, I’m concerned about our readiness because that’s my job to be concerned,” Vance said, adding that defense leaders are “doing an amazing job.” He also dismissed the report, saying, “Don’t believe everything you read, especially in papers like The Atlantic.” Pentagon officials have pushed back on concerns. “America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the president’s choosing,” spokesperson Sean Parnell previously told Fox News Digital. “As Secretary Hegseth has highlighted numerous times, it took less than 10% of American naval power to control the traffic going in and out of the Strait of Hormuz,” Parnell said. “Since President Trump took office, we have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests. Attempts to alarm Americans over the department’s magazine depth are both ill-informed and dishonorable.” But historic Pentagon procurement data helps explain the gap. The Navy’s Tomahawk cruise missile, for example, was procured at an average rate of about 66 missiles per year over the past seven years. At that pace, it would take roughly 12 years to meet the Navy’s goal of adding 785 more. For the Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system, the gap is even more stark. Procurement has averaged about 30 interceptors per year, meaning it would take nearly three decades to reach a new target of 857 additional interceptors at those rates. Even for more widely produced systems like the Patriot PAC-3 interceptor, historical output has fallen short of current demand. The U.S. has procured roughly 212 PAC-3 MSE missiles annually on average, a pace that would take about two years to meet a new goal of 405. Recent combat has already underscored the strain. Pentagon acting Comptroller Jay Hurst said the conflict with Iran has cost roughly $25 billion so far. “Most of that is munitions,” he told lawmakers in recent days. US FALLS BEHIND IN HYPERSONIC RACE AS CHINA, RUSSIA GAIN EDGE U.S. forces used large shares of several critical munitions during the campaign, a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found, including more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 1,000 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles. Patriot interceptor use was estimated between roughly 1,060 and 1,430 missiles, more than half of the U.S. prewar inventory. Despite the heavy usage, analysts say the U.S. retains enough munitions to sustain current operations. The greater concern, they warn, is whether stockpiles can be rebuilt quickly enough to support a future conflict against a peer adversary. Some production gains are already underway. TRUMP RALLIES DEFENSE TITANS TO SURGE WEAPONS OUTPUT AS IRAN WAR RAGES Similar scaling efforts have been seen in other munitions programs, including artillery production, which has expanded severalfold since 2022. Defense firms say they are already increasing output and investing heavily in expanding capacity. RTX, the parent company of Raytheon, said missile deliveries were up more than 40% year over year in the first quarter, building on production gains made in 2025. The company also said it invested $2.6 billion last year to expand manufacturing capacity and plans to continue increasing spending. The company has said it plans to produce more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles per year, while output of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) could reach nearly 1,900 annually. Lockheed Martin has increased production of the Patriot interceptor significantly in recent years to around 600 annually. The company recently announced plans to expand capacity to 2,000 per year. But analysts say funding alone cannot push these plans forward. “We have more money than we have capacity,” said Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It’s just time.” Missile production depends on long-lead components such as propulsion systems and guidance technology, often sourced from a limited number of suppliers, meaning new orders can take years to translate into delivered weapons. Even under normal conditions, missile production follows a multi-year cycle. Before recent conflicts, it typically took about two years from contract award to initial delivery, with another year to complete production. Those timelines have since stretched as demand has outpaced capacity, Cancian said, adding that new orders today could take “four, maybe five years” to fully deliver. Much of the Pentagon’s planned increase in munitions spending is