Trump rolls out plan to back farmers amid rising costs, pledging ‘golden age’
President Donald Trump announced a series of actions Friday aimed at assisting farmers and food suppliers to help cut costs amid rising energy prices, promising a new “golden age” for the agricultural industry. Trump shared guidance on farm equipment regulations in an effort to cut costs and increase government loan guarantees for agricultural products, including tractors, among other reforms. He said much farm equipment has become unaffordable for many farmers. “Every day we’re looking for new ways to support our farmers, reduce your costs, and to help lower the price of food for the American family,” Trump said on the South Lawn of the White House. “We’re going to prove that the golden age of American agriculture is right here and right now.” I’M AN AMERICAN FARMER — EMPTY USDA OFFICES MEANS FEWER FAMILY FARMS The Biden administration crippled the farming industry, Trump said, with harsh restrictions and a lack of trade deals. To help them, Trump said his administration recently used tariff money to give farmers $12 billion in relief. “I’m also asking Congress to quickly pass the new farm bill,” he said. “And today, I’m promising to request additional farm relief for our great patriots in the next funding bill.” AMERICA’S QUIETEST CROP IS SET TO TAKE CENTER STAGE IN TRUMP–XI TALKS In addition, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) will alter guidelines around a system designed to limit diesel emissions that will save farmers billions of dollars, Trump said. He also announced new guidelines to limit Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) rules, which mandate that modern diesel engines use selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. “It was a basic disaster,” Trump said. Trump also highlighted the EPA’s efforts to boost renewable fuels from agricultural products, while criticizing environmental activists. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “What they’ve done to you, and the country – what they’ve done to the country – is just incredible,” he said. “They are terrorists.” Trump also announced new loan guarantees from the Small Business Administration (SBA) for small business in the agricultural industry, including food suppliers, farmers – including vegetable farmers, grain farmers and seed farmers – cattle, pig and poultry producers and grocery wholesalers.
Trump signs executive order ensuring TSA workers are paid during DHS shutdown
President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order directing federal officials to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees receive back pay during the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. Trump described the situation as an “emergency,” citing severe strain on airport security operations. “Accordingly, I hereby direct the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to use funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations to provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them if not for the Democrat-led DHS shutdown, consistent with applicable law, including 31 U.S.C. 1301(a),” Trump said. This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Biden judge freezes Trump admin move against AI firm, fueling battle over security authority
A federal judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from banning AI firm Anthropic from Department of War use is igniting a debate over whether the ruling pushes courts into national security decision-making. The ruling, issued late Thursday by U.S. District Judge Rita Lin, a Biden appointee to the Northern District of California, pauses the administration’s broader effort to bar the company while the case proceeds, though it does not explicitly require the Pentagon to use Anthropic. The judge also gave the government one week to appeal. Under Secretary of War Emil Michael wrote on X that the ruling contained “dozens of factual errors” and was issued “during a time of conflict,” arguing it “seeks to upend the (president’s) role as Commander in Chief” and disrupt the department’s ability to conduct military operations. A BRAVE MARINE COLONEL TOOK ON THE PENTAGON — AND PAID THE PRICE FOR IT Michael said the administration views Anthropic as still designated a supply chain risk pending appeal, signaling officials are disputing the scope and effect of the court’s injunction. Lin said the Pentagon’s move to designate Anthropic as a national security risk was “likely both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.” “Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the U.S. for expressing disagreement with the government,” Lin said. “Can a judge order the Department of War to use a vendor that is a security risk? No, but also yes? Judge Lin (Biden N.D. California) tries to stop President Trump/Secretary Hegseth from banning Anthropic. But acknowledges they can choose not to use it?” one X user Eric Wess wrote on the social media platform. Others described the ruling as “pure judicial activism” and accused the judge of interfering in a national security decision. But supporters of the decision — including a bipartisan group of nearly 150 retired federal and state judges — say the administration overstepped, warning the Pentagon’s use of a “supply chain risk” designation appeared improperly applied and could chill free speech and legitimate business activity. In a March 3 letter, the Pentagon had notified Anthropic it would be designated a supply chain risk to national security. That designation ordered that no contractor, supplier or partner doing business with the United States military may conduct commercial activity with Anthropic. PALANTIR EXECUTIVE SAYS AI ENABLING RAPID BATTLEFIELD PLANNING AND HIGH-SPEED US STRIKE OPERATIONS The legal fight follows a broader dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic over how the company’s AI system, Claude, can be used in military operations. Claude is the only commercial AI system approved for classified use. War Secretary Pete Hegseth had warned Anthropic it would face termination of its $200 million contract, awarded in July 2025, or be designated a supply chain risk if it did not allow its AI platform to be approved for all lawful uses. Anthropic insisted it would not allow Claude to be used for fully autonomous weapons or mass surveillance of Americans. Pentagon officials say such uses already are not permitted, emphasizing that humans remain in the loop for lethal decisions and that the military does not conduct domestic surveillance, but maintain that private companies cannot dictate how their systems are used in lawful operations. Lin pointed to the breadth of the measures — including a government-wide ban and contractor restrictions — saying they did not appear “tailored to the stated national security concern” and instead “look(ed) like an attempt to cripple Anthropic. Anthropic welcomed the decision, saying in a statement: “We’re grateful to the court for moving swiftly, and pleased they agree Anthropic is likely to succeed on the merits.” Hegseth described CEO Dario Amodei and Anthropic of a “master class in arrogance” and a “textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government” in a Feb. 27 post on X. OpenAI has emerged as a key alternative, securing a Pentagon deal to deploy its models on classified systems as tensions with Anthropic escalated. Still, Anthropic has not been fully displaced — its Claude system remains deeply embedded in military workflows, and replacing it would take time.
‘Ship has sailed’: This is what Dems won’t get in DHS deal after shunning GOP
Congressional Democrats consider the Senate-passed plan to end the Homeland Security shutdown a victory, but they’re walking away empty-handed with none of their sought-after reforms to immigration enforcement. Pushing for sweeping changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the wake of a pair of fatal shootings in Minnesota is why Democrats blocked more than a half-dozen attempts to prevent or end the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history. But the window of opportunity to secure any reforms slammed shut just after 2 a.m. Friday. DHS SHUTDOWN BREAKTHROUGH COMES AT COST FOR REPUBLICANS AS FUNDING FIGHTS NEARS END “I mean, I think that ship has sailed, and they kind of kissed that opportunity goodbye by failing to provide funding for those agencies,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. At the onset of the shutdown in early February, Schumer and Democrats presented 10 categories of reforms they wanted to be implemented for ICE and immigration enforcement in order to earn their votes to fund DHS. The proposals were in response to the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good and were designed to drastically rein in the power of ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. HOUSE CONSERVATIVES RAGE AGAINST SENATE DHS SHUTDOWN DEAL Among them were requiring judicial warrants for agents, forcing agents to unmask, requiring agents to display identification, ending roving patrols, preventing agents from operating in certain areas like schools and hospitals, requiring body-worn cameras, increasing oversight of detention centers tied to funding, and several more. The warrant requirements and unmasking were hard red lines for Republicans and the White House, but throughout negotiations, the GOP made concessions on several others, including limiting immigration enforcement at sensitive locations, allowing congressional oversight of DHS detention facilities, and enforcing the use of visible identification for DHS agents. Democrats walked away with none of those offers that were on the table, aside from $20 million to purchase body-worn cameras, which was already in the original Homeland Security funding bill. SCHUMER, DEMS BLOCK DHS FUNDING AGAIN, TRUMP INTERVENES TO PAY TSA AGENTS “The Dems wanted reforms. We tried to work with them on reforms. They ended up getting no reforms,” Thune said. Still, Schumer and congressional Democrats scored a political victory of sorts, with the legislation carving out funding for ICE and the border protection arm of CBP. Republicans, however, front-loaded immigration enforcement funding last year with $75 billion over the next several years and plan a similar move using the same budget reconciliation process to extend funding for up to a decade. And with a rebellion against the legislation fomenting among House Republicans — who are widely unhappy with immigration enforcement not being funded right away — all parties could be taken back to square one. “This is exactly what we wanted,” Schumer said after the Senate advanced the bill. “This is what we asked for, and I’m very proud of my caucus. My caucus held the line.”
FBI says ‘malicious actors’ targeted Patel’s personal email, Iran-based hacking group claims responsibility
An FBI spokesperson told Fox News the bureau is aware of “malicious actors” targeting FBI Director Patel’s personal email information and has taken “all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks.” The FBI noted the information in question is “historical in nature” and does not involve government information. The Handala Hack Team, an Iran-linked hacking group, has claimed responsibility. The State Department‘s “Rewards for Justice” program is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification of the Handala Hack Team — a group that has frequently targeted U.S. government officials. ISRAEL KILLS IRANIAN INTELLIGENCE MINISTER WHO SURVIVED INITIAL STRIKE, OFFICIAL SAYS “Consistent with President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America, the FBI will continue to pursue the actors responsible, support victims, and share actionable intelligence in defense of networks,” the FBI spokesperson said. “We encourage anyone who experiences a cyber breach, or has information related to malicious cyber activity, to contact their local FBI field office.” The targeting of Patel’s information comes after the Department of Justice (DOJ) on March 19 announced a massive crackdown on the hacking group. Weeks ago, the DOJ announced the seizure of four domains as part of an ongoing effort to disrupt hacking and transnational repression schemes conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), which allegedly ramped up after the U.S.-Iran war began on Feb. 28. FBI DIRECTOR TICKS OFF TERROR THREATS FOILED BY AGENTS The domains were allegedly used by the MOIS to target adversaries of the regime by claiming credit for hacking activity, posting sensitive data stolen during such hacks, and calling for the killing of journalists, regime dissidents and Israelis. In one instance, the seized handala-hack[.]to domain was used by the MOIS to claim responsibility for a destructive March 11 malware attack on a U.S.-based multinational medical technologies firm, according to the DOJ. Handala Hack claimed the attack was retaliation for ongoing cyber assaults against the infrastructure of the “Axis of Resistance.” MAN ACCUSED OF PLOTTING TRUMP ASSASSINATION CLAIMS IRAN FORCED HIM TO Days earlier, the MOIS, via the Handala-redwanted[.]to domain, allegedly posted the names and sensitive personally identifiable information of roughly 190 people associated with or employed by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) or Israeli government. Investigators also discovered the alleged cyber-terrorists used an Outlook email account to send death threats to Iranian dissidents and journalists living in the U.S. and abroad, openly offering bounties to Mexican cartel “partners” to commit acts of violence. A March 1 email with the subject line, “Death to [redacted victim names],” read: “We the Handala Hack team, the loyal followers of the supreme leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, declare war on all the enemies of Islam in the West. Our partners, the CJNG [Jalisco New Generation Cartel] cartel in America and Canada have been given a list of our enemies who are responsible for our great leaders [sic] death. [Redacted names], you laughed like hyenas during the [redacted] show. We have hacked and revealed your home addresses in [redacted] and [redacted] to our partners in the CJNG who are in [redacted U.S. state] and [redacted foreign country] now. Both of you will be executed soon, and we have offered a reward of $250,000 for the operatives who kills [sic] and beheads both of you. ALLAHU AKBAR[.]” This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Obama-appointed judge reverses course, rules voter ID law isn’t discriminatory in GOP win
An Obama-appointed federal judge who once blocked North Carolina’s voter identification law has reversed course and ruled it constitutional, delivering a major win for Republicans and election security advocates after a seven-year court fight. Judge Loretta Biggs upheld the law Thursday, finding the liberal voting rights groups that sued North Carolina’s election board failed to prove the voter ID law was discriminatory. The ruling leaves North Carolina’s voter ID law in place ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. It also comes as President Donald Trump has been advocating stricter voter ID laws nationwide, alleging what he has said is widespread fraud in elections and to prevent illegal immigrants from potentially casting ballots. The North Carolina case centered on a bill that the GOP-led Senate crafted in 2018 to govern how the state would enforce an amendment requiring voters to present a photo ID at the polls. The amendment had been approved by about 55% of North Carolina voters, and the legislation dictated how the amendment would be put into practice. THUNE ACCUSES CRITICS OF ‘CREATING FALSE EXPECTATIONS’ AMID BACKLASH OVER STALLED SAVE AMERICA ACT “Finally. After seven years, we can put to rest any doubt that our state’s Voter I.D. law is constitutional,” said Republican state Sen. Phil Berger, who intervened in the case to defend the law. Biggs emphasized in her 134-page decision that North Carolina had a “history of extensive official discrimination against African Americans” that was undisputed by parties in the case. The judge said she found evidence that the voter ID law served to disenfranchise Black and Latino voters but that precedents set by higher courts meant the evidence was not enough to invalidate the law. HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH JOHNSON TO GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER SAVE ACT “This Court … concludes that it is compelled by controlling case law to render Judgment in favor of the Defendants,” Biggs said, tossing out the plaintiffs’ allegations that the law violated the 14th and 15th amendments and the Voting Rights Act. The judge said the “case law requires this Court to assign less weight to the historical background. It further requires almost impenetrable deference to the presumption of legislative good faith.” The judge’s findings echo prominent Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who have called voter ID laws “Jim Crow 2.0.” Schumer has said the SAVE America Act, which he is currently blocking from Senate passage, is “a dagger to the heart of our democracy.” Trump has been aggressively urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill that would impose a nationwide requirement that people provide a physical document proving U.S. citizenship when they register to vote. But tensions have flared on Capitol Hill after the bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate because of Democrats’ opposition to it. The decision marked a reversal for Biggs after she issued a preliminary injunction in December 2019 that blocked the state from enforcing the voter ID law for the 2020 election cycle. In that opinion, she cited the state’s “sordid history of racial discrimination and voter suppression,” arguing that parts of the law were “impermissibly motivated, at least in part, by discriminatory intent.” Her injunction was later reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. The state Supreme Court also upheld the law in a separate state-level case. North Carolina Republicans have defended the law as one designed to be accommodating to all voters, saying it offered a wide range of identification options for people showing up to the polls while also boosting election integrity and confidence in elections.
Iran backlash forces Gulf allies toward Washington as regional tensions rise
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies are showing signs of a quiet but consequential shift in their posture toward Iran, as escalating attacks across the region are testing years of careful balancing between Washington and Tehran. For much of the past decade, countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sought to avoid direct confrontation with Iran, maintaining diplomatic and economic ties even while relying on U.S. military backing. But that middle ground is increasingly under strain. That strategy was designed to keep Gulf states out of direct confrontation. But officials and analysts say Iran’s expanding attacks are narrowing the space for neutrality, pushing some Gulf states closer to Washington. One of the clearest signs of that shift is a reported move by Saudi Arabia to grant U.S. forces access to King Fahd Air Base in Taif, a western facility not used for American combat operations since the Gulf War era. HEGSETH BLASTS BRITS, SAYS IRAN’S CHAOTIC RETALIATION HAS DRIVEN ITS OWN ALLIES ‘INTO THE AMERICAN ORBIT’ The shift is also visible across the region. The UAE has severed diplomatic ties with Tehran, shut down Iranian-linked institutions and launched a crackdown on networks tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after a wave of attacks. Bahrain, meanwhile, led efforts at the United Nations to pass a Security Council resolution condemning Iranian strikes on Gulf states, while multiple countries — including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait — have issued coordinated statements denouncing Iran’s actions and asserting their right to self-defense. These Gulf states are in line with the U.S. view that Iran’s missile development, uranium enrichment programs and support for regional militant groups need to be “addressed and curtailed” but remain opposed to strikes on critical infrastructure inside Iran, a Gulf official told Fox News Digital. Qatar has also taken concrete steps in response to Iranian attacks, expelling Iranian military and security attachés and ordering them to leave the country after strikes on critical energy infrastructure. However, Qatar has stopped short of severing full diplomatic ties, maintaining its role as a mediator even as tensions rise. The Qatari prime minister was in Washington for talks focused on defense cooperation and protecting critical energy infrastructure Thursday, an official briefed on the visit told Fox News. King Fahd Air Base’s location, deep inside Saudi territory and farther from Iran’s missile and drone reach, would offer strategic depth the U.S. has not relied on in decades. U.S. military posture in the region has long centered on more exposed bases along the Persian Gulf, including hubs in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Sources familiar with the matter cited in Wall Street Journal reporting said Saudi Arabia agreed to let American forces use the base. The Pentagon and the Saudi embassy declined to comment on the base. Combat aircraft routinely operate “dark” with transponders off in potential combat zones, so they would not appear on civilian flight radar. Saudi Arabia’s tightly controlled media environment also means there are few, if any, independent local reports of U.S. aircraft activity at King Fahd Air Base. “Our primary concern today is to defend ourselves from the daily attacks on our people and our civilian infrastructure,” the Saudi government said in a statement on its posture toward Iran. “Iran has chosen dangerous brinkmanship over serious diplomatic solutions. This harms every stakeholder involved but none more than Iran itself.” The reported basing shift is one of several signs that Gulf states are recalibrating their position as Iranian attacks escalate across the region. While Gulf leaders are still stopping short of joining combat operations and continue to pursue diplomatic off-ramps, their actions — from expanding cooperation with U.S. forces to issuing more direct and coordinated condemnations of Iran — suggest growing frustrations with Iranian attacks on their territory. President Donald Trump said Thursday that countries across the region — including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman— were “shocked” as Iranian attacks expanded beyond traditional flashpoints. “They start shooting in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman,” he said at a Cabinet meeting. “They start shooting at them. And they were — they were. Everybody was shocked, including us. You know why? Because they’re sick. And they had a plan to take over the Middle East.” Since late February, Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones across the Gulf, targeting countries from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to Qatar and Kuwait. After the launch of Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28, Iran warned it would retaliate against U.S. forces and their regional partners, a threat it quickly carried out with strikes on bases and infrastructure across the region. Years of diplomatic outreach and de-escalation efforts in Gulf capitals failed to shield them from Iranian retaliation. Saudi Arabia signed an agreement in 2023 to restore diplomatic ties while the United Arab Emirates maintained economic channels that allowed limited commercial activity to continue. At the same time, the steps Gulf countries have taken remain measured. The United States already operates from bases in Saudi Arabia, including Prince Sultan Air Base, which has served as a hub for U.S. air operations and force protection in the region. But those sites sit closer to the Gulf and are more exposed to Iranian missile and drone threats, while more interior locations like Taif provide greater depth and longer warning times against potential strikes. “They have to be very careful even now,” former Israeli Defense Forces officer and national security analyst Ehud Eilam told Fox News Digital. “They know that they would have to live with Iran after the war.” WHY GULF STATES AREN’T JOINING THE WAR AGAINST IRAN — DESPITE ATTACKS ON THEIR SOIL “They can’t really strike back hard,” said James Robbins, Institute of World Politics dean and former special assistant to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. “They’re small countries, and they’re hard to defend.” Robbins added that Gulf states face a long-term dilemma, warning that even a weakened Iran would likely regroup and pose a continued threat.
Spanberger takes fire from all sides as Youngkin, Angel parent slam recent controversies
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger faced dueling controversies this week after her Republican predecessor publicly rebuked her over support for Democrats’ redistricting amendment, and an Angel Mom challenged her on immigration enforcement. Virginia has been ground zero for Democrats’ left-wing agenda since the former Henrico County congresswoman took office in January, from reversing Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s cooperation pact with DHS to supporting legislative Democrats’ alleged “power grab” to draw out every Republican congressman in the commonwealth except Rep. Morgan Griffith in the far southwest. During a visit to Culpeper, a largely but increasingly less rural population center between Front Royal and Richmond, Spanberger was pressed on her relative silence on the case of Stephanie Minter, a Fredericksburg mother allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant convict at a Fairfax County bus stop last month. As Spanberger was escorted to her car by security after an affordable housing event, local ABC reporter Nick Minock shouted a question about what Spanberger’s message would be to Minter’s family and others harmed by illegal immigrant felons. POLICE WARNED PROSECUTORS 3 TIMES ABOUT VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BEFORE HE ALLEGEDLY KILLED VIRGINIA MOTHER “My question would be why, when there was a [unintelligible word] deportation order, ICE did not deport,” she said as she was hastened into a car. “ICE had him in custody for 700 days, governor, and an immigration judge would not allow him be deported to Sierra Leone,” Minock attempted to respond as the car door shut. Minock said Minter’s mother, Cheryl, who headlined a vigil for her daughter in front of Spanberger’s office at the Capitol earlier this week, told him that ICE had been doing what it was supposed to under current law and that “Spanberger needs to check her story because it’s inaccurate and misleading.” That exchange came as Culpeper became the center of another case involving an illegal immigrant accused of heinous crimes, this time soliciting sexual imagery from children. Angel David Rubio Marin was charged March 16 with soliciting sexual content from children after two previous charges of public masturbation, according to a statement from DHS obtained by Fox News Digital. ANGEL MOM, GOP BLAME SPANBERGER AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WITH 30 ARRESTS CHARGED IN KILLING Culpeper police arrested Rubio Marin, who, according to local authorities, was soliciting sexually explicit videos in exchange for “Roblox,” a popular gaming currency, from at least three children under the age of 10. He was previously arrested in Prince William County in 2024 for allegedly exposing himself in public but was released. Spanberger took more incoming from the typically mild-mannered Youngkin, who was term limited when he left office in January. After releasing a short video calling on Virginia voters to “vote yes” on State Senate President L. Louise Lucas’ new map that draws about half of Virginia’s districts into the densely Democratic D.C. suburbs, Youngkin responded on X. “This is a lie. A blatant lie. Not to mention a complete reversal of your campaign promises,” Youngkin said after Spanberger spoke out in the video to say the new map is “temporary” and is “directly in response to what other states decide to do and to a president who said he’s, quote, entitled to more Republican seats before this year’s midterms.” Spanberger previously publicly criticized the idea of mid-decennial redistricting while in Congress, which Youngkin was referring to. “This unconstitutional power grab will permanently rig Virginia’s congressional maps and disenfranchise millions of Virginians. Virginia, vote no,” he said. Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., whose Eastern Shore and Virginia Beach district is expected to be drawn partially into the liberal cities of Hampton Roads, similarly blasted Spanberger’s flip-flop highlighted by Youngkin. “I have no plans to redistrict Virginia,” Kiggans said, quoting Spanberger and citing a report dated Aug. 25. “I am tired of the blatant lies to our face. The lack of truthfulness from this administration and the Democrat Party needs to wake up Virginians,” Kiggans added. “Don’t tell us one thing and then do another.” “Whatever happened to affordability,” she said on Instagram. Youngkin’s interjection was also met by supportive surprise from other recent Virginia Republican leaders, including former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. “Wow. Unusually strong language from Glenn Youngkin and of course, he’s correct on all points,” Cuccinelli said in a statement on social media. TRUMP ADMIN ASKS SPANBERGER, VIRGINIA OFFICIALS NOT RELEASE ILLEGAL CHARGED WITH GROPING HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS The Virginia Republican Party, chaired by James City County GOP Committeeman Jeff Ryer, added that “some things never change.” “Abigail Spanberger shamefully deflects blame for Democrat sanctuary and soft-on-crime policies that keep dangerous criminals like Abdul Jalloh on Virginia streets,” Ryer said in reference to the illegal immigrant accused of murdering Minter. “No sympathy for the victims. No accountability for how her own party allowed this tragedy to occur. Virginians deserve better.” Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.
Vance says Biden admin ‘turned off’ anti-fraud protections, debuts new task force with focus on Somali schemes
Vice President JD Vance on Friday hosted the first anti-fraud task force meeting, where he delivered opening remarks saying the Biden administration “turned off” anti-fraud protections that “existed in our government for a very long time.” Vance was joined by Cabinet and administration officials, including White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The vice president, Ferguson and Miller delivered brief opening remarks before the meeting was closed to the press to further privately discuss their planned actions to combat fraud nationwide. “We think fraud has been a problem for a long time,” Vance explained. “It became a massive, massive problem under the Biden administration. We’re going to do a number of things. First of all, we’re going to turn back on those anti-fraud protections so that all of these Cabinet officials are looking at what’s going on and focusing on it.” President Donald Trump established the task force through an executive order last week, naming Vance to lead the team that will be focused on identifying and recovering Medicare, Medicaid and other areas of fraudulent usage of federal funds across the U.S. LABOR DEPT DEPLOYS ‘STRIKE TEAM’ TO CALIFORNIA OVER $21B UNEMPLOYMENT DEBT, FRAUD CONCERNS Trump indicated that fraud is “usually in blue states,” which was reiterated by Miller during Friday’s opening meeting. “I think that most citizens probably assume that there’s some verification process that takes place for the receipt of most federal benefits,” Miller said. “The reality is that there is not. This is particularly true in blue states, willfully true in blue states, in which all of these programs are operated entirely on the honor system.” Minnesota has been the leading focus of the Trump administration after a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme involving child daycare and autism centers was exposed, leaving dozens indicted and many convicted. JD VANCE SPEARHEADS ‘WAR ON FRAUD,’ PROMISES TO ROOT OUT TAXPAYER MONEY ‘STOLEN’ BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Many of those implicated in the fraud scheme come from the Somali community in Minnesota. “I think that the autism scam that we’ve seen in the Somalian parts of Minnesota really illustrates well what’s been going on across whole layers of our government,” Vance explained Friday. “What we’ve seen is Somali fraudsters at an industrial scale, taking advantage of that program to the tune of millions and millions of dollars,” Vance added. “And there are two separate tragedies there. The first tragedy is that you have people who pay into the federal government, who pay into the IRS, who pay their taxes, expecting that those taxes will go to help their fellow citizens.” DEPUTY AG TODD BLANCHE SHEDS LIGHT ON NEW DOJ FRAUD DIVISION TO ADDRESS ‘INSANE’ PROBLEM Ferguson noted that the misuse of funds goes as far as to create public mistrust in Americans paying taxes that go toward welfare. “Americans have turned over trillions of their tax dollars to social welfare programs to help their neighbors and fellow citizens through hard times,” Ferguson said. “They’ve done so on the basis of social trust, the belief that their governments, state and federal, will do the right things with their dollars and that their fellow citizens will honestly participate in these programs.” Friday’s task force meeting is the first of what is expected to be many meetings following the Trump administration’s push to root out fraud in the U.S. Prior to the meeting, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services identified and suspended 70 hospice and home health providers in Los Angeles last month. The hospice and home health providers were flagged as high-risk fraudulent providers. The 70 hospice and home health providers had their funding paused in just one week after being identified by the task force and CMS, Fox News Digital learned. “You have families who need these services who are unable to get them because people are getting rich off of fraud schemes,” Vance said during Friday’s meeting. “Instead of making sure that autistic children and their families get access to these resources.”
House conservatives rage against Senate DHS shutdown deal
House conservatives are ripping into a Senate-passed deal that would end the 42-day Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, citing concerns that the bill fails to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The House Freedom Caucus said Friday it will withhold its support for the DHS funding measure until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are given full-year appropriations. The conservative group also wants voter ID requirements added to the bill. “We can’t believe that the Senate abdicated its responsibility this morning of not funding the child sex trafficking investigation division of ICE, that they didn’t fund the Border Patrol,” HFC chairman Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., told reporters. “The only thing we’re going to support is adding that funding into the bill, adding voter ID, sending it back to the Senate, make them come back in and do their work.” “The bottom line is … this deal is bad for America,” Harris continued. TWO DOZEN HOUSE REPUBLICANS GO TO WAR WITH SENATE GOP OVER SAVE AMERICA ACT The Senate-passed product provided funding for all of DHS minus ICE and parts of the Border Patrol, enraging some conservatives who viewed the agreement as a capitulation to Democrats. “Republicans must also make sure this never happens again,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital, adding that he opposed the funding deal. The measure, however, did not include a bevy of immigration reforms demanded by Democrats — a notable win for Republicans. Scott and other Senate Republicans have teased a forthcoming budget package that would give an infusion to Trump’s immigration agenda. The conservative opposition to the Senate’s spending agreement comes as House GOP leadership has also not committed to passing the funding measure. “We just have the number one main objective to see that we can get the entire Department of Homeland Security properly funded,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News on Friday. “There’s a lot of threats out there.” House Democrats, however, are indicating they will support the Senate’s DHS legislation. “We support reopening the parts of the Department of Homeland Security that Donald Trump and Republicans recklessly shut down,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Friday. “We support paying TSA agents, and we support ending the chaos at airports.” TED CRUZ UNLEASHES ON DEMS FOR ‘RISKING AMERICAN LIVES’ WITH DHS SHUTDOWN House conservatives’ opposition complicates House GOP leadership’s path to steering the measure through the chamber. A traditionally partisan “rule” vote teeing up the legislation for a vote on final passage would almost certainly fail if Democrats withhold their support. Meanwhile, House rules prohibit Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from advancing the measure through a suspension vote — requiring a two-thirds majority — between Thursday and Sunday. House conservatives are also voicing frustration that the SAVE America Act has stalled in the Senate due to bipartisan opposition from all Senate Democrats and a handful of moderate Republicans. The Senate left Washington on Friday for the Easter recess rather than continue to debate the Trump-backed election integrity bill. “We the House should AMEND the Senate bill, ADD VOTER ID AND FORCE A VOTE in the SENATE,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., wrote on social media Friday morning. Senate Democrats notably filibustered a voter ID measure sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, on Thursday. Conservative GOP lawmakers have also argued that because Trump took executive action to fund beleaguered Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents on Thursday, delaying the passage of a DHS funding measure would not worsen air travel disruptions. “The president has already said he’s going to fund TSA out of funds he has,” Harris said Friday. “It’s not going to affect the airports if we don’t do this today.