California under investigation by Trump admin for allegedly hiding ‘gender identity’ of kids
The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation of the California Department of Education over alleged violations of the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) after a new California law went into effect that bars schools from disclosing a child’s “gender identity” to their parents. FERPA ensures parents have the right to access their children’s educational information, and the Trump administration says that includes interactions with school employees pertaining to gender identity and mental health. “Teachers and school counselors should not be in the business of advising minors entrusted to their care on consequential decisions about their sexual identity and mental health. That responsibility and privilege lies with a parent or trusted loved one,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “It is not only immoral but also potentially in contradiction with federal law for California schools to hide crucial information about a student’s well-being from parents and guardians.” MAINE UNIVERSITIES AGREE TO KEEP TRANSGENDER ATHLETES OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS AFTER TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES FUNDING California Gov. Gavin Newsom spokesperson Elana Ross told Fox News Digital in a statement Thursday that “Parents continue to have full, guaranteed access to their student’s education records, as required by federal law.” “If the U.S. Department of Education still had staff, this would be a quick investigation — all they would need to do is read the law the Governor signed,” Ross said. Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1955 into law last year, which prohibits school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and state special schools from adopting or enforcing policies that require employees or contractors to disclose information related to a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression without the student’s consent, unless otherwise mandated by law. Newsom’s office argues the bill strengthens California’s existing protections against “forced outings” of students in schools and ensures that teachers and staff do not interfere with parent-child relationships. The administration previously sued the Chino Valley Unified School District in August 2023 concerning its policy that mandates parental notification when a student changes gender identification or pronouns. On Thursday, McMahon separately sent a warning to Newsom to comply with federal law barring transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. The warning and investigation comes after California made itself the first “sanctuary” state in the nation for transgender minors and has engaged in a multiyear battle with local school districts over their notification policies. “Allowing participation in sex-separated activities based on ‘gender identity’ places schools at risk of Title IX violations and loss of federal funding. As Governor, you have a duty to inform California school districts of this risk,” McMahon wrote in the letter. “As Secretary of Education, I am officially asking you to inform this Department whether you will remind schools in California to comply with federal law by protecting sex-separated spaces and activities. I am also officially asking you to publicly assure parents that California teachers will not facilitate the fantasy of ‘gender transitions’ for their children.” JASMINE CROCKETT DISMISSES AMERICANS IMPACTED BY TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S AND GIRLS’ SPORTS In a viral clip of a nearly-hour-and-a-half-long episode earlier this month, Newsom conceded to Truning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk that it is “deeply unfair” to have biological males compete against female athletes. However, he would not condemn a trans athlete in his own state who crushed female track competitors in the long jump. Kirk shared the letter on X and praised the secretary for “holding [Newsom] and the state of California accountable.” TPUSA contributor Riley Gaines, who famously competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, praised McMahon for issuing the warning. Gaines challenged Newsom to take action saying, “Time to put your money where your mouth is.” NEWSOM’S ‘UNFAIR’ REMARK ON GIRLS’ SPORTS BELIES RECORD AS GOVERNOR: ‘ABSOLUTE BULLS—‘ On Feb. 5, President Donald Trump issued an executive order barring trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. “In recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports. This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports,” the order reads. This followed an executive order that Trump signed on his first day in office, which made it federal policy that the government only recognizes two genders. This was a major shift from the Biden administration, which was open about its pro-trans stance, and even had former President Joe Biden sit down for an interview with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
California under investigation, Newsom gets warning from Trump admin
The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation of the California Department of Education over alleged violations of the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA ensures parents have the right to access their children’s educational data. The Education Department believes a California law prohibiting schools from requiring personnel to disclose a child’s gender identity to a parent could violate the act. “Teachers and school counselors should not be in the business of advising minors entrusted to their care on consequential decisions about their sexual identity and mental health. That responsibility and privilege lies with a parent or trusted loved one,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “It is not only immoral but also potentially in contradiction with federal law for California schools to hide crucial information about a student’s well-being from parents and guardians.” On Thursday, McMahon allegedly sent a warning to California Gov. Gavin Newsom to comply with federal law barring transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. The warning seemed to stem from the governor’s comments in the debut episode of his podcast in which he interviewed Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk. MAINE UNIVERSITIES AGREE TO KEEP TRANSGENDER ATHLETES OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS AFTER TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES FUNDING In a viral clip of the nearly-hour-and-a-half-long episode, Newsom concedes to Kirk that it is “deeply unfair” to have biological males compete against female athletes. However, he would not condemn a trans athlete in his own state who crushed female track competitors in the long jump. “Allowing participation in sex-separated activities based on ‘gender identity’ places schools at risk of Title IX violations and loss of federal funding. As Governor, you have a duty to inform California school districts of this risk,” McMahon wrote in the warning. “As Secretary of Education, I am officially asking you to inform this Department whether you will remind schools in California to comply with federal law by protecting sex-separated spaces and activities. I am also officially asking you to publicly assure parents that California teachers will not facilitate the fantasy of ‘gender transitions’ for their children.” JASMINE CROCKETT DISMISSES AMERICANS IMPACTED BY TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S AND GIRLS’ SPORTS Kirk shared the letter on X and praised the secretary for “holding [Newsom] and the state of California accountable.” TPUSA contributor Riley Gaines, who famously competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, praised McMahon for issuing the warning. Gaines challenged Newsom to take action saying, “Time to put your money where your mouth is.” On Feb. 5, President Donald Trump issued an executive order barring trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. “In recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports. This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports,” the order reads. This followed an executive order that Trump signed on his first day in office, which made it federal policy that the government only recognizes two genders. This was a major shift from the Biden administration, which was open about its pro-trans stance, and even had former President Joe Biden sit down for an interview with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
GOP senators rally behind Hegseth after Signal chat leak, say calls for his firing are ‘hot garbage’
EXCLUSIVE: Republican senators are standing behind Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth amid calls for his resignation over the Signal chat leak, telling Fox News Digital that calls for him to be fired are “hot garbage.” Trump administration national security officials are facing a barrage of negative media coverage this week after Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was included in a group chat on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, about a strike against the Houthis in Yemen. Goldberg later went on to publish the messages on Wednesday. HEGSETH SAYS NO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WAS SHARED IN SIGNAL GROUP CHAT: ‘NOBODY’S TEXTING WAR PLANS’ Hegseth has doubled down that no war plans or classified information were shared during the Signal group chat of Trump administration officials about possible strikes on Houthi targets, which was mistakenly shared with a journalist. Amid Goldberg’s publication of the messages, Democrats have been calling for Hegseth and other officials to resign. But GOP senators are defending Hegseth. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital, “Defense Secretary Hegseth helped spearhead the successful strikes we saw against the Houthis to protect shipping lanes and keep Americans safe.” “That’s good policy — and a win for the Trump administration,” Hawley said. “The Democrats are just trying to change the subject and trash Hegseth because Trump is on a roll.” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., also defended Hegseth, telling Fox News Digital that he is “a decorated war hero who understands the needs of the warfighter.” “In a matter of weeks, he’s taken bold action alongside President Trump to restore lethality, merit and peace through strength. Recruitment numbers show this administration is inspiring young Americans to serve their country in uniform,” Mullin said. “The Defense Department has achieved great success under Pete’s leadership, and anyone saying otherwise isn’t paying attention.” And Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said that the calls for his resignation — especially after the successful strikes — are “amusing.” “In the wake of successful strikes against Houthi terrorists, it’s amusing to see two political camps attack the Secretary of Defense: radical progressives who are angry that he’s getting rid of woke DEI ideology and focusing on lethality, and armchair generals who are mad that he wants to keep America out of unnecessary foreign wars,” Lee told Fox News Digital. And some senators blasted the press, with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, saying that the “woke media has shown their true colors this week.” “For the past four years, we had a vegetable President who sat on his hands while the Houthis attacked the U.S. Navy more than 170 times while choking off a major trade route with devastating effects on our economy,” Tuberville told Fox News Digital. “But thanks to the leadership of President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and the entire national security team, we are protecting our ships and well on our way to restoring full freedom of navigation.” Again, Tuberville said that “rather than celebrating the success of this operation, the same left-wing media who largely downplayed the botched Afghanistan withdrawal under Biden that cost 13 Americans their lives is working around the clock to try to get Secretary Hegseth pushed out.” “I’ve gotten to know Secretary Hegseth well over the past few months. Not only is he a patriot who bravely served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he is doing a great job as the Secretary of Defense,” he continued. “Under his leadership, the Pentagon is focused once again on lethality, not woke politics. Secretary Hegseth has my 100% support, and any suggestion that he should be fired is hot garbage.” And Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, doubled down, also saying that Hegseth has proven that “he is exactly the right person to cut red tape at the Pentagon, put an end to forever wars abroad and improve morale among our brave warfighters.” Moreno told Fox News Digital that he is “proud to stand with him in the face of disgusting attacks from Democrats and their allies in the liberal media.” TRUMP OFFICIALS ACCIDENTALLY TEXT ATLANTIC JOURNALIST ABOUT MILITARY STRIKES IN APPARENT SECURITY BREACH Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., also came to Hegseth’s defense, saying he is “doing a great job, and is doing exactly what the American people elected President Trump to do: prioritize America’s core national interests in foreign policy decisions, strip woke programs and divisive DEI out of our military, and work to return our military’s focus to lethality and preparedness.” And Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital that the “historic spike in military recruitment is no accident. America is safer. Our adversaries are weaker. And terrorists are dead. With Secretary Hegseth, America is winning.” “I’m confident Secretary Hegseth will continue to put our warfighters in the best position and return the Pentagon’s focus to our force’s lethality, providing a credible deterrent against our adversaries,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital. “I remain steadfastly committed to advancing President Trump’s doctrine of peace through strength, which includes ensuring his national security team has the support needed to enact the President’s agenda.” Hegseth has defended himself this week, saying, “Nobody’s texting war plans.” “I noticed this morning out came something that doesn’t look like war plans. And as a matter of fact, they even changed the title to attack plans because they know it’s not war plans,” he explained Wednesday. “There’s no units, no locations, no routes, no flight paths, no sources, no methods, no classified information,” he added, saying no sensitive information was divulged in the chat. TRUMP NOT PLANNING TO FIRE WALTZ AFTER NATIONAL SECURITY TEXT CHAIN LEAK Hegseth said he was keeping President Donald Trump’s national security team informed in real time. “My job, as I said, on top of that, everybody’s seen it now,” Hegseth said. The “team update is to provide updates in real time — general updates in real time. Keep everybody informed. That’s what I did. That’s my job.” The fallout comes as Goldberg said he received a request to join the group chat on the encrypted messaging service
Trump asks Stefanik to withdraw from UN ambassador contention over razor-thin House majority
President Donald Trump announced that he asked Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to bow out of contention to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He cited the House GOP’s slim majority, writing on Truth Social, “I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.” “With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,” he said. Stefanik had been under pressure to take herself out of contention for the role despite appearing poised to sail through Senate confirmation with bipartisan support, CBS News first reported. IVY LEAGUE ANTI-ISRAEL RINGLEADER MAHMOUD KHALIL WITHHELD DETAILS OF FOREIGN TIES FROM VISA APPLICATION: FEDS Sources told the outlet that House Republicans’ razor-thin majority is a major factor in the current considerations, but Fox News Digital was also told that internal politics in Stefanik’s home district are at play as well. New York state’s primary structure and the lack of GOP cohesion over choosing a candidate to run in Stefanik’s place have led to concerns about a future special election there, two sources familiar with Empire State politics said. Some people are blaming Stefanik herself for not stepping in earlier, with one of the two sources telling Fox News Digital, “Elise has been saying [they] need to wait for Trump, and it’s allowed the process to grow out of control.” But that source also said they “don’t think it’s fair” to fully blame Stefanik, arguing that it was a failure of Republican Party leaders in general for letting the divisions “fester.” “Nature abhors a vacuum. And you have 15 different county chairs, basically like three different regions of the state, pushing their own person. It’s a really messy, ugly process,” the source said. “When you have a party leader making a decision versus a primary where you can run a race – it’s the kind of thing you have to wrap up quickly.” That person also pointed out Stefanik was “one of the first ones ready to go” as an early favorite for the Trump administration, and questioned whether she would be having the same issues had she resigned from Congress on Jan. 20 instead of being a “loyalist” to the GOP and staying for her vote. The second source, however, said of the situation in New York’s 21st Congressional District, “She let that happen.” The second source said Stefanik “didn’t want to lean in on someone,” which resulted in no one having “a clear understanding of what the process is and who has a lane.” Both sources pointed to concerns about a conservative candidate who is threatening to run in a third-party lane if he fails to win the Republican primary. Meanwhile, the candidate who was endorsed by the New York Conservative Party “never supported Trump,” the first source said. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for two right-wing candidates to split their base enough for a Democrat to prevail, though it’s a longshot in Stefanik’s heavily Republican, upstate New York district. Still, Republicans in Washington can afford few missteps with a thin majority and a candidate in Florida, Randy Fine, being outraised by his Democratic challenger ahead of an April 1 special election for another GOP-favored seat. SCOOP: TOP REPUBLICAN CHUCK GRASSLEY SETS PROMPT HEARING ON JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP New York state special elections are not open primaries. Instead, both the Republican and Democratic candidates are chosen by the district’s 15 county party chairs. Meanwhile, Republicans have also been concerned that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul could seek to slow-walk the election, leaving Stefanik’s seat open for as long as possible if she ascended to the Trump administration. Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for Stefanik for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Brother-in-law of top Dem senator played key role in recruiting Chinese firms to deep blue city
FIRST ON FOX: The brother-in-law of a top Democratic senator has repeatedly hosted diplomats working on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at his office and recruited multiple Chinese businesses to lease office space as part of his family’s sprawling real estate empire, a Fox News Digital review found. Anthony “Tony” Malkin is the Harvard-educated brother-in-law of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and the chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., which includes nearly 600 tenants and 732 residential units. He has hosted multiple consuls general of the People’s Republic of China in New York dating back over 15 years and reportedly traveled to China to recruit companies to lease office space in New York City. In 2011, Chinese state media outlet China Daily published a profile piece on Chinese companies helping boost office rentals overseas in the United States. Malkin, the brother of Sen. Blumenthal’s wife, Cynthia, was featured in the profile that noted how he “recently visited China to find tenants, hoping to benefit from the previous flood of Chinese buyers of commercial housing who are now spilling into the office rental market.” The profile piece continued by highlighting how Malkin “secured leases” with multiple Chinese companies, including state-owned Air China LTD, Hong-Kong-based telecommunications company PCCW-HKT DataCom Services Ltd, and People’s Daily Online, which is controlled by People’s Daily, the Chinese propaganda network directly run by the CCP’s Central Committee, according to the China Media Project. COZY TIES BETWEEN TOP NEWSOM ALLY AND CCP OFFICIAL UNEARTHED ON NETWORKING SITE: ‘SHE HELPED ME A LOT’ The China Media Project went on to highlight how People’s Daily Online “runs the Chinese Communist Party News Network” and requires applicants applying for jobs to “[love] the party,” which refers to the CCP. “People’s Daily Online left its space at the Empire State Building nearly a decade ago,” an Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) spokesperson told Fox News Digital about the former tenant’s lease. “Air China, which is defined as a publicly traded company that is partially owned by the Chinese government, has an office at the Empire State Building, but is only about 3,000 square feet in the 7.8 million square feet of our office portfolio.” However, a multinational Hong Kong-based group called Li & Fung Ltd, whose chairman has multiple CCP ties, reportedly rented the largest office space from Malkin, according to the 2011 China Daily article. While Li & Fung no longer has the largest office space, it is still currently a tenant of the ESRT, according to financial data reviewed by Fox News Digital. A 2024 ESRT report lists the Chinese company occupying over 149,000 square feet, having multiple leases ending in October 2028 and an annual rent of over $8.3 million. A Fox News Digital review found that Victor Fung, who has played an instrumental leadership role for several years with the company that his grandfather founded, was a longtime member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) between 2003 and 2018 and is currently serving as a vice chairman of the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF). He was also reportedly one of the business executives who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last year to lay out his vision for Hong Kong becoming a supply chain center for Chinese businesses. The CPPCC is the “key mechanism for multi-party cooperation and political consultation” under the leadership of the CCP, according to the CPPCC website. CUSEF is the CCP front group founded by Tung Chee-hwa, who served as a vice chair of the CPPCC and has colluded with U.S. leaders to gain influence. Fox News Digital previously exposed how Julia Wilson, a Black public relations consultant, was paid over $1 million by Chee-hwa’s CUSEF to help the Chinese government learn about Black Americans and gain influence with Black universities and leaders. SCHUMER SPOTTED POSING FOR PHOTO WITH CCP OFFICIAL AS WARNINGS SWIRL ABOUT CHINA INFLUENCE In addition to securing these leases, Malkin reportedly launched a “China business desk” in an attempt to keep up with the demand of Chinese businesses and was “cooperating with Chinese tour groups,” which was seen as a lucrative business opportunity. However, an ESRT spokesperson pushed back and claimed, “Mr. Malkin had never seen this 2011 article” and added that the quote in the story “is not part of any attributed quote, and not something Mr. Malkin or Malkin Holdings ever did.” The ESRT spokesperson continued by pointing out that China was a “large growth market” in 2011 for inbound tourism and that Malkin’s business trip to China revolved around that, adding, “On behalf of our stakeholders, ESRT will always from around the world solicit tenants and tourists.” The China National Tourism Office of New York, which was under the control of China National Tourism Administration, a state-owned travel agency that had overseas offices in several countries and was previously in coordination with the CCP’s chief administrative State Council authority, used to be located in the Empire State Building in the early 2000s until it appeared to have moved locations in 2009. Malkin was the president of Malkin Holdings LLC, the predecessor to Empire State Realty Trust’s REIT, when this office was operating in the Empire State Building. ‘WARM HOSPITALITY’: UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT HAS REPEATEDLY COZIED UP TO TOP CCP OFFICIALS Sen. Blumenthal’s office told Fox News Digital that the Connecticut senator “has absolutely nothing to do with any of this.” “Senator Blumenthal’s wife is one of literally thousands of shareholders in a publicly traded real estate company, and just like the rest of those shareholders, she doesn’t have control over anything this company does. Senator Blumenthal has absolutely nothing to do with any of this,” Blumenthal spokesperson Maria McElwain said. “Senator Blumenthal supports a ban on Members of Congress and their spouses as well as the Vice President and President from holding individual stocks,” she continued. “He also voted in favor of the STOCK Act, and supports more stringent measures to further eliminate conflicts of interest.” In addition to Blumenthal’s brother-in-law leasing out rental space to
Energy chief slashes red tape that led to 60% cost in inflation, burdened work in ‘critical’ labs
EXCLUSIVE: Seventeen Department of Energy National Laboratories represent the legacy of American scientific research, development and technological innovation stemming from collective postwar investment – but in the decades since, some of their work has been stymied by ever-increasing regulation, the U.S. energy chief tells Fox News Digital. In an interview Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he took what lab officials told him was the rare step of meeting with all 17 to find out what they needed to be most effective in their work. When he came back to Washington, Wright compiled an order implementing the most common fixes laboratory leaders asked for. Wright quipped that “as a kid who was in love with physics in high school, the national labs are simply scientifically tremendous” and that they had been neglected by past energy secretaries – which led him to make them an early focus of his tenure. In an order obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, Wright demanded several actions by lab officials seeking to streamline what has been considered a burdensome permitting process for new lab buildings, as the postwar infrastructure in many have well served their purpose, he said, but must be more easily replaced. ENERGY SEC WRIGHT OUTLINES DAY-1 PRIORITIES: REFILLING SPR, NIXING BIDENESQUE APPLIANCE RULES, NUKE UPDATES One effort will expand the use of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) “OSHA-Plus” framework for subcontracted construction projects at the National Laboratories, increasing competition for contracts and reducing costs while not sacrificing safety. Another topline piece of the four-part order seeks to analyze risks and benefits to cutting some labor-agreement provisions from contracts. The order was dated the 21st but will be made public midday Friday. “These measures are representative of focused and purposeful actions to prudently streamline our processes, place decision-making authority at the appropriate level, and reduce unnecessary administrative burden on both the laboratories and federal stewards to more efficiently and effectively enable critical mission objectives,” Wright said in the order. Wright said that while many of the labs may not be known by name, Americans recognize their immense contributions to science and national security. Los Alamos, in New Mexico, was where J. Robert Oppenheimer developed and tested the atomic bomb. Oak Ridge in Tennessee is the nation’s premier energy technology development incubator. “They are the biggest factories for producing Nobel prizes on the planet. These are national gems, and they came out of World War II,” he said, adding that bureaucracy has stifled some of their luster. “If something went wrong, they have a new rule passed; there’s people’s pet issues; or they’re layered with DEI and cultural stuff; crazy safety regulations with impossible permitting. CHRIS WRIGHT CONFIRMED SECRETARY OF ENERGY “So what we’ve done is we’ve taken these great laboratories of science and innovation, and we’ve shackled them with bureaucracy and inefficiency – those don’t go together.” Wright recounted a top issue from his meetings with laboratory leaders, who collectively said it can cost them 60% more to build or purchase a building than it does standard businesses located even just across the street. Dr. Steven Ashby, director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, lauded the order, saying Wright’s “bold action to empower the national laboratories to more efficiently deliver transformative scientific and technological outcomes” will benefit American taxpayers. “This is the most substantive and quickest change in improving lab operations that I have seen in my many years with DOE.” The secretary underlined that additional regulations that may increase costs are wise for Energy Department installations that deal with plutonium pits or dangerous or sensitive technologies – but that an environmental or energy-production-focused laboratory shouldn’t be held to the same standard as others. “We said you no longer have to pay more. For all other buildings that are in all senses commercial facilities, we’re going to get rid of that bureaucracy and make buildings able to be built faster and built simpler,” he said. Labs have been weighed down by an additional set of safety regulations on top of OSHA, which itself is considered the gold standard – and when the labs seek contracts, they don’t get the highest quality bidders because the contractors don’t want to deal with unnecessary, additional red tape. “You get a small number of bidders that are willing to go into a much more cumbersome regime, means it can be more expensive to build that building,” Wright said. These orders and changes, he said, are directly in line with President Donald Trump’s overall effort to streamline government and make it more cost-efficient for the taxpayer. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Separate from the labs, but near the Oak Ridge installation, Wright also spoke of a building he visited at the Y-12 National Security complex so decrepit that part of its roof was falling in. The facility, outside Knoxville, was built around 1943 in under 18 months, Wright said – comparing that efficiency to today’s as an aside. “It is in that building that the majority of the enriched uranium you need to build a bomb, was produced in these Calutron machines. So this played a huge legacy role in the United States’ weapons program. Here we are 80 years later, it is still in operation and still a key part of our nuclear fabrication facilities,” he said.
Republicans look to abolish TSA in favor of private security at airports
FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators are debuting a measure on Thursday to abolish the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which they say has “intruded into the privacy and personal space” of Americans. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is leading the bill alongside Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. “The TSA has not only intruded into the privacy and personal space of most Americans, it has also repeatedly failed tests to find weapons and explosives. Our bill privatizes security functions at American airports under the eye of an Office of Aviation Security Oversight, bringing this bureaucratic behemoth to a welcome end. American families can travel safely without feeling the hands of an army of federal employees,” Lee told Fox News Digital in a statement. SCOOP: TOP REPUBLICAN CHUCK GRASSLEY SETS PROMPT HEARING ON JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP The measure would officially abolish the TSA three years after being enacted into law, which the senators believe would provide time for security needs to be privatized. The bill would also direct the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Transportation to make a reorganization plan and submit it to Congress. In his own statement, Tuberville said, “The TSA is an inefficient, bureaucratic mess that infringes on Americans’ freedoms.” SENATE CONFIRMS DR MARTY MAKARY AS TRUMP’S FDA CHIEF “It’s a bloated agency—riddled with waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars—that has led to unnecessary delays, invasive pat downs and bag checks, and frustration for travelers. We need to focus on more efficient and effective methods to protect our country without sacrificing the liberties and freedoms of American citizens. The TSA should be eliminated and replaced with privatized solutions that are more targeted, streamlined, and where appropriate accountable to limited government oversight,” he added. The senators specifically denote in the legislation that the reorganization plan can’t require private security companies to do warrantless searches or extend the TSA in any way. GOP SENATOR SAYS DR OZ IGNORED HIS QUESTIONS ON TRANSGENDER ISSUES, ABORTION Once a plan is submitted, Congress would consider it. The bill would additionally create an Office of Aviation Security Oversight, which would be under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This new office would oversee the privatization of the security screenings at airports. Lee and Tuberville’s bill comes as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to aggressively slash components of the administrative state within the executive branch. TOP DEM USED SAME APP USED IN ATLANTIC SCANDAL TO SET UP CONTACT WITH STEELE DOSSIER AUTHOR Many Republicans have been proponents of privatizing some functions of government, while Democrats have been primarily opposed. It’s unclear what level of support this measure will have in Congress, but it’s unlikely it would be able to overcome the legislative filibuster’s 60-vote threshold. Republicans have a majority, with 53 senators in their conference. There are 47 senators who caucus with the Democrats.
Most Americans support deporting at least some illegal immigrants, poll finds
Most Americans support deporting at least some illegal immigrants, though they have varying views on why, according to a new poll. A Pew Research Center poll released Wednesday found that 32% of U.S. adults say all illegal immigrants should be deported from the country, while 16% say none should be deported. About half of U.S. adults, however, said at least some immigrants living in the country illegally should be deported, although they couldn’t reach a consensus on what factor should be grounds for deportation. Of the roughly 51% of adults who support at least some deportation of illegal immigrants, nearly all support deporting those who commit violent crimes, according to the poll. TOP MS-13 LEADER ARRESTED IN VIRGINIA The support among this group becomes divided when asked whether those who commit nonviolent crimes should be deported, with about 52% in favor, and 44% favoring deporting illegal immigrants who have arrived in the last four years. Fewer adults who support at least some illegal immigration believe the U.S. should deport those who have a job (15% in favor), have family in the U.S. (19% in favor) or came to the U.S. as a child (9% in favor), the poll found. APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT The poll comes as President Donald Trump and his administration carry out a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration, cartels and transnational gangs operating in the U.S. A senior Trump administration official confirmed to Fox News this month that a total of 261 illegal aliens were deported to El Salvador on March 15. The majority of them were deported via the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows for the expulsion of an enemy nation’s natives and citizens without a hearing. On Thursday, the FBI announced that authorities had captured the MS-13 top leader for the U.S. East Coast. The 24-year-old suspect was taken into custody in Woodbridge, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C.
Dems have long history of supporting encrypted Signal app ahead of Trump chat leak
Democrats stretching back nearly a decade have touted the use of the encrypted messaging app Signal, long before the Trump administration came under the national spotlight for using the app to discuss a plan of attack on terrorists in Yemen. “We have all these Signal chats. If you don’t have Signal, get on Signal, okay? Do not trust …. get on Signal,” Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett said just Saturday during a speech before a Human Rights Campaign event in Los Angeles. Crockett touted the use of Signal in the context of protected chats among colleagues, such as a “Dem women’s caucus chat” she belongs to and how Democrat lawmakers trade scuttlebutt from the Hill. The encrypted messaging app is now under the spotlight after it was revealed that top national security leaders had been in a Signal group chat discussing plans to strike terrorists in Yemen, which also included the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. The chat was made public by a first-hand account of the group chat published by Goldberg in an article Monday. ELON MUSK TAPPED TO HELP LEAD INVESTIGATION INTO SIGNAL CHAT LEAK: WHITE HOUSE “The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans,” the Monday article was headlined. The Trump administration has maintained that no classified information was shared in the chat, doubling down Wednesday that the Atlantic’s story was a “hoax” after Goldberg published specific texts from the chat. The messages included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth outlining that combat aircraft were set to take off and strike drones were ready for the operation, which were accompanied by timestamps. “So, let’s me get this straight. The Atlantic released the so-called ‘war plans’ and those ‘plans’ include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information,” Hegseth posted to X Wednesday morning following the follow-up Atlantic article. JUDGE FIGHTING TRUMP OVER EL SALVADOR DEPORTATIONS ASSIGNED TO LAWSUIT OVER SIGNAL CHAT LEAK “Those are some really sh—y war plans. This only proves one thing: Jeff Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an ‘attack plan’ (as he now calls it). Not even close. As I type this, my team and I are traveling the INDOPACOM region, meeting w/ Commanders (the guys who make REAL ‘war plans’) and talking to troops. We will continue to do our job, while the media does what it does best: peddle hoaxes.” The Atlantic told Fox News Digital Wednesday that the outlet did publish “war plans,” directing Fox Digital to a screenshot of Hegseth’s messages on the strategy to eliminate Houthi rebels. “If this information—particularly the exact times American aircraft were taking off for Yemen—had fallen into the wrong hands in that crucial two-hour period, American pilots and other American personnel could have been exposed to even greater danger than they ordinarily would face,” the Atlantic’s report stated of Hegseth’s messages. TRUMP OFFICIALS ACCIDENTALLY TEXT ATLANTIC JOURNALIST ABOUT MILITARY STRIKES IN APPARENT SECURITY BREACH The use of Signal, though not in the context of war or military operations, has become increasingly more prevalent within the D.C. Beltway in recent months. The app grew in popularity after it was discovered in October 2024 that Chinese-linked hackers were targeting cellphone data in the U.S., including data belonging to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during the campaign, Politico reported Tuesday. Years before the Signal leak involving the Trump administration and subsequent outrage from Democrats and other critics, Democrats had repeatedly touted Signal as an additional precautionary measure against potential hacks. Back during the 2016 campaign, which pitted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton against Trump, the Democratic National Committee emailed staffers to download Signal as the 2016 DNC email leak heated up that year, according to Vanity Fair at the time. “Signal, staffers in the meeting were told, was ‘Snowden-approved.’ A week after the meeting at the campaign headquarters, according to two people who have worked with the D.N.C. and the Clinton campaign, an e-mail was sent out instructing staffers where to download the app and how to use it,” Vanity Fair reported. In a 2018 article from Politico detailing how the DNC was working to protect against future hacks, the party’s chief technology advisor reported he used Signal to communicate with his team. HEGSETH FENDS OFF REPORTER’S QUESTIONS ABOUT SIGNAL CHAT LEAK “They chat via the encrypted messaging apps Signal and Wickr with cyber experts from the DNC’s sister committees and third-party vendors, discussing suspicious incidents and other information,” the 2018 Politico story stated. Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, who called for Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to resign over the Signal chat leak, celebrated and thanked the Senate Sergeant at Arms in 2017 for approving the use of Signal for lawmakers and staff that year. “With the transition to default HTTPS for all of the other Senate websites and the recent announcement by your office that the end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal is approved for Senate staff use, I am happy to see that you too recognize the important defensive cybersecurity role that encryption can play,” Wyden wrote in the 2017 letter. Other groups, including media outlets and reporters, have touted Signal as a secure method of communication, including the Washington Post and New York Times offering tip lines through the encrypted app. While the Loudon County Democrats Facebook page, which represents the Democratic Party in the northern Virginia county, advised in February that “federal workers and active Democratic volunteers would be wise to make use” of the Signal app, which was accompanied by a how-to guide for the app. TRUMP ADMIN DECLARES THE ATLANTIC’S SIGNAL ARTICLE A ‘HOAX’ AFTER IT DROPS ‘WAR PLANS’ RHETORIC And House Oversight and Government Reform Democrats posted a tip line connected to Signal where users could report potential wrongdoing related to the second Trump administration. The tipline noted that individuals should “not submit classified information or other information barred from release through this form, by email, or by the Signal app.”
Conservative group warns of high costs as US influence fades in Latin America
A delegation of experts from the conservative Heritage Foundation visited with leaders in Paraguay, Argentina and Panama last week, with President Kevin Roberts warning the “political and economic security costs of the U.S. neglecting this hemisphere are very high.” Roberts, joined by Vice President Victoria Coates and others, said of his visit with Paraguayan President Santiago Pena that it has proven to be one of the most “stable, reliable countries” in terms of its economy and government – and that it, like the U.S., wants to rebuff Chinese influence in the West. “It is also apparent that President Trump and Vice President Vance, by reengaging in this (southern) hemisphere, by placing what is clear to be a high priority on Latin America, have caused some conversations that need to happen, and we’re grateful to be here to have those conversations with policymakers, but also convey from our perspective as Americans, the wisdom of what the Trump administration is doing,” Roberts said. “And we say that with our independence from the administration and from any political party — instead being led by our real desire: to tell the truth about what’s going on.” MILEI RAILS AGAINST WOKEISM Roberts described a “reset” in diplomacy from the past four years with the three countries and others in the region, remarking the opportunities for benefit are “almost limitless.” Coates, who served as a national security advisor on Middle East affairs in the first Trump administration, said the three countries visited were chosen by their improvement or standing on the economic freedom index. “We’ve great strides in all three of these economies towards [getting] away from the historic socialism and corruption that has been plaguing the region,” she said, as Venezuela, Nicaragua and other countries are ruled by much more of an iron fist. Mike Gonzalez, a national security expert who served in the George W. Bush administration and spent several years as a globetrotting journalist, said the meetings with South American leaders made one thing clear: America’s leadership shift over the past four years has left a noticeable vacuum. ARGENTINA’S MILEI BLASTS UN OVER SUPPORT FOR COVID LOCKDOWNS, APPEASING ‘BLOODY DICTATORSHIPS’ “This is what our friends in the region have told us. They said we seemed to back the leaders and the political forces that really hate the United States, like people that Gustavo Petro, Lula da Silva; Sergio Massa – whom the previous administration sent Democratic operatives to help elect against [current President Javier] Milei.” Gonzalez said democratic political forces in the region are “very happy” that the U.S. is no longer appearing to support people who do not have the right interests at heart. Andres Martinez-Fernandez, a Central and South America expert, added that when it comes to the newfound attention to the Panama Canal, it remains a “vital artery for the U.S. economy” and deserves such attention. “There’s a lot of interest from both the United States and the region as far as bolstering our economic interconnectedness. And that, I think, is a clear counterweight to our dependence on China and being able to extract that influence,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “But the part of that is also talking about China within our hemisphere, which unfortunately, they’ve bolstered their presence very dramatically.” “We saw that in Argentina, where President Milei who came to power being very vocal on the China issue and I think remains concerned about it… so I’m glad to see that President Trump is reengaging and addressing the metastasized threat that is China’s presence in the Western Hemisphere that comes with difficult conversations.” When asked about the delegation, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital that “foreign leaders want positive relationships with the Trump administration because this president is Making America Strong Again.”