ICE raids at schools: Federal judge gives green light
A federal judge has ruled against the Denver public schools system’s attempts to block immigration officials from carrying out raids on school grounds, marking a win for the Trump administration as it looks to ramp up its deportation efforts. U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico said Denver Public Schools failed to prove that a recent drop in student attendance at schools was due to the Trump administration reversing a 2021 Biden-era policy of protecting schools — and other sensitive areas like churches — from ICE raids. There are currently more than 1.4 million individuals on ICE’s final order of removal docket. Denver Public Schools filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for reversing the policy, claiming the district was “hindered in fulfilling its mission” to students who didn’t turn up to school for fear of immigration enforcement. Denver Public Schools had sought a preliminary injunction barring the federal government from making arrests at sensitive locations, which was denied. Domenico also denied a request that he grant a nationwide preliminary injunction forcing immigration officials to revert to the 2021 guidance. COLORADO SCHOOL DISTRICT FIRST IN COUNTRY TO SUE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER FEARS OF ICE RAIDS ON CAMPUSES Besides a drop in attendance, Denver Public Schools said it had to divert resources to respond to fear among students and families over the lifting of longtime rules. The school system also argued that rescinding the policy had caused schools to devote time and resources to teaching students and staff how to remain safe from immigration enforcement. Denver Public Schools has trained staff on how to handle ICE officers if they show up at school, telling them to deny agents entry if they don’t have a warrant signed by a judge. Domenico, a Trump appointee and Colorado’s former solicitor general, said that it wasn’t clear how much of the fear surrounding possible enforcement actions in schools was really due to the new rules as opposed to broader concerns of increased immigration actions. He also pointed out that Denver Public Schools had not yet experienced any raids and noted that the head of ICE also issued a directive to its officers that immigration arrests at sensitive places still had to be approved by supervisors. The fear over the new rules, as well as the belief that the old rules provided protection to schools, both seem to be “overstated,” Domenico said. It wasn’t clear how much of the fear surrounding possible enforcement actions in schools was really due to the new rules as opposed to broader concerns of increased immigration actions, he said. Denver Public Schools issued a statement expressing disappointment with the ruling, while asserting that its lawsuit was successful in making public details of the Trump administration rules. The lawsuit was brought by the school district, not the city of Denver, which is a sanctuary city. The lawsuit stated that there were more than 90,000 students in the Denver Public Schools system during the 2023-2024 school year, and approximately 4,000 were immigrants. COLORADO COUNCILWOMAN ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO ‘REPORT’ ICE ACTIVITY TO HELP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AVOID CAPTURE The ruling came just days after Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and the Democratic leaders of other cities were grilled by Republican members of Congress about their so-called sanctuary city policies that they see as undermining Trump’s immigration and mass deportation efforts, as well as making such cities more dangerous. Since Jan. 20, ICE has arrested and deported thousands of people in the U.S. illegally – most of them being criminals with convictions in the U.S. or their home countries. Denver has seen a massive population jump in recent years as the city predicts nearly 43,000 people have arrived in the area from the southern border, the lawsuit said. The ruling also comes as the Trump administration has restarted the detention of illegal alien families that have deportation orders. Parents are now being detained, including with their children, at two ICE facilities in Texas. These are families who have already had their cases heard and have been ordered removed. Fox News is told ICE is now actively going into the interior of the U.S. and arresting migrant families that crossed the border illegally in years prior and have been ordered deported from the U.S. by a Justice Department immigration judge. This is known as a final order of removal, of which there are currently more than 1.4 million individuals on ICE’s docket. Border Patrol data shows more than 2 million migrant family units were apprehended while crossing the southern border illegally during the Biden administration. Fox News’ Bille Melugin and Elizabeth Pritchett as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrat strategists reveal what Dem lawmakers should have done differently for Trump’s speech
Democratic strategists argue it would have been better for Democratic lawmakers to skip President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress than to cause disruptions, which have since reportedly caused tensions with party leadership. “I think it would have been smarter to just boycott the speech,” Jim Manley, a Democratic political strategist, told Fox News Digital. “Showing up gave Trump legitimacy that he doesn’t deserve.” Asked if he thought the Democrats interrupting the president’s speech was a good strategy, Andrew Bates, who served as senior White House deputy press secretary for former President Joe Biden, told Fox News Digital “no.” “The protests preached to the choir, when we need to grow the congregation — like [Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa] Slotkin did when she said Republicans will make you pay more “in every part of your life” in order to cut taxes for the rich,” Bates said. DEMOCRATS PRIVATELY REBUKE PARTY MEMBERS WHO JEERED TRUMP DURING SPEECH TO CONGRESS: REPORT Democratic House leadership is reportedly “very unhappy” with the interruptions made by lawmakers during the speech, which included yelling and holding up paddles that read “Musk steals,” and called on several of them to attend a “come to Jesus meeting” to discuss their behavior, a House Democrat told Axios. “I didn’t think the Democratic reaction in the room went very well. It just contributed to the theatrics,” Brad Bannon, president of Bannon Communications Research, a political consulting firm, told Fox in an interview. “No one can beat Trump at theatrics. I’m sorry, I love my congressional Democrats, but when it comes to theatrics, they don’t come close.” “It would have made more sense, in my opinion, to let Trump’s words soak in and not act as a distraction to the lies and falsehoods he told,” Bannon added. “So I don’t think the Democratic reaction in the room was good.” One strategist shared with Fox that they saw private data demonstrating that voters did not like the protests. FETTERMAN DISMAYED BY DEMS DISSING ‘TOUCHING MOMENT’ AT TRUMP SPEECH Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, stood up during Trump’s address and refused to sit down, leading to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., ordering the Sergeant at Arms to remove him from the chamber. Democratic strategist David Axelrod told Politico that Green’s protest likely “got plenty of attaboys from the base,” but didn’t resonate with most Americans. “But with many other Americans — and not just Republicans — it was no more appealing than [GOP Reps.] Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert heckling Biden,” Axelrod said in an interview. “It’s just not particularly helpful.” Democrats were also criticized for not standing up while the president introduced DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old cancer survivor, during the joint address. “You know, that is a very individual thing. And aren’t there a lot of other things we can be focusing on, as I would think?” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said when asked why Democratic members did not stand for Daniel. “The word ‘betrayal’ comes to mind with regard to the president.” Another Democrat, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told Fox News Digital that it “was a moving story,” but that “what Trump left out, of course, is he’s cutting research for cancer, which is pretty, pretty bad.” However, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., broke with his party on the issue. “I don’t know why we can’t fully celebrate,” Fetterman told Nicholas Ballasy for Fox. “I mean, I have a 13-year-old myself, and thank God she’s never had cancer, but I think that’s something we can all celebrate there. And I think it was a touching moment. And, like I said, that’s part of the best of the American experience.”
Georgia Republicans don’t rule out Senate bids as popular GOP governor remains undecided
Multiple Republicans in Georgia aren’t ruling out running for Senate in 2026 to take on vulnerable Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff—but they’re making it very clear that the nomination belongs to popular GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, if he wants it. “We always consider everything. I’m a moneyball kind of guy,’ Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital. He pointed to Republicans’ overperformance in his district, part of which is located in the Atlanta suburbs. “Most people realize that we have the highest voter participation in Georgia in our district,” the congressman said. “So of course we’re going to be discussed in this conversation.” GOP’S TWO TOP DEM SENATE TARGETS JUSTIFY BLOCKING BILL TO BAR MEN FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., also isn’t taking himself out of the equation. “If options come about, like this seat that I hold right now, and I see that I can win, and I see that I can make a difference, then, sure, you’re going to take a hard look at it,” he told Fox News Digital. However, both men stated in no uncertain terms that if Kemp chooses to run, the nomination is his. “He could win that seat very easily. He could walk away with it,” said Collins. “If Governor Kemp gets involved in that race, hands down, I’ll support him,” McCormick explained. “He would win that race both in the primary and the general. So, I want to be very, very specific on that.” Ossoff’s Senate seat is rated a “Toss Up” by nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report. Coming off of President Trump’s significant win in Georgia in 2024, Republicans are preparing to spare no expense on winning the Senate seat back. TRUMP FDA NOMINEE TURNS VACCINE QUESTION ON DEM, RECALLING CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN DECISION Kemp is the GOP favorite to compete with Ossoff for the battleground state’s Senate seat, but he hasn’t said whether he wants to launch a bid for it. “The governor has been clear and consistent on his timeline for making a decision about the U.S. Senate race in 2026. There is no doubt that Georgia Republicans will be united to defeat Jon Ossoff and finally have a voice that reflects our state’s values in the U.S. Senate,” Cody Hall, a senior advisor to Kemp, told Fox News Digital in a statement. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Kemp explained, “I’m in the middle of my legislative session. We’ve got a big tort reform fight going on. I’m chairing the Republican Governors Association. I made a commitment on that.” “I know I can’t keep holding out forever, so we’ll have something to say on that down the road,” he added. In case Kemp doesn’t choose to run, both McCormick and Collins signaled their own candidacy as possibilities. “But at the end of the day, you know, if he doesn’t run, the nominee that’ll get it will be the one that Donald Trump picks,” Collins predicted. TRUMP’S BIPARTISAN-BACKED LABOR PICK CLEARS LAST HURDLE BEFORE CABINET CONFIRMATION As to whether President Trump will weigh into the Georgia Senate Republican primary, as he did previously, former Trump campaign political director James Blair, now White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs, did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. In 2022, Trump endorsed gubernatorial candidate David Perdue over Kemp, with whom he has had a strained relationship over the years. Kemp ultimately still won the nomination and the governorship, surviving the battle against a Trump-endorsed candidate, which many have fallen to. Trump also involved himself in the Georgia Senate race, endorsing former NFL player Herschel Walker early on to face now-Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga. Warnock won a runoff election against Walker, 51.37% to 48.63%. INSIDE ELON MUSK’S HUDDLE WITH GOP SENATORS: DOGE HEAD TOUTS $4M SAVINGS PER DAY “It’s going to be a fight,” McCormick previewed the 2026 race. “It’s going to be maybe a half $1 billion race, which means a lot of money and a lot of things are gonna be said.” “We need to make sure our message is clear and that what we’re trying to represent appeals to the Georgia voters,” he added. Ossoff’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.
White House unleashes on ‘rogue bureaucrats’ after agency head refuses DOGE entry to headquarters
The White House is calling out “rogue bureaucrats” at a small federal agency for attempting to bar members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from entering their headquarters this week. Elon Musk’s DOGE team members and acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Peter Marocco, in accordance with President Donald Trump’s executive order to downsize the federal government, sought to enter the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) building on Wednesday, but were denied entry after reportedly being intentionally locked out by members of the staff. The cost-cutting team returned to USADF the next day with U.S. marshals after the Department of Justice (DOJ) determined that they had a right to enter the building, a White House official told Fox News Digital, prompting a lawsuit from USADF President Ward Brehm, who asked a district court to bar the administration from removing him from his position. Brehm, who admitted to directing employees to deny DOGE entry, is attempting to block DOGE from entering the USADF offices, but the White House responded that “entitled, rogue bureaucrats have no authority to defy executive orders by the President of the United States or physically bar his representatives from entering the agencies they run.” DOGE SAYS GOVERNMENT PAYING FOR 11,020 ADOBE ACROBAT LICENSES WITH ZERO USERS, PLUS MORE ‘IDLE’ ACCOUNTS “President Trump signed an executive order to reduce the federal bureaucracy, which reduced the USADF to its statutory minimum, and appointed Peter Marocco as acting Chairman of the Board,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. In the lawsuit, filed on Thursday, Brehm alleges “unlawful overreach” from DOGE and asks the court to give him a “clear entitlement to remain in his office as the President of USADF” after Trump, according to the White House, appointed Marocco to serve as acting Chairman of the Board. CNN STUNNED BY ‘SHOCKING’ POLL NUMBERS SHOWING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR DOGE SPENDING CUTS “The threatened termination of Brehm from his position as President of USADF, whether by Marocco, President Trump, Director Gao, or any of the remaining Defendants, is unlawful,” the 26-page complaint reads. On Friday, District Judge Richard J. Leon in Washington, D.C., issued a temporary restraining order preventing Brehm’s removal. Trump has applauded DOGE’s efforts to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in “waste” from the federal government as he makes “bold and profound change” within the federal government. “My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again,” Trump said during his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. “Any federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office immediately, because we are draining the swamp. It’s very simple,” the president said. “The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over.” Fox News Digital reached out to Brehm and USADF for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Indicted House Democrat under fire for being on DCCC’s ‘frontline’ list: ‘Sleazy politician’
Rep. Henry Cuellar, who is facing charges of bribery and acting as a foreign agent, is now on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “frontline list” for the 2026 election, which is gaining scrutiny from the group’s GOP rival. Cuellar, who represents a district along the southern border, was not part of the program meant to assist Democrats at risk of losing their election in 2024, but he still won re-election in November. “The DCCC throwing cash at Henry Cuellar, an indicted congressman facing bribery and foreign agent charges, is certainly a choice. Do other frontline Democrats stand by pumping campaign cash into defending a corrupt and sleazy politician?” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement Thursday. DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN ADMITS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DID NOT ‘FOCUS ENOUGH’ ON CURBING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION The Department of Justice under the Biden administration indicted Cuellar and his wife for allegedly taking roughly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-owned energy company and a Mexican bank, according to a news release at the time. “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas. Before I took any action, I proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm,” Cuellar said in a statement at the time, according to KGNS. At the time of the indictment, President Donald Trump said it may have had to do with border politics. “Biden just Indicted Henry Cuellar because the Respected Democrat Congressman wouldn’t play Crooked Joe’s Open Border game,” Trump said in a Truth Social post at the time. “He was for Border Control, so they said, ‘Let’s use the FBI and DOJ to take him out!’ This is the way they operate. They’re a bunch of D.C. Thugs, and at some point they will be paying a very big price for what they have done to our Country.” Cuellar also recently told Fox News he’s disagreed with some aspects of the Biden administration’s approach on the border crisis. In 2024, some Democrats opposed his campaign in the primary due to his belief that abortion should be a state issue, according to Punchbowl News. His office did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. Two “advisors” tied to the case have already pleaded guilty, according to The Texas Tribune. As for Cuellar, his trial was pushed back to this year. The DCCC declined to comment. The DCCC program has 26 incumbent members of Congress it plans to invest resources in to retain their seats. TEXAS DEMOCRAT SAYS HE CAN FIND ‘COMMON GROUND’ WITH TRUMP’S INCOMING BORDER CZAR “These 26 House Democrats are battle-tested and laser-focused on pocketbook issues. Democrats are poised to retake the majority in 2026, and these members will help us do that,” the DCCC tweeted on Thursday. Republicans have an narrow House majority they hope to defend and expand in 2026.
Gov. DeSantis makes push to repeal Florida’s red flag laws
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signaled that he wants to repeal the red flag law in the Sunshine State, arguing that it infringes on gun owners’ Second Amendment rights. The governor made his intentions known during Tuesday’s State of the State Address. The state’s red flag law was signed by then-Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who is now a U.S. senator, in the aftermath of the Feb. 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in which 17 people were killed. RON DESANTIS CHIRPS AT CANADA’S ‘BOYCOTT’ OF FLORIDA, COUNTRY’S STANLEY CUP DROUGHT The legislation allows law enforcement to seek a court order to confiscate firearms from someone who is considered a threat to themselves or others and prevents them from purchasing more weapons in the future. This is different from other states with red flag laws where family members and roommates can also petition the court to confiscate firearms. The Florida law also raised the minimum legal age for purchasing guns in Florida to 21. DeSantis argues that red flag laws, or risk protection orders, are unconstitutional. He said he would have vetoed the law if he was governor when it was signed in 2018. “If you look at this red flag law that was passed, they can go in and say, ‘this person’s a danger, they should have their firearms taken away,’ which is property in addition to being something connected with a constitutional right,” DeSantis said. “The burden shifts where you have to prove to a court that you are not a menace or a threat. That’s not the way due process works.” Nearly 10,000 risk protection order petitions have been filed by law enforcement across the state between July 2022 and the end of 2024, state records show, according to Fox 13. FLORIDA GOVERNOR SPOTLIGHTS TIMELY GOLF OUTING HE AND CASEY DESANTIS HAD WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP No bills have been filed in either chamber of the Florida legislature to repeal the red flag law.
Trump withdraws slew of Biden-era lawsuits tied to abortion, racial discrimination, financial regs and more
President Donald Trump has used his new powers to dismiss a slew of lawsuits filed under former President Joe Biden, including challenges to state abortion bans, allegations of racism in police and fire departments, environmental and anti-whistleblower cases, and various business-related disputes. Meanwhile, he has largely left Biden-era antitrust lawsuits untouched. The Trump administration took steps as recently as this week to drop a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s abortion ban that only permits the procedures when necessary to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest. The Biden administration tried to circumvent the state ban with its lawsuit that argued the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) required doctors to provide abortions in cases when they are needed to prevent serious health consequences, not just the life of the mother. “Democrats’ abortion extremism cost them the election,” said Katie Daniel, Director of Legal Affairs & Policy Counsel at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. “With President Trump and a new administration in charge, Biden’s weaponization of the federal government is over — no more lawfare. The will of the people is clear and activist judges must not interfere.” PRO-LIFE LEADERS URGE TRUMP TO REVERSE HIS IVF STAND, SAY THE TECHNOLOGY IS ‘NOT PRO-LIFE’ Multiple federal civil rights cases revolving around hiring discrimination have also been dropped under Trump. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said it intends to drop a 2023 case alleging anti-immigrant hiring practices at Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Additionally, several federal civil rights lawsuits accusing police and fire departments of racial discrimination based on their provision of certain physical fitness tests and other requirements like credit checks have also been dropped. “American communities deserve firefighters and police officers to be chosen for their skill and dedication to public safety — not to meet DEI quotas,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement after dismissing the lawsuits that had been levied against multiple jurisdictions around the country. TRUMP TO SHIFT AWAY FROM DEI VISA POLICY THAT ‘SURGED’ UNDER BIDEN, EXPERT SAYS A former DOJ civil rights attorney, Heritage Foundation Senior Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky said that in one of the cases against a fire department in Cobb County, Georgia, a judge refused to grant a settlement proposed by the Biden administration due to a lack of evidence proving physical fitness tests and credit report checks are racially discriminatory toward minorities. Spakovsky noted that settlements are typically approved by judges, but the one in Cobb County sought to set up racial hiring quotas that the judge likened to “a racial spoils system,” he said. “Here’s a direct quote from the judge: ‘The court will not approve of an agreement which may violate the rights of others without a sufficient evidentiary basis to show that such race-based action is warranted,’” Spakovsky said. “The broad scope of all of these dropped civil rights cases,” he concluded, “is that they are throwing out the ones — in my opinion — that call on defendants to violate federal laws against discrimination.” TRUMP WANTS ‘ACTIVIST’ GROUPS THAT SUE THE GOVERNMENT TO PUT UP MONEY IF THEY LOSE Two other high-profile lawsuits recently dropped by the Trump administration include a Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency case against local Louisiana regulators and the synthetic rubber manufacturer Denka, which alleged failure to adequately protect the predominantly minority community near its plant from cancer risks linked to air pollution. Another dropped case involved a medical whistleblower, Dr. Eithan Haim, who faced prosecution from Biden’s DOJ after he leaked documents to the media revealing Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston was performing transgender medical procedures on minors, even after it said it had stopped complying with new state regulations. Trump has also dropped a number of consumer protection and cryptocurrency lawsuits, but has done little in the way of disrupting the Biden administration’s antitrust enforcement, something tech professionals were expecting after the last administration challenged Big Tech companies aggressively for allegedly building monopolies. “It’s a big plus for the crypto and fintech sector as a whole, because you just see them celebrating, like you see social posts online of a lot of these executives at those companies that just missed lawsuits who are really happy,” said Kison Patel, a financial tech entrepreneur and the host of “M&A Science,” a podcast about mergers and acquisitions. “It seems like there’s going to be less scrutiny and regulations around that sector.” Patel added that while mergers and acquisitions were expected to ramp up this year, he isn’t so sure anymore considering the approach Trump has signaled towards antitrust enforcement. “I think there’s still a lot to watch in the antitrust area,” said Patel, who pointed to a new case the Federal Trade Commission has brought against a medical device company on antitrust grounds. “But, the take home is there doesn’t appear to be a big shift in position in the realm of regulations around antitrust.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the Justice Department for comment on this story, but did not hear back by press time.
Here’s what happened during President Donald Trump’s 7th week in office
The American dream is “surging” and “America is back,” according to President Donald Trump. Trump launched the week telling Americans that his administration would work to take “America’s destiny into our own hands” and vowed that “this will be our greatest era” during a joint address to Congress Tuesday. Additionally, Trump shared in the address that Ukraine was prepared to sign off on a rare-earth minerals deal and continue peace negotiations to end the war with Russia after talks came to a fiery halt Feb. 28. Trump also disclosed that his administration caught the terrorist behind the 2021 Afghanistan attack that resulted in the death of 13 U.S. troops. “Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity,” Trump said Tuesday. “And he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.” Additionally, Trump urged lawmakers Tuesday to bolster funding for border security to foot the bill for deportations and along the U.S. southern border, claiming that his administration has “launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history.” TRUMP ADMIN REVEALS LIST OF CARTELS AND GANGS TO BE DESIGNATED TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS Trump also promised to work to end the war in Ukraine, days after a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the role of diplomacy to end the conflict with Russia. Hours earlier, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to come to the negotiating table, despite the disagreement at the White House. “It’s time to end this senseless war,” Trump said, adding that it’s important to talk to both sides to end wars. In response to his joint address, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., blasted Trump’s foreign policy agenda, claiming that Trump would have lost the Cold War if he’d been president in the 1980s. “We all want an end to the war in Ukraine, but Reagan understood that true strength required America to combine our military and economic might with moral clarity,” said Slotkin, who was tapped to deliver the official Democratic Party response to Trump’s address. “As a Cold War kid, I’m thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in the 1980s. Trump would have lost us the Cold War.” Here’s what also happened this week: Trump indicated that a nuclear deal with Iran could emerge in the near future, following his administration’s effort to reinstate a “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran in February. Trump told reporters Friday that the U.S is “down to the final moments” negotiating with Iran, and said he’d prefer to move forward in a peaceful fashion rather than utilize military intervention. “It’s an interesting time in the history of the world. But we have a situation with Iran that something is going to happen very soon, very, very soon,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “You’ll be talking about that pretty soon, I guess. Hopefully, we can have a peace deal. I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness, I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal than the other. But the other will solve the problem.” TRUMP PAUSES AID TO UKRAINE AFTER FIERY MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY Trump also disclosed that he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pushing for Tehran to agree to a nuclear agreement or otherwise Tehran could expect military consequences, according to a clip released Friday from an interview with Fox Business that is set to air Sunday. “I would rather negotiate a deal,” Trump told Fox Business. “I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily.” Trump also signaled that he might impose harsher sanctions on Russia, after Russia reportedly fired 67 missiles and 194 drones in an overnight attack striking Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure, according to Reuters. “Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday. “To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!” Additionally, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told reporters that Trump prepared to use “carrots or sticks” to encourage both countries to reach a peace deal. Trump also signed an executive order Thursday to pull security clearances and access to certain federal resources for Perkins Coie. The law firm hired the company responsible for crafting the so-called “Steele dossier” containing salacious material about Trump’s alleged connections to Russia, which the president has denied. “This is an absolute honor to sign,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “What they’ve done, it’s just terrible. It’s weaponization. You could say weaponization against a political opponent, and it should never be allowed to happen again.” The executive order suspends security clearances for Perkins Coie employees until a further review evaluating its access to sensitive information is complete to determine if it aligns with the national interest. TRUMP CUTS OFF FEDERAL RESOURCES FOR LAW FIRM THAT HELPED FUEL 2016 RUSSIA HOAX Perkins Coie told Fox News Digital it has reviewed the executive order and plans to challenge it. Marc Elias, the former chair of the firm’s political law practice, hired opposition research firm Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research into presidential candidate Trump in April 2016 on behalf of Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic National Committee. Fusion GPS then brought on the help of former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who composed the so-called “Steele dossier,” which featured scandalous and mostly unverified allegations. However, the document was used to secure surveillance applications against former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page for the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Fox News’ Rachel Wolf and Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.
Agriculture secretary cancels $600K grant for study on menstrual cycles in transgender men
The U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled a grant worth $600,000 for the study of menstrual cycles in transgender men, Secretary Brooke Rollins said Friday. The Southern University Agricultural & Mechanical College in Louisiana was the recipient of the grant, according to a database on USAspending.gov. “The first occurrence of menstruation occurs at approximately 12 years of age and ends with menopause at roughly 51 years of age,” the grant description reads. “A woman will have a monthly menstrual cycle for about 40 years of her life, averaging to about 450 periods over the course of her lifetime.” FEDERAL DEPARTMENT SLASHES MILLIONS IN CONTRACTS, INCLUDING $230K FOR ‘BRAZILIAN FOREST AND GENDER CONSULTANT’ “It is also important to recognize that transgender men and people with masculine gender identities, intersex and non-binary persons may also menstruate,” the description adds. “At any given moment about 26% of the world’s population is menstruating.” The study seeks to “address growing concerns” related to menstruation, including the potential use of natural fibers, such as hemp, in feminine hygiene products. DOGE SAYS GOVERNMENT PAYING FOR 11,020 ADOBE ACROBAT LICENSES WITH ZERO USERS, PLUS MORE ‘IDLE’ ACCOUNTS The grant had been scheduled to remain in progress until April 2027. The study was first uncovered by the conservative nonprofit American Principles Project, which has identified more than 340 federal grants issued during the Biden administration to various institutions — including colleges and hospitals — that totaled more than $128 million in federal funds. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “CANCELLED: $600,000 grant to study ‘menstrual cycles in transgender men,’” Rollins wrote Friday on the social media platform X. “Keep sending us tips. THANK YOU, @approject! The insanity is ending and the restoration of America is underway,” she added.
Trump announces US ambassador nominations that include mayor of Michigan city
President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social Friday that he had appointed a number of new ambassadors. Trump announced Amer Ghalib will serve as the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait. “As the Mayor of the City of Hamtramck, Michigan, Amer worked hard to help us secure a Historic Victory in Michigan,” Trump wrote. NEW BOOK DETAILS SECURITY LAPSES AHEAD OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: ‘CLEAR THERE WAS A PROBLEM’ Ghalib earned a medical degree from the Ross University School of Medicine and continues to serve his community as a proud healthcare professional. “I know he will make our Country proud in this new role. Congratulations Amer,” Trump wrote. Trump then announced Duke Buchan III would serve as U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco. SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR CURRAN ‘CONFIDENT’ THE AGENCY WILL SOLVE FAILED TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS “Duke will play a pivotal role as we strengthen Peace, Freedom, and Prosperity for both of our Countries,” Trump wrote. “Congratulations to Duke and his wonderful family!” Trump named Lynda Blanchard the next U.S. ambassador to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy. “During my First Term, Lynda did a great job as U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia,” the president wrote. “She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from Auburn University and, alongside her husband, she helped build a very successful Real Estate company. I know she will work incredibly hard for our Nation. Congratulations Lynda!” The final announcement named Michel Issa as U.S. ambassador to Lebanon. “Michel is an outstanding businessman, a financial expert, and a leader with a remarkable career in Banking, Entrepreneurship, and International Trade,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Friday night. “I have no doubt that he will serve our Country with Honor and Distinction. Congratulations Michel!”