Greene and Garcia clash over RFK Jr. and vaccines, measles outbreak
Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., clashed Wednesday over the actions of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with the Republican telling the Democrat, “You sound ignorant.” The fiery exchange unfolded during a House Oversight Committee hearing on restoring trust in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where Garcia declared RFK Jr. “has been and will always be a tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist.” “Our current HHS secretary is an anti-vax conspiracy theorist. And that is a fact. He caused a measles outbreak in another country that caused the death, absolutely,” Garcia started saying before Greene interrupted him and said ,”No, he did not. That’s a lie.” “RFK did not cause a measles outbreak. You sound ignorant,” Greene continued as the two began talking over each other. RFK JR MAKES TEXAS STOP TO VISIT FAMILY OF 6-YEAR-OLD MEASLES VICTIM, PUSH MMR VACCINE “Miss Greene, you are an anti-vax conspiracy theorist yourself,” Garcia told her. “You are the No. 1 anti-vax conspiracy theorist in this entire Congress.” “No, I am for choice. I am for parents and people choosing,” she said, before claiming, “Vaccines kill people.” TOP VACCINE OFFICIAL ALLEGEDLY PUSHED OUT OF FDA: REPORT RFK Jr. recently visited Texas to encourage people to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine amid rising measles cases. Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz claimed in January ahead of RFK Jr.’s confirmation hearing, “In 2019, [RFK Jr.] flew to Samoa to discourage people from taking the measles vaccine, deepening hesitancy that was already building. “And it worked,” the Democrat added. “Vaccination rates for eligible 1-year-olds fell to lower than 33%. And just five months later, Samoa found itself in the middle of a measles outbreak. Over 5,000 people got the measles. Eighty-three people died.” Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: White House rolls out implementation of AI for federal employee records
Fox News Digital has learned that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will post an updated Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) at the close of business Wednesday that paves the way for artificial intelligence to improve government efficiency and enhance the federal record-keeping process. This will be the first time the United States government has applied the use of artificial intelligence for federal employee record-keeping after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January to “solidify [America’s] position as the global leader in AI and secure a brighter future for all Americans.” A senior White House official spoke with Fox News Digital, outlining the implementation process, detailing that the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)-approved AI system will be used to drastically speed up the retirement process for the roughly 2.3 million federal employees and improve the accuracy of what is now mostly paper-based record keeping. WHITE HOUSE: US WILL LEAD IN AI, BUT CHINA IS CATCHING UP While the AI system will not be immediately operational, updating the PIA is the first step in opening the door to a full-scale roll-out. The senior White House official explained that the artificial intelligence program has already been tested to 100% accuracy in a simulated environment, but that no testing on actual data can be completed without the updated PIA. Part of the inspiration for using AI to improve federal record keeping comes from Elon Musk’s DOGE keying in on a decommissioned, underground mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania. The mine, which is home to more than 400,000,000 personal records for federal employees, is heavily reliant on an ineffective paper-based system. Though federal employee records are now filed through OPM’s electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), there is also a duplicate paper record printed as a PDF that is stored at the Pennsylvania mine. Operating under the current system, processing the retirement of a federal employee can take weeks or months, per file, and there is still room for human error. With the implementation of artificial intelligence, the senior White House official told Fox it could take less than one second to finalize a federal employee’s retirement. SECURING THE AI FUTURE: HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ACTION PLAN CAN POSITION AMERICA FOR SUCCESS While there is no intention to digitize or remove the hundreds of millions of files that exist in the mine, the AI system would ensure that no new paper files would be added to the already overwhelming number of physical copies that exist. Outdated filing systems have placed a burden on the efficiency of federal record keeping, as many of the files are old, illegible PDFs that can take several employees days or weeks to review, and the results have a higher chance of being inaccurate. “Antiquated, inefficient, and slow are words synonymous with government, all of which ended the day President Trump took office,” Harrison Fields, Principal White House Deputy Press Secretary, told Fox News Digital, “Today’s action follows the president’s historic AI Executive Order and will usher in historic efficiency at the Office of Personnel Management, streamlining the organization tasked with serving as the human resources agency and personnel policy manager for the Federal Government.” THE UNITED STATES NEEDS TO BECOME THE ‘LEADER’ IN AI, GOP LAWMAKER ARGUES The White House also issued an AI-focused concentrated fact sheet Tuesday, establishing federal “Agency Chief AI Officer roles” who “are tasked with promoting agency-wide AI innovation and the adoption of lower-risk AI, mitigating risks for higher-impact AI, and advising on agency AI investments and spending.” The senior White House official clarified to Fox News Digital that despite the AI implementation, federal employees will still be able to self-review and assess personal records at their discretion.
Elon Musk, conservatives drag Trump-appointed justice following Venezuelan deportations ruling
Conservatives are reeling after Trump-appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined liberal justices, dissenting in a 5-4 Supreme Court decision to allow President Donald Trump’s administration to deport Venezuelan nationals under the 1789 Alien Enemies Act. Republicans have celebrated the Supreme Court’s ruling that allows the Trump administration under the wartime immigration law to deport Venezuelan nationals, whom the White House maintains are Tren de Aragua gang members and terrorists. Since the ruling, conservatives have flooded social media with discontent at Barrett for siding with Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent. “This is disappointing,” Trump ally Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said on his personal X account, reacting to Barrett joining the three liberal justices in ruling against Trump’s deportations. Responding to Lee’s disappointment, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk piled on the Barrett critique in an X post: “Suicidal empathy is a civilizational risk.” SUPREME COURT GRANTS TRUMP REQUEST TO LIFT STAY HALTING VENEZUELAN DEPORTATIONS “While this Supreme Court victory for Trump allowing him to deport cartels is huge, it was only a 5-4 decision. Guess who joined the 3 liberal Justices to keep cartels here in America? Amy Coney Barrett,” conservative influencer Rogan O’Handley, known as DC Draino on X, said in a post. PAM BONDI WARNS MIGRANT CRIMINALS ‘WE’RE COMING AFTER YOU’ AFTER SUPREME COURT LIFTS STAY ON DEPORTATIONS LindellTV White House reporter Cara Castronuova asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt about Barrett’s “decision to go with the liberals, and to go actually with the Tren de Araguas” during Tuesday’s White House press briefing. Leavitt did not address Barrett’s vote directly but said the administration wished it was a unanimous decision. “We believe this was a massive victory,” Leavitt replied. “Certainly, we wish this was a 9-0 decision because we firmly believe the president was well within his constitutional authority and the Supreme Court made that very clear last night.” Barrett is no stranger to the ire of Republicans, particularly Trump’s most loyal base, as this isn’t the first time she’s bucked her conservative justices since joining the majority on the nation’s highest court. She delivered a sharp dissent against a 6-3 ruling in 2024 that said the Justice Department went too far in charging Jan. 6 rioters at the U.S. Capitol with obstruction. The Supreme Court on Monday granted Trump’s request to vacate a lower court’s ruling that barred the Trump administration from invoking the 1789 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals from the United States. The act allows the United States to remove “dangerous” immigrants during times of war. At least 261 migrants were deported last month, including more than 100 Venezuelans specifically under the 1789 law. The Supreme Court did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by deadline.
Dem takes aim at Trump in 2026 Senate launch video for ‘tanking our economy’
A former Democratic congressman is taking aim at President Donald Trump and Republican Sen. Thom Tills as he launches a Senate campaign in the key southeastern battleground state of North Carolina. “Trump is shredding our Constitution and tanking our economy. Thom Tillis lacks the courage to stand up to him – I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit on the sidelines,” former Rep. Wiley Nickel argued in a social media post as he declared his candidacy for the Senate on Wednesday. Nickel, an attorney who served as a staffer in former President Barack Obama’s administration before winning election as a state senator and later serving one term in Congress, is the first major Democrat to launch a campaign in the 2026 Senate race in North Carolina. THIS POPULAR FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR WHOM TRUMP URGED TO RUN PASSES ON 2026 SENATE BID IN KEY SWING STATE Democrats haven’t won a Senate election in North Carolina since 2008, but they view Tillis as vulnerable. While Trump carried the state in his 2024 presidential election victory by three points – an improvement over his razor-thin margin in 2020 – Democrats won the statewide races for governor, attorney general and secretary of state. “North Carolina needs a fighter for what’s right for our state, not a rubber stamp for Trump. That’s who Thom Tillis is,” Nickel charged in a campaign launch video posted to social media. POLL POSITION: WHERE TRUMP STANDS WITH AMERICANS 11 WEEKS INTO HIS SECOND TOUR OF DUTY IN THE WHITE HOUSE Nickel edged Republican Bo Hines in 2022 to flip a red congressional district blue. But he declined to seek re-election in 2024 after his district was redrawn to favor the GOP. In his campaign video, Nickel charged that Republicans “gerrymandered my district, so I couldn’t run again.” The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, took aim at Nickel ELON MUSK FRONT-AND-CENTER AS FIRST CANDIDATE IN KEY SENATE RACE LAUNCHES BID “Wiley Nickel is a far-left radical who wants illegal immigrants voting in our elections, drug dealers free on the streets, and parents kept from having a voice in their children’s education,” NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez said in a statement to Fox News. “He’s so out-of-touch he chose to retire instead of facing voters in a tough election year, and he will be rejected by North Carolina voters in 2026.” While Nickel is the first major candidate to enter the race, many national and North Carolina Democrats are hoping that former Gov. Roy Cooper, who in January finished his two terms in office, will also run. WHY TRUMP, MUSK, FACE BLAME OVER BALLOT BOX SET BACKS LAST WEEK Cooper, who was a popular governor, has yet to decide his next political step. North Carolina is a top target for the Democrats in 2026, along with Maine, where moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election in the blue-leaning state. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and in next year’s midterm elections they are targeting open Democrat-held seats in Michigan and New Hampshire as well as Georgia, where first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff is viewed as vulnerable.
Biden aides ‘scripted’ everything, allowed his faculties to ‘atrophy,’ new book claims
White House aides cut off outside access to former President Joe Biden, which ultimately backfired and worsened his cognitive function, according to a new book. The book, “Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” published Tuesday, claims the White House kept Biden from socializing even with those he regarded as friends and allies. “Even Biden’s acquaintances were kept at bay,” Chris Whipple, a former producer for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” wrote. “Bill Daley, former White House chief of staff to Barack Obama, paid frequent visits to one of the president’s senior advisors in the West Wing. ‘I went to the White House a dozen times,’ he told me. ‘Never once did somebody say, ‘Oh, come on in and see the president.’ Never. Everything was scripted.” EX-BIDEN AIDE SAYS FORMER PRESIDENT WAS ‘FATIGUED, BEFUDDLED, AND DISENGAGED’ PRIOR TO JUNE DEBATE: BOOK Not everyone in the White House thought it was a wise strategy, according to the book. Whipple wrote that one White House aide suggested “walling Biden off from the world was a grave mistake.” “‘They were afraid he might say the wrong thing or might feed the mental acuity narrative,’ he told me. ‘And so he started seeing fewer and fewer people. They allowed his faculties to atrophy. But I think, like knives, they have to be sharpened. They get sharpened by rubbing them up against steel. And they don’t get sharpened by sitting in a drawer,’” Whipple wrote. “Uncharted” chronicles the 2024 election cycle and the aftermath of Biden’s appearance at the presidential debate with Donald Trump June 27 that prompted Biden to bow out of the race in July. CRITICS PILE ON BIDEN FOLLOWING ABC INTERVIEW, BLAST HIS REFUSAL TO COMMIT TO COGNITIVE TEST: ‘DISQUALIFYING’ The book also details how, after the debate, Biden conducted an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos July 5 in an attempt to prove to the public his mental faculties were intact amid calls for him to exit the race. But Whipple wrote that Biden sounded “semi-coherent” during the interview, which occurred weeks before Biden withdrew his candidacy July 21. “Stephanopoulos questioned the president gently, like a grandson,” Whipple wrote. “Afterward, when I asked the ABC anchor by email for his impressions, he replied: ‘Heartbreaking up close.’” A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
WATCH: Trump’s border czar gets GOP cheers, Democratic tears at Arizona state Capitol
President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, received a warm welcome from the Republican legislature in Arizona – while Democrats walked out of the special joint session in protest within seconds of his 30-minute speech. “I think this is just another reason why it just shows again that the Democrats are totally out of touch with Americans,” Arizona Senate President Warren Peterson told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We expanded our majorities because immigration is a top issue, especially here in Arizona as a border state. I guess what’s surprising is that they keep doubling down on issues that they’re completely losing on.” State Democrats walked out while holding pieces of paper with the names of people deported under the Trump administration’s mass deportation program, as Homan appeared unfazed, saying, “I love it. Thank you for making my day. I love haters, they make my day every day.” UP TO 1M MIGRANTS WHO USED BIDEN’S CBP ONE APP ORDERED TO DEPORT BY TRUMP ADMIN “We won because of the Hispanic male voting Republican, and the Democrats are completely out with their base on this issue,” Petersen said. “So, they do have some people that are extreme, that are opposed to border security. But what I am finding is that the majority of Hispanics want Arizona to be safe and they want the borders to be secure.” Instead of attending Homan’s speech, several Democrats gathered outside the state Capitol to rally and denounce the administration’s immigration policies, with Rep. Anna Abeytia reportedly in tears as she spoke about the growing “rise of anti-immigration sentiment” in her community. State Sen. Catherine Miranda, a Democrat, called it “disturbing” that Republicans would give “a platform to someone who has caused so much harm in our community.” Miranda claimed Homan is not just responsible for deporting people, but for “kidnappings, disappearances and the deportation of individuals for reasons as unjust as having tattoos, protesting or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “Right now, they might only be going after the right to due process for immigrants, but soon they will be coming for you or your loved one’s due rights processes as well,” Miranda said in a statement. State Rep. Betty Villegas, another Democrat, called ICE “cruel” under Homan’s leadership, “even by Trump-era standards.” COLORADO DEMS ARE ‘POKING THE BEAR’ BY DEFYING TRUMP’S ORDERS, GOP LAWMAKER WARNS Homan was invited by Arizona Senate and House Republicans to talk about the status of illegal border crossings and missing migrant children. At the end of his speech, he signaled his support for state measure Proposition 314, the Secure the Border Act, passed by Arizona voters in November. “Congratulations on your immigration legislation. I know it’s being litigated, but you will win,” Homan said. Homan also said the administration is “not going to apologize” for deporting illegal immigrants through the Alien Enemies Act. “They came here to unsettle this country, to cause harm,” he said. “We will not apologize for sending two planeloads of terrorists out of this country.” MEXICAN MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING HIS CHILD TO BE DEPORTED AFTER ENCOUNTERING ICE OFFICERS IN MONTANA JAIL The Trump administration initiated deportation flights targeting alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Despite a federal judge’s order to ground the planes, the administration went ahead, arguing the flights were already en route and beyond U.S. airspace when the injunction was issued. The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration could continue deportations under the Alien Enemies Act but said deportees must be notified and allowed to challenge their removal.
Left-wing lawmaker calls Trump a ‘mofo,’ says some voters ‘disqualified’ Kamala Harris for ‘her race & or sex’
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a vociferous critic of President Donald Trump, referred to America’s sitting commander in chief as a “mofo” in a Wednesday morning post on X. The term stands for the profanity “motherf—er.” “Sooo… I’ve said this before. This election was the best example of why (Diversity Equity & Inclusion) matter,” the progressive lawmaker declared, apparently referring to the 2024 presidential contest between Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris. REP. JASMINE CROCKETT SUGGESTS THE UNITED STATES NEEDS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BECAUSE ‘WE DONE PICKING COTTON’ “For some, they just disqualified her simply due to her race & or sex… they never listened to what she had to say & were dismissive & disrespectful, while giving the benefit of the doubt to a mofo who literally said he had ‘concepts’ of a plan & flat out lied about project 2025,” she declared, adding, “He was & still is UNQUALIFIED & UNFIT to lead OUR Country.” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields has said the congresswoman’s constituents should vote her out of office. “Crockett and her followers in the Democratic Party are simply all hammer and no nail. When she’s leading the Democrats in ‘oversight,’ that’s when you know the party is in shambles. Her constituents should DOGE her in the next election,” Fields said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital by the White House in response to a comment request on Wednesday. The Dallas Morning News had previously reported Fields’ statement on Tuesday. ROLLING CONTROVERSY: FAR-LEFT DEM JASMINE CROCKETT FACES WEEK OF BACKLASH AMID ‘UNHINGED’ COMMENTS Crockett is the vice ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, according to her government website. Trump mentioned Crockett during his Tuesday night speech at a National Republican Congressional Committee event, saying if she is the Democrats’ “new star,” the party is in “serious trouble.” The left-wing lawmaker declared in a post last week that “Hate won the election!” JASMINE CROCKETT SETS OFF SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER TOUTING BEING BLACK AS QUALIFICATION FOR PUBLIC DEFENDER JOB “The hate, for frankly groups of people you’ve probably never met, allowed someone who is trying to hurt us all, even his supporters, ascend and make us less safe domestically, economically, and frankly mentally. WHAT WILL IT TAKE to get his supporters to see that this was wrong and that we, collectively, need to right the ship?!” Crockett asked.
‘Watermelon head’: Trump trolls Democratic Sen Schiff
Sen. Adam Schiff fired back late Tuesday after President Donald Trump mocked the California Democrat during a black-tie Republican dinner in Washington, D.C. “The President of the United States seems oddly focused on me,” Schiff posted after footage of Trump’s jokes made the rounds. “Shouldn’t he be focused on the economy he’s crashing?” he wrote. During the event hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) – the House Republicans’ campaign arm – Trump wove in a few insults about the Boston-born Angeleno’s appearance into a verbal indictment of his role in the 2016 Russia collusion investigation. KASH PATEL ENRAGES ADAM SCHIFF IN CLINTONIAN BATTLE OVER THE WORD ‘WE’ “Adam ‘Schifty’ Schiff – can you believe this guy?” Trump said. “He’s got the smallest neck I’ve ever seen – and the biggest head: We call him Watermelon-Head.” Trump went on to ruminate about how Schiff’s “big fat face” could “stand on a neck” the size of the president’s finger. “It’s the weirdest thing – it’s a mystery; no one can understand it.” Trump went on to call Schiff “one of the most dishonest human beings I’ve ever seen,” and wondered aloud how people like Schiff could be able to run for office. FLASHBACK: SCHIFF, WHO REPEATEDLY CLAIMED EVIDENCE OF RUSSIAN COLLUSION, DENOUNCES DURHAM REPORT AS ‘FLAWED’ “He was in charge of the fake witch hunt – with ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ – it was a made-up story,” he said, playing off the “Brady Bunch” line “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.” In 2020, Schiff managed the House’s impeachment probe into Trump, leading off his opening remarks that January by comparing former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton’s 1792 warning to then-President George Washington about future American leaders who would rise to the executive “despotic in [their] ordinary demeanor.” “When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits… known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty—when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity—to join in the cry of danger to liberty—to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion—to flatter and fall in with all the nonsense of the zealots of the day—It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind,” Schiff said at the time. Since then, he and Trump have often traded criticisms, with Trump also referring to him in the past as a “structural marvel,” with an appearance like a “finger on a basketball.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In October, Trump compared Schiff to the “enemy from within” and called him a “sleazebag” on FOX Business before lamenting that the Democrat would likely defeat former MLB star Steve Garvey for California’s open U.S. Senate seat. For his part, Schiff has also clapped back at Republicans for their criticisms – responding in July to a report that now-Vice President JD Vance had lamented campaign name-calling after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the GOP ticket “weird.” “Shifty Schiff, pencil neck and watermelon head, would like a word, JD,” Schiff responded at the time on Facebook. Fox News Digital reached out to Schiff for additional comment but did not immediately hear back.
Harris launched ‘dark-arts operation’ against opponents for VP spot in 2020, new book claims
Former Vice President Kamala Harris engaged in a “dark-arts operation” to undercut other potential running mates for former President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, according to a new book. The book, “Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House,” published April 1 by William Morrow and Company, claims that Harris spread unfavorable information about other possible vice presidential picks for Biden. “In 2020, when she beat out a crowded field to join Biden’s ticket, Harris advisers ran a dark-arts operation to undermine the competition, circulating negative information on her rivals,” write political journalists Jonathan Allen of NBC News and Amie Parnes of The Hill. TENSIONS ALLEGEDLY RISE BETWEEN BIDEN WHITE HOUSE AND HARRIS CAMPAIGN: ‘TOO MUCH IN THEIR FEELINGS’ Specifically, the book singled out Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “‘We stabbed Karen Bass a little bit. We stabbed Susan Rice a little bit. We stabbed Stacey Abrams a little bit,” one adviser said of the effort four years earlier. ‘We stabbed Gretchen Whitmer.’” The book did not delve into the specifics Harris took to undercut her opponents as they all vied for the vice presidential nomination. But any steps Harris took to undermine those women didn’t damage their relationships enough to stop them from backing her in the 2024 election. Bass endorsed Harris, and both Whitmer and Abrams appeared at Harris campaign events in 2024. Additionally, Rice also defended Harris in July after Rep. Ted Burchett, R-Tenn., described Harris as a “DEI hire.” Rice described the comment as “incredibly insulting,” in an interview with CNN. KAMALA HARRIS WAS ‘VERY ANNOYED’ WITH OBAMA AS SHE SOUGHT HIS ENDORSEMENT, BOOK REVEALS Harris, who previously served as a senator from California, has signed with CAA Speakers, which represents high-profile celebrities. CAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. “Fight” chronicles how President Donald Trump secured the White House for a second term. Allen and Parnes conducted interviews with more than 150 political insiders for the book, according to the book’s description. The book also details how former President Barack Obama remained wary of supporting Harris in the 2024 election to replace Biden, amid concerns about his mental fitness. Likewise, the book shares that Obama doubted Biden’s political abilities as the race dragged on.
Venezuelan opposition promises reparations to Laken Riley’s family, other victims of Tren de Aragua violence
FIRST ON FOX: Venezuelan opposition leader and U.S.-recognized President-elect Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia promised to offer “reparations” to Laken Riley’s family and other Americans affected by the crimes of street gang Tren de Aragua. In a letter to Riley’s family, González and fellow opposition leader María Corina Machado wrote, “Laken’s life, full of potential and promise, was tragically cut short by an individual who should have never been allowed to cross your border.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with González and Machado in January, reaffirming that Urrutia is the “legitimate president” of Venezuela. The Biden administration had previously referred to Urrutia as the “president-elect” before leaving office. In their letter, the opposition leaders called Riley’s murder a “direct consequence of Nicolás Maduro’s regime, which has fostered an environment where criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua can flourish with impunity.” FEDERAL JUDGE POSTPONES DHS’S ATTEMPT TO END TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR VENEZUELANS Urrutia vowed that, if officially installed as president, he would “hold accountable all those responsible for the devastation they have wrought, both within Venezuela and internationally.” “We intend to establish a comprehensive framework for reparations, both for the countless Venezuelans harmed by this narco-state and also for victims abroad, including your family.” Gonzales also noted that the “vast majority of Venezuelans who have sought safety in the United States are committed to upholding the law and contributing to your nation’s economy and society.” “They long for the day they can return home to reunite with their families and work toward a free and prosperous Venezuela. We look forward to welcoming them back,” they added. “Please accept this letter as a message of our deepest condolence and a solemn promise: Laken will never be forgotten. She will be remembered as an innocent victim of tyranny and a powerful catalyst for the change we are determined to bring about.” WH MAY REVERSE DECISION TO KILL BIDEN-MADURO OIL DEAL, APPLY TARIFFS INSTEAD TO AVOID HURTING US FIRMS The Trump administration was allowed to move forward with a plan to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime immigration law dating back to 1798, to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals believed to be affiliated with Tren de Aragua. Legal battles over the deportation effort intensified when a federal district court temporarily blocked the policy – prompting Trump allies to call for the impeachment of Judge James Boasberg. According to United Nations estimates, roughly 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country over the past decade, escaping economic collapse marked by hyperinflation, which peaked at 130,000% in 2018, and widespread poverty. Since taking power in 2013, Nicolás Maduro’s regime has been plagued by allegations of corruption, authoritarianism, money laundering and drug trafficking. While many nations recognized González’s election victory in July, Maduro has refused to relinquish power. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Maduro has issued an arrest warrant for González, who fled into exile in Spain last September. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus in February 2024. The suspect, José Ibarra – a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. illegally – was arrested and charged with her murder. The killing sparked nationwide outrage and led to new immigration legislation that Trump signed into law shortly after taking office this year.