Hegseth cuts Ivy League ties in military education shake-up, taps Hillsdale
FIRST ON FOX: Hillsdale College told War Secretary Pete Hegseth it would be “honored” to help educate senior U.S. military officers — aligning itself with the administration’s push to cut ties with Ivy League schools over concerns about ideological influence. In a March 30 letter to Hegseth, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn thanked the Department of War for including the school among institutions selected for the Senior Service College Fellowship Program, which sends senior military officers to civilian universities for advanced education as they prepare for top leadership roles. “Thank you for including Hillsdale College among the institutions qualified to educate America’s military leaders,” Arnn wrote, adding that he supports Hegseth’s goal of equipping the military with “the lethality necessary to protect our national interest.” The letter comes weeks after Hegseth announced the Department of War would end partnerships with several elite universities, including Harvard and Princeton, arguing that “woke” ideology had weakened military education. HEGSETH ENDING MILITARY EDUCATION TIES WITH HARVARD AMID TRUMP FEUD: ‘WE TRAIN WARRIORS, NOT WOKESTERS’ A February memorandum shows the Department of War canceled 93 fellowship positions across 22 institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Georgetown, Columbia and Princeton. “We train warriors, not wokesters,” Hegseth said at the time. Hegseth himself is a graduate of Princeton University and later earned a degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School. In their place, the Pentagon is steering officers toward a new set of schools, including Hillsdale, Liberty University, George Mason University, Pepperdine University and Texas-based Baylor University, along with large public universities such as the University of Florida, Auburn University and the University of North Carolina. The new list also includes senior military colleges such as The Citadel and Virginia Tech, as well as Pentagon-affiliated programs like the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies in Alaska. The institutions were selected based on criteria including “intellectual freedom,” limited ties to foreign adversaries and alignment with the department’s mission, according to the memo. WHY ELITE COLLEGES FEAR TRUMP AND MCMAHON’S NEW ACADEMIC COMPACT TYING FUNDING TO FREE SPEECH In his letter, Arnn pointed to Hillsdale’s curriculum and mission, saying the school emphasizes the U.S. Constitution and the “political philosophy of the West.” He also echoed criticism of higher education, writing that “anti-American ideologies” have “infect(ed) so many of our colleges and universities.” Arnn said Hillsdale “refuses all government money to preserve its independence” and that any role in the program would be funded through private sources. The shift away from traditional academic partners marks a significant change in how senior military officers may receive advanced education, with the administration steering the program toward institutions that more closely align with its views on education and national identity. Hillsdale has also worked with the White House on initiatives tied to America’s 250th anniversary, including contributing historical material for the administration’s “Freedom Trucks” campaign and collaborating on a video series featuring President Donald Trump. It remains unclear when the Department of War will finalize new partnerships under the program or how many officers will ultimately be sent to schools like Hillsdale.
Meet the Fairfax killers: Top violent illegal alien criminals wreaking havoc on major American suburb
Democratic leaders in Virginia’s most populous county are facing criticism over an ongoing “epidemic” of violence by illegal immigrants that has left 13 dead in a major American suburb near the nation’s capital. Seven illegal immigrants have been arrested in Fairfax County, a suburb of Washington, D.C., in recent years for violent attacks ranging from infanticide to a machete killing and gang activity. Despite these arrests, critics of Fairfax County leaders say they are prioritizing criminal illegal immigrants over Americans’ safety by maintaining sanctuary-type policies that limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Virginia’s new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is also facing criticism for a day-one executive order that reversed the state’s policy of cooperating with ICE. One critic, Katie Gorka, chair of the Fairfax County GOP, referred to the spate of violence as an “epidemic” ravaging her community. She blamed local Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and the Democratic-controlled Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. ‘VIRGINIA FATHER’ CHARGED WITH MURDERING INFANT DAUGHTER IS ILLEGAL ALIEN, SAYS DHS Meet the illegal immigrants behind the ongoing spate of violence in Fairfax County. ICE has lodged a detainer, or request to hold, with the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office for Misael Lopez Gomez, 28, who is charged with murder and felony child abuse for allegedly killing his 3-month-old daughter. According to the Fairfax County Police Department, the 3-month-old was in the care of Lopez Gomez at the time of the incident at a home in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia. The department said that during the investigation, detectives and hospital staff observed evidence consistent with abuse. Preliminary results from an autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma. Lauren Bis, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, called Lopez Gomez a “cold blooded killer” and “monster.” DHS said Lopez Gomez crossed the border into the country illegally in New Mexico in July 2023, under the Biden administration. The same week, ICE lodged a detainer request asking Fairfax County not to release Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, 38, following his arrest in connection with a fatal stabbing the prior weekend. ICE PRESSURES SPANBERGER AS FAIRFAX MURDER SUSPECTS TRIGGER NEW DETAINERS IN ‘SANCTUARY’ CLASH Chavarria Muy is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing, which also took place in a home in Bailey’s Crossroads. Local outlet WUSA9 reported that officers responding to the scene found a man with multiple stab wounds inside the home. The man was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. According to DHS, Chavarria Muy is in the U.S. illegally and entered the country at an unknown place and time. A month before Chavarria Muy’s arrest, Fairfax County Police arrested and charged Abdul Jalloh, 32, with second-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 41-year-old Virginia woman named Stephanie Minter. Officers responding to the incident, which took place at a bus stop in the Hybla Valley neighborhood in Fairfax County, found her with multiple stab wounds in her upper body. She was pronounced dead at the scene on Feb. 23. Surveillance footage captured Jalloh and Minter exiting a bus at the stop where she was killed, and Fairfax County detectives determined Jalloh was allegedly responsible for the stabbing. He is charged with second-degree murder. He is also charged with larceny that occurred the day after the fatal stabbing. According to DHS, Jalloh is an illegal alien from Sierra Leone who entered the U.S. illegally under the Obama administration in 2012. DHS said that before his arrest for murder, Jalloh had been arrested more than 30 times and faced charges including rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny, firing a weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pickpocketing. On Dec. 19, DHS said it “vehemently condemns Fairfax County’s sanctuary policies” after Salvadoran illegal immigrant Marvin Fernando Morales Ortez, 23, was charged with second-degree murder for a fatal shooting the day after the agency said local authorities released him after declining to honor a detainer request. DHS said ICE had lodged a detainer request for Morales Ortez after he was arrested for assault and brandishing a firearm on Sept. 14. Morales Ortez had prior arrests for aggravated assault of a police officer, larceny and disorderly conduct, according to DHS. Morales Ortez was charged with second-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting at a home in Reston, Virginia, which is in Fairfax County. He illegally entered the U.S. in Sept. 2016 near Hidalgo, Texas. DHS said he was released into the country by the Obama administration and that in 2022, the Biden administration dismissed his immigration proceedings and marked him as a non-enforcement priority. Maldin Anibal Guzman, 27, a Honduran illegal immigrant, was convicted of second-degree murder by mob in connection with a July 2024 killing in Oakton, within Fairfax County. Local outlet ABC7 reported that Guzman was given a plea deal by Descano’s office, allowing him to serve only five years in prison. Local affiliate Fox 5 reported that Guzman entered the country illegally through the Texas border under the first Trump administration in 2018. The outlet said that ICE lodged multiple detainers for Guzman with the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office that were not honored, allowing Guzman back into the community before the mob murder. Elmer De Jesus Alas Candray, 28–29, a Salvadoran illegal immigrant and member of the MS-13 gang, was convicted of six murders, including conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise; five counts each of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering; and three counts of using a firearm during a violent crime resulting in death. Five of the murders took place in Fairfax County from 2018 to 2022. The killings were carried out by Candray and co-conspirators using pistols and machetes. One of the killings, which took place in Reston in 2020, involved Candray and co-conspirators luring a young woman under false pretenses and taking turns shooting her in the face. In Herndon, a
Trump reveals Iran made ‘significant proposal’ after ultimatum, but ‘not good enough’
President Donald Trump said Iran negotiators made “a significant proposal, a significant step,” following the ultimatum he issued on Easter Sunday, but it is not “good enough.” “They made a proposal, and it’s a significant proposal, a significant step,” Trump told reporters at the Easter Egg Roll on Monday, a White House tradition that comes amid the backdrop of war. “It’s not good enough, but it’s a very significant step,” Trump continued. “They are negotiating now. And they have made a very significant step. We’ll see what happens.” This is a developing report. Check back here for updates.
Newsom’s California rail project now expected to cost $126B, official admits, with still no tracks laid
California’s delayed, over-budget high-speed train from Los Angeles to San Francisco is running fast in only one direction: Rising costs to even get rolling, which are now estimated to be $126 billion. “Today, we estimate with the right optimization just over $125 billion,” California High Speed Rail Authority board member Anthony Williams told CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday. “I think $126 billion is the current estimate for that.” That is nearly four times the $33 billion price tag presented to voters in 2008, making the long-delayed project a black eye for Democratic-run California, derided as the latest political example of “waste” in deep-blue America and a “train to nowhere.” “We’re now in 2026: There are no trains; there’s no track laid; it was a complete bait and switch,” Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., told “60 Minutes,” saying the project “needs to stop.” NEWSOM TOUTS CALIFORNIA’S NUMEROUS LEGAL FIGHTS WITH TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IN FINAL STATE OF THE STATE “The California high-speed rail nightmare is the probably quintessential example of government waste and mismanagement.” California’s long-troubled high-speed rail project is facing renewed scrutiny after state Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin acknowledged that many of its critics have a point. “There were mistakes made,” Omishakin told CBS. “Some of the criticisms on this project, I think, are very fair.” TRUMP ADMIN UNCOVERS ‘STAGGERING’ $8.6 BILLION IN SUSPECTED CALIFORNIA SMALL BUSINESS FRAUD “I don’t think the voters fully understood, and neither did we in the public sector, what it was going to take to actually get this project delivered,” Omishakin added. Taking aim at California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, President Donald Trump called California’s project “the worst cost overrun, I’ve ever seen,” a statement he has in the past reserved for Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell’s Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C. “This administration is working to usher in a Golden Age of Transportation,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CBS in a statement. “That vision includes high speed rail and we’re exploring opportunities to efficiently build that infrastructure in America. NEWSOM’S FAILED LEADERSHIP HAS LET CALIFORNIA BECOME A LAND OF FRAUD AND SCAMS “What this administration won’t stand for is boondoggle projects like Newsom’s Train to Nowhere that wasted billions in taxpayer dollars yet delivered nothing to the American people,” Duffy said. “Under President Trump, America is building again. We defunded Newsom’s disaster and created the first Trump Infrastructure Dividend. Those dollars will now actually fund critical projects that enhance safety on rail networks across America.” Newsom himself cast doubt on the full San Francisco-to-Los Angeles plan in 2019, and the project now faces a funding gap of roughly $90 billion. “For $10 billion, Elon Musk put 300 rockets in orbit; for $11 billion, the state of California has built 1,600 feet of elevated rail with no rail,” Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar said in 2024. State officials say they remain confident more money can be found to dump into the project, but for now California’s high-speed rail stands as a costly symbol of ambition, delay and deep public skepticism. ‘THE DAILY SHOW’ ROASTS GAVIN NEWSOM ON HOMELESSNESS, HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN SATIRICAL ‘LEADING MAN’ VIDEO “The ultimate 494 miles of building this out without the federal government’s help will be challenging: There’s no doubt about that,” Omishakin said. Nearly two decades since the start of the project, no track has been laid, and the only major visible progress is on a Central Valley segment between Bakersfield and Merced, according to the report. The project’s earliest projected opening is now 2033, far later than originally promised. Critics, including Bakersfield’s Fong, a member of the House Transportation Committee, want the project completely “stopped.” CALIFORNIA IS BROKE, BUT IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR THE REST OF US “The business plan that was put out in 2008 was very theoretical,” Fong said. “You know, ‘This is what we think is gonna happen.’ “And it became very clear that they didn’t have the specifics worked out.” Fong has sought oversight and accountability on the waste, including 597 change orders that have cost more than $2.3 billion alone as of November 2025, which is nearly 7% of the initial $33 billion project estimate. “Taxpayers deserve full transparency and accountability,” Fong wrote in a statement in February. “The high-speed rail nightmare is a glaring example of structural mismanagement. “Reckless, repeated contract amendments have squandered resources and precious tax dollars. Hardworking California taxpayers cannot afford to let this continue. This project should be canceled before even more money and time are wasted.”
Behind ‘No Kings’ St Paul protest: $250K production machine equal to a Def Leppard concert
When anti-Trump protesters took to the streets across the country in late March for rallies branded as “No Kings,” CNN reported that anti-Trump protests had “popped up” nationwide, including at the Minnesota State Capitol. But a Fox News Digital investigation reveals that nine vendors were paid an estimated $250,000 to build a professionally-sophisticated protest infrastructure behind the “flagship” event held in St. Paul, and a former Obama and Biden administration political and communications strategist, Roger Fisk, took credit for being the “Senior Advisor to the #NoKings flagship event,” fine-tuning the “art and science” of throwing the protest, along with two other “No Kings” protests last year. The machine behind the protest included deploying about 30 semi-trucks to deliver concert-level equipment, a massive mobile stage, nearly a mile of heavy-duty feeder cable used to distribute electricity throughout the rally site, scores of porta-toilets and folding chairs, eight jumbo screens, high-speed internet and bike-rack barriers to keep the crowds away from the stage, filled with bold-faced celebrities, including rock star Bruce Springsteen, actress Jane Fonda and singer Joan Baez. The operation amounted to a massive buildout that resembled the setup for an outdoor music festival or Def Leppard concert, according to the event’s vendors, most of whom requested anonymity. The logistical details behind the event illustrate how modern protests increasingly resemble professionally produced public events rather than spontaneous grassroots demonstrations. The investigation reveals a rare behind-the-scenes view of the infrastructure, funding and logistics that power the modern day protest industry, details organizers rarely disclose. 500 GROUPS WITH $3B IN REVENUES ARE BEHIND THE #NOKINGS PROTESTS AND COMMUNIST CALL FOR ‘REVOLUTION’ As Fox News Digital previously reported, about 500 organizations with an estimated $3 billion in annual revenues sponsored, endorsed and participated in the nationwide protest. The network includes stalwart Democratic nonprofits, including Indivisible, MoveOn and the ACLU, which have received millions of dollars over the years from billionaire George Soros and his Open Society philanthropies. Another network tied to the protests includes pro-communist groups, like the People’s Forum, CodePink, the ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, backed by American-born tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, who lives in Shanghai, promoting messaging aligned with the Chinese Communist Party, President Xi Jinping and the People’s Republic of China. Notably, anti-American rhetoric from China labeling the United States as “fascist,” “rogue” and “autocratic” has been parroted by these groups and surfaced as a recurring theme in the St. Paul protest, where communist and socialist organizations flew the flags of Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. Singham didn’t respond to a request for comment. POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM It’s understood that Indivisible footed most of the bill for the St. Paul protest, sources said. Nancy Snow, author of the book “Propaganda and Persuasion,” told Fox News Digital that it’s important to follow the money on all aspects of political communication, including protests. “We are in an age of cognitive warfare, in which there is a competition to shape how people think, and it’s always important to follow the money because it tells you who is setting the agenda and amplifying the message,” she said. “Following the money doesn’t automatically invalidate the grievances of citizens who show up for a protest. Both things can be true at once.” About 24 hours before demonstrators arrived with signs calling the U.S. a “fascist” nation, a different scene unfolded on the Capitol grounds, with semi-trucks loaded with equipment rolling into the State Capitol. ‘NO KINGS’ CALLS ITSELF LEADERLESS, BUT ITS OWN INTERNAL DOCUMENTS TELL A VERY DIFFERENT STORY “You need a platform for people to stand on and a way for people to be seen and heard in order to reach everybody,” Matt Svobodny, a production manager with Slamhammer Sound & Roadcase Co., a live-event production company based in nearby St. Louis Park, Minn., told Fox News Digital. “And, in order to do that, you need professionals that know what they’re doing and are going to do it also safe for all the people…,” he said. “So you can’t just have people with good intentions and no idea what they’re doing.” A longtime professional, Svobodny provided a rare warehouse tour of the elements required to make the protest happen. Svobodny said crews began physical setup around 8 a.m. Friday and continued working until after midnight, returning in early morning. Along with the mobile concert stage and cable, the system they assembled included about 100 speakers and extensive lighting equipment. Three vendors supplied eight large video screens across the Capitol grounds so people far from the stage at the far end near Martin Luther King Boulevard could see the speakers. Additional delay speakers were positioned farther back from the stage so that speeches would remain synchronized across the large audience area, he said. For security reasons, the stage was partially fitted with ballistic bullet-resistant glass to protect the speakers. “It has all the elements and infrastructure of a music festival,” Svobodny said. Permit records, obtained by Fox News Digital, identify the organizing entity for the event as the “No Kings Coalition and Indivisible Twin Cities.” Indivisible is the brand name for several powerful Democratic groups: Indivisible Action, a political action committee; Indivisible Project, a 501(c)(4) with $10.4 million in revenues; and Indivisible Action, a 501(c)(3) with $5.2 million in revenues. The permit application listed a local leader, Kris Ragozzino, as the applicant and described the rally as a program including “speakers, artists and musicians.” The production itself relied on a network of specialized vendors, each responsible for a different component of the rally’s infrastructure. The estimated total for the logistical expenses was $250,000, sources said. Svobodny said he worked mostly with Ragozzino and Fisk, a former advance man for presidential trips in the Obama and Biden administrations. In a post on LinkedIn after the protest, Fisk described himself as a “Senior Advisor to the #NoKings flagship event.” In the post, Fisk recalled the “complexity” of organizing
President Trump makes endorsement in California gubernatorial race: ‘He will be a GREAT Governor’
President Donald Trump has endorsed Steve Hilton in the California gubernatorial race. “I have known and respected Steve Hilton, who is running for Governor of California, for many years. He is a truly fine man, one who has watched as this once great State has gone to Hell,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post about Hilton, a former Fox News host, on Monday. “Gavin Newscum and the Democrats have done an absolutely horrendous job. People are fleeing, crime is increasing, and Taxes are the highest of any State in the Country, maybe the World. Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so! With Federal help, and a Great Governor, like Steve Hilton, California can be better than ever before! Steve Hilton has my COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT. He will be a GREAT Governor and, importantly, WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!!!” the president declared in the post. VANCE ANTI-FRAUD TASK FORCE SUSPENDS 221 CALIFORNIA HOSPICE AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS SO FAR Fox News Digital reached out to Hilton’s campaign and to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Monday. Hilton, a Republican, is running in a crowded jungle primary that includes candidates from both sides of the political aisle. The top two candidates in the June 2, 2026, primary will advance to the general election. Some of the Democratic candidates seeking the governorship include Biden-era Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becera, Rep. Eric Swalwell and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. MEDIA PERSONALITY STEVE HILTON ENTERS CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE Trump’s full-throated endorsement of Hilton may hurt Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is one of the other Republicans running for the role. Hilton and Bianco had been the top two contenders in some public opinion polls, giving Republicans hope that no Democrat would finish in the primary’s top two positions. That scenario may be less likely now, as Hilton’s support is likely to rise and Bianco’s drop in light of the president’s endorsement. “Trump kills any GOP hopes of an R vs R runoff in the California governor’s race,” Rob Pyers of California Target Book wrote in a post on X regarding the president’s endorsement of Hilton. “Trump’s endorsement of Steve Hilton likely frees up tens of millions of dollars for Democratic groups who would have otherwise had to spend heavily to elevate one of the two leading GOP gubernatorial candidates to avoid a Democratic lockout,” Pyers wrote in another post. BIANCO SAYS ‘DEMOCRAT POLICY IS INDEFENSIBLE’ AS GOP CANDIDATES TOP CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR POLLING Hilton became a U.S. citizen in 2021, and renounced his U.K. citizenship in 2025, he noted during an interview with GB News.
Ayanna Pressley ripped for calling evictions an ‘act of violence’
A House Democrat is facing backlash for comparing evictions to violence, despite appearing to benefit from rental income tied to her husband’s growing real estate portfolio. “Eviction is an act of violence,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said in a video posted to social media Thursday. “And we have to do everything to prevent it.” “It degrades the health of communities. There is great stigma associated with it,” she continued. “Housing is a human right.” Pressley, a progressive lawmaker and member of the “Squad,” has long advocated for rent cancellation legislation and pushed for an eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic. She introduced legislation Wednesday that would prevent evictions from being factored into credit reporting and fund legal assistance for those at risk of eviction. SQUAD MEMBER BRANDS ICE ‘RACIST’ AND ‘ROGUE’ IN CALL TO ABOLISH AGENCY Her sales pitch is falling flat with supporters of free markets and conservatives. “Great. When can I move into your house for free?” journalist Brad Polumbo wrote in response to Pressley’s statement. “The only violence in this statement is what Ayanna Pressley is doing to the meaning of words and the English language,” conservative commentator Steve Guest added. A spokesperson for Pressley emphasized the congresswoman’s perspective on evictions in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Evictions are destabilizing life events with devastating consequences for the physical, financial, and mental wellbeing of those being evicted, who are disproportionately women and families with young children,” the spokesperson said. Pressley, a four-term lawmaker, has previously faced charges of hypocrisy for pushing rent-relief policies while appearing to profit from her husband’s status as a landlord. GET OFF MY LAWN! 5 TIMES SQUATTERS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF UNWITTING HOMEOWNERS IN 2024 According to Pressley’s 2024 financial disclosure, Pressley and her husband reported up to $8 million in combined assets derived from four Massachusetts rental properties. Pressley’s spouse earned up to $350,000 in rental income and a property sale, according to the congresswoman’s 2024 financial disclosure form. The rentals include a house on Martha’s Vineyard worth more than $1 million. The couple sold a one-bedroom condo in Fort Lauderdale in 2024 valued at under $500,000. The Massachusetts Democrat also raised eyebrows in February for comparing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to members of the Ku Klux Klan. “In the same way that the KKK cannot be reformed, another — you know, masked militia group — I do not believe that ICE can be reformed and that this has anything to do with training and protocols,” Pressley said in an interview.
GOP races to pass ICE, Border Patrol funding bill as priorities pile up, divisions emerge
A party-line tactic to ram legislation through Congress and bypass the Senate filibuster has become a dumping ground for Republicans’ legislative priorities throughout the year. Now, as Democrats refuse to fund immigration operations, Republicans are once again readying a budget reconciliation package. The hard part will be getting enough of the GOP on the same page to craft a bill that can pass and survive the strict rules underpinning the process. Republicans used the same process to pass President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” last year. It’s a time-consuming, labor-intensive legislative maneuver that nearly blew up and could fail unless both the Senate and House align on what exactly they want to include. SENATE PASSES BILL TO FUND MOST OF DHS AFTER HOUSE GOP CAVES Trump officially backed using reconciliation again this week as a way to skirt Democrats’ refusal to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as Congress inches closer to ending the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. Trump demanded that Republicans get the bill on his desk by June 1. “We are going to work as fast and as focused as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won’t be able to stop us,” Trump said on Truth Social. Still, Republicans have viewed reconciliation as a vehicle to tackle fraud, affordability, Trump’s tariff authorities, additional tax provisions, healthcare, funding for the Iran war, supplemental agriculture spending and election integrity measures in the months since passing the “big, beautiful bill.” DHS SHUTDOWN BREAKTHROUGH COMES AT COST FOR REPUBLICANS AS FUNDING FIGHTS NEARS END Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has warned that if reconciliation is going to work — especially given the limited timeframe lawmakers have to start and finish the process — Republicans need to “keep our expectations realistic.” “Our theory of the case behind all this was to keep that thing as narrow and focused as possible, and that maximizes the speed at which we can do it and the support for it,” Thune said. “There will probably be some attempts to add things,” he continued. “There are things out there that, obviously, many of us are interested in. But on a reconciliation vehicle like this — which we need to move with haste, as the president has pointed out — it’s probably not a likely magnet for all these other issues.” Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told voters at an event this week in South Carolina that he is eyeing two new reconciliation packages, which could ease concerns about cramming all the GOP’s priorities into one massive bill. GOP RAILS AGAINST ‘S— SANDWICH’ DEAL AS ALL EYES TURN TO HOUSE TO END DHS SHUTDOWN “We want to do it quick — ICE, Border Patrol — fund it as much as you can, multi-year,” Graham said. “Then there’s another one coming. I just made news. There’s another one coming in the fall, and that’s going to be about going after fraud.” House Republicans spent their recent policy retreat earlier this year pushing a so-called “reconciliation 2.0,” gearing up to load the package with several provisions that could drain time and struggle to earn support in the Senate — where strict guidelines could kill proposals entirely if they don’t comply with the rules. The Republican Study Committee (RSC), which has long called for a second reconciliation bill, also wants to add proposals addressing affordability concerns. “We support pursuing funding for military readiness and Homeland Security through this legislative process, while simultaneously codifying the president’s agenda to deliver lower costs for working families,” the RSC Steering Committee said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Some Republicans are also pushing to include the latest policy fight: the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The voter ID and citizenship verification legislation has no chance of passing the Senate given unified Democratic opposition. It’s also unlikely to survive the Senate’s reconciliation rules, which allow only provisions that directly impact spending. “I think we have to set our sights a little bit lower on this reconciliation bill,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital. “It’s got to be targeted to fund ICE for 10 years — I think that’s the number one thing for us. If we can nibble at the edges of the SAVE Act, that would be great, but the parliamentarian is not going to let us do the SAVE Act. That’s just an impossibility.” Some of the loudest proponents of the bill in the House GOP acknowledge that adding the SAVE Act to reconciliation would be a challenge — largely because they would prefer to keep the bill intact and push it through the Senate. “Look, it’s time for them to do a walk-and-talk and filibuster, and let’s make this thing happen,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said. “The American people are watching — piecing it together just to try to get a piece.”
Why the Strait of Hormuz matters as Trump issues fresh ultimatum to Iran
Few places on the planet matter more to the global economy than the Strait of Hormuz. That’s why President Donald Trump has given Iran until Tuesday to allow all vessels through the key waterway — or face strikes on critical infrastructure, as fuel costs climb worldwide. In a profanity-laced post on Truth Social, Trump wrote on Sunday: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F—–’ Strait, you crazy b——-, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.” “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!” he wrote in a second post. Trump also said he will hold a press conference at the White House on Monday alongside military officials. SAN FRANCISCO BECOMES FIRST US CITY WHERE DIESEL PRICES TOP $8 A GALLON At just 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, the waterway between Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s most critical energy choke points. It carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day, along with about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas. It’s also a key artery for refined fuels. The Middle East exports about 1.1 million barrels per day of jet fuel — roughly 15% to 17% of global consumption — according to Jaime Brito, executive director of refining and oil products at OPIS. Much of that supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation is already sending oil, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices sharply higher worldwide. As of April 5, the national average for regular gasoline stood at $4.11 per gallon, according to AAA — up 86 cents from a month earlier. On the West Coast, drivers are seeing the highest costs, with prices reaching $5.92 per gallon in California and $5.37 in Washington. WHERE GAS PRICES ARE RISING FASTEST AS TRUMP ISSUES FRESH WARNING TO IRAN On the East Coast, gas prices are exceeding $4 in several areas, including $4.27 in Washington, D.C., and $4.06 in New York. In the Midwest, Illinois stands out at $4.29 per gallon, while much of the region remains in the mid-$3 range. Southern states remain cheaper overall, though prices are rising. Texas and South Carolina are averaging $3.82, while Florida is higher at $4.20. Diesel has climbed to $5.61, up about $1.45 over the past month. As a key fuel for freight, shipping and public transportation, it is especially sensitive to supply disruptions. In San Francisco, prices have surged even higher. For the first time on record, average diesel costs have surpassed $8 per gallon, according to GasBuddy — an unprecedented milestone for any U.S. city. Additionally, jet fuel prices in the U.S. have more than doubled in a matter of weeks as Middle East tensions squeeze supply. THE UNLIKELY TOOL TRUMP IS EYEING TO TACKLE RISING OIL PRICES AMID THE IRAN CONFLICT Prices jumped from about $2.11 in January to $4.88 per gallon by April 2, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index, a daily benchmark tracking prices in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York. Jet fuel — one of airlines’ largest expenses — is especially volatile due to thin inventories, specialized storage and limited spot trading. That can amplify price swings when supply tightens. Airlines have warned that inventories could run dry within weeks, raising the risk of higher airfares and flight cancellations.
Primary pause, political firestorm: High-stakes elections this month take center stage
The ballot box battle for the House majority resumes this week. Special U.S. House contests in Georgia and New Jersey and a Virginia referendum that is the latest face-off between President Donald Trump and Republicans and Democrats in the high-stakes congressional redistricting wars — with the House majority on the line — will all draw national attention this month. Also on tap in April: a state Supreme Court election in battleground Wisconsin. The consequential elections come as the 2026 primary calendar, which kicked off in March, takes a break this month before returning with a vengeance in May. TRUMP-BACKED FULLER ADVANCES IN RACE TO FILL MTG’S CONGRESSIONAL SEAT Here’s a closer look at the four ballot box showdowns. Trump-backed Republican House candidate Clay Fuller faces off with Democratic candidate Shawn Harris to fill a vacant congressional district in solidly red northwest Georgia that was once held by MAGA firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene. Harris, a retired brigadier general and cattle farmer, and Fuller, a local prosecutor and Air National Guard member, were the top two finishers in a field of 17 candidates, including 12 Republicans, in the early March special election. With no candidate topping 50%, Harris and Fuller advanced to a runoff. SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’S OLD SEAT IN CONGRESS HEADS INTO OVERTIME The special election comes as Republicans cling to a razor-thin 218–214 majority in the House. That means the GOP cannot afford any surprises or allow Democrats to pull an upset in a district that extends from Atlanta’s northwest exurbs to Georgia’s northwestern border with Alabama and northern border with Tennessee, which Trump carried by 37 points in his 2024 presidential victory. Fuller, who is expected to consolidate the Republican vote that was divided in the first round, is considered the clear frontrunner in the race. But if Harris holds Fuller’s margin to the mid-teens or less, national Democrats will argue the election is the latest in the 14 months since Trump returned to the White House in which they’ve overperformed. The congressional seat was left vacant when Greene stepped down at the beginning of January. Greene quit Congress with a year left in her term, after a very public falling out with Trump mostly over her push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. While officially a non-partisan contest, state Supreme Court elections in the Midwestern battleground have become extremely partisan in recent years. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL With the court’s majority on the line in last year’s contests, outside money poured in and out-of-state door knockers blanketed Wisconsin. One of the biggest spenders was Trump ally Elon Musk, who headlined a rally days before the election and donned a cheesehead hat worn by fans of the Green Bay Packers. Democrats won that election by a larger-than-expected margin and currently hold a 4-3 majority on Wisconsin’s highest court. With a conservative justice retiring, the majority isn’t at stake in this year’s election, although liberals with a win could expand their majority to 5-2. But if the conservative candidate wins, or keeps it close, the GOP may claim a moral victory. Republican Joe Hathaway, a local mayor, is hoping to pull off an upset in the special election to fill the congressional seat left vacant after now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down after winning last November’s gubernatorial election. Hathaway, who was unopposed in February’s primary, faces off in the election against Democrat Analilia Mejia, a progressive organizer backed by left-wing champions Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Mejia pulled off an upset, narrowly edging out front-runner former Rep. Tom Malinowski in a field of 11 candidates. The face-off was one of the latest between progressives and more mainstream Democrats. The 11th Congressional District in northern New Jersey‘s New York City suburbs was once the kind of seat where Republicans excelled at the ballot box. Hathaway, who has pointed out his differences with Trump, is the type of Republican who could attract crossover voters. Add in that Mejia may be too far to the left for some voters in the district, and there’s a chance for some intrigue on Election Day. Voters in Virginia are casting ballots on a Democrat-pushed referendum that would give the competitive state up to four more left-leaning U.S. House districts in time for this year’s midterm elections. That could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in the state’s U.S. House delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge. With two weeks until Election Day, early voting is surging, according to officials, with turnout outpacing early voting from last autumn’s general election. Despite being vastly outraised by Democrats, Republicans see positive signs in early turnout. Republicans call the Democrats’ redistricting effort an “unconstitutional power grab.” Democrats counter that it’s a necessary step to balance out partisan gerrymandering already implemented in other states by the GOP. Virginia is the latest redistricting battleground, with Florida on deck, to alter congressional maps ahead of November’s elections. Republicans are defending their razor-thin House majority in the midterms, and Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to win back control of the chamber. That means the redistricting efforts in Virginia and other states may very well decide which party controls the House next year.