Court of Appeals to hear oral arguments in high-profile deportation suit involving Venezuelan nationals
The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments Monday on whether a lower court can properly address the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Venezuelan nationals via a 1798 wartime law. The administration asked for a stay pending appeal shortly after an initial March 15 order was issued, calling it a “massive, unauthorized imposition on the Executive’s authority to remove dangerous aliens who pose threats to the American people.” The Trump administration had attempted to invoke a 1798 wartime authority to deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), for a period of 14 days. COURT ORDER HALTING DEPORTATION FLIGHTS ‘UNCONSTITUTIONALLY IMPEDES’ EXECUTIVE BRANCH, TRUMP ALLIES ARGUE Last week, Obama-appointed, D.C.-based Judge James Boasberg issued an order to immediately halt any planned deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. A plane carrying hundreds of U.S. migrants, including Venezuelan nationals removed under the law, arrived in El Salvador hours later despite the order. Boasberg held a Monday evening fact-finding hearing, where he ordered the Trump administration to submit more information on the flights, including information on how planes departed the U.S. that were carrying any people who were deported “solely on the basis” of that proclamation, how many individuals were on each plane, where the planes landed and what time each plane took off from the U.S., and from where. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS FEDERAL JUDGE IT MIGHT INVOKE STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE Boasberg imposed a Tuesday noon deadline to submit the information and also ordered the parties to appear in court again on Friday. In a reply brief submitted to the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday, the government said “the district court is continuing to attempt to pry sensitive information from the Government. All of the district court’s orders should be stayed, and the Executive Branch’s standing as a coequal branch of Government should be respected.” The Trump administration called the additional requests “intrusive inquiries that could hamper negotiations in the future.” The government repeatedly failed to comply with the order to submit additional information, citing national security issues. Boasberg then said the government could submit the information under seal by Thursday. JUDICIAL HALT OF DEPORTATION FLIGHTS PUTS US FOREIGN POLICY AT RISK, CAREER STATE DEPT OFFICIAL CLAIMS In a Thursday evening order, Boasberg slammed the administration after it missed his deadline, saying it “again evaded its obligations” to submit the requested information. Boasberg wrote in his order that the government had, instead, sent a six-paragraph declaration from a regional ICE office director in Harlingen, Texas, which notified the court that Cabinet secretaries are “actively considering whether to invoke the state secrets [act] privileges over the other facts requested by the Court’s order.” Boasberg called the submission “woefully insufficient.” Judges Karen Henderson, Patricia Millett and Justin Walker will preside over the Monday oral arguments. Two of the three judges were nominated by Republican presidents, with Henderson appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and Walker by Trump in 2020. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Millett was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013. Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch and David Spunt contributed to this report.
First on Fox: Republican senators urged to ‘go on offense’ on DOGE goals, highlight work with Trump, Musk
EXCLUSIVE: The Senate Republican campaign committee is calling on GOP senators to showcase the mission of President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk to “eliminate wasteful spending” by the federal government. In a memo shared first with Fox News on Monday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is urging senators to spotlight that Trump’s recently created Department of Government Efficiency, better known by its acronym DOGE, is pushing to “streamline federal operations, eliminate wasteful spending, and reduce the size of the bloated federal bureaucracy.” The memo points to recent national surveys, including the latest Fox News poll, that indicate majority support by Americans to tackle federal waste and fraud and downsize the government. WHAT AMERICANS SAY ABOUT DOGE IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL But those same surveys also point to the public’s dissatisfaction with how DOGE is carrying out its mission, including major cuts to the federal government workforce. And the polls indicate that Americans hold an unfavorable view of Musk, the world’s richest person and the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, whom Trump picked to steer DOGE. WHAT RATE THE JOB TRUMP’S DOING TWO MONTHS INTO HIS SECOND TOUR OF DUTY IN THE WHITE HOUSE DOGE has swept through federal agencies during the first two months of the Trump administration, rooting out what the White House argues was billions in wasteful federal spending. Additionally, it has taken a meat cleaver to the federal workforce, resulting in a massive downsizing of employees. The moves by DOGE grabbed tons of national attention and have triggered a slew of lawsuits in response. The Democratic National Committee as well as congressional Democrats have repeatedly targeted both DOGE and Musk. “Trump’s Firing Spree Devastates Veterans, Children with Disabilities – and His Own Supporters,” the subject line of a recent DNC email to supporters claimed. But the NRSC, pointing to the polls which indicate the popularity of the DOGE mission, calls on GOP senators to “drive the message that President Trump and Senate Republicans are undoing the Biden-Harris spending that drove inflation and higher costs of living.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING The NRSC also emphasizes that senators and their communications staff should highlight the “overall popularity of cutting wasteful spending” and offer “numerous examples of egregious waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government.” The NRSC also calls on senators and their staff to “work with Musk, the DOGE team, and Cabinet secretaries to identify any mistakes, request quick action, and communicate as one team.” And Senate Republican communications staff are urged to “make suggestions about potential cuts publicly and privately. Be a leader on cuts your Senator is passionate about through regional and new media.” Looking ahead to next year’s midterm elections, when the GOP aims to expand its 53-47 majority in the chamber, the NRSC emphasizes that “Senate Republicans have one job: lock arms with the White House, amplify this fight, and ride this wave to victory in 2026.” And the NRSC warns that “the alternative – fracture, waffling, silence – cedes trust, voters, and the narrative to Democrats.”
Hollywood takes shots at Trump while celebrating Conan O’Brien amid Kennedy Center shake-up
Members of Hollywood took shots at President Donald Trump on Sunday while gathered in Washington, D.C., for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to honor television host and comedian Conan O’Brien, weeks after Trump unveiled sweeping changes to the structure of the Kennedy Center. Trump, who removed the Kennedy Center’s leadership in February, is now serving as the Kennedy Center Board Chair. New members on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees include second lady Usha Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino. Comedian Sarah Silverman took aim at Trump several times on Sunday at the Mark Twain event, specifically citing a 2016 appearance of hers on Conan on TBS where she dressed up as Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. “They wrote a bit where Conan interviews Hitler, who comes on because he’s embarrassed that he’s being compared to Donald Trump,” Silverman said. “I am actually not an obvious choice for Hitler. I mean, I am an obvious choice for Hitler,” said Silverman, who is Jewish. “Not an obvious choice to play Hitler. But they chose me, and it’s this way of thinking that makes Conan great again. I just really miss the days when you were America’s only orange a–hole.” ‘HAMILTON’ STAR PUT ON NOTICE BY TRUMP’S KENNEDY CENTER PRESIDENT AFTER ANTI-GOP ‘PUBLICITY STUNT’ Silverman also recalled when she took a sideways photo of O’Brien’s mouth, and placed the image on her phone between her legs during an appearance on Conan in 2012, prompting TBS to censor the image because of its resemblance to female genitalia. She then instructed the audience to look under their seat, where they would find a copy of the image of O’Brien’s pursed lips. “You can go ahead and leave those photos on your seat when you go – the guy who took over loves grabbing pussy,” Silverman said, a reference to the leaked Access Hollywood tape where Trump bragged about kissing and groping women due to his fame. The tape, originally filmed in 2005, leaked ahead of the 2016 election. Silverman wasn’t the only comedian to poke fun at Washington at the ceremony. John Mulaney also directly referenced Trump’s Kennedy Center shake-up, joking that the president would rename the building after Roy Cohn, Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s chief counsel who supported the Wisconsin senator investigating suspected communists. Cohn also had ties to Trump, and served as an attorney for Trump in the 1970s and 1980s. “It’s an honor to be here at the Kennedy Center, or as it will be known next week, the Roy Cohn Pavilion for Big, Strong Men Who Love Cats,” Mulaney said. Comedian Will Ferrell, who previously won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2011, also took a jab at Trump’s executive order on Thursday to upend the Department of Education. “I don’t have time for this. You know what I’m supposed to be doing right now?” Ferrell said. “Do you have any idea? I’m supposed to be shutting down the Department of Education.” Comedian Nikki Glaser, who hosted the Golden Globes in January, told reporters on the red carpet it would be “insane” to not address Trump’s shake-up at the event, while also remembering that the purpose of the night was to celebrate O’Brien. KENNEDY CENTER SHAKE-UP WILL USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE OF THE ARTS’ UNDER TRUMP, RIC GRENELL PREVIEWS “I think it’s insane not to address the elephant in the room. And it’s like, it’s insane comedically, to not do that, because it’s, it’s right there,” Glaser said. Glaser said the current political atmosphere provides comedians with an opportunity to seize a “rebellious moment.” “It’s an easy laugh to just say anything about it, but also you get to say something and have a little bit of a rebellious moment, which is always a fun thing to work in,” Glaser told reporters on the red carpet. “But I’m not going to make a meal of it…that’s not what it’s about.” Glaser also told reporters she previously didn’t want to discuss politics because she didn’t want to alienate any audience members, and while she is more inclined to do so now, she’s concerned about death threats and being doxxed. O’Brien also addressed the Kennedy Center’s shake-up, and thanked the Kennedy Center’s former president Deborah Rutter and chairman David Rubenstein, as well as other staff members “who are worried about what the future might bring.” “Thanks to my people who invited me here a few months ago: Deborah Rutter and David Rubenstein,” O’Brien said. O’Brien also paid homage to author Mark Twain, whom the award is named after, claiming that “Twain was a patriot in the best sense of the world.” KENNEDY CENTER SHAKE-UP WILL USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE OF THE ARTS’ UNDER TRUMP, RIC GRENELL PREVIEWS “He loved America, but knew it was deeply flawed,” O’Brien said. “Twain wrote, patriotism is supporting your country all of the time and your government when it deserves it.” O’Brien, who hosted the Oscars this month and is slated to host the event next year as well, told reporters on the red carpet that his material for next year’s awards will depend on current events, and that ideas for content are always changing leading up to such events. “I could no more tell you what next year’s Oscars would be now than I could three months out of it, you know, nine months from now,” O’Brien said. Other comedians who’ve won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor include Ferrell, Tina Fey, Dave Chappelle, Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Sandler and Kevin Hart. Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Former GOP Rep. Mia Love dead at 49 after battle with cancer, family says
Former U.S. Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, died on Sunday at the age of 49, according to her family. Love, who was the daughter of Haitian immigrants and the first black Republican woman elected to Congress, “passed away peacefully” surrounded by family. “With grateful hearts filled to overflowing for the profound influence of Mia on our lives, we want you to know that she passed away peacefully today,” Love’s family said in a statement posted to X. “She was in her home surrounded by family.” FORMER GOP REP. MIA LOVE’S BRAIN CANCER NO LONGER RESPONDING TO TREATMENT: DAUGHTER “In the midst of a celebration of her life and an avalanche of happy memories, Mia quietly slipped the bands of mortality and, as her words and vision always did, soared heavenward,” the family continued. “We are thankful for the many good wishes, prayers and condolences. We are taking some time as a family and will provide information about funeral services and a public celebration of her life in the days to come.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Love had been undergoing treatment for brain cancer, but her daughter said earlier this month that the former congresswoman’s cancer was no longer responding to it.
US deportation flights to Venezuela resume following weeks-long standoff
Deportation flights to Venezuela resumed on Sunday after a weeks-long standoff between the Trump administration and the Venezuelan government, signaling a deal had been reached between the two countries. A flight carrying 199 illegal aliens – including members of the violent Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang – to Venezuela landed Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to Fox News Digital. The Trump administration has vowed to strike a deal with the Venezuelan government to accept flights carrying deportees from the United States, but has been limited in the regularity of the transfers after President Nicholás Maduro halted the flights earlier this month – with only four flights being received by the Venezuelan government since Trump was sworn into office. VENEZUELA TO RESUME ACCEPTING US DEPORTATION FLIGHTS Maduro refused to receive the flights after Trump announced that the U.S. would terminate the Biden-era permit allowing Chevron to export Venezuelan oil, effectively closing off a major revenue source for the country. However, Venezuelan officials have confirmed that a deal was reached on Saturday. “Venezuela reports that, within the framework of the Return to the Homeland Plan and with the goal of returning our compatriots to their nation with the safeguarding of their human rights, we have agreed with the U.S. government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with an initial flight tomorrow, Sunday, March 23,” Jorge Rodríguez, the president of Venezuela’s Assembly and chief negotiator with the U.S., said in a statement posted to X by the network Telesur. Flight-tracking data shows a plane operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) departed El Paso and was scheduled to land at Soto Cano air base in Honduras Sunday afternoon. A second plane operated by Venezuelan state airline Conviasa was set to land at the air base within an hour of ICE’s arrival, seemingly for a handoff between officials. WH MAY REVERSE DECISION TO KILL BIDEN-MADURO OIL DEAL, APPLY TARIFFS INSTEAD TO AVOID HURTING US FIRMS The deal comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed that Venezuela would face “severe, and escalating sanctions” if the country continued to refuse to accept its citizens that had faced deportation. “Venezuela is obligated to accept its repatriated citizens from the U.S. This is not an issue for debate or negotiation,” Rubio posted to X. “Nor does it merit any reward. Unless the Maduro regime accepts a consistent flow of deportation flights, without further excuses or delays, the U.S. will impose new, severe, and escalating sanctions.” The Trump administration did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. In recent weeks, approximately 350 migrants have been deported to Venezuela, including roughly 180 individuals who had been detained at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Last week, the Trump administration flew over 200 Venezuelan migrants to a high-security prison in El Salvador in coordination with President Nayib Bukele, despite a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking the deportations. “Migrating is not a crime, and we will not rest until we achieve the return of all those who require it and until we rescue our brothers kidnapped in El Salvador,” Rodríguez said. Madura also went on to denounce the flights, referring to the Venezuelans being detained in El Salvador as “kidnapped” on Saturday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In an interview with Fox News Radio, Rubio thanked Bukele for his country’s acceptance of the migrants. “Venezuela should be taking them, but they refuse to take them,” Rubio said. “And so, we are fortunate to have a friend like President Bukele who, as part of my meeting with him, said we will take them for a fraction of what it costs you guys to house them in your own prison system.” Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Noem to visit El Salvador prison that took in hundred of deported criminals: ‘Clear message’
FIRST ON FOX: Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is planning to visit several spots in Central America next week – including El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, where hundreds of migrant criminals were famously deported last week. On Sunday, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that Noem’s trip “underscores the importance of our partner countries to help remove violent criminal illegal aliens from the United States.” “President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message for criminal aliens considering entering America illegally: don’t even think about it,” McLaughlin said. “If you come to our country and break our laws, we will hunt you down, and lock you up.” Noem’s visit will kick off with a stop at the Terrorist Confinement Center on Mar. 26, which she will tour with the Salvadoran Minister of Justice, Héctor Gustavo Villatoro. The Trump administration official will meet with President Nayib Bukele later that day. EL SALVADOR PRESIDENT RIPS FBI TRUMP RAID, QUESTIONS WHAT US GOV’T WOULD SAY IF HIS POLICE TARGETED CANDIDATES On Mar. 27, Noem plans to visit Colombia to meet with President Gustavo Petro and the Colombian National Police (CNP)’s specialized group aimed at countering organized crime. The former South Dakota governor will wrap up her trip in Mexico on Mar. 28, where she’ll convene with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The visit will come over a week after El Salvador released gritty footage of hundreds of illegal aliens being deported and rounded up into jail cells last weekend. The video showed the alleged gang members with their heads in their hands, as heavily-armed Salvadoran authorities surrounded them and transported them into facilities one by one. A senior Trump administration official confirmed to Fox News that a total of 261 illegal aliens were deported to El Salvador on Mar. 15. The majority of them were deported via the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows for the expulsion of an enemy nation’s natives and citizens without a hearing. 101 of the migrants were Venezuelans removed via Title 8, while 21 others were Salvadoran MS-13 gang members, the official added. Two were MS-13 ringleaders and “special cases” for El Salvador. RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA The rap sheets for those removed included aggravated assault, robbery, kidnapping, sexual abuse of a child, prostitution, and aggravated assault of a police officer. Bukele, a Trump ally, wrote that the deportation flights will help Salvadoran authorities “help us finalize intelligence gathering and go after the last remnants of MS-13, including its former and new members, money, weapons, drugs, hideouts, collaborators, and sponsors.” “As always, we continue advancing in the fight against organized crime,” he added. “But this time, we are also helping our allies, making our prison system self-sustainable, and obtaining vital intelligence to make our country an even safer place. All in a single action. May God bless El Salvador, and may God bless the United States.” In a Mar. 16 post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump wrote that the U.S. “will not forget” Bukele’s partnership, and thanked the leader for his “understanding of this horrible situation, which was allowed to happen to the United States because of incompetent Democrat leadership.” “These are the monsters sent into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats,” Trump wrote. “How dare they!”
Sen Bernie Sanders names 2 things Trump has done right
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he approves of President Donald Trump’s handling of fentanyl and border security. “I mean, I think cracking down on fentanyl, making sure our borders are stronger,” Sanders told ABC’s Jonathan Karl during a pre-taped segment that aired on Sunday’s “This Week.” “Look, nobody thinks illegal immigration is appropriate,” Sanders said. “And I happen to think we need comprehensive immigration reform, but I don’t think that it’s appropriate for people to be coming across the border illegally. So we’ve got to work now on comprehensive immigration reform.” Sanders’ stance seems to be a departure from his 2020 presidential campaign platform, where he supported “breaking up” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and pausing deportations pending an audit. He also supported stopping the border wall, ending the “Remain in Mexico” policy, decriminalizing illegal immigration by making it a civil infraction, and ending previous limits on federal funding for sanctuary cities. BERNIE SANDERS GETS UP DURING INTERVIEW AFTER ‘NONSENSE’ QUESTION ABOUT AOC Sanders told ABC that if Trump deports “20 million people who are in this country who are undocumented,” he would “destroy the entire country.” “Because I got news for you: Trump’s billionaire friends are not going to pick the crops in California that feed us,” Sanders said. “They’re not going to work in meat-packing houses. That’s what undocumented people are doing. So we need a variety of programs, guest worker programs, but mostly comprehensive immigration reform.” SEN. SANDERS TARGETS TRUMP, MUSK AND DEMOCRATS IN WIDE-RANGING INTERVIEW AHEAD OF RALLY WITH AOC Karl told Sanders that illegal immigration “exploded under Biden.” To that, the senator responded, “Should have done much better, no argument.” Sanders has been conducting a “Fighting Oligarchy Tour.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., joined him this past week for five events in Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “No matter who you voted for in the past, no matter if you know all the right words to say, no matter your race, religion, gender identity or status,” Ocasio-Cortez said to thousands at a rally at Arizona State University, “no matter even if you disagree with me on a few things, if you are willing to fight for someone you don’t know, you are welcome here.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Obama calls to expand ObamaCare ‘with everything going on right now’
Former President Barack Obama said that his signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, should be expanded in future years, arguing that the ACA should be seen as a “first step” to better healthcare. “We’re not finished yet,” Obama said in a video promoting the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago next year. “I’ve always said that the ACA is like a starter house, it was a big step forward, but still just a first step. Now it’s up to all of us to keep building on and improving the ACA.” The former president’s video was posted on X, where Obama captioned the post by arguing that people should “keep fighting for progress.” FLASHBACK: THEN-PRESIDENT OBAMA URGED MAKING ‘TOUGH DECISIONS’ TO CUT GOVERNMENT SPENDING “I know it can feel like a different era sometimes. But 15 years ago, I signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Now nearly 50 million people have received healthcare through the ACA,” Obama said. “With everything going on right now, it’s easy to feel like regular folks can’t make a difference – but the Affordable Care Act is a reminder that change is possible when we keep fighting for progress.” Despite the Obama plea, an expansion of the ACA, which was often dubbed “ObamaCare,” seems unlikely under the leadership of President Donald Trump. OBAMA CENTER SUBCONTRACTOR FILES $40M DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST ENGINEERING FIRM FOR OVERRUNS Trump, who replaced Obama in the White House after winning the 2016 election, made a push to repeal the legislation in 2017, an effort that ultimately fell short in the Senate. Trump once again targeted the ACA with his landmark “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” legislation of 2017, which was passed into law and contained a provision that eliminated the ACA’s controversial individual mandate. Nevertheless, Obama signaled optimism that Americans could work together to build off the legislation he ushered into existence in 2010. “If it could happen 15 years ago, it can happen again,” Obama said. “The ACA taught us that some things are bigger than politics.”
Waltz tells Iran to give up nuclear program or ‘there will be consequences’
The Trump administration is calling on Iran to give up its entire nuclear program or face the consequences, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said Sunday. Waltz said it was time for Iran to “walk away completely” from its pursuit of nuclear weapons, pushing for a “full dismantlement” during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “This isn’t some kind of, you know, kind of tit-for-tat that we had under the Obama administration or Biden,” Waltz said. “This is the full program. Give it up or there will be consequences.” Waltz did not specify what kind of consequences Iran could face, though he said President Donald Trump is keeping “all options on the table,” including diplomacy. IRAN’S LEADER WARNS US COULD RECEIVE ‘SEVERE SLAPS’ FOLLOWING TRUMP’S THREATS TO HOUTHIS Waltz said the Trump administration wants Iran to give up its nuclear program “in a way that the entire world can see.” “If [Iran] had nuclear weapons, the entire Middle East would explode in an arms race,” he said. “That is completely unacceptable to our national security. I won’t get into what the back-and-forth has been, but Iran is in the worst place it has been from its own national security since 1979.” Tensions between Tehran and Washington have been high since Iran’s proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, launched attacks on Israel in the past few years. Iran directly traded fire with Israel twice last year. Trump has threatened U.S. military action if Iran doesn’t negotiate a new agreement on its nuclear program. TRUMP VINDICATED AS EXPLOSIVE REPORT CONFIRMS IRAN SUPERVISES HOUTHI ‘POLITICAL AND MILITARY AFFAIRS’ Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said he isn’t interested in talks with a “bullying government,” though Iranian diplomats, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, previously suggested that talks could be possible. Araghchi later toughened his stance, following Khamenei’s lead. The original 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama allowed Iran to enrich uranium up to only 3.67% purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 661 pounds. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s last report on Iran’s program put its stockpile at 18,286 pounds as it enriches a fraction of it to 60% purity. U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump envoy doesn’t believe Putin wants to take over Europe
President Donald Trump’s envoy to Russia and Ukraine says he doesn’t believe Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to invade Europe. Envoy Steve Witkoff made the statement during a Sunday morning appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” commenting on Putin’s motives on a “larger scale.” “Now I’ve been asked my opinion about what President Putin’s motives are on a larger scale. And I simply have said that I just don’t see that he wants to take all of Europe,” Witkoff said. “This is a much different situation than it was in World War II. There was no NATO,” he added. “I take him at his word in this sense.” WHAT’S NEXT IN THE RUSSIA, UKRAINE CEASEFIRE TALKS? The comments come just before Witkoff is set to meet with Russian and Ukrainian delegations for indirect ceasefire talks in Saudia Arabia. Trump’s administration hopes to mediate a larger peace deal. “I think you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that you’ll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire,” he said Sunday. Moscow spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that there are many roadblocks that could prevent a peace deal, however. “We are only at the beginning of this path,” he told reporters this weekend. Russia launched a massive drone attack targeting Kyiv and other major cities in Ukraine overnight on Sunday, highlighting just how far there is to go before a peace agreement can be made. MILITARY LEADERS TO MEET ON UK-FRANCE ‘COALITION OF THE WILLING’ PLAN FOR UKRAINE Ukraine’s air force says the Russian attack involved 147 drones, 97 of which were shot down and 25 others failed to reach their targets. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ukrainians at the scene of the attacks in Kyiv surveyed the damage done to their homes and neighborhoods on Sunday morning. Many were disparaging of the upcoming ceasefire talks, pointing to the burned-out homes destroyed in the drone attack, saying these were more indicative of Russia’s true intentions.