Trump touts US has ‘tremendous’ amount of Venezuelan oil, vows to ‘take care’ of Cuba after Iran focus
President Donald Trump declared Saturday that the U.S. is “taking out tremendous amounts of oil” from Venezuela while vowing to “take care” of Cuba’s regime following America’s focus on Iran. The president, speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Florida, prefaced his remarks by saying that since the January operation to capture former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, the administration has “been working closely with the new president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez,” and, “she’s doing a great job working with us.” “And we’re taking out tremendous amounts of oil. They’re making more money now than they’ve ever made, ever made. We have the big oil companies in. They are making more money, we’re getting some,” Trump said. “They’re getting a lot. They’re making more money now than they’ve ever made in the history of their country.” “And I’m pleased to say that this week we have formally recognized the Venezuelan government. We’ve actually legally recognized them. We have also just reached a historic gold deal that’s called the gold deal with Venezuela, to allow our two countries to work together to facilitate the sale of Venezuelan gold and other minerals,” Trump continued, describing a license issued by the Treasury Department Friday that prohibits people and companies from Iran, North Korea, Russia and Cuba from doing business with Minerven – Venezuela’s state-owned gold mining company – among other measures. US RESTORES DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH VENEZUELA AMID PUSH FOR DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION “As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we’re also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba. Cuba’s at the end of the line,” Trump also said. “They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time. And they used to get the money from Venezuela. They get the oil from Venezuela, but they don’t have any money from Venezuela. They don’t have any oil,” Trump added. Trump in January had declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups while moving to punish countries that supply the island nation with oil. MILLONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS Trump said Saturday that Cuba is “negotiating with [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] and myself and some others. And I would think a deal would be made very easily with Cuba.” “But Cuba is in its last moments of life as it was. It’ll have a great new life, but it’s in its last moments of life, the way it is,” the president added. The State Department described the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral as a gathering of the “strongest likeminded allies in our hemisphere to promote freedom, security, and prosperity in our region.” Trump said America’s “focus right now is on Iran,” but “many of you have come today, and they say, ‘I hope you can take care of Cuba because you’ve had problems with Cuba, right? You mentioned.” “I was surprised, but, four of you said, actually, ‘could you do us a favor? Take care of Cuba.’ I’ll take care of it, okay?” Trump said, garnering applause. Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
GOP senators say Trump’s strikes ‘significantly degraded’ Iran but emphasize attacks not ‘forever wars’
PALM BEACH, FLA. – One week into the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, two Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee say the military operation has “degraded” Tehran’s ability to strike back. But in exclusive interviews with Fox News Digital, Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Budd of North Carolina emphasized that the fighting will not lead to U.S. involvement in “forever wars” in the volatile Middle East. “Our military is doing a great job,” Scott said. And pointing to Iran, he said, “They want to destroy America. We’ve got to stop them.” Budd highlighted that “we have significantly degraded Iran’s ability to shoot back at us… their capacities are degraded. We’ve had great success.” CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ATTACKS ON IRAN Budd and Scott were interviewed as they attended an economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent conservative group that pushes for fiscal responsibility. President Donald Trump, who called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” said on Saturday that Tehran will be “hit very hard” and warned the U.S. is considering “areas and groups” not previously considered to target. Over the past week, “Operation Epic Fury” has widened in scope as Iran has retaliated against a growing number of nations in the region. This week, the Republican-controlled House and Senate, in separate votes nearly entirely along party lines, rejected moves by Democrats to restrict the president’s ability to steer the fighting. WHAT COULD COME NEXT IN THE ATTACKS ON IRAN The president said on Thursday, in an interview with Axios, that he should be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial strikes against Iran a week ago. And there are concerns among many on the right that the strikes against Iran could lead to prolonged American military involvement in the region, which Trump has repeatedly campaigned against during his three runs for the presidency. “Trump doesn’t want to be in forever wars. Every time I’ve talked to him, he doesn’t want that,” Scott said. “But I think what we do want to make sure we don’t have another Ayatollah that wants to… chant Death to America and death to our allies and try to destroy us.” Budd added that “we’re not up for forever wars. We want to get in, get this thing done, get out and have peace for our country and the rest of the region.” The latest Fox News national poll indicated that American voters are divided on the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, even as a majority sees the country as a security risk. Sixty-one percent of those questioned viewed Iran as a danger to the U.S., according to the survey conducted Feb. 28-March 2. But that concern did not translate into majority support for the current U.S. military action, as 50% approved and 50% disapproved. Support for the attacks was lower in national polling from other news organizations. But the Fox News poll and the other surveys indicated widespread support among Republicans. “Trump’s doing the right thing. He’s saving American lives by making sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon or ballistic missile. So he’s doing the right thing,” Scott emphasized. Budd added, “I’m very excited [about] what President Trump’s done… The goal is American prosperity and American safety, and that’s what President Trump wants.” Oil prices have shot up since the start of the fighting, instantly resulting in higher costs for gasoline across America. That’s a major concern for Republicans as they aim to keep control of the House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections. “Hopefully it’s all going to be short term. Hopefully… the demolition of the Iranian military will happen quickly and actually will get lower oil prices,” Scott said. Budd acknowledged that “we are going to have some short-term disruptions.” But the senator was optimistic that “very soon we’ll have gas prices much cheaper than ever before. We were already on that pathway. President Trump is all about stability. He’s all about the price of oil.”
Tech company at odds with Pentagon warns its AI possibly gained consciousness, Elon Musk gives 2-word response
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave a two-word retort after Anthropic leader Dario Amodei claimed in an interview that he isn’t sure if his company’s AI models have gained consciousness. “Anthropic CEO says Claude may or may not have gained consciousness, as the model has begun showing symptoms of anxiety,” read a post on X by cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket, to which Musk replied, “He’s projecting.” The comment from Musk, who is also the founder of xAI, comes as Anthropic is at odds with the Pentagon over its use in a separate matter. In an interview with The New York Times, Amodei, when asked about AI and consciousness, said, “We’ve taken a generally precautionary approach here,” and, “We don’t know if the models are conscious.” TOP AI FIRM ALLEGES CHINESE LABS USED 24K FAKE ACCOUNTS TO SIPHON US TECH “We are not even sure that we know what it would mean for a model to be conscious or whether a model can be conscious. But we’re open to the idea that it could be,” he continued. “We’re putting a lot of work into this field called interpretability, which is looking inside the brains of the models to try to understand what they’re thinking. And you find things that are evocative, where there are activations that light up in the models that we see as being associated with the concept of anxiety or something like that. When characters experience anxiety in the text, and then when the model itself is in a situation that a human might associate with anxiety, that same anxiety neuron shows up,” Amodei also told the Times. The interview comes as the Trump administration is moving federal agencies away from Anthropic after the tech company pushed back against the War Department’s usage of its tools. The Pentagon has called for Anthropic to allow the Department of War to utilize the company’s artificial intelligence product for “all lawful purposes,” but Amodei has suggested the government could potentially use their product for “mass domestic surveillance” or “fully autonomous weapons,” and that the company would not be willing to allow such use cases. PENTAGON’S AI BATTLE WILL HELP DECIDE WHO CONTROLS OUR MOST POWERFUL MILITARY TECH President Donald Trump said last Friday, “The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY.” “Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again! There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels,” Trump added on Truth Social. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth later wrote on X, “In conjunction with the President’s directive for the Federal Government to cease all use of Anthropic’s technology, I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security. Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic. Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of War its services for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service.” Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
Newsom rips Noem as ‘Kosplay Barbie’ over $220M ad campaign, demands DHS release $500M for LA wildfires
California Gov. Gavin Newsom ripped outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her controversial ad campaign and demanded the agency immediately release more than $500 million in stalled FEMA funding for Los Angeles wildfire recovery. Newsom, in a statement, labeled Noem “Kosplay Barbie” and accused her of prioritizing a $220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign featuring herself over disaster relief for fire-ravaged communities. “While Kristi Noem poured $220 million of taxpayer money into a political ad campaign featuring herself on horseback, more than $500 million in FEMA funding for LA fire recovery sat stalled on her desk,” Newsom said in a statement alongside a still photo of Noem riding a horse from the widely publicized ad. “Families in Los Angeles shouldn’t have to wait while she and Donald Trump play politics. Release the funding now and redirect those dollars to help communities rebuild.” TRUMP BYPASSES CALIFORNIA ‘NIGHTMARE’ BUREAUCRACY TO UNLOCK $3.2B FOR WILDFIRE SURVIVORS The Los Angeles wildfires burned for weeks in early 2025, destroying thousands of homes across areas including Pacific Palisades and Altadena and causing tens of billions of dollars in estimated damage. Newsom’s office said DHS under Noem required her personal sign-off on every department contract, grant or disaster award exceeding $100,000, including FEMA public assistance and hazard mitigation grants. The governor said the policy created a backlog of awards that had already been vetted, awaiting final approval. According to Newsom’s office, more than $500 million tied to Los Angeles fire recovery remains stalled, along with roughly $94 million in hazard mitigation funding for the region. Those funds typically support rebuilding schools, repairing roads and strengthening infrastructure against future disasters. KRISTI NOEM’S FIRING FAILS TO SWAY DEMOCRATS AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON The delays are affecting rebuilding efforts in canyon and foothill neighborhoods, including areas above Pasadena and Altadena, where damaged park facilities, fenced-off trailheads and temporary road repairs remain in place while local agencies await federal reimbursement, his office said. President Donald Trump cut short Noem’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security after weeks of internal turmoil and named her “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” a newly created role he described as part of a broader Western Hemisphere security initiative. The White House has not yet detailed the scope of the position. Noem was removed as the nation’s immigration chief after a turbulent stretch marked by internal clashes and two contentious congressional hearings where even some Republicans pressed her over alleged leadership missteps, including the ad campaign, which she said the president had signed off on. Trump announced on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will replace her effective March 31, while Noem shifts to the newly created envoy role, which the president said he will detail this weekend. Fox News’ Charles Creitz and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Vocal anti-Trump Dem reveals which industry is trying to oust him from House seat: ‘I was a target’
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who has repeatedly tried to impeach President Trump and has been thrown out of Trump’s State of the Union addresses multiple times, spoke on camera with Fox News Digital about the results of his recent primary election that resulted in a runoff. Green cited $1.5 million in spending against his campaign by the crypto-industry as a major driver behind the closeness of his race. “They made it clear that I was a target, and they had a fake poll that showed that they were going to win by some large margin. I think, actually, they called a victory party last night assuming that it was over. Of course, I and others knew that it would be a runoff,” Green said the day after his primary this past week. HOUSE GOP MOVES TO CENSURE DEM WHO DISRUPTED TRUMP ADDRESS FOR 2ND STRAIGHT YEAR At the same time, Green also slammed his opponent, former Harris County Attorney-turned-Texas Congressman Christian Menefee, over his alleged lack of experience and failure to show up for votes early in his congressional career. Texas’s redistricting changes pitted the two incumbents against each other in the 18th Congressional District race they have been battling in. Green told Fox News Digital that he wanted to have a debate immediately with Menefee ahead of the runoff election. “I’m challenging Mr. Menefee to a debate. I think we should have a debate right away,” Green said. “But I also challenge him to come to work. In his first month in Congress, after having sworn that he was going to come here and represent the people and vote, you know, the 18th Congressional District has been about an absence of a vote, so having sworn to do this, within his first month he missed a week, an entire week without voting.” DEM REP COMPARES HIMSELF TO MLK JR, ROSA PARKS AFTER GETTING BOOTED FROM SECOND STRAIGHT TRUMP ADDRESS Green bragged that in 20 years he has made over 97% of his votes in Congress. He also alleged that Menefee was not present at a classified briefing on Iran. When asked if he was concerned his objections to Trump may be a factor that could cost him his race, the longtime Texas Democrat doubled down, saying he would do it “again and again and again.” “If it cost me an election, I would do it,” Green continued. “I just think that this president is a racist. I hope you pick that up. Yeah, he’s a racist ad we have to challenge him. We shouldn’t have a racist in the White House.”
‘Utterly unaffordable’: Study reveals how deep blue city’s minimum wage law is ravaging key industry
A phased-in minimum wage hike in Los Angeles that will mandate up to $30 per hour for hotel workers, signed into law by mayor Karen Bass, is already causing problems for the hotel industry and putting the squeeze on the working-class demographic that minimum wage laws are purportedly intended to help. “The bottom line is the city of Los Angeles has forced a wage and benefits package on hotels that is utterly unaffordable at a time when Californians and Americans are laser focused on affordability,” Hotel Association of Los Angeles (HALA) President Dr. Jackie Filla told Fox News Digital in an interview this week. HALA recently commissioned a study that found hotels have eliminated or expect to eliminate 6% of positions, roughly 650 jobs, since the Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance took effect in September 2025. Mayor Bass signed the ordinance into law May 27, 2025, after it was approved by the Los Angeles City Council. The measure is often referred to as the “Olympic Wage” in reference to the sporting event being held in Los Angeles in 2028 and will raise pay for hotel and LAX airport workers up to $30 per hour by 2028. POLITICIANS PUSH JOB-KILLING MINIMUM WAGE HIKES WHILE IGNORING THE DEVASTATING ECONOMIC REALITY The law has already resulted in a pay increase to $22.50 per hour in July 2025, and will continue to increase incrementally until it hits $30 in July 2028. Filla says she is urging elected officials from the city council to the mayor to make “amendments” to the ordinance to ease the burden on the hospitality industry. “We are at the very beginning of the series of these increases and hundreds of hotel workers have already lost their jobs,” Filla said. “Even more are seeing their hours reduced. We’ve seen restaurant closures within hotels, parking is already getting more expensive, and improvements and the creation of new buildings altogether are being delayed or canceled. So taken together, these impacts should really sound alarm bells for our local policymakers.” In many instances, the workers who lose their jobs are working-class or blue-collar individuals and Filla pointed out that many managers and general managers started off as cooks or dishwashers and advanced through executive training programs which now are less available due to financial shortfalls. The study put out by HALA found that a significant number of the jobs lost have been labor-intensive positions like food and beverage, housekeeping, and parking. MAYOR BASS FACING BLOWBACK OVER EXPLOSIVE REPORT THAT SHE ALTERED WILDFIRE REPORT TO DOWNPLAY CITY’S ROLE The study also found that 62% of hotels expect staff hours to decrease in 2026, with three-quarters anticipating reductions of at least 10%. The impact extends beyond hotel payrolls to subcontractors operating on hotel properties, according to HALA, and hotels reported that two-thirds of third-party providers plan to raise prices to offset wage increases, and one in five plan to cancel hotel contracts altogether. “Unlike typical layoffs that are occurring in other industries right now, these job losses, and it is 6% of jobs lost in a short period of time, were entirely policy-driven, caused by the mayor and city council,” Filla said. “And what is especially troubling about this is it didn’t have to happen. Hotels actually want to maintain and grow their workforce heading into these major events, but these dramatic cost increases. Just make that impossible.“ Fox News Digital reached out to Bass’s office for comment.
Nancy Pelosi doubles down on defending Obama’s strikes on Libya while attacking Trump: ‘Read the law’
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., continued to argue that President Donald Trump’s attacks on Iran and former President Barack Obama’s strikes on Libya were “two completely different things” despite many shared similarities between the two incidents. Pelosi has condemned Trump’s strikes while defending President Barack Obama back in 2011. “They’re not at all alike,” Pelosi said. “What Obama did was limited military force. This is beyond that. It was limited military force,” she continued. TRUMP ADMIN WARNED LAWMAKERS ISRAEL WAS ‘DETERMINED TO ACT WITH OR WITHOUT US’ BEFORE MASSIVE IRAN STRIKES Since Trump began Operation Epic Fury last Saturday, targeting Iran’s military leadership alongside Israel, Pelosi and other Democrats have fiercely condemned the attack, arguing that the president should have sought congressional approval before carrying them out, citing the War Powers Act of 1983. According to that law, a president must inform Congress within 48 hours if U.S. forces are introduced into hostilities and requires congressional authorization for engagements that go past 60 days. Pelosi believes Trump’s attack on Iran will likely carry the U.S. past that mark, leading her to believe Trump has skirted the requirements imposed by Congress. HOUSE VOTES TO LET TRUMP’S OPERATION EPIC FURY CONTINUE IN IRAN “Do your homework. Read the law. We have lost people in war already,” Pelosi said. “We don’t even know if these people admit that is war going on now.” “I just think if you read the law, you will see the difference.” The War Powers Act does not use the loss of American servicemembers as a trigger for Congressional approval. PELOSI’S WAR POWERS FLIP-FLOP EXPOSED IN RESURFACED OBAMA-ERA CLIP CONTRADICTS TRUMP CRITICISM ON IRAN Her stance on Iran runs counter to her previous support for President Obama when he carried out strikes of his own on Libya in 2011. Then, in partnership with other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, the U.S. bombed the forces of Al Gaddafi, the “Mad Dog of the Middle East” and the dictator of Libya. In a parallel to the recent uprisings in Iran, protesters in Libya at the time had been met with brutal force by Gaddafi, who used the military to repress opposition in cities like Benghazi. Obama framed his attack as a way to protect Libya’s civilian population against its own government. TRUMP SENDS OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS ON STRIKES AGAINST IRAN “We struck regime forces approaching Benghazi to save that city and the people within it,” Obama said in remarks after the attacks,” according to a press release at the time. Although Obama did not pursue congressional authorization, Pelosi said she believed Obama was well within his authority to carry out the strikes. “I’m satisfied that the president has the authority to go ahead,” Pelosi said of the Libya strikes. “I say that as one very protective of Congressional prerogative and consultation all along the way.” “Yes,” Pelosi answered plainly when asked if she believed Obama could continue without congressional say-so.
Noem reveals Trump will have ‘big agreement’ to announce at major summit with world leaders
Kristi Noem will reportedly join President Donald Trump and 12 Latin American leaders at his resort in Florida for a “Shield of the Americas” summit Saturday after her ouster as the Secretary of Homeland Security and appointment by President Donald Trump to be special envoy for the new coalition of nations. On Thursday, Trump announced Noem would be exiting her role as Homeland Security secretary and would be appointed a Special Envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” a summit for which will be held at the president’s resort in Doral, Florida, on Saturday. The new coalition of 13 countries has been formed to advance strategies that will tackle mass illegal immigration, narco-terrorist gangs and cartels. “After years of neglect, President Trump established the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere. His efforts have been a tremendous success – our southern border is secure, Latin American countries are working with us to defeat the cartels, and illegitimate dictator Nicolas Maduro is facing justice for his crimes in the Southern District of New York – ushering in historic economic cooperation with Venezuela,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly ahead of the summit. “The President has successfully strengthened our relationships in our own backyard to make the entire region safer and more stable, and this weekend’s ‘Shield of the Americas’ Summit will encapsulate all of his work to Make America, and our partners, Strong Again,” she continued. CAPITOL HILL DEMS HAIL TRUMP’S DHS OUSTER OF NOEM AFTER HEATED SENATE HEARING Members of Trump’s Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, will also be at the Saturday summit. The leaders from other nations who will be present are Argentina’s Javier Milei, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele Ortez, Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Costa Rica’s Rodrigo Chaves Robles, Panama’s José Raúl Mulino Quintero, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Chile’s Jose Antonio Kast, the Dominican Republic’s Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, Ecuador’s Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín, Guyana’s Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Honduras’ Nasry “Tito” Asfura, and Paraguay’s Santiago Peña. ‘IT WAS TIME’: DESPITE RARE CRITICISM, SOME HILL REPUBLICANS WELCOME KRISTI NOEM’S OUSTER Noem confirmed Friday, speaking from Nashville, that she will be at the summit, according to the Associated Press. Noem reportedly added that the president will announce “a big agreement” detailing “how we’re going to go after cartels and drug trafficking in the entire Western Hemisphere.” On Friday, Hegseth led a strategic conference in Doral with representatives of 17 different Caribbean, Central American and South American countries throughout the Western Hemisphere. During the conference, they signed a joint security declaration, reaffirming their commitment to peace and sovereignty in the region. According to a source familiar with the plans for the summit, the president plans to celebrate this achievement with attendees. “Secretary Noem helped usher in the most secure border in history, deported hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal aliens, and executed record-setting counter-drug operations against cartels. All of this great experience positions Noem well to ensure American preeminence in the entire Western Hemisphere in her new role as Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said. “This historic new security initiative, led by Secretary Noem, will advance cutting-edge strategies to defeat narco-terrorist cartels and stop illegal mass migration to make America and the entire Western Hemisphere safer.” On Thursday, Rubio said he looked forward to working with Noem as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, and echoed the comments from the White House about her experience. “Kristi has achieved incredible results as Secretary of Homeland Security and will be a tremendous asset in our effort to promote security and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere,” Rubio said on X after Trump named Noem to her new post.
What’s next for Kristi Noem? 2026 Senate chatter grows after DHS exit
President Donald Trump cut short Kristi Noem’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security after weeks of internal turmoil. Now headed to a new envoy post, the onetime conservative star faces a pressing question: Can she stage a political comeback? Noem was fired as the nation’s immigration chief after a turbulent stretch marked by internal clashes and two contentious congressional hearings where even some Republicans pressed her over leadership missteps. Trump announced on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will replace her effective March 31, while Noem shifts to a newly created envoy role the president says he’ll detail this weekend. An administration source told Fox News “it was time” to move on from Noem, citing internal feuding, staff mismanagement and controversies — including a $200 million ad campaign and fallout in Minnesota — that “overshadowed” Trump’s immigration agenda. “Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” the source said. KRISTI NOEM OUSTED FROM HOMELAND SECURITY POST AMID RECENT TURMOIL Trump said Noem will be named “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a newly created role he described as part of a broader Western Hemisphere security initiative. The White House has not yet detailed the scope of the position. The reassignment comes as speculation grows in South Dakota over whether Noem could mount a primary challenge against Sen. Mike Rounds in 2026 — a move that would test whether her standing with Trump and GOP voters has truly eroded. Rounds, who is seeking a third term, secured Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” last year and is backed by Senate Republican leadership — a formidable barrier to any challenger. “He will never let you down,” Trump wrote in his endorsement, calling Rounds an “America First Patriot.” Fox News Digital reached out to Rounds’ office for comment. Noem would enter any race with statewide name recognition and a deep political network, having served eight years in Congress before winning two terms as governor. But some Republican operatives question whether her abrupt exit from DHS weakened her standing within Trump’s inner circle at a critical political moment. One GOP strategist involved in Senate races, who acknowledged that Noem was once a MAGA rock star, described a potential Senate bid at this time as a “suicide mission.” The clock is already ticking. South Dakota’s filing deadline is March 31 at 5 p.m. CT, and candidates must gather roughly 2,200 petition signatures in just over three weeks to qualify for a June 2 primary. NOEM SLAMS DEMS BLOCKING DHS FUNDING BILL CITING TSA, FEMA, COAST GUARD: ‘I HOPE THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES’ The speculation has drawn national attention. The Atlantic reported that pollsters in South Dakota were surveying a potential Rounds-Noem matchup, with one Republican source telling the magazine that the senator would “handily win” if challenged. Rapid City’s ABC affiliate reported on the rumors of Noem’s ambitions in February, saying Republicans in her home state are watching to see if she would challenge Rounds. Still, Noem has a fair share of powerful allies back home. Gov. Larry Rhoden, Noem’s successor in Pierre, commented Thursday that “Kristi is a dear friend and the toughest person I know.” “When she shut down the border in record time, others were shocked, but I wasn’t. I knew what she was capable of.” “She’ll deliver in her next role just as capably. I thank her for everything she’s done to keep South Dakota — and all America — strong, safe, and free,” Rhoden said. As governor, Rhoden worked with Noem’s DHS to make South Dakota one of the first states to enter a 287(g) agreement allowing state-level cooperation with ICE. Under the arrangement, the South Dakota Highway Patrol has been authorized to assist with immigration enforcement, and National Guard personnel have supported administrative functions — a record that could bolster her standing with conservative primary voters as speculation about her next move intensifies. Fox News’ Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
WATCH: Capitol Hill debate erupts over whether Trump’s Iran strikes amount to ‘war’
Debate on Capitol Hill continues to rage over whether President Donald Trump started a “war” with the strikes he carried out against Iran last weekend, a key consideration for whether the president must look to Congress for authority to continue Operation Epic Fury. Where Republicans see a narrowly-tailored attack designed to prevent a U.S. adversary from securing nuclear capabilities, Democrats see a conflict that could easily spill into a broader conflict. “Congress is not supposed to be an after-the-fact spectator, the Constitution makes plain,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Fox News Digital. “President Trump has not said, like in Venezuela, ‘this is a police operation,’ that it’s ‘an arrest,’” Kaine said, comparing the strikes to the January capture of Nicolás Maduro. OPERATION EPIC FURY SURVIVES SENATE CHALLENGE AS REPUBLICANS CLOSE RANKS BEHIND TRUMP Democrats like Kaine have blasted Trump for dragging the U.S. into a conflict that, in their view, looks a lot like a war — something only Congress has the power to declare. It is that determination that makes them believe lawmakers should use the War Powers Act of 1973 to curb Trump’s powers in Iran. That law prevents the president from continuing hostilities against a foreign power that extends past 60 days. Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., see no reason to invoke the War Powers Act, given the scope of the current conflict. A measure to kill a Democrat-led war powers resolution aimed at handcuffing Trump’s military operations in Iran passed on Wednesday in a 53-47 Senate vote. “I mean, even if you disagree with this, I just don’t think you can dispute [that] they’re complying with the statute. The president has the authority under Article II to do what he has done so far,” Hawley said, referring to the Constitution’s military power granted to the country’s commander in chief. Last Saturday, the U.S. conducted a series of strikes in collaboration with Israel, targeting the country’s military leadership and killing the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Trump administration has framed the attack as a necessary campaign to halt Iran’s work towards obtaining a nuclear weapon. Although Hawley supports the administration’s work so far, he has a firm red line in mind for where the conflict would require Congressional say-so. “Ground troops would be a different deal,” Hawley said. “But [Trump] just said, ‘We’re not going to do ground troops,’ so, I just say to my Democrat friends — I think they’re just looking for something to vote against the president on.” REPUBLICANS HAND TRUMP THE WHEEL ON IRAN — BUT ONE RED LINE EMERGES Democrats remain unconvinced. Some Democrats noted that the language the administration has used suggests it views the conflict as something more than isolated strikes. “The president and the secretary of state have called it a war. So have the generals. If we’re at war, Congress has to provide authorization,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. Other Democrats, like Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., attacked the administration’s stated reason for the attack. “There was no imminent threat to the United States. There were threats to Israel, but in terms of an imminent threat, there was not one. Consequently, this is the president’s war of choice,” Warner said. NIKKI HALEY SLAMS DEMOCRATS WHO SAY IRANIAN REGIME ‘WAS NO THREAT TO AMERICA’: ‘ABSURD’ “You have to come before Congress,” Warner added. To Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the consideration should deal less with technicalities and more with consideration of the cost that could come with Trump’s attacks. “The American people make the decision on going to war because it’s their sons and daughters that will lose their lives. I still think that’s the case, regardless of who the president might be,” Durbin said.