Trump gives Iran 48-hour ultimatum to reopen Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on power plants
President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran on Saturday, warning the U.S. would strike its power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The president’s threat represents a notable escalation in rhetoric as tensions surge over the strategically vital waterway. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a global choke point for oil and gas transport that supplies roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil, has been largely limited since early March, shortly after the war with Iran began. US SIGNALS READINESS TO ESCORT TANKERS THROUGH HORMUZ AS TRAFFIC THINS BUT NO MISSION LAUNCHED Trump’s post comes after he told reporters Friday that reopening the strait was a “simple military maneuver.” “It’s relatively safe, but you need a lot of help in the sense of you need ships, you need volume,” he said. The president added that NATO hasn’t had the “courage” to assist the U.S. with reopening the waterway. TRUMP SAYS US ‘OBLITERATED’ TARGETS IN STRIKE ON KEY IRANIAN OIL HUB “NATO could help us, but they so far haven’t had the courage to do so, and others could help us,” Trump said. “But, you know, we don’t use it. You know, at a certain point, it’ll reopen itself.” Earlier Friday, Trump ripped NATO on Truth Social as “cowards,” saying they “complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz.” A growing group of countries has signed onto a joint statement signaling their “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” through the strait. The joint statement said, “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” and, “We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning.” The statement was attributed to leaders from more than 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. “We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces,” the statement reads. NATO HEAVYWEIGHTS BALK AT HORMUZ MISSION AS TRUMP WARNS ALLIANCE AT RISK “We express our deep concern about the escalating conflict. We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping, and to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2817,” the statement continued. Earlier this week, U.S. forces struck Iran’s anti-ship missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz with 5,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.
Trump administration urges judge to dissolve injunction blocking Abrego Garcia’s deportation to Liberia
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday urged a judge to dissolve the injunction that prevents the Trump administration from detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia again so he can quickly be deported to Liberia. “Dissolution is also warranted because the Court’s Memorandum Order failed to acknowledge that the Court’s own prior injunction against removal is the sole impediment to Petitioner’s prompt removal,” the DOJ wrote in a court filing obtained by Fox News Digital. “The Court cannot both impose the impediment that delays removal and consequently prolongs detention and, at the same time, hold that the resulting detention is impermissibly prolonged. “Any attempt by this Court to permanently enjoin the government from exercising its authority to remove the Petitioner from this country is in direct contradiction to established judicial norms, and a clear error of law.” US JUDGE VOWS TO RULE ‘SOON’ ON ABREGO GARCIA’S FATE AFTER MARATHON HEARING The administration deported Abrego Garcia, who it claims is a member of MS-13, a year ago to a prison in his native El Salvador, but he was returned to the U.S. in June to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee related to a 2022 traffic stop despite at first saying the administration had no power to bring him back. His lawyers deny he is a member of MS-13. He was released from detention in December on the grounds the Trump administration had not obtained the final notice of removal order that is needed to deport him to a third country. Abrego Garcia, 31, has become a flash point in the national immigration debate since March 2025, when he was deported to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order in what Trump administration officials acknowledged was an “administrative error.” The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration had to work to bring him back to the U.S. JUDGE ORDERS MIGRANT DEPORTED IN ‘ERROR’ FREE FROM ICE CUSTODY WITH CRIMINAL CASE LOOMING He has pleaded not guilty on the human smuggling charges and is seeking dismissal of the charges on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution. The 2019 court order prevents Abrego Garcia from being deported to El Salvador after an immigration judge determined he faced danger from a gang that had threatened his family. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager and has been under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Last month, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis agreed to convert her previous emergency order blocking ICE from immediately detaining Abrego Garcia again into a longer-term form of injunctive relief sought by his lawyers. She said the Trump administration failed to provide the court with any “good reason to believe” that it plans to remove Abrego Garcia to a third country in the “reasonably foreseeable future.” Instead, she said, it “made one empty threat after another to remove him to countries in Africa with no real chance of success.” Abrego Garcia has said he’s willing to be sent to Costa Rica, but acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons said he will instead be removed to Liberia. Abrego Garcia’s attorney said in December his client was willing to leave for Costa Rica immediately and that the country had given him asylum status months ago. The government’s “persistent refusal to acknowledge Costa Rica as a viable removal option, their threats to send Abrego Garcia to African countries that never agreed to take him, and their misrepresentation to the Court that Liberia is now the only country available to Abrego Garcia, all reflect that whatever purpose was behind his detention, it was not for the ‘basic purpose’ of timely third-country removal,” Xinis said in December. The administration asked the judge to rule on its request to have the injunction dissolved by April 17. Fox News Michael Sinkewicz, Louis Casiano, Breanne Deppisch and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: US Border Patrol nabs Mexican fugitives in California wanted for murder, child sex crimes
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently confirmed agents from the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector arrested two Mexican fugitives with active warrants for homicide and lewd acts upon a child. Agents conducted coordinated surveillance Feb. 26 targeting Silvia Del Rosario Torres-Castro, a Mexican national wanted in Mexico for homicide. Torres-Castro was arrested without incident in Anaheim, California, and turned her over to Mexico’s Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), according to DHS. Officials said she entered the U.S. illegally in December 2023 during the Biden administration in the Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station’s area of responsibility. ICE ARRESTS ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS INCLUDING MURDERERS AND PEDOPHILES In a separate surveillance operation March 6, agents targeted Salvador Suazo-Garcia, a Mexican national wanted in Mexico for lewd and lascivious acts upon a child. Agents arrested Suazo-Garcia without incident in Lemon Grove, California, processed him administratively and turned him over to Mexico’s FGR. AFGHAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO STABBED SISTER FOR BEING ‘BAD MUSLIM GIRL’ ARRESTED BY ICE AGENTS IN NEW YORK Though Suazo-Garcia entered the U.S. legally in May 2021, his visa was revoked based on his alleged crimes in Mexico. “Thanks to the Biden administration, these dangerous criminal illegal aliens were allowed to roam American streets and make our communities less safe,” DHS acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis wrote in a statement to Fox. “These are the types of illegal aliens the media categorizes as ‘non-criminal’ illegal aliens because they lack a rap sheet in the U.S.” Bis said nearly 70% of illegal immigrants ICE has arrested across the country have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges in the U.S. “This statistic doesn’t even account for those wanted for violent crimes in their home country or another country, human rights abusers, gang members and terrorists,” Bis wrote. “Now, thanks to our law enforcement, these two criminal illegals are back in Mexico to face justice for their crimes.”
Schumer gambit fails as DHS shutdown hits 36 days and airport lines grow
Senate Republicans blocked an attempt by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to only pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers as the Homeland Security shutdown drags on. Despite being in the minority and not controlling the Senate floor, Schumer used an arcane tactic to force a procedural vote to allow the Senate to get onto the bill in Democrats’ move to shift the narrative of the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. “It is unacceptable for workers and travelers and entire airports to get taken hostage in political games,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “But that’s what the Republicans are doing. It is unacceptable to say we will only pay TSA workers if it is attached to a bill that funds ICE with no reforms, but that’s what the Republicans have been doing.” GOP SENATOR’S GAMBIT EXPOSES FALSE DEM CLAIMS ABOUT SUPPORTING VOTER ID The shutdown entered its 36th day Saturday and is heading toward matching the record-breaking full government shutdown from last year. Schumer’s failed gambit follows increasingly long wait times at airports as thousands of TSA agents go without pay. Senate Democrats have dug in deep in their demands for stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and have so far refused to reopen the agency or temporarily extend funding to end the closure until they get what they want. Senate Republicans and the White House made a new compromise offer to Democrats on Friday night after an open letter from the administration on several reforms to immigration operations was revealed earlier this week. The letter prompted a pair of back-to-back meetings on Capitol Hill with Republicans, Democrats and administration officials. THUNE ACCUSES CRITICS OF ‘CREATING FALSE EXPECTATIONS’ AMID BACKLASH OVER STALLED SAVE AMERICA ACT Whether they accept that offer or counter remains in the air for now. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who was in the meeting, said that she hoped there would be another soon. “That will be up to them, but I hope so,” Britt said. Still, Republicans tried and failed for a fifth time to fully reopen the agency on Friday. In the background, there have been several attempts by Senate Democrats to move forward with standalone funding bills — like Schumer’s gambit — to open parts of DHS, save for immigration enforcement. DHS SHUTDOWN TIED FOR SECOND-LONGEST EVER AS DEMS AGAIN BLOCK FUNDING AMID AIRPORT CHAOS, TERRORISM CONCERNS Time is also running out for lawmakers to find middle ground on reopening the agency, given that they will leave Washington, D.C., for a two-week break at the end of next week. At a news conference earlier Saturday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital it would be “very, very hard to explain if we leave town this next week without having funded the Department of Homeland Security.” “At some point, the Democrats are going to be held accountable for this,” Thune said. “I know they think it’s, as has been described by one of their leaders, ‘very serene, very serene’ with their position,” he continued. “Well, I’m telling you something. The people who are sitting in those lines at the airports right now don’t see it as very serene. This needs to be resolved.”
Thune, GOP blast Dems in DHS standoff; Lankford says they fear ICE over Iran
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., accused Senate Democrats of not having “any excuses” to continue blocking Homeland Security funding as Republicans and the White House continue to make repeated offers to reopen the government. “The opportunity to actually drive this to a conclusion is there,” Thune said at a news conference Saturday in response to Fox News Digital. “You have to have, obviously, to negotiate a deal, you got to have two sides at the table. The White House is there. Senate Republicans are there. The question is, are Senate Democrats going to take yes for an answer?” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered its 36th day of a shutdown, and Senate Democrats continue to block funding for the agency in their pursuit of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DHS SHUTDOWN TIED FOR SECOND-LONGEST EVER AS DEMS AGAIN BLOCK FUNDING AMID AIRPORT CHAOS, TERRORISM CONCERNS After more than two weeks of negotiations appearing to have stalled, Democrats responded to the White House’s latest offer. That spurred two face-to-face meetings with Senate Republicans and Trump administration officials, including border czar Tom Homan, on Capitol Hill. The latest meeting, which wrapped on Friday, saw Republicans offer Senate Democrats a compromise DHS funding bill. Thune said the meeting went well and hoped the parties will meet again over the weekend. He characterized the GOP’s offer as filled “with a lot of reforms that have been requested and asked for by Democrats.” DEM SENATORS CALL TO FUND DHS AFTER VOTING TO BLOCK IT 4 TIMES AMID SHUTDOWN FIGHT It comes as lines at airports snake for blocks, tens of thousands of federal workers go without pay and with increasing concerns about threats in the U.S. as the Pentagon continues Operation Epic Fury against the Iranian regime. Still, Thune and the GOP have grown increasingly frustrated with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats’ unwillingness to engage in negotiations over the last several weeks. “We have the Department of Homeland Security closed right now because, apparently, my Democratic colleagues are more afraid of ICE than they are of Iran and the challenges that we face now in the conflict internationally that we know that we have threats back in the homeland,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said at Saturday’s news conference. DEMS UNMOVED AS WHITE HOUSE REVEALS DHS CONCESSIONS IN SHUTDOWN BATTLE Republicans tried and failed for a fifth time to fully reopen the agency on Friday. In the background, there have been several attempts by Senate Democrats to move forward with standalone funding bills to open parts of DHS, excluding immigration enforcement. The Senate will have a full vote on a standalone funding bill for the Transportation Security Administration, pushed by Schumer, later on Saturday. It will likely fail given Republicans’ position that the department should be completely reopened. “I know they think it’s, as has been described by one of their leaders, ‘very serene, very serene’ with their position,” Thune said. “Well, I’m telling you something, the people who are sitting in those lines at the airports right now don’t see it as very serene. This needs to be resolved. We need a result.” In a Truth Social post later Saturday, President Donald Trump threatened to deploy ICE agents to U.S. airports if Democrats did not accept a deal. He said ICE would handle airport security and immediately arrest illegal immigrants coming into the U.S. with a special focus on Somalians.
Dems block GOP amendment tying voter ID bill to transgender sports ban
Senate Democrats blocked a move by Senate Republicans to modify a Trump-backed voter ID bill with a provision that would prohibit men in women’s sports. The amendment to the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., was one of several tweaks to the legislation requested by President Donald Trump. Tuberville’s amendment could have codified Trump’s earlier executive order from last year to ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports, a culture war flashpoint between Republicans and Democrats that, unless turned into law, will likely be reversed should a Democratic administration take over in 2028. GOP SENATOR’S GAMBIT EXPOSES FALSE DEM CLAIMS ABOUT SUPPORTING VOTER ID But, as expected, the add-on failed on a party-line vote in the upper chamber. The amendment was the first of several expected to hit the floor as Republicans continue their takeover strategy to debate the bill. Saturday marked the fifth day the SAVE America Act dominated the floor. “I would do whatever it took to get this passed,” Tuberville told Fox News Digital. “This is probably one of the most important bills that’s come through here in a long, long time. It’s just pitting Americans versus non-Americans.” THUNE ACCUSES CRITICS OF ‘CREATING FALSE EXPECTATIONS’ AMID BACKLASH OVER STALLED SAVE AMERICA ACT Others on the docket include a ban on transgender surgeries on minors and halting unsolicited mail-in ballots, add-ons that Trump requested Republicans tack onto the voter ID and citizen verification bill. And the ongoing floor takeover likely won’t result in the SAVE America Act passing, given that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats are unified in their rejection of the legislation. “So, I’m like, ‘President Trump, we need to get it done,’” Tuberville continued. “But I don’t know whether we’ve got enough support, even on the Republican side, much less Democrats.” REPUBLICANS SIGNAL NO RETREAT ON SAVE ACT AS MARATHON SENATE DEBATE KICKS OFF The unlimited debate on the legislation is meant to mimic the talking filibuster, a strategy that would lower the threshold to pass the legislation to a simple 50-vote majority at the cost of deadlocking the Senate floor. And Senate Democrats would be able to offer an unlimited number of amendments that could drastically change the bill, which Republicans have acknowledged they don’t have the numbers to block. The floor takeover they’re undertaking is largely meant to shift blame from Republicans to Schumer and Democrats for the bill’s expected failure, given that, in order to pass conventionally, the GOP would need 60 votes. But others, like Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who is the lead sponsor of the SAVE America Act in the Senate, hopes the constant debate will grind down Democratic resistance and flip some over to support the bill.
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller dies at 81; Trump reacts
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has died at the age of 81, and President Donald Trump gave a sharp reaction on Truth Social. “Robert Mueller just died,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!” DOJ SUBPOENAS EX-FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY OVER ROLE IN 2017 RUSSIA INTEL ASSESSMENT Mueller led the FBI from 2001 to 2013 and later served as special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, a probe that shadowed much of Trump’s presidency. He brought charges against multiple Trump associates during the Russia investigation, including former campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. His final report detailed extensive contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia but did not establish a criminal conspiracy. Mueller declined to make a traditional prosecutorial decision on whether Trump obstructed justice, citing longstanding Justice Department policy against indicting a sitting president. Mueller’s family announced his death in a statement. “With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, his family said in a statement Saturday, according to The Associated Press. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.” OBAMA ADMIN ‘MANUFACTURED’ INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW A cause of death was not immediately known. Mueller had been in ill health after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2021. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer withdrew a subpoena for Mueller to testify in September in the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation after learning he had health issues that prevented him from appearing. Mueller had difficulty with speech and mobility and was unable to appear before Congress, his family said at the time. A Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, Mueller built a decades-long career in law enforcement and national security. He worked as a federal prosecutor and later served as a U.S. attorney in San Francisco before taking on senior roles at the Justice Department. He was appointed FBI director in 2001, just one week before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and went on to lead the bureau through a major shift toward counterterrorism. Mueller remained in the role for 12 years after being asked by President Barack Obama to stay beyond the traditional 10-year term. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump threatens to deploy ICE agents to airports amid funding fight, vows arrests of illegal aliens
President Donald Trump warned he could send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to U.S. airports and arrest illegal aliens if Democrats don’t agree to his budget demands to end the partial government shutdown. ‘‘If the Radical Left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our Country, in particular, our Airports, be FREE and SAFE again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country, with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia, who have totally destroyed, with the approval of a corrupt Governor, Attorney General, and Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, the once Great State of Minnesota. I look forward to seeing ICE in action at our Airports,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. He concluded the post by writing, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP.” AIR TRAVELERS ARE HACKING TSA LINES DURING HOURS-LONG MAJOR AIRPORT WAITS Trump’s comments come as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been without new funding for roughly five weeks. The impasse has left TSA agents working without pay, triggering staffing shortages and long airport lines nationwide, while raising concerns about the ability to prevent attacks. Republicans have pushed to fund DHS, while Democrats have sought standalone funding for agencies like TSA that would exclude immigration operations. VIDEO CAPTURES CRAZY AIRPORT CROWDS AS PASSENGERS POUR INTO TERMINAL AFTER SECURITY CHECKPOINTS CLOSE TSA officers are considered essential employees and are required to report to work even during a shutdown, though pay can be delayed. Earlier Saturday, Elon Musk offered to cover the salaries of TSA personnel during the ongoing government funding standoff. “I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country,” Musk said in an X post. Major U.S. airports have experienced severe delays, with security wait times exceeding three hours in some cases, due to high TSA officer absenteeism. Hardest-hit airports include Houston (HOU, IAH), Atlanta (ATL), New Orleans (MSY), and Philadelphia (PHL). Footage from PHL, shot early Thursday morning, showed hundreds of passengers waiting on elevators and escalators to clear a security checkpoint.
Child safety nonprofit founded by Tom Steyer’s brother has multiple Epstein ties: ‘No concerns’
FIRST ON FOX: Jim Steyer — the brother of billionaire California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer — has multiple board members with past ties to Jeffrey Epstein involved in his children’s online safety organization, Common Sense Media (CSM), which could set off alarm bells as wealthy elites continue to face a reckoning for exchanging emails with Epstein or riding on his private jet. CSM, which will be hosting a conference next week that will include many industry experts and Democratic politicians as speakers, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, is a nonprofit organization with the stated goal of putting children’s “well-being first in the digital era,” and providing parental guidance while also providing a forum for industry experts to discuss how to safeguard minors online. While none of the previously reported ties between the board members and Epstein implicate them in any wrongdoing related to his crimes, the optics of their past communications could raise questions about the judgment of some of their past interactions with him and the vetting process to be on the board. “Having reviewed the related references here, we have no concerns about these individuals. Common Sense Media remains the leading non-partisan children’s advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the best interest of America’s children and families,” a CSM spokesperson told Fox News Digital. WATCH: HILLARY CLINTON STORMS OUT OF EPSTEIN DEPOSITION AFTER HOUSE LAWMAKER LEAKS PHOTO FROM INSIDE The Steyer brothers have not appeared in the Epstein emails and have not been accused of any wrongdoing. WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM FACES FRESH SCRUTINY AS EPSTEIN TIES REVIVE PAST SCANDALS, CRITICISM Tim Zagat, the co-founder and co-chair of Zagat Survey, a fine dining rating service, was reported by the New York Post to have repeatedly visited dining establishments with Epstein and is listed in Epstein’s flight logbook — a revelation uncovered by recent disclosures from the Department of Justice. Zagat also reportedly attended a dinner at Epstein’s Upper East Side mansion in 2014, which included Hollywood director Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn, former Hyatt hotels boss Nick Pritzker, who is Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s cousin once removed, among others. Several emails reviewed by Fox News Digital show that Zagat reached out to Epstein to invite him to meals on multiple occasions. He is also listed on a flight entry from 2002 on Epstein’s notorious “Lolita Express” private jet that appears to match up with a late-February trip to a TED conference in California. “JE. SK. GERALDINE LAYBORNE. KIT LAYBORNE. STEVEN PINKER. NINA TIM ZAGAT,” the entry reads, listing off a series of passengers. The entry is unclear if the “JE” reference indicates Epstein himself was on the flight. What is clear, however, is that the flight included one other CSM board member. Geraldine Laybourne who served as president of Nickelodeon from 1984 to 1996, was also mentioned as a passenger on one of the 2002 entries. In the past, Laybourne has claimed she did not know the plane belonged to Epstein but that she had simply accepted a flight from New York to Monterey, California. “We said yes. We did not know whose plane it was or who Jeffrey Epstein was,” Laybourne told the Daily Beast in 2023. WATCH: BILL CLINTON GRILLED ON SHIRTLESS HOT TUB PHOTO AMID SWIRLING QUESTIONS ON EPSTEIN RELATIONSHIP In another case, CSM brought on Howard Gardner, a celebrated scholar best known for his research on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, who maintained contact with Epstein long after news of his crimes had surfaced. Gardner had lengthy correspondence with Epstein, according to reporting from Bloomberg. Gardner’s name appears at least 380 times in the DOJ’s Epstein disclosures. Most are email communications or logistical arrangements. In one email, Epstein described planned outings with Gardner. “I am having a ‘smart day’ at Harvard. Larry Summers – finance. Chomsky – language. Eric Lander, George Church – genetics. Howard Gardner – intelligence,” Epstein wrote, referring to various experts and their areas of study. Gardner told The Harvard Crimson last year that “Once [Epstein] had been arrested, I made it clear to him that I could no longer accept any funding but, as a friend and beneficiary of his philanthropy, I tried to be supportive.” “Of course, no one I knew (which included dozens of Harvard faculty) had any idea of the nature and extent of Epstein’s crimes, which only became clear in the following years,” he continued. PETER ATTIA OUT AS CBS NEWS CONTRIBUTOR AFTER NAME APPEARED OVER 1,700 TIMES IN EPSTEIN FILES Cyrus Vance Jr., a former district attorney for Manhattan from 2010 to 2021, joined CSM’s board in 2024 despite past backlash after his office’s insistence in 2011 that Epstein should receive more lenient treatment. Specifically, Vance’s office argued that Epstein should be designated a Level 1 sex offender — a reduction from level 3, the classification reserved for high-level threats. The judge overseeing the case was reportedly taken aback by the request, according to court transcripts. “I have to tell you, I am a little overwhelmed because I have never seen the prosecutor’s office do anything like this. I have done many [cases], much less troubling than this one, where the People would never make a downward argument like this,” Judge Ruth Pickholz said. Epstein, at that point, had already been convicted of sexual misconduct with minors in 2008. In response to a request for comment, Vance said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s prior case due to an error in the case. After becoming aware of the case, Vance said he pursued the most stringent restrictions possible for Epstein. “I have never met, or communicated with Mr. Epstein in any form,” Vance said in a comment. Vance’s office also received backlash for not prosecuting disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2015, two years before the “MeToo” movement took him down. Finally, Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, has served on the CSM board for over a decade.
Iran funding emerges as key test for Johnson’s razor-thin House majority
The Trump administration’s anticipated multibillion-dollar funding request to bolster its Iran campaign could face resistance from GOP fiscal hawks. Though congressional Republicans have been broadly supportive of the Trump administration’s conflict in Iran, some conservatives are drawing a red line that an emergency cash infusion, known as a supplemental, cannot increase budget deficits. Multiple House Freedom Caucus members, for example, told Fox News Digital that such a funding bill would have to be made up for by cutting spending elsewhere. “I think the big thing there is going to be making sure that there’s a pay-for,” Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital. “I’d like to see how this is paid for,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said, adding that he’d like to see Iran ultimately cover the costs. TRUMP RALLIES DEFENSE TITANS TO SURGE WEAPONS OUTPUT AS IRAN WAR RAGES Neither the president nor Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth has attempted to dispute reports Thursday that the administration is considering an infusion of roughly $200 billion to help finance the Iran campaign and restore depleted munitions. However, no formal request has been sent to congressional leaders yet. “Our national debt just surpassed $39 trillion. A potential supplemental for Operation Epic Fury — or any supplemental funding for that matter — must be offset,” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital when asked about the prospective $200 billion request. Clyde said he supported the mission but that any resources Congress signs off on must be done “in a fiscally responsible manner.” Meanwhile, another House conservative granted anonymity to speak freely about the Freedom Caucus’s thinking told Fox News Digital that fiscal hawks were likely to be “skeptical” about the price tag. HEGSETH WARNS ‘MORE CASUALTIES’ EXPECTED IN OPERATION EPIC FURY AGAINST IRAN “America isn’t signing up for a $200 billion war. The White House needs to give details of a plan regarding boots on the ground and how much is for replenishing our own arsenal, and how it’s being paid for,” that lawmaker said. With Democrats’ expected opposition to an Iran supplemental, some Republicans believe putting defense spending in a second “big, beautiful bill” via the budget reconciliation process could be the path of least resistance for the GOP. Top congressional Democrats were sharply critical of a massive supplemental Thursday — a position that could harden if the conflict drags on. “They are certainly not going to spend an additional dime on the military, on security, on any of the things that we care about,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview last week, referring to Democrats. “This conflict right now and the future of our country and our Western values have to be secured by additional defense spending, which can only happen in a reconciliation bill.” Pfluger did not comment specifically on the prospective $200 billion request when asked on Friday, but he reaffirmed his support for another reconciliation bill. He also pointed out that reconciliation means that the new spending would be mostly or fully paid for. “Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and I strongly support the administration’s efforts to ensure the United States and our allies cannot be threatened,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The pathway for additional military funding could be through a second reconciliation bill, with commonsense offsets that ensure the president’s request is fully paid for. Our warfighters will not be left waiting while the left plays politics with national security.” The budget reconciliation process allows the majority party to steer around the Senate’s 60-vote requirement and pass legislation via a simple majority. Republicans used the legislative maneuver to advance Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act through Congress in the first half of 2025. Budget reconciliation would also allow Republicans to identify offsets to a substantial increase in defense spending. However, intraparty divisions are likely to emerge over spending cuts. There is also skepticism among some Republicans that the Pentagon needs a massive infusion of money. The “big, beautiful bill” gave $150 billion to the Pentagon. The president has also requested a $1.5 trillion defense budget for the upcoming fiscal year — more than a 50% increase from current levels. Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that he would like to see the specifics of the supplemental request before committing to supporting one. “The DoD hasn’t passed an audit for a while,” Self said. “I would like for them to scrub things before they start asking for more money after the $150 billion and before the appropriations get passed.” And some Republicans are doubtful that the House GOP’s razor-thin majority will be able to pass any reconciliation bill at all, particularly in an election year. “We’ll see,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who’s already signaled skepticism over the prospect of a second reconciliation bill, told Fox News Digital when asked specifically about military funding in such a vehicle. And Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital of a second reconciliation bill, “I don’t know how well the prospects are, because there’s some people saying that we aren’t going to do it, and given our small majority, it’s going to be challenging.”