Vance reveals $19B fraud uncovered in Minneapolis, hints California is next target
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Vice President JD Vance hinted California may be targeted next with major fraud investigations and revealed that fraud discovered in the Minneapolis area has “probably been $19 billion at least” since the administration began investigating in the Twin Cities. In January, Vance announced an interagency task force within the Department of Justice that specifically targets fraud, and reports suggest the vice president will soon lead a new task force established through a Trump executive order. “We know there’s a lot of fraud in California, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of exactly what it looks like and what we’ve done in the Trump administration,” Vance said in response to a question by Fox News Digital. He took questions after a speech Friday afternoon at the Power House event center that focused on the economy, public safety and election integrity. COMER TO SAY TIM WALZ ‘ENABLED FRAUD,’ FAILED WHISTLEBLOWERS IN BOMBSHELL MINNESOTA HEARING “And the president has really empowered us to do this, is to take the first national look at the way the American people have been defrauded over many, many years,” Vance added. In January, President Donald Trump was critical of California, announcing the “fraud investigation of California has begun” and saying the state was “more corrupt than Minnesota.” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom defended the Golden State’s fraud protection in February, saying that California’s Franchise Tax Board has blocked billions in fraud in recent years. “In the actual world where adults govern, Gavin Newsom has been cleaning house,” a spokesperson for Newsom told Fox News Digital. “Since taking office, he’s blocked over $125 billion in fraud, arrested criminal parasites leaching off of taxpayers and protected taxpayers from the exact kind of scam artists Trump celebrates, excuses and pardons. “Gavin Newsom runs a state,” the spokesperson added. “Donald Trump runs his mouth. Again and again, we’ve shown that the programs they are attempting to call out are programs the federal government is administering, not the state. We suggest they get their house in order.” Vance on Friday pointed to fraud that has occurred in Minnesota, telling Fox News Digital and reporters that taxpayer dollars are footing the bill for the illegal misuse of funds. JD VANCE SPEARHEADS ‘WAR ON FRAUD,’ PROMISES TO ROOT OUT TAXPAYER MONEY ‘STOLEN’ BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “You asked about Minnesota, [and] we think that there’s probably been $19 billion at least to fraud just committed in Minneapolis in the surrounding areas,” Vance explained. “Let me give you an example of this because it’s not just the American people being defrauded. It’s not just your tax dollars that are being stolen out of your wallet and given to fraudsters. “It’s the fact that the services we need to deliver to needy people are not getting delivered because they’re going to fraudsters.” Federal investigators in Minnesota launched a probe in 2022 into the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which prosecutors later identified as a key player in what became one of the largest COVID-19 relief fraud cases uncovered. REPORT EXPOSES BILLIONS IN UNCOVERED FRAUD, WASTE AS WATCHDOG COALITION OFFERS SUPPORT TO TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN As the investigation progressed, authorities said they uncovered roughly $250 million in fraudulent claims, with 78 people ultimately charged in the alleged scheme. Prosecutors have also suggested the broader fraud linked to related programs could total as much as $9 billion. Independent journalist Nick Shirley took to the streets of Minneapolis in late December 2025 and discovered one organization that claimed to be a type of daycare, where the word “learning” was misspelled on the front door of the business. Vance poked fun at the organization, which has since shut its doors, during his response to Fox News Digital reporter’s question Friday. “When you have a Somali fraudster come into the United States illegally and then set up a school to collect tax dollars, and the name of the school is the Quality Learning Center, but when they put the sign up, they take the ‘n’ out. So, it says ‘Quality Learing Center,’” Vance explained. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to send my kids to a school where they can’t spell ‘learn.’ That group was getting millions of dollars from the American taxpayer.”
Trump Kennedy Center’s new leader revealed as Ric Grenell exits top role
Ric Grenell’s successor as the president of the Trump Kennedy Center was revealed Friday afternoon after President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to make the announcement. The change will officially be announced Monday when the Trump Kennedy Center’s board meets to officially suspend its activities and launch construction efforts. Grenell, who has a background in foreign policy and assumed control of the center in February 2025 in addition to his special envoy role, is being replaced by Matt Floca, the Trump Kennedy Center’s vice president of facilities operations. US JUDGE ORDERS SUSPECT DETAINED FOR THREATENING TO KILL RICHARD GRENELL A source familiar with Grenell’s thinking said the transition was a result of the construction-focused shift for the organization and consistent with plans President Donald Trump outlined in posts to social media at the beginning of February. “I have determined that the fastest way to bring the Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of success, beauty and grandeur is to cease entertainment operations for an approximately two-year period of time,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social last month. The source added that the change in the Trump Kennedy Center’s leadership is reflective of the organization’s focus for the time being. “I mean, the whole thing is turning into a construction zone,” the source said. “It’s going to be a construction zone, and [Ric is] not a construction guy.” WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA TO DEPART TRUMP–KENNEDY CENTER AMID REPORTED FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES Trump also highlighted Floca’s new appointment online. “As Vice President of Operations, Matt has helped us achieve tremendous progress in bringing the Center to the highest level of Excellence! A Complete Reconstruction of THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will begin after the July 4th Celebration,” Trump wrote. He went on to praise Grenell’s performance in the executive role, saying, “Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done.” The renovations are slated to cost $257 million, according to figures approved by Congress in Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year. Grenell declined to respond to inquiries about what his next role would be.
Cuban president reveals talks with Trump admin as fuel blockade chokes domestic energy supply and economy
The Cuban government is in talks with Trump administration officials, the country’s president said Friday, as Havana works to halt a potential regime change as it deals with a widening energy crisis. In a 90-minute news conference broadcast by state media, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said talks with Washington were aimed at finding solutions to the political differences that divide the communist island and the United States, The New York Times reported. However, changes to Cuba’s political system are off limits, Lianys Torres Rivera, Cuba’s chief of mission in the United States, told Politico in an interview. MILLIONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS Cuba’s economy has struggled since the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his home in Caracas at the start of the year. The Trump administration immediately cut off oil exports to the island. A number of key sectors across the island are under considerable strain, including its transportation, health and education systems, Torres Rivera said. She noted that as many as 11,000 children are on waiting lists for surgeries and procedures at health clinics. “They have no money. They have no anything right now,” President Donald Trump said in February. “Maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.” Trump has said a deal with Havana “would be very easily made.” In January, Trump declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups. FAMILY MEMBER OF AMERICAN KILLED BY CUBAN FORCES IN BOAT SHOOTOUT SAYS HE WAS ON ‘DIABOLICAL’ MISSION Last week, he said Cuba was “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.” Trump has charged Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and someone who has actively championed regime change, with negotiations with Cuba. Friday was the first time the Cuban government formally acknowledged talks with Washington. Amid talks, Rubio’s main counterpart has been Raúl Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of Raul Castro, the island’s de facto leader and its former president. Díaz-Canel said the talks with the United States were needed, in part, “to determine the willingness of both sides to take concrete actions,” the Times reported. He added that he would soon welcome an FBI team to take part in the investigation into 10 Cubans who lived in the United States who got into a firefight with the Cuban coast guard last month. “Agendas are built, negotiations and conversations take place and agreements are reached. Things we are still far from because we are in the initial phases of this process,” Díaz-Canel said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.
GOP lawmakers would strip citizenship from terrorists after attacks tied to naturalized citizens
Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., announced plans Thursday to introduce legislation allowing the U.S. to denaturalize and deport naturalized citizens who commit or support terrorism after a recent string of attacks involving immigrants who obtained citizenship. On Thursday, Moore called out the “horrific pattern” of naturalized citizens committing acts of terror against the American people, saying it “must end.” Moore announced he will be introducing a bill in Congress to denaturalize and deport any naturalized citizen who commits an act of terror, plots to unleash terror, joins a terrorist group or otherwise aids and abets terrorism. Almost immediately, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., vowed to support the bill. OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY ROTC CADETS DISARM ISIS SUPPORTER SHOUTING ‘ALLAHU AKBAR’ DURING SHOOTING: OFFICIALS This week, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, allegedly attempted to ram his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue filled with children and teachers. The same day at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone, opened fire on a class of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students, killing Lt. Col. Brandon Shah. Days before, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, the children of naturalized citizens from Turkey and Afghanistan, allegedly attempted to bomb an anti-Islam demonstration outside the mayor’s mansion in New York City. At the start of the month, Senegalese-born naturalized citizen Ndiaga Diagne killed three people and injured over a dozen in a shooting in Austin. After this week’s attacks, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., renewed his call to pass another bill known as the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act. Schmitt is the Senate sponsor of the bill, which, if passed, would expand and clarify grounds for denaturalization if an individual participates in fraud against a government program, joins a terrorist organization or is convicted of an aggravated felony or espionage. The bill was introduced in the House in January by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., amid widespread outrage over the rampant Medicaid and children’s services fraud scandal, which heavily involved the Somali immigrant community. TRUMP WARNS OF IRANIAN ‘SLEEPER CELLS’ AS CANADA IS ACCUSED OF HARBORING REGIME OPERATIVES On Thursday, Schmitt posted on X that “after the SAVE America Act, we must pass the SCAM Act so we can denaturalize & deport those who are here to hurt Americans. We must denaturalize those who shouldn’t be here.” Under current laws, the U.S. government may strip citizenship from a naturalized individual only in very limited circumstances, such as when it was obtained through fraud. There is also a very high standard of proof on the government to show that fraud occurred during the process of obtaining citizenship. The SCAM Act, however, would expand the government’s ability to denaturalize, allowing it to revoke citizenship from a person who engages in terrorism, commits fraud, commits espionage or commits felonies within 10 years of becoming a citizen. WE’RE IN DANGER OF MORE TERROR ATTACKS — AND THIS IS THE MOST INDEFENSIBLE PART OF IT ALL: SEN TED CRUZ In another post, Schmitt emphasized “we need to give the Trump admin the SCAM Act. Under current law, it is practically impossible to denaturalize these terrorists.” He said the SCAM Act “will allow the Trump admin to denaturalize and deport those who should never have been granted citizenship in the first place.”
Trump says US ‘obliterated’ military targets in strike on key Iranian oil hub: ‘Powerful bombing raids’
President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. had carried out a bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, a strategically vital island in the Persian Gulf that serves as the country’s largest oil terminal and a crucial hub for its crude exports. “Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The island, located roughly 35 miles off Iran’s Bushehr province in the country’s southwest, is about the size of New York City’s Central Park but carries huge importance for Iran’s economy. It has a loading capacity of about 7 million barrels per day, and roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports pass through it. Most of those exports are shipped to China and India, underscoring the island’s importance not only to Iran’s energy trade but also to broader global oil markets. BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE IMAGERY OFFERS A RARE LOOK AT DAMAGE INSIDE IRAN That makes Kharg Island one of Iran’s most sensitive and strategically important pieces of infrastructure. Any military action there could have consequences well beyond Iran, raising the risk of disruptions to crude flows, shipping traffic and energy prices across the region. Trump said the U.S. had deliberately avoided targeting the island’s oil infrastructure, while warning that could change if Iran moved to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. “Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” Trump added. THE UNLIKELY TOOL TRUMP IS EYEING TO TACKLE RISING OIL PRICES AMID THE IRAN CONFLICT The latest revelation comes as the widening conflict in the Middle East rattles global energy markets and raises fresh fears about the security of the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil choke point. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day and about one-fifth of the global supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). When conflict flares in the region, even the threat of disruption can rattle markets because so much of the world’s energy moves through that single corridor. That threat is already rippling through energy markets. This week, benchmark oil prices punched back above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022, underscoring how quickly geopolitical shocks can ripple through the energy complex. That jump is showing up at the pump. As oil prices climb, gasoline and diesel prices are rising fast — especially diesel, which can move quickly because it’s tied closely to freight and industrial demand. On Friday, the national average for regular gasoline rose to about $3.63 a gallon, according to AAA. Diesel prices have also jumped, with the national average up $1.23 to $4.89 a gallon. As energy costs accelerate, the White House is weighing steps to safeguard commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and leaning on emergency stockpiles to cushion the blow. Before boarding Air Force One for Mar-a-Lago late Friday, Trump told reporters the U.S. Navy may start escorting tankers through the Strait “very soon.” Asked about the risk of disruptions, Trump said Monday evening he would keep the route open and threatened retaliation if Iran tried to interfere. “I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe’s oil supply. And if Iran does anything to do that, they’ll get hit at a much, much harder level,” Trump said during a news conference in Florida. “In the long run, oil supplies will be dramatically more secure without the threat of Iranian ships, drones, missiles,” he added.
Dem senators in the hot seat as Republicans rip their DHS vote amid terror threats: ‘Under attack’
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., claimed he offered Republicans a chance to spare the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the ongoing government shutdown that’s poised to hit the one-month mark on Saturday after another failed DHS vote on Thursday. Republicans believe the offer was little more than political theater that ignored the core of the funding gridlock as concerns about Iranian sleeper cell threats and airport chaos rise. “I just offered a UC to fund FEMA and Republicans shot it down,” Schiff said, referring to the Senate process to pass legislation on the spot, known as “unanimous consent.” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., a lawmaker who has blocked UCs on the shutdown in the past, blasted Democrats for, in her view, trying to punt the negotiations on larger DHS disagreements. SENATE TO TAKE TEST VOTE TO END 27-DAY DHS SHUTDOWN “We would like that opportunity to continue funding the Department of Homeland Security in its entirety. Look, the people who sent us here expect more,” Britt said in remarks on the Senate floor. “They expect us to have tough conversations. They expect us to figure out a pathway forward. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do today.” A fired-up Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., accused Senate Democrats of trying to rip the agency apart at a moment it was designed for, as the war in Iran has spurred threats of retaliation in the U.S. by sleeper cells. “And that’s at a time when our homeland is under attack, all warning lights are flashing red, and they want to peel apart, piece by piece, the Department of Homeland Security, the comprehensive department of our government to protect the American people, because they want to stand with illegal immigrant criminals,” Barrasso said. Schumer declared that Senate Democrats would continue to provide piecemeal funding bills to reopen certain portions of the agency, like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), while negotiations continued. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed on February 14 over gridlock of a set of demands Democrats made regarding operational reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — reforms Republicans believe will handcuff President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. FEMA was slated to receive $32 billion in 2026, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Among other items, Democrats have demanded a no-mask policy, an end to roaming patrols, stiffer warrant requirements for detentions and clearly visible identification for ICE agents. DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS INTO WEEK TWO AS IRAN THREAT, SOTU CLASH COMPLICATE HILL TALKS Although talks are ongoing, lawmakers have said critical disagreements remain. Like ICE, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operates under DHS alongside other agencies like the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced concern that the unrelated reforms to ICE that Democrats have demanded are threatening the country’s readiness to respond to natural disasters. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., hinted that Democrats would like to eliminate that possibility. “We just asked for a UC to get it done… so,” Cantwell said on the DHS funding dispute. TSA WORKERS BRACE FOR MISSED PAYCHECKS AS DEMOCRATS HOLD FIRM ON DHS FUNDING According to Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Katie Britt, R-Ala., DHS employees missed their first full paycheck this week. Additionally, FEMA reserve funding has dropped to $4 billion, the primary account used to coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts. Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Nine convicted in North Texas ICE attack as Kash Patel issues warning to those who target federal officers
Jurors delivered a mixed verdict Friday in the federal trial of nine people accused of carrying out a 2025 “ambush” attack on an ICE detention facility in North Texas. Nine defendants accused of being part of a North Texas “Antifa cell” were convicted by a federal jury in Fort Worth for their roles in the July 4, 2025, attack on the Prairieland ICE Detention Center, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Jurors delivered the verdict around 2:30 p.m. Friday at the federal courthouse in Fort Worth following roughly a day and a half of deliberations, FOX 4 News reported. “The guilty verdicts in today’s case go to show this FBI’s 24/7 commitment to identifying, locating, and dismantling ANTIFA members and their networks,” Kash Patel told Fox News Digital. “I want to thank our Dallas field office and great partners for delivering justice. If you attack federal law enforcement this FBI will use every resource at our disposal to hunt you down.” FEDERAL AGENTS DEPLOY TEAR GAS, RUBBER BULLETS ON PROTESTERS OUTSIDE MINNEAPOLIS FEDERAL BUILDING During the 12-day trial, which began Feb. 23, 2026, jurors heard testimony from more than 45 witnesses and reviewed over 210 exhibits tied to the charges against the nine defendants, the DOJ said. Benjamin Song was convicted of the most serious charge — attempted murder — for shooting Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross, according to FOX 4. All but one of the nine defendants — Daniel Estrada — were found guilty of providing material support to terrorists, rioting, conspiring to use and carry explosives, and using explosives during a riot, FOX 4 reported. ICE RE-ARRESTS TWO VENEZUELAN MEN AFTER FEDERAL JUDGE’S RELEASE ORDER Daniel Estrada, who was not present the night of the incident, was convicted of concealing records and conspiracy to conceal documents, according to FOX 4. Maricela Rueda was also convicted of conspiracy to conceal documents. “Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets.” LEFT INSISTS ANTIFA ISN’T A REAL ORGANIZATION DESPITE MULTIPLE VIOLENT, PUBLIC INCIDENTS: ‘MADE UP’ Authorities say the July 4, 2025, attack outside the Prairieland ICE Detention Facility in Alvarado involved fireworks, damage to buildings and vehicles, and gunfire directed at officers. Prosecutors argued the attack was orchestrated by Song and carried out by members of a North Texas Antifa cell, FOX 4 reported. Defense attorneys argued there was no ambush and said the defendants did not intend for any violence to occur. “The calculated, violent attack at ICE’s Prairieland facility was an abhorrent way for antifa terrorists to ‘protest’ the way this agency enforces the law — but these verdicts make clear that those who choose violence over lawful expression will face the full force of the American justice system,” ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a statement.
Boasberg blocks subpoenas against Fed Chair Jerome Powell
A federal judge blocked the Justice Department’s efforts to issue a pair of grand jury subpoenas to the Federal Reserve Board, concluding that the effort was merely a “pretext” to pressure Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell into lowering interest rates or resigning. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said in the newly unsealed ruling that the Justice Department offered “no evidence whatsoever” that Powell committed any crime “other than displeasing” President Donald Trump. “Did prosecutors issue those subpoenas for a proper purpose? The Court finds that they did not,” he said. “There is abundant evidence that the subpoenas’ dominant (if not sole) purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign and make way for a Fed Chair who will.” EX-JUDGES BLAST TOP TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR DECLARING ‘WAR’ ON COURTS The ruling comes after U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro opened a criminal inquiry into Powell’s June 2025 testimony before the Senate Banking Committee centered on the Fed’s years-long renovation of its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Powell revealed the investigation publicly in January, which he described as an attack on the Fed’s independence. Pirro said Friday that the Justice Department would appeal the ruling to a higher court. “This process has been arbitrarily undermined by an activist judge,” she said at a news conference Friday, arguing that Boasberg “put himself at the entrance door to the grand jury, slamming that door shut — irrespective of the legal process — and thus preventing the grand jury from doing the work that it does.” Any appeal could prolong Trump’s efforts to remove Powell from the Fed and replace him with his pick — former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh — as Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. remarked on social media Friday. AMERICANS MAY HAVE TO PAY TO BRING BACK ALLEGED MEMBERS OF ‘FOREIGN TERRORIST CARTEL’ TO US The ruling “confirms just how weak and frivolous the criminal investigation of Chairman Powell is, and it is nothing more than a failed attack on Fed independence,” Tillis said. “We all know how this is going to end, and the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office should save itself further embarrassment and move on,” he said. “Appealing the ruling will only delay the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chair.” Boasberg used the ruling to tick through many of Trump’s social media posts blasting Powell and unsuccessfully pressuring him to lower interest rates before suggesting that someone else should replace him to head up the Fed. “Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell has done it again!!! He is TOO LATE, and actually, TOO ANGRY, TOO STUPID, & TOO POLITICAL, to have the job of Fed Chair,” Boasberg said in one citation — noting that it was among “at least 100 statements that the President or his deputies have made attacking the Chair of the Federal Reserve and pressuring him to lower interest rates.” “Being perceived as the President’s adversary has become risky in recent years,” Boasberg said. “In his second term, Trump has urged the Department of Justice to prosecute such people, and the Department’s prosecutors have listened.” This is a breaking news story. Check back shortly for updates.
New Iranian supreme leader ‘likely disfigured,’ Hegseth says
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a Friday morning press briefing that the U.S. “is decimating the radical Iranian regime’s military” and that the Islamic Republic’s new supreme leader was injured and “likely disfigured.” “Desperate and hiding, they’ve gone underground, cowering,” Hegseth said of Iranian leadership. “That’s what rats do. We know the new so-called not-so-Supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured,” he said. TRUMP SAYS US ‘TOTALLY DESTROYING’ IRAN AND TO ‘WATCH WHAT HAPPENS’ FRIDAY Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the beginning of the war, issued a statement on Thursday that Hegseth described as “weak.” “It was a written statement,” Hegseth said. “Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father, dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy. It’s a mess for them. Who’s in charge? Iran may not even know.” PENTAGON ESTIMATES IRAN WAR COST $11.3B IN THE FIRST SIX DAYS IN CLOSED-DOOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING: REPORT “We’re on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before,” Hegseth said. “Soon, and very soon, all of Iran’s defense companies will be destroyed,” he noted. TRUMP WARNS OF IRANIAN ‘SLEEPER CELLS’ AS CANADA IS ACCUSED OF HARBORING REGIME OPERATIVES “I serve God, the troops, the country, the Constitution, and the president of the United States and answer only to those, all in service of victory on the battlefield and the military objectives that we’ve laid out from day one: Defeat the missiles, missile launchers and defense industrial base, which I laid out today. Defeat the Navy and deny Iran the ability to have a nuclear weapon. Clear, decisive, achievable.”
Iran conflict could be push GOP needs for 2nd ‘big, beautiful bill’
Top House Republicans are eyeing a surge in military funding as the U.S. continues its joint operation with Israel against Iran, and some are arguing that a second “big, beautiful bill” is the vehicle to get it done. Republicans are discussing the possibility of supplemental funding to aid the U.S. effort as Iran continues to retaliate against allies in the region. Senior House GOP lawmakers told Fox News Digital that the resulting heightened national security environment means that Congress has a responsibility to ensure the armed forces are prepared for whatever threats may arise. At the same time, they’re skeptical that Democrats will provide the votes necessary to pass such a funding bill through traditional means. “They are certainly not going to spend an additional dime on the military, on security, on any of the things that we care about,” Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital of the opposing party. “The threats around the world have never been higher. They’ve never been greater. And we have to recapitalize after four just disastrous years of President Biden completely decimating our military.” OPERATION EPIC FURY SURVIVES SENATE CHALLENGE AS REPUBLICANS CLOSE RANKS BEHIND TRUMP “So 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.” Republicans passed a sweeping tax and policy bill last summer dubbed President Donald Trump’s landmark One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. It was done via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to change broad swaths of fiscal law while sidelining the minority party — in this case, Democrats. It makes that possible by lowering the threshold for advancing legislation in the Senate from 60 votes to a simple majority, lining it up with the House. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP TARGETS AFFORDABILITY WITH RECONCILIATION 2.0 PLAN AHEAD OF MIDTERMS House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said he believed an additional funding package for Iran was inevitable but added, “The politics are such that there’s no guarantee that the supplemental will pass.” “On top of that, the president has been talking about a big capital investment to modernize the military,” Arrington told Fox News Digital. “If we can’t get Democrats to support either of those endeavors — I think we’ve got a better chance of getting support on an emergency supplemental than we do on a one-time capital investment — but I think that reconciliation may be the only train leaving the station that could address those important things.” Pfluger also signaled a broader path: “Is it specific to Iran or is it more general and more broad to just increasing defense spending and making sure that our military has what they need to deter Iran and others? I think that’s probably the more likely path.” However, he noted that reconciliation meant that spending would likely have to be offset by cuts elsewhere, something that could appease fiscal hawks wary of bloated spending levels. “So where do we find the savings? I’ve got some ideas on that. I think it’s related to fraud. I think there’s a lot of money to be saved when we look at fraud, like what happened in Minnesota with the daycares and the billions of dollars that went out the window there,” Pfluger said. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO CONGRESS’ OPTIONS ON HAMSTRINGING TRUMP’S WAR POWERS IN IRAN The idea of a second reconciliation bill has already been met with skepticism by a significant number of Republicans, many of whom have cited the GOP’s razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate. But a senior House Republican who also spoke with Fox News Digital argued that the situation in Iran could bring the unity Republicans need. “That would be the biggest motivating factor in another reconciliation bill,” the lawmaker said. And Pfluger pointed out that there was precedent — Democrats passed two reconciliation bills themselves when they last controlled Congress at the beginning of former President Joe Biden’s term. “We should remind ourselves that they stuck together, and they were able to do that. So should we,” he said. But Arrington warned that lawmakers would have to move fast for something to be attainable. “The window is closing, and I don’t see us being able to do a reconciliation bill if we get past the spring, because we’ll be too close to the election,” Arrington said.