Way harder than it should be: Why Congress may balk on $1.7B compensation fund
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had never appeared before a congressional panel asking for money to run his department until Tuesday morning. And even though cabinet secretaries routinely make their budget requests to Congress, it appears that Blanche apparently didn’t even need to ask lawmakers for the most-controversial batch of federal funds in years. It was already approved. Somehow. Blanche’s Justice Department announced the creation of a billion compensation fund to pay people who Republicans say are victims of government weaponization. Who gets the money isn’t clear. And what’s murkier still is how the stash of cash came about. APOLOGIES AND CASH HEADED TO ALLEGED ‘WEAPONIZATION’ VICTIMS IN BILLION-DOLLAR TRUMP SETTLEMENT In short, President Donald Trump sued his own IRS for leaking his tax returns – along with the filings of several hundred other Americans. Then, Blanche’s own Department of Justice announced that the president essentially settled with himself. “Per the settlement, plaintiffs will receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages of any kind. They have agreed, in exchange for the creation of this fund, to drop their pending lawsuit with prejudice, and also withdraw two administrative claims, including for damages resulting from the unlawful raid of Mar-a-Lago and the Russia-collusion hoax,” read the DoJ statement. The fund is worth $1.776 billion. Get it? 1776. REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN So while the president couldn’t receive money from this fund, his political allies and donors could. All without congressional input. “I realize it’s a lot of money,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “I want to understand where the money comes from. Do we find it in the budget? Do we have to borrow it? There’s just a lot of unanswered questions.” DAVID MARCUS: HE BARELY SURVIVED BIDEN LAWFARE, AND NOW HE DESERVES TO GET PAID “What I want to know is how the fund is created and what its purpose is,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. “And (I want to know) the legality of creating a fund that Congress hasn’t had anything to say about.” The government swept up the phone information of multiple Republican lawmakers after the January 6 riot as part of Operation Arctic Frost. That included the records of Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. He defended the fund. ‘COMPLETE FAILURE’: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS THREATENS CAPITOL HILL AS TRUMP PLANS POLICY OVERHAUL “What we ought to be talking about is the reasons for the compensation. Weaponization of government that took place under former President Joe Biden was an absolute disgrace,” said Hagerty. Blanche formerly served as President Trump’s personal legal counsel. Lawmakers argued that Blanche reverted to that role when he created the compensation fund out of the ether. “Mr. Attorney General, you are acting today like the president’s personal attorney. And that’s the whole problem,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “You’re a very gifted lawyer. But from my perspective, you have very little faith to the Constitution and the people of America. And you’re the president’s consigliere,” piled on Sen. Jack Reed D-R.I. Lawmakers questioned who qualifies for compensation. “Will individuals who assaulted Capitol Hill police officers be eligible for this fund?” asked Van Hollen. DEMS DEMAND TRUMP RESUME CASH FLOW AS THEY FINALLY GET LEVERAGE IN RACE TO PREVENT SHUTDOWN “Anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they are a victim of weaponization,” replied Blanche. And that’s what concerned bipartisan lawmakers. The compensation conundrum instantly spilled over into a major bill, due to the hit the Senate floor. Congressional Republicans were trying to pass a bill to finally address funding for ICE and Border Patrol, once and for all. But they planned to bypass a Democratic filibuster using a special process called budget reconciliation. SENATE GOP LAUNCHES ALL-NIGHT VOTE-A-RAMA TO FUND ICE, BORDER PATROL THROUGH END OF TRUMP’S TERM The good thing about reconciliation is that you can pass a bill with 51 yeas and don’t need to clear the filibuster with 60 votes. The bad thing is that the reconciliation process entails what the Senate refers to as a “vote-a-rama.” This is where senators can offer practically any amendment on any subject in a drawn-out process which might consume an entire calendar day. Republicans freaked out that Democrats would force them to take controversial votes on the compensation fund. And frankly, many Republicans intended to author their own amendments to curb the fund – simultaneously inoculating themselves from blowback. That political brew was too much for Senate Republicans. DEMOCRATS’ LAST-MINUTE MOVE TO BLOCK GOP FUNDING PLAN SENDS LAWMAKERS HOME EARLY They summoned Blanche to Capitol Hill Thursday morning to explain the fund. The meeting didn’t go well. Fox is told that Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., were pointed in their comments to Blanche. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., popped into the Capitol’s Ohio Clock Corridor en route to the meeting. Tillis was in mid-conversation. All anyone could hear Tillis say was “And I’m not voting for it!” as he walked by. By early afternoon, Republican leaders scrapped the bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and sent everyone home for Memorial Day. It was the biggest legislative rebuke of President Trump’s second term. “I just don’t know how this puppy dog will work,” said Kennedy. “I think there were six or seven people who are going to vote no.” SENATE REPUBLICANS RACE TO FUND ICE, CBP WITHOUT DEMOCRATS AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS Yet Republicans were practically on the verge of finally ending the ICE and Border Patrol funding impasse. “The sole reason we are here today is because Democrats refused to fund law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. The debate over funding for the president’s ballroom wasn’t exactly the foxtrot for Senate Republicans. But the compensation fund converted the reconciliation process into the samba. CONGRESS MELTS DOWN: MEMBERS UNLEASH PERSONAL ATTACKS AFTER
Trump announces highest civilian honor for 9/11 hero remembered as the ‘Man in the Red Bandana’
President Donald Trump announced during a rally in New York that he was posthumously awarding the nation’s highest civilian honor to Welles Remy Crowther, the 9/11 hero remembered as the “Man in the Red Bandana” after he repeatedly led victims to safety from the burning South Tower before dying in the terrorist attacks. Trump revealed the Presidential Medal of Freedom honor during a Rockland County stop on Friday with Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who had urged the president to recognize Crowther’s heroism ahead of the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11. Crowther, a 24-year-old equities trader who also worked as a volunteer firefighter, became a symbol of American courage after survivors recounted being guided through smoke and wreckage by a man wearing a red bandana over his face. “At the request of Bruce, and Mike, and some of the political — great political people we have, and we are approaching the 25th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, a dark day that will live in infamy. We are posthumously awarding Welles the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump told the Rockland County crowd, earning a resounding applause. FOX NATION, TUNNELS TO TOWERS EXPLORES HOW AMERICA’S PASTIME HELPED A GRIEVING NEW YORK HEAL AFTER 9/11 “It’s the highest award outside of the Congressional Medal of Honor — those are the two biggies and Welles has one of them. I just want to congratulate his great mother in doing a phenomenal job in raising that young man. Boy, what bravery, saved those people and became a legend in a sense, nobody else would have done what he did. So he’s going to be getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” The president subsequently brought up Welles’ mother, Alison Crowther, who addressed the pro-Trump crowd momentarily, describing the award bestowed on her son as a “huge honor.” “It’s such a beautiful thing that even 25 years later, Welles’ light still shines brightly,” she told the crowd, noting she has traveled the world telling her son’s story to places as far away as Jordan. Alison Crowther remarked that in these travels, when she tells children Welles’ story, “They’re tremendously moved and inspired … to be better people.” NEW 9/11 MUSEUM EXHIBIT AIMS TO CONNECT YOUNGER AMERICANS TO THE ATTACKS THROUGH POWERFUL ARTIFACTS Welles, an equities trader who worked on the 104th floor of the South Tower, was in his office when the first aircraft hit the North Tower that morning. He left his mother a voicemail shortly after the towers were struck, letting her know he was okay, but his body was later found amid the rubble. According to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Welles “made three trips to the sky lobby, saving as many people as he could, until the burning building collapsed,” with some reports indicating he saved up to 18 lives that day. As he did so, Welles covered his nose and mouth with a red bandana he kept at his desk. That red bandana is currently displayed at the 9/11 museum in New York City. The Tunnels to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit that supports first responders and their families, including those who became victims after 9/11, said Welles always kept a red bandana at his desk. The foundation recounted how, when he was asked why he always carried the red bandana, Welles replied: “With this red bandana, I’m going to change the world.” His father, the foundation said, told Welles to always carry a red bandana on him for “messy jobs.” “People can live 100 years and not have the compassion, the wherewithal to do what he did,” a survivor rescued by Crowther has said.
Sheridan Gorman’s parents say protecting children from failed immigration policies isn’t a one-party fight
The parents of Sheridan Gorman, the college freshman who was killed in Chicago earlier this year, appeared Friday at a New York rally hosted by President Donald Trump, where they demanded that leaders oppose sanctuary policies, saying the fight to protect children shouldn’t belong “to only one party.” Trump was at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York, when he introduced Gorman’s family. Jessica Gorman said her daughter’s life was “stolen” by someone who should have never been in the United States. “At every step the system had a chance to stop him. At every step, it failed. And my daughter paid for those failures with her life,” she said. “No mother should ever have to wonder if her child called out for her in her final moments. No mother should ever have to imagine her baby left alone and bleeding on the cold pavement, and no family should ever have to bury a child because public officials failed to put innocent American lives first.” CHICAGO MAYOR ASKED ABOUT CITY’S IMMIGRATION POLICIES AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY KILLED COLLEGE STUDENT Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student, was shot and killed on March 19. She was walking along a lakefront pier at Tobey Prinz Beach with a group of friends when they encountered a masked man hiding behind a lighthouse structure. Jose Medina, 25, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was arrested the following day and charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Medina was released from custody months earlier despite an active Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer. DHS released a statement confirming that Medina was released from custody twice. In 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended the suspect before releasing him, according to DHS. Later that year, he was arrested and released again following a shoplifting arrest. “This is what failed policies have done to our family,” Tom Gorman said about his daughter’s death. “No family should have to become experts in immigration failures, release policies, warrants, sanctuary laws, and enforcement breakdowns because their daughter was killed by someone who should not have been here and should not be free.” CHICAGO MAYOR JOHNSON UNVEILS ‘ABOLISH ICE’ SNOWPLOW DAYS AFTER STUDENT ALLEGEDLY MURDERED BY ILLEGAL MIGRANT Days after Gorman was killed, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a vocal Trump critic, unveiled a snowplow named “Abolish ICE,” infuriating the Gorman family. “When they’re naming trucks and laughing and joking several days after our daughter was murdered, we’re waiting in Chicago to claim her body,” Jessica Gorman told “The Story” at the time. “It was more than infuriating. I don’t have—the vitriol that I felt was overwhelming.” At Friday’s rally, Gorman’s father, Tom Gorman, thanked Trump and criticized leaders who oppose immigration enforcement. ANGEL PARENTS SLAM ILLINOIS SANCTUARY LAWS AFTER ‘PREVENTABLE’ TRAGEDY IN STUDENT’S DEATH “But I do not understand why this is a fight that belongs to only one party,” he said. “Protecting our people is not politics. It is the first responsibility of government.” Many Democrats have expressed opposition to Trump’s deportation policies and targeting of undocumented immigrants, despite many suspects having been accused of or convicted of committing violent crimes while in the U.S. Gorman’s death has taken a tool on her family, but Friday’s rally comforted her sister, Madelon Gorman. “I have to say you are just so funny,” she said of Trump. “My family has laughed more, smiled more in the past hour than we have since March 19th,” she said.
DOJ vows to appeal after judge dismisses smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia as ‘vindictive’
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) vowed to appeal a federal judge’s decision Friday to dismiss human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who initially entered the U.S. illegally and allegedly had suspected ties to MS-13, slamming the ruling as “wrong and dangerous.” U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. on Friday threw out a two-count indictment in Tennessee against Abrego Garcia, ruling the DOJ’s actions amounted to “vindictive and selective prosecution” in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. Abrego Garcia was facing charges after allegedly conspiring to smuggle roughly 600 illegal immigrants into the U.S. annually, between 2016 and 2025, according to a cooperating witness. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR ADMITS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ TIMING IN ABREGO GARCIA SMUGGLING CASE CHARGES “Another activist judge has placed politics above public safety,” a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News. “The judge’s order is wrong and dangerous, and we will appeal.” The federal investigation was initially sparked by a November 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee and included suspected ties to the MS-13 gang and human trafficking. The case became a constitutional standoff after the executive branch deported Abrego Garcia to El Salvador in March 2025 due to an alleged “administrative error.” MARYLAND IMMIGRANT WRONGLY DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR MUST RETURN TO US, SUPREME COURT RULES Abrego Garcia sued the government, and the judicial branch — ultimately backed by the Supreme Court — unanimously ordered his return be “facilitate[d]” to the U.S. Crenshaw, an Obama appointee, noted that just days after the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Department of Homeland Security suddenly reopened a closed investigation into Abrego Garcia’s 2022 traffic stop. TENNESSEE BODYCAM OF ‘MARYLAND MAN’ TRAFFIC STOP SHOWS TROOPERS’ HANDS TIED DESPITE SMUGGLING CLUES Top Justice Department officials, under the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, then pushed for an indictment, according to court documents. In his 32-page memorandum opinion, Crenshaw determined the DOJ’s rapid pivot from closing the case to prosecuting Abrego Garcia was a direct retaliation for his successful civil lawsuit. Calling it an “abuse of prosecuting power,” the judge concluded “absent Abrego’s successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the Government would not have brought this prosecution.” As a result of the finding, Crenshaw formally dismissed the indictment and vacated Abrego Garcia’s conditions of release. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who flew to El Salvador in April 2025 to meet with Abrego Garcia after he was deported to the country’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT) megaprison, hailed Friday’s decision. “Today, a federal judge made clear what we have long known: the Department of Justice was engaged in a vindictive prosecution against Kilmar Abrego Garcia,” Van Hollen said in a statment. “This decision is a strong repudiation of Trump’s lawless DOJ and a win for the Constitutional rights of everyone in our nation.”
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani releases audit accusing federal immigration agents of misleading tactics
Findings from audits of six New York City agencies intended to ensure compliance with the city’s sanctuary laws found that federal immigration authorities use aggressive and deceptive tactics, the office of Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday. The audits and recommendations were part of Executive Order 13, which mandated a public safety audit for six specific city agencies: the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), the New York Police Department (NYPD), and the Departments of Correction (DOC), Probation (DOP), Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and Social Services (DSS). The order was issued by Mamdani upon taking office in an effort to fulfill a promise to protect the city’s immigrant communities. The 19-page executive summary details the interactions between the agencies and federal immigration authorities, as well as recommendations to close loopholes and blind spots in the city’s sanctuary policies. MAMDANI CLARIFIES NYC WON’T CHECK IMMIGRATION STATUS FOR UNIVERSAL CHILDCARE ENROLLEES “The findings and recommendations released today will strengthen City agencies’ protocols when interacting with federal authorities and ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, can safely access the City services they deserve,” said Faiza Ali, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, in a statement. Among the findings were that federal immigration authorities have intensified their targeting of city shelters, resulting in a sharp increase in detainer requests to the city’s Department of Correction and New York Police Department. The report also accused immigration authorities of using aggressive and misleading tactics. The NYPD received 3,672 requests for civil immigration detainers in 2025—a massive spike from just 99 requests the previous year. The NYPD did not transfer any individuals to ICE in response to these requests. MAMDANI VOWS NYPD WILL ‘NEVER’ GO BACK TO ADAMS-ERA COOPERATION WITH ICE ENFORCEMENT In June 2025, personnel with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) visited a shelter and initially falsely identified themselves as Fire Department officials, the report states. They only admitted they were with DHS after a city employee demanded identification. In April 2025, officers from several federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), DHS, the FBI, and the DEA visited shelters ten times, sometimes in plainclothes. They used tactics such as asking to conduct “wellness checks” on children in order to inquire about specific clients. In other instances, agents presented subpoenas or administrative warrants, which do not legally authorize access to shelters, though they did present legally binding judicial warrants on two occasions (leading to one arrest). In another instance, ICE agents entered a Department of Probation (DOP) building in Brooklyn and asked to use the bathroom, but then attempted to look through the facility’s sign-in book. Staff intercepted them, checked their identification, and escorted them out, the report said. MAMDANI DECLARES HE’S READY FOR ‘ANY CONSEQUENCE’ FOR STANDING AGAINST TRUMP’S FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT Mamdani has been a vocal opponent of ICE and the Trump administration’s immigration agenda. In a statement, he called the audit a “critical step towards strengthening compliance with our local laws and reinforcing New York City’s protections for immigrant communities.” “I am proud to share key findings and recommendations from the audit that will ensure that we are responding to the changing nature of federal immigration enforcement and protecting the rights of all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status,” he said. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the White House urged leaders to cooperate with ICE. “ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities — local officials should work with them, not against them,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said. “Anyone doing otherwise is simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens. The Trump Administration will not waver on enforcing federal immigration law.” The recommendations in the report include:
Republicans get ‘aggressive’ in fight to win top cop spots in battleground states
Republican attorney general candidates are betting that crime, border security and public safety will drive voters to the polls in November as they position themselves as frontline fighters against Democratic policies on immigration and law enforcement. The Republican Attorneys General Association and its affiliated groups are launching an aggressive $11 million television offensive across key battleground states this fall, with initial ad purchases targeting attorney general races in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia and Kansas. “I think we have learned that being aggressive is a good thing,” RAGA Chairman Austin Knudsen, who also serves as Montana attorney general, told Fox News Digital. “Being aggressive works.” Republicans say the effort reflects a broader push to put Democrats on defense over crime and public safety issues in some of the country’s most competitive statewide contests. END OF DEFUND POLICE ERA? CRIME, PROSECUTORIAL CRACKDOWN IN BLUE AND PURPLE STATES SIGNALS SHIFT, EXPERTS SAY “I don’t think there’s any question that the winning message for AG races around the country in 2026 is public safety,” Knudsen said. “Americans care about public safety, they care about law enforcement, they care about border security.” Knudsen argued attorney general races have become increasingly nationalized because they can quickly challenge federal policies through lawsuits and multistate legal coalitions. Republican attorneys general scored major victories against the Biden administration, including a successful challenge to Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan that ended with the Supreme Court striking down the program in Biden v. Nebraska. GOP attorney general coalitions also sued to block the administration’s revised SAVE repayment plan, winning court orders delaying parts of the program. Republican-led states also challenged Biden administration efforts to expand Title IX protections to include gender identity, turning attorney general offices into a major front in the nation’s culture wars. “Congress talks. Attorneys generals act,” Knudsen said. “When we see something bad coming out of Washington, D.C., we can quickly mobilize. We can file lawsuits.” REPUBLICAN AGS DOUBLE DOWN ON BIDEN ADMINISTRATION LAWSUITS AS PRESIDENT PREPARES TO LEAVE OFFICE The ad reservations build on a broader Republican expansion effort already underway. Iowa Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird’s campaign has already reserved more than $2 million in fall television advertising, while RAGA says it raised a record $29.3 million across affiliated entities in 2025. RAGA Executive Director Adam Piper said Republicans intend to capitalize on what they view as voter frustration over progressive criminal justice policies pushed by Democrats in battleground states. “RAGA has a good map in 2026 and will be on offense because the reality is voters prioritize public safety and prefer Republican AGs who fight crime and win at the courthouse over Democrat AGs who pander to criminals with cashless bail idiocracy,” Piper said in a statement. “These early TV reservations and direct candidate investments are merely a down payment on the resources RAGA will marshal this fall,” Piper added. “Democrats should understand that Republican AGs are not playing defense. We are taking the fight directly to them.” The GOP is making Michigan a centerpiece of that argument. Democrats there nominated Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, whose office became the first in Michigan to stop seeking cash bail and announced it would no longer prosecute certain low-level drug offenses. TUDOR DIXON RETURNS TO MICHIGAN POLITICS WITH NEW PAC AIMED AT BOOSTING REPUBLICANS IN KEY BATTLEGROUND Michigan Republican attorney general candidate Doug Lloyd, the longtime Eaton County prosecutor, told Fox News Digital he believes public safety concerns cut across party lines in the battleground state. “People want to feel safe in their communities, and they’re not feeling that safe right now,” Lloyd said. “That’s an 80-20 issue.” Lloyd also accused Democratic prosecutors of selectively refusing to enforce laws, an issue Republicans increasingly plan to elevate nationally. “I believe that when you start making that statement that ‘I refuse to enforce the laws that our legislature has created and which are constitutional’, then you’re on the road to anarchy,” Lloyd told Fox News Digital. “We’ve seen how that’s gone for the last eight years and I believe that our citizens are actually tired of it.” In Georgia, Republicans are targeting Democratic attorney general nominee Tanya Miller over her vote against HB 1105, a post-Laken Riley immigration enforcement law requiring local officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Knudsen said Republicans learned important lessons during the Biden administration about how aggressively voters want attorneys general to challenge Democratic policies in court. “We’ve seen the fentanyl, cartel fentanyl and methamphetamine flood in from the southern border during Joe Biden and flood every state,” Knudsen said. Knudsen said Republicans learned important lessons during the Biden administration about how aggressively voters want attorneys general to confront Democratic policies in court. “People have figured out that attorney general’s races matter, I think we’ve gotten a lot more attention because of what we’ve been able to do,” Knudsen said. “As attorneys general, we can move quickly and our bread and butter is going to court. That’s what we do.” “So when we see something bad coming out of Washington, D.C. or something big on the national scale, we can quickly mobilize.” Fox News Digital has contacted the Democratic Attorneys General Association for comment.
Top Republican warns Trump against making a deal with Iran: ‘Finish the job’
A top Senate Republican is publicly pressuring President Donald Trump against pursuing what he described as a weak Iran deal as administration officials signal negotiations with Tehran are making progress. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a sharply worded warning Thursday urging Trump not to abandon military pressure on the Iranian regime in favor of diplomacy. “We are at a moment that will define President Trump’s legacy,” Wicker said in a statement. “His instincts have been to finish the job he started in Iran, but he is being ill advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on.” REPUBLICANS URGE TRUMP TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON HIS PLAN TO DISMANTLE IRAN’S NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES “Our commander-in-chief needs to allow America’s skilled armed forces to finish the destruction of Iran’s conventional military capabilities and reopen the strait,” Wicker went on. “Further pursuit of an agreement with Iran’s Islamist regime risks a perception of weakness. We must finish what we started. It is past time for action.” The remarks expose growing tension inside Republican national security circles as the Trump administration weighs whether to pursue a negotiated agreement with Iran or continue its military campaign against the Iranian regime and its nuclear capabilities. A White House official said in response: “Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, and while President Trump always prefers a diplomatic solution, he has been clear about the consequences if Iran refuses to make a deal.” “As the President stated, he will only make a good deal for the American people. He is not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. Due to the successes of Operation Epic Fury, Economic Fury, and the blockade, President Trump holds the cards and has all the time he needs to make the best deal for the United States and the world,” the official went on. Wicker’s comments came just hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged there had been “some progress” in ongoing negotiations with Iran, while cautioning that no agreement had been reached. “There’s been some progress,” Rubio said Thursday. “I wouldn’t exaggerate it. I wouldn’t diminish it.” “We’re not there yet,” Rubio added. “I hope we get there.” Rubio said key issues remain unresolved, including Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and whether Tehran would be permitted any future uranium enrichment capability under a potential agreement. “The issue of highly enriched uranium has to be discussed. Its disposition has to be dealt with. And of course, the issue of future enrichment has to be dealt with as well,” Rubio said. He also indicated discussions involving the Strait of Hormuz remain part of broader negotiations. The comments marked one of the clearest public signs yet that active diplomacy between Washington and Iran remains underway despite recent military escalation and fears of a wider regional conflict. Trump himself recently signaled he remains open to giving diplomacy additional time before considering further military action. “If I can save war by waiting a couple of days, if I can save people being killed by waiting a couple of days, I think it’s a great thing to do,” Trump said in recent days. PAKISTAN’S AMBASSADOR WARNS IRAN TOO ‘WAR-TORN’ TO RESPOND QUICKLY AS TRUMP EXTENDS STRIKE DEADLINE The administration’s diplomatic push has coincided with intensified regional mediation efforts, including a high-profile visit by Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to Iran — a trip widely viewed as part of broader backchannel efforts aimed at reducing tensions between Washington and Iran. The visit fueled further speculation that Pakistan is playing a quiet intermediary role as negotiators explore possible frameworks to avoid additional military escalation. Still, Rubio repeatedly emphasized Thursday that negotiations remain fragile and could ultimately collapse. “We’re dealing with a very difficult group of people,” Rubio said. “It may not” happen He added that Trump “has other options” if diplomacy fails, while stressing the president still prefers “the negotiated option and having a good deal.”
Warren torched over ‘my kind of man’ praise for Platner after death-wish post for wounded veteran resurfaces
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s vocal support for her controversial New England neighbor Graham Platner’s Democratic Senate campaign is raising eyebrows in light of his Nazi-linked tattoo and a slew of resurfaced remarks, including an admission of getting aroused by smelling biocide in Port-a-Johns. Most recently, Platner was lambasted for appearing to wish the Taliban had killed former Pennsylvania GOP lieutenant governor candidate Teddy Daniels after video of him under siege in Afghanistan surfaced: “Dumb mother—er didn’t deserve to live,” Platner said in a resurfaced social media post about the Purple Heart recipient. “Poor marksmanship on the Taliban’s part…” On his podcast, Washington-area radio host Larry O’Connor presented a mashup of Warren shouting, “my kind of man,” with narration of Platner’s uncovered foibles. UNEARTHED POSTS SHOW DEM SENATE HOPEFUL PRAISING VULGAR GRAFFITI, MAKING CRUDE PORTA-POTTY ADMISSION “Hey Elizabeth Warren, Graham Platner says that whenever he goes into a Port-a-John, he smells the blue water in there and he has to pleasure himself — how do you respond?” “That’s my kind of man!” a clip of Warren intercedes. “Hey Elizabeth Warren, Graham Platner just said that [‘American Sniper’] Chris Kyle … is actually a psychopathic murderer…” “That’s my kind of man,” the clip replayed. “Yeah I could do this all day,” O’Connor quipped. “And I have no doubt that is in fact her kind of man.” When confronted by Fox News Digital in Washington on Wednesday, Warren smiled at the camera, said nothing, and continued walking into an office building. DEMS SILENT ON PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE’S NAZI-STYLE TATTOO AFTER KNOCKING HEGSETH FOR CHRISTIAN SYMBOL Conservative commentator “Western Lensman” flagged a 33-page letter Warren had sent to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth when he was under nomination consideration in 2025. Warren questioned Hegseth about a tattoo with a Christian phrase tied to the Crusades — “Deus Vult” or “God Wills It” — and expressed concern about Hegseth reportedly being removed from former President Joe Biden’s inauguration because “fellow servicemembers feel concerned enough about to report as a potential insider threat.” Lensman contrasted that objection to Hegseth’s Christian tattoo with her silence on Platner’s own chest tattoo considered German Nazi imagery. “It just tells you all the [the left’s complaints about right-wing] White supremacy blah-blah is all performative nonsense,” he said. Bernadette Breslin, a former top aide to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., offered a side-by-side of Warren crowing about Platner just weeks ago before appearing tight-lipped to Fox News Digital. “Look how quickly she changed her tune once his baggage started becoming a political liability,” Breslin said on X. TOP DEM LAWMAKERS DUCK QUESTIONS WHEN PRESSED ON PLATNER’S REDDIT SCANDAL The Republican Party’s rapid-response account RNC Research latched onto Warren’s glowing words for Platner and is now using them for second-degree criticism. When Iowa State Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Iowa City, invoked Warren at an event and said he is “very honored to have her endorsement” in his US Senate bid to fill retiring Sen. Joni Ernst’s, R-Iowa, seat, the RNC posted context about Warren also endorsing the controversial Platner. “Warren has also endorsed candidates like Graham Platner — who got a Nazi tattoo, praised Hamas’ tactics, and said women should ‘act like an adult’ to avoid rape,” they said. Meanwhile, Daniels – who also ran for sheriff of Dare County, North Carolina last year – told Fox News’ “The Bottom Line” that Platner’s comments are run-of-the-mill for what he’s dealt with and that he largely dismissed them. “I don’t get offended. I’ve been attacked by the left for years,” Daniels said. “This coming from a man whose party has no idea what a woman is, but yet he was online and saw a video of a man and had an emotional meltdown like a 13-year-old girl who just got dumped by her boyfriend – that’s not the type of leadership we need in our government,” he added. MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE CITES COMBAT TRAUMA WHEN CONFRONTED ON ‘TERRIBLE’ POSTS ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT Platner has attributed his online behavior to PTSD from Middle East military service and personal depression, saying in a statement that “I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am.” “I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today,” the oyster farmer added. Other Democrats besides Warren have also become tight-lipped on Platner this week, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York claimed he had not seen the Reddit posts when confronted by a Fox News Digital reporter outside the same Washington, D.C., office building Wednesday that Warren had entered shortly beforehand. Platner’s sudden spike in controversy now endangers Democrats’ most-coveted Senate seat this cycle, as GOP Sen. Susan Collins seeks to continue her uniquely independent tenure as the last sitting federal Republican in office in all of New England. Fox News Digital reached out to Warren for comment.
Trump administration orders green card applicants to leave the US, apply from their home countries
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday a major shift in immigration policy, dictating that noncitizens in the U.S. who have applied for a green card, or lawful permanent resident status, must leave the country indefinitely — even if they are in the country legally and regardless of whether they have spouses or children with citizenship. Green card petitioners will then be required to wait for their application to be processed outside the country through consular processing via the U.S. Department of State. USCIS said it will grant “adjustment of status” only in extraordinary circumstances, on a case-by-case basis. CAN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPORT GREEN CARD HOLDERS? HERE’S WHAT RIGHTS THEY HAVE IN THE US The Trump administration’s position remains that when noncitizens travel into the country via student visas, tourist visas or temporary work status, they are supposed to leave once that term expires and that temporary permission to be in the U.S. should not serve as the first step toward getting a green card. Officials claim the policy reflects the original intentions of the law, though lawsuits and litigation are expected to follow. “We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler wrote in a statement. “From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a green card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances. This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes.” ‘SHAMEFUL’: LEGAL IMMIGRANTS FACE UPHILL BATTLE AMID ONGOING BORDER CRISIS Kahler added that when noncitizens apply for a green card from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who “decide to slip into the shadows” and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency. “Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose,” he said. “Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the green card process. “Following the law allows the majority of these cases to be handled by the State Department at U.S. consular offices abroad and frees up limited USCIS resources to focus on processing other cases that fall under its purview, including visas for victims of violent crime and human trafficking, naturalization applications and other priorities,” Kahler added. “The law was written this way for a reason, and despite the fact that it has been ignored for years, following it will help make our system fairer and more efficient.” Critics of the policy shift argue many overstays have U.S. citizen spouses or children, pay taxes and fill labor shortages and, if removed from the country, will face long processing delays and humanitarian concerns. It is unclear if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will begin deporting green card applicants. Maye Musk, Elon Musk’s mother, took to X to react to the policy change. “When I wanted to get my green card, I had to have numerous vaccinations, health tests and a lung x-ray,” Maye Musk wrote in a post. “Because I was Canadian, I had to fly to Montreal to have a lung x-ray again to confirm that it’s the same person. However, when the x-ray had to be delivered to me at my friend’s home, the delivery truck was stuck on a bridge because of thick ice. I had to stay an extra day. Nothing was easy. It took another five years before I could get citizenship. Worth it.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Combat veteran nearly killed by Taliban fires back at Platner’s deleted online attack: ‘You’re a coward’
Combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient Ted Daniels, who was nearly killed by the Taliban, ripped Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner over a resurfaced post in which Platner said Daniels should not have survived. Speaking to “The Bottom Line” on Thursday, Daniels called Platner a “coward” for hiding behind a keyboard. “People like this don’t say stuff like this to my face,” he said. “It’s online, and that right there tells me, Graham, you’re a coward.” In a now-deleted Reddit post from June 2019, Platner reacted to a viral helmet-cam video showing Daniels being shot four times during a 2012 clash with Taliban fighters. “This video never gets old,” Platner wrote under the username “P-Hustle,” a deleted Reddit account he has acknowledged owning. “Dumb motherf—– didn’t deserve to live. At least his stupidity and fat a– wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt. Poor marksmanship on the Taliban’s part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home, he managed to make every possible s— decision possible when it comes to small unit combat,” the post read. PLATNER’S DELETED REDDIT SPARKS OUTRAGE AGAIN AS HE APPEARS TO MOCK WOUNDED SOLDIER: ‘DIDN’T DESERVE TO LIVE’ The deleted post can still be found in the Maine Monitor’s database of Platner’s deleted Reddit history. Platner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is facing mounting backlash over his past online comments, which have drawn criticism from veterans and lawmakers across the political spectrum. His resurfaced Reddit account also featured a stream of vulgar and highly unusual posts that critics say raise broader questions about Platner’s judgment. “Thank you for your service, Graham, but I think you’re a scumbag personally,” Daniels said. Other resurfaced Reddit posts included Platner describing himself as a “communist” and “socialist,” alleged homophobic slurs, and praise for Hamas military tactics. Daniels said Platner’s comments may stem from personal insecurity. “Hate never comes from above,” he said. “It always comes from below. I don’t know if Mr. Platner has an inferiority complex. I don’t know if he’s disgusted or not proud of his own service because he’s out there attacking folks who are proud of their service and have done the right things for the right reason.” TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID He said he first learned about the post while having coffee with his wife and immediately asked whether it came from a “liberal” before knowing who wrote it. After his wife confirmed it was Platner, Daniels said the comments “made sense.” “This is what they do. It’s the violent rhetoric. It’s hateful rhetoric,” he said. Daniels said Platner needed “therapy” for attacking other soldiers, including “American Sniper” and former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whom Platner previously accused of killing civilians to inflate his numbers. “The comments that he made about me are just one thing. He attacked former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle as well. Chris Kyle’s an American hero, he’s an icon, the legend,” he said. WATCH: COLLINS RIPS MAINE CHALLENGER PLATNER OVER RESURFACED REDDIT POST MOCKING WOUNDED US SOLDIER He added that Platner’s comments reflect poorly on the military as a whole. “Everybody thinks that everybody that served in the military is a saint and can do no wrong and that’s just not the case,” he said. “Just to have somebody like this involved in our culture in the first place, it’s embarrassing for the entire military and veteran community.” Daniels said Platner is contributing to extreme political rhetoric online. “This man has cheered on Antifa. He has called for violence. He hates cops, and it’s like, this is what we’re dealing with,” he said. “From what I see, it’s all behind the keyboard.” He said Platner’s rhetoric and emotionally unstable behavior make him unfit for office. “This is coming from a man whose party has no idea what a woman is, yet he saw a video of a man online and had an emotional meltdown like a 13-year-old girl who just got dumped by her boyfriend,” Daniels said. “Honestly, that’s not the type of leadership that we need in our government.” Platner became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee after two-term Gov. Janet Mills ended her campaign last month. If he wins the June primary, Platner will face five-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall.