Vance says Biden admin ‘turned off’ anti-fraud protections, debuts new task force with focus on Somali schemes
Vice President JD Vance on Friday hosted the first anti-fraud task force meeting, where he delivered opening remarks saying the Biden administration “turned off” anti-fraud protections that “existed in our government for a very long time.” Vance was joined by Cabinet and administration officials, including White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The vice president, Ferguson and Miller delivered brief opening remarks before the meeting was closed to the press to further privately discuss their planned actions to combat fraud nationwide. “We think fraud has been a problem for a long time,” Vance explained. “It became a massive, massive problem under the Biden administration. We’re going to do a number of things. First of all, we’re going to turn back on those anti-fraud protections so that all of these Cabinet officials are looking at what’s going on and focusing on it.” President Donald Trump established the task force through an executive order last week, naming Vance to lead the team that will be focused on identifying and recovering Medicare, Medicaid and other areas of fraudulent usage of federal funds across the U.S. LABOR DEPT DEPLOYS ‘STRIKE TEAM’ TO CALIFORNIA OVER $21B UNEMPLOYMENT DEBT, FRAUD CONCERNS Trump indicated that fraud is “usually in blue states,” which was reiterated by Miller during Friday’s opening meeting. “I think that most citizens probably assume that there’s some verification process that takes place for the receipt of most federal benefits,” Miller said. “The reality is that there is not. This is particularly true in blue states, willfully true in blue states, in which all of these programs are operated entirely on the honor system.” Minnesota has been the leading focus of the Trump administration after a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme involving child daycare and autism centers was exposed, leaving dozens indicted and many convicted. JD VANCE SPEARHEADS ‘WAR ON FRAUD,’ PROMISES TO ROOT OUT TAXPAYER MONEY ‘STOLEN’ BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Many of those implicated in the fraud scheme come from the Somali community in Minnesota. “I think that the autism scam that we’ve seen in the Somalian parts of Minnesota really illustrates well what’s been going on across whole layers of our government,” Vance explained Friday. “What we’ve seen is Somali fraudsters at an industrial scale, taking advantage of that program to the tune of millions and millions of dollars,” Vance added. “And there are two separate tragedies there. The first tragedy is that you have people who pay into the federal government, who pay into the IRS, who pay their taxes, expecting that those taxes will go to help their fellow citizens.” DEPUTY AG TODD BLANCHE SHEDS LIGHT ON NEW DOJ FRAUD DIVISION TO ADDRESS ‘INSANE’ PROBLEM Ferguson noted that the misuse of funds goes as far as to create public mistrust in Americans paying taxes that go toward welfare. “Americans have turned over trillions of their tax dollars to social welfare programs to help their neighbors and fellow citizens through hard times,” Ferguson said. “They’ve done so on the basis of social trust, the belief that their governments, state and federal, will do the right things with their dollars and that their fellow citizens will honestly participate in these programs.” Friday’s task force meeting is the first of what is expected to be many meetings following the Trump administration’s push to root out fraud in the U.S. Prior to the meeting, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services identified and suspended 70 hospice and home health providers in Los Angeles last month. The hospice and home health providers were flagged as high-risk fraudulent providers. The 70 hospice and home health providers had their funding paused in just one week after being identified by the task force and CMS, Fox News Digital learned. “You have families who need these services who are unable to get them because people are getting rich off of fraud schemes,” Vance said during Friday’s meeting. “Instead of making sure that autistic children and their families get access to these resources.”
House conservatives rage against Senate DHS shutdown deal
House conservatives are ripping into a Senate-passed deal that would end the 42-day Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, citing concerns that the bill fails to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The House Freedom Caucus said Friday it will withhold its support for the DHS funding measure until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are given full-year appropriations. The conservative group also wants voter ID requirements added to the bill. “We can’t believe that the Senate abdicated its responsibility this morning of not funding the child sex trafficking investigation division of ICE, that they didn’t fund the Border Patrol,” HFC chairman Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., told reporters. “The only thing we’re going to support is adding that funding into the bill, adding voter ID, sending it back to the Senate, make them come back in and do their work.” “The bottom line is … this deal is bad for America,” Harris continued. TWO DOZEN HOUSE REPUBLICANS GO TO WAR WITH SENATE GOP OVER SAVE AMERICA ACT The Senate-passed product provided funding for all of DHS minus ICE and parts of the Border Patrol, enraging some conservatives who viewed the agreement as a capitulation to Democrats. “Republicans must also make sure this never happens again,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital, adding that he opposed the funding deal. The measure, however, did not include a bevy of immigration reforms demanded by Democrats — a notable win for Republicans. Scott and other Senate Republicans have teased a forthcoming budget package that would give an infusion to Trump’s immigration agenda. The conservative opposition to the Senate’s spending agreement comes as House GOP leadership has also not committed to passing the funding measure. “We just have the number one main objective to see that we can get the entire Department of Homeland Security properly funded,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News on Friday. “There’s a lot of threats out there.” House Democrats, however, are indicating they will support the Senate’s DHS legislation. “We support reopening the parts of the Department of Homeland Security that Donald Trump and Republicans recklessly shut down,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Friday. “We support paying TSA agents, and we support ending the chaos at airports.” TED CRUZ UNLEASHES ON DEMS FOR ‘RISKING AMERICAN LIVES’ WITH DHS SHUTDOWN House conservatives’ opposition complicates House GOP leadership’s path to steering the measure through the chamber. A traditionally partisan “rule” vote teeing up the legislation for a vote on final passage would almost certainly fail if Democrats withhold their support. Meanwhile, House rules prohibit Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from advancing the measure through a suspension vote — requiring a two-thirds majority — between Thursday and Sunday. House conservatives are also voicing frustration that the SAVE America Act has stalled in the Senate due to bipartisan opposition from all Senate Democrats and a handful of moderate Republicans. The Senate left Washington on Friday for the Easter recess rather than continue to debate the Trump-backed election integrity bill. “We the House should AMEND the Senate bill, ADD VOTER ID AND FORCE A VOTE in the SENATE,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., wrote on social media Friday morning. Senate Democrats notably filibustered a voter ID measure sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, on Thursday. Conservative GOP lawmakers have also argued that because Trump took executive action to fund beleaguered Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents on Thursday, delaying the passage of a DHS funding measure would not worsen air travel disruptions. “The president has already said he’s going to fund TSA out of funds he has,” Harris said Friday. “It’s not going to affect the airports if we don’t do this today.
Secret Service agent assigned to Jill Biden injured in ‘negligent discharge’ at Philadelphia airport
A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to former first lady Jill Biden reportedly shot himself in the leg at Philadelphia airport. KYW Newsradio reported that the Secret Service agent assigned to the former first lady accidentally shot himself in the leg early Friday at Philadelphia International Airport and a large police presence was outside the American Airlines ticket counter at Terminal C. “On Friday morning just after 8:30, an on-duty U.S. Secret Service Special Agent suffered a non-life-threatening injury following a negligent discharge while handling a service weapon at the Philadelphia International Airport during a protective assignment,” Secret Service spokesman Nate Herring said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “There was no impact to the protectee’s movement and they were not present at the time of the incident,” he said. “There were no reported injuries to any other individuals and the special agent is being evaluated at an area hospital in stable condition. The Secret Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility will be reviewing the facts and circumstances of this incident. We are grateful for our law enforcement and public safety partners who provided medical assistance.” This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
AOC says politicians, especially Democrats, should promise not to accept ‘AI money’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has asserted that politicians — particularly those within her own party — should vow not to accept “AI money.” “Politicians — especially Dems — should pledge not to take AI money. They are buying up influence ahead of the midterms, and Dems who take AI $ will lose authority and trust as the public bears the cost,” the progressive “Squad” member wrote in a Thursday post on X. “Their money will end up being toxic anyway. People are catching on,” she added. FETTERMAN SLAMS AI DATA CENTER MORATORIUM PROPOSAL AS ‘CHINA FIRST’ Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, a Democrat who is running for U.S. Congress, expressed his agreement, responding to Ocasio-Cortez’s post by writing, “Yes!!!!!!!!” Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are pushing a proposal to impose a moratorium on the building and upgrading of artificial intelligence data centers in the U.S. until various regulations are implemented. OMAR, SQUAD LASH OUT AT TRUMP IN RESPONSE TO IRAN STRIKE: ‘ILLEGAL REGIME CHANGE WAR’ “Our bills learn from our lack of regulation following the similar rise regarding the internet and demands a new approach to AI: One that protects the American people from Big Tech’s egregious overreach… one that centers prosperity for the many over exorbitant profits for the very few,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a press conference on Wednesday. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has rejected the idea of such a moratorium, labeling the notion “China First.” “The emerging chassis of AI must be built by America. We can put appropriate guardrails in place without handing the win on AI to China. A moratorium is China First,” Fetterman declared in a post on X. FETTERMAN TELLS FAR-LEFT PROSECUTOR TO ‘LIGHTEN UP’ AFTER THREATENING TO ARREST ICE AGENTS OVER RAIDS Ocasio-Cortez said during the Wednesday press conference about the AI data center moratorium proposal, “Once these companies can be on the up-and-up — providing their own energy, building out and investing in the infrastructure, refusing to free ride off of the American people — then we can continue to develop and explore this technology.”
WATCH: Airport travelers reveal what they truly think about ICE helping TSA with massive lines
Travelers at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport were very grateful to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for lending TSA a helping hand, with some saying they had been waiting in line for three to four hours. While travelers at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport expressed disdain for federal agents’ presence at major airports, people hoping to catch flights in Houston took a different tone. “I think it has been very helpful. They have been helping people go to the right places and help them out,” one traveler named Pinal told Fox News Digital. Pinal, who was waiting in line outside the airport, said that despite the controversy surrounding ICE, “I haven’t felt it being unsafe.” DHS SHUTDOWN BREAKTHROUGH COMES AT COST FOR REPUBLICANS AS FUNDING FIGHTS NEARS END “I think it’s great, having someone out here moving it forward,” another traveler waiting outside named Lancet told Fox News Digital. “I’m glad they’re here, and I feel safe, I feel completely safe.” Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport has been among the airports most heavily impacted by the partial government shutdown, which has led to TSA agents missing paychecks for more than 40 days. Nearly 500 TSA agents have quit, and as of Friday, the agency has missed out on $1 billion in pay. The partial shutdown was caused by disagreements in Congress over ICE and Border Patrol’s enforcement of immigration law in cities across the U.S., with Democrats making funding contingent on major changes in tactics and policy. Late Thursday night, the Senate passed a bill to fund most of DHS, including TSA, but it is not final. The House still needs to approve the measure and send it to the president before funding resumes and workers are paid. Meanwhile, the impacts of the partial shutdown continue to be felt nationwide. On Thursday, lines at Bush snaked through check-in, baggage claim, out the doors and through underground subway tunnels. One traveler who did not share his name estimated he and his family had to walk two miles to reach the back of the line. While many arrived several hours ahead of their scheduled departure times, others could be seen frantically searching for terminals with shorter lines. ICE had a strong presence at the airport on Thursday, with agents directing travelers, passing out water and assisting airport staff in setting up new lanes. “I feel safe with them here, you know, there’s a lot of people here, and to have a police presence here is just like, it’s refreshing to know that law enforcement is here keeping everything in control,” a young man named Matt told Fox News Digital. DHS SHUTDOWN ENTERS DAY 41 AS TSA AGENTS PUSHED TO FINANCIAL BREAKING POINT Matt said that he and a friend, Nick, had a friendly interaction with an agent when they arrived at the airport. “He didn’t have to talk to us, like he just sent us some good vibes, you know?” he said. “I feel like you hear a lot of things on social media and stuff about people being mean. I just think about them, and I’m like, man, imagine people are just being fed stuff [online], that you’re putting their lives in danger, that they’re mean. And you’re like … that guy was extremely nice,” said Nick. “Sometimes the messaging can make people hate people that are working and just try[ing] to do their job,” added Nick. Meanwhile, underground, where the overflow line to get through TSA went well past the next few terminals, the main complaint from passengers was the heat from a barely functioning air conditioning system. “It’s hot. It’s very hot,” said a traveler named April. April said she was grateful for the ICE agents’ presence. “They gave us water, and they said good morning when we walked in. I’m sure they’re just as miserable down here,” she said. “They’ve been great, very kind, very helpful. They’ve got water,” another traveler named Maria said with a big smile. RETIRING BORDER PATROL CHIEF BOVINO SAYS HE WISHES HE ‘CAUGHT EVEN MORE’ ILLEGALS While most travelers who spoke with Fox News Digital said they believed ICE’s presence at the airport was positive, one traveler named Tim said he felt “indifferent.” “I didn’t feel unsafe before without them, so that doesn’t add or subtract from that,” he explained. Outside the busiest terminal, a female traveler who did not identify herself told Fox News Digital, “I’m grateful that they stepped in and are helping. Everybody’s super kind and calm and handing out waters and just doing what they have to do.” “There’s a lot of people to blame,” she went on. “But at least I think the important part is everybody’s working together to try to be as efficient as possible.” “I got here at 10, and my flight is at 1:30. So, I got there in enough time, hopefully,” she added.
AAP faces pressure over trans youth care, guiding docs to keep parents in the dark about child’s sexual health
FIRST ON FOX: A parental rights advocacy organization is sounding the alarm over the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) support for transgender medical procedures for minors and encouragement of healthcare providers to withhold the sexual health and history of underage patients from parents. The American Parents’ Coalition compiled a “lookout” showcasing videos and public statements by AAP asserting that “science” supports “gender-affirming care,” which can range from puberty blockers to cross-sex hormones to surgeries for minors. The launch of the online parental notification system comes weeks before AAP is scheduled to hold its advocacy conference in Virginia from April 12 to April 14. American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré accused AAP of acting like “a political advocacy group, putting ideology ahead of evidence and children’s wellbeing.” The “lookout” states that during AAP’s 2025 Leadership Conference, 98% of its members voted to make protecting sex change treatments its top resolution. “Even as health systems abroad rethink experimental gender interventions, the AAP has doubled down on aggressive and irreversible procedures rather than exercise basic caution,” Marre said. “By prioritizing resolutions that elevate transgender interventions and partnering with activist groups, the AAP is acting to protect a political project.” HHS UNLEASHES SWEEPING CRACKDOWN ON CHILD ‘SEX-REJECTING PROCEDURES,’ THREATENS HOSPITAL, MEDICAID FUNDING In addition to advocating for sex change treatments for minors, AAP advocates for other political agendas, including banning so-called “assault weapons” and red flag laws, which allow courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a risk to themselves or others. A 2023 blog post on AAP’s website titled “Supporting Our Transgender and Gender-diverse Youth” stresses that doctors must provide “unconditional support” to underage patients, including asking their pronouns, using their preferred name and prioritizing their desires to change their gender over the concerns of parents. “We have heard from parents, “I just don’t understand” in many of our conversations,” the blog post stated. “When patients and parents disagree about next steps for affirmation, acknowledge parents’ concerns, but always support your patient. When youth are not affirmed, there is a significant increase in depression, anxiety, risky behaviors, and suicide.” However, at least two research reviews conducted by the United Kingdom and the United States governments indicate that performing transgender medical procedures on minors may not carry significant benefits. CHLOE COLE ACT AIMED AT BLOCKING MINORS FROM UNDERGOING LIFE-ALTERING TRANSGENDER SURGERIES, GOP LAWMAKER SAYS A 2025 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concluded there is a lack of proven benefit that medical and surgical sex-reassignment procedures alleviate a patient’s gender dysphoria. Additionally, a report by the National Health Service England found that a medical pathway may not be the best way to address gender-related stress and advised “extreme caution” for hormonal therapy for minors. In June 2025, AAP President Susan Kressly criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding Tennessee’s ban on providing minors with puberty blockers and hormones, accusing the decision of robbing children of “basic human dignity.” THE MEDICAL SYSTEM PUSHED TRANSGENDER SURGERY ON KIDS — NOW IT’S FACING LEGAL JUSTICE “Gender-affirming care is medically necessary for treating gender dysphoria and is backed by decades of peer-reviewed research, clinical experience, and scientific consensus,” Kressly said in a statement at the time. Do No Harm Chief Medical Officer Kurt Miceli argued that AAP is misrepresenting “the low quality of evidence” supporting “gender-affirming care,” which “can cause lasting harm” to children. “They are among the staunchest supporters of sex-rejecting procedures for minors, vehemently criticizing HHS’s comprehensive evidence review yet refusing to submit a peer review when invited,” Miceli said. “It is now time for the AAP to re-evaluate their policy statement and follow the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in opposing these harmful, unscientific, and dangerous practices on American kids.” ESSAY EXPOSES CRUMBLING MEDICAL CONSENSUS ON YOUTH GENDER SURGERY AAP also created an Adolescent Health Care Toolkit geared toward teaching pediatricians how to engage in sensitive conversations surrounding an underage patient’s sexual activity, their gender identity, and even connecting the patient with emergency contraception based on understanding that this information will not be relayed back to the patient’s parents. In one of the videos, Kelsey, a 17-year-old “patient,” talked about having sex with her “girlfriend” named Mary, who had a penis. At the beginning of the video, the doctor ensured with Kelsey that their discussion “stayed between the two of us” unless there was a concern for her safety or another person. The doctor discussed plans for birth control and ways to prevent a sexually transmitted infection. In another training video, a 15-year-old girl told her doctor that she was a “gender-queer-demi-boy.” The girl said she had not shared this information with her parents, and the doctor assured her he would keep it between the two of them. In 2025, AAP received roughly $19 million in grants from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Trump administration terminated $12 million in grants, with HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. accusing AAP’s recommendations of being “just a pay-to-play scheme to promote commercial ambitions.” AAP sued, and a federal judge restored the grants as the litigation plays out in court. Fox News Digital reached out to AAP for comment.
Indicted Democrat Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick one step closer to expulsion
A bipartisan panel of House lawmakers voted to kickstart a process that could lead to the expulsion of a congressional Democrat accused of laundering millions of disaster relief funds into her campaign account. A House Ethics investigative subcommittee approved a motion for summary judgment, effectively finding Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., guilty of nearly all alleged violations outlined by the committee earlier this year. The verdict came after a rare public ethics hearing on Thursday — the first since 2010 — that lasted more than six hours as lawmakers from both parties grilled Cherfilus-McCormick’s counsel. The eight-member adjudicatory subcommittee, helmed by Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., announced its decision in a written statement Friday morning. “After careful deliberation that lasted until well past midnight, the adjudicatory subcommittee found that Counts 1-15 and 17-26 of the SAV [statement of alleged violations] had been proven,” committee leaders said in a statement. EX-‘SQUAD’ DEM APPEARS TO BE LEANING ON RADICAL ACTIVIST AT CENTER OF DAMNING TLAIB REPORT IN COMEBACK BID The panel’s myriad charges against Cherfilus-McCormick, who is facing a separate federal criminal indictment, ranged from using ineligible funds to finance her campaign to repeatedly filing false financial disclosure forms and seeking “special favors” with recipients of earmark funding requests. The panel will meet after the Easter recess to determine its recommended punishment, which could be as severe as expulsion. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., has vowed to move forward with his resolution that would expel Cherfilus-McCormick regardless of the outcome. Under House rules, two-thirds of lawmakers have to agree to expel a member, meaning Steube’s resolution would need the support of some Democrats. House Democratic leadership has largely stood by Cherfilus-McCormick so far, though some congressional Democrats are signaling their discomfort with the allegations against their indicted colleague. “The allegations before us are extremely serious,” Rep. Mark Desaulnier, D-Calif., said at the start of the hearing Thursday. “They not only concern an individual member’s conduct, they also implicate the public’s confidence in the House’s integrity as an institution.” Cherfilus-McCormick, who first won election to Congress in 2021, is accused of stealing more than $5 million in disaster relief funds that were improperly paid to her family’s healthcare company, among other criminal allegations. She and her siblings allegedly used the illicit funds to jumpstart her congressional campaign and for personal use, including the purchase of a large diamond ring that Cherfilus-McCormick appeared to have worn in her official congressional portrait. Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty to the stunning federal charges brought in 2025. If convicted in federal court, Cherfilus-McCormick, 47, faces up to 53 years in prison. WATCHDOG RELEASES SCATHING REPORT ON TLAIB’S ALLEGED TIES TO TERRORIST GROUPS WARNING OF ‘POTENTIAL RISKS’ The House ethics panel’s investigation into Cherfilus-McCormick preceded the 2025 federal criminal indictment by more than two years. During that time, Cherfilus-McCormick shifted between four different attorneys while largely refusing to cooperate with the bipartisan panel. On Thursday, Cherfilus-McCormick sought to use the fact of her new legal representation to further delay the committee’s proceedings until June — a request the eight-member panel promptly denied in a closed-door session. Her new attorney, William Barzee, repeatedly claimed a violation of Cherfilus-McCormick’s due process rights while maintaining her innocence. “For you to sit here and make the claim that we, the committee, is trying to trample upon the rights of your client. I take offense to that,” Guest told Barzee in a combative exchange. “For two years we’ve tried to get documents from your client. Not only have we requested documents, but we have subpoenaed those documents. Those documents were not provided for two years.” “I’m personally offended because I know the work that this committee goes to protect all members and to make sure that we go above and beyond,” Guest continued. Members of both parties appeared unconvinced by Barzee’s argument, attempting to claim that Cherfilus-McCormick was entitled to the millions of dollars she accepted from her family’s company that stemmed from the FEMA overpayments. When he claimed that an undated chart was evidence of a “profit-sharing agreement” showing her legal title to the money, the bipartisan panel appeared visibly perturbed. “I did a lot of business transaction law for a number of years before I came to Congress. I drafted a lot of profit-sharing agreements. Never saw one that was just a chart that was unsigned,” Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, told Barzee. Later in the hearing, Barzee argued that because Cherfilus-McCormick is of Haitian descent, it was not atypical to have a “handshake agreement” to divvy up millions of dollars between her and her family instead of a formal legal document. Cherfilus-McCormick faces an upcoming federal criminal trial this summer.
Reporter’s Notebook: The hitchhiker’s guide to what’s next to end the DHS shutdown
When will the House vote on the Senate deal? Frankly, we do not know. Last night’s Senate measure was not pre-baked with the House. And we talked to dozens of House Republicans yesterday who did not want to just fund parts of DHS. They wanted to fund everything. We also don’t know the disposition of the president on this. When asked about a GOP proposal earlier this week to just fund parts of DHS and leave out ICE, President Donald Trump replied, “I’m pretty much not happy with it.” DHS SHUTDOWN BREAKTHROUGH COMES AT COST FOR REPUBLICANS AS FUNDING FIGHTS NEARS END And, if it is to pass the House, it’s about the math. Lawmakers will need a robust combination of Democrats and Republicans to approve this bill. Democrats failed to secure the bona fide reforms they wanted for ICE. So do liberals defect? This bipartisan parliamentary algebra will be exceedingly interesting. In short, this was a jam job by the Senate. The Senate has left. Either the House takes the bill or leaves it. In Congress, there are only so many exit ramps off the highway. The Senate saw one. There was the growing crisis at the airports. TSA workers were about to miss paychecks again. And that’s to say nothing of lawmakers — potentially being mired in Washington and missing their two-week-plus recess for Easter and Passover. SCHUMER, DEMS BLOCK DHS FUNDING AGAIN AS TRUMP INTERVENES TO PAY TSA AGENTS The House could expedite the bill and pass it quickly via “suspension of the rules.” But that requires a two-thirds vote. A slightly longer process is the conventional track with bringing a rule to the floor to manage debate on the bill. But eventual passage of the bill only needs a simple majority. Also, no one really “won” this shutdown. There are rarely winners from a shutdown. Yes, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., may have scored some points from the liberal base by going to the mat over ICE following the Minnesota shootings. He needed to do that after caving and averting a government shutdown last March. That ignited a firestorm among liberals. Also, the charge last night for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was not to get support to pass the bill — but to secure guarantees from senators that they wouldn’t try to block it. That’s partly why the Senate voted by voice vote. There is no specific record of any senator “voting” for the bill. The Senate ran a “hotline” last night, checking in with all 100 senators to make sure there were no objections to what Thune proposed doing. No one objected. And thus, the Senate passed the bill in the dead of night.
DOJ probes California, Maine over transgender inmate housing policies
The Department of Justice on Thursday launched civil rights investigations into prison systems in California and Maine over policies allowing transgender inmates to be housed in women’s facilities, citing concerns about female inmates’ safety. The probes will examine whether the states are engaged in a “pattern or practice” of violating inmates’ rights, part of a broader federal push targeting what officials call a growing national issue. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said keeping “men out of women’s prisons [was] not only common sense – it’s a matter of safety and constitutional rights.” The investigations focus on two California facilities and the Maine Correctional Center. Officials cited allegations of sexual assault, rape and a “pervasive climate of sexual intimidation.” TRUMP ADMIN FINDS CALIFORNIA BAN ON NOTIFYING PARENTS OF GENDER TRANSITIONS VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW The DOJ said the probes are being conducted under federal civil rights law and will examine potential violations of inmates’ constitutional protections. In California, the policy stems from a 2020 law allowing inmates to be housed based on gender identity. The issue gained attention after a transgender inmate housed in a women’s prison was later charged with multiple counts of rape. In Maine, officials are investigating allegations that a male inmate remained housed with women despite complaints of assault or harassment. FBI LAUNCHES PROBES INTO 3 CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS FOR ALLEGED GENITAL MUTILATION OF MINORS Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the DOJ will not allow women in custody to face “unconstitutional risks of harm.” “These investigations will uncover whether the dangerous national trend of housing men in women’s prisons has resulted in violations of women’s constitutional rights,” Dhillon said. California officials say they are committed to inmate safety, while a spokesperson for Maine’s governor has called the probe politically motivated. Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ and state officials for comment. The investigations are ongoing and could lead to legal action if violations are found.
Former Dolton, Illinois ‘super mayor’ pushes for federal troops in Chicago after father shot in neck
Former Dolton Mayor and Thornton Township supervisor Tiffany Henyard urged Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to accept federal assistance to help clean up crime, noting in a statement that her father had become a gun violence victim. Henyard opened her statement by calling herself “SuperMayor Tiffany A. Henyard.” “Yes, it is true, my family has been directly affected by the senseless gun violence that continues to plague Illinois. Yesterday, my father, my hero was an innocent victim of this random and heartbreaking violence,” she noted in a statement shared on social media on Thursday. FORMER SCANDAL-PLAGUED ILLINOIS ‘SUPER MAYOR’ EYES POLITICAL COMEBACK AS A REPUBLICAN IN GEORGIA “At this time, I am calling on Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson to seriously reconsider federal assistance from President Donald J. Trump to help address this crisis and better protect the residents of Illinois, particularly in Chicago,” she noted in the statement. “Across the country, communities that have welcomed federal support have experienced measurable reductions in crime. Cities such as Memphis, Tennessee; Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, Louisiana during the 2026 Mardi Gras period have all seen positive outcomes through collaboration efforts.” President Donald Trump notably deployed the National Guard to all three cities as part of federal intervention geared toward crime reduction and public safety. Henyard said the residents of Illinois “deserve to feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods,” adding that the “difference between Illinois and those other states is simple, their leadership chose collaboration, and that collaboration produces results.” “I respectfully urge Governor Pritzker to reconsider working in partnership with President Donald J. Trump to ensure the safety and well-being of the people you were elected to serve. Once again, thank you for your prayers, your support, and your compassion. Please continue to keep my family lifted in prayer during this extremely difficult time,” she wrote. SUPREME COURT RULES ON LEGALITY OF TRUMP NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO ILLINOIS WLS-TV reported that Henyard’s father was wounded in a shooting that happened around 5:54 p.m. Wednesday in the 1300 block South Kedzie Avenue in North Lawndale. According to the outlet, Chicago police said a 65-year-old man was in an alley when he was shot in the neck and was taken to the hospital in serious condition. OUSTED DEM ‘SUPER MAYOR’ CHARGES WHOPPING PRICE TAG FOR TELL-ALL BOOK WHILE DODGING LEGAL TROUBLES Henyard, who lost the 2025 Democratic Dolton mayoral primary, is now running for Fulton County board of commissioners District 5 in Georgia as a Republican.