Pentagon cites ‘meritocracy’ as reported officer promotion removals draw Democratic criticism
War Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly removed multiple officers from a military promotion list — a decision that diverges from standard practice and is now under review at the White House, a U.S. official told Fox News Digital. The list included candidates for dozens of senior roles, but four were removed after they had been approved by a promotions board. The U.S. official said the officers were not under investigation and were not facing misconduct allegations, and that no formal explanation for the decision was provided to military leadership. PETE HEGSETH TOUTS HIGHER PHYSICAL STANDARDS FOR MILITARY, SAYS ‘SO BE IT’ IF IT EXCLUDES WOMEN Fox News Digital has learned that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll initially declined to remove the officers from the promotion list before Hegseth ultimately intervened to strike their names. The disagreement caught the attention of the White House, an official said, which reviews the revised promotion list before it is sent to the Senate. Initial New York Times reporting and congressional criticism have focused in part on claims that some of the officers removed were women and minorities, prompting military officials to question whether they were singled out on account of race or gender — an assertion Pentagon officials have strongly disputed. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in response: “This story, like many others at the failing New York Times is full of fake news from anonymous sources who have no idea what they’re talking about and are far removed from actual decision-makers within the Pentagon.” “Under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are given to those who have earned them,” he went on. “Meritocracy, which reigns in this department, is apolitical and unbiased.” Pentagon chief of staff Ricky Buria added: “This is completely false. Whoever placed this made up story is clearly trying to sow division among our ranks and within the department and the administration. It’s not going to work, and it never will work when this department is led by clear-eyed, mission driven leaders unfazed by Washington gossip.” The Pentagon has not publicly detailed the specific rationale behind the reported removals. The reported move has drawn scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where senior military promotions require Senate confirmation. Individual lawmakers can delay or block nominations through procedural holds. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that if the reports are accurate, removing officers after a promotion board already has selected them based on merit and performance would be “outrageous” and potentially unlawful. Military promotions to senior ranks typically are vetted through formal boards and approved as a group, with limited intervention at the individual level. According to multiple reports, one of the officers removed from the list served in a logistics role during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, while another had previously authored academic work examining why Black service members are more likely to serve in support roles. The U.S. official said those explanations had not been formally communicated as justification for the decision. PETE HEGSETH SLASHES MILITARY ‘FAITH CODES’ FROM OVER 200 TO 31 IN PENTAGON CHAPLAIN CORPS OVERHAUL Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said: “Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth have launched an unprecedented politicization of the military promotion process, most recently, reportedly blocking promotions for Black and female officers,” Wyden said. Wyden on Wednesday placed holds on the promotions of Marine Lt. Col. Vincent Noble, Col. Thomas Siverts and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Thomas MacNeil, citing past wartime controversies and concerns about judgment. The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.
Homeland Security vows deportation operations ‘will continue’ as ICE agents help TSA, agency defunded
FIRST ON FOX: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are continuing deportation operations despite a lapse in federal funding and being deployed to assist with massive airport security lines across the country, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital. According to the department, ICE officers continuing immigration enforcement operations nationwide arrested child predators, rapists, drug traffickers and a member of the violent Salvadoran MS-13 gang over the weekend. This comes as ICE officers were seen assisting the understaffed Transportation Security Administration and airport staff at terminals across the country, including New York City, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta and New Orleans. On Sunday, Trump border czar Tom Homan told CBS News that ICE agents will “continue a nice presence” at airports until they “feel like they’re 100% … in a posture where they can do no normal operations.” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis addressed concerns that ICE would not be able to sustain its normal operations while assisting TSA by telling Fox News Digital that ICE “will continue arresting public safety threats from our communities and will not allow the Democrats to slow us down from making America safe again.” LEAVITT CALLS ON CONGRESS TO END EASTER RECESS TO WORK ON DHS SHUTDOWN Bis said that “over the weekend, ICE arrested more dangerous criminals, including an MS-13 gang member, child predators, rapists and drug traffickers.” In the New York City area, where ICE was seen at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports, the agency arrested Pierre Bell, a criminal illegal from Jamaica, who was convicted of rape in the Bronx. In Illinois, where dozens of ICE agents were seen assisting TSA at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, ICE agents arrested Miguel Benitez-Campos, from Mexico, who was convicted of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon in Cook County. Two criminal illegal aliens were also arrested in Harris County, which is home to Houston, the largest city in Texas, where two airports experienced massive delays and saw a heavy ICE presence. ICE officers arrested Jose Santos Vigil-Mendez, from El Salvador, and Jorge Luis Carrera-Hernandez, from Mexico. Vigil-Mendez was convicted of deadly conduct, and Carrera-Hernandez was convicted of deadly conduct and possession of a controlled substance. WATCH: DEMOCRATS TOLD AMERICANS TO FEAR ICE, HERE’S HOW AIRPORT TRAVELERS ACTUALLY FEEL Meanwhile, in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., ICE arrested Pedro Antonio Luna, from El Salvador, who was convicted of three counts of aggravated sexual battery of a victim under 13 years old and aggravated sexual battery by a family member of a child under 15 years old. This comes as nearby Fairfax County, Virginia, is embroiled in a scandal involving 19-year-old Salvadoran illegal alien Israel Flores Ortiz, who is accused of groping several minor girls at a high school he was attending. DHS also shared that over the weekend it arrested six illegal aliens with serious criminal convictions in California. ICE officers arrested Luis Calderon-Martinez, who, according to DHS, is a Salvadoran illegal alien and a member of the MS-13 gang. Calderon-Martinez has several felony convictions in New Jersey, Arizona and California, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, carjacking, hit-and-run, property damage and driving under the influence. In Fullerton and Santa Barbara, California, near Los Angeles, ICE also arrested Angel Navarro-Camarillo and Higinio Gonzalez Machorro, both from Mexico. Navarro-Camarillo is a registered sex offender and active gang member. He was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old. Gonzalez Machorro was convicted of rape by use of drugs. Just north of San Francisco, ICE also arrested Alfredo Luna-Ruiz, also from Mexico, who is convicted of false imprisonment, domestic violence, providing a false ID to a peace officer and driving under the influence in Sonoma County, California. This comes as Homeland Security continues to undergo a lapse in funding due to disagreements in Congress about immigration enforcement operations. Democrats have made resumed funding for the department contingent on changes to ICE and Border Patrol’s enforcement tactics. AIRPORTS BEG FLIGHT PASSENGERS TO CHANGE THEIR TRAVEL HABITS AFTER DHS SHUTDOWN JAMS LINES Bis told Fox News Digital that “Democrats must stop playing political games and reopen DHS now.” She added that TSA “is extremely grateful to the patriotic men and women of ICE who have deployed to airports that are facing a high number of callouts because of the Democrats’ shutdown.” “At the direction of President Trump and the Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, TSA officers should begin seeing paychecks as early as today,” said Bis, adding, “Working without pay forced more than 500 officers to leave TSA and thousands were forced to call out. ICE will continue working with TSA for as long as the President determines necessary to ensure Americans are able to travel safely nationwide.”
Emanuel pushes back on ‘straight White man’ question, says ideas matter most in 2028
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Rahm Emanuel is shrugging off the Democratic Party‘s identity debate and emphasizing that the showdown for the Democrats’ 2028 presidential nomination should be about ideas and not gender. The former Chicago mayor and White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama is mulling a White House run of his own in 2028 in the race to succeed term-limited Republican President Donald Trump. But in a party that has made diversity one of its core tenets, Emanuel will have to face the question: will the Democratic Party elect a straight White male to represent it? Emanuel told Fox News Digital on Monday that Democrats should be asking potential presidential contenders different questions entirely, such as: “Do you have the ideas of how to make sure the American Dream is alive and well, accessible and affordable to another generation?” POTENTIAL 2028 DEMOCRATIC CONTENDER PROPOSES 75-YEAR-OLD MANDATORY RETIREMENT FOR POLITICIANS In the wake of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat to Trump in the 2024 election, former First Lady Michelle Obama made headlines late last year when she emphasized in a conversation posted on YouTube that the U.S. has “a lot of growing up to do” and that the nation is “not ready for a woman” as president. And former President Joe Biden, in an interview last year on “The View,” argued that Harris lost to Trump because of sexism and racism. Harris was the second female Democratic presidential nominee to come up short to Trump, following Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the 2016 election. That’s got some in the Democratic Party suggesting that in order to recapture the White House in 2028, it might be better for the party to nominate a White male as their standard-bearer. WHITE HOUSE RACE UNDERWAY: WITH 2026 LOOMING, BOTH PARTIES ARE ALREADY PLAYING FOR 2028 While Democrats take pride in their party’s diversity, an Axios article this past weekend, headlined “Some Dems’ 2028 strategy: a straight, White, Christian man,” included quotes from party operatives and strategists suggesting that parts of the American electorate are too biased to back a female or other diverse presidential candidate. Emanuel disagrees. “More important is the voters’ take. They’ll make a decision. And so to me, that’s the wrong thing. The question is, do you have the ideas that address the challenges that are facing America, regardless of who’s speaking it,” he said. Emanuel spoke with Fox News and other news organizations after headlining “Politics and Eggs,” a speaking series at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics that’s a must stop for White House hopefuls visiting the which for a century has held the first presidential primary in the White House race. And hours earlier, on Sunday evening, he was the main attraction at the latest “Stand Up New Hampshire” town hall hosted by top Democratic activists. Emanuel has been crisscrossing the country in recent months, as he considers a presidential bid, including stops in two other crucial early primary states, Nevada and South Carolina, where he heads later this week. On whether he’d become a presidential candidate, Emanuel said “if I think I have what it takes to answer what I think is ailing this great country, then I will jump into the deep end without my water wings.” Emanuel, who hails from the more moderate center-left wing of the party, emphasized that in order to win in 2028, Democrats need to “centralize and ground ourselves in middle class values, tough enforcement at the border, put more police on the beat, and get kids, guns and gangs off the street, and invest in education opportunities.” “Get to the core of what they expect from us and don’t get caught up in some cultural cul-de-sac that leads nowhere,” he added. As Democrats look for a fighter in 2028 to win back the White House, Emanuel is showing off his scrappy side. “These are tough times that require a tough leader that knows how to do tough things and get them done on behalf of the American people. That’s the measure,” he told Fox News Digital. And Emanuel also repeatedly took aim at Trump and his administration for their handling of the president’s efforts to acquire Greenland and the month-long strikes against Iran. “It’s a war of choice, and it’s a bad choice,” Emanuel said of Trump. “He could have gotten everything he wanted without going to war.” And taking another shot, he said, “If they ever run a sequel to ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ I have recommendations for the lead roles, and there’s lots of competition in this administration.”
Watchdog targets taxpayer-funded National Academies over DEI, climate and transgender spending
FIRST ON FOX: A consumer watchdog group is accusing the federally funded National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine of using taxpayer dollars to support DEI, transgender-related and other left-leaning initiatives, according to a new report. Consumers’ Research compiled the “Woke Alert” report outlining what it describes as left-leaning research, workshops and grants from the congressionally chartered institution, including projects related to transgender youth, diversity and inclusion initiatives, policing and climate advocacy. Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, accused the organization, which receives 70% of its budget from federal funds, of being “a radical woke organization masquerading as a nonpartisan educational institution.” “From pushing transgender ideology onto kids to spreading ‘defund the police’ insanity, this taxpayer-supported organization regularly abuses its status and reputation to fund the left’s favorite causes,” Hild said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “It has shamefully used hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars to push a highly polarized woke agenda behind lofty BS rhetoric about independence and objectivity.” TRUMP-SIGNED SHUTDOWN BILL SENDS $4M TO CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS UNDER FEDERAL PROBE FOR TRANSGENDER CARE Consumers’ Research argued that NASEM has established its allegiance with left-leaning transgender ideology through its various publications, such as a workshop titled “Supporting the Health and Well-Being of Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth,” and a book titled “Reducing Inequalities Between Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Adolescents and Cisgender, Heterosexual Adolescents: Proceedings of a Workshop 2022.” The report highlighted that for years, NASEM has run a variety of DEI workshops with titles including “Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Current Context and Challenges;” and another titled “Protecting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education and the Workforce,” which was focused on putting affirmative action in place without race-based criteria. HHS GOLD STANDARD STUDY FLIPS ‘GENDER AFFIRMING CARE’ ON ITS HEAD AS DEMS KEEP PUSHING TRANS ISSUES AT SCOTUS In 2022, the National Academies partnered with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to hand out grants worth $1.15 million per recipient in an effort to promote DEI among biomedical researchers. In response to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, NASEM established its Committee on Reducing Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System. The committee evaluated a proposal to cut $50 million from Austin, Texas’s police budget. WATCHDOG FINDS DEI, CRT BAKED INTO ACCREDITATION RULES FOR HUNDREDS OF UNIVERSITY SOCIAL-WORK PROGRAMS The report noted that committee co-chair Bruce Western accused police officers of having “caused a great deal of harm in low-income communities and communities of color.” In one of NASEM’s studies, researchers accused police officers of being a “leading cause of death for young men in the United States.” The National Academies have also published multiple studies raising concerns over climate change. In one of the studies, the Academies focused on elevating techniques that would make Americans more likely to participate in climate activism. NASEM previously came under fire in August 2025 for publishing a climate review seeking to influence the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision on whether to rescind an Obama-era greenhouse gas finding. Critics suggested that NASEM was seeking to undermine the authority of the Trump administration. Roger Pielke Jr., a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute specializing in science and technology policy, told Fox News Digital that in recent years, the National Academies has gone from acting under the direction of Congress to acting as an “independent actor” for the interests of billionaires and foundations. Pielke said the National Academies received funding from the Bezos Earth Fund, a Jeff Bezos project created to address climate change. Through that support, the National Academies published a manual titled “Constructing Valid Geospatial Tools for Environmental Justice.” Pielke noted that the Bezos Earth Fund funds litigation centered on climate change and argued that “there is pretty strong evidence of a bias” in the Bezos Earth Fund. “So I think issues about conflicts of interest and bias go well beyond just funding sources,” Pielke said. “They also extend to the groups researchers choose to partner with when conducting work that is supposed to be neutral and scientific.” Fox News Digital reached out to NASEM for comment.
SEE THE DIFFERENCE: Emergency TSA lanes undergo drastic transformation at major airport after Trump action
Emergency security lanes at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, one of the airports that were most affected by the ongoing partial government shutdown, were seen being cleared by staff on Monday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order over the weekend to pay Transportation Security Administration officers. Though complications from hundreds of TSA agents quitting, and even more calling out of work, are likely to continue, the effects of the resumed paychecks could be seen almost immediately. At Bush, where wait times were more than four hours and lines stretched out of terminal doors and into underground subway tunnels, the emergency appears to finally be over. Fox News filmed airport staff clearing the emergency lanes set up outside the terminal doors. Several travelers could be seen strolling past where the lanes had previously been. Current security wait times listed on the airport’s website are five and nine minutes. Last week, travelers told Fox News Digital that they had to walk “miles” to get to the back of the security line, and at times, wait times were over four hours. Neither party escaped travelers’ ire over the fiasco, as several told Fox News Digital that they blamed “all congressmen” and “politicians.” WATCH: TRAVELERS REVEAL WHOM THEY BLAME FOR MILES-LONG HOUSTON AIRPORT LINES AS TRUMP RESCUES TSA PAY Disagreements in Congress over immigration enforcement have resulted in the Department of Homeland Security experiencing a lapse in funding. Democrats have made renewed funding for the department contingent on a set of reforms, including changes in enforcement tactics by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Calling the situation an “emergency,” Trump warned that mounting disruptions at airports have pushed the system to a breaking point. On Friday, Trump signed an executive order directing federal officials to ensure that TSA employees receive pay during the DHS shutdown. TSA agents finally began receiving paychecks on Monday after 42 days without pay, though the department remains unfunded as debates continue to roil in Congress. TSA agents speaking with Fox News on Monday shared that they had received a paycheck Monday morning but that it was only half of what they were owed. Officers expressed that the TSA workforce remains very frustrated and worried about making ends meet with delayed pay and continued uncertainty. ‘AMERICANS FIRST’: ICE SWEEPS UP CHILD PREDATORS, RAPISTS ACROSS US AS MULLIN TAKES HELM OF DHS According to DHS, 3,101 TSA officers, at a rate of 10.59 percent of the force, called out of work on Sunday. Houston, whose two major airports are currently undergoing significant renovations, continued to experience some of the highest TSA officer call-outs in the country over the weekend. The airport with the highest call-out rate in the country was Baltimore’s Thurgood Marshall Airport, at 38.5 percent. Houston’s Bush and William P. Hobby Airport were ranked number two and three for the highest call-out rates at 36.4 percent and 34.1 percent, respectively. Airports in New Orleans, Atlanta, New York City, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia also experienced significant call-out rates well above the national average. WATCH: DEMOCRATS TOLD AMERICANS TO FEAR ICE, HERE’S HOW AIRPORT TRAVELERS ACTUALLY FEEL DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News that “at the direction of President Trump and the Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, TSA has immediately begun the process of paying its workforce.” She decried the continuing funding lapse, saying, “This is the longest government shutdown in history.” “Enough is enough. We have to reopen DHS,” she said, adding, “Democrats must stop using federal workers as political pawns and start focusing on what matters—taking care of the American people.”
Trump speaks with the family of Sheridan Gorman, college student allegedly slain by illegal immigrant
President Donald Trump has spoken with the family of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old college student who was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant in Chicago earlier this month, Fox News has learned. A White House official confirmed to Fox News on Monday that Trump spoke with Gorman’s family, though did not immediately share details about the conversation the president had with her loved ones. Gorman, a New York native who was attending Loyola University Chicago, was killed at around 1:06 a.m. on March 19 while with friends near a pier in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Officials allege Jose Medina-Medina, 25, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, fired one shot at the student, killing her. SLAIN DC INTERN’S MOM URGES SHERIDAN GORMAN’S FAMILY TO ‘FIGHT BACK’ AFTER OBITUARY OLIVE BRANCH Medina-Medina was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Gorman was reportedly only a few months away from completing her freshman year. FATHER OF SLAIN 20-YEAR-OLD KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ISSUES STARK WARNING AFTER SHERIDAN GORMAN KILLING Her mother, Jessica Gorman, delivered emotional remarks Saturday at a vigil in Yorktown Heights, vowing a “fight for justice.” “I want to say this gently, but honestly, as a mom. I’m angry,” Jessica Gorman said. “I’m like completely heartbroken, and we are going to fight for justice for our sweet Sheridan, and we’re going to fight for change.” Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
What to know about the Supreme Court’s blockbuster birthright citizenship case
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in what could be one of the most significant cases of the 21st century: birthright citizenship. Before the Court is whether the Trump executive order that ends birthright citizenship complies with the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment, after multiple judges blocked the order from taking effect as it was litigated. In plain speak, the Court will look at whether someone born on U.S. soil automatically becomes a citizen irrespective of their parents’ status. ALITO BLASTS LAWYER’S WORD-SALAD BLURRING ASYLUM LAW Given that courts have routinely upheld birthright citizenship for over a century now, the Trump administration faces an uphill battle. However, the current Court has not shied away from overturning high-profile decisions: think Dobbs overturning Roe (abortion), and Loper overturning Chevron (the administrative state). The mere fact the Court decided to take up this issue at all is very interesting. As always, the devil will be in the details in terms of how broadly, or narrowly, they decide the case – or if they find some way to punt it altogether. The Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1 of the Constitution states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” SUPREME COURT PREPARES TO REVIEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP Its history: The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified in 1868 in response to 1) the end of the Civil War and 2) the 1857 Dred Scott decision, which concluded that enslaved people (and their children) were not American citizens and thus had no rights and couldn’t sue in federal court, among other things. Notably, Michigan Senator Jacob Howard wrote the “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” clause and said in speeches at the time that the clause did not include “persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to families of ambassadors or foreign ministers.” Why this matters: In the upcoming arguments, expect a lot of discussion about what “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” means, especially because the subsequent Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 mirrors the language of the 14th Amendment – that a citizen is someone who is born in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof. DC COURT RULINGS STALL TRUMP AGENDA ACROSS IMMIGRATION, POLICING, FED — RAISING STAKES ON EXECUTIVE POWER Wong Kim Ark: The 1898 U.S. Supreme Court decision that gave us birthright citizenship as we know it today. The case involved the U.S.-born adult child of Chinese nationals – who had been permanently domiciled in the U.S. – who was denied reentry into the U.S. after returning from a trip to China. At the time, it was generally difficult for Chinese nationals to become citizens. In its decision, the Supreme Court held that children born on U.S. soil are automatically granted citizenship with very few exceptions, such as children of diplomats. It interpreted the “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” to mean subject to the laws of the U.S. The Court reasoned that citizens and non-citizens alike are subject to the laws of the nation they are in. The Court emphasized that Ark’s parents were “permanently domiciled” in the U.S. This decision was controversial at the time because it ignored previous Supreme Court language that had found children born to alien parents were not citizens. However, in Wong Kim Ark, the Court dismissed that argument in its opinion, finding that previous language was mere “dicta,” i.e., language that was not necessary to those decisions, and thus, did not create binding precedent. The bottom line: This is the blockbuster case of this Supreme Court term. A decision is expected late June.
Senators defend two-week recess as record-breaking government shutdown drags on
While thousands of Department of Homeland Security employees have gone seven weeks without a paycheck, some lawmakers are defending a planned recess as the funding stalemate drags on. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., objected Monday to the idea that senators should have stayed in session until lawmakers come to an agreement to fund DHS. The Democratic lawmaker traveled to the U.S. Capitol to block potential floor action related to ending the partial government shutdown from Republicans during a planned “pro forma” session. “How do you justify being off for the next two weeks?” CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion asked Coons. “We’re 45 days in. Can Democrats and Republicans keep affording to play this play game?” “You know very well that we’re not off,” Coons responded. “We’re working every day in our home states. For most of us, this is when we have time to go up and down our state and to meet with our constituents and listen to their concerns.” DEMS BLOCK DHS FUNDING AFTER GOP REJECTS THEIR COUNTER, THUNE SAYS SCHUMER ‘GOING IN CIRCLES’ The fiery exchange comes as tens of thousands of DHS employees have been furloughed or are reporting to work without pay during the record-breaking funding lapse. Though President Donald Trump has taken executive action to pay the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workforce with existing funds, many other DHS employees have not received a full paycheck in over seven weeks. With both chambers of Congress scheduled to be in recess until mid-April, those individuals will continue to have their pay withheld as the funding impasse drags on. Lawmakers, however, continue to be paid during the shutdown, but have the option to defer their salary during a government shutdown. The House of Representatives approved a two-month DHS funding extension measure largely along party lines late Friday evening after rejecting a bipartisan Senate deal that would have funded the whole department except for DHS and parts of the Border Patrol. Republicans advanced the measure despite Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arguing the bill would be “dead on arrival” in the upper chamber due to opposition from Democrats. Though no Senate Republican attempted to ask for unanimous consent Monday to approve the House bill, Coons voiced frustration that lawmakers could pursue that approach during the Senate’s recess. “It is incredibly inconvenient for members to have to come back to Washington just to be there for five minutes,” Coons said. “But ultimately, if that’s what it takes, I’m willing to be the one who comes in again.” Senate Democrats have consistently refused to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without sweeping reforms to rein in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. House Republicans, conversely, have fiercely objected to not including DHS and CBP money in a DHS funding bill. “Republicans are not going to be any part of any effort to reopen our borders or to stop immigration enforcement,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Friday. TSA WARNS OF ‘LONGSTANDING’ SHUTDOWN FALLOUT EVEN AFTER FUNDING CLEARS, AND A MAJOR EVENT COULD MAKE IT WORSE Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., also defended the planned recess on Monday, telling reporters that lawmakers are continuing to negotiate as the shutdown enters its seventh week. The North Dakota lawmaker chaired a “pro forma” session during which no Senate business was considered. “TSA is getting paid, because of the president’s action, and we appreciate that very much,” Hoeven said. “Also, ICE and CBP, there is funding there from the Big Beautiful Bill. So they’re getting paid as well. Third, we’re working to set up the reconciliation bill and continuing negotiations.” Both ICE and CBP are relying on an unprecedented amount of cash from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, certain civilians and support staff employed by these agencies have not received a paycheck during the funding lapse. CORNYN TARGETS LAWMAKERS’ AIRPORT FAST PASS AS TSA LINES GROW DURING DHS SHUTDOWN When asked by Fox News about the thousands of DHS employees who are not being paid, Hoeven said Republicans are considering a second “big, beautiful” bill that could make DHS shutdown proof for the remainder of Trump’s presidency. “We want to now do reconciliation for three years,” Hoeven said, referring to a three-year DHS funding extension. “So the Democrats can’t do this to us again.” A second budget reconciliation package is likely to be an arduous task in an election year and could take several months to accomplish. The approach also risks dividing Republicans. House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., told Fox News Digital on Friday that she would prefer funding DHS through the normal appropriations process. Amid the funding stalemate, some Senate Republicans are calling on their colleagues to return to Washington and cancel the recess. “We can’t reward unprecedented obstruction with two-week recesses,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on social media on Sunday evening, referring to Senate Democrats. The Utah Republican was not present during the upper chamber’s pro forma session Monday.
Scorned ex-lover accuses Sinema of ‘malicious’ marriage interference
Kyrsten Sinema could be forced to shell out tens of thousands of dollars in damages for an affair she had with her former bodyguard after his estranged wife sued the former senator under a 19th century law that allows jilted spouses in a handful of U.S. states to sue for a broken heart. The so-called “alienation of affection” lawsuits are currently recognized in just six U.S. states — including North Carolina, where Sinema’s former bodyguard, Matthew Ammel, had lived with his now-estranged wife, Heather Ammel, for roughly a decade. The complaint against Sinema accused her of engaging in “intentional and malicious interference” in Ammel’s marriage and sought $25,000 in damages from Sinema as a result of the allegedly “willful and wanton” conduct. KYRSTEN SINEMA RIPS SENATE DEMOCRATS FOR APPARENT FLIP-FLOP ON FILIBUSTER NOW THAT THEY NEED IT In order to succeed in the lawsuit, plaintiffs must satisfy a difficult burden of proof. First, that the marriage had real affection and a viable relationship before any third-party involvement; second, that the “love and affection” were destroyed, or significantly diminished; and third, that the defendant in question directly “caused the destruction of that marital love and affection.” Perhaps for this reason, the complaint spares no detail: it ticks through an extemporaneous timeline of Ammel’s relationship with Sinema, as a member of her security detail, a member of her staff, and later, as her romantic partner. According to the complaint, Sinema sent suggestive messages to Matthew Ammel repeatedly over Signal, the encrypted messaging app, months before he and his wife officially split. “I keep waking up during my sleep and reaching over for your arms to hold me,” Sinema told Ammel via Signal in June 2024, according to the complaint — around the same time Ammel allegedly stopped wearing his wedding ring. On another occasion, Sinema offered to “work on” Ammel’s back with a Theragun, and allegedly suggested that he bring MDMA on a work trip and offered to “guide him through a psychedelic experience,” though Sinema said she has “no recollection” of those messages. KYRSTEN SINEMA’S SWITCH TO INDEPENDENT DESCRIBED AS ‘GUT PUNCH’ TO DEMOCRATS: ‘NO WIGGLE ROOM’ At times, Heather was herself a party to the relationship, before and after the affair allegedly began. In 2023, she traveled to Las Vegas to attend a U2 concert with her husband and Sinema where they drank Dom Pérignon wine in Cindy McCain’s suite, according to the lawsuit. The two also traveled to Miami for a Taylor Swift concert in October 2024 — which the three attended out of “concern” for Ammel’s children, according to copies of the affidavit reviewed by Fox News Digital. It was the same month that Heather Ammel allegedly confronted Sinema directly by responding to one of her Signal messages. “Are you having an affair with my husband? You took a married man away from his family,” she wrote, according to the complaint. Sinema has since acknowledged having received the message. The lawsuit accuses Sinema of acting with “deliberate” interference in the marriage of her bodyguard and his now-estranged wife, who argued that the former lawmaker seduced him and thus “wrongfully and maliciously” deprived her of the “warmth, companionship” and love of their marriage. The relationship between the two is not in dispute: Sinema, who served in the Senate from 2019 to 2025, has since acknowledged her relationship with her former bodyguard, though she argued the case should be dismissed for a lack of jurisdiction, since the affair in question took place “exclusively outside” the boundaries of the Tar Heel state, according to her lawyers. While these lawsuits have become increasingly rare in the 21st century, they are not unheard of — and plaintiffs in the state have at times won eye-popping payouts for such claims. In 2010, a jury in North Carolina awarded plaintiff Cynthia Shackelford a total of $9 million in compensatory and punitive damages for an “alienation of affection” lawsuit brought against her husband’s alleged mistress. More recently, 2018, a Durham County judge ordered some $8.8 million in damages be paid out to BMX show owner Keith King from the man he said stole his wife — and ruined his company. TRUMP-BACKED AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERHAUL CLEARS SENATE, WHILE HOUSE GOP RAISES RED FLAGS Sinema, for her part, says the relationship between the two became “romantic and intimate” beginning in May 2024, during a trip to Sonoma, California, and said they were subsequently “physically intimate” in the months that followed, including in Phoenix, Arizona; Aspen, Colorado; and New York City. They were not, her lawyers stressed, intimate within the physical bounds of North Carolina prior to the dissolution of Ammel’s marriage. The judge presiding over the case ordered the plaintiff, Ammel, to file a response to Sinema’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit by mid-April. Matthew Ammel filed for divorce from his wife earlier this year.
Internet erupts over ‘disqualifying’ leaked audio from Democrat in key Senate race discussing Khamenei’s death
A Michigan Democrat running for U.S. Senate is facing backlash after a report on leaked audio showing him explaining why he shouldn’t take a public position on the death of former Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei because of people in Dearborn, Michigan, who are “sad.” Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, according to a report from the Washington Free Beacon, was recorded in a staff meeting strategizing about how to address the Iranian leader’s death after he was killed during U.S. and Israel’s military action in the country. “I’m just gonna go straight to pedophilia, frankly,” El-Sayed is heard saying about his response if pressed by a reporter. “I’ll just be like, ‘Pedophile president decides that he doesn’t like the front page news, so he decides to take us into another war.’” El-Sayed also told his team, in reference to the significant Muslim population in Dearborn, “I also want to remind you guys that there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today. So, like, I just don’t want to comment on Khamenei at all. Like, I don’t think it’s worth even touching that.” SANDERS-ENDORSED SENATE CANDIDATE KNOCKED FOR ALLEGED FLIP-FLOP TO ‘HAVE IT BOTH WAYS’ ON KEY ISSUE The report sparked immediate backlash from Republicans and conservatives on social media. “Speaks volumes about the level of extremism within the El-Sayed coalition here,” Fox News radio political analyst Josh Kraushaar posted on X. “Democrats have an abundance of riches to choose from when selecting which one of their Senate candidates is the craziest, most radical, and most anti-American,” GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno posted on X. “Beyond parody,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X. “Well this is insane,” GOP adviser Nathan Brand posted on X. TLAIB-BACKED SENATE CANDIDATE IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER DELETING ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS “Anyone who is sad that the Ayatollah is dead should be deported,” Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Jason Bedrick posted on X. “Disgraceful,” the Republican Jewish Coalition posted on X. In a post on X, former Biden-Harris surrogate Kevin Walling called the news “disqualifying.” Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment. In a statement to the Washington Free Beacon, campaign lawyers at the Sandler Reiff law firm said the recording was “obtained without the campaign’s permission” and “without knowledge that individuals were being recorded.” “The campaign is considering its legal options against the individual in question,” the statement added. El-Sayed, who is Muslim, recently faced controversy for agreeing to team up with Hasan Piker, a far-left streamer who once said “America deserved 9/11.” Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary will be held on Aug 4 as El-Sayed squares off against Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens to replace outgoing Sen. Gary Peters. The Cook Political report ranks the race as a “toss up” heading into November’s consequential midterms.