Trump continues to defend Qatar gifting US $400M jet: ‘We should have the most impressive plane’
President Donald Trump continued to defend his decision to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar during an exclusive interview with Sean Hannity on Air Force One on Tuesday. Trump has received backlash for planning to accept the jumbo Boeing 747-8 jet from the Qatari royal family since news of the gift broke on Sunday. “Now, some people say, ‘oh, you shouldn’t accept gifts for the country.’ My attitude is, why wouldn’t I accept the gift? We’re giving to everybody else? Why wouldn’t I accept the gift?” the president said to Hannity. TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET The luxury jet, which was offered to the United States because of delays in Boeing’s production of the new Air Force One fleet, will serve as a temporary method of transportation so that the current presidential plane doesn’t have to be flown. Trump has said AF1 is nearly 40 years old and looks “much less impressive” when compared to the planes in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. “You know, we’re the United States of America. I believe that we should have the most impressive plane,” Trump told Hannity. TRUMP CLARIFIES OWNERSHIP OF AIRCRAFT IN DEFENSE OF QATAR’S GIFT In addition to Boeing running behind on delivering the new fleet, the jumbo jet is a gift to the Department of Defense for “a job well done” in successfully defending Qatar “for many years,” Trump added on Truth Social a few hours after the interview. “Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,” he wrote. Trump has said the plane will be retired to the presidential library once Boeing delivers its new AF1 fleet. The president will be in Qatar on Wednesday for the next stop of his three-day visit to the Middle East, marking his first major international trip of his second term. He spent Tuesday in Saudi Arabia meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Buttigieg says ‘right now I’m not running for anything’ during Iowa stop
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – Pete Buttigieg pushed back against criticism from President Donald Trump on the job he did as transportation secretary in former President Biden’s administration and declined to say if Biden experienced cognitive decline during his final years in the White House, as he took questions from reporters on Tuesday night. Buttigieg, speaking with reporters after headlining a town hall with veterans in this eastern Iowa city that sparked more speculation that the 2020 Democratic presidential contender is mulling another White House run in 2028, told Fox News that ‘right now I’m not running for anything.” Buttigieg won the 2020 Iowa presidential caucuses and came in a close second in the New Hampshire presidential primary before Biden surged to claim the party’s nomination and later the White House. While Iowa’s caucuses for half a century kicked off both major political parties’ presidential nominating calendars, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) demoted the Hawkeye State on their 2024 schedule, and it’s unclear if Iowa will regain its early state status in the 2028 calendar. LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, DEMOCRATS ALREADY EYEING 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACE But Buttigieg’s visit, along with his announcement in March that he would pass on a 2026 run for a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat in battleground Michigan, his adopted home state, are seen as signals of his interest in a potential 2028 national run. Buttigieg told a Substack author in a live interview hours before the town hall that when it comes to 2028, he would consider “what I bring to the table.” But asked by Fox News if the trip to Iowa – where he also gathered with staffers from his 2020 campaign and was followed around by a videographer from his political group Win the Era – was the beginning of an assessment period, Buttigieg said “right now, I’m not running for anything and part of what’s exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and for ideas rather than a specific electoral campaign. So that’s what I’m about.” Told that audience members who said they voted for him in 2020 and would be interested in backing him again if he runs in 2028, Buttigieg said “of course it means a lot to hear that people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say.” The Cedar Rapids event was hosted by VoteVets, a progressive group that represents veterans and military families in the political process. The group told Fox News that 1,800 people attended the event. WATCH: TRUMP TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT NEW PLAN TO UPGRADE AGING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM The trip by Buttigieg came as he’s faced incoming fire in recent days from Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over a surge in flight delays and cancellations at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, which is one of the three major airports that services the New York City metropolitan area. Duffy blames his predecessor at the Department of Transportation and the Biden administration for what he claims was a failure to upgrade the busy airport’s air traffic control system. And Trump, last week, also chimed in, claiming that during his tenure as transportation secretary Buttigieg “didn’t have a clue. And this guy is actually a contender for president?” Trump added. “I don’t think he’s going to do too well.” The president’s jabs came a few days after Buttigieg, pointing to Trump’s underwater approval ratings in national polling, said in a social media post that “Donald Trump is the most unpopular 100-day-mark president in modern American history.” WATCH: TRUMP TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT NEW PLAN TO UPGRADE AGING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM The Trump administration argues that Buttigieg oversaw a rocky transition of the Newark airport’s airspace to the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (Tracon) last July. And Duffy, who earlier this week unveiled a major plan to overhaul the nation’s aging air traffic control system, claims the Biden administration is to blame for the recent problems, including air traffic control equipment outages. “Maybe when you work from home, or maybe when you work from Michigan as a secretary, maybe you’re not focused on the real issues that are taking place throughout the airspace,” Duffy said, as he took aim at Buttigieg, who lives in Michigan. Buttigieg, responding, told reporters on Tuesday night that “when you’re the secretary of transportation, you have a tough job and your responsibility is to fix tough problems. You don’t have time to indulge in trying to point fingers or blame other people.” “What I can tell you is we inherited a shrinking air traffic control workforce. We turned it into a growing air traffic control workforce,” he added. “My successor is, of course, not asking for my advice, but my advice would be to making sure that it grows and actually delivering the technological change that’s needed.” Buttigieg’s Iowa trip also came on the same day that excerpts from a new book offered details on Biden’s supposed mental and physical decline during his last two years in the White House. Asked whether Biden experienced cognitive decline, Buttigieg would only say that “every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it.” But he said “maybe” when asked whether the Democratic Party would have been better off if Biden had not run for re-election in 2024. “Right now with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case.” Biden dropped out of the race last July, one month after a disastrous debate performance with Trump sparked a chorus of calls from fellow Democrats for the then-81-year-old president to end his re-election bid. He was replaced at the top of the ticket by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ended up losing in November to Trump.
House Republicans face down Dem attacks, protests to pull all-nighter on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
Three key committees in the process of putting together President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” are expected to work through the night to advance their respective portions of the Republican agenda. The House Agriculture Committee, the Energy & Commerce Committee and the Ways & Means Committee are all holding meetings aimed at advancing key parts of Trump’s bill. Sources told Fox News Digital they expected the Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means meetings, which began on Tuesday afternoon, to last upwards of 20 hours each. The Agriculture panel’s markup is also expected to last into Wednesday. Democrats on each committee, meanwhile, have prepared a barrage of attacks and accusations against GOP lawmakers looking to gut critical welfare programs. ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION Sparks flew early at the Energy & Commerce Committee meeting with protesters both inside and outside the room repeatedly attempting to disrupt proceedings – with 26 people arrested by Capitol Police. Protesters against Medicaid cuts, predominately in wheelchairs, remained outside the budget markup for several hours as representatives inside debated that and other critical facets under the committee’s broad jurisdiction. Inside the budget markup, Democrats and Republicans sparred along party lines over Medicaid cuts. Democrats repeatedly claimed the Republican budget proposal will cut vital Medicaid services. Many Democrats shared how Medicaid services have saved their constituents’ lives and argued that millions of Americans could lose coverage under the current proposal. Meanwhile, Republicans accused Democrats of lying to the American people about Medicaid cuts – a word Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, deterred his colleagues from using. Tensions arose when the word was repeated as Democrats called it a mischaracterization of their testimonies. Republicans have contended that their bill only seeks to cut waste, fraud, and abuse of the Medicaid system, leaving more of its resources for vulnerable populations that truly need it. That committee was tasked with finding $880 billion in spending cuts to offset Trump’s other funding priorities. Guthrie told House Republicans on a call Sunday night that they’d found upwards of $900 billion in cuts. Democrats have seized on Republican reforms to Medicaid, including heightened work requirements and shifting more costs to certain states, as a political cudgel. At one point late in the evening, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made an appearance at the Energy & Commerce panel’s meeting. “I just want to mention our Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is here because of his concern about Medicaid. Thank you,” the committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said. But tensions remain between moderate Republicans and conservatives about the level of cuts the committee is seeking to the former Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act green energy tax subsidies. The meeting at the Ways & Means Committee, the House’s tax-writing panel, had relatively little fanfare but was equally contentious as Democrats attempted to offer amendments to preserve Affordable Care Act tax credits and changes to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap. At one point, Reps. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., got into a heated exchange over SALT, with Suozzi pushing Van Duyne on whether she’d ever been to New York. Van Duyne earlier called Texas a “donor state” in terms of taxes, arguing, “We should not have to pay to make up for the rich folks in New York who are getting raped by their local and state governments.” Suozzi later pointed out Van Duyne was born and went to college in upstate New York – leading to audible gasps in the room. Van Duyne said there was “a reason” she left. BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY “We’re sorry you left New York, but in some ways it may have worked out better for all of us,” Suozzi said. The SALT deduction cap, however, is still a politically tricky issue even as House lawmakers debate what Republicans hoped would be the final bill. The legislation would raise the $10,000 SALT deduction cap to $30,000 for most single and married tax filers – a figure that Republicans in higher cost-of-living areas said was not enough. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., threatened to vote against the final bill if the new cap remains. As the committee’s marathon meeting continued, a group of blue state Republicans are huddling with House GOP leaders to find a compromise on a way forward. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., hinted at tensions in the meeting when he posted on X that Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a member of the SALT Caucus and Ways & Means Committee, “wasn’t involved in today’s meeting” because her district required “something different than mine and the other most SALTY five.” Malliotakis had told Fox News Digital she was supportive of the $30,000 cap. She’s also the only member of the SALT Caucus on the critical tax-writing panel. The Agriculture Committee, which began its meeting on Tuesday evening, saw Democrats waste no time in accusing Republicans of trying to gut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), colloquially known as food stamps. Rep. Adam Gray, D-Calif., accused Republicans of worrying that “somebody is getting a meal they didn’t deserve or kids are getting too fat” instead of more critical issues. Republicans, like Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, touted the bill’s inclusion of crop insurance for young farmers, increasing opportunity for export markets, and helping invest in national animal disaster centers aimed at preventing and mitigating livestock illness. He also said Republicans were working to “secure” SNAP from waste and abuse. House and Senate Republicans are working on Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to sideline the minority by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage to a simple majority, provided the legislation at hand deals with spending, taxes or the national debt. Trump wants Republicans to use the maneuver for a sweeping bill on his tax, border, immigration, energy and defense priorities. Two sources familiar with
Trump clarifies ownership of aircraft in defense of Qatar’s gift
The Boeing 747 offered to the United States by Qatar will be given to the Department of Defense, President Donald Trump said Tuesday, responding to questions about the legality of accepting a gift from a foreign power. Qatar’s royal family offered to donate a $400 million jumbo jet that could serve as Air Force One. The White House has pushed back against criticism of Trump, saying any gift from a foreign power is always accepted in full compliance with all laws. TRUMP TEASES ‘VERY, VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT’ AHEAD OF MIDDLE EAST TRIP, CARNEY SAYS HE’S ‘ON EDGE OF MY SEAT’ “The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform in the middle of his visit to Saudi Arabia. “It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive.” Some Democrats have called for an ethics investigation over the gift. On Sunday, Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., wrote to the Government Accountability Office, deriding the deal as a “flying grift,” arguing it violates the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, which “explicitly prohibits any person holding public office from accepting ‘any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.’” HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR ‘IMMEDIATE’ ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP “I am writing to express alarm over reports that President Donald Trump is poised to accept a luxury aircraft — a Boeing 747-8 — from the government of Qatar. The plane, so opulent it has been described as a ‘palace in the sky,’ is set to be made available to President Trump for official use as Air Force One and then for private use once he leaves office,” Torres wrote. Trump questioned why taxpayers should foot the bill for the aircraft when the U.S. can get one at no cost. “This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote. “Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump reportedly toured the plane in February when it was on the tarmac of the West Palm Beach Airport in Florida, ABC News reported over the weekend. The gift has reportedly been tied up with legal reviews as the White House counsel’s office and the Department of Justice review the legality of the president accepting such a pricey gift from a foreign nation. The current Air Force One fleet includes two planes, and Trump awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion contract in 2018, during his first term, to manufacture two new jets. The construction of the jets, however, is not expected to be completed until 2029. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
GOP lawmakers target online pornography, propose interstate ban on obscene content
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced a bill aimed at criminalizing pornography and defining what is obscene and what is not. Lee and Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA) for all states, which, if passed, would make it illegal to transmit obscene content across state lines while also making it easier to prosecute. “Obscenity isn’t protected by the First Amendment, but hazy and unenforceable legal definitions have allowed extreme pornography to saturate American society and reach countless children,” Lee said in a news release. “Our bill updates the legal definition of obscenity for the internet age so this content can be taken down and its peddlers prosecuted.” The IODA attempts to clarify the definition of obscenity in all states and gives updated descriptions that are suited to modern content. LAWS PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM ONLINE PORN ARE WINNING IN SOME STATES AS ACTIVISTS PUSH NATIONWIDE SOLUTION Specifically, the new definition removes the current law’s dependence on ever-changing and elusive public opinion and replaces it with practical standards that make obscenity identifiable, according to Lee’s team. Lee and Miller could not be reached by Fox News Digital for comment on their proposed bill. The current legal definition of obscenity originated from a 1973 Supreme Court case, and the standards are subjective and vague, making it difficult to apply to any material. PORNHUB SHUTS DOWN WEBSITE IN TEXAS AFTER GETTING SUED UNDER AGE VERIFICATION LAW Because the pre-internet standards are so vague, they often present challenges in court when it comes to defining what is obscene and ultimately allow “criminals to evade prosecution,” the press release said. Lee’s IODA defines “obscenity” within the Communications Act of 1934 and “appeals to the prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion.” PORNHUB PARENT COMPANY SUED BY TEXAS AG FOR FAILING TO VERIFY USERS’ AGES The bill also “depicts, describes or represents actual or simulated sex acts” intended to “arouse, titillate or gratify” a person’s sexual desires. Adding to that, the bill identifies obscene material as that which “lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” The IODA also removes the “intent” requirement, which only prohibits the transmission of obscene material for the purpose of abusing, threatening or harassing an individual. “The Interstate Obscenity Definition Act equips law enforcement with the tools they need to target and remove obscene material from the internet, which is alarmingly destructive and far outside the bounds of protected free speech under the Constitution,” Miller said. “I’m proud to lead this effort in the House with Sen. Lee to safeguard American families and ensure this dangerous material is kept out of our homes and off our screens.”
Minnesota Republican announces campaign for governor, vows to ‘fix’ what Tim Walz ‘broke’
FIRST ON FOX: Army veteran and business executive Kendall Qualls has officially launched his campaign to challenge former Democrat vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz to be the next governor of Minnesota. While Walz has not yet formally announced a third consecutive gubernatorial bid, Qualls, who also ran for governor in 2022, framed the race for Minnesota’s highest office as an opportunity to fix the problems Walz created. “I’m running because, after a 16-year reign of failed leadership, the citizens of Minnesota are looking for a different direction. They’re looking for new leadership, and I’m here to make sure they get it,” Qualls told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview ahead of his campaign launch on Tuesday night. In a statement shared first with Fox News Digital, Qualls said he is the only candidate who can help Minnesota reach its potential. WALZ SAYS HARRIS PICKED HIM FOR VP TO ‘CODE TALK TO WHITE GUYS’ “I don’t need to tell you that Minnesota is at a crossroads,” Qualls said in a statement. “Tim Walz took us further down the road of lost jobs, fleeing companies, rising crime and cratering education. Now, he’s spending more time outside the state on a vanity tour than he is trying to move Minnesota forward. That’s not leadership.” WHITE HOUSE TORCHES TIM WALZ’S SPEECH ABOUT TRUMP’S ‘GULAGS,’ ‘CHAOS’: ‘HIS LARGEST CITY BURNED TO THE GROUND’ Qualls explained that Minnesotans want to build the economy, feel safe in their communities and improve education, but “we’re not going to get any of those changes from Tim Walz.” “I’m the only candidate who can help Minnesota live up to its potential. If we are going to fix the budget Tim Walz broke, we need a proven leader with real-world business experience. If we are going to take back our streets and our classrooms, we need a candidate with a conservative backbone and law and order credentials,” Qualls said. Qualls said the only way to create the change that Minnesotans are asking for is to bring in a political outsider like himself. “Much like President Trump with his experience in business and leadership, my background has been in business. And before that, I was an officer in the United States Army. And even before that, I grew up in dire poverty. I know that there’s a formula for success in this country, even if we don’t come from a background of privilege,” Qualls said. The gubernatorial candidate said he wants Americans to know there is a pathway forward in the United States for anyone to succeed, regardless of their background or where they went to school. But Qualls said the government has a responsibility to get out of the way of those pathways to success. “There are pathways out. And unfortunately, what I’m finding with the Democrats is that they have been closing those doors of prosperity. When I turned 18 years old, I registered as a Republican, and I never looked back. I didn’t know any Republicans. I didn’t have a country club membership, but what I did know was what the Democrats were doing in the Black community was something I didn’t want to be a part of. They weren’t helping. They were making things worse,” Qualls said, who grew up in poverty in Harlem in New York and in a trailer park in Oklahoma. While Qualls is presenting his campaign as the only alternative to what he describes as the destruction of Minnesota’s current Democrat rule, it’s not his first time running for the state’s highest office. “In this last election, I finished number two out of seven candidates in the Republican endorsement process. I agreed to abide by the endorsement. I actually endorsed. The candidate that won. But unfortunately, in that election in 2022, we lost everything, the governorship, Senate, House, attorney general, everything. And a lot of people felt that maybe we had the wrong candidate at the top of the ticket,” Qualls said. But Qualls said this time is different. “I worked around the state for four years helping candidates raise money, just rallying the troops,” Qualls said. “There’s a sense of true leadership that people haven’t seen before.” Leaning on his increased name recognition this time around, Qualls said he is focused on building a grassroots coalition of Minnesota Republicans who are ready for change. Walz did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Supreme Court to debate Trump restrictions on birthright citizenship and enforcement of nationwide injunctions
The case on the Supreme Court’s docket this week ostensibly deals with a challenge to the Trump administration’s efforts to narrow the definition of birthright citizenship. But overriding that important constitutional debate is a more immediate and potentially far-reaching test of judicial power: the ability of individual federal judges to issue universal or nationwide injunctions, preventing temporary enforcement of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive actions. That will be the focus when the nine justices hear oral arguments Thursday morning about how President Trump’s restrictions on who can be called an American citizen can proceed in the lower federal courts. Trump signed the executive order on his first day back in office that would end automatic citizenship for children of people in the U.S. illegally. SUPREME COURT POISED TO MAKE MAJOR DECISION THAT COULD SET LIMITS ON THE POWER OF DISTRICT JUDGES Separate coalitions of about two dozen states, along with immigrant rights groups, and private individuals — including several pregnant women in Maryland — have sued. Three separate federal judges subsequently issued orders temporarily blocking enforcement across the country while the issues are fully litigated in court. Appeals courts have declined to disturb those rulings. Now the three consolidated cases come to the high court in an unusual scenario, a rare May oral argument that has been fast-tracked for an expected ruling in coming days or weeks. The executive order remains on hold nationwide until the justices decide. But the cases will likely not be decided on the merits at this stage, only on whether to narrow the scope of those injunctions. That would allow the policy to take effect in limited parts of the country or only to those plaintiffs actually suing over the president’s authority. SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ORAL ARGUMENTS IN BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP CASE A high court decision could be sweeping, setting a precedent that would affect the more than 310 — and counting — federal lawsuits against White House actions filed since Jan. 20, according to a Fox News data analysis. Of those, more than 200 judicial orders have halted large parts of the president’s agenda from being enacted, almost 40 of them nationwide injunctions. Dozens of other cases have seen no legal action so far on gateway issues like temporary enforcement. While the Supreme Court has never ruled directly on the use of universal injunctions, several conservative justices have expressed concerns over power. Justice Clarence Thomas in 2018 labeled them “legally and historically dubious,” adding, “These injunctions are beginning to take a toll on the federal court system – preventing legal questions from percolating through the federal courts, encouraging forum shopping, and making every case a national emergency for the courts and for the Executive Branch.” And it comes to the Supreme Court as part of the so-called emergency or “shadow” docket, time-sensitive appeals known officially as “applications” that usually arrive in the early stages. They seek to temporarily block or delay a lower court or government action that, despite its procedurally narrow posture, can have immediate and far-reaching implications. Things like requests for stays of execution, voting restrictions, COVID vaccine mandates or access to a federally approved abortion medication and, since January, Trump’s sweeping executive reform plans. Some members of the court have expressed concern that these kinds of appeals are arriving with greater frequency in recent years, high-profile issues leading to rushed decisions without the benefit of full briefing or deliberation. ‘ACTIVIST’ JUDGES KEEP TRYING TO CURB TRUMP’S AGENDA – HERE’S HOW HE COULD PUSH BACK Justice Elena Kagan last year said the shadow docket’s caseload has been “relentless,” adding, “We’ve gotten into a pattern where we’re doing too many of them.” The pace this term has only increased with the new administration frustrated at dozens of lower court setbacks. “We’ve seen a lot of justices critical of the fact that the court is taking an increasing number of cases and deciding them using the shadow docket,” said Thomas Dupree, a former top Justice Department lawyer and a top appellate advocate. “These justices say, ‘Look, we don’t have to decide this on an emergency basis. We can wait.’” Many progressive lawyers complain the Trump administration has been too eager to bypass the normal district and intermediate appellate court process, seeking quick, end-around Supreme Court review on consequential questions of law only when it loses. The debate over birthright citizenship and injunctions is expected to expose further ideological divides on the court’s 6-3 conservative majority. That is especially true when it comes to the 13 challenges over Trump policies that have reached the justices so far, with six of them awaiting a ruling. The court’s three more liberal justices have pushed back at several preliminary victories for the administration, including its ban on transgender individuals serving in the military and the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport scores of illegal immigrants suspected of criminal gang activity in the U.S. TRUMP’S REMARKS COULD COME BACK TO BITE HIM IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION BATTLE Dissenting in one such emergency appeal over the deportations to El Salvador, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “The Government’s conduct in this litigation poses an extraordinary threat to the rule of law.” “Our job is to stand up for people who can’t do it themselves. And our job is to be the champion of lost causes,” Sotomayor separately told an American Bar Association audience last week. “But, right now, we can’t lose the battles we are facing. And we need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight.” Trump has made no secret of his disdain for judges who have ruled against his policies or at least blocked them from being immediately implemented. He called for the formal removal of one federal judge after an adverse decision over deporting illegal immigrants. That prompted Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare public statement, saying, “Impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.” And in separate remarks last week, the chief justice underscored the judiciary’s
DHS fires back at blue-city mayor unhappy about ICE operation, provides rap sheets for those charged
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday fired back at Democrat Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell‘s public accusation that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “do not share [the state’s] values of safety” after a Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) operation in coordination with ICE resulted in nearly 200 illegal immigrant arrests. ICE and THP announced 196 arrests of illegal immigrants during the Nashville effort, 95 of whom had prior criminal convictions and pending criminal charges. More than 30 were previously removed individuals who reentered the U.S. illegally, a felony offense under federal law. ICE TOUTS RECORD-BREAKING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS Despite the operation’s success in protecting Americans from illegal immigrants, DHS officials wrote in a news release that O’Connell “stands by pro-illegal policies, claiming that these operations were done by ‘people who do not share our values of safety.’” DHS noted “attacks and demonization of ICE” have resulted in officers facing a 413% increase in assaults. “You would think all public officials would unite around DHS bringing violent criminal illegal aliens to justice and removing them from American communities,” DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a news release. “However, pro-open borders politicians – like Mayor O’Connell – would rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens.” TRUMP NABS 30K ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, 1,100 GANG MEMBERS IN 100 DAYS: ‘CRIME WILL GO DOWN,’ EX-FBI AGENT SAYS “This operation resulted in getting gang members, sex offenders, and other violent criminals off Nashville’s streets,” McLaughlin added. “President [Donald] Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem will continue to stand with victims and the brave ICE agents who are on the front lines, making America safe again.” Though O’Connell launched the “Belonging Fund” to provide taxpayer dollars for illegal immigrants in Nashville, DHS officials stood firm, saying, “BOTTOM LINE: DHS is [a] law enforcement agency, and it will continue to enforce the law and work with all state and local partners so that Americans do not continue to be victimized by criminal aliens.” Below are detainees who ICE officials said were nabbed during the Nashville operation. Jassim Jafaf Al-Raash, a 60-year-old illegal immigrant from Iraq, was previously convicted of rape, for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to DHS officials. He was also convicted of larceny and false imprisonment, for which he was sentenced to nearly a year in prison, and charged with failure to register as a sex offender. Al-Raash had a final order of removal dated Sept. 1, 2021, according to DHS. Franklin Oswaldo Velasquez, a 33-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, is allegedly affiliated with the MS-13 gang, according to DHS. He has an active Red Notice in El Salvador for aggravated murder, which is a worldwide wanted alert. Velasquez was convicted of possession of methamphetamines, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to appear and criminal impersonation, according to DHS. NEARLY 800 ILLEGAL ALIENS ARRESTED IN MASSIVE FLORIDA ICE OPERATION: ‘TIDAL WAVE’ Inmar Antonio Penado-Membreno, a 34-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was previously convicted of possession with intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell cocaine, for which he was sentenced to eight years in prison, according to DHS. Penado-Membreno was also convicted of aggravated assault, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison, officials said. Richard St. Baptiste, a 36-year-old illegal immigrant from Haiti, was previously convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, for which he was sentenced to eight years of probation, according to DHS. He was also convicted of marijuana possession, for which he was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment, according to officials. Carlos Reinaldo Alvarado-Rodriguez, a 39-year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was previously convicted of aggravated assault, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison, according to DHS. DHS and O’Connell’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Judge upholds Trump’s authority to deport criminal migrants under Alien Enemies Act
A federal judge on Tuesday said the Trump administration can invoke the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport criminal illegal immigrant members of the Venezuelan Tren De Aragua gang, but that it has not given adequate prior notice to those subject to removal, before those deportations can take place, which would allow possible due process and habeas legal challenges. The 43-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines, a Trump appointee, conflicts with other rulings challenging the administration’s deportation efforts. TRUMP ADMIN REVOKES 4K FOREIGN STUDENTS’ VISAS IN FIRST 100 DAYS, NEARLY ALL WITH SERIOUS CRIMINAL RECORDS “Having done its job, the Court now leaves it to the Political Branches of the government, and ultimately to the people who elect those individuals, to decide whether the laws and those executing them continue to reflect their will,” Haines wrote. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. Trump issued an executive order on March 14, “Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of the United States by Tren De Aragua.” Tuesday’s ruling was confined to Venezuelan aliens who are not naturalized or lawful permanent residents, 14 years or older, and have been specifically designated as part of a Foreign Terrorist Organization, specifically Tren de Aragua. NOEM RIPS DEMOCRATS OVER SUPPORT FOR DEPORTED MIGRANT Earlier this month, another judge stated that he would not prevent the administration from deporting individuals in the U.S. illegally but that the Alien Enemies Act could not be used as a basis to expel alleged gang members from the country. “The question that this lawsuit presents is whether the President can utilize a specific statute, the AEA, to detain and remove Venezuelan aliens who are members of [Tren de Aragua]” U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., another Trump appointee, wrote in his order. “As to that question, the historical record renders clear that the president’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms,” the order states.
WATCH: Newark mayor compares self to biblical hero in wake of ICE protest arrest: ‘This is our David moment’
Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka compared his arrest at a federal immigration center last week to the Bible’s accounts of King David, telling a crowd at a political rally in his city Tuesday afternoon that it was “our David moment.” Baraka has repeatedly insisted he did nothing wrong, calling his tactics “absolutely effective” during a Democrat primary debate for the race for governor in New Jersey that took place Monday evening. He followed up the defense of his tactics Tuesday by comparing his arrest to the story of King David in the Bible. “This is our David moment,” Baraka told a crowd of several dozen supporters at a rally in his hometown on Tuesday. “Many of us miss our David moment because we [are] trying to run away from confrontation and controversy. But your crowd lives in the middle of controversy. The thing that has been promised to you is surrounded by high walls, and the gates are guarded by giants. If you’re running from conflict and controversy, then you’ll never get what’s promised of you. This is our David moment.” FAR-LEFT MAYOR ARRESTED AT ICE FACILITY DENIES IMPEDING LAW ENFORCEMENT, SAYS PROTEST ‘ABSOLUTELY’ EFFECTIVE Baraka told supporters that he physically could not have done anything to prevent his arrest at the immigration detention center on Friday, telling them his body “froze” involuntarily after being told he was going to be arrested for trespassing at the facility. “When the congressman came to the gate and was like, ‘Mayor, they said they’re going to arrest you.’ That was a David moment,” Baraka said Tuesday. “I could have gotten in the car and ran. I could have said, ‘I’m getting out of here, maybe they’ll arrest me at work or at home or whatever.’ But I froze. I froze – not even actively or deliberately – my body froze. My body – my body froze, like, ‘This is it, you’re supposed to be here. Whatever they going to do, they going to do it.’” Baraka’s arrest occurred during a protest at Delaney Hall attended by three members of Congress, who said they were in attendance to perform their congressionally mandated oversight duties related to federal detention facilities. WHO IS THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT AN ICE DETENTION CENTER? The three congressional lawmakers and Baraka were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. All four officials then allegedly rushed through the gates and past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security. The arrest came as activists had been calling for access to the facility for days, which is a privately run facility that was revamped as an immigration detention facility this year. In addition to comparing his debacle with federal authorities to King David, Baraka also made light of his arrest Tuesday, quipping that he was speaking to attendees at the rally Tuesday “as a returning citizen.” “Pardon me, ‘formerly incarcerated,’” Baraka said, garnering laughter from the crowd. NEWARK MAYOR SPEAKS AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM HSI FACILITY CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “They told me I got to check in, and they ain’t talking about the hood either,” Baraka added. “I got to check in, I have to give them all my information, all this stuff, all my family’s information. I mean, I’m making light of it, but it’s real. I got to go to court Thursday. Are these people … serious? They’re really trying to go forward with this and leverage it to make me be quiet.” Baraka confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he was back at the detention facility Tuesday morning. The Newark mayor also confirmed that he participated in a pretrial intervention phone call ahead of a Thursday court hearing over the matter. Media reports have indicated that Baraka plans to plead not guilty.