Real ID is about to go into effect. Here’s how it may impact voting
The federal government’s push to finally execute REAL ID travel requirements will take effect Wednesday, amid a push from some Republicans to crack down on voter registration to ensure that those registered to vote are U.S. citizens. While voters may use REAL ID as an additional acceptable form of identification when heading to the polls, REAL ID goes into effect as legislation makes its way through Congress to verify that only U.S. citizens are casting their ballot in U.S. elections. The implementation of REAL ID coincides with the House’s passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act in April, which demands that states require in-person proof of citizenship from those seeking to vote in federal elections. The measure, known as the SAVE Act, is now headed to the Senate. DEMS FIGHT BILL TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT VOTING DESPITE POLLS SHOWING VOTER SUPPORT Among the documents used to prove U.S. citizenship, as outlined in the SAVE Act, is a REAL ID, a form of identification that meets higher security standards up to par with those the federal government has established. Those that are REAL ID compliant have a star on them. Other documents that may be used as proof of citizenship under the SAVE Act include a U.S. passport, a military ID with a U.S. birthplace listed, a valid government-issued photo ID that either lists a U.S. birthplace, or is coupled with a birth certificate indicating a U.S. birthplace. Still, having a REAL ID does not necessarily prove U.S. citizenship, since there is a REAL ID option available for legal residents as well. However, some states, including Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont, do provide a REAL ID option only for U.S. citizens that does comply with the SAVE Act. As a result, lawmakers who have backed the SAVE Act are hopeful that more states will start implementing citizen-only REAL IDs to comply with SAVE Act requirements. “The structure is put in place now to — I think there’s at least five states that do have the citizenship status as part of the REAL ID — encourage more states to do so,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, according to The Associated Press. “That would be part of the goal here.” VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT PHOTO ID REQUIREMENT TO VOTE, NEW POLL SAYS REAL ID will take effect Wednesday, decades after Congress passed the legislation establishing REAL ID in 2005 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to create enhanced security standards for driver’s licenses. However, the federal government has postponed its rollout and implementation — until now. The Trump administration has firmly said that May 7 is the final deadline for traveling or entering certain federal facilities like military bases, asserting that REAL ID will assist the government address illegal immigration as it steams ahead with its mass deportation initiative. Those without a REAL ID who are traveling after Wednesday must use identification like a U.S. passport or military ID instead. Meanwhile, REAL ID has become a controversial issue among lawmakers — with some Republicans speaking out against it. While proponents of REAL ID argue it enhances national security, critics claim it compromises individual liberty and amounts to a national ID system. The Associated Press and Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene airs frustrations, warns that she represents a ‘not happy’ Republican base
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., expressed her frustrations on a variety of political topics on Friday, stating in a post on X that she represents the Republican base and if she’s unhappy, the base is too. The congresswoman suggested that the situation does not bode well for future elections, as President Donald Trump will not be on the ballot. “I represent the base and when I’m frustrated and upset over the direction of things, you better be clear, the base is not happy,” Greene wrote. “When you are losing MTG, you are losing the base. And Trump isn’t on the ballot in the future, so do the math on that.” MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE BRINGS TOWN HALL TO HARRIS-WON GEORGIA COUNTY, SHRUGS OFF POSSIBLE ‘OUTBURSTS’ Fox News Digital reached out to Greene’s office for a comment on her post, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. “I campaigned for no more foreign wars. And now we are supposedly on the verge of going to war with Iran. I don’t think we should be bombing foreign countries on behalf of other foreign countries especially when they have their own nuclear weapons and massive military strength,” the lawmaker wrote. FETTERMAN CALLS FOR BOMBING IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES: ‘WASTE THAT S—’ She has expressed staunch opposition to the minerals deal the Trump administration struck with Ukraine last week. The White House indicated that the “partnership between the United States and Ukraine establishes a fund that will receive 50% of royalties, license fees, and other similar payments from natural resource projects in Ukraine.” REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SCOLDS NPR CEO OVER PERSONAL VIEWS DURING FIERY DOGE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING Ukrainian official Yulia Svyrydenko noted, “the Fund will be financed exclusively from NEW licenses,” and the U.S. “will contribute to the Fund. In addition to direct financial contributions, it may also provide NEW assistance — for example, air defense systems for Ukraine.” Greene asked in her post, “Why on earth would we go over and occupy Ukraine and spend an untold amount of future American taxpayer dollars defending and mining their minerals as well as potentially putting American lives at risk and future war? Why don’t we just mine our own rare earth minerals that are tied up on federal lands that the government confiscated years ago?” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Another issue Greene expressed frustration with is the coronavirus pandemic, specifically the COVID-19 vaccines. “I also campaigned on accountability for the communist and tyrannical acts made by the government during Covid. Yet the Covid vaccine still has FDA approval even though there are millions reported injuries and deaths, and this mRNA vaccine is known to have horrific side effects and DOES NOT STOP PEOPLE FROM CATCHING COVID. And to this day, it’s still on the childhood vaccine schedule, why on earth is this happening?” she asked.
Trump’s 16th week in office to include WH meeting with Canada, ongoing trade negotiations
President Donald Trump is fresh off his 100th day in office and says his administration has no plans to slow down in the coming weeks, months and years. “This week, we’re celebrating the most successful first 100 days of any presidential administration in the history of our country. And we’ve been given a lot of credit for that. … But we’re going to do even better as we move along,” Trump said during his commencement address at the University of Alabama on Thursday. Trump’s 16th week back in the Oval Office is anticipated to include a meeting with Canada’s new leader, ongoing talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, and trade negotiations with foreign nations that are expected to continue heating up before the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs ends in July. TRUMP SAYS HE WASN’T ‘TROLLING’ ABOUT ACQUIRING GREENLAND, CANADA AS 51ST STATE Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday he would visit the White House on Tuesday after Carney’s Liberal Party emerged victorious in the nation’s federal election last week to discuss a 25% tariff imposed on goods from the nation sent to the U.S. and Trump’s repeated urging that the U.S. northern neighbor become the “51st state.” “We are meeting as heads of our government,” Carney said Friday of the upcoming meeting. “I am not pretending those discussions will be easy.” VANCE SOLIDIFIES DOMINANCE DRIVING EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY AHEAD OF GREENLAND TRIP Trump added during his meeting with Cabinet members on Thursday that he spoke with Carney after Canada’s election and predicted they would have “a great relationship.” “He’s going to come to the White House very shortly within the next week or less,” Trump said on Thursday. The Trump administration has leveled tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods as the president looks to bring parity to the nation’s chronic trade deficit with foreign countries. Trump paused his reciprocal tariff plan on dozens of nations in April as countries called on the administration to make trade deals, but he upped the ante on China as the country rebuked Trump’s trade policies with tariffs of its own, including 125% duty taxes on U.S. goods. China’s Commerce Ministry said on Friday that officials are “evaluating” an offer from the Trump administration to hold trade talks on the 145% U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, signaling it could be a busy week of discussions if China accepts the offer. “The U.S. has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China,” the statement said, according to Reuters. TRUMP SAYS HE WILL NOT DROP TARIFFS TO GET CHINA TO NEGOTIATING TABLE “Attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in coercion and extortion would not work,” the statement added. Trump and the administration have previously said they were willing to hold trade negotiations with China, including the president saying on April 8, “We are waiting for their call. It will happen.” The president said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he will not drop the tariffs to bring China to the negotiation table. “They said today they want to talk. Look, China, and I don’t like this, I’m not happy about this: China’s getting killed right now,” Trump told host Kristen Welker. “They’re getting absolutely destroyed. Their factories are closing. Their unemployment is going through the roof. I’m not looking to do that to China now. At the same time, I’m not looking to have China make hundreds of billions of dollars and build more ships and more army tanks and more airplanes.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday the Trump administration will take into account China’s lack of compliance with a trade deal from the president’s first term when it finalizes a new trade deal. “I think we’ll have to take into account that they didn’t adhere to the phase 1 deal, and … I note with great interest that the Biden administration liked the tariffs, but they didn’t enforce the purchase agreements,” Bessent said on Fox News last week. Meanwhile, Bessent and other administration trade leaders are negotiating with dozens of other nations during the 90-day pause that began on April 9. The pause will sunset in July, meaning officials on U.S. soil and worldwide are working at a breakneck pace to secure such deals within that time frame. Trump said on “Meet the Press” that he believes he’s closer to ironing out a peace deal after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned last week it was “critical” to U.S. efforts to secure a peace deal between Russia and its war with neighboring Ukraine. War has raged between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, with Trump campaigning last year to end the war that he said never would have started if he had been in office after the 2020 election. “I do believe we’re closer with one party,” Trump said during the interview, “and maybe not as close with the other, but we’ll have to see. I’d like to not say which one we’re closer to, but we did do a deal for the American people.” Ukraine signed a deal with the U.S. last week allowing access to Ukraine’s rare minerals as it continues to hash out a peace agreement. TRUMP SAYS HE COULD ‘WALK AWAY’ FROM RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS, CITES ‘TREMENDOUS HATRED’ ON BOTH SIDES “We were able to get rare Earth [minerals]. You know, the Europeans are getting paid back. They have a loan. We didn’t. [Former President Joe] Biden just gave him $350 billion. He has no idea where the money is. … And remember this: This is Biden’s war. This was a war that was never going to happen if I were president. This is a horrible, horrible war,” he continued. “How long do you give both countries before you’re going to walk away?” Welker asked. “Well, there will be a time when I will say, ‘OK, keep going, keep being stupid,’” Trump replied. “Maybe it’s not
Israel approves plan to capture all of Gaza, calls up tens of thousands of reserve troops: report
Israeli officials approved a plan to capture all of Gaza and hold it indefinitely on Monday, hours after the military announced it was calling up tens of thousands of reserve troops, the Associated Press reported. Israeli Cabinet ministers approved the plan in an early morning vote on Monday. Israel currently controls roughly 50% of Gaza, and the plan would see Israeli forces expand into the south. Officials said the plan is set to be implemented gradually, with Israeli forces rooting out Hamas control over territories. The plan would also seek to prevent the militant Hamas group from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel says strengthens the group’s rule in Gaza. It also accuses Hamas of keeping the aid for itself to bolster its capabilities. The plan also included powerful strikes against Hamas targets, the officials said. Violence in Gaza has ramped up once again in the weeks since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March. The IDF has also vowed to increase operations against the Houthis in Yemen after the terrorist group fired a missile that landed near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. TOP HAMAS TERROR LEADER KILLED IN ‘PRECISE STRIKE’ BY ISRAEL: IDF Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation for the attack Sunday and participated in several defense meetings throughout the day. The missile reportedly evaded both Israeli and U.S. missile defenses, according to Israeli media. “Whoever harms us, we will strike them sevenfold,” affirmed Defense Minister Israel Katz. ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER SLAMS UN, CALLS IT ‘ROTTEN, ANTI-ISRAEL, AND ANTISEMITIC BODY’ At least eight people were injured in the missile strike, though none of the injuries were life-threatening. Israel has not yet confirmed any specific military retaliation. Netanyahu noted that the Houthis are an Iran-backed group and said responsibility for the strike ultimately lies with Tehran. He said Israel will retaliate “at a time and place of our choosing.” Over the weekend, the Israeli Air Force says it struck over 100 terror targets in the Gaza Strip, including terrorist cells, tunnels, underground infrastructure sites, and other military structures. IDF troops operating in southern Gaza also located weapons caches in the area, dismantled dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites, and eliminated a number of terrorists. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump says Mexican president is afraid of cartels after she rejected his offer to send US troops to Mexico
President Donald Trump said Sunday that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected his offer to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help fight against cartels because she is afraid of them. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he floated the idea of sending American troops to deal with the Mexican cartels facilitating drug trafficking, and criticized Sheinbaum for refusing his offer. “She’s so afraid of the cartels she can’t walk … And I think she’s a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can’t even think straight,” Trump said. His reaction came after Sheinbaum confirmed that Trump pressured her in a call last month to allow the U.S. military to play a larger role in tackling drug cartels in Mexico. MEXICAN PRESIDENT DECLINES TRUMP’S OFFER OF US TROOPS TO HELP FIGHT DRUG CARTELS Sheinbaum said she told Trump at the time that Mexico would “never accept” a U.S. military presence. “No, President Trump, our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable,” Sheinbaum claimed to have said. “We can collaborate. We can work together, but with you in your territory and us in ours. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States Army on our territory.” There has been a larger American military presence at the U.S.-Mexico border after Trump issued an order in January to increase the army’s role in slowing the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. CONSERVATIVE GROUP’S ROADMAP SHOWS HOW TRUMP CAN USE MILITARY TO THWART CARTELS In addition to fighting illegal immigration, Trump said American troops are needed to slow the amount of fentanyl being brought into the U.S. by drug cartels. “They are bad news,” Trump said Sunday, referring to the cartels. “If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, we would be honored to go in and do it. I told her that I would be honored to go in and do it. The cartels are trying to destroy our country. They’re evil.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP U.S. Northern Command has deployed troops and equipment to the southern border, increased manned surveillance flights to monitor fentanyl trafficking along the border and requested expanded authority for U.S. Special Forces to work closely with Mexican forces conducting operations against cartels. In February, Trump designated many gangs and cartels smuggling drugs into the U.S. as “foreign terrorist organizations,” giving law enforcement more resources to take action against the groups. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOP rep urges lawmakers to ‘right-size’ bloated bureaucracy, national debt: ‘Wheels are coming off the wagon’
Bloated bureaucracy and growing debt are holding back President Donald Trump’s economic “golden age,” according to one House Republican who is urging lawmakers to have the “political courage” to execute Trump’s America First agenda and pass a budget reconciliation bill. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, appeared on “Fox News Sunday” where he was asked about his concerns over out-of-control spending and the rising national debt – a combination that he previously said is “the greatest threat to our country and our children’s future.” “The question is, will we have the political courage to execute on that and right-size the bloated bureaucracy, as was reflected in the president’s budget, and deal with this wartime-level debt, $2 trillion in annual deficit spending that’s going to double, and interest payments that exceed not only national defense, but Medicare payments,” said Arrington, who is chair of the House Budget Committee. Arrington warned that this would prove to be a “pivotal” moment for America. TRUMP SAYS PUBLIC ENTITLEMENTS LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICAID WON’T BE TOUCHED IN GOP BUDGET BILL “The wheels are coming off the wagon,” he said. “We can’t get to the president’s rocket ship economy, we cannot usher in the golden age. In fact, we risk a sovereign debt crisis if we don’t deal with the unsustainable deficits and national debt.” Arrington said that he believed the pro-growth policies in the budget reconciliation bill and a reduction in deficit spending, along with entitlement reform, “will bend the curve on debt to GDP and deficit to GDP.” “So if we follow the framework that we laid out in the budget resolution, then we will restore fiscal health,” he said, though he did not provide specifics on the bill’s policies. GOP FIRES BACK AT DNC’S ‘POLITICAL STUNT’ TARGETING ‘VULNERABLE’ REPUBLICANS OVER MEDICAID FIGHT Democrats, however, have accused Republicans of trying to cut costs by slashing Medicaid, affecting America’s “most vulnerable.” The White House has maintained that public entitlements, including Social Security and Medicaid, will not be cut in the Republicans’ budget bill. Arrington conceded that the bill alone would not solve America’s debt crisis. “It won’t get us out of the debt hole overnight, but it is a good first step and a down payment for our kids to actually be on good fiscal footing, a sustainable path, and enjoy the same opportunities and freedoms that we have,” the lawmaker said.
Trump admin sues Colorado, Denver over ‘sanctuary laws,’ alleged interference in immigration enforcement
The Department of Justice sued the state of Colorado and the city of Denver for allegedly interfering with federal immigration enforcement. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Colorado District Court, accuses the state and its most populous city of implementing “sanctuary laws” in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. “The United States has well-established, preeminent, and preemptive authority to regulate immigration matters,” the lawsuit reads. Sanctuary cities refer to areas that seek to protect migrants without legal status and that have limited cooperation with federal officials to enforce immigration laws. OVER 100 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED IN COLORADO SPRINGS MASSIVE UNDERGROUND NIGHTCLUB RAID U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforces federal immigration laws across the country but solicits support from state and local officials, particularly for large-scale deportations. The agency also asks police departments and sheriff’s offices to flag migrants it wants to deport and hold them until federal agents can take custody. The Department of Justice has filed similar lawsuits challenging “sanctuary policies” in Rochester, New York, and Chicago. Attorneys for the department argue Colorado’s “sanctuary policies” allowed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) to seize control of an apartment complex in the Denver suburb of Aurora. Local officials have described President Donald Trump’s claims that the gang had taken over large areas of the city as exaggerated, but admitted that the apartment complex was terrorized, including by people with links to TdA. The lawsuit in Colorado lists the defendants as Gov. Jared Polis, the state Legislature, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. Polis’ office said Colorado is not a sanctuary state and regularly works with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. “If the courts say that any Colorado law is not valid then we will follow the ruling,” spokesperson Conor Cahill told The Associated Press. “We are not going to comment on the merits of the lawsuit.” REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS SEEK TO STRIP DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OF ITS SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Republicans in Congress have attempted to pressure officials in Democratic-led cities to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which include promises of mass deportations. The GOP lawmakers summoned the mayors of Denver, Boston, New York City and Chicago to testify last month before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. However, the mayors pushed back and defended their cities as welcoming places and not lawless danger zones. The mayors also called on Congress to pass immigration reform. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former Vice President Mike Pence honored by Kennedy family in receiving the JFK ‘Profile in Courage Award’
Former Vice President Mike Pence was honored on Sunday night for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, in defying his then-boss, President Donald Trump. Pence received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his refusal to honor Trump’s request to throw out the results of the 2020 presidential election, and instead oversaw congressional certification of former President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. “Vice President Pence put his life career and that of his family on the line to execute his constitutional responsibilities. His actions preserved the fundamental democratic principle of free and fair elections and we are proud to honor him,” former ambassador Caroline Kennedy, the late President Kennedy’s daughter, said in presenting Pence with the award. Pence, in accepting the annual award, emphasized that it’s a “distinction that I will cherish for the rest of my life.” CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS AND OPINION ON MIKE PENCE And the former vice president, pointing to his actions on Jan. 6, said to a standing ovation, “I will always believe by God’s grace that I did my duty that day.” In a Fox News Digital interview minutes after the awards ceremony, Pence said, “in all my travels across the country in the last four years, I’ve been deeply humbled by how many Americans have come up to me and just taken a point to encourage us and support us, and it convinces me that the American people know that what ever differences we may have, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand.” The now-65-year-old Pence was Indiana’s governor when Trump named him his running mate in 2016. For four years, Pence served as the loyal vice president to Trump during the president’s first term in the White House. However, everything changed on Jan. 6, 2021, as right-wing extremists — including some chanting “hang Mike Pence” — stormed the U.S. Capitol aiming to upend congressional certification, overseen by Pence as part of his constitutional duties as vice president, of Biden’s Electoral College victory. The attack on the Capitol took place soon after Trump spoke to a large rally of supporters near the White House about unproven claims that the 2020 election was “rigged” due to massive “voter fraud.” Pence has long described the violent attack on the Capitol as “tragic” and dishonoring to “the millions of people who had supported our cause around the country.” He has emphasized that he did “the right thing” and performed his “duty under the Constitution.” He has also noted a number of times that he and Trump may never “see eye to eye on that day.” While Pence, his family and top aides were hastily moved by Secret Service agents as rioters roamed the halls of the Capitol, Trump argued in a social media post that “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify.” Pence rejected the advice of the Secret Service that he flee the Capitol, and after the rioters were eventually removed from the Capitol, he resumed his constitutional role in overseeing the congressional certification ceremony. The former vice president has repeatedly refuted Trump’s claim that he could have overturned the presidential election results. Despite that, hardcore Trump loyalists have never forgiven Pence, whom they view as a traitor, for refusing to assist the president’s repeated efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Pence in June 2023 launched a presidential campaign of his own, joining a large field of challengers to Trump gunning for the 2024 GOP nomination, becoming the first running mate in over 80 years to run against their former boss. Pence ran on a traditional conservative platform, framing the future of the Republican Party against what he called the rise of “populism” in the party. Among the slim anti-Trump base of the Republican Party, Pence received praise for his courage during the attack on the Capitol, often receiving thanks at town halls during his campaign for standing up to Trump. While Pence regularly campaigned in the crucial early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, his White House bid never took off. Struggling in the polls and with fundraising, he suspended his campaign just four and a half months after declaring his candidacy. The Profile in Courage Award is named for a book the late John F. Kennedy published in 1957 before he became president. The award honors public officials who take principled stands despite the potential political or personal consequences. Among the previous recipients were former Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford. Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s grandson, who introduced the former vice president at the awards ceremony, said Pence “saved America that day.” Caroline Kennedy, in honoring the former vice president, noted her “political differences” with Pence, but emphasized that “political courage is not outdated in the United States.” And Pence, a well-known fiscal and social conservative, joked about speaking in front of an audience dominated by Democrats, saying that he was “the minority in this room.” After dropping his own bid for the White House, Pence declined to endorse Trump, even after Trump clinched the GOP nomination last spring, though he did congratulate his former running mate after his victory last November. Trump and Pence were seen shaking hands at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in early January – their first public appearance together in nearly four years. TRUMP, PENCE SHAKE HANDS AT CARTER FUNERAL IN FIRST PUBLIC MEETING SINCE LEAVING OFFICE Pence has emerged as a rare vocal Republican critic of Trump so far during the president’s second tour of duty in the White House. Pence has critiqued Trump’s controversial and haphazard implementation of massive tariffs on America’s largest trading partners, which initially sparked a massive stock market sell-off, and raised concerns of increased inflation and talk of a recession. He
NIH closes experimentation labs accused of brutally killing thousands of beagles for 40+ years
National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Jay Bhattacharya recently announced on Fox News the agency closed its last in-house beagle laboratory on the NIH campus. The announcement comes just days after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk posted on X that he would investigate funding beagle experiments. A report from the White Coat Waste (WCW) project detailed the lab’s history of allegedly pumping pneumonia-causing bacteria into more than 2,000 beagles’ lungs, bleeding them out, and forcing them into septic shock for deadly experiments. Following the announcement, WCW president and founder Anthony Bellotti praised President Donald Trump for ending the highly scrutinized project. REP. NANCY MACE SAYS FAUCI ‘SENT PUPPIES TO SLAUGHTER’ WITH ‘BARBARIC AND GRUESOME’ NIH-FUNDED EXPERIMENTS “Taxpayers and pet owners shouldn’t be forced to pay for the NIH’s beagle abuse,” Bellotti wrote in a statement. “We applaud the President for cutting this wasteful NIH spending and will keep fighting until we defund all dog labs at home and abroad. The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!” HHS AXES MORE THAN $300M IN GENDER, DEI-RELATED HEALTH GRANTS TO CALIFORNIA ALONE Shortly after the Trump administration took office, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in April it would phase out an animal testing requirement for antibody therapies and other drugs in favor of testing on materials that mimic human organs. Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Zeldin also announced his agency would reinstate a 2019 policy from the first Trump administration to phase out animal testing. PETA PLEADS WITH NIH TO STOP FUNDING FOR ANIMAL STUDY, CALLS SLEEP EXPERIMENT ‘CRUEL AND HORRIFIC’ During Trump’s first term in 2019, the administration closed the government’s largest cat lab. Bhattacharya said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reached out to him following the closure of the beagle testing facility, sending him flowers. PETA, ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS PRAISE TRUMP ADMIN FOR PHASING OUR ‘CRUEL TESTS ON DOGS’ AND OTHER ANIMALS “Normally, I think NIH directors tend to get physical threats, but they sent me flowers,” Bhattacharya said on air. PETA in 2021 highlighted Anthony Fauci’s alleged approval of funding for tests in Tunisia where beagle puppies were drugged, and their heads were locked in cages filled with hungry, infected sandflies. TRUMP ADMIN CUTS ADDITIONAL $1M IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ‘TRANSGENDER ANIMAL’ EXPERIMENTS After the reports came out, 23 bipartisan lawmakers, including Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., sent a letter to Fauci addressing the heartbreaking experiments. “Yesterday, I sent a letter to Dr. Fauci regarding cruel, taxpayer-funded experiments on puppies; debarking before drugging and killing them,” Mace wrote in an October 2021 post on X. “This is disgusting. What say you @NIH.” Kathy Guillermo, PETA senior vice president of laboratory investigations, told Fox News Digital on Sunday night the organization is “delighted” by the news of the NIH facility closure. “We are letting the new NIH Director know how important this step is for modernizing science, and we’re especially happy because these last experiments involved sepsis, which we have been working to end for several years. Sepsis experiments on animals are failures.” Guillermo noted PETA has a lawsuit pending, filed under the Biden administration, to try to prevent the government from funding any more sepsis experiments. The Indiana-based company that bred the beagles for research, Envigo, pleaded guilty in 2024 to neglecting thousands of dogs at its Cumberland, Virginia, breeding facility, and will be required to pay more than $35 million in fines, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. “We are just thrilled to see that the [Envigo] beagles who were used [at the NIH location], will no longer be used,” Guillermo said. “We first exposed [Envigo] in an undercover investigation that eventually led to the closure of the facility and the release of 4,000 beagles to good homes.” FDA PHASING OUT SOME ANIMAL TESTING IN ‘WIN-WIN’ FOR ETHICS AND PUBLIC HEALTH: COMMISSIONER PETA is awaiting information about the condition of the dogs that will be released, and if they are in good enough shape to be placed in a home, Guillermo said they stand ready to help. “Dr. Bhattacharya has made a wonderful start, and there is a lot more work to be done, because animals are being experimented on, including beagles and other dogs, across the country,” she said. “So we’re looking forward to what comes next.” The White House and the NIH did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Trump to tap new national security advisor in 6 months; calls Waltz move ‘upgrade’
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he plans to appoint a new national security advisor in about six months, telling reporters the former advisor, Mike Waltz, did not resign, but was instead tapped for an upgraded position as the administration’s ambassador to the United Nations. Trump spoke with reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night, where he was asked about several topics, including the trade deals, Mexican cartels and the national security advisor position. One reporter asked the president about Waltz’s exit as the national security advisor, which the president said he was being selected for what he called a “higher position,” or an “upgrade.” Trump also said Waltz did not make any mistakes, and, as the ambassador to the UN, he would do a good job. MIKE WALTZ, OTHER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STAFFERS OUT IN LATEST TRUMP PURGE FOLLOWING SIGNAL CHAT LEAK “I didn’t lose confidence in him,” Trump said. “He’s going to the United Nations for a reason. To me, I think it’s personally, if I had assurance for myself… I’d rather have that job than the other.” He also reiterated that Waltz did not resign, but instead, Trump moved him. “There was no resignation,” the president said. TRUMP NOMINATES WALTZ FOR HIGH-LEVEL POST AFTER OUSING HIM AS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR Waltz and other National Security Council staffers were ousted from their office on Thursday in the most high-profile executive office exits of the second Trump administration. Trump’s announcement on naming Waltz as U.N. ambassador unfolded just hours after the news began circulating. Trump told reporters Sunday that he plans to appoint someone to the national security advisor position within six months, saying there are a lot of people who want the job, which works into Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s – the interim national security advisor – current responsibilities. The president was specifically asked if White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller was being considered for the role. UN WATCHDOG PROJECT CALLS ON DOGE CAUCUS TO ‘AUDIT’ THE INTERNATIONAL ORG “Stephen Miller at the top of the totem pole? I mean, I think he sort of indirectly already has that job… because he has a lot to say about a lot of things,” Trump said. “He’s a very valued person in the administration, Stephen Miller.” The president was also asked if any trade deals would be announced this week, answering that there could be some coming. But when pressed if he could say more about the deals, Trump held back. CONSERVATIVE GROUP’S ROADMAP SHOWS HOW TRUMP CAN USE MILITARY TO THWART CARTELS “Nobody understands,” he said. “We’re negotiating with many countries. But at the end of this, I’ll set my own deals because I set the deal. They don’t set the deal. I set the deal.” Trump said he is meeting with almost all of the countries regarding trade deals, including China. Explaining the process further, Trump said he will set the tariff, and a country could agree to it or not. “They don’t have to deal with us, which is ok, because we lost under Biden. We’re losing $5 billion a day,” he said. “Think of it. $5 billion a day. Now we’re not dealing with China at all because of the tariffs… Because of that, we’re saving billions of dollars.” MEXICAN PRESIDENT DECLINES TRUMP’S OFFER OF US TROOPS TO HELP FIGHT DRUG CARTELS During the gaggle, a reporter also asked if it was true that he offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to take care of the cartels. “It’s true because they should be. They are horrible people that have been killing people left and right,” Trump said. “They’ve made a fortune in selling drugs and destroying other people.” He explained that the cartels are responsible for importing fentanyl into the U.S., which has killed over 300,000 people this year. Trump called the cartel members “bad news.” “If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, we would be honored to go in and do it,” Trump said “I told [Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum] that I would be honored to go in and do it. The cartels are trying to destroy our country. They’re evil.” The offer was ultimately rejected, which Trump said was because Sheinbaum is afraid of the cartels, so afraid that she “can’t even think straight.”