The case for REAL ID: Why Congress passed this requirement in 2005
In the years following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, policymakers’ intense focus on national security led to sweeping changes in air travel; however, more than two decades later, one major requirement born out of that era has still not fully taken effect. On May 7, Americans will finally be required to present a REAL ID-compliant identification card to board domestic flights. The law mandating REAL ID passed in 2005, but its implementation has been delayed repeatedly over the years. The Trump administration argued that the deadline had already been postponed long enough, asserting that travelers had ample time to gather the necessary documents for the more rigorously verified form of identification. Critics, however, contend that if the deadline could be pushed back by nearly 20 years without any flight-based terrorist attacks during that time, the urgency and necessity of the measure are questionable. WHAT IS REAL ID? DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR NEW IDENTIFICATION CARDS REQUIRED TO FLY DOMESTICALLY At its core, the REAL ID Act aimed to close security gaps that terrorists could exploit. Before 9/11, standards for issuing driver’s licenses and other IDs varied widely among states, with little coordination or verification of critical documents like birth certificates and Social Security numbers. Several of the 9/11 hijackers were able to obtain legitimate state IDs using fraudulent documents, enabling them to move freely and board planes without detection. The 9/11 Commission Report, released in 2004, strongly recommended establishing national standards for identification as a counterterrorism measure. Congress acted quickly, embedding the REAL ID provisions within a broader defense and emergency spending bill – a strategic move that helped ensure its swift passage. REAL ID requires states to verify the authenticity of key documents – birth certificates, Social Security numbers and proof of address. It also mandates that IDs use security features that are more resistant to tampering. WHAT DID THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, 9/11 COMMISSION SAY ABOUT REAL ID LEGISLATION? The law was controversial from the start. Civil liberties groups raised concerns about privacy, data security and the emergence of what some called a “national ID card.” Many states resisted, citing costs, logistical challenges and fears of federal overreach. Compliance deadlines were extended multiple times as states upgraded their systems and negotiated the balance between security and individual rights. The ID will be required not only for flights but also for access to some government facilities and nuclear sites. Some advocates, like the New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, have expressed concerns that the ID could eventually be required to obtain government benefits and apply for a job. “American people need to know that Real ID will be required to travel on May 7th, so those governors have been notified to communicate that at home. We don’t want anybody to get delayed and not be able to travel when they get to an airport,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a Cabinet meeting earlier this month. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP President Donald Trump reiterated the Real ID requirement in an executive order signed on March 25 focused on election integrity. “This will also help us bring integrity back to all of our IDs and how they’re used, how they’re used for issuing driver’s licenses. And governors know how I feel about making sure their driver’s licensing system has integrity, because a lot of people use their driver’s license to vote, and the backbone of our country and the foundation is election integrity.”
Trump’s executive order blitz: What he’s signed and what’s changed
President Donald Trump signed at least 137 executive orders in his 100 days in the Oval Office, trouncing his predecessors’ respective records on signed EOs in the same time period, dating back to at least President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Trump signed 26 executive orders in his first day back in the Oval Office, and a total of 45 in his first 10 days. His 137 executive orders in his first 100 days is a benchmark that has not been met since at least Roosevelt, whose presidency began in 1933. Trump’s executive order blitz has included rescinding dozens of policies implemented by the Biden administration, including cutting red tape surrounding the energy industry, striping diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the fabric of the U.S. government and promoting the proliferation of artificial intelligence. Trump kicked off his executive order blitz on Jan. 20, his inauguration day, by focusing on rescinding Biden-era policies, as well as other orders such as ending the “weaponization” of the federal government, “restoring” free speech and designating certain cartels as terrorist organizations. DEFUNDING DEI: HERE’S HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS UNDONE BIDEN’S PRIZED PROGRAMS Trump’s Jan. 20 order called Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions revoked dozens of Biden-era policies, including Biden’s 2021 order titled Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government; the 46th president’s 2021 executive order called Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration; and Biden’s 2022 executive order called Advancing Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Individuals. “The previous administration has embedded deeply unpopular, inflationary, illegal, and radical practices within every agency and office of the Federal Government,” reads Trump’s order rescinding Biden’s presidential actions. “The injection of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) into our institutions has corrupted them by replacing hard work, merit, and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy. Orders to open the borders have endangered the American people and dissolved Federal, State, and local resources that should be used to benefit the American people. Climate extremism has exploded inflation and overburdened businesses with regulation.” WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY Trump’s second presidency has made education a top priority amid the flurry of executive orders across his first few months. Trump signed an executive order in March to dismantle the Department of Education and return oversight power of school systems to state leaders after years of the U.S. dragging behind other nations such as Finland and Japan in overall student performance. “Everybody knows it’s right, and we have to get our children educated,” Trump said while signing the order. “We’re not doing well with the world of education in this country, and we haven’t for a long time.” Trump also signed an executive order in January that removes federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory and DEI curriculum. TRUMP SIGNS EDUCATION-FOCUSED EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON AI, SCHOOL DISCIPLINE, ACCREDITATION, FOREIGN GIFTS AND MORE “In many cases, innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics,” reads the order called Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling. “In other instances, young men and women are made to question whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed. These practices not only erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion, and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity.” Trump signed an executive order in February that prohibits schools and colleges that receive federal funds and are subject to Title IX from allowing men on women’s sports teams and in women’s locker rooms, and another in January expanding school choice. The Trump presidency established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in January through an executive order that renamed the Obama-era United States Digital Service to the United States DOGE Service. DOGE has been a thorn in the side of Democrats since Musk, the office’s public leader, and his teams began working through various federal agencies in the search of government overspending, mismanagement and corruption. DOGE has since saved an estimated $160 billion through cancellations of government contracts, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, asset sales and other cuts, according to the DOGE website. ‘THIS IS INDOCTRINATION, NOT EDUCATION’: PLAINTIFF IN SCOTUS CASE SLAMS SCHOOLS FOR FORCING LGBTQ+ CURRICULUM “He’s an incredible … brilliant guy,” Trump said of Musk this month. “He was a tremendous help both in the campaign and in what he’s done with DOGE.” Energy has also been a top priority for the Trump administration, with the president vowing to “unleash U.S. energy” that he said would lower prices for American consumers while bolstering the U.S. job market. DOGE SLASHES ‘WASTEFUL’ ‘PROBLEM-SOLVING’ CONTRACT WORTH $50K IN LATEST ROUND OF ELIMINATIONS Trump signed an executive order this month called Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241 that will work to cut through red tape in the coal industry, including directing the National Energy Dominance Council to designate coal as a “mineral,” end a current pause to coal leasing on federal lands, promote coal and coal technology exports and encourage the use of coal to power artificial intelligence initiatives. The order also instructs the Department of Justice to identify every “unconstitutional” state or local regulation that is “putting our coal miners out of business,” according to Trump. “The value of untapped coal in our country is 100 times greater than the value of all the gold at Fort Knox, and we’re going to unleash it and make America rich and powerful again under this order,” Trump said Tuesday ahead of signing the order. “Pound for pound, coal is the single most reliable, durable, secure and powerful form of energy,” Trump said. “It’s cheap, incredibly efficient, high density, and it’s almost indestructible. You could drop a bomb on it, and
Maryland governor says he won’t travel to El Salvador for Abrego Garcia
Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., confirmed to Fox News Digital that he will not travel to El Salvador following the deportation of the so-called “Maryland man,” Kilmar Abrego Garcia. In Washington this weekend, Fox News Digital asked Moore if he was planning to visit Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, following Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s high-profile trip to advocate for Abrego Garcia’s release from prison and return to the United States. “I’m not. Planning on having a good night tonight,” Moore said in response, with a smile on his face and dressed in a black tuxedo for the White House Correspondents Dinner. “Governor, do you think Abrego Garcia should be sent back to the U.S.?” Fox Next Digital asked Moore again later. DEPORTED ‘MARYLAND MAN’ CHAMPIONED BY DEMS WAS PULLED OVER DRIVING CAR BELONGING TO HUMAN SMUGGLER “Hi man, have a great night. Thank you,” Moore said while ignoring the question, again with a smile on his face as he proceeded down a hallway. DEPORTED ILLEGAL ALIEN AND SUSPECTED MS-13 GANG MEMBER TRANSFERRED FROM NOTORIOUS EL SALVADORAN MEGA-PRISON While Moore was silent on the El Salvador situation this weekend, he affirmed his support for his fellow Maryland Democrat on social media earlier this month. “I’m grateful for @ChrisVanHollen’s leadership and his efforts to ensure Kilmar is safe and will be brought back home to Maryland,” Moore said on X. Moore’s office confirmed the governor was not traveling to El Salvador when reached Tuesday by Fox News Digital. Last week, Moore said he had no plans to travel to El Salvador, despite Van Hollen’s headline-dominating trip to support the alleged MS-13 member, whom President Donald Trump’s administration initially said had been mistakenly deported. “This is a case about due process, and it’s a case about, are we going to follow the Constitution or not? Are we going to bring him back to make sure he stands trial and has a judge determine whether or not a law was broken, and if a law was broken, then make sure there is accountability? But I believe in due process, and I believe in the Constitution,” Moore told reporters last week. The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” his return, but El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said Abrego Garcia has gang connections and that he would not release him to the United States. The deportation sparked outrage among Democrats, and several lawmakers joined Van Hollen in visiting El Salvador to advocate for Abrego Garcia, including Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., and Robert Garcia, D-Calif. Abrego Garcia is being held at a lower-security facility in El Salvador after being transferred from Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), an El Salvador prison that federal officials sent hundreds of suspected criminals and gang members to in March.
Red state official touts readiness to unleash energy across US: ‘We have our own Greenland’
EXCLUSIVE: Alaska Department of Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum discussed President Trump‘s key role in unleashing energy independence in the state while speaking to Fox News Digital and explaining that Alaskan resources are ready to be used if the push to acquire Greenland is unsuccessful. Crum, speaking to Fox News Digital at the State Financial Officer Foundation conference in Orlando, Florida, explained that the “vast majority” of state government funds in Alaska come from developing natural resources, including mining and crude oil, and praised the Trump administration’s moves to reverse course from the Biden administration when it comes to that development. “President Trump, you know our Governor Dunleavy has actually said he’s probably one of the best presidents for Alaska,” Crum said. “In his first term he did tremendous things for us and now in his second term, we were the only state that had an executive order directed at us and that was such a crucial thing, and it really improved our economic outlook within the state.” On the first day of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order advancing the Ambler Access Project, a 211-mile industrial road through the Brooks Range foothills that enables commercial mining of copper, zinc and other materials in a remote Arctic area in Northwest Alaska. ALASKA SENATOR LITERALLY SHREDS BIDEN’S ENERGY ORDERS, BOOSTS WH EFFORTS TO LEVERAGE ARCTIC GAS PIPELINE Experts told Fox News Digital in February that the action, which reversed course from the Biden administration, will play a critical role in developing mineral resources in the state. “We think that we are on the precipice in Alaska on an energy boom, when it comes to large-scale oil development, the natural gas line getting developed that the president really pushes very hard for, as well as all of these critical minerals that we need to get processed,” Crum said. President Trump has vocally called for the United States to acquire Greenland for strategic purposes as well as due to its natural resources. Crum told Fox News Digital that Alaska is ready to step up when it comes to natural resources. NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS: ALASKA’S ENERGY, SECURITY POLICIES ARE THE GUIDE FEDS NEED AMID TRANSITION, GROUP SAYS “We do have our own Greenland. We have our Greenland that has a long history and track record of developing these resources in an area of the world that people would never have thought that it could be done responsibly,” Crum said. “We’ve processed oil for over 60 years on the Arctic Ocean, and we have done so while at the same time building an 800-mile crude oil pipeline that actually has seen the caribou numbers increase over time with that pipeline being built. And so Alaskans are conservationists by nature.” “We are hunters, we are fishermen, our indigenous population are subsistence, they gather, but we are the ones who use the land. We also want to be able to develop the land, so we make sure we do it the correct way,” Crum continued. “In Alaska, we call it the Alaska standard. We don’t need outside groups telling us that we have to do it responsibly. This is what we demand of companies as they come up there. Come up, be profitable, be clean. Profit Alaska, let Alaskan’s have jobs and opportunities and also go enjoy the outdoors.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ultimately, Crum told Fox News Digital that Alaskan energy independence will not only be good for the United States, but it will also help push back against dependence on countries that have been hostile to the country, including China. “We also have antimony deposits, which is a rare thing because China is the vast producer and processor of antimony, which is needed for not only technology, but also like munitions and military, and so we’ve got very viable deposits within Alaska on these things,” Crum explained.
Michelle Obama says fear for immigrants under Trump admin haunts her at night: ‘Keeps me up’
Former first lady Michelle Obama expressed fear over President Donald Trump‘s immigration policies, saying they have kept her up at night. “Now that we have leadership that is sort of indiscriminately determining who belongs and who doesn’t,” the former first lady said Monday during an appearance on the podcast “On Purpose with Jay Shetty,” adding that such deportation decisions “aren’t being made with courts and with due process.” “I worry for people of color all over this country, and I don’t know that we will have the advocates to protect everybody,” she continued. “And that makes me … that frightens me. It keeps me up at night.” “And I and I see that when I’m driving around LA. I’m just looking in the faces of folks who could be a victim and I’m wondering, how are you feeling, how do you feel standing on the bus stop,” she said. Obama joined the podcast alongside her brother, Craig Robinson, and the pair discussed race and bias, as well as a host of other issues such as parenting and the siblings’ bond from childhood to adulthood. Obama did not cite Trump by name during her remarks on fear of his immigration policies but drew parallels between deportation efforts and the racism her brother faced as a child when a police officer reportedly accused him of stealing a bike at age 12. MICHELLE OBAMA REVEALS ADDITIONAL REASON SHE SKIPPED TRUMP’S INAUGURATION “In this current climate, for me it’s what’s happening to immigrants,” Obama said when asked about “recent tests of fear” related to individuals facing discrimination over the color of their skin. Obama noted that the “fear” does not personally impact her as a former first lady who has police protection. MICHELLE OBAMA’S ‘IMO’ PODCAST RANKS 34TH ON SPOTIFY PODCASTS CHART “It’s not the fear for myself anymore,” she continued. “I drive around in a four-car motorcade with a police escort. I’m Michelle Obama. I do still worry about my daughters in the world, even though they are somewhat recognizable.” “My fears are for what I know is happening out there in streets all over the city,” she added, referring to her hometown of Chicago. Obama’s comments come as the Trump administration is in the midst of a massive deportation effort of illegal immigrants who flooded the nation under the Biden administration. OBAMAS APPEAR TO LOSE INFLUENCE AMONG DEMOCRATS: ‘COULDN’T MOVE THE NEEDLE’ The administration has deported more than 100,000 illegal immigrants since Trump took office, Fox News previously reported. An estimated 20 million illegal immigrants are still in the U.S., border czar Tom Homan said at a press briefing Monday. Former President Barack Obama’s administration notably celebrated its own deportation efforts, particularly during his first term, including former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano touting the “record-breaking immigration enforcement statistics achieved under the Obama administration—including unprecedented numbers of convicted criminal alien removals and overall alien removals in fiscal year 2010″ in a press release from that year. Under the Obama administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 385,000 people each year during fiscal years 2009–2011. The rate increased in 2012 when 409,849 deportations were carried out, Fox Digital previously reported. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Promises made, promises kept: How Trump’s first 100 days stack up against Inauguration Day pledges
President Donald Trump delivered his second Inauguration Day speech on Jan. 20, when he previewed the steps his administration would take to unleash “the golden age of America,” which stretched from locking down the border and streamlining the federal government through the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first,” Trump declared at the start of his speech. “Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced,” he added. Fox News Digital looked back at the top vows and declarations Trump made during his speech and where they stand 100 days later after his return to the Oval Office. FOX NEWS POLL: THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM Ending the illegal immigration crisis that spiraled under the Biden administration was one of Trump’s top campaign platforms and was a topic he focused on repeatedly during his inaugural address. “First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my Remain in Mexico policy,” Trump declared on Jan. 20. “I will end the practice of catch and release,” he continued. “And I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPORTS 100K ILLEGAL MIGRANTS SINCE INAUGURATION: REPORT Trump did sign or authorize executive actions that declared a national emergency, ended catch-and-release policies and sent troops to the U.S. border. Fox News Digital reported this month that there were fewer apprehensions at the southern border in the entire month of March than across the Biden administration’s first two days of March 2024, when President Joe Biden was still in the Oval Office. U.S. Customs and Border Protection noted that March was the second consecutive month in which the U.S. Border Patrol averaged its lowest daily nationwide apprehensions in history. Deportations have also been underway, with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joining immigration raids since her confirmation in January, as well as the administration placing a heightened focus on deporting illegal immigrants with known ties to violent gangs, such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13. The State Department designated both gangs as foreign terrorist organizations in February. Trump invoked a wartime act, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, to carry out the deportations, which allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing. The act had been invoked three times before, including, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk had both railed against government overspending, bureaucratic red tape and federal agencies that had become bloated in the lead up to Election Day, with Trump saying in his inaugural address that he would restore “competence” in the federal government. DOGE SLASHES ‘WASTEFUL’ ‘PROBLEM-SOLVING’ CONTRACT WORTH $50K IN LATEST ROUND OF ELIMINATIONS “Our liberties and our nation’s glorious destiny will no longer be denied. And we will immediately restore the integrity, competency, and loyalty of America’s government,” Trump said during his inaugural address. “To restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government, my administration will establish the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency,” he added. Trump signed an executive order in January establishing DOGE, renaming the Obama-era United States Digital Service to the United States DOGE Service. DOGE has been a thorn in the side of Democrats since Musk, the office’s public leader, and his teams began working through various federal agencies in the search of government overspending, mismanagement and corruption. DOGE has since saved an estimated $160 billion through cancellations of government contracts, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, asset sales and other cuts, according to the DOGE website. Trump also signed an executive order closing down the Department of Education, citing how American students have fallen behind other nations in education, and instead charged individual states to hold authority over public education. The administration also effectively shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development, an independent government agency charged with administering economic aid to foreign nations, as DOGE uncovered a slew of programs U.S. taxpayers funded and Musk slammed the group as a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America.” Trump entered office just days after Israel and Hamas declared a ceasefire in a war that had raged since Oct. 7, 2023, as well as an ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be: a peacemaker and a unifier,” Trump said during his inaugural address. “I’m pleased to say that as of yesterday, one day before I assumed office, the hostages in the Middle East are coming back home to their families.” Trump vowed while on the campaign trail that he would end the wars in the Middle East as well as between Russia and Ukraine, adding that if he had been in office for the 2020-2024 term, neither war would have launched. The majority of hostages Hamas held have since been released, with the terrorist group still holding at least 59 living or deceased hostages. A final hostage and permanent ceasefire deal, however, has not yet been reached, with Reuters reporting earlier in April that Hamas wants to strike a deal to end the war and return the remaining hostages. The war between Ukraine and Russia, which began in February 2022, has continued raging after the Trump administration worked to help facilitate a deal for peace. Negotiations notably hit a wall in February when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a fiery meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. TRUMP BLASTS PUTIN, QUESTIONING
Eric Adams unfazed by ruling against his plan to combat migrant crime: ‘All part of the process’
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, one of the only major Democrats in the nation who has been willing to cooperate with the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrant crime, appears unfazed by the latest ruling against his efforts to allow ICE agents into Rikers Island detention facilities. When asked by Fox News Digital what his response to this ruling was, Adams simply laughed and said it is “all part of the process.” Adams, who is running for re-election as an Independent, is facing heavy criticism from Democrats across the country for cooperating with the Trump administration’s immigration agenda. In one of the latest developments, he has been sued by the Democrat-controlled New York City Council over an executive order issued by his office to allow ICE agents to access Rikers Island Prison to conduct immigration checks and interviews. In the suit, the City Council accuses Adams of engaging in an illegal “quid pro quo” with the Trump administration and prioritizing his own political goals over the city’s “prized sanctuary laws.” TRUMP’S BORDER CZAR TELLS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THEY ‘CANNOT HIDE FROM ICE’ AMID MASS DEPORTATION AGENDA The suit called the executive order “the poisoned fruit of Mayor Adams’s deal with the Trump Administration.” Last week, New York Judge Mary Rosado ruled to bar the city from “taking any steps toward negotiating, signing, or implementing any Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government” for the time being. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE ICE previously had a presence at Rikers, but the agency was banned from the jail complex in 2014 under New York City’s sanctuary laws limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement. This remained the case until this month when New York City First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro signed an executive order allowing federal immigration authorities to operate an office on Rikers Island. DEMOCRAT CITY COUNCIL SUES MAYOR FOR ALLOWING ICE INTO MAJOR AMERICAN PRISON The order states that the safety of New Yorkers has been jeopardized by violent transnational gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua – gangs designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration – and there is a critical need for federal law enforcement to share “real-time” intelligence with the city’s corrections department and police. The order allows federal law enforcement agencies to share intelligence with the corrections department and the NYPD about criminal gang activity among individuals both inside and outside of custody. It does not give ICE permission to carry out civil immigration enforcement and arrest people simply for being undocumented. The order was issued the week after federal charges against Adams were dismissed. He had been accused of using his position as mayor to receive luxury travel and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish foreign nationals. Adams insisted the case was politically motivated and was pursued in retaliation for his criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
Trump White House takes 100-day victory lap on reforming key agency amid fierce pushback
FIRST ON FOX: As President Trump marks his first 100 days in office on Tuesday, the administration is touting all of their fulfilled campaign promises when it comes to Social Security, an issue where he has been much maligned by Democrats and some in the media. “I am proud of the extraordinary work by our dedicated employees at SSA to help deliver on President Trump’s promise to protect Social Security,” Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), told Fox News Digital in a statement. “They have worked tirelessly to improve customer service while safeguarding Americans’ hard-earned benefits from waste, fraud, and abuse. It will take time to fully recover from the disastrous policies of the previous administration, which led to sky-high wait times for customer service and unconscionable delays for benefit decisions,” Dudek continued. “But SSA employees are leading the turnaround by refocusing their work on frontline customer service, modernizing IT for a better customer experience, and bolstering program integrity.” The administration, which has called Trump’s first 100 days the most successful of any administration, says that it has made “significant strides” in moving the Social Security Fairness Act forward and has paid over $14.8 billion in retroactive payments to over 2 million individuals affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. GOP SENATOR TURNS TABLES ON DEM NARRATIVE ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE: ‘GET FRAUD OUT OF THERE’ Trump’s moves on Social Security come as Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, have accused the administration of plotting to slash Social Security benefits, particularly through the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE’s) efforts to reform the agency. However, the administration says that it is focused on reforms, not cutting benefits, and a White House official told Fox News Digital that SSA has identified over $1 billion in cost avoidance or efficiencies for fiscal year 2025 “through new, common-sense approaches in areas such as payroll, information technology, contracts and grants, real property, printing, travel, and purchase card policies.” Examples include reducing software licensing, salvaging and repairing tables and chairs, returning leased motor vehicles, converting in-person training to online, streamlining case assignment and tracking systems, and reducing travel card spending allowances. Additionally, the White House official says the agency has made strides in implementing fraud prevention tools, including tools that help identify fraudulent claims via telephone. Many, including DOGE chief Elon Musk, have raised concerns about the accuracy of Social Security records, particularly when it comes to data related to whether a person is deceased or still on the rolls despite being well over 100 years old. The White House told Fox News Digital that progress has been made on that front as well to improve the accuracy of death data and called that effort a “high priority” that was a low priority in the previous administration. FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY RESTRICTS DOGE ACCESS TO PERSONALIZED SOCIAL SECURITY DATA Musk has drawn the ire of Democrats by referring to Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme.” Fox News Digital spoke to an expert earlier this year who made the case that Musk has a point in using the term “Ponzi scheme.” “Musk’s statement about Social Security being the world’s biggest Ponzi scheme does have validity,” James Agresti, president of the nonprofit research institute Just Facts, told Fox News Digital in response to pushback from Musk’s claim, which included a “false” rating from Politifact. “A Ponzi scheme operates by taking money from new investors to pay current investors. That’s the definition given by the SEC, and contrary to popular belief, that’s exactly how Social Security operates.”
Some fentanyl dealers would be charged with felony murder under new bill
FIRST ON FOX: A new piece of legislation was introduced in both the House and the Senate on Tuesday that would allow fentanyl dealers connected to distribution resulting in death to be charged with felony murder. Under current U.S. law, there is a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison for the same offense, but the legal process of prosecution is not tried as a murder case. The legislation would increase the severity and consequences of dealers to further crackdowns on the fentanyl crisis that has taken roughly 280,000 thousand American lives since 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIH). WHITE HOUSE DISPLAYS LAWN SIGNS HIGHLIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Representative Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, unveiled the Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act as a bicameral bill on Tuesday, which also marks National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The legislation will now head to committee in both chambers. “Drug cartels have taken advantage of loopholes at our borders to peddle illicit drugs into our country, meanwhile, our communities pay the price,” Gonzales told Fox News Digital. “My bill sends a strong message to those who work with cartels and other bad actors—if you sell the drug and take an innocent life, justice will be delivered. Our law enforcement agencies are in overdrive combating the drug epidemic in America, it’s time to take action and up the penalties for fentanyl dealers.” While the number of deaths is in the hundreds of thousands, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that “nearly 64,000 pounds of fentanyl have been seized at the southern border,” which is enough to “kill 14 billion people.” “I have seen firsthand how the scourge of fentanyl has inflicted incredible tragedy on communities across Iowa,” Senator Joni Ernst told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “I have worked for years to protect Americans and stop this deadly epidemic. Increasing the severity of the punishment for the drug dealers responsible for the deaths of too many Iowans is long overdue.” WHITE HOUSE TOUTS 100-DAY ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN AFTER BIDEN ‘UNSECURED THE BORDER ON PURPOSE’ The rise in the flow of the deadly drug has been largely tied to the influx of illegal immigrants over the past four years during the Biden Administration. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) estimates “more than 90% of interdicted fentanyl is stopped at Ports of Entry (POEs), where cartels attempt to smuggle it primarily in vehicles driven by U.S. citizens.” With a recent decline in border apprehensions, the number of deaths resulting from consumption of fentanyl have declined as well. The CDC reported in February with the most recent data showing overall drug overdose deaths dropping 24% from October 2023 to September 2024. President Donald Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, claimed at a White House press conference Monday morning that the Biden Administration “unsecured the border on purpose.” Homan went on to say that “border numbers are at a historic low” and that the U.S. has the “most secure border in the history of this nation.”
Minnesota House Democrat jumps into open Senate race, GOP aims to flip her seat
Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., says she is running for Senate to replace Sen. Tina Smith, leaving a gaping hole in a very competitive district. Craig will join a hotly contested Democratic primary to replace Smith, who announced last year that she would not seek re-election. Craig currently occupies the seat for Minnesota’s second congressional district, a toss-up that Republicans are now hoping to take in her absence. “Out of touch Democrat Angie Craig just announced she’s running for Senate, and MN-02 is now an extremely competitive open seat. With this district wide open – and many House Democrats racing for the exits for a promotion – national Democrats are in deep trouble,” National Republica Congressional Committee spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement. “The writing is on the wall for House Democrats, and their vulnerable members like Angie Craig are racing for the exits. Republicans look forward to flipping this open seat red,” he added. DEMOCRATS’ IDENTITY CRISIS: YOUTH REVOLT ROCKS PARTY AFTER TRUMP COMEBACK In her announcement video, Craig attacks President Donald Trump for “trampling our rights and freedoms as he profits.” “There’s chaos and corruption coming out of Washington, crashing down on all of us every day,” she says before setting her sights on Elon Musk. “An out-of-control, unelected billionaire is trying to take over our government and burn it to the ground.” SENATE PUTS TRUMP TEAM IN PLACE, SETS UP AGENDA FIGHT AFTER 100-DAY SPRINT She then blasts Republicans in Congress as “cowardly” for “rolling over and letting it all happen.” “We’re proud Minnesotans — a state of fierce independence, freedom and community. People willing to take on the powerful and fight for what’s right,” Craig continues. “It’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate: to listen, to fight for all of Minnesota and to win.” DNC’S DAVID HOGG TAKING ON DEMOCRATS IS ‘THE BIGGEST GIFT TO REPUBLICANS EVER,’ SAYS STRATEGIST Recent polls have shown Democrats struggling to gain support, particularly among young Americans, a demographic they have typically held with no problems. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A new poll from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics shows approval of congressional Democrats among young Americans has dropped to 23%, down from 42% in early 2017. Approval for congressional Republicans stands at 29%, slightly improved from previous years. President Donald Trump’s approval rating among 18-29-year-olds is at 31%, virtually unchanged from the beginning of his first term.