Florida’s largest Venezuelan stronghold poised to join forces with ICE: report
The city of Doral, Florida, a key hub for Venezuelan immigrants, is poised to ink an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would allow the city’s law enforcement to carry out some immigration-enforcement operations. Members of the Doral City Council are expected to authorize a partnership with ICE through the 287(g) program on Wednesday, which would allow Doral police officers to carry out limited immigration enforcement, such as detentions, questioning and processing those suspected of breaking federal immigration laws, according to a report by the Miami Herald. The news comes as President Donald Trump has continued his push to ramp up deportation efforts across the country, an effort that has included the courting of several local law enforcement agencies to assist federal immigration authorities. BLUE STATE SHERIFFS COMBINE FORCES TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST SANCTUARY LAWS The inclusion of Doral in the effort would mark a seemingly surprising turn, with the city being home to one of the largest populations of Venezuelan immigrants in the country. That fact has sparked concern among many in the local population, most notably about potential racial profiling, though city officials have attempted to ease fears and said the partnership will focus strictly on lawful enforcement. “The intention isn’t to detain anyone based on how they look,” Council Member Rafael Pineyro told the Miami Herald. “We are obligated to follow federal and state laws, but the goal is not to target individuals based on appearance. Our focus remains on lawful enforcement, not profiling.” The 287(g) agreement being inked by Doral has seen widespread use in multiple states since Trump took office in January, allowing cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and ICE. SCOOP: ARIZONA TO BEGIN REMOVING AS MANY AS 50K NONCITIZENS FROM VOTER ROLLS FOLLOWING LAWSUIT One part of the program focuses on identifying and processing illegal immigrants who are already in custody and eligible for deportation. Another part allows for local law enforcement to support ICE deportation operations in the field. The program permits some local law enforcement officers to participate in a 40-hour ICE training session, while also requiring that the local agencies keep in regular contact with ICE when carrying out immigration enforcement. Doral’s involvement in the program comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has encouraged local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The report notes that Florida law requires enforcement agencies in charge of county jails to be enrolled in 287(g) programs. Local activists continue to push back against the potential agreement. “By transforming local law enforcement into instruments of the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement, Doral’s elected officials have broken the trust of the city’s large Venezuelan community,” Adelys Ferro, the executive director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, told the Miami Herald. “The community relies on the police for protection, not persecution.”
4 things to know about the young conservative anti-crime president of Ecuador who was just re-elected
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa – who’s served just 16 months after a 2023 snap election – is now projected to serve a full four-year term after Sunday’s contest. Noboa, a 37-year-old heir to a fortune built on the banana trade, received 55.8% of the vote with more than 92% of ballots counted, according to Ecuador’s National Electoral Council. Leftist lawyer Luisa González, a protégée of former President Rafael Correa, earned 44% in Sunday’s runoff election, but she demanded a recount, alleging “grotesque” election fraud. President Donald Trump congratulated Noboa on Truth Social, sharing a link to the BBC’s reporting of the center-right leader as the run-off election winner. “Congratulations to Daniel Noboa, who will be a great leader for the wonderful people of Ecuador. He will not let you down!” Trump wrote. Noboa, considered a pro-Trump conservative, and González, an ideological ally of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, competed in the October 2023 runoff of a snap election triggered by the decision of then-President Guillermo Lasso to dissolve the National Assembly. Sunday marks the third consecutive time that the party of Correa, the country’s most influential president this century, failed to return to the presidency. ECUADOR RE-ELECTS PRESIDENT DANIEL NOBOA AMID NATIONWIDE UNEASE OVER CRIME The president declared a state of emergency in seven of its 24 provinces the day before the election, citing increased cartel violence. González alleged voter suppression. Here are four things to know about the re-elected leader of the South American country. Under Noboa’s watch, the homicide rate dropped from 46.18 per 100,000 people in 2023, to 38.76 per 100,000 people in 2024. But despite the decrease, the rate remained far higher than the 6.85 homicides per 100,000 people seen in 2019. Noboa, billed as a law-and-order president, is expected to continue applying some of his no-holds-barred crime-fighting strategies that part of the electorate finds appealing but which have tested the limits of laws and norms of governing. He declared Ecuador to be in a state of “internal armed conflict” in January 2024, allowing him to deploy thousands of soldiers to the streets to combat gangs and to charge people with terrorism counts for alleged ties to organized crime groups. Ecuador started 2025 with its bloodiest beginning on record, averaging a murder every hour, according to CBS News. The South American country has erupted in drug-trafficking-related violence in the last five years, the New York Times reported, citing how overcrowded jails, corruption and underfunding have resulted in gangs with international backing taking hold. Noboa has defended ordering an April 2024 raid on the Mexican Embassy in Quito to apprehend former vice president Jorge Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive who had been hiding there for months. Further, Noboa entrusted presidential powers while campaigning earlier this year to a government official, unelected Vice President Verónica Abad, as required by the Ecuadorian Code of Democracy. Last month, Noboa called on U.S., European and Brazilian soldiers to support the Ecuadorian police and military in their “war” against criminal gangs, according to the BBC. He called on the Trump administration, which has designated Tren de Aragua, of Venezuela, and MS-13, of Mexico, as foreign terrorist organizations, to do the same for cartels in Ecuador. “I would be glad if he considers Los Lobos, Los Choneros, Los Tiguerones as terrorist groups because that’s what they really are,” he told the BBC in March. Noboa said 70% of the world’s cocaine exits through Ecuadorian ports, arguing that “international forces” are necessary to combat what started as “criminal gangs” in the country, but have devolved into “international narco-terrorist” groups. FEARS OF ANOTHER NARCO-STATE RISE AS LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY READIES FOR PIVOTAL VOTE During his brief first term, Noboa has sought to establish a friendly relationship with the Trump administration. Grace Jaramillo, an Andean region expert and professor at the University of British Columbia, told the Associated Press these efforts played a role in some voters’ decisions. “The majority of Ecuadorians have migrant relatives and know well that a scenario with González, a leftist, would be terrible for deportations,” Jaramillo told the AP. “It’s an issue that touches every middle- and working-class home… Showing closeness to Trump was crucial for many families.” Ecuadorian officials communicated to Trump allies last month an interest in hosting a U.S. military base in the South American country, as well as negotiating a free trade deal, Reuters reported. Ecuador was exempt from Trump’s tariff rollout last week. In February, Ecuador levied a 27% tariff on Mexico. A U.S. intelligence assessment conducted days before Sunday’s runoff found that the re-election of incumbent Noboa over González, of the Citizen Revolution party, would better serve American interests over the next four years, CBS News reported. One U.S. intelligence official declined to detail the discussions but told CBS that “the goal of any partnership or U.S. presence in Ecuador would likely be towards kinetically going after criminal organizations, not simply just a training mission.” Correa ordered the U.S. military out of Ecuador in 2014, the BBC reported. Lasso, and then Noboa, resumed cooperation with the U.S. military a decade later. Noboa is the Miami-born heir to a fortune built on the banana trade – the country’s main crop. He opened an event-organizing company when he was 18 and then joined his father’s Noboa Corp., where he held management positions in the shipping, logistics and commercial areas. His first foray into politics was his stint as a lawmaker. In 2023, he became the youngest person elected president of Ecuador at a time when killings, kidnappings, robberies and other criminal activities had become a part of everyday life in the country once considered the “island of peace” in South America. The spike in violence is tied to the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Mexican, Colombian and Balkan cartels have set down roots in Ecuador and operate with assistance from local criminal gangs. In August 2023, then-presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated. In the months leading up to
Educators hope ‘abysmal’ national literacy rates will be addressed now that DEI, gender ideology out the door
FIRST ON FOX: A Texas-driven campaign to tackle children’s “abysmal” literacy rates over recent decades is hoping to go national, as President Donald Trump rolls back DEI initiatives and curbs progressive gender ideology that has taken center stage in recent years. “Literacy has taken a backseat, and it’s because people don’t know our kids can’t read,” said Pete Geren, former secretary of the Army and a former Democratic congressman from Texas. “I make a lot of public presentations. I meet with elected officials, state reps, who you know it’s really a state issue. They have no awareness of this.” At Grade Level, a Texas-based organization behind the “Have Your Child Read to You” campaign, is partnering with Geren – a former state lawmaker from the ’90s and now president and CEO of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation – who is a well-known advocate for public education. RED STATES GET IN LINE WITH TRUMP’S DEI BAN IN SCHOOLS AS COMPLIANCE DEADLINE NEARS “The federal government has told us over and over and over that most of our kids cannot read proficiently, and it has never led to a literacy movement in this country,” Geren said. Geren and At Grade Level are urging parents to do a simple task: ask their children to read out loud to them to see if they are learning proficiently in school. Only 43% of more than 170,000 students are reading at proficient grade level, according to state test scores in Fort Worth, and close to 100% of parents believe their children can read at grade level. The numbers on a national scale show a similar trend. TRUMP ADMIN WARNS STATES TO COMPLY WITH HOUSING PRISONERS BY THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX OR FACE FUNDING CUTOFF “It’s our goal to build awareness,” Geren said. “The missing link in the political movement is the parents… if they know, everything will change. Parents will do anything for their kids, and they’ll fix this problem at home and at the governmental level.” Reading proficiency among eighth graders dropped to 67%, the lowest in 32 years, while only 60% of fourth graders met basic reading standards, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Only 67% of eighth-graders met or exceeded basic reading skills on the 2024 NAEP exam, down 2 percentage points from 1992 when the testing began. The NAEP, often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, is the gold standard for measuring student academic performance. And poor literacy rates are closely tied to crime, according to At Grade Level, reporting that approximately 80% of Texas prison inmates are functionally illiterate. “We’ve got the district attorney, we’ve got the county judge, and so many leaders coming out because of the connection to crime,” Geren said. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DOLED OUT OVER $200M TO UNIVERSITIES TO INJECT DEI INTO COUNSELING COURSES: REPORT In February, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said at a press conference that the statistics “paint a stark, tragic picture of our present situation, but that doesn’t have to be our future.” “Many of the people incarcerated right now are there, in part, because of that lack of proper literacy levels that they did not receive when they were young,” Noakes said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump signed executive orders to eliminate DEI programs and gender ideology instruction in K-12 schools in January. Two months later, he moved to significantly downsize the Department of Education to shift more control over education back to the states. While downsizing the department, Trump criticized the billions of dollars funneled into the public education system while students’ test scores in core subjects have continued to plummet. “We want great education. So they rank 40 countries in education, we’re ranked dead last, but the good news is we’re number one in one category. You know what that is? Cost per pupil,” Trump told Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy at a press conference in February. “We spend more per pupil than any other country in the world.” U.S. federal, state and local governments collectively spend about $857.2 billion annually on K-12 public education. Despite a record $190 billion in federal aid since the pandemic, students’ academic performance has seen little improvement. An analysis by The New York Times in March found that, since the pandemic, students have fallen behind by more than half a year in math and also struggled in reading and science.
‘Hateful and horrific’: Shapiro governor’s mansion fire prompts outcry from lawmakers
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle were quick to condemn acts of violence after a man was arrested for allegedly setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside. “There is no place in our society for political violence and actions like this. I’m praying for Governor Shapiro and his family — and hope the heroes in PA law enforcement bring those responsible to justice,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said in a statement following the attack. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., wrote on X, “The attack on Governor Shapiro and his family on the first night of Passover is hateful and horrific. I am grateful for their safety and sending love to him and his family.” Cody Balmer, 38, will face charges including attempted murder, terrorism and aggravated arson, officials said at a press conference Sunday. PENNSYLVANIA POLICE ARREST SUSPECT AFTER GOVERNOR’S MANSION SET ON FIRE WHILE GOV JOSH SHAPIRO, FAMILY SLEPT Authorities say he “actively evaded” law enforcement stationed at the mansion and “forcibly entered” to set the blaze. Images released publicly of the aftermath showed ash-covered rooms and extensive fire damage. Shapiro, who is Jewish, said he and his family were woken up around 2 a.m. to evacuate their home after celebrating the first night of Passover. No one was injured, however, the potential 2028 presidential nominee said. It is notable that, in the current hyper-partisan environment, Republicans and Democrats were quick to condemn the alleged violence — and not on dissimilar lines. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., called the incident “deeply disturbing and very scary” and called for the culprit’s prosecution “to the fullest extent of the law.” On the opposite side of the aisle, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., similarly said, “Political violence of any kind is never acceptable, and it is especially unconscionable to attack a Jewish family during the first night of Passover. Everyone responsible must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation also showed a united front, with former House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., writing on X, “Glad to learn that the Governor and his family are safe after this inexcusable and terrifying incident.” JOSH SHAPIRO TELLS MAHER HE’S ‘DAMN PROUD’ OF BEING JEWISH, DODGES WHETHER IT FACTORED INTO VP SNUB IN 2024 Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., a member of the progressive “Squad,” called for a “swift investigation.” “This must be condemned without hesitation, and the cowardly criminals responsible must face the full force of the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. “We must remember: what unites us as a community — and as a country — will always be greater than anything that seeks to divide us. That is the strength of America. And together is the only way we move forward.” Additionally, Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., responded to images of the fire damage, “This type of violence cannot be tolerated and the criminals responsible must be prosecuted for these deplorable actions.”
‘Rules for thee’: Senate DOGE leader seeks crackdown on tax-dodging government workers
EXCLUSIVE: As Tax Day approaches, the Senate’s DOGE leader announced a new effort Monday aimed at cracking down on federal bureaucrats who have racked up billions in unpaid taxes. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is introducing the Tax Delinquencies and Overdue Debts are Government Employees’ Responsibility (Tax DODGER) Act in response to reports of tax scofflaws within the bureaucracy the taxes themselves are supposed to bankroll. The Tax DODGER Act would require the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to publish an annual report on tax delinquencies of current and retired federal employees, including those who failed to file a 1040 or other tax return. “It is outrageous that while hardworking Americans fork over their money to Uncle Sam, nearly 150,000 bureaucrats refuse to pay their own taxes,” Ernst told Fox News Digital. LAWMAKERS TAKE ACTION AFTER REPORT SHOWS BIDEN-ERA SBA FAILED TO PROBE 2 MILLION ALLEGED COVID AID FRAUDSTERS The bill also establishes a new section in the law that could consider a federal job applicant ineligible for hire if they have “seriously delinquent” tax debt, unless already granted a hardship exemption. “If you don’t pay taxes, you should not work for the federal government,” Ernst said. “I am ending the ‘rules for thee, but not for me’ mentality in Washington.” Ernst highlighted a recent Treasury Inspector General report showing that while 96% of IRS employees were found to be tax-compliant, more than 2,000 employees had past-due balances totaling more than $12 million as of the end of last year. Meanwhile, a 2023 IRS report found 149,000 total federal employees owed $1.5 billion in tax liabilities for fiscal year 2021. SENATE DOGE LEADER SAYS TRUMP ‘ALREADY RACKING UP WINS’ She wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in March that Americans and many lawmakers had “lost confidence in the IRS” and that he had an opportunity as the agency’s new ultimate boss to address several issues that don’t need congressional approval. The lawmaker referenced past political weaponization of the agency – such as when Obama-era staffer Lois Lerner allegedly targeted conservative groups – as well as upgrading the IRS’ reportedly outdated technology. As part of her initial effort last fall to forge a working relationship with DOGE leader Elon Musk, Ernst similarly launched a call for an audit of the IRS. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP If passed, the bill would require that reports on tax-scofflaw bureaucrats be sent on an annual basis to the Office of Personnel Management, Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and House Oversight Committee. Additionally, any agency leader may take personnel action up to and including the firing of a federal employee if there is administrative or judicial determination they understated their tax liability or failed to file a return.
UK urged to align with Trump on China or lose favored status in Washington
As President Donald Trump reshapes American foreign policy around hard-nosed deals and national self-interest, a new report warns the UK must rethink its strategy to preserve its “special relationship” – or risk being sidelined in Washington. Darren Spinck, a fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, cautions that there will be no “business as usual” under Trump and that the “special relationship” between the U.S. and UK can no longer be taken for granted. To remain a key ally, Spinck argues in a new report, Britain must embrace Trump’s “transactional” approach to foreign policy. “Choosing not to retaliate” against Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs may signal a “strategic patience that may facilitate bilateral negotiations,” the report states. It outlines steps that Prime Minister Keir Starmer could take to align with the Trump administration and pursue a U.S.-UK free trade deal, including deeper security cooperation and a tougher stance on China. Trump recently imposed 10% across-the-board tariffs on foreign nations and paused harsher levies he earlier proposed on every nation except China. CHINESE OFFICIALS CLAIMED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS PRC PLAYED ROLE IN US CYBERATTACKS: REPORT Another path, the report suggests, could involve the UK seeking accession to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the North American trade bloc, as a way to deepen economic ties with the United States. The report also urges the UK Labour Party leadership to “reduce commercial dependency on the PRC rather than deepening it,” warning that closer economic ties with Beijing could strain U.S.-UK relations under Trump. Spinck contrasted the Trump administration’s focus on “bilateralism, economic nationalism, and Indo-Pacific security” with the Starmer government’s preference for “multilateral diplomacy, progressive trade policies, and European security commitments.” “This policy gap threatens transatlantic cohesion, weakening their collective ability to act against common adversaries, particularly China,” he warned. Divergent policies on China, NATO commitments and Indo-Pacific strategy could erode Five Eyes intelligence sharing, which is key to UK national security. Spinck called on the British government to strike a deal with the U.S. that addresses the White House’s digital privacy concerns – particularly after the UK ordered Apple to grant security agencies access to encrypted cloud data – and to launch a mineral mining partnership to bolster critical supply chains. Whereas the previous conservative UK government deemed China its “greatest state-based threat,” the current liberal leadership has “reversed the course of the previous three Conservative Party Governments and has sought to strengthen economic ties with Beijing,” according to Spink. He said the UK had recently advanced Beijing’s access to Western capital markets and re-established bilateral frameworks on industrial, trade and energy policy with China. “One must wonder why London appears eager to expand economic ties with China – a country widely criticized for its human rights record – while the UK’s development finance institution has been less inclined to support international infrastructure development or mining projects in other regions.” UK PRIME MINISTER TO ADMIT ‘GLOBALIZATION IS OVER’ IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP TARIFFS: REPORT “As the Trump Administration seeks to further accelerate America’s decoupling from targeted CCP economic and technology sectors, the US feels that the Labour Government’s apparent rapprochement with Beijing, after years of cautious relations following the PRC’s 2020 breach of the Sino–British Joint Declaration, could unnecessarily complicate the “Special Relationship,” Spink wrote. He said that critical issues “requiring transatlantic cooperation,” such as a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, are “at risk” if the U.S. and the UK are not aligned on China policy. The UK must also set aside its disagreements over U.S. domestic policy, according to Spinck, due to the more urgent need for security cooperation. “As the Labour Government works with President Trump’s Administration, it should realize its views on a wide range of policies, including immigration, climate policy, digital privacy and welfare benefits, are vastly different,” he wrote. He said such “fractures” like the UK government’s demand for backdoor access to Apple’s encrypted cloud storage “have begun to define the overall relationship between the two allies, impacting the potential for foreign policy alignment.” “Overcoming these cultural differences requires a shift to a more transactional model of foreign policy cooperation. Britain needs to take an active role in re-setting this agenda, pushing questions of domestic ideology to the margins in favor of solid, mutually beneficial measures.” The UK could also signal goodwill by taking a tougher diplomatic stance on Iran. Spinck urged London to help close the “transatlantic divide” on Iran policy, which he said has “disrupted attempts to forge a coherent approach to stopping Iran’s nuclear progress.” While the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed sweeping sanctions, the UK remained a party and declined to trigger snapback sanctions – even amid reports that Iran had violated the agreement and was enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels. Spink also urged the UK to join the U.S. in designating Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Such moves, he argued, “would also be seen as a victory for the long-established Trump policy on Iran – one that would cost the UK nothing and would generate much goodwill in Washington, D.C.”
‘Mississippi Musk’: State auditor’s MOGE report finds $400M in government waste
EXCLUSIVE: On Monday, Mississippi state auditor Shad White will release a compilation of audits conducted by his office that tabulated a collective $400 million in waste over the course of his tenure. “In the last few weeks, we’ve jokingly started calling ourselves MOGE, the Mississippi Office of Government Efficiency, like Elon Musk’s DOGE,” White told Fox News Digital, referring to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration. “We approach our work with the same attention to every penny as DOGE, and I’m happy to be Mississippi’s Musk,” White said. While the auditor’s office cannot cut any of the wasteful spending, it alerts state lawmakers to what it discovers. COST CUTTING: 2 STATES AIM TO ELIMINATE PERSONAL INCOME TAXES “We’ve been working on this project really for the last couple of years. And what’s encouraging right now is that President Trump and Elon Musk are doing DOGE, which has raised public awareness about the amount of fraud, waste and abuse in government,” White said in his exclusive interview. “So, people are starting to look closely at what we’ve uncovered. In our time in the state auditor’s office, my team and I have uncovered about $400 million worth of waste.” That figure will be broken down in an 800-page report, which White will make public later Monday. He said that Medicaid is a major issue, in that tens of millions of dollars in subsidies are going to income-ineligible Mississippians. One state agency was spending nearly $6,000 each on televisions, which the similarly bloated feds pay about $2,000 for similar tech, he said. REEVES RALLIES AROUND PROPOSAL TO CUT MS INCOME TAX “So, if you think the federal government is inefficient, I promise you, your state governments around the country are likely even less efficient,” he said. Asked about slashing wasteful spending in DEI and elsewhere, White said that even in a red state like the Magnolia State, there is a lot to be discovered and trimmed down. “[W]hen you dig into what they’re doing with all of this staff time and all of these resources, they were doing things like holding microaggression training sessions for engineers — I don’t know why we need to do that. They were handing out grants for social justice yoga for preschoolers. Just crazy stuff,” he said, as $11 million in taxpayer funding has gone to DEI at colleges alone. In the Magnolia State, 20% of people live below the poverty line, so efficient spending of federal and other public funds is paramount, White said. Millions of misspent dollars came from welfare appropriations, including approved community gardens that were never built, or nonprofits who pledged to use funding to help the poor but instead padded executive salaries. “We found dollars supposed to be going to poor folks going to pay for sponsorship of beauty pageants,” he added. “Really, I think the big-picture point here is, this kind of waste happens at every level of government. And now that DOJ is taking the lead and showing the country how much fraud, waste and abuse there is, it’s really incumbent on every single state government to take a look at their own house and make sure that that fraud, waste, and abuse isn’t happening in state government, too.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP State auditor roles vary statutorily from state-to-state. When asked whether White has worked with neighboring officials or if other Deep South states have collaborated on regional DOGE-type initiatives, White said that some states like Alabama have auditor roles with more limited statutory powers than his in Jackson. But he said that Oklahoma auditor Cindy Byrd is working on a similar endeavor to uncover government waste in the Sooner State. “We [state auditors] are in conversation with one another — and whether it’s your state auditor or a key state legislator or the governor, really, every state needs to be starting a DOGE.” Fox News Digital reached out to Reeves for comment on White’s past work in identifying waste, fraud and abuse.
First on Fox: Republican launches second straight bid to flip Democrat-held Senate seat in key battleground
EXCLUSIVE – Former Rep. Mike Rogers, who was the GOP Senate nominee in Michigan in last year’s election, is launching a second straight Republican run for the Senate in the crucial Great Lakes battleground state. Rogers, a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress, announced his candidacy in the 2026 Senate race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters in a video that was shared nationally first with Fox News. “As your next senator, I won’t just represent Michigan, I’ll fight for it,” Rogers emphasizes in his video announcement. Highlighting his long career in the military, the FBI, and as an elected state and federal lawmaker, Rogers says that he is “running to serve as your next senator because service is what I’ve always done. Michigan, let’s get to work.” A LIKELY BRUISING SENATE BATTLE IN BATTLEGROUND MICHIGAN HEATS UP AS THIS CANDIDATE ENTERS THE RACE And in his video, Rogers also spotlights his support for President Donald Trump, saying “I’ll stand with President Trump, and we will deliver on the mandate given to him by the American people….for me it will always be America and Michigan first.” Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats’ nominee, in last November’s election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point. WILL THIS BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN END THE GOP’S 20-YEAR LOSING STREAK IN HIS STATE? The Senate seat in Michigan is one of three held by the Democrats that the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is planning to heavily target as it aims to expand the GOP’s current 53-47 majority in the chamber. The other two are in New Hampshire, where longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is retiring rather than running for re-election in 2026, and Georgia, where the GOP considers a first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff vulnerable. While Rogers is the first major Republican to enter the Senate race in Michigan, he may not have the field to himself. Longtime Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga told Fox News last week that as soon as Peters announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t seek re-election, “my phone started to ring and it hasn’t stopped ringing.” LONGTIME HOUSE REPUBLICAN WEIGHS SENATE BID IN KEY BATTLEGROUND Huizenga, who was first elected to the House in 2010 and represents Michigan’s 4th Congressional District, which covers parts of the southwestern part of the state, highlighted that he’s getting “encouragement” to seek the Senate from “grassroots folks,” as well as donors. As for his timetable, Huizenga said: “I’m still going to do my evaluation here, and need to kind of push through on the fundraising and need to make sure that I’m able to get the support that I really need to have to be able to do this kind of run.” ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026 An endorsement by Trump, whose sway over the GOP is stronger than ever, is expected to play a significant role if there’s a contested Republican Senate primary in Michigan. And while Trump has yet to weigh in on the race, Rogers earlier this year hired veteran Republican strategist and 2024 Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita as a senior advisor. LaCivita remains close to the president and his political team in the White House. Rogers in 2022 and early 2023 mulled a 2024 Republican presidential nomination run of his own, and had a few critical comments of Trump at the time. But Rogers later became a strong supporter of the then-former president and Trump endorsed Rogers in the 2024 Michigan Senate race in March of last year, after clinching the GOP presidential nomination. WHY PETE BUTTIGIEG SAID NO TO RUNNING FOR THE SENATE NEXT YEAR IN MICHIGAN Besides Rogers and Huizenga, business executive, conservative commentator and 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon has said she’s seriously mulling another run for governor, or for the Senate, in 2026. And Republican businessman and auto dealership executive Kevin Rinke, who ran for governor in 2022, is also thought to be considering another statewide run next year. Earlier this month, Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow launched a campaign for the Democratic Senate nomination. Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet and Haley Stevens are considering a run, as is Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Last month, Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who later served as Transportation Secretary in former President Joe Biden’s administration, ruled out a campaign after seriously considering a bid.
Scoop: GOP group dedicated to electing Republicans at state level spotlights record fundraising haul
FIRST ON FOX: A GOP organization dedicated to electing Republicans to state legislative and executive offices across the nation is spotlighting what it calls a “record” fundraising haul during the first three months of the year. The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) announced on Monday that, along with its strategic policy partner, the State Government Leadership Foundation, it raked in a combined $13 million in fundraising during the January-March first quarter of 2025. The group, in sharing their figures first with Fox News, highlighted that it was their “best-ever first-quarter fundraising haul,” and follows what they describe as “a historic 2023-2024 election cycle,” when the two groups combined raised $102 million. Showcasing their grassroots appeal, the group noted that they brought in over $2.2 million online, with 5,130 new online donors and an average online donation of $24.68. THIS WELL-KNOWN REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2026 “This record-breaking fundraising achievement highlights the enthusiasm behind the results Republicans are delivering at the state level,” RSLC President Edith Jorge-Tuñón emphasized in a statement to Fox News. “While we’re proud of this milestone, we must stay alert. Recent elections show Democrats are ready to invest unlimited resources in down-ballot races, taking advantage of low turnout to build momentum for the 2025-2026 cycle. We need to be proactive in countering these efforts,” she added. THIS DEMOCRATIC SENATOR IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR At the time this story was posted, the rival Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee had yet to report its first-quarter fundraising figures. Two legislative chambers changed control in the 2024 elections, both in favor of the Republicans. Minnesota’s House flipped from Democratic control to a tie, and Michigan’s House flipped from the Democrats to the GOP. CAN REPUBLICANS END THEIR TWO-DECADE-LONG ELECTORAL LOSING STREAK IN THIS STATE? According to the nonpartisan National Conference on State Legislatures, Republicans currently control 58 of the nation’s 98 state legislative chambers (Nebraska’s technically non-partisan is not included), with the Democrats in control of 38 chambers and two divided. Republicans control 28 of the 50 state legislatures, with Democrats in control of 18 and three legislatures divided. Additionally, Republicans have total control (state house majority in both chambers and control of the governor’s office) in 23 states, compared to 15 for the Democrats, with 11 states divided.
Trump’s 13th week in office expected to include tariff negotiation blitz, visit from El Salvador leader
President Donald Trump’s 13th week in office is expected to include ongoing tariff negotiations revolving around his reciprocal, customized duty tax plan, as well as a visit from El Salvador’s president. On Wednesday, Trump put a 90-day pause on reciprocal, customized tariffs he had imposed on dozens of nations, which was an abrupt change of course after saying there would not be a pause to them, just negotiations. Simultaneously, the Trump administration upped the ante on its tariff on China to 125%. Now, the administration, including Trump, is diving into negotiations with foreign nations to strike deals that are beneficial to the U.S. and lower the country’s chronic trade deficit, according to officials. An administration official told Fox News Digital last week that Trump will be personally involved in the negotiations, including taking direct phone calls from fellow world leaders. Trump will serve as the “final decision maker” of the negotiations, and he is “very invested” in securing the best trade deals for the U.S., the admin official said. ‘DEAL-MAKER-IN-CHIEF’: BEHIND THE SCENES OF TRUMP’S TARIFF PAUSE, WHERE HE HAS FINAL SAY OVER NEGOTIATIONS “The American people elected President Trump because he’s a deal-maker, and he’s going to be the deal-maker-in-chief to make this happen,” the source said. SCOTT BESSENT SAYS UP TO 70 NATIONS WANT TO NEGOTIATE OVER TRUMP’S TARIFFS Tariffs are expected to be a focal point of the week as Democrats continue lobbing attacks at Trump over the duty taxes and pausing the customized tariffs on the same day they took effect. On Monday, Trump will meet with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at the White House. Bukele has emerged as a key ally to the administration regarding immigration policies, including by accepting illegal immigrants of any nationality facing deportation in the U.S. and booking them into El Salvador’s notorious prison system. Those deported to El Salvador from the U.S. have suspected ties to vicious gangs, such as Tren de Aragua or MS-13. El Salvador’s CECOT prison is known as the nation’s most notorious prison. The prison, which can hold 40,000 inmates, was built to house gang members in a country that held one of the highest murder rates in the world before violence dropped in recent history. Prisoners at CECOT are blocked from receiving visitors and can only attend hearings virtually, while the prison itself blocks any cell signal to ensure gang members cannot contact criminals still on the street, various media reports have detailed. EL SALVADOR TAKES IN HUNDREDS OF VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS FROM US, EVEN AS JUDGE MOVES TO BLOCK DEPORTATIONS “Looking forward to seeing President Bukele, of El Salvador, on Monday! Our Nations are working closely together to eradicate terrorist organizations, and build a future of Prosperity,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday, confirming the meeting this week. “President Bukele has graciously accepted into his Nation’s custody some of the most violent alien enemies of the World and, in particular, the United States. These barbarians are now in the sole custody of El Salvador, a proud and sovereign Nation, and their future is up to President B and his Government. They will never threaten or menace our Citizens again!” The Department of Government Efficiency’s Elon Musk, as well as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, both previewed that the “Trump Gold Card” would be operational in the coming days. Trump explained earlier this year that the U.S. would offer a $5 million card that grants foreigners the ability to live and work in the U.S., as well as a path to citizenship. TRUMP VOWS TO REFUND, DEPORT ANY ‘UNSAVORY’ IMMIGRANTS WHO TRY FOR CITIZENSHIP UNDER POTENTIAL ‘GOLD CARD’ “We’re going to be selling a gold card,” Trump said from the Oval Office back in February. “You have a green card. This is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million and that’s going to give you green card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship. And wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card.” “[I’m] working with Howard [Lutnick] to get that, the Trump gold card, operational hopefully in the next week or so,” Musk said during a Cabinet meeting with Trump last week. “That’ll be very exciting,” Trump responded. “That’s a pathway to citizenship into the United States.” Trump is kicking off his 13th week back in the Oval Office with a clean bill of health after White House physician Capt. Sean Barbabella released the president’s annual physical results on Sunday. “President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and general physical function,” Barbabella said, reporting that Trump “exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit.” The president spent the weekend in Florida, including attending a UFC match on Saturday in Miami alongside members of his cabinet, and flew back to Washington, D.C., on Sunday evening.