Naval Academy tosses 400 books from library following Trump DEI expulsion orders
The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is pitching almost 400 books from its library, in accordance with directives from the Trump administration to eliminate content related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). “We can confirm the U.S. Naval Academy has removed nearly 400 books from their Nimitz Library collection in order to ensure compliance with all directives outlined in Executive Orders issued by the President,” a Navy spokesperson told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “Nimitz Library houses roughly 590,000 print books, 322 databases, and over 5,000 print journals and magazines to support the academic inquiries and intellectual development of Midshipmen.” A list of the books tossed was not available and no other details were immediately provided. President Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders instructing federal agencies to remove DEI content, including an order in January that barred kindergarten through 12th grade institutions that receive federal funding from including DEI material in their curriculum. But the U.S. military service academies had previously remained exempt because they are not a kindergarten through 12th grade institution. NAVAL ACADEMY CLOSING DEI OFFICES TO ALIGN WITH TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: MEMO The Naval Academy’s purge stemmed from an order from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s office, according to the Associated Press – although it’s unclear if Hegseth issued the directive himself or if it came from a staffer. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about whether Hegseth’s office directed the order, and if it had instructed the other service academies to purge DEI books from its libraries. Instead, the Pentagon directed Fox News Digital to the U.S. Naval Academy and shared a statement from chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell: “All service academies are fully committed to executing and implementing President Trump’s Executive Orders.” US NAVAL ACADEMY ENDS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN ADMISSIONS: ‘IMPLEMENTING ALL DIRECTIVES’ Hegseth has remained vigilant about weeding out DEI programs from the Department of Defense. In January, he announced that the Pentagon would follow all orders from Trump to scrap DEI efforts from the military. “The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at Dept. of Defense,” Hegseth wrote in an X post. “The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.” The Pentagon’s effort to eliminate DEI from its social media and websites initially prompted the removal of a swath of DOD web pages, including references to the Enola Gay aircraft responsible for dropping the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. However, the Pentagon moved to restore some of these web pages – including ones that referenced Black veterans such as U.S. Army veteran and baseball player Jackie Robinson and the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military aviators in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Meanwhile, the Naval Academy’s library scrub comes days after documents from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals were made public Friday disclosing that the service academy will not take into account race, ethnicity or sex in admissions to the institution, in response to an executive order Trump issued in January. The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that considering race in the higher education admissions process was unconstitutional, however, it provided a caveat for U.S. military academies. Previous legal filings from the Naval Academy said that while race rarely served as a factor in the admissions process, it occasionally did in a “limited fashion.” The U.S. Naval Academy is one of several elite service military academies, and trains undergraduate midshipmen for careers as officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The Associated Press and Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Prisoners have no ‘constitutional right’ to sex changes, red-state AG tells court in brief backing Trump
Federal and state authorities are operating within the bounds of the U.S. Constitution when they deny federal prisoners access to taxpayer-funded sex change procedures for transgender inmates, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita told a U.S. district court this week. Rokita filed a 24-state amicus brief in support of President Donald Trump’s legal effort to uphold his executive order, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which prohibits the use of federal taxpayer dollars for transgender procedures for inmates. “If we’re to lose this case, the floodgates will open, and you will see an unending amount of these cases being filed. Costs are going to go up for the state of Indiana to accommodate these unneeded, unnecessary and dangerous surgeries,” Rokita told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday. TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE Rokita is also helping his state fight a two-year legal battle brought on by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of a transgender inmate — convicted of killing his 11-month-old baby — to receive a sex-change surgery. The federal judge in the case, Clinton appointee Richard Young, repeatedly ruled that the inmate must be given gender surgery at the “earliest opportunity,” despite Indiana’s law barring the state Department of Corrections from using taxpayer funds to cover sex reassignment surgeries for inmates. Rokita has filed an appeal of that decision. “It’s absolutely imperative that not only President Trump’s executive orders stand, but that Indiana wins this case,” Rokita said. ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH Both Rokita and the Trump administration’s cases deal with the accusation that prohibiting so called “gender-affirming care” for inmates violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of “cruel and unusual punishment.” In the Trump case, an inmate anonymously identified as Maria Moe, is being represented by advocacy groups GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Once Trump signed the executive order, Moe was transferred to a men’s prison facility, and BOP records changed the sex from “female” to “male,” the complaint says. Several inmates who signed onto the lawsuit as plaintiffs were also transferred to men’s facilities to match their biological sex, but are now being sent back to women’s facilities after U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the executive order last week. TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB “The politics of some of these courts these days, and playing into this is really a head scratcher,” Rokita said. “But the chaos that would ensue in the prison system, with all these jailhouse lawyers, all of a sudden… the expense of the taxpayer would be astronomical.”
Trump education sec drops in on House Dems press conference with non-partisan message: ‘About the children’
Education Secretary Linda McMahon gave unexpected remarks in the spirit of nonpartisanship at the House Democrats’ press conference on Wednesday, but she did not answer when pressed on the timing of the DOE shutting its doors. McMahon stopped by the Democrats’ press conference outside the building for the Department of Education, which she has promised to dismantle in line with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order. Beforehand, she met with Rep. Mark Tankano, D-Calif., and at least ten other Democratic members to discuss concerns over recent layoffs. The department announced last month it was initiating its reduction in force mission, impacting nearly 50% of its workforce. “I just want to express my gratitude to all of these folks who came today so that we get to have an open discussion about what I believe is one of the most important things that we can have a discussion on on our action in our country, and that is the education of our young people,” McMahon said on Wednesday. “As Representative Tankano said as we were ending the meeting, which I thought was incredibly appropriate, and that is that this is not a partisan issue. This is about the children of America, and it’s the next generation to generation after that. And if we want to have our leaders, if we want to have that next, group of engineers and doctors and lawyers and plumbers, electricians and HVAC operators, then we need to focus on how they can best have their education.” LINDA MCMAHON SAYS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WON’T PUNISH STATES THAT REFUSE TO ADOPT SCHOOL CHOICE “And I believe, and I know the president does believe this as well, the best education is that that is closest to the child, where teachers and parents, local superintendents – working together and local school boards to develop the curriculum for those students – is the best way that it can happen,” she said. “Funding from the United States government will continue through the programs, that is, that have already been established, and I will look forward to continuing to work with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. And I welcome the fact that these folks came today and expressed their concerns and shared in an open, collegial format their concerns and how we can lead now to work more together. That’s the way it ought to operate. And I’m very happy to have had them here.” As McMahon concluded her remarks and attempted to turn the event back over to Democrats, Tankano interjected with a question for the secretary. “When are you going to shut down this building?” he asked her in front of news cameras. “Well, we’ve had our discussions already, so thank you all,” McMahon said, leaving the podium and walking back into the building. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SIGNIFICANTLY DISMANTLED IN NEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER “As you see, she’s not answering the question when she’s going to shut down the Department of Education,” Tankano told reporters. “Now she doesn’t have a plan. And while she doesn’t have a plan, they’re continuing to look at firing people, reduction and reverse a reduction in force.” Tankano told reporters that during their meeting McMahon expressed “ambiguity” regarding when she would carry out Trump’s campaign promise of shuttering the Department of Education. He said she vowed to consult appropriate statute. Tankano also noted that McMahon said during her Senate confirmation hearing that she would consult with Congress as far as when it would be lights out for the department. Congress established the Department of Education in 1979 and will most likely need to approve its dismantling. Republicans have floated legislation to achieve that goal. Trump signed an executive order on March 20 to significantly scale down the department while maintaining some of its core functions. It was unclear whether the department would continue to manage its $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio, as the order’s language suggested bank functions could be moved to a more suitable entity. Privatization seems to remain on the table for the administration. “I have to say that the Secretary indicated more than once, that before she moved any functions of the department to other departments and the other place that, she was looking carefully at what the statute allows her to do,” Tankano said on Wednesday. “That was refreshing information that the secretary relayed to all of us, and we certainly hope she sticks to what she told us today.” “I think part of the story of today is, you know, [the] president’s campaign promise to shut this department down, is a lot of fluff. It’s. You can’t, it’s illegal. He can’t do it by law,” he added.
Senate Dems foreshadow more forced votes to block Trump’s emergency orders
Senate Democrats signaled more challenges to President Donald Trump’s emergency declarations at a press conference ahead of a forced floor vote to undo his tariffs against Canada. “One at a time,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told reporters on Wednesday when asked if we would also be introducing a privileged resolution canceling Trump’s emergency declaration in Mexico. “Let’s get this one done. And if we can get this one done and succeed, then we also have to see what President Trump does this afternoon,” he explained, referencing the president’s planned remarks on tariffs at 4 p.m. in the White House’s Rose Garden. SCOOP: LINDSEY GRAHAM AMENDMENT SIGNALS GOP BUDGET BREAKTHROUGH, SETS STAGE FOR TRUMP AGENDA “There may be a whole new series of trade or tariff-related motions coming your way soon,” the Virginia Democrat said. Kaine did note that “Canada and Mexico are not completely the same because of some of the issues with respect to fentanyl,” so it’s unclear whether he would seek to challenge the Mexico emergency specifically. The Wednesday press conference was led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to rail against Trump’s Canadian tariffs. “So we’re going to fight these tariffs tooth and nail,” he said. “Trump’s done a lot of bad things. This is way up there.” The White House did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. TRUMP, SENATE GOP BUDGET LEADERS HUDDLE AT WHITE HOUSE ON RECONCILIATION BILL Kaine’s challenge to Trump’s Canadian tariffs will get a vote on Wednesday evening, and it runs the risk of being agreed to and sent to the White House, as some Republicans have expressed concerns. “Mr. President, the price hikes that will happen for Maine families, every time they go to the grocery store, they fill their gas tank, they fill their heating oil tank, if these tariffs go into effect, will be so harmful. And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least. Therefore, I will support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do so likewise,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in floor remarks on Wednesday. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has been a longtime critic of tariffs, even under Trump, will also be voting in favor of the resolution and is a co-sponsor. DISTRICT JUDGES’ ORDERS BLOCKING TRUMP AGENDA FACE HEARING IN TOP SENATE COMMITTEE Trump took to social media to call out those he suspected might vote against him. “Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul, also of Kentucky, will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy,” he wrote on Truth Social. Last month, Kaine similarly forced a vote to end Trump’s emergency declaration to “unleash American energy” and increase oil drilling and production of natural gas. The resolution was voted down, and the White House claimed Kaine wanted “to impoverish Americans.” “President Donald Trump’s executive order brings America into the future and unleashes prosperity. Senator [Tim] Kaine wants to cost the economy trillions and risk losing nearly a million jobs,” deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said at the time. DEMS MUM ON TRUMP’S COURT FIGHTS DESPITE TRYING TO LIMIT BIDEN-BLOCKING JUDGES The White House has also warned of a likely veto if the Canadian tariff resolution is agreed to in the Senate. A White House official told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement on Tuesday, “President Trump promised to secure our borders and stop the scourge of fentanyl that’s poisoning our communities, and he’s delivering. Democrat Senator Tim Kaine is trying to undermine the President’s Emergency Declaration at our Northern Borders – a measure that prioritizes our national security – for reasons that defy logic.”
These are the ‘Dirty 15’ countries Trump might target with Liberation Day tariffs
President Donald Trump is poised to unveil a massive series of reciprocal tariffs Wednesday, when he will likely impose duties on multiple countries as part of what his administration has labeled “Liberation Day.” Trump and his administration have long decried that other countries are engaging in unfair trade practices against the U.S., and have advocated for employing tariffs to rectify the nation’s 2024 record $1.2 trillion trade deficit. Despite previewing this massive round of tariffs forthcoming Wednesday, the White House has remained reticent regarding the specifics of the potential tariffs and which countries it plans to target. Even so, speculation has emerged about a list of countries, known as the “Dirty 15,” that might face new duties. The term “Dirty 15” stems from an interview Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent conducted March 18 with FOX Business, where he referenced the 15% of countries that make up the largest trade deficits with the U.S. However, Bessent did not cite specific countries. TRUMP IS ‘ALWAYS UP FOR A GOOD NEGOTIATION,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS, AS APRIL 2 ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS LOOM Even so, the Trump administration has given some clues and has pointed to specific countries in certain official documents. For example, countries that were singled out in a notice the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative posted in March for a review of “unfair” trade practices included Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. Additionally, the 2024 Commerce Department trade deficit report cited the following countries as those with the highest trading deficit with the U.S.: China, European Union, Mexico, Vietnam, Ireland, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Canada, India, Thailand, Italy, Switzerland, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital requesting specifics on which countries would face new tariffs and which were on the “Dirty 15” list. Trump has signaled that the tariffs would go beyond just 15 countries. He suggested to reporters on Air Force One Sunday that tariffs wouldn’t just affect 15 countries, claiming that “you’d start with all countries.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday Trump was conducting meetings with his trade team that day, and the tariffs would take effect immediately following a Wednesday Rose Garden ceremony. Liberation Day will “go down as one of the most important days in modern American history,” Leavitt said Tuesday, and shared that Trump has talked with various countries about the potential tariffs they may face. “I can tell you there have been quite a few countries that have called the president and have called his team, in discussion about these tariffs,” Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. EU THREATENS ‘FIRM COUNTER-MEASURES’ AS TRUMP’S TARIFF DEADLINE LOOMS Leavitt also shut down concerns that the tariffs wouldn’t prove effective and would raise prices for consumers. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have voiced concerns about how tariffs would impact their constituents, including former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. McConnell said in February that broad tariffs would drive up “costs for consumers across the board.” But Leavitt said the tariffs would bolster the U.S. economy. “It is going to work, and the president has a brilliant team of advisors who have been studying these issues for decades, and we are focused on restoring the Golden Age of America and making America a manufacturing superpower,” Leavitt said Tuesday. While details on the specifics are sparse, the new reciprocal tariffs are expected to match other countries’ tariff rates, and also tackle issues like regulations, government subsidies and exchange rate policies to mitigate trade barriers. “For DECADES we have been ripped off and abused by every nation in the World, both friend and foe. Now it is finally time for the Good Ol’ USA to get some of that MONEY, and RESPECT, BACK. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!” Trump wrote in a March post on Truth Social about Liberation Day. The Trump administration already has imposed a 20% tariff on shipments from China, 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, up to 25% tariffs on certain goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 25% tariff on imported auto vehicles. Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Vance’s active VP role is a historical rarity, ‘huge asset’ to US, says top GOP ally
Historically, the vice presidency has played a subdued political role, except for those who later became president. But since taking office, Vice President JD Vance has broken the mold, becoming a constant presence in international discourse from South America to Germany to Australia. “I think at a different time in American history it made sense for the vice president to be in the background, maybe a hundred years ago, when we didn’t have such a sophisticated media industry,” said Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing, Washington, D.C.-based think tank. “But right now, especially with changes in the country, changes in [the] conservative movement, it’s a huge asset for President Trump and for the conservative movement to have not just a very active vice president, but someone who’s so articulate, and I’ll also say very winsome.” Roberts spoke to reporters before Vance took the dais at a screening Tuesday night of “Live Not By Lies,” an Angel Studios film chronicling the perils that spiritual and political dissidents faced in the communist Soviet bloc and beyond. VANCE SAYS WE CAN RECLAIM SOCIETY FROM TOTALITARIAN LEFT Of the 50 vice presidents throughout history, some would argue many names have been lost to the public memory, save for those who later ascended to the presidency, like George H.W. Bush, Joe Biden, Richard Nixon, Chester Arthur and Andrew Johnson. Vice Presidents Dick Cheney of Wyoming, Aaron Burr of New York, John Calhoun of South Carolina and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts are considered four rare vice presidents who were more publicly active than naught. Gerry is who the term “gerrymander” is named after. Cheney was frequently a press foil for former President George W. Bush’s foreign policy. Burr famously killed Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel. And Calhoun was one of the most vocal defenders of slavery in the 19th century. VANCE SOLIDIFIES DOMINANCE DRIVING EURO FOREIGN POLICY AHEAD OF GREENLAND TRIP Vance, however, appears to be tops in his prominence on the national and world stages, Roberts said. The same way in which Vance spoke Tuesday on the importance of fighting for truth and being unafraid to speak out is also the way he carries himself in the nation’s second-highest office, he said. Trump has skillfully “deployed” his deputy to European countries, Roberts said, recounting his own discussions with European officials who are trying to understand how the U.S. is operating under Trump-Vance. “JD Vance is the interlocutor,” he said, “But he’s really effective. His Munich speech is one of the most important [speeches] in the last few years.” In Bavaria in February, Vance lambasted Western allies like Sweden and the United Kingdom for “backsliding” on upholding free expression and personal liberty in a speech that shocked the international press. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP As for why Vance has focused so much on Europe rather than the other geopolitical regions highlighted in Trump’s foreign policy, Roberts cited his experience in the Senate and U.S. military as preparing to deal with the Europeans. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to take a Vance-like role in Central and South America for reasons that likely transcend the diplomat’s Cuban heritage and Spanish proficiency: He understands southern geopolitics. “I think one of the legacies [of] Trump-Vance is going to be a revitalization of American power that only uses the threat of hard power and not the neoconservative adventurism that, of course, colored previous Republican administrations,” he said.
Does President Trump really need to cut down Andrew Jackson’s magnolia tree? Expert weighs in
A historic tree at the White House will meet the end of its lifespan soon – but an expert says that’s not necessarily a bad thing. On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that he plans to chop down a southern magnolia purportedly planted by former President Andrew Jackson. The Republican wrote that he was working with “the wonderful people at the National Park Service” to make “tremendous enhancements to the White House, thereby preserving and protecting History!” “One of the interesting dilemmas is a tree planted many years ago by the Legendary President and General, Andrew Jackson,” Trump explained. “It is a Southern Magnolia, that came from his home, The Hermitage, in Tennessee. That’s the good news!” “The bad news is that everything must come to an end, and this tree is in terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed,” he continued. TRUMP ANNOUNCES PLAN TO CHOP DOWN MAGNOLIA TREE PURPORTEDLY PLANTED BY ANDREW JACKSON: ‘MUST COME TO AN END’ Legend states that Jackson, who served as president from 1829 to 1837, reportedly planted two magnolia trees at the White House to honor his late wife Rachel. But it is not clear if the trees were definitely planted by Old Hickory, and the National Park Service’s (NPS) website states that they date back to the 1860s at the latest. Regardless, the tree is still considered historic, and Trump promised that the magnolia’s wood will be “preserved by the White House Staff, and may be used for other high and noble purposes.” Speaking to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, consulting arborist Denice Britton explained that the tree “could very likely be potentially dangerous.” “Just from looking at a photograph, I can see that the tree is thin, meaning that there were lots of branches that didn’t have foliage on it,” she observed. “So that’s a sign that it wasn’t as vigorous as the trees around it.” Britton, who has worked as an arborist for over four decades, professionally consults clients on matters ranging from tree appraisal and tree management to risk assessment. A risk assessment is when an arborist inspects a tree for heavy wood, disease or any other type of risk. TRUMP ADMIN REVIEWING BILLIONS IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS, GRANTS FOR HARVARD AMID ANTISEMITISM ALLEGATIONS “As long as one of the [White House’s] tree service’s arborists has performed a risk evaluation on it, and declared it high risk, the tree should be taken down,” she added. “The arborists who take care of the trees at the White House are highly qualified.” Having spent her career in California, Britton said that she’s worked with a few southern magnolias before, particularly one in Napa. “The southern magnolia is a fairly common tree that’s planted pretty much all over the country… it is similar to cherry trees,” Britton said. “It is a hardwood, but it’s considered a ‘soft’ hardwood in that it’s got straight grain. It’s valued by woodworkers.” “Because so many of the original old growth trees have been removed over the years, [the Jackson magnolia] is not a particularly old tree for a magnolia.” Britton also noted that environmentalists who oppose the tree’s felling would be remiss to ignore that repurposing wood helps save carbon. “If you burn it, you release that carbon back to the atmosphere,” she explained. “If you cut it up and put it into a structure, then you’re actually saving it… so you’re prolonging the life of the carbon that’s in the tree.” The expert also expressed contentment over seeing how well the trees have been taken care of. “I’m sure that [Trump] spoke to an expert with the NPS or the tree service that takes care of the trees and was reiterating what he was told,” Britton said. “It’s just nice to see trees talked about positively… they have always been revered as part of our culture. And I’m so glad to see them revered and cared for like they do in Washington.”
Dozens arrested in major border state bust targeting bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang
Over 40 people with suspected ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were arrested by law enforcement in Hays County, Texas, on Tuesday morning, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced. “In recent days, [FBI San Antonio] developed intelligence regarding a possible gathering of suspected members or associates of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Hays Co. Early Tuesday morning, a search warrant was executed by [Texas Department of Public Safety’s] Special Response Team at a residence in the area — resulting in more than 40 arrests,” Texas DPS posted to X. “For more than a year, law enforcement — including DPS, FBI, federal, state and local partners — have been investigating suspected TdA members, and Tuesday’s operation is a result of this collaborative effort to make Texas communities safer,” the agency continued. Charges from Texas and the U.S. government have not been announced yet, as they are still “currently under investigation.” They noted that minors were also taken into custody and there were drug seizures as a result of the search warrant executed. BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM TERMINATING LEGAL AID FOR UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT CHILDREN The arrests were met with praise from some Texas officials. “Well done warriors! Federal anti-gang task forces work. Several weeks ago I led a roundtable where we discussed exactly this!” Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, posted on X. “Right in your backyard. [Texas DPS] is proud to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to keep Texans safe and combat TdA,” Texas DPS press secretary Sheridan Nolen tweeted. EXCLUSIVE: GOP MOVES TO AUTHORIZE TRUMP TO WAGE WAR ON CARTELS THROUGH MILITARY FORCE The gang was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration, and since then there have been major efforts underway to place suspected members into custody. Many suspected members have been transported to a prison in El Salvador, including 17 who were being held at Guantanamo Bay early this week. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “In order to keep the American people safe, @POTUS designated the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” Rubio posted to X last week. “These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens.” EXCLUSIVE: EMERGING GOP LEADER BACKING TRUMP’S USE OF ALIEN ENEMIES ACT AT SUPREME COURT CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP There is an ongoing federal court battle between the Trump administration and U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg over using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for some removals. In the case of the 17, it was conducted under Title 8, the White House told Fox News last week. Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Rising star Dem critical of Schumer’s leadership launches 2026 bid in key Senate battleground
A Democratic state senator who grabbed national attention the past couple of years is launching a bid for the U.S. Senate in what will likely be a high-profile, expensive and bruising showdown for an open seat her party controls in battleground Michigan. Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow highlighted that she’s an outsider and called for a new generation of leaders in Washington as she announced her Senate candidacy in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. It’s a seat Republicans are aiming to flip from blue to red. In an announcement video posted on YouTube, McMorrow emphasized that the “same old crap out of Washington” wouldn’t solve the nation’s problems. “We need new leaders. Because the same people in D.C. who got us into this mess are not going to be the ones to get us out of it,” she added. WHY PETE BUTTIGIEG SAID NO TO RUNNING FOR THE SENATE NEXT YEAR While the 38-year-old McMorrow didn’t mention longtime Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in her announcement, she has previously said she wouldn’t support Schumer to continue as the party’s leader in the chamber. Schumer faced intense backlash from within his own party last month for supporting a Republican-crafted government funding bill backed by President Donald Trump but opposed by most congressional Democrats. McMorrow, in her video announcement, also took aim at Trump and his top donor and White House advisor, billionaire Elon Musk. “There’s a lot of fear and anger and uncertainty right now about people in power who, frankly, have no business being there,” she charged. ONLY ON FOX: SENATE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S GUNNING FOR IN 2026 McMorrow gained national attention in 2022, thanks to a viral speech she gave in the Michigan Senate as she forcefully pushed back against a Republican lawmaker who had accused her of “grooming” children. And she grabbed more praise from fellow Democrats last summer, as she took aim at the GOP during a speech at the Democratic National Convention, as she held up an oversized copy of “Project 2025,” the conservative blueprint that her party targeted. McMorrow, who represents parts of Detroit and surrounding suburbs in Michigan’s upper legislative chamber, is trying to do what few politicians have done in recent decades – move from the state Senate to the U.S. Senate. Among the few to make that transition were former President Barack Obama and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. But thanks to her high national profile, McMorrow has built a sizable donor network from coast to coast. McMorrow likely won’t have the field for the Democratic Senate nomination to herself. Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet and Haley Stevens, are considering a run, as is Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. But last month, Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who later served as Transportation secretary in President Joe Biden’s administration, ruled out a run after seriously considering a bid. In the race for the GOP Senate nomination, former Rep. Mike Rogers announced at the end of January that he was “strongly considering” a second straight Republican run. Fox News confirmed last month that Rogers would likely announce his campaign in the coming weeks. Rogers hired veteran Republican strategist and 2024 Trump’s co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita as a senior advisor. THIS CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR IS MULLING A 2026 STATEWIDE RUN IN A KEY BATTLEGROUND 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. Rogers is a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress. Business executive, conservative commentator and 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon has also said she’s seriously mulling another run for governor, or for the Senate, in 2026. Senate Republicans view the Democratic-held seat in Michigan as a top pick-up prospect in the 2026 midterms, as they work to increase their current 53-47 majority in the chamber.
SCOOP: Lindsey Graham amendment signals GOP budget breakthrough, sets stage for Trump agenda
FIRST ON FOX: Senate Committee on the Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is unveiling on Wednesday the upper chamber’s changes to a House-passed budget resolution in a breakthrough for getting President Donald Trump’s key agenda items through Congress. With the Senate’s latest action, Republicans’ much-anticipated budget reconciliation resolution is one step closer to passage, in what would be a huge win for Trump and the GOP. The Senate amendment includes raising the debt ceiling in the key budget process by no more than $5 trillion. This has been a request of Trump since before he took office the second time. The date estimated for a potential default has been inching closer, presenting a looming problem for Republicans in the Senate. TRUMP, SENATE GOP BUDGET LEADERS HUDDLE AT WHITE HOUSE ON RECONCILIATION BILL Republicans who argued to include the debt ceiling in reconciliation said it would prevent Democrats from having leverage down the road, when a vote to raise it would need 60 votes, forcing them to lobby Democrats for support. The amendment also stipulates that the provision to raise the debt ceiling can be voted on separate from the rest of the resolution, in the case that the “X Date,” when the Treasury is unable to meet its financial obligations without intervention, is set to arrive sooner than Republicans are prepared to vote on the entire reconciliation package. DISTRICT JUDGES’ ORDERS BLOCKING TRUMP AGENDA FACE HEARING IN TOP SENATE COMMITTEE Reconciliation notably lowers the vote threshold in the Senate from 60 to 51, allowing Republicans to move legislation through without Democrat support. This is viewed as a key tool for the Republican trifecta in Washington to get Trump’s policies passed. The Senate amendment would further make the House’s proposed extension of the Trump tax cuts permanent, doing so by using a current policy baseline that allows budget projections to be made in what some view as a more practical and realistic way. DEMS MUM ON TRUMP’S COURT FIGHTS DESPITE TRYING TO LIMIT BIDEN-BLOCKING JUDGES Senate Republicans also avoid needing the parliamentarian to make a ruling, which could have presented issues. They are relying on the authority given by statute to the budget chairman to set the current policy baseline. The amendment’s release comes after countless meetings between key parties to the budget process, including Trump, House leaders, Senate leaders and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. FORMER DESANTIS OFFICIAL DEFEATS DEM FOR MATT GAETZ’S HOUSE SEAT On Wednesday morning, Trump met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Budget Committee Republicans ahead of the amendment text coming out. The White House discussion was meant to be a final check-in to make sure all parties were on the same page, a source familiar told Fox News Digital.