‘Not a valid excuse’: Tensions mount over possible House committee on Mexican drug cartels
Tensions are flaring in the House GOP as Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, continues to push Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to open the gates for a select committee to crack down on Mexican drug cartels. Crenshaw has hit the airwaves in recent days to push Johnson to hold a vote on his resolution to create such a panel, and a source close to the Texas congressman accused the House speaker of slow-walking the effort due to budgetary reasons. “Back in early February, the speaker gave Crenshaw a roadmap to introduce his resolution creating a Select Committee to Defeat the Mexican Drug Cartels – and to bring it to a vote on the House floor, just like the Select Committee on China,” the source familiar with Crenshaw’s thinking told Fox News Digital. “Dan has done all of the heavy lifting: securing support from House chairs, coordinating with the White House to ensure alignment, and even speaking directly with President Trump, who made it clear he wants to take down the cartels.” FEDS LIKELY EYEING ‘COVER-UPS’ TO BUST MEXICAN CARTELS ALONG BORDER: FORMER DEA AGENT The source said Johnson “claims there isn’t enough room in the budget” for the committee, however. “That’s not a valid excuse for Congress to sit on its hands instead of aligning with President Trump’s mandate to secure the border and stop the flow of fentanyl,” they said. Crenshaw said President Donald Trump agreed on the need to “kill the cartels” during an interview on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria.” “There shouldn’t be any real opposition to this,” Crenshaw said. The Texas lawmaker has been running a task force on the same issue, but has argued that a select committee would give him the necessary tools to combat cartels. Select committees have much of the power and staff that regular congressional committees do, but they are impermanent by nature and are usually created after a resolution passes in the relevant chamber detailing the panel’s specific aims. Crenshaw’s task force was one of several high-profile initiatives in the last Congress. Task forces on artificial intelligence and the attempted assassinations of Trump produced detailed reports and legislative recommendations for Congress to follow, though neither has risen to select committee level either. Elevating the task force would undoubtedly give it more resources, but it would also require significant coordination with existing panels already overseeing border security. MEXICAN IMMIGRATION ACTIVIST WHO HID IN COLORADO CHURCH FOR YEARS TO AVOID DEPORTATION ARRESTED BY ICE A senior House GOP leadership aide pointed out to Fox News Digital that appropriated funding levels for congressional committees have remained frozen for three years, given back-to-back continuing resolutions and Republicans’ push to cut government spending, making it difficult to find additional funding for new committees. The aide also noted that no new select committee investigations have been formed under Johnson’s leadership. Other Republican lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital agreed Congress should be helping combat the cartels, though not all weighed in on a select committee specifically. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, however, said he would be interested in being part of such a panel. “Mexican drug cartels have grown in power and stature because the Biden administration allowed them to be the controlling factor for people who would come to this country not only from Mexico, but from around the world,” Sessions said. “So I’m in strong favor of it and would hope to be a part of it.” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital, “I haven’t seen the contents of the bill, but anything to put a stop to them.”
First on Fox: New study reveals ‘pro-Palestinian’ groups promote violence and anti-Americanism
FIRST ON FOX: Anti-American and anti-police rhetoric has increased 186% among “pro-Palestinian” groups while perpetuating a 3,000% surge in calls for violence since the October 7th attacks on Israel, a new study by Capital Research Center, “When Charities Betray America: How ‘Pro-Palestinian’ Protest Groups Promote Anti-Americanism” revealed. The “pro-Palestinian” movement, which has gained traction on college campuses since October 7th, has become an “anti-American and anti-police movement with sharply radicalizing rhetoric that advocates terrorism and sedition on U.S. soil,” Investigative Researcher Ryan Mauro revealed in the new study released today and shared first with Fox News Digital. The study analyzed thousands of social media posts from 496 of the most active “pro-Palestinian” groups and activists. The term maintains quotation marks throughout the study because that is how the groups identify, but Capital Research Center does not “concede that such extremist groups are genuinely pursuing an agenda that would benefit innocent Palestinians.” Many of the groups in question are connected to charities or nonprofits and receive federal funding. The analysis found the “pro-Palestinian” movement has become a “permanent presence” that will “not fade when issues surrounding Israelis and Palestinians lose prominence” but evolve and expend to exploit other popular social issues – all while “inserting anti-Americanism, hatred of Israel, anti-Semitism, anti-Westernism, and anti-police bigotry into those causes’ narrative.” ISRAELI HOSTAGES’ FAMILIES SUE MAHMOUD KHALIL, COLUMBIA ORGANIZERS AS ALLEGED ‘HAMAS’ PROPAGANDA ARM’ IN NYC Capital Research Center compared posts on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Telegram in the 15-month periods before and after October 7, 2023, using 14 common keywords or phrases that express hatred of the United States, the U.S. government and U.S. law enforcement. Keywords include: American imperialism, Belly of the beast, Globalize the intifada, Pigs, Defund the police, AmeriKKKa and So-Called United States. Those keywords chosen delineated the delegitimization of U.S. domestic and foreign policy, denial of the United States’ right to exist and domestic unrest. TEACHERS UNION SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER $400M CUTS TO COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY “What we found was that after October 7th, there was a 3,000% increase in calls to violence, and the target of that violence in most cases is the United States and police. We found a 186% increase in the amount of anti-American rhetoric and hatred from these groups. Based on the data, I think it’s clear that we can conclude safely that this isn’t just a pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel movement, this is truly an anti-American and anti-police movement if you look at the organizations and the nonprofits that the movement consists of,” Mauro told Fox News Digital in an interview ahead of the study’s release. In addition to the drastic increase in anti-American, anti-police and violent rhetoric, the study found a connection between anti-Israel tropes and anti-American themes. “One of the most important things to understand is that they don’t hate the United States because of Israel, they hate Israel because they hate the United States,” Mauro said. The study found that “pro-Palestinian” groups delegitimize Israel’s right to exist as much as they villainize the United States’ sovereignty. Both Israel and the United States are deemed imperialist “settler-colonial” states by the activist groups on social media. “The movement’s groups and activists frequently state that, just as Israel should be destroyed and replaced by Palestine, the United States and its ‘colonial borders’ should be abolished and replaced by Turtle Island, a mythical land that some Native American traditions claim once encompassed North and Central America,” the study found. Capital Research Center also found “pro-Palestinian” groups equate U.S. law enforcement to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), referring to them collectively as “occupation forces.” Mauro argues this is dangerous because “almost all of these groups and activists support violent attacks on the Israeli military.” “The increase in violent rhetoric that we’re seeing is a new threat environment that Americans have to contend with. Do you want your future to look like what the Israelis have to face, where you have very frequent small attacks, maybe not on 9/ 11, but very frequent terrorist attacks, acts of violence, harassment, vandalism going on so much that it just becomes commonplace in your way of life? Is that really what we want? Because if we don’t do something about this, that’s what we’re looking at,” Mauro warned. As anti-American and anti-police rhetoric has permeated college campuses, the study found “pro-Palestinian” groups often receive taxpayer funding. “Of these so-called ‘pro-Palestinian’ groups that we found were actually anti-American in their rhetoric, about 30 of them were chapters on college campuses. Sometimes they’re connected to nonprofit organizations, and sometimes they actually get money from the budgets of the universities, and the universities often receive taxpayer money.” “What that means is that taxpayer money can go to the schools, and then the schools use their taxpayer-funded budgets to give money out to individual groups, which include these pro-terrorism and anti-American groups, so your taxpayer money is funding a lot of the chaos that you’re seeing on college campuses,” Mauro added. Among the 78 groups and 30 activists analyzed for “malicious speech in their posts,” the study found that 35 were college chapters of national organizations, two of the groups operate as a “social welfare” nonprofit, 15 groups have “unknown legal status,” and 26 operate as “charities.” The study advises that any charities or nonprofits linked to “pro-Palestinian” groups who support violent or anti-American, anti-police rhetoric are “at risk of adverse legal consequences, including loss of tax-exempt status.” “Yes, it’s good to deport radicals. Yes, it’s good to prosecute people that illegally support terrorism. But we have the equivalent of the atom bomb to dismantle this movement, and those are the IRS regulations that they are violating. If we want to cut off the fundraising stream to these guys, all we have to do is educate the people at the Treasury Department, the IRS about how to do it and which groups to go after. And very quickly, this threat could recede if we do the right things,” Mauro said.
SCOOP: Trump joins launch of Congressional Women’s Caucus at White House
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is expected to be joined by female members of Congress at the White House on Wednesday for the launch of a Republican Women’s Caucus. The initiative is being led by Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., according to an invitation obtained by Fox News Digital via another source attending the event. The caucus’s goal will be to “champion GOP women members’ legislative priorities,” “support GOP women in a variety of endeavors on the national stage,” and “push for representation in leadership positions.” JD VANCE RECALLS HIS WIFE TEXTING HIM UNDER TABLE AT SILICON VALLEY DINNER: ‘THESE PEOPLE ARE F—ING CRAZY’ Its mission on leadership is particularly notable, considering the only woman leading a House committee in the 119th Congress is House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. The caucus is expected to be led by female Republicans in the Senate as well, though it’s not immediately clear by whom. The White House had announced Trump would participate in a Women’s History Month event but did not specify what it would entail. Fox News Digital reached out to Trump and Cammack’s office for comment but did not hear back by press time. The invitation also encourages Republican lawmakers joining the caucus to send the group their top three legislative priorities. TRUMP REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ODDS OF ACQUIRING GREENLAND: ‘I THINK IT’LL HAPPEN’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It’s not a new initiative for Cammack, who has forged a path as a leader on women’s issues in the past. She and Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., previously co-led the Bipartisan Women’s Caucus in the 118th Congress. That is now being led by Reps. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, and Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, and co-vice chairs Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and Janelle Bynum, D-Ore.
Hunter Biden hires Alex Murdaugh’s lawyer in latest court case; Abbe Lowell out
Hunter Biden has hired a heavyweight South Carolina attorney – with a similar high-profile to his last lawyer – to go after a right-wing business executive for defamation. Former state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Columbia, a self-described “Joe Biden guy” who recently represented Low Country prosecutor-turned-convicted killer Alex Murdaugh, is the younger Biden’s new lawyer as he pursues ex-Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in court. Harpootlian confirmed to The State newspaper in Columbia that he is replacing Abbe David Lowell – who led Biden through his special counsel probe and gun charges in Wilmington. Biden, who was pardoned by his father for those allegations, is primed to go to Los Angeles court in July against Byrne. HUNTER BIDEN INDICTMENT MUDDIES WEISS’ CREDIBILITY, WHISTLEBLOWERS FEEL ‘VINDICATED’: ATTORNEY The suit claims Byrne wrongfully accused Biden of being in touch with Iranian officials in 2021, seeking a bribe in exchange for unfreezing $8 billion in funds at the behest of his father. Meanwhile, Biden is reportedly facing “lagging” art sales and “several million dollars in debt” from fighting past cases when he was represented by Lowell, according to ABC News. In the Byrne case, Biden is reportedly claiming defamatory statements from the Iran allegation that led him to lose “economic opportunities,” including memoir and art sales and speaking engagements estimated to be collectively worth about $500,000. Harpootlian was ousted from the state Senate in a narrow November upset by state Sen. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, as both men were seeking a redrawn, open seat. FMR HUNTER BIDEN BIZ PARTNER BOBULINSKI OFFERED ‘CRITICAL TESTIMONY’: COMER Ott criticized Harpootlian’s representation of Murdaugh, according to the Daily Gazette, and while the longtime Biden ally performed well in urban Richland County, where he also practices law, Ott overperformed in rural Calhoun County, where he and his father long held office. “We went through a process… I lost. The process worked. I’m not accusing anybody of stealing anything. I’m not having a temper tantrum. I’m not expressing some doubt in our system,” Harpootlian said in conceding the race. Harpootlian also told a 2023 crime-themed convention that he would rather represent Murdaugh pro-bono in a second trial than splurge on a vacation or a racehorse: “What’s so astounding about that? We do cases for free all the time,” he said at CrimeCon. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Meanwhile, Lowell was a constant presence while Biden was fighting various allegations in the special counsel probe and House Republicans’ investigations. After a 2024 deposition, Lowell slammed GOP lawmakers for ending the day “where they started.” “They have produced no evidence that would do anything to support the notion that there was any financial transactions that involved Hunter with his father. Period,” Lowell said. “It seems to me that the Republican members wanted to spend more time talking about my client’s addiction than they could ask any question that had anything to do with what they call their impeachment inquiry.” Lowell is also facing a defamation suit, to the tune of $20 million, brought by IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley Jr. and Joseph Ziegler. Fox News Digital reached out to Harpootlian’s Columbia office and a communications email for Lowell seeking additional comment.
Blue state leader sounds alarm about ‘perfect storm’ of Dem immigration policies decimating public safety
Massachusetts state Sen. Ryan Fattman, a Republican, is sounding the alarm about the impact of a “perfect storm” of Democratic policies he says are decimating public safety while simultaneously driving up the cost of living. One policy – instituted by the 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling Lunn vs. Commonwealth – bars local and state law enforcement agencies from assisting with immigration enforcement. Under the ruling, law enforcement are also not allowed to honor ICE “detainer” requests, often forcing police departments and sheriffs’ offices to release dangerous criminal illegals onto the streets without notifying ICE. This has led to ICE having to re-arrest several criminal illegals charged with such crimes as child rape and fentanyl trafficking after they were released by Massachusetts law enforcement agencies for bail as low as $500 or no bail at all. Fattman told Fox News Digital that these cases are not isolated but rather “are happening across the commonwealth.” BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER DOUBLES DOWN ON ICE RESISTANCE: ‘WE DON’T ENFORCE’ DETAINERS He also pointed to a Massachusetts “Right to Shelter” law, which has led to the creation of a vast network of migrant shelters that has cost the state upwards of $3 billion in taxpayer dollars since 2021. Whistleblowers have also called attention to “rampant abuse” of the shelter system by migrants, including instances of drug trafficking and a father repeatedly raping and even impregnating his teenage daughter. A public records request by the Boston Globe resulted in an over 3,000-page document detailing cases of rape, domestic violence, assault and other crimes being perpetuated by illegals living in the state-funded shelter system. “You have a perfect storm that’s happening in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Fattman. “We have 3,000 pages of public safety incidents, 3 billion plus dollars spent on the taxpayers’ dime, and cities and towns across the commonwealth that are literally going broke.” ‘RAMPANT’ ABUSE IN BLUE STATE MIGRANT SHELTER SYSTEM, SAYS FORMER DIRECTOR: ‘COLOSSAL MESS’ He placed the onus for the state of the crisis on Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, as well as the Democratic majority legislature. “Ninety-nine percent of political asylum cases in our immigration courts get rejected,” he said. “So, the premise that these individuals will come to the commonwealth, and many of whom are good people, and that they might be able to work here, make lives here, it’s not true. So, we have spent $3 billion on 99% of people who are never going to be legal residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We have lit the money on fire, and that is wrong.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “This is insanity, and it must change,” he continued. “People are tired of this. They want safety for their children and their families. They want to be able to walk down the street and know that there’s nothing bad that’s going to happen to them, that they can work hard and get ahead. And that is not happening in the commonwealth.” In efforts to curb the insanity, Fattman introduced a bill called the “Shield Act” that would essentially overturn the Lunn decision by authorizing local and state law enforcement agencies to work with ICE to ensure criminal illegal immigrants are kept off the streets. DEMOCRAT MAYOR BLASTED FOR VOWING TO MAKE MAJOR CITY ‘SAFE HAVEN’ FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Though Massachusetts is a solid blue state, Fattman is optimistic that citizens are going to demand change from their leaders one way or another. “This is, I think, a situation that has become untenable politically for many people,” he said, adding that the Lunn decision specifically says that the “legislature needs to create a law in order for this law to exist, that no law exists so, therefore, the ICE detainers don’t have to be honored and the remedy is the legislature acting.” “Massachusetts is viewed as a blue state, but there are large, large swaths of purple and red parts of the state and those places are just fed up,” he went on. “They’re fed up as individuals watching the headlines, seeing that their neighbors being assaulted, pregnant women are being injured at the hands of people who are not lawfully present in our state or country.” “To add insult to injury, we have said, come here, we’ll pay for you, for your food, for your education, for your healthcare, and for your shelter, and it’s cost billions of dollars,” he added. “We’re getting to a critical mass where the pressure points are about at explosion.”
SCOOP: Top Republican Chuck Grassley sets prompt hearing on judges blocking Trump
FIRST ON FOX: Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, will hold a hearing next week on federal judges’ use of nationwide orders to throttle the Trump administration’s actions, which will take place back to back with an identical hearing in the lower chamber. In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Grassley said, “District judges’ abuse of nationwide injunctions has hobbled the executive branch and raised serious questions regarding the lower courts’ appropriate jurisdictional realm.” “Since the courts and the executive branch are on an unsustainable collision course, Congress must step in and provide clarity,” he explained. “Our hearings will explore legislative solutions to bring the balance of power back in check.” SENATE CONFIRMS DR MARTY MAKARY AS TRUMP’S FDA CHIEF The hearing is slated to take place on April 2, one day after the House’s hearing. “We plan to have hearings starting next Tuesday on this broad subject,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning. It will be titled “Rule by District Judges II: Exploring Legislative Solutions to the Bipartisan Problem of Universal Injunctions.” Specifically, the committee will look at both the constitutional and policy issues that are raised by judges issuing nationwide injunctions, particularly the uptick brought on by the Trump administration. It will further examine what harm the wide-ranging orders have posed to each branch of government, and what kind of solutions are on the table for Congress. GOP SENATOR SAYS DR OZ IGNORED HIS QUESTIONS ON TRANSGENDER ISSUES, ABORTION The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Republican majority has invited witnesses Samuel Bray and Jesse Panuccio to testify at the hearing. Bray is the John N. Matthews Professor of Law at Notre Dame and is an expert on nationwide injunctions. He has written and testified on the subject extensively already. He notably penned a Harvard Law Review article, titled, “Multiple Chancellors: Reforming the National Injunction.” Panuccio is a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner and was previously the acting associate attorney general at the Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as the chairman of the DOJ’s Regulatory Reform Task Force and vice chairman of the DOJ’s Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud. He also spent time as then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s general counsel. This is not the first time lawmakers have expressed concerns over the ability of federal judges to stop actions nationwide in their tracks. At a hearing in 2020, led by former committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., it was discussed at length by bipartisan senators. TOP DEM USED SAME APP USED IN ATLANTIC SCANDAL TO SET UP CONTACT WITH STEELE DOSSIER AUTHOR Several Republicans have already introduced bills in the House and Senate aimed at restricting the ability of federal judges to kneecap the administration. The president himself has already expressed interest in one such measure, led by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Fox News Digital reported last week. According to two sources familiar with the discussions, top White House aides told senior Capitol Hill staff members last week, “the president wants this.” They also said the White House felt that time was of the essence when it comes to the judicial issue and Trump wants Congress to expedite the matter. While the hearings have been promptly scheduled for next week, there is no word on whether legislation on the issue will be brought to the Senate floor. The office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., did not provide comment to Fox News Digital when asked if he had ideas for policy regarding the injunctions, or whether he believed Congress needed to act. When asked by Fox News earlier this week about calls to impeach judges, Thune noted that Grassley was examining the issue and said, “At the end of the day, there is a process, and there’s an appeals process. And, you know, I suspect that’s ultimately how it’s going to be ended.” ‘STOP THEM!’: DEMOCRAT CLASHES WITH TRUMP SOCIAL SECURITY NOMINEE OVER DOGE ACCESS During a floor speech Tuesday, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said, “When partisan, unelected district court judges try to micromanage the President of the United States, it isn’t judicial review. It isn’t checks and balances. It is purely partisan politics – and it is wrong.” But the No. 2 Republican didn’t call for any specific legislation on the subject. Critics of the GOP’s cautious approach toward federal judges making such wide-ranging orders include Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., who asked why bills weren’t already teed up at the start of the Congress. “Congress has the authority to strip jurisdiction of the federal courts to decide these cases in the first place,” the governor said on X earlier this month. “The sabotaging of President Trump’s agenda by ‘resistance’ judges was predictable — why no jurisdiction-stripping bills tee’d up at the onset of this Congress?” he asked.
Atlantic reporter publishes more texts about attack on Houthi targets
The Atlantic published Wednesday what it described as the “attack plans” at the center of a Signal text chain leak involving senior officials in the Trump administration. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Mike Waltz have faced calls to resign following revelations that the outlet’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently added to a private group chat earlier this month in which Hegseth, Waltz, Vice President JD Vance and other top administration officials reportedly discussed impending airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Hegseth has said “nobody was texting war plans” and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard vowed during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Tuesday that there was “no classified material” in the messages. “TEAM UPDATE: TIME NOW (1144et): Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch. 1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package). 1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s),” Hegseth apparently wrote in a screenshot of a text message released Wednesday by The Atlantic. “1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package). 1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets). 1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched,” Hegseth reportedly continued, before adding “Godspeed to our Warriors.” HEGSETH FENDS OFF REPORTER’S QUESTIONS ABOUT SIGNAL CHAT LEAK Waltz later allegedly wrote “The first target – their top missile guy – we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed,” according to The Atlantic. “Excellent,” read a message in response attributed to Vance. The Atlantic said in its report Wednesday – titled “Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal” – that “the statements by Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and Trump – combined with the assertions made by numerous administration officials that we are lying about the content of the Signal texts – have led us to believe that people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions.” “There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared,” wrote the Atlantic’s Goldberg and reporter Shane Harris. “Experts have repeatedly told us that use of a Signal chat for such sensitive discussions poses a threat to national security. As a case in point, Goldberg received information on the attacks two hours before the scheduled start of the bombing of Houthi positions. If this information – particularly the exact times American aircraft were taking off for Yemen – had fallen into the wrong hands in that crucial two-hour period, American pilots and other American personnel could have been exposed to even greater danger than they ordinarily would face,” they also said. JEFFRIES BECOMES HIGHEST-RANKING DEMOCRAT TO CALL FOR HEGSETH TO RESIGN White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich responded to the report on Wednesday by saying “The Atlantic has already abandoned their bulls— ‘war plans’ narrative, and in releasing the full chat , they concede they LIED to perpetuate yet ANOTHER hoax on the American people. What scumbags!” “The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT ‘war plans,’” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added. “This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin.” Some Congressional Democrats have been calling for Hegseth’s ouster since the text chain leak was first reported. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the highest-ranking Democrat to do so, wrote a letter to President Donald Trump yesterday demanding that Hegseth be “fired immediately.” “The so-called Secretary of Defense recklessly and casually disclosed highly sensitive war plans — including the timing of a pending attack, possible strike targets and the weapons to be used –during an unclassified national security group chat that inexplicably included a reporter. His behavior shocks the conscience, risked American lives and likely violated the law,” Jeffries wrote. Pressed by a reporter yesterday about the matter, Hegseth claimed he has everything under control. “Nobody’s texting war plans,” he said. “I know exactly what I’m doing, exactly what we’re directing, and I’m really proud of what we accomplished, the successful missions that night and going forward.” Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Vance office touts US defense of Greenland from Nazis, Soviets, ahead of VP and wife’s visit to Space Base
After the office of the second lady announced on Sunday that Usha Vance would travel to Greenland with her son and an American delegation this week, Vice President JD Vance announced on Tuesday that he will join her on the trip abroad. President Donald Trump has been floating the U.S. acquisition of Greenland. The island, which is part of the Realm of Denmark, has its own local government, according to Denmark’s website. “Looking forward to visiting Greenland on Friday!” Vance said in a tweet on Tuesday, which also includes the American flag emoji. GREENLAND PM SLAMS UPCOMING VISIT FROM USHA VANCE AS ‘VERY AGGRESSIVE’ PROVOCATION: REPORT Vance said in a video that “there was so much excitement around Usha’s visit to Greenland this Friday, that I decided that I didn’t want her to have all that fun by herself,” noting that he would “join her.” The vice president said that he will visit Space Force guardians and “check out what’s goin’ on with the security there of Greenland.” He said that “speaking for President Trump, we wanna reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland, because we think it’s important to protecting the security of the entire world.” JD VANCE RECALLS HIS WIFE TEXTING HIM UNDER TABLE AT SILICON VALLEY DINNER: ‘THESE PEOPLE ARE F—ING CRAZY’ A press release from the office of the vice president indicates that on Friday the vice president and second lady “will travel to the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland to receive a briefing on Arctic security issues and meet with U.S. servicemembers.” The release states that the base is the Defense Department’s “northernmost installation.” “The Vice President and Second Lady’s visit to Pituffik Space Base will take place in lieu of the Second Lady’s previously announced visit to the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut,” the press release states. “The strategic partnership between the United States and Greenland has long played a vital role in our national and economic security. During World War Two, the United States established over a dozen military bases in Greenland to defend the North Atlantic from Nazi incursion. During the Cold War, the United States committed additional resources to Greenland to defend against Soviet missile attacks,” the release declares. “In the decades since, neglect and inaction from Danish leaders and past U.S. administrations have presented our adversaries with the opportunity to advance their own priorities in Greenland and the Arctic. President Trump is rightly changing course.” TRUMP REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ODDS OF ACQUIRING GREENLAND: ‘I THINK IT’LL HAPPEN’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to Vance’s office on Wednesday, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Fox News’ Sarah Tobianski contributed to this report
Hawley presses FBI to probe alleged Biden-era targeting of Christians
FIRST ON FOX – Sen. Josh Hawley asked FBI Director Kash Patel Wednesday to look into alleged Biden-era abuses against Christians, urging Patel in a new letter to crack down on what the Missouri Republican described as First Amendment violations he said were carried out under the Biden administration. In the letter, previewed exclusively by Fox News Digital, the Missouri Republican asked Patel to investigate alleged abuses against pro-life activists and Christians. He also urged Patel to release by April 30 information compiled by the FBI’s Richmond, Virginia, field office – including a memo that labeled certain traditionalist Catholics as potential “security risks” – and to address possible violations of the FACE Act, which Hawley said targeted pro-life protesters. “I trust that, under your leadership, this misconduct will end. But those responsible must be held accountable,” Hawley said in the letter. KASH PATEL VOWS TO END BIDEN-ERA ‘TARGETING’ OF CHRISTIANS: ‘SACRED TRUST’ “Transparency and accountability will be paramount in restoring Americans’ faith in the Bureau,” he added. “Getting to the bottom of the Biden Administration’s violations of religious liberty is an excellent place to start.” The letter from Hawley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, is not the first time he has used his post to urge Patel to protect against Christian persecution. NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS URGE FLORIDA LAWMAKERS TO KILL BILL TO AVOID ‘LAWFARE’ AGAINST CHRISTIANS Hawley’s letter calls on the FBI to share with his office by the end of April a list of 22 memos and documents compiled by the FBI Richmond Field Office and related to the alleged FACE Act abuses, including all emails, memoranda, directives and policy guidance, sent to or from the FBI director, deputy director, or any other senior official regarding the enforcement of the FACE Act under the Biden Administration. Hawley also urged Patel to share all documents – including communications with state and local law enforcement agencies – that discuss how the Richmond Field Office memorandum or similar FBI policies were implemented or considered for enforcement at the state or local level. Hawley zeroed in on these issues during Patel’s confirmation hearing earlier this year. “Do you think it’s appropriate for the FBI to single out and target people of faith in order to discourage the exercise of their First Amendment rights?” he asked Patel in January. Patel vowed in response that he would “fully utilize, if confirmed, the investigative powers of the FBI to give you the information you require and also to hold those accountable who violated the sacred trust placed upon the FBI.”
Noem to tour notorious El Salvador prison
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday will tour El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center, where hundreds of alleged criminal illegal aliens are being held after the Trump administration deported them earlier this month. Noem will tour the prison with the Salvadoran Minister of Justice, Héctor Gustavo Villatoro, before meeting with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, according to a Homeland Security statement. Noem’s visit is part of a three-day trip that will also see her travel to Colombia and Mexico. Bukele opened the prison in 2023 as El Salvador wages a crackdown on powerful street gangs causing mayhem in the country. The facility has eight sprawling pavilions and can hold up to 40,000 inmates. As many as 65 to 70 prisoners are packed into each cell. Prisoners are never allowed outside and can’t have visitors. There are no workshops or educational programs. HIGH-RANKING TREN DE ARAGUA GANGSTER MURDERED TWO AMERICAN WOMEN, CAPTURED ACROSS COUNTRY: FEDS A senior Trump administration official confirmed to Fox News this month that a total of 261 illegal aliens were deported to El Salvador on March 15. The majority of them were deported via the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows for the expulsion of an enemy nation’s natives and citizens without a hearing. More than 100 of the migrants were Venezuelans removed via Title 8, while 21 others were Salvadoran MS-13 gang members, the official added. Two were MS-13 ringleaders and “special cases” for El Salvador. Video released by El Salvador’s government after the deportees’ arrival showed men, shackled at their hands and ankles, exiting airplanes onto an airport tarmac lined by heavily armed officers in riot gear. EXCLUSIVE: GOP MOVES TO AUTHORIZE TRUMP TO WAGE WAR ON CARTELS THROUGH MILITARY FORCE The men were later shown at the prison kneeling on the ground as their heads were shaved before they changed into the prison’s all-white uniform — knee-length shorts, T-shirt, socks and rubber clogs — and placed in cells. El Salvador has been operating under a state of emergency that suspends fundamental rights for nearly three years as Bukele deals with the street gangs. Some 84,000 people have been arrested so far, accused of gang ties and jailed, often without due process. Bukele offered to hold U.S. deportees in the prison when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited in February. In a March 16 post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump wrote that the U.S. “will not forget” Bukele’s partnership, and thanked the leader for his “understanding of this horrible situation, which was allowed to happen to the United States because of incompetent Democrat leadership.” Fox News Digital’s Adrea Margolis and Emma Colton, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.