Rep. Lauren Boebert suggests GOP could rename DC ‘District of America’: ‘Keep the jokes at bay’
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., on Tuesday urged House lawmakers to stop “making fun” of President Donald Trump‘s renaming of the Gulf of America, suggesting Washington, D.C., could face the same fate. Boebert made the remarks during a legislative hearing on the Gulf of America Act to support Trump’s executive order. “I would caution my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to refrain from making fun of the Gulf of America because next up may end up being the District of America that we are working on,” she said during a Water, Fisheries and Wildlife Subcommittee hearing. GOOGLE MAPS UPDATE: GULF OF AMERICA, MOUNT MCKINLEY WILL BE IN AFTER TRUMP ORDERS NAME CHANGES “So just, you know, keep the jokes at bay, and maybe we’ll just stick with the Gulf of America for now,” she added. Fox News Digital has reached out to Boebert’s office. Trump changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico days after taking office. He also reversed the name of Alaska’s Denali mountain back to Mount McKinley. WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL BOARD LINKS DC MAYOR’S DECISION TO REMOVE BLM ART TO A ‘VICTORY FOR THE CITY’ Trump has often criticized D.C. leaders for their inability to rid the city of violent crime. “We’re cleaning up our city,” Trump said during a speech at the Justice Department earlier this month. “We’re cleaning up this great capital, and we’re not going to have crime. And we’re not going to stand for crime. And we’re going to take the graffiti down. And we’re already taken to tents down there.” Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the removal of Black Lives Matter Plaza across the street from the White House after being pressured by Republicans. The large yellow letters spelling out “Black Lives Matter” were first painted in the summer of 2020 during Trump’s first term after days of chaotic protests at that location after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and Breonna Taylor by Louisville Police officers.
Trump signs executive order requiring proof of citizenship in federal elections: ‘An honor to sign this one’
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order requiring people to provide proof of American citizenship when they register to vote and demanding that all ballots be reviewed by Election Day. The order requires government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship on its voter registration forms, directs the Attorney General to enter into information-sharing agreements with state election officials to identify cases of election fraud or other election law violations, and conditions federal election-related funds on states complying with the federal election integrity measures. “There are other steps that we will be taking in the coming weeks,” Trump said just before signing the order. “We think we’ll be able to end up getting fair elections.” BLUE STATE’S TOP COURT STRIKES DOWN LAW ALLOWING NONCITIZENS TO VOTE “It’s an honor to sign this one,” he added. “I sign all of them, built to sign this one is a great honor.” The U.S. has failed “to enforce basic and necessary election protections,” the order states. Election experts immediately criticized the move, saying it would disenfranchise millions of voters. “This executive order would block tens of millions of American citizens from voting,” the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University wrote on X. “Presidents have no authority to do this. This order, like the SAVE Act now before Congress, would hurt voters and suppress the vote.” The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE Act, is a bill being pushed by Republicans that would make sweeping changes to voter registration, including requiring voters to present documents proving U.S. citizenship. PA WOMAN CHARGED WITH TRYING TO REGISTER DEAD PEOPLE, INCLUDING OWN FATHER, TO VOTE Documentary proof of citizenship includes a U.S. passport, a REAL ID, as well as military and state and federal-issued identification indicating American citizenship. “Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic,” the order states. ” Yet the United States has not adequately enforced Federal election requirements that, for example, prohibit States from counting ballots received after Election Day or prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote.” Under the terms of the order, Trump directed the Election Assistance Commission to change the federal voter registration form to require government-issued documentary proof of citizenship. The order also attempts to bar states from counting mail ballots that election officials receive after Election Day.
Trump FDA pick clears last hurdle after flipping vaccine question on Dem in confirmation hearing
President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor Dr. Marty Makary, cleared a key vote in the Senate on Tuesday, the last such test before his final confirmation vote. The Senate voted 56-44 to invoke cloture on the nomination. A final vote to confirm the FDA nominee is slated for after 8 p.m. Tuesday. Makary, a former Fox News medical contributor, went before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) earlier this month and answered various questions on vaccines, chronic illness, food safety and abortion. TOP DEM USED SAME APP USED IN ATLANTIC SCANDAL TO SET UP CONTACT WITH STEELE DOSSIER AUTHOR During his hearing, the nominee faced scrutiny over an FDA vaccine meeting that was reportedly postponed at the last minute. “So if you are confirmed, will you commit to immediately reschedule that FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting to get the expert views?” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., asked Makary at the time. He responded that he “would reevaluate which topics deserve a convening of the advisory committee members on [Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee] and which may not require a convening.” When this response wasn’t good enough for Murray, Makary flipped the question, telling her to confront the Biden administration. “Well, you can ask the Biden administration that chose not to convene the committee meeting for the COVID vaccine booster,” he said. ‘STOP THEM!’: DEMOCRAT CLASHES WITH TRUMP SOCIAL SECURITY NOMINEE OVER DOGE ACCESS He was referring to the Biden administration in 2021 pushing through FDA approval for a COVID-19 booster for everyone over the age of 18. “The FDA did not hold a meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on these actions,” read a press release at the time, “as the agency previously convened the committee for extensive discussions regarding the use of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines and, after review of both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s EUA requests, the FDA concluded that the requests do not raise questions that would benefit from additional discussion by committee members.” CAN CONGRESS DEFUND FEDERAL COURTS WITH KEY TRUMP BUDGET PROCESS? Committee member Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, criticized the administration’s move, saying, “We’re being asked to approve this as a three-dose vaccine for people 16 years of age and older, without any clear evidence if the third dose for a younger person when compared to an elderly person is of value.” CHUCK SCHUMER FACING ‘UPHILL FIGHT’ AMID LEADERSHIP DOUBTS: ‘MATTER OF WHEN, NOT IF’ Makary has long been a critic of the administration he is poised to lead. He wrote an opinion piece in 2021, calling for “fresh leadership at the FDA to change the culture at the agency and promote scientific advancement, not hinder it.” “We now have a generational opportunity in American healthcare,” he said at his hearing. “President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s focus on healthy foods has galvanized a grassroots movement in America. Childhood obesity is not a willpower problem, and the rise of early-onset Alzheimer’s is not a genetic cause. We should be, and we will, be addressing food as it impacts our health.”
Senate confirms Dr Marty Makary as Trump’s FDA chief
President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor Dr. Marty Makary, was confirmed in the Senate on Tuesday. His confirmation was cemented just hours after he cleared one last procedural test vote earlier in the evening. The Senate voted 56-44 to invoke cloture on the nomination prior to his final confirmation. Makary, a former Fox News medical contributor, went before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) earlier this month and answered various questions on vaccines, chronic illness, food safety and abortion. TOP DEM USED SAME APP USED IN ATLANTIC SCANDAL TO SET UP CONTACT WITH STEELE DOSSIER AUTHOR During his hearing, the nominee faced scrutiny over an FDA vaccine meeting that was reportedly postponed at the last minute. “So if you are confirmed, will you commit to immediately reschedule that FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting to get the expert views?” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., asked Makary at the time. He responded that he “would reevaluate which topics deserve a convening of the advisory committee members on [Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee] and which may not require a convening.” When this response wasn’t good enough for Murray, Makary flipped the question, telling her to confront the Biden administration. “Well, you can ask the Biden administration that chose not to convene the committee meeting for the COVID vaccine booster,” he said. ‘STOP THEM!’: DEMOCRAT CLASHES WITH TRUMP SOCIAL SECURITY NOMINEE OVER DOGE ACCESS He was referring to the Biden administration in 2021 pushing through FDA approval for a COVID-19 booster for everyone over the age of 18. “The FDA did not hold a meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on these actions,” read a press release at the time, “as the agency previously convened the committee for extensive discussions regarding the use of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines and, after review of both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s EUA requests, the FDA concluded that the requests do not raise questions that would benefit from additional discussion by committee members.” CAN CONGRESS DEFUND FEDERAL COURTS WITH KEY TRUMP BUDGET PROCESS? Committee member Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, criticized the administration’s move, saying, “We’re being asked to approve this as a three-dose vaccine for people 16 years of age and older, without any clear evidence if the third dose for a younger person when compared to an elderly person is of value.” CHUCK SCHUMER FACING ‘UPHILL FIGHT’ AMID LEADERSHIP DOUBTS: ‘MATTER OF WHEN, NOT IF’ Makary has long been a critic of the administration he will now lead. He wrote an opinion piece in 2021, calling for “fresh leadership at the FDA to change the culture at the agency and promote scientific advancement, not hinder it.” “We now have a generational opportunity in American healthcare,” he said at his hearing. “President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s focus on healthy foods has galvanized a grassroots movement in America. Childhood obesity is not a willpower problem, and the rise of early-onset Alzheimer’s is not a genetic cause. We should be, and we will, be addressing food as it impacts our health.”
Trump’s pick to lead NIH, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, confirmed by Senate in party-line vote
The full Senate voted Tuesday evening to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. The party-line vote followed approval from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which also voted along party lines to advance Bhattacharya, leading to today’s full Senate vote. A physician, Stanford professor of medicine and senior fellow at the university’s Institute for Economic Policy Research, Bhattacharya was a leading voice during the COVID-19 pandemic against lockdown measures and vaccine mandates. He was one of the co-authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, a document published in October 2020 by a group of scientists advocating against widespread COVID lockdowns and promoting the efficacy of natural immunity for low-risk individuals as opposed to vaccination. TRUMP NIH APPOINTEE DEFENDS PRESIDENT’S RESEARCH FUNDING CUTS, LAYS OUT NEW VISION FOR FUTURE Bhattacharya was probed by the Senate HELP Committee earlier this month over various issues related to his potential role as NIH director. However, for much of the hearing, he was forced to defend the president’s decision to cut certain research funds at NIH, including a 15% cap on indirect research costs, also known as facilities and administrative costs, dispersed by the NIH. Bhattacharya would not explicitly say he disagreed with the cuts, or that, if confirmed, he would step in to stop them. Rather, he said he would “follow the law,” while also investigating the effect of the cuts and ensuring every NIH researcher doing work that advances the health outcomes of Americans has the resources necessary. “I think transparency regarding indirect costs is absolutely worthwhile. It’s something that universities can fix by working together to make sure that where that money goes is made clear,” Bhattacharya said of the indirect costs going to universities, hospitals and research clinics from the NIH. TRUMP RESCINDS BIDEN-ERA POLICY DECLARING DEI AN ‘INTEGRAL’ PART OF SCIENTIFIC PROCESS In addition to addressing questions about the Trump cuts, Bhattacharya also laid out what he called a new, decentralized vision for future research at NIH that he said will be aimed at embracing dissenting ideas and transparency, while focusing on research topics that have the best chance at directly benefiting health outcomes of Americans. Bhattacharya added that he wants to rid the agency’s research portfolio of other “frivolous” efforts that he says do little to directly benefit health outcomes. “I think fundamentally what matters is do scientists have an idea that advances the scientific field they’re in?” Bhattacharya said last week during his confirmation testimony. “Do they have an idea that ends up addressing the health needs of Americans?” Prior to his confirmation, Bhattacharya, alongside several other scientists, including Trump’s pick to head the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty Makary, launched a new research journal focused on spurring scientific discourse and combating “gatekeeping” in the medical research community. The journal, the Journal of the Academy of Public Health (JAPH), aims to spur scientific discourse by publishing peer reviews of prominent studies from other journals that do not make their peer reviews publicly available.
Trump says Waltz doesn’t need to apologize over Signal text chain leak: ‘Doing his best’
President Donald Trump defended National Security Advisor Michael Waltz during an ambassador meeting on Monday, as his administration faces fierce backlash over the recent Signal text chain leak. Waltz, whose staffers had unknowingly added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat where Secretary of State Pete Hegseth and others discussed sensitive war plans, has come under fire for the blunder. Speaking to a room full of reporters, Trump said he believes Waltz is “doing his best.” “I don’t think he should apologize,” the president said. “I think he’s doing his best. It’s equipment and technology that’s not perfect.” “And, probably, he won’t be using it again, at least not in the very near future,” he added. TRUMP NOMINATES SUSAN MONAREZ TO BECOME THE NEXT CDC DIRECTOR, SAYS AMERICANS ‘LOST CONFIDENCE’ IN AGENCY Goldberg was added to the national security discussion, called “Houthi PC Small Group”, earlier in March. He was able to learn about attacks against Houthi fighters in Yemen long before the public. “According to the lengthy Hegseth text, the first detonations in Yemen would be felt two hours hence, at 1:45 p.m. eastern time,” Goldberg wrote in his piece about the experience. “So I waited in my car in a supermarket parking lot. If this Signal chat was real, I reasoned, Houthi targets would soon be bombed. At about 1:55, I checked X and searched Yemen. Explosions were then being heard across Sanaa, the capital city.” Though Goldberg’s inclusion in the chat did not foil the military’s plans, the national security breach has still stunned both supporters and critics of the Trump administration. During the Tuesday meeting, Trump also said that he was in contact with Waltz over whether hackers can break into Signal conversations. IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES HIT JUDGE WHO ORDERED TRUMP TO STOP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS “Are people able to break into conversations? And if that’s true, we’re gonna have to find some other form of device,” Trump said. “And I think that’s something that we may have to do. Some people like Signal very much, other people probably don’t, but we’ll look into it.” “Michael, I’ve asked you to immediately study that and find out if people are able to break into a system,” he added. In response, Waltz assured Trump that he has White House technical experts “looking at” the situation, along with legal teams. “And of course, we’re going to keep everything as secure as possible,” the national security official said. “No one in your national security team would ever put anyone in danger. And as you said, we’ve repeatedly said the attack was phenomenal, and it’s ongoing.”
Federal court temporarily blocks Trump admin plan to suspend refugee resettlement program
A federal court on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from suspending a refugee resettlement program. The ruling came during a court hearing over a lawsuit brought by a group of nonprofits that receive federal funds under a congressional law. The nonprofits provide a range of social services for newly-arrived refugees in the U.S. On Monday, a judge in Seattle issued an injunction ordering the Trump administration to reinstate its contracts with refugee agencies. Tuesday’s ruling came from the three-judge panel Ninth Circuit court, which directs the administration to continue to process applications that started the process prior to Jan. 20. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? “The motion is denied to the extent the district court’s preliminary injunction order applies to individuals who were conditionally approved for refugee status by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services before January 20, 2025,” the order states. “Executive Order No. 14163 does not purport to revoke the refugee status of individuals who received that status under the United States Refugee Admissions Program prior to January 20, 2025. In all other respects, the district court’s February 28, 2025, preliminary injunction order is stayed.” On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending refugee resettlement and ordering the Department of Homeland Security to report back in 90 days on whether resuming resettlement would be in the interests of the U.S. ‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO “The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees,” Trump said in his Jan. 20 order. The case had been brought by refugee groups, including International Refugee Assistance Project, HIAS, Lutheran Community Services Northwest and individual refugees. The groups argued their ability to provide services to refugees had been damaged by the Trump order. The order was one of several attempting to limit both illegal and legal immigration, including the use of parole to allow in migrants by the Biden administration. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump limited refugee resettlement in his first term, but President Joe Biden made moves to take in more refugees, including by increasing the refugee cap.
Wisconsinites kicked out and denied entry to this Democrat’s ‘fake town hall’
EXCLUSIVE: A Wisconsin woman was removed from a town hall hosted by Democratic Minnesota Gov. Gov. Tim Walz in Eau Claire last week after she filmed organizers blocking Trump supporters from entering. Wisconsin voter Katrina Patterson told Fox News Digital she wanted Walz to address potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare, but she was told to leave, met by law enforcement and locked outside before the town hall began. Patterson, who said she “knew that it was wrong,” filmed event organizers denying three men in “Make America Great Again” hats from entering Walz’s town hall. While she was registered for the event, Patterson only took her seat for a few minutes before she was also told to leave. “Tim Walz and the Democrats are claiming that my congressman won’t listen to his constituents, but yet we’ve got proof of them blocking Republicans from coming into their town hall,” Patterson said. “It’s really hypocritical. It makes it abundantly obvious that their town halls aren’t real. For lack of a better word, they’re fake town halls because they only want to hear from Democrats.” DEM LEADER SWINGS THROUGH GOP-HELD DISTRICTS AFTER ‘CLOWN SHOW PROTESTS’ HALTED TOWN HALLS The former vice presidential candidate was one of the first Democrats to announce town halls in Republican-held congressional districts after the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the political campaign committee tasked with electing more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives, advised against town halls after ongoing disruptions by Democratic protesters discontent with President Donald Trump’s second term. TIM WALZ SAYS HE WAS JOKING WHEN HE MOCKED TESLA’S FALLING STOCK: ‘THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOR’ “Clearly, this political theater was designed to only engage Democrats with no real interest in listening to voters who rejected their out-of-touch agenda. Yet another embarrassing charade on Walz’s walk of shame,” NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon told Fox News Digital after Walz’s Eau Claire town hall. When Walz announced his red state tour, he framed the town halls as an opportunity for constituents in Republican districts to “make their voices heard.” “I’m hitting the road, traveling to red states across the country to lend a megaphone to the people. Your congressman may not want to listen, but they’re going to hear from us anyway,” Walz said in a post. Patterson said it’s “hypocritical” for Democrats to claim they are willing to listen when they’re blocking Republicans from entering. “They’ve got people going to some of the Republican town halls and intentionally starting chaos and trouble, and then they turn around and block Republicans from going into their town halls. It’s just horrible and hypocritical. It really is,” Patterson said. She said it felt like a “secret society” where Democrats don’t want to let in “Republicans to hear what they have to say or to speak up and give their views and opinions.” ‘CHAOS AND CONFUSION’: HOW DEMOCRATS INFILTRATED ‘THUNDEROUS’ GOP TOWN HALLS “The only reason they had to kick me out was the fact that I was catching them on camera, doing something wrong that they knew they shouldn’t do,” Patterson added. While Patterson did not get the opportunity to voice her concerns at the Walz town hall, she said Rep. Derrick Van. Orden, R-Wis., is “really reachable,” and she hasn’t had an issue getting in touch with him despite what the Democratic Party says. “Tim Walz and Democrats have been just really running him through the mud and giving him a hard time for doing virtual town halls,” Patterson said. “I watched one the other day and got to throw in some comments there. I did have one question that didn’t get answered during that one, but I’m just planning to ask him again the next time around.” Democrats launched a coordinated effort to host “People’s Town Halls” in all 50 states after disruptive protests led Republican leadership to advise against hosting in-person town halls. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Democratic state parties held a total of 22 events in 13 states during the first week, the DNC told Fox News Digital Friday. The events were billed as “open, inclusive and built to amplify your voice.” Walz did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Biden-era guidance encouraged use of Signal app by highly-targeted govt officials: ‘Best practice’
The federal office in charge of ensuring cybersecurity at all levels of the government cited the use of encrypted messaging app Signal as a “best practice” for “highly targeted” government officials, the Biden-era document shows. Fox News Digital found that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) outlined in a guide for federal employees late last year that encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal better protected officials against foreign enemy hackers amid a Chinese-linked cyber breach. CISA is an office under the Department of Homeland Security’s umbrella that is charged with ensuring cybersecurity across all levels of government. Under the Biden administration in 2024, CISA released a “Mobile Communications Best Practice Guidance” for “highly targeted individuals,” who were defined as high-ranking government officials or politicians who are “likely to possess information of interest to these threat actors.” The document specifically addressed high-targeted politicos and officials, though it noted the guide was “applicable to all audiences.” “CISA strongly urges highly targeted individuals to immediately review and apply the best practices below to protect mobile communications. Highly targeted individuals should assume that all communications between mobile devices – including government and personal devices – and internet services are at risk of interception or manipulation. While no single solution eliminates all risks, implementing these best practices significantly enhances protection of sensitive communications against government-affiliated and other malicious cyber actors,” the guide reads. The document, published in December, details that highly-targeted government officials should use “end-to-end encrypted communications” as part of its “best practices” advice. End-to-end encryption is understood as a secure method of communication, where a sender’s message is encrypted and can only be decrypted by the recipient of the message. TRUMP REVEALS WHO WAS BEHIND SIGNAL TEXT CHAIN LEAK The CISA guidance specifically cited that government officials should download “end-to-end encrypted communications” platforms to their cellphones and computers, specifically citing Signal as an app to download to comply with the best practices. TRUMP OFFICIALS ACCIDENTALLY TEXT ATLANTIC JOURNALIST ABOUT MILITARY STRIKES IN APPARENT SECURITY BREACH “Adopt a free messaging application for secure communications that guarantees end-to-end encryption, such as Signal or similar apps,” the guidance states. “CISA recommends an end-to-end encrypted messaging app that is compatible with both iPhone and Android operating systems, allowing for text message interoperability across platforms. Such apps may also offer clients for MacOS, Windows, and Linux, and sometimes the web. These apps typically support one-on-one text chats, group chats with up to 1,000 participants, and encrypted voice and video calls. Additionally, they may include features like disappearing messages and images, which can enhance privacy.” Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. Signal’s popularity grew in the last few months, after it was discovered that Chinese-linked hackers were targeting cellphone data in the U.S., including data belonging to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during the campaign, Politico reported this week. “CISA is releasing this best practice guidance to promote protections for mobile communications from exploitation by PRC-affiliated and other malicious cyber threat actors,” the CISA guidance states, referring to the Chinese cyber breach in 2024. Fox News Digital reached out to CISA for additional comment or information on the use of Signal among government employees, but did not immediately receive a reply. WILL CAIN SHARES HIS TAKEAWAY ON THE ATLANTIC’S STORY ON THE TRUMP ADMIN’S ‘WAR PLANS’ TEXT The guidance was released months before the Trump administration came under fire from Democrats and other critics after it was revealed top national security officials discussed a planned strike in Yemen against terrorist forces in a Signal group chat that also included the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic. The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg published a first-hand account on Monday of what he read in the Signal group chat, called “Houthi PC Small Group,” after he was added to the chain on March 13 alongside high-ranking federal officials stretching from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to national security advisor Mike Waltz and Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles. The Atlantic’s report set off condemnation among Democratic lawmakers, who have slammed the Trump administration for risking national security by using an app to communicate about a planned attack on Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen. TRUMP NOT PLANNING TO FIRE WALTZ AFTER NATIONAL SECURITY TEXT CHAIN LEAK “This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a floor speech on Monday. CIA Director John Ratcliffe appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday morning for an annual hearing on the global threats facing the U.S., and was also grilled about the Signal group chat. The CIA chief confirmed he was in the group chat that included the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, adding that Signal was already downloaded on his computer when he was sworn in as director in January, and that the app has a long history as a communication platform for government employees that stretched to the Biden administration. “One of the first things that happened when I was confirmed as CIA director was Signal was loaded onto my computer at, the CIA, as it is for most CIA officers, one of the things that I was briefed on very early, Senator, was by the CIA records management folks about the use of Signal as a permissible work use,” he said. “It is, that is a practice that preceded the current administration to the Biden administration,” he continued. A former Biden national security official confirmed to the Associated Press that the previous administration used Signal if a staffer was granted permission to download the app on their White House-administered phones. The staffers, however, were told to use it sparingly, according to the report. “It is my understanding that the Biden administration authorized Signal as a means of communication that was consistent with presidential recordkeeping requirements for
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Pardons from Trump
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -HUD joins forces with DHS to ensure federal housing resources go to US citizens, not illegal immigrants -Top Dem used same app in Atlantic scandal to set up contact with Steele dossier author -Trump admin cuts additional $1M in federal funding for ‘transgender animal’ experiments President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Hunter Biden’s former business associate, Devon Archer. “Many people have asked me to do this. They think he was treated very unfairly. And I looked at the records, studied the records, and he was a victim of a crime, as far as I’m concerned. So we’re going to undo that. … Congratulations, Devon,” Trump said on Tuesday ahead of signing the pardoning. Archer was a business associate of former first son Hunter Biden at Burisma Holdings. Archer was convicted in 2018 of defrauding a Native American tribe in a scheme that involved the issuance and sale of fraudulent tribal bonds. ‘PERSONAL DIGNITY’: A second judge rules against Trump’s removal of transgender troops FULL FORCE: Staffing reductions at Education Department haven’t hit FAFSA office amid Trump cuts, agency says HHS REORGINIZATION: Trump administration to shutter HHS’ long Covid office ‘NO IMPACT AT ALL’: Trump reveals who was behind Signal text chain leak LOCK THEM UP?’: ‘The View’ hosts gleeful over Trump officials’ texting debacle, suggest some should face jail time ‘CURIOUS TO ME’: Rosie O’Donnell questions validity of Trump’s 2024 election win, wants Musk’s influence ‘investigated’ MISSING CHILDREN: State Dept says data on Ukrainian orphans is ‘secure’ despite concerns it was lost following Trump funding cut ‘HAMAS’ PROPAGANDA ARM’: Israeli hostage families sue Mahmoud Khalil, ‘Hamas propaganda arm’ at Columbia University campus SENATE SPARS OVER TEXT CHAIN LEAK: CIA Director Ratcliffe hits back on Dem senator’s group chat allegations: ‘I didn’t say any of those things’ CROCKETT CRACKDOWN: Jasmine Crockett hit with House censure threat for mocking paraplegic Texas governor as ‘hot wheels’ TESLA TANTRUM: Democrat decries FBI task force to crackdown on Tesla attacks: ‘Political weaponization of the DOJ’ ‘UNDERMINE OUR WORKERS’: GOP senator threatens ‘real consequences’ if universities hire illegal immigrants ‘FUTILE EXERCISE’: House GOP push to impeach judges blocking Trump fizzles out THE LOUDEST SILENCE: Dems who railed against domestic terrorism still silent as Trump floats 20-year jail sentence for Tesla vandals ‘BOILING POINT’: Progressive grassroots group says liberal base at ‘boiling point’ over Democratic strategy to oppose Trump PAGING PAM: CT ballot fraud saga leads GOP to alert Bondi as 150 charges lodged, Dem reforms ‘miss the mark’ ‘FREE PALESTINE!’: Anti-Israel protesters interrupt Huckabee hearing, attack Trump nominee’s faith COLLEGE TRY: Teachers union sues Trump administration over $400M cuts to Columbia University BUYER BEWARE: Illegal immigrant in Texas who purchased thousands of rounds for Mexican drug cartel gets 5 years in prison FRAUD FINDERS: Nevada investigates more than 300 potential voter fraud cases from 2024 election Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.