Inside the Trump administration’s overhaul of the Coast Guard amid border security blitz
The Trump administration is overhauling the Coast Guard in an attempt to crack down on illegal migrant crossings and drug interdictions. This month, the Coast Guard unveiled its new Force Design 2028 plan to overhaul its organizational structure, personnel, acquisitions, contracting and technology—fulfilling directives from President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The proposal seeks to bolster the Coast Guard’s force, which currently consists of roughly 43,000 active-duty personnel, and assess which specialties need reinforcement to expand training, responding to Trump administration calls to ramp up efforts against illegal immigration and drug smuggling, according to a Department of Homeland Security official familiar with the plan. “This is focusing our efforts on where do we need to make investments in our current training centers and even look at opening new training centers to support growth in the service,” the official told Fox News Digital on Thursday. COAST GUARD RESCUES 4 PASSENGERS FROM CAPSIZED BOAT OFF FLORIDA COAST The Coast Guard is the only military service that falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security. However, the blueprint’s restructuring plans seek to adapt certain standards for the Coast Guard to better align with the military branches that fall under the Department of Defense. For example, the proposal calls for following the Department of Defense’s standards for physical fitness, body composition, and grooming standards. Unlike other military services, the Coast Guard did not enforce fitness standards unless personnel were attached to boat crews of law enforcement teams. However, the Department of Homeland Security is coordinating with the Pentagon to change that. The Coast Guard is still determining whether this initiative will involve an annual fitness test, but the proposal directs the Coast Guard to adhere to Department of Defense physical fitness standards as closely as possible. “We’ve definitely put an increased focus on what are the physical fitness requirements for the Coast Guard to be most successful in its missions for the nation,” the official said. Likewise, the blueprint also calls for organizational changes, including installing a secretary for the service, as well as creating a Coast Guard headquarters director of staff to enhance decision-making and other functions at a high operational level. The blueprint aligns with legislation introduced in the Senate that would establish a civilian secretary for the Coast Guard, akin to the structure of the Navy, Army and Air Force. Currently, the Coast Guard only has an active duty commandant that oversees the service. Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia introduced the measure on April 1 in an attempt to enhance the Coast Guard’s ability to adapt to its mission. “The establishment of a Secretary of the Coast Guard is an important step in ensuring our nation’s maritime security is led with the strength and efficiency it deserves to ensure it can fulfill its mission and adapt to any challenges,” Scott said in a statement on April 1. COAST GUARD AIRLIFTS CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER WHO HAD STROKES 300 MILES OFF HAWAII COAST Companion legislation is underway in the House, and Republican Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi introduced a similar measure on April 3 to “give the Coast Guard the same level of recognition and advocacy that other military branches receive,” according to a statement. The Coast Guard is already implementing changes included in the force design and is slated to complete the modernization effort in three years. “We’ve been making changes practically daily in the service to really keep moving forward,” the official said. “The goal of 2028 is that the transformation of the service will be complete by 2028.” The plan is already rendering results, according to the official. The service is surpassing drug seizures from last year. So far, the Coast Guard has seized 11% more cocaine in FY25 than it did for all of FY24, according to DHS data. Additionally, the service is combating the recruiting problems that have plagued all the military services in recent years, and is already bringing in more guardsmen than last year. The service has brought in more than 4,250 new recruits this fiscal year – 1,200 more than the service did at this same point last year. “We are now filling out our training center to max capacity, with reservations already locked in all the way through September,” the official said. “So we went from a recruiting deficit to a recruiting surge right now, and we are on track to exceed all recruiting goals for the year.”
Freshman GOP senator rips predecessor while reflecting on ‘whirlwind’ first 100 days: ‘Urgency and speed’
EXCLUSIVE: Freshman Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno has served out his first 100 days in office, and he spoke to Fox News Digital about his biggest takeaways and what he hopes the GOP Senate can accomplish over the next 100 days. “It’s been a whirlwind,” Moreno said. “Obviously, President Trump’s moving at 100 mph. So my hope is that Congress meets that same sense of urgency and speed. I think voters expect it.” Moreno, who defeated Ohio’s longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown last November, has been busy since being sworn in, cosponsoring 67 bills while introducing eight original ones of his own. Over the next few months, Moreno told Fox News Digital, he hopes to see some of his legislation become law. ‘BUMBLING IDIOT’: FRESHMAN GOP SENATOR UNLEASHES ON BLUE CITY MAYOR, DEMS OPPOSING TRUMP’S DEPORTATIONS “Most important of all being the Transportation Freedom Act,” Moreno explained. “The auto industry is right now in a really, really critical juncture. Because of Joe Biden and California lunatics, there’s a lot of standards that are just not going to be able to be met.” “The car companies are trying to figure out what kind of cars to make. So what our bill basically does is say, ‘Hey look, here’s one set of standards. It’s one set of standards for the entire country and then, most importantly, set those standards for 10 years,’” Moreno continued. “So if you’re Ford or GM or any other car company, you know, what kind of cars to make for the next decade. That’s huge. That will lower the price of automobiles.” Continuing to address illegal immigration is going to be a priority over the next few months, according to Moreno, who said he hopes his Rules Act addressing the broken asylum system will be passed, calling it a “low hanging fruit” and an “80-20 issue” Republicans can win on. NRCC LAUNCHES AD CAMPAIGN TARGETING DOZENS OF VULNERABLE DEMS WHO VOTED AGAINST KEY TRUMP PROPOSAL Since taking office, Moreno has visited constituents in all 88 counties in Ohio, taken part in over 30 interviews with Ohio media outlets, hosted over 500 Ohioans for constituent coffees in Washington, D.C., and authored 16 letters on issues affecting Ohioans. “I think my opponent, the guy who I replaced, Sherrod Brown, was emblematic of the kind of politicians people hate and basically just go down there for the paycheck and don’t ever accomplish anything,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. “I think he passed like six bills that named post offices. That was his 30-year career high. So we just want to get stuff done. I’m not gonna be there forever. I’m gonna be there one or two terms. The second one is up to the voters of Ohio. And then that’s it.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Over the next 100 days, Moreno told Fox News Digital, there is a long list of things he hopes the GOP Senate gets done in a timely manner to ensure that the Trump agenda is firing on all cylinders heading into the midterms. “I want to make sure we get a good reconciliation bill that preserves Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits but lowers the cost because of technology that we put in place in sort of state-directed work mandates for able-bodied Americans,” Moreno said. “I think most people expect that.” Moreno also spoke about the need to cut funding to USAID. “We can’t afford 40-50 billion dollars in USAID-type programs, some of which are completely insane, and we need that money here in America to help Americans. Preserving Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid benefits, making the 2017 tax reform permanent so we don’t see a four-and-a-half trillion dollar tax increase.” Additionally, Moreno said it is a priority to “codify” DOGE cuts into law so that the cuts are “in there forever.” “I think if we can accomplish all that, combined with what President Trump’s already done with tariffs and trade and peace and the border, we will see the golden age of America by the end of the year in a way we’ve never seen.”
DOJ indicates Trump admin not obligated to return man deported to El Salvador, pushing back on judiciary
While a court ordered the U.S. government to pursue “steps to facilitate the return” of a Salvadoran man removed from the U.S. last month, the Justice Department asserted that federal courts do not have the authority to dictate to the executive branch how to handle foreign relations and that the order only requires removal of “domestic obstacles” that would hinder the man’s ability to return to the U.S. The legal wranglings concern Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who had been living in Maryland, but was removed from the U.S. last month. “Defendants understand ‘facilitate’ to mean what that term has long meant in the immigration context, namely actions allowing an alien to enter the United States. Taking ‘all available steps to facilitate’ the return of Abrego Garcia is thus best read as taking all available steps to remove any domestic obstacles that would otherwise impede the alien’s ability to return here,” a DOJ court filing declared. “On the flipside, reading ‘facilitate’ as requiring something more than domestic measures would not only flout the Supreme Court’s order, but also violate the separation of powers. The federal courts have no authority to direct the Executive Branch to conduct foreign relations in a particular way, or engage with a foreign sovereign in a given manner.” FEDERAL JUDGE HAMMERS DOJ ON WHEREABOUTS OF ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER FOLLOWING SCOTUS ORDER Abrego Garcia has been accused of being an MS-13 gang member, but his legal challenge has denied that allegation. “On March 15, although ICE was aware of his protection from removal to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia was removed to El Salvador because of an administrative error,” according to a DOJ court filing. Evan Katz, who identified himself as “Assistant Director for the Removal Division, within the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO),” addressed the issue in a court filing. “Although Abrego-Garcia has an order of removal issued by an immigration judge, I understand that he should not have been removed to El Salvador because the immigration judge had also granted Abrego-Garcia withholding of removal to El Salvador. However, I also understand that Abrego Garcia is no longer eligible for withholding of removal because of his membership in MS-13 which is now a designated foreign terrorist organization,” Katz declared. FEDERAL JUDGE CALLS DEPORTATION OF SALVADORAN MAN IN MARYLAND ‘WHOLLY LAWLESS’ After the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ordered the U.S. “to facilitate and effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S., the Supreme Court called for the lower court to clarify the instruction. “The order properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador. The intended scope of the term ‘effectuate’ in the District Court’s order is, however, unclear, and may exceed the District Court’s authority. The District Court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs,” the Supreme Court noted. The lower court then called for defendants to “take all available steps to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States as soon as possible.” TRUMP INVITES EL SALVADOR’S BUKELE TO WHITE HOUSE FOR ‘WORKING VISIT’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Abrego Garcia, whose wife is a U.S. citizen, is being held in El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center. “It is my understanding based on official reporting from our Embassy in San Salvador that Abrego Garcia is currently being held in the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador. He is alive and secure in that facility. He is detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador,” Michael Kozak, senior bureau official in the bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the State Department, noted in a filing. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is visiting President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.
Top US hospital hit with scathing ad campaign over ‘extreme woke’ agenda: ‘Politics over patients’
FIRST ON FOX: Consumers’ Research, a leading nonprofit dedicated to consumer information, is launching an advertising campaign against one of the top healthcare systems in the United States, accusing it of prioritizing “woke” politics over patient care. Consumers’ Research is targeting Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan, with a campaign called “Ford Health Exposed” that includes a website where the group says it is spotlighting “how Henry Ford is putting politics over patients by weaving discriminatory practices into everything it does, administering harmful transgender treatments on kids, and prioritizing a radical climate agenda.” The website points out that the Henry Ford Health website is littered with examples of “woke” ideology being promoted, including DEI, which the hospital has said is “woven into the fabric of everything we do.” “Diversity always will be the foundation on which Henry Ford Health stands,” the organization’s website states. VANDERBILT MED CENTER ‘HIDING’ DEI RESOURCES BEHIND PASSWORD-PROTECTED WEB PAGES: REPORT The website also openly promotes its use of “unconscious bias training” as well as Employee Resource Groups to promote its “diversity” agenda that it says will “enhance the quality of care and comfort for each person that we serve.” The healthcare system also promotes what it describes on its website as “supplier diversity,” where it prioritizes working with businesses that are at least 51% owned by LGBTQ+ persons or certain minority categories. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are simply not enough,” Kimberlydawn Wisdom, senior vice president of community health and equity and chief wellness and diversity officer at Henry Ford Health, said in a 2021 newsletter posted on the provider’s website. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion alone can only mitigate the damage of the past. To prevent the mistakes of the past from burdening our communities in the future, our ultimate destination must be justice.” ‘WOKEST HOSPITAL IN AMERICA?’: TOP HOSPITAL HIT WITH BLISTERING AD EXPOSING ‘POLITICAL AGENDA’ Dr. Maureen Connolly, a pediatrician and LGBTQ+ specialist with HFH, wrote an article promoting transgender treatment on kids, which stated, “Gender-affirming medical therapy and supported social transition in childhood have been shown to correlate with improved psychological functioning for gender-variant children and adolescents.” Connolly also promoted “gender exploration” in another article posted on the HFH website that says, “If your daughter says she feels like a boy inside, let her cut her hair, call her by a different name and switch up her wardrobe.” In addition to the agenda promoted on the website, Henry Ford Health is facing accusations of providing gender treatment to children. The hospital has engaged in sex change treatment, surgeries and puberty blocker treatment in recent years, according to a database compiled by Stop The Harm. Fox News Digital reached out to Henry Ford Health for comment, but the hospital did not respond to the media inquiry. However, the hospital did delete several DEI sections from its website over the last 24 hours that were archived by Fox News Digital. The ad campaign charges that HFH is “pushing irreversible sex changes on kids.” In 2023, the Ruth Ellis Center nominated HFH for the Ludwig Community Benefit Award for “improving the well-being of their community by delivering integrated healthcare and social services to LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) youth in Detroit.” “In 2022, Henry Ford providers at Ruth Ellis facilities cared for more than 700 LGBTQ+ patients, including 429 transgender young adults, over the course of more than 6,800 medical visits,” a press release touting the partnership between the two entities stated. “The health and wellness centers have been a source of primary care, gender affirming care, comprehensive sexual health services including HIV prevention and treatment, and behavioral health services for dozens of adolescents and young adults.” HFH has also been involved in promoting a liberal climate agenda that included spending millions of dollars last year, according to its own website, to create and promote the Central Energy Hub as part of a push for net zero emissions. HFH also partnered with an energy company in 2021, according to a press release on the website. “Sustainability is an integral part of building strong, healthy communities,” Bob Riney, Henry Ford Health System’s president of healthcare operations and chief operations officer, said in the release. “At Henry Ford, health equity is at the foundation of everything we do. It’s an unfortunate fact that low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by poor environmental conditions, which are exacerbated by climate change. By investing in clean, renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure, we aim to address health disparities and the growing impacts of climate change regionwide, especially in our historically marginalized communities.” The Consumers’ Research campaign will also include mobile billboards outside of hospital locations in Detroit and Macomb, a billboard near the state capitol in Lansing, and chalk stencils around the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. “Henry Ford Health is prioritizing politics over patients,” Will Hild, Consumers’ Research executive director, told Fox News Digital. “Driven by gender ideology, Henry Ford has continued performing deeply harmful and irreversible sex-change treatments on children and must be stopped,” “The hospital’s deliberate mutilation of confused children’s bodies is being done in direct defiance of President Trump’s orders to eliminate the vile practice for good. Henry Ford Health has also committed to embedding DEI into every facet of its operation, elevating a radical ideological agenda above its fundamental duty to provide excellent scientific-based care,” Hild continued. “Considering how many resources Henry Ford has squandered on needless, extreme woke programs, the hospital has rendered itself almost indistinguishable from an activist group, not only spewing radical left-wing talking points but actively imposing these ideologies onto patients and staff. Rather than change course, Henry Ford Health has chosen to wear its transgressions with pride, a chilling testament to how far it has strayed from its original purpose. Consumers’ Research will continue to put these hospitals on blast for putting a woke agenda over patient care.”
Florida’s largest Venezuelan stronghold poised to join forces with ICE: report
The city of Doral, Florida, a key hub for Venezuelan immigrants, is poised to ink an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would allow the city’s law enforcement to carry out some immigration-enforcement operations. Members of the Doral City Council are expected to authorize a partnership with ICE through the 287(g) program on Wednesday, which would allow Doral police officers to carry out limited immigration enforcement, such as detentions, questioning and processing those suspected of breaking federal immigration laws, according to a report by the Miami Herald. The news comes as President Donald Trump has continued his push to ramp up deportation efforts across the country, an effort that has included the courting of several local law enforcement agencies to assist federal immigration authorities. BLUE STATE SHERIFFS COMBINE FORCES TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST SANCTUARY LAWS The inclusion of Doral in the effort would mark a seemingly surprising turn, with the city being home to one of the largest populations of Venezuelan immigrants in the country. That fact has sparked concern among many in the local population, most notably about potential racial profiling, though city officials have attempted to ease fears and said the partnership will focus strictly on lawful enforcement. “The intention isn’t to detain anyone based on how they look,” Council Member Rafael Pineyro told the Miami Herald. “We are obligated to follow federal and state laws, but the goal is not to target individuals based on appearance. Our focus remains on lawful enforcement, not profiling.” The 287(g) agreement being inked by Doral has seen widespread use in multiple states since Trump took office in January, allowing cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and ICE. SCOOP: ARIZONA TO BEGIN REMOVING AS MANY AS 50K NONCITIZENS FROM VOTER ROLLS FOLLOWING LAWSUIT One part of the program focuses on identifying and processing illegal immigrants who are already in custody and eligible for deportation. Another part allows for local law enforcement to support ICE deportation operations in the field. The program permits some local law enforcement officers to participate in a 40-hour ICE training session, while also requiring that the local agencies keep in regular contact with ICE when carrying out immigration enforcement. Doral’s involvement in the program comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has encouraged local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The report notes that Florida law requires enforcement agencies in charge of county jails to be enrolled in 287(g) programs. Local activists continue to push back against the potential agreement. “By transforming local law enforcement into instruments of the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement, Doral’s elected officials have broken the trust of the city’s large Venezuelan community,” Adelys Ferro, the executive director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, told the Miami Herald. “The community relies on the police for protection, not persecution.”
4 things to know about the young conservative anti-crime president of Ecuador who was just re-elected
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa – who’s served just 16 months after a 2023 snap election – is now projected to serve a full four-year term after Sunday’s contest. Noboa, a 37-year-old heir to a fortune built on the banana trade, received 55.8% of the vote with more than 92% of ballots counted, according to Ecuador’s National Electoral Council. Leftist lawyer Luisa González, a protégée of former President Rafael Correa, earned 44% in Sunday’s runoff election, but she demanded a recount, alleging “grotesque” election fraud. President Donald Trump congratulated Noboa on Truth Social, sharing a link to the BBC’s reporting of the center-right leader as the run-off election winner. “Congratulations to Daniel Noboa, who will be a great leader for the wonderful people of Ecuador. He will not let you down!” Trump wrote. Noboa, considered a pro-Trump conservative, and González, an ideological ally of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, competed in the October 2023 runoff of a snap election triggered by the decision of then-President Guillermo Lasso to dissolve the National Assembly. Sunday marks the third consecutive time that the party of Correa, the country’s most influential president this century, failed to return to the presidency. ECUADOR RE-ELECTS PRESIDENT DANIEL NOBOA AMID NATIONWIDE UNEASE OVER CRIME The president declared a state of emergency in seven of its 24 provinces the day before the election, citing increased cartel violence. González alleged voter suppression. Here are four things to know about the re-elected leader of the South American country. Under Noboa’s watch, the homicide rate dropped from 46.18 per 100,000 people in 2023, to 38.76 per 100,000 people in 2024. But despite the decrease, the rate remained far higher than the 6.85 homicides per 100,000 people seen in 2019. Noboa, billed as a law-and-order president, is expected to continue applying some of his no-holds-barred crime-fighting strategies that part of the electorate finds appealing but which have tested the limits of laws and norms of governing. He declared Ecuador to be in a state of “internal armed conflict” in January 2024, allowing him to deploy thousands of soldiers to the streets to combat gangs and to charge people with terrorism counts for alleged ties to organized crime groups. Ecuador started 2025 with its bloodiest beginning on record, averaging a murder every hour, according to CBS News. The South American country has erupted in drug-trafficking-related violence in the last five years, the New York Times reported, citing how overcrowded jails, corruption and underfunding have resulted in gangs with international backing taking hold. Noboa has defended ordering an April 2024 raid on the Mexican Embassy in Quito to apprehend former vice president Jorge Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive who had been hiding there for months. Further, Noboa entrusted presidential powers while campaigning earlier this year to a government official, unelected Vice President Verónica Abad, as required by the Ecuadorian Code of Democracy. Last month, Noboa called on U.S., European and Brazilian soldiers to support the Ecuadorian police and military in their “war” against criminal gangs, according to the BBC. He called on the Trump administration, which has designated Tren de Aragua, of Venezuela, and MS-13, of Mexico, as foreign terrorist organizations, to do the same for cartels in Ecuador. “I would be glad if he considers Los Lobos, Los Choneros, Los Tiguerones as terrorist groups because that’s what they really are,” he told the BBC in March. Noboa said 70% of the world’s cocaine exits through Ecuadorian ports, arguing that “international forces” are necessary to combat what started as “criminal gangs” in the country, but have devolved into “international narco-terrorist” groups. FEARS OF ANOTHER NARCO-STATE RISE AS LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY READIES FOR PIVOTAL VOTE During his brief first term, Noboa has sought to establish a friendly relationship with the Trump administration. Grace Jaramillo, an Andean region expert and professor at the University of British Columbia, told the Associated Press these efforts played a role in some voters’ decisions. “The majority of Ecuadorians have migrant relatives and know well that a scenario with González, a leftist, would be terrible for deportations,” Jaramillo told the AP. “It’s an issue that touches every middle- and working-class home… Showing closeness to Trump was crucial for many families.” Ecuadorian officials communicated to Trump allies last month an interest in hosting a U.S. military base in the South American country, as well as negotiating a free trade deal, Reuters reported. Ecuador was exempt from Trump’s tariff rollout last week. In February, Ecuador levied a 27% tariff on Mexico. A U.S. intelligence assessment conducted days before Sunday’s runoff found that the re-election of incumbent Noboa over González, of the Citizen Revolution party, would better serve American interests over the next four years, CBS News reported. One U.S. intelligence official declined to detail the discussions but told CBS that “the goal of any partnership or U.S. presence in Ecuador would likely be towards kinetically going after criminal organizations, not simply just a training mission.” Correa ordered the U.S. military out of Ecuador in 2014, the BBC reported. Lasso, and then Noboa, resumed cooperation with the U.S. military a decade later. Noboa is the Miami-born heir to a fortune built on the banana trade – the country’s main crop. He opened an event-organizing company when he was 18 and then joined his father’s Noboa Corp., where he held management positions in the shipping, logistics and commercial areas. His first foray into politics was his stint as a lawmaker. In 2023, he became the youngest person elected president of Ecuador at a time when killings, kidnappings, robberies and other criminal activities had become a part of everyday life in the country once considered the “island of peace” in South America. The spike in violence is tied to the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Mexican, Colombian and Balkan cartels have set down roots in Ecuador and operate with assistance from local criminal gangs. In August 2023, then-presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated. In the months leading up to
Educators hope ‘abysmal’ national literacy rates will be addressed now that DEI, gender ideology out the door
FIRST ON FOX: A Texas-driven campaign to tackle children’s “abysmal” literacy rates over recent decades is hoping to go national, as President Donald Trump rolls back DEI initiatives and curbs progressive gender ideology that has taken center stage in recent years. “Literacy has taken a backseat, and it’s because people don’t know our kids can’t read,” said Pete Geren, former secretary of the Army and a former Democratic congressman from Texas. “I make a lot of public presentations. I meet with elected officials, state reps, who you know it’s really a state issue. They have no awareness of this.” At Grade Level, a Texas-based organization behind the “Have Your Child Read to You” campaign, is partnering with Geren – a former state lawmaker from the ’90s and now president and CEO of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation – who is a well-known advocate for public education. RED STATES GET IN LINE WITH TRUMP’S DEI BAN IN SCHOOLS AS COMPLIANCE DEADLINE NEARS “The federal government has told us over and over and over that most of our kids cannot read proficiently, and it has never led to a literacy movement in this country,” Geren said. Geren and At Grade Level are urging parents to do a simple task: ask their children to read out loud to them to see if they are learning proficiently in school. Only 43% of more than 170,000 students are reading at proficient grade level, according to state test scores in Fort Worth, and close to 100% of parents believe their children can read at grade level. The numbers on a national scale show a similar trend. TRUMP ADMIN WARNS STATES TO COMPLY WITH HOUSING PRISONERS BY THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX OR FACE FUNDING CUTOFF “It’s our goal to build awareness,” Geren said. “The missing link in the political movement is the parents… if they know, everything will change. Parents will do anything for their kids, and they’ll fix this problem at home and at the governmental level.” Reading proficiency among eighth graders dropped to 67%, the lowest in 32 years, while only 60% of fourth graders met basic reading standards, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Only 67% of eighth-graders met or exceeded basic reading skills on the 2024 NAEP exam, down 2 percentage points from 1992 when the testing began. The NAEP, often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, is the gold standard for measuring student academic performance. And poor literacy rates are closely tied to crime, according to At Grade Level, reporting that approximately 80% of Texas prison inmates are functionally illiterate. “We’ve got the district attorney, we’ve got the county judge, and so many leaders coming out because of the connection to crime,” Geren said. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DOLED OUT OVER $200M TO UNIVERSITIES TO INJECT DEI INTO COUNSELING COURSES: REPORT In February, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said at a press conference that the statistics “paint a stark, tragic picture of our present situation, but that doesn’t have to be our future.” “Many of the people incarcerated right now are there, in part, because of that lack of proper literacy levels that they did not receive when they were young,” Noakes said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump signed executive orders to eliminate DEI programs and gender ideology instruction in K-12 schools in January. Two months later, he moved to significantly downsize the Department of Education to shift more control over education back to the states. While downsizing the department, Trump criticized the billions of dollars funneled into the public education system while students’ test scores in core subjects have continued to plummet. “We want great education. So they rank 40 countries in education, we’re ranked dead last, but the good news is we’re number one in one category. You know what that is? Cost per pupil,” Trump told Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy at a press conference in February. “We spend more per pupil than any other country in the world.” U.S. federal, state and local governments collectively spend about $857.2 billion annually on K-12 public education. Despite a record $190 billion in federal aid since the pandemic, students’ academic performance has seen little improvement. An analysis by The New York Times in March found that, since the pandemic, students have fallen behind by more than half a year in math and also struggled in reading and science.
‘Hateful and horrific’: Shapiro governor’s mansion fire prompts outcry from lawmakers
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle were quick to condemn acts of violence after a man was arrested for allegedly setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside. “There is no place in our society for political violence and actions like this. I’m praying for Governor Shapiro and his family — and hope the heroes in PA law enforcement bring those responsible to justice,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said in a statement following the attack. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., wrote on X, “The attack on Governor Shapiro and his family on the first night of Passover is hateful and horrific. I am grateful for their safety and sending love to him and his family.” Cody Balmer, 38, will face charges including attempted murder, terrorism and aggravated arson, officials said at a press conference Sunday. PENNSYLVANIA POLICE ARREST SUSPECT AFTER GOVERNOR’S MANSION SET ON FIRE WHILE GOV JOSH SHAPIRO, FAMILY SLEPT Authorities say he “actively evaded” law enforcement stationed at the mansion and “forcibly entered” to set the blaze. Images released publicly of the aftermath showed ash-covered rooms and extensive fire damage. Shapiro, who is Jewish, said he and his family were woken up around 2 a.m. to evacuate their home after celebrating the first night of Passover. No one was injured, however, the potential 2028 presidential nominee said. It is notable that, in the current hyper-partisan environment, Republicans and Democrats were quick to condemn the alleged violence — and not on dissimilar lines. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., called the incident “deeply disturbing and very scary” and called for the culprit’s prosecution “to the fullest extent of the law.” On the opposite side of the aisle, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., similarly said, “Political violence of any kind is never acceptable, and it is especially unconscionable to attack a Jewish family during the first night of Passover. Everyone responsible must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation also showed a united front, with former House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., writing on X, “Glad to learn that the Governor and his family are safe after this inexcusable and terrifying incident.” JOSH SHAPIRO TELLS MAHER HE’S ‘DAMN PROUD’ OF BEING JEWISH, DODGES WHETHER IT FACTORED INTO VP SNUB IN 2024 Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., a member of the progressive “Squad,” called for a “swift investigation.” “This must be condemned without hesitation, and the cowardly criminals responsible must face the full force of the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. “We must remember: what unites us as a community — and as a country — will always be greater than anything that seeks to divide us. That is the strength of America. And together is the only way we move forward.” Additionally, Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., responded to images of the fire damage, “This type of violence cannot be tolerated and the criminals responsible must be prosecuted for these deplorable actions.”
‘Rules for thee’: Senate DOGE leader seeks crackdown on tax-dodging government workers
EXCLUSIVE: As Tax Day approaches, the Senate’s DOGE leader announced a new effort Monday aimed at cracking down on federal bureaucrats who have racked up billions in unpaid taxes. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is introducing the Tax Delinquencies and Overdue Debts are Government Employees’ Responsibility (Tax DODGER) Act in response to reports of tax scofflaws within the bureaucracy the taxes themselves are supposed to bankroll. The Tax DODGER Act would require the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to publish an annual report on tax delinquencies of current and retired federal employees, including those who failed to file a 1040 or other tax return. “It is outrageous that while hardworking Americans fork over their money to Uncle Sam, nearly 150,000 bureaucrats refuse to pay their own taxes,” Ernst told Fox News Digital. LAWMAKERS TAKE ACTION AFTER REPORT SHOWS BIDEN-ERA SBA FAILED TO PROBE 2 MILLION ALLEGED COVID AID FRAUDSTERS The bill also establishes a new section in the law that could consider a federal job applicant ineligible for hire if they have “seriously delinquent” tax debt, unless already granted a hardship exemption. “If you don’t pay taxes, you should not work for the federal government,” Ernst said. “I am ending the ‘rules for thee, but not for me’ mentality in Washington.” Ernst highlighted a recent Treasury Inspector General report showing that while 96% of IRS employees were found to be tax-compliant, more than 2,000 employees had past-due balances totaling more than $12 million as of the end of last year. Meanwhile, a 2023 IRS report found 149,000 total federal employees owed $1.5 billion in tax liabilities for fiscal year 2021. SENATE DOGE LEADER SAYS TRUMP ‘ALREADY RACKING UP WINS’ She wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in March that Americans and many lawmakers had “lost confidence in the IRS” and that he had an opportunity as the agency’s new ultimate boss to address several issues that don’t need congressional approval. The lawmaker referenced past political weaponization of the agency – such as when Obama-era staffer Lois Lerner allegedly targeted conservative groups – as well as upgrading the IRS’ reportedly outdated technology. As part of her initial effort last fall to forge a working relationship with DOGE leader Elon Musk, Ernst similarly launched a call for an audit of the IRS. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP If passed, the bill would require that reports on tax-scofflaw bureaucrats be sent on an annual basis to the Office of Personnel Management, Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and House Oversight Committee. Additionally, any agency leader may take personnel action up to and including the firing of a federal employee if there is administrative or judicial determination they understated their tax liability or failed to file a return.
UK urged to align with Trump on China or lose favored status in Washington
As President Donald Trump reshapes American foreign policy around hard-nosed deals and national self-interest, a new report warns the UK must rethink its strategy to preserve its “special relationship” – or risk being sidelined in Washington. Darren Spinck, a fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, cautions that there will be no “business as usual” under Trump and that the “special relationship” between the U.S. and UK can no longer be taken for granted. To remain a key ally, Spinck argues in a new report, Britain must embrace Trump’s “transactional” approach to foreign policy. “Choosing not to retaliate” against Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs may signal a “strategic patience that may facilitate bilateral negotiations,” the report states. It outlines steps that Prime Minister Keir Starmer could take to align with the Trump administration and pursue a U.S.-UK free trade deal, including deeper security cooperation and a tougher stance on China. Trump recently imposed 10% across-the-board tariffs on foreign nations and paused harsher levies he earlier proposed on every nation except China. CHINESE OFFICIALS CLAIMED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS PRC PLAYED ROLE IN US CYBERATTACKS: REPORT Another path, the report suggests, could involve the UK seeking accession to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the North American trade bloc, as a way to deepen economic ties with the United States. The report also urges the UK Labour Party leadership to “reduce commercial dependency on the PRC rather than deepening it,” warning that closer economic ties with Beijing could strain U.S.-UK relations under Trump. Spinck contrasted the Trump administration’s focus on “bilateralism, economic nationalism, and Indo-Pacific security” with the Starmer government’s preference for “multilateral diplomacy, progressive trade policies, and European security commitments.” “This policy gap threatens transatlantic cohesion, weakening their collective ability to act against common adversaries, particularly China,” he warned. Divergent policies on China, NATO commitments and Indo-Pacific strategy could erode Five Eyes intelligence sharing, which is key to UK national security. Spinck called on the British government to strike a deal with the U.S. that addresses the White House’s digital privacy concerns – particularly after the UK ordered Apple to grant security agencies access to encrypted cloud data – and to launch a mineral mining partnership to bolster critical supply chains. Whereas the previous conservative UK government deemed China its “greatest state-based threat,” the current liberal leadership has “reversed the course of the previous three Conservative Party Governments and has sought to strengthen economic ties with Beijing,” according to Spink. He said the UK had recently advanced Beijing’s access to Western capital markets and re-established bilateral frameworks on industrial, trade and energy policy with China. “One must wonder why London appears eager to expand economic ties with China – a country widely criticized for its human rights record – while the UK’s development finance institution has been less inclined to support international infrastructure development or mining projects in other regions.” UK PRIME MINISTER TO ADMIT ‘GLOBALIZATION IS OVER’ IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP TARIFFS: REPORT “As the Trump Administration seeks to further accelerate America’s decoupling from targeted CCP economic and technology sectors, the US feels that the Labour Government’s apparent rapprochement with Beijing, after years of cautious relations following the PRC’s 2020 breach of the Sino–British Joint Declaration, could unnecessarily complicate the “Special Relationship,” Spink wrote. He said that critical issues “requiring transatlantic cooperation,” such as a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, are “at risk” if the U.S. and the UK are not aligned on China policy. The UK must also set aside its disagreements over U.S. domestic policy, according to Spinck, due to the more urgent need for security cooperation. “As the Labour Government works with President Trump’s Administration, it should realize its views on a wide range of policies, including immigration, climate policy, digital privacy and welfare benefits, are vastly different,” he wrote. He said such “fractures” like the UK government’s demand for backdoor access to Apple’s encrypted cloud storage “have begun to define the overall relationship between the two allies, impacting the potential for foreign policy alignment.” “Overcoming these cultural differences requires a shift to a more transactional model of foreign policy cooperation. Britain needs to take an active role in re-setting this agenda, pushing questions of domestic ideology to the margins in favor of solid, mutually beneficial measures.” The UK could also signal goodwill by taking a tougher diplomatic stance on Iran. Spinck urged London to help close the “transatlantic divide” on Iran policy, which he said has “disrupted attempts to forge a coherent approach to stopping Iran’s nuclear progress.” While the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed sweeping sanctions, the UK remained a party and declined to trigger snapback sanctions – even amid reports that Iran had violated the agreement and was enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels. Spink also urged the UK to join the U.S. in designating Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Such moves, he argued, “would also be seen as a victory for the long-established Trump policy on Iran – one that would cost the UK nothing and would generate much goodwill in Washington, D.C.”