Former Harris 2024 advisor sends warning to Democrats in audience for Trump speech: ‘Do not do dumb sh–‘
A former top official for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign is warning Democrats not to cause a stir at President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress. “Democrats: PLEASE do not do dumb sh– like this during Trump’s speech,” former Harris 2024 senior advisor Ian Sams posted on X Tuesday, hours before President Trump delivered his joint address to Congress. Sams was responding to an Axios report that revealed Democrats were “floating” the idea of bringing props to Trump’s speech, including anti-Trump signs, egg cartons to highlight the current costs of eggs, pocket Constitutions to protest DOGE or hand clappers. Earlier, the White House brushed off reports that some Democrats in Congress are discussing plans to go further than ever to protest and even disrupt Trump’s speech. ‘SHE’S REALLY THIS DUMB’: HOUSE DEM RIPPED AFTER CALLING TRUMP ‘ENEMY OF THE UNITED STATES’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital Trump is prepared for whatever the Democrats throw at him. “Democrats behaving like children would be the least surprising news of the night,” Leavitt told Fox News Digital. ELON MUSK TAKES AIM AT NATIONAL DEBT, WARNS OF ‘DE FACTO BANKRUPTCY’ WITHOUT DOGE: ‘$2 TRILLION IN DEFICITS’ TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS Axios reported that some Democrats may even walk out of the speech if Trump makes a comment they find offensive. “The part that we all agree on is that this is not business as usual, and we would like to find a way — productively — to express our outrage,” one lawmaker told Axios. White House officials exclusively told Fox News Digital earlier this week that the speech, “The Renewal of the American Dream,” will feature four main sections — accomplishments from Trump’s second term thus far at home and abroad, what the Trump administration has done for the economy, the president’s renewed push for Congress to pass additional funding for border security and the president’s plans for peace around the globe. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Singman contributed to this report
Conservatives flip script on Senate Dems pushing identical talking points against Trump: ‘Like robots’
Conservatives on social media slammed Senate Democrats for posting videos with identical scripts ahead of President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress Tuesday night. Mashups of the identical videos, which included Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., leading the “Sh– That Ain’t True” social media campaign, have gone viral on social media. Many conservatives on social media, including Elon Musk, are asking, “Who is writing the words that the puppets speak? That’s the real question.” Senators Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., led the charge with their matching social media videos this morning. About two dozen Senate Democrats have since followed with their own identical posts. The video begins with a clip of Trump vowing to “bring prices down starting on day one” followed by a cut-in of the Senate Democrats saying: “Sh– That Ain’t True? That’s what you just heard.” KAROLINE LEAVITT SENDS MESSAGE TO DEMS WHO MAY DISRUPT TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS “Since Day One of Donald Trump’s presidency, prices are up, not down. Inflation is getting worse, not better. Prices of groceries, gas, housing, rent, eggs – they’re all getting more expensive. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has done nothing to lower costs for you,” the Democrats said in near-perfect unison. The social media campaign reflects the Democratic National Committee’s broader media strategy ahead of Trump’s joint address to Congress. The DNC directed Democrats to focus their message on the economy tonight, advising Democrats to tell voters that Trump is breaking his promise to lower prices and boost America’s economy while promoting his billionaire cabinet. REP. JASMINE CROCKETT CALLS PRESIDENT TRUMP AN ‘ENEMY TO THE UNITED STATES’ “The truth hurts sometimes. Donald Trump promised to lower prices ‘on day one’ of his presidency but has failed to do so. Instead, inflation has accelerated, costs are rising and Trump’s actions are making things worse. Democrats are highlighting Trump’s failures and speaking with a unified voice. And we’re grateful that Elon Musk lifted our voices higher,” a Booker spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Every time Fox News plays this video, an angel gets its wings. We hope you will keep playing it,” a Schumer spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Democrats all spewing the same scripted talking points like robots,” conservative influencer Tim Pool posted on X. “This is extremely dangerous to our democracy.” “These political dinosaurs need to realize that the propaganda that was once fed to various local news outlets doesn’t work in the era of X,” communications strategist Erica Knight posted on X. “Weird,” North Carolina Republican Congresswoman Virgina Foxx posted on X. Sen. Warren did not respond to a Fox News Digital media inquiry before publication.
Who is Andrew Lennox, the veteran appearing beside Slotkin during Democrat rebuttal?
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., will be accompanied Tuesday night during her rebuttal speech to President Donald Trump’s address to Congress by Andrew Lennox, a Marine Corps veteran and former Veterans Affairs employee who was among the many probationary employees whose jobs were abruptly terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in February. Lennox, a U.S. Marine mortarman veteran with deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to Mother Jones, started his role at the Department of Veterans Affairs Office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in December 2024 — roughly two months before DOGE began its firing of probationary employees across the federal government. His decadelong tenure as a Marine — which Lennox has described as the “greatest job” he’s ever had — and his abrupt firing by DOGE is expected to be a major theme of Slotkin’s speech, which will focus on the sharp reductions to the federal workforce, including former U.S. service members. THEME OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS REVEALED Lennox, for his part, said he was notified about his firing in a Feb. 13 email, which read in part: “The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.” He provided a copy of the email to local news outlets and members of Congress who criticized DOGE’s decision to cut VA jobs as part of its effort to trim federal spending. While the email suggested Lennox had been fired for his performance, he told news outlets later that he had never received a performance evaluation during his two-month tenure. TOP OFFICIAL AT FBI NEW YORK FIELD OFFICE FORCED TO RETIRE Lennox said he later realized it was identical to the emails received by other VA colleagues cut by DOGE. “Every single person got the same copy-and-pasted email,” he told Mother Jones in a February interview. “There were people that were on probationary periods because they were recently promoted for outstanding performance,” he said. “That’s what really angered me, everybody else that had been there for a long time.” Lennox later found out he was among roughly 1,000 employees DOGE abruptly fired at the VA. That news was noted by DOGE in a press release the following day, announcing the layoffs of “non-bargaining unit probationary employees who have served less than a year in a competitive service appointment or who have served less than two years in an excepted service appointment.” While DOGE said the personnel cuts will save the department more than $98 million annually, Lennox has taken issue with the manner in which the VA employees were notified — as well as prospects for continued care and services for veterans. “If you want to lay me off as an in a reduction of force, please do that, but give us the time to prepare for a proper transition so that the veterans don’t suffer from this,” Lennox told a local news outlet in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Slotkin, a former House member and CIA analyst, likely will focus a portion of her speech on the sharp reductions DOGE has made to the federal workforce as it seeks to shrink the federal budget. In a press release announcing her rebuttal, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. said Slotkin “will offer a bold vision of hope, unity, and a brighter future for everyone, not just the wealthy few at the top.” Her remarks are slated to begin at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
DOGE slashes nearly $1M for alpaca farming in Peru, other questionable grants in latest wasteful spending cut
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Tuesday announced the cancelation of $4.5 million in grants, including one for alpaca farming in Peru, another for reducing social discrimination of recyclers in Bolivia and another for promoting cultural understanding of Venezuelan migrants in Brazil. The Inter-American Foundation, an agency given a $60 million budget to issue foreign grants, was reduced to its statutory minimum — one active employee, according to a statement from DOGE. Grants that were canceled in the process included $903,811 for alpaca farming in Peru, $364,500 to reduce social discrimination against recyclers in Bolivia, and $323,633 to promote cultural understanding of Venezuelan migrants in Brazil, according to DOGE. Other big ticket grants that were slashed included $813,210 for vegetable gardens in El Salvador, $731,105 to improve the marketability of mushrooms and peas in Guatemala, $677,342 to expand fruit and jam sales in Honduras, $483,345 to improve artisanal salt production in Ecuador and $39,250 for beekeeping in Brazil. DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY DOGE, led by Elon Musk, is a temporary organization within the White House created via executive order earlier this year. President Donald Trump tasked the organization with optimizing the federal government, streamlining operations, and slashing spending — and gave them just 18 months to do it. OPM’S SECOND EMAIL TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ASKS WHAT THEY DID LAST WEEK—AND ADDS A NEW REQUIREMENT: REPORT As of March 4, DOGE’s website claims 2,334 contract terminations totaling $8 billion in savings, 3,489 grant terminations for roughly $10 billion in savings, and 748 lease terminations totaling about $660 million in lease savings. It also claims to have saved about $105 billion from a “combination of fraud detection/deletion, contract/lease cancelations, contract/lease renegotiation, asset sales, grant cancelations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes and regulatory savings.” DOGE critics allege the organization has too much access to federal systems and should not be permitted to cancel federal contracts or make cuts at various agencies. It canceled numerous diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at federal agencies, consulting contracts, leases for underused federal buildings, and duplicate agencies and programs. The Inter-American Foundation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Tuesday. Fox News Digital’s Eric Revell contributed to this report.
Lawmakers reveal top issues they want Trump to hammer home during joint address to Congress
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill who spoke to Fox News Digital revealed the issues they would like President Donald Trump to discuss during his address to Congress on Tuesday night. Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech at 9 p.m. Tuesday to a joint session of Congress, meaning both members of the House and the Senate will convene at the U.S. Capitol to hear the president speak. Democrat lawmakers said the president should focus on costs during the speech, and they hope he “keeps it short.” “The economy, how we’re going to lower the cost of groceries,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital when asked what Trump should focus on. TRUMP TO DELIVER FIRST ADDRESS OF HIS SECOND TERM TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS “Actually doing something that is going to help lower the cost of living for the American people, something he promised to do, but since he’s become president, the cost of living has gone up for people,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “I hope he keeps it short, because he tends to keep it long-winded.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital that she had already heard the speech and that it is going to be “historic.” “I’ve heard the speech. It’s going to be incredible. It’s going to be epic. It’s going to be historic,” Mace told Fox. “You will laugh. You will cry. And you’ll question what the hell has been going on the last four years under the Joe Biden administration. The Democrats have lost their effing minds.” Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who voted to impeach Trump during his first term, said the president should focus on farmers, while Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., said the president should highlight “his vision for the country.” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., thinks the president should focus on the “promises made” and “promises kept” during his first month in the White House. PAYTON MCNABB, HS VOLLEYBALL PLAYER SEVERELY INJURED BY TRANS OPPONENT, TO BE AT TRUMP’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said Democrats are “not working with us at all” but that Trump has “got a great track record to celebrate” during his speech. Roy said he hopes to hear Trump talk about “what he’s accomplished the past month,” specifically the issue at the border. Some Democrats, such as Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said they will not attend the president’s speech, the first joint address of his second term.
DeSantis takes victory lap on Florida’s ‘momentous immigration legislation’ enforcing Trump agenda
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says that when it comes to implementing President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, Florida is “rocking and rolling.” Florida’s two-term conservative governor used a portion of his State of the State address on Tuesday to spotlight a sweeping package of immigration laws passed a few weeks ago during a special session of the GOP-dominated legislature. “We are convening for the regular legislative session having already enacted groundbreaking legislation to fulfill the historic mission of delivering on President Donald Trump’s mandate to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all,” DeSantis said in his address to lawmakers inside the state capitol in Tallahassee. FLORIDA SHOWDOWN: GOP STATE LAWMAKERS DEFY DESANTIS OVER IMMIGRATION PUSH And the governor touted that “no state has done more, and no state did it sooner than we did in Florida.” Florida’s new measures stiffen immigration enforcement by state and local law enforcement. ‘THANK YOU RON’ – TRUMP PRAISES DESANTIS IMMIGRATION PUSH IN FLORIDA “Thanks to the recent legislation, it is now a crime to enter Florida illegally, the days of catch and release are over, and all state and local law enforcement have a duty to assist in interior immigration enforcement efforts,” the governor emphasized. The new law also mandates the death penalty for immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization who commit capital offenses such as first-degree murder or child rape. The legislation goes even further than a slew of executive orders signed by Trump since his return to the White House in late January. Speaking with reporters following his speech, DeSantis described the new laws as “momentous immigration legislation” and touted that “we’ve gone so much faster than any other state.” The governor signed the immigration bills into law last month after a compromise with the Republican leaders of the legislature was brokered, which brought to an end a weekslong standoff over dueling bills. DeSantis called the original special legislative session, but lawmakers quickly gaveled out and then held a separate special session, where they passed their own immigration bills, which the governor criticized. DeSantis, reflecting Tuesday on the standoff with lawmakers, said “we got there. It wasn’t necessarily a straight shot, but we got there.” The governor, who waged a bitter and unsuccessful primary challenge against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was praised by the then-president-elect in January for calling the special session. “Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!” Trump wrote in a social media post after DeSantis announced the special session.
Supreme Court appears skeptical of Mexico’s lawsuit against American gunmakers
The U.S. Supreme Court looked skeptically Tuesday at Mexico’s efforts to hold American gunmakers legally responsible for their weapons being smuggled in and contributing to that country’s drug cartel violence. In a brisk 90-minute oral argument, the justices debated whether the production and sale of firearms in the United States is the “proximate cause” of alleged injuries to the Mexican government and its people, by somehow knowingly aiding and abetting illegal sales of guns to traffickers across the border. The U.S. neighbor to the south, which has strict gun sale restrictions, argues it should be allowed to file a $10 billion civil suit in American courts. DOD SENDS OVER 1,000 ADDITIONAL TROOPS TO HELP BOLSTER SOUTHERN BORDER EFFORTS But weapons manufacturers say their “routine business practices” are being unfairly targeted, and strongly deny being aware their products have been illegally transported into Mexico. Both sides of the bench asked tough questions. “We know that a straw seller is going to sell to someone who is going to use the gun illegally, because if they weren’t, they wouldn’t use the straw purchaser, and that illegal conduct is going to cause harm, and harm like this that the gun is going to be used in some way to injure people, correct?” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, summarizing Mexico’s legal position. “Your theory of aiding and abetting liability would have destructive effects on the American economy,” said Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “Lots of sellers and manufacturers of ordinary products know that they’re going to be misused by some subset of people. They know that to a certainty, that it’s going to be pharmaceuticals, cars, what you can name, lots of products. So that’s a real concern.” The case comes to the high court during a delicate time for both countries, politically and diplomatically. The Trump administration has pushed the Mexican government to better patrol its border to block drugs and migrants from entering the United States, while Mexican officials have demanded the U.S. stop military-style firearms from ending up in Mexico – fueling the very drug crisis both sides seek to end. The public session arguments provide a high-profile American forum for Mexico and its complaints about its northern neighbor, just as the U.S. on Tuesday launched historic tariffs on Mexican imports. MEXICO’S PRESIDENT ON TRUMP TARIFFS: ‘NOBODY WINS’ The case could also affect the broader national debate over competing rights contained in the Second Amendment. A 2005 federal law known as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) was designed to shield gunmakers from civil suits when their products were criminally misused by others. But Mexico is relying on exceptions in the law to pursue its claims. Families of gun violence, like the parents of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, have since still tried to file such claims, but this will be the first time the Supreme Court will rule on its limits. Those families reached a $73 million out-of-court settlement with gunmaker Remington. Supporters of gun control argue a high court ruling against Mexico will make it harder for them to go after U.S. gunmakers when future mass shootings occur, if it can be proved they knowingly and foreseeably broke the law. Gun rights groups counter that a lawful, heavily regulated industry should not be subject to liability for criminal acts committed by armed gangs in another country. Known as the “Iron River,” anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 American-made guns are illegally trafficked into Mexico each year, according to U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimates. More than 70% of illegal guns seized in Mexico between 2013-18 were sold in the U.S., according to the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, named after former Rep. Gabby Giffords, severely wounded in a Tucson, Arizona-area mass shooting in 2011. Mexico has only one gun store – managed by the country’s military – with no private shops, gun shows or commercial manufacture of firearms. Court records show only 3,215 private gun licenses were issued in the country for low-caliber weapons as of the year 2018, and that illegal possession was the third leading cause of criminal imprisonment. Mexico is usually among the top three countries globally in annual gun deaths. Two weeks ago, the Trump administration designated six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Much of the oral arguments centered on whether gunmakers could be sued on the “proximate case” standard, when the complex commerce pipeline goes from them to wholesalers, distributors, rogue retail dealers, straw purchasers, smugglers, and then to Mexican cartels themselves. “You haven’t sued any of the retailers that were the most proximate cause of the harm,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett told Catherine Stetson, lawyer for Mexico. “And you haven’t identified them that I can tell in the complaint.” “All of the things that you asked for in this lawsuit would amount to different kinds of regulatory constraints that I’m thinking Congress didn’t want the courts to be the ones to impose,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, when it came to such remedies as gun distribution and marketing practices. But some on the court suggested the scope of the problem Mexico alleges has real consequences. “The complaint says that 2% of the guns manufactured in the United States find their way into Mexico,” asked Chief Justice John Roberts of the gunmakers’ attorney Noel Francisco. “And I know you dispute that, but is there a number where your legal analysis might have to be altered – if it’s 10%, if it’s 20%? At some point, the proximate cause lines that you draw really can’t bear the weight of the ultimate result.” The case is Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos (23-1141). A ruling is expected by late June.
Federal judge reverses Trump firing of federal employees’ appeal board chairwoman
The former chairwoman of a little-known agency that hears appeals by fired or disciplined federal government employees has been ordered reinstated to her position by a federal judge. Cathy Harris, a Democrat who led the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) until she was fired by President Donald Trump on Feb. 10, has been put back in her position after a judge issued a permanent injunction. Harris had filed an appeal the day after her sacking, arguing that Trump and other federal officials did not have the authority to terminate her and that an email outlining her dismissal showed no reason for cause to terminate her. She cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1935 ruling in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States that has limited a president’s ability to fire certain agency heads. Some justices on today’s 6-3 conservative-majority court have signaled a willingness to rein in or perhaps overturn that ruling. TRUMP FIRES 17 GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS AT VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Rudolph Contreras of the District of Columbia agreed with Harris and wrote that federal law states that members of the MSPB may be removed from office “only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” Contreras wrote that President Donald Trump informed Harris that her position on the MSPB was “terminated, effective immediately,” but provided no reason for Harris’s termination. Harris was appointed to the board in 2022 by former President Joe Biden for a 7-year term. The merit Systems Protection Board is the primary agency used by civil servants to file complaints within the federal government. Trump named Henry Kerner, a Republican, as its acting chair upon returning to the White House on Jan. 20. FEDERAL JUDGE HINTS SHE WILL CONTINUE BLOCKING TRUMP FROM FIRING HEAD OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION AGENCY Contreras further ordered that Harris shall continue to serve as a member of the MSPB until her term expires, unless she is earlier removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office under that statute. Contreras, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and has served on the court since 2012, initially agreed on Feb. 18 to issue a temporary restraining order for Harris to continue chairing the three-member board until the court decides her case. After a hearing on Monday, the judge issued a permanent injunction extending that previous order. “Harris has undoubtedly experienced an injury to this independence in her capacity as a member of the MSPB following the President’s attempt to terminate her without cause, and any future attempts would prove just as harmful to that autonomy,” the judge wrote. “In addition, unlike most other federal employees, Harris was duly appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to a position carrying a term of years with specific reasons for her removal.” The judge wrote that injunctive relief in this case is in the public interest, and the balance of the equities tips in Harris’s favor. “Given that federal law limits the conditions under which Harris’s tenure may be terminated, Supreme Court precedent supports the constitutionality of those conditions, and defendants do not argue that those conditions were met here, the court finds that it is in the public interest to issue injunctive relief,” the judge wrote. Government attorneys had argued that the court didn’t have the authority to reinstate Harris or bar Trump from replacing her on the board. “The American people elected President Trump to run the executive branch,” they wrote in court documents. “And President Trump has determined that keeping (Harris) in office no longer serves the best interests of the American people. That democratically accountable choice should be respected.” The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Noem says DHS will ‘not be deterred’ after ICE hit by new leaks ahead of Virginia raid
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday said her agency “will not be deterred” by leaks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid was leaked ahead of time — the latest leak to dog the agency. “We will not be deterred by leaks. If you come to this country and break our laws, we will hunt you down,” Noem said on X. She pointed to what she said was a successful operation that hauled in MS-13 and 18th Street gang members, as well as sex criminals. NEW HOUSE REPORT EXPOSES HOW CONTROVERSIAL ‘AMNESTY’ PROGRAM EXPLODED UNDER BIDEN Migrant Insider had reported on Sunday that raids were planned on Monday and Tuesday in Northern Virginia, and that the agency had obtained between 75 and 100 warrants. “Judicial warrants mean ICE can go into your homes, so plan accordingly,” the outlet’s editor, Pablo Manriquez, said on X. He later posted where they had been allegedly spotted in Northern Virginia. Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid also reported where ICE activity could be expected and urged followers to what they should do when approached by ICE. ICE MAKES MAJOR MOVE ON DETAINING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN HEART OF BLUE STATE The leaks drew anger from ICE, with one official telling Fox they feared it could result in an ICE agent being killed. Previous leaks to the news media have included raids in Los Angeles and Aurora, Colorado. Asked by Fox News Digital if he was hoping to prevent the raid or effect any other outcome, Manriquez told Fox News Digital that he was “just breaking news.” When asked why he thinks there have been so many leaks, Manriquez said he didn’t know the answer, but said, “If people wanna send me a scoop, I’m here for it.” He also rejected concerns that revealing the details of raids could result in agents getting harmed. “We break immigration news all the time. We follow this topic very closely and haven’t seen any reports of ICE being harmed,” he said. Border czar Tom Homan said last month that the administration was closing in on the individual responsible for the leak of the Aurora raid. Noem had pointed the finger at the FBI. “The FBI is so corrupt,” Noem wrote on X. “We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Homan confirmed last month that “some of the information we’re receiving tends to lead toward the FBI” and promised consequences for whoever is found responsible. Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed Homan’s concerns in a separate interview on “Fox Report.” “If anyone leaks anything, people don’t understand that it jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement,” Bondi said. “If you leaked it, we will find out who you are, and we will come after you.” Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Madison Colombo contributed to this report.
5 things to watch in Trump’s primetime address to Congress
President Donald Trump, the consummate showman, is hyping his primetime address Tuesday to a joint session of Congress. “TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!” the president touted in a social media post on the eve of his first major speech to Congress since the start of his second presidential administration six weeks ago. Trump has been moving at warp speed since returning to the White House on Jan. 20, and he is expected to use the closely watched address to tout his many accomplishments — some of which have been very controversial. During his first six weeks back in office, Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders and actions — 82 as of Tuesday, according to a Fox News count. His moves not only fulfilled some of his major campaign trail promises, but also allowed the returning president to flex his executive muscles, quickly putting his stamp on the federal government and making major cuts to the federal workforce, dramatically altering U.S. foreign policy, implementing steep tariffs on the nation’s top trading partners and also settling some long-standing grievances. TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS The president will tout his domestic and international accomplishments, spotlight what the Trump administration has done for the economy, make a renewed push for Congress to pass additional border security funding and detail his plans for peace around the globe, according to details from the White House that were shared first with Fox News. FIRST ON FOX: WHAT TRUMP WILL SAY IN HIS PRIMETIME SPEECH The theme of the speech is “The Renewal of the American Dream.” “The renewal of the American Dream is underway already. Look at all that President Trump has accomplished in his first month as president. He’s going to highlight some of those accomplishments,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said hours before the address in an appearance on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.” Here are five things to watch for when Trump speaks to Congress, the nation and the world. Trump will deliver his address hours after his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico — the nation’s neighbors and top trading partners — kicked in. FORMER PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHWRITERS ON WHAT TRUMP NEEDS TO SPELL OUT IN HIS ADDRESS The speech will likely offer him a platform to explain his controversial tariff moves, which have been widely panned by critics, and to outline how he will combat continued inflation. Democrats and even some Republicans warn that the tariffs could further boost inflation and raise prices even higher. Additionally, Democrats argue that “Donald Trump has done nothing to lower costs for you.” Inflation, which dogged former President Joe Biden for much of his four years in the White House, was a key issue that boosted Trump back to the presidency. However, Trump has not talked much about inflation since returning to power, other than to blame Biden for continued high prices. He has acknowledged that consumers could feel “some pain” from his tariffs but has said they are necessary to help boost the nation’s manufacturing. “IF COMPANIES MOVE TO THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE NO TARIFFS!!!,” Trump wrote in a social media post hours ahead of his address. Arguably the biggest attention-grabber during the opening weeks of Trump’s second administration has come from his recently created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump named Elon Musk — the world’s richest person and the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX — to steer DOGE. POLITICAL STRATEGISTS WEIGH IN ON WHAT TRUMP NEEDS TO DO IN HIS SPEECH DOGE has swept through federal agencies since Trump was inaugurated, rooting out what the White House argues was billions in wasteful federal spending. It has also taken a meat cleaver to the federal workforce, resulting in a massive and controversial downsizing of employees. The moves by DOGE have triggered a slew of lawsuits in response. Trump has defended and applauded the moves made by DOGE. While public opinion polling suggests that Americans approve of slashing government waste and shrinking a bloated bureaucracy, a growing number have a negative view of Musk and worry that he has too much power. The speech gives Trump an opportunity to explain Musk’s mission with DOGE. Trump is expected to detail his plan to end the war in Ukraine, which was triggered three years ago by Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. The speech comes four days after last week’s verbal clash in the Oval Office between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The tense meeting and Trump’s booting of the Ukrainians out of the White House, which put on hold a mineral resources deal between Washington and Kyiv, was seen as a key step toward reaching a deal to end the bloody war with Moscow. However, on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said he was ready for peace negotiations after a “regrettable” meeting in the White House. The speech gives Trump a platform to explain his diplomatic efforts and fend off criticism from Democrats and a handful of Republicans that he is reading out of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s playbook. “He’s going to dive into foreign policy – talk about his intention to end the war in Ukraine,” Leavitt said in her “Fox and Friends” interview. Trump told reporters on Monday that he would talk about the minerals deal in his address. Border security has long been Trump’s signature issue and was a key element in his successful 2024 campaign to win back the presidency, and since returning to the White House, the president has cracked down on illegal immigration. Trump suspended asylum efforts and launched a mass deportation program, but he and his administration want to speed up efforts, and he’ll use his speech to ask Congress for help. Leavitt highlighted that Trump is “going to make an ask of Congress tonight: We need more border funding to continue these deportations.” Which Donald Trump will show up in front of Congress; will it be a