NationalWatch

Democrats exploded in fury Friday after the Virginia Supreme Court struck down a party-backed redistricting map central to their midterm election strategy, with at least one prominent leftist voice going so far as to call violent revolution “inevitable.”

In a 4-3 decision, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a voter-approved map, which would give Democrats a 10-1 advantage in U.S. House races, violated the state’s constitution because of procedural errors in the map’s passage. Virginia voters will cast ballots in the 2026 midterms using the same district maps from the 2022 and 2024 elections, which Democrats currently hold 6-5.

But Democratic lawmakers and commentators alike have framed the Supreme Court’s ruling as an act going against the will of the people. Hasan Piker, a popular leftist streamer who has espoused antisemitic rhetoric and campaigns with congressional candidates, accused the Virginia Supreme Court of denying the results of the state’s redistricting referendum.

“Scotus gutted the voting rights act and tennessee carved up the last dem district destroying black voter power in the state,” Piker wrote on X. “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.”

VIRGINIA’S MAP WAR LAYS BARE STATE’S SHARP PARTISAN TURN AS LEGAL FIGHT LOOMS

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., suggested that Democrats won their redrawn map fair and square by holding a statewide election.

“Unlike Republican-led states that have redrawn their maps through backroom deals, the Virginia General Assembly let the people decide for themselves in a free and fair election,” Kaine said in a statement. “If the Virginia Supreme Court had legitimate concerns about this referendum, the time to stop it would have been before three million Virginians cast their ballots.

TRUMP URGES VIRGINIA VOTERS TO REJECT ‘BLATANT PARTISAN POWER GRAB’ BY DEMOCRATS

“But the Court let the process move forward, and Virginians sent a message loud and clear: we see President Trump’s brazen power grab in states across the country, and we won’t stand for it,” Kaine continued.

Kaine also echoed Piker’s sentiment that the ruling “eviscerates” the Voting Rights Act.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said they’re “exploring all options” to fight back against Virginia’s high court’s ruling.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

“The decision to overturn an entire election is an unprecedented and undemocratic action that cannot stand,” Jeffries said in a statement.

“MAGA Republicans have adopted voter suppression as a strategy, as also evidenced by far-right extremists on the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act to open the door to a Jim Crow-like attack on Black representation across the American South,” Jeffries continued.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Don Scott took a more pragmatic approach, saying he respects the high court’s ruling.

“We respect the court. But we will keep fighting for a democracy where voters — not politicians — have the final say. Because in Virginia, power still belongs to the people.”

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As Democrats describe the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling as a violation of the Voting Rights Act, Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters, who spearheaded the lawsuit over the maps, said Virginia’s ruling was not based on politics but on the “rule of law.”

“Democrats just learned that when you try to rig elections, you lose,” said Chairman Gruters. “The RNC led the charge in court against this blatant power grab, where Virginia Democrats poured more than $66 million into an effort to lock in control and silence voters. We took them to court, and we won.”

Former special counsel Jack Smith unleashed on the Department of Justice in an unusually fiery speech to a few hundred people during a private event, accusing the department of being “corrupted” and targeting President Donald Trump’s enemies.

Smith’s remarks, given during a private dinner in D.C. in April and reported by the New York Times this week, zeroed in on the DOJ’s decisions to investigate and prosecute some of Trump’s top political rivals, such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The former special counsel accused the department of weaponizing its authority, the very same accusation that Republicans have widely leveled at Smith for bringing two criminal cases against Trump during the Biden administration.

“We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them,” Smith said.

CONSERVATIVES ACCUSE JACK SMITH OF IMPROPER TIES WITH JUDGES IN TRUMP CASES AFTER NEW DOCUMENT DUMP

A DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital the department expected “nothing less from Jack Smith whose sole mission was to politically prosecute a former president in an attempt to stop him from assuming office again.”

“This DOJ has ended the weaponization perpetrated by the Biden Administration and will continue to ensure no one is above the law,” the spokesperson said.

Smith brought indictments against Trump alleging he illegally attempted to overturn the 2020 election and that he retained classified national defense information. Smith faced significant hurdles in the election case, while the classified documents case was tossed out by Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, who said he was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. Smith’s office was appealing Cannon’s ruling when Trump won the 2024 election. Weeks later, Smith moved to dismiss both federal cases, citing the Justice Department’s longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Trump raged at Smith repeatedly, calling him a corrupt “thug” who belonged in jail. In January, Trump said on Truth Social that Smith was a “deranged animal” who should lose his law license. Smith is a longtime attorney who prosecuted war crimes in the Hague and led the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section during the Obama administration.

JACK SMITH PUSHES FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY TO CONFRONT ‘MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ OF TRUMP PROBES

Trump said he hoped the DOJ was investigating Smith, “including some of the crooked and corrupt witnesses that he was attempting to use in his case against me. The whole thing was a Democrat SCAM — A big price should be paid by them for what they have put our Country through!”

The president’s remarks directly clash with Smith’s rare, heated commentary at the private event, as both accuse the other of weaponization and as Smith faces threats of federal prosecution for targeting Trump, despite the DOJ and congressional investigators yet to uncover criminal wrongdoing by Smith.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS DEMAND ANSWERS ON DOJ’S MOVE TO FIRE FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL OFFICIALS

Smith said the DOJ has “been corrupted” over the past year but that he believed the department would “ultimately come through this better.”

Smith also accused the DOJ of turning a blind eye to cases that might reveal “inconvenient” facts that would contradict “narratives the president would like to press.”

Smith praised career prosecutors, saying a “central component” of the current DOJ’s strategy was to punish those like the several Minnesota attorneys who resigned in protest over internal disputes with how to handle an investigation into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killing Renee Good, a 37-year-old anti-ICE activist.

“To erode the rule of law in this country you need to attack these people, and that is what we have seen since January 2025,” Smith said.

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Smith’s comments were not all negative, however, according to the New York Times. He praised the DOJ for being more vocal than it was under Biden, a comment that comes as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who replaced Pam Bondi a month ago, has taken on an aggressive, proactive media strategy. Blanche has held a series of press conferences where he has taken rounds of off-topic questions while also doing numerous wide-ranging interviews with friendly and tough media outlets.

A Smith representative had no comment. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

The Department of Justice has ramped up its use of a rarely deployed legal tool to strip citizenship, targeting 12 naturalized Americans accused of hiding ties to terrorism, violent crimes and other offenses, and signaling more cases will follow.

The action on Friday against 12 immigrants included bringing civil complaints or charges against those from Iraq, Somalia, China and India. It comes as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche touts expanding the typically difficult effort to denaturalize people and also follows the DOJ Civil Division ordering more denaturalizations in a memo last summer about the Trump administration’s priorities, which include cracking down on illegal immigration and fraud.

Blanche said in a statement to Fox News Digital of Friday’s sweeping enforcement action that anyone “who intentionally concealed their criminal histories or misrepresented themselves during the naturalization process will face the fullest extent of the law.”

FEDS LAUNCH OPERATION TARGETING MINNESOTA REFUGEES FOR POTENTIAL DEPORTATION AMID FRAUD INVESTIGATION

One of the dozen, Ali Yousif Ahmed, gained citizenship after saying he fled Iraq in 2009 because al-Qaeda terrorists attacked his family, authorities said. But, authorities said, Iraq sought Ahmed’s extradition in 2019 for allegedly murdering two Iraqi police officers while a leader in al-Qaeda, a detail he allegedly omitted from the U.S. government.

Another, Salah Osman Ahmed of Somalia, naturalized in 2007 and pleaded guilty in 2009 to providing material support for terrorists and belonged to the terrorist group al-Shabaab, Fox News Digital learned. The DOJ alleged that joining a terrorist group within five years of naturalization was grounds for revoking citizenship.

Others included Abduvosit Razikov of Uzbekistan, who allegedly entered into a sham marriage to gain citizenship, and Oscar Alberto Pelaez of Colombia, a priest who was convicted in the United States of 13 counts of sexual abuse of a minor, including sodomy, and allegedly lied about the crimes during the naturalization process, Fox News Digital learned.

Denaturalization has long been an infrequent tool for immigration enforcement. In the span of about 30 years, the DOJ filed about 305 denaturalization cases. Then, when Trump first took office in 2017, the government brought 168 cases. The figure drastically reduced under President Joe Biden, and now with Trump back in office, the effort has returned to the fore.

SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH TO DEPORT, DENATURALIZE FRAUDSTERS AMID MINNESOTA SCANDAL

Prosecutors must meet a high bar to denaturalize immigrants by proving with “clear and convincing” evidence that “material fraud” occurred during the naturalization process, Neama Rahmani, a California-based former federal prosecutor, told Fox News Digital, saying it was not an easy process.

Blanche warned during a recent CBS News interview that people “should be worried” if they obtained citizenship through fraud.

“Who are targets are? We are not limiting ourselves to anyone in particular except to say that unfortunately, and I think you’re going to hear more about this in the coming days and weeks, there are a lot of U.S. citizens who shouldn’t be,” Blanche said.

TRUMP IS TARGETING NONVIOLENT AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS. AMERICANS ARE STARTING TO NOTICE

Pressed on denaturalization being a “very drastic penalty,” Blanche shot back, “It’s a very drastic reward being naturalized, committing fraud.”

Immigrants rights groups have raised worries that the some 24 million naturalized citizens in the United States have been left unsettled by the Trump administration’s broadened pursuit of revoking citizenship.

“There are concerns that the federal government’s denaturalization efforts could lead to the revocation of U.S. citizenship of many individuals who made minor or unintentional mistakes or omissions in their naturalization application,” Forum policy expert Christian Penichet-Paul wrote last summer.

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Rahmani noted that the alleged fraud cannot be trivial or negligent, but instead must be significant and intentional.

“It has to be something material, and material means that the citizenship would not have been granted had DHS known,” Rahmani said. “That’s really the standard.”

Declassified transcripts from two Apollo missions show astronauts repeatedly describing unexplained lights and objects while orbiting and walking on the moon.

The Pentagon on Friday released transcripts and photos from two NASA Apollo missions as part of a broader disclosure of dozens of photos and documents detailing UFO sightings it has documented since the 1950s.

The trove of documents reporting UFO and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) sightings comes in compliance with a directive from President Donald Trump aimed at increasing government transparency around reported UFO sightings, all of which remain unsolved. Tens of millions of documents are being combed through and will be released on a rolling basis.

UFO EXPERT SAYS TRUMP’S DECLASSIFICATION COULD EXPOSE POSSIBLE ‘COVER-UP’ SPANNING DECADES

The documents include technical transcripts and photos from Apollo 12 in 1969 and Apollo 17 in 1972, capturing moments in which crews discussed strange flashes, moving lights and unidentified phenomena against the stark lunar horizon.

The release includes six photos taken by Apollo 12 mission astronauts on the moon’s surface, revealing unidentified and oddly shaped lights appearing in the sky. In one of the photos, there are a total of five UFOs identified.

A four-page transcript from the mission unveils one of the astronauts’ accounts of what he was witnessing, telling command about the lights he saw in the dark sky.

He described that the lights were “sailing off into space.”

EXPLOSIVE NEW DOCUMENTARY PROBES ’80-YEAR GLOBAL COVERUP’ OF UFO SECRETS

“I was thinking they’re dropping off from my water boiler, but it looks like some of those things are escaping the moon. They really haul out of here and just press off at the stars.”

The astronaut described that the lights were “pulsing every second.” Command suggested that the phenomenon was a likely electromagnetic interference, which can occur by both man-made and natural sources.

A 16-page transcript from the Apollo 17 mission detailed how the astronauts saw lights from their window which resembled “Fourth of July.”

“They’re very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling,” one of the astronauts described.

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Another astronaut recounted how when he was trying to sleep he saw bright “peripheral horizon-type things” which made it difficult to sleep.

“The last one I remember before falling asleep — was the fact that there was a very bright spot that flashed right between my eyes like a very bright headlight — like a train coming at you, only with a flash,” the astronaut said.

More UAP files were made available at WAR.GOV/UFO.

Fox News’ Peter Doocy and Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.

The Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling striking down Democrats’ costly redistricting push sparked an uproar on social media over the massive sum the party spent to pass the now-defunct congressional map. 

Virginians for Fair Elections, the main pro-redistricting group, raised north of $64 million in support of the Democratic-friendly gerrymander that could have netted the party four GOP-held seats in November’s midterm elections. Nearly $40 million of that came from a super PAC aligned with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who was heavily involved in the effort to redraw the state’s congressional map.

The pro-redistricting campaign outspent the opposition 10 to 1 on television ads, according to analysis from The Washington Post. But the legal challenge that Republicans helped bankroll to get the map thrown out proved more decisive.

“The funniest part about the court’s ruling that Virginia’s map is unconstitutional garbage is that the Democrats burned $64M just to get it thrown out,” conservative columnist Dustin Grage wrote on social media.

DARK MONEY FLOODS VIRGINIA AHEAD OF REDISTRICTING VOTE THAT COULD HAND DEMOCRATS HOUSE EDGE

“Democrats incinerated nearly $70 million on an unconstitutional gerrymandering scheme in Virginia,” conservative commentator Steve Guest said following the court’s ruling.

The Virginia Supreme Court ruled Friday that Virginia Democrats violated the state constitution by fast-tracking the gerrymander referendum before voters, who narrowly approved the measure earlier this year.

The court’s decision is a major setback for Democrats’ efforts to flip control of the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections. Though the party made gains in California with a Democratic-friendly gerrymander, Republicans have carved out a significant lead in the country’s redistricting race.

The GOP has redrawn maps in Texas, North Carolina, Missouri, Florida and Tennessee that could carve out roughly 10 additional seats for the party in 2026.

Republicans are also eyeing new maps in Louisiana and South Carolina among other southern states, following the Supreme Court’s decision to significantly curb the use of race in drawing electoral districts. 

Jeffries ripped the court’s ruling as an “undemocratic action” designed to disenfranchise voters.

“We are exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision,” he said. “No matter what it takes, House Democrats will win in November so we can help rescue this nation from the extremism being unleashed by Donald Trump and Republicans.”

REDISTRICTING BATTLES BREWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PARTIES COMPETE FOR POWER AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

Other observers mocked Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, who championed the gerrymander under the slogan “Ten F—– One,” referring to the new congressional map that would let Democrats hold 10 out of the state’s 11 congressional seats.

“You all started it and we f—— finished it,” Lucas wrote on social media after Gov. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., signed the since-defeated map into law in February.

“So did Louise Lucas still ‘F—— FINISH IT?'” journalist Charles Cooke wrote on social media Friday.

“Tough luck, @SenLouiseLucas – merch just got Supreme Court’d straight to the clearance rack,” GOP strategist Christian Martinez wrote on social media in response to a post from Lucas promoting “Ten F—– One” shirts.

“Maybe try ‘Zero F—– Wins’ next time,” Martinez added.

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“I guess it’s fitting that her initials are LLL,” journalist Chuck Ross wrote, referring to Lucas.

The FBI raided Lucas’ office on Wednesday in Portsmouth, Va., as part of an ongoing investigation. The probe is examining possible corruption related to a marijuana dispensary business she owns, sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.

A spokesperson for Lucas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday invalidated a new, voter-approved redistricting map, delivering a significant victory for Republicans in the state ahead of the fast-approaching 2026 midterm elections.

“We hold that the legislative process employed to advance this proposal violated Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia,” the Virginia Supreme Court said in the ruling. “This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy.”

The Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments last month over the newly passed congressional map, which voters in the state approved by a narrow 51% to 49% margin.

The ballot measure would have given  the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature — rather than the state’s current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through 2030.

It was also expected to yield a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.

Republicans quickly sued to block the effort, prompting the state supreme court to hear oral arguments last month.

RNC chair Joe Gruters praised the ruling Friday, describing it on social media as a “HUGE WIN” for election integrity.

“This was a clear violation of the Constitution — that’s why the RNC stepped in to stop Democrats’ rigged maps and WON!” he said.

Virginia is one of the latest battlegrounds in the redistricting war pitting President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers against Democrats.

Trump last spring floated the idea of a rare — if not unheard of — mid-decade congressional redistricting effort in an effort to prevent the so-called “blue wave” that saw Democrats retake the House majority in the 2018  midterms during his first term in office.

The effort was aimed at redrawing congressional district maps in GOP-led states to pad the fragile House majority and keep control of the chamber after the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

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Asked last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats to maps across the country, Trump said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”

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This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Thursday in Rome amid diplomatic tensions with both Italy and the Vatican.

The meeting comes one day after Rubio, a practicing Catholic, held talks at the Vatican with Pope Leo and senior church officials in what many observers viewed as an effort to calm relations after weeks of escalating rhetoric between President Donald Trump and the Holy See.

For much of Trump’s second term, Meloni was widely viewed as Trump’s closest ideological ally among major European leaders. But that relationship has begun to fray amid disputes over the Iran war.

That political partnership, however, has come under strain in recent months, as Trump’s escalating clash with Pope Leo XIV collided with separate tensions over Italy’s limits on using its territory for U.S. combat-linked operations tied to the Iran war.

RUBIO TO VISIT ITALY, VATICAN AMID TROOP DRAWDOWN CALL, TENSION WITH TRUMP, POPE LEO: REPORTS

Asked April 30 whether he’d consider pulling troops out of Italy and Spain, Trump said, “Yeah, probably. … Why shouldn’t I?”

“Italy has not been of any help to us,” the president said.

The Italian prime minister built a strong rapport with Trump through their shared positions on immigration, nationalism, border security and opposition to progressive cultural politics. Meloni was the only European leader to attend Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, and she also visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago as she sought to position herself as a key intermediary between Washington and Europe.

TRUMP MEETS WITH ITALIAN PM GIORGIA MELONI AT HIS MAR-A-LAGO RESORT

The relationship often appeared notably warm in public. 

During a 2025 Middle East summit in Egypt, Trump publicly praised Meloni as “a beautiful young woman” and joked, “You don’t mind being called beautiful, right?” before describing her as an “incredible leader” respected throughout Italy.

Trump and Meloni also found common ground politically. 

Both leaders embraced tougher border enforcement policies, criticized “woke” ideology in Western institutions and argued for stronger nationalist identities inside their respective countries. Meloni’s conservative Brothers of Italy party was frequently described by Trump allies as an example of the type of populist movement reshaping Europe.

The split became visible after Meloni publicly criticized Trump’s attacks on the pope as “unacceptable,” prompting Trump to lash back and reportedly tell aides she was “much different than I thought.”

RUBIO HOLDS ‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ MEETING WITH POPE LEO AFTER TRUMP SENDS HARD-LINE IRAN MESSAGE TO VATICAN

Italian media and European analysts have described the dispute as a remarkable deterioration between two leaders once viewed as natural political allies.

The Vatican dispute has been especially politically sensitive for Meloni because Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pontiff, remains highly influential in Italy, where criticism of the pope by foreign leaders can quickly become politically toxic. Trump’s remarks about Leo’s opposition to the war against Iran generated significant backlash among Italian Catholics and across portions of Italy’s political establishment.

The Iran conflict has further complicated relations. Italian officials reportedly have expressed growing discomfort over the possibility of deeper U.S. military escalation and concerns surrounding American military base access in Italy. Rome has also faced pressure domestically to distance itself from Washington’s handling of the conflict.

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Economic tensions continue simmering in the background as well. While Trump earlier in 2026 reduced tariffs on some Italian exports, including pasta products, as what he described as a “New Year’s gift” to Italy, concerns remain in Rome and Brussels over the administration’s repeated threats to impose broader tariffs on European goods.

Against that backdrop, Rubio’s visit is widely being interpreted as an effort to stabilize relations before the political rift deepens further. The secretary of state is expected to discuss Middle East security, NATO coordination, migration and trade during his talks with Meloni and other Italian officials as the administration works to preserve Italy’s role as one of Washington’s closest partners in Southern Europe.

The White House and Italian embassy in the U.S. could not immediately be reached for comment. 

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is using her 2027 budget request to push new restrictions targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Empire State, testing the limits of her authority to impose requirements on federal agencies — a test that experts say is doomed from its outset.

The Local Cops Local Crimes Act would block local law enforcement from acting on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Alongside a proposed ban on masks and new operational limits in certain settings, Hochul’s efforts continue Democrats’ efforts to use state-level policies to push back on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“ICE will no longer be able to use our police, our jails and our resources to carry out civil immigration enforcement. Because guess what: Our officers paid for by local taxpayer dollars were hired to protect their communities, to be there to assist with a traffic accident, to go after retail theft, stop domestic violence,” Hochul said at a press event on Thursday.

HOCHUL DENOUNCES ICE RAID AS ‘CRUEL,’ DESPITE CHILD ENDANGERMENT AMONG CHARGES

“They’re not there to do the federal government’s bidding.”

Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, governors in states like Illinois, California and Virginia have thrown up barriers to local-federal immigration cooperation by limiting communication, data sharing and more.

In Hochul’s case, the Local Cops Local Crimes Act rescinds and prevents the expansion of any new agreements under the 287(g) program — a federal law that allows local officers to assume authority to conduct immigration-related work that is normally carried out by federal officials.

It also comes alongside a slew of separate immigration-related reforms Hochul is pressing for, including establishing a state right to sue ICE for “constitutional violations,” a prohibition on masks for local and federal law enforcement and a restriction that would prevent ICE from entering schools, libraries, polling locations and homes without a judicial warrant.

Hans von Spakovsky, a legal scholar with Advancing American Freedom, believes those additional changes won’t survive long — even if they do become law.

“If the question is: can she do any of that? The answer is no. This is not an ambiguous issue,” Spakovsky said.

JONATHAN TURLEY: WHY BLUE STATES’ NEW ANTI-ICE LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL VIRTUE SIGNALING

Spakovsky, pointing to the 1890 Supreme Court case In re Neagle, said states can’t hold federal agents responsible for carrying out federal mandates.

The Local Cops Local Crimes Act stipulates that local law enforcement would still have to comply with warrants issued for an immigration-related arrest.

“Nothing in this section shall be intended to limit local government law, law enforcement agency, correctional facility, or local correctional facility from enforcing any valid state or federal court-issued warrants or orders, or any other actions as required by law,” the bill reads.

Even so, Laurin Bis, acting assistant secretary for public affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, blasted Hochul’s announcement, calling it a dangerous development for NYC residents.

“Governor Hochul’s policies of not cooperating with ICE put New Yorkers in danger. When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with DHS, our law enforcement officers have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities,” Bis said.

Bis said DHS feared that NYC would end up allowing more immigration-law violators back onto the street.

“Instead of working with us, Governor Hochul is choosing to release violent criminals from her jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.”

NEW JERSEY GOV SHERRILL SIGNS LAW BARRING ICE AGENTS FROM WEARING FACE COVERINGS TO SHIELD IDENTITIES

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Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether New York would refuse to hold suspects in violation of immigration law.

The office also did not respond to questions about why the Local Cops Local Crimes Act had been included alongside the 2027 budget request.

FIRST ON FOX — The Trump administration on Friday released a batch of “never-before-seen” files and videos on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP) as part of an effort to increase transparency on government knowledge of extraterrestrial phenomenon.

“The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place – no clearance required. While past administrations sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, President Trump is focused on providing maximum transparency to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files,” the White House said in a statement to Fox News.

The release is a function of President Donald Trump’s Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) program.

Photos from the initial disclosure, which a White House official told Fox News is the first of a series of releases, show strangely shaped objects captured on film during the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 space missions.

One photo taken from the surface of the moon appears to show a cluster of three tiny dots in the sky.

TRUMP SAYS FIRST RELEASES FROM PENTAGON UFO STUDY WILL COME OUT ‘VERY, VERY SOON’ AFTER PHOENIX RALLY TEASE

A transcript of communications between Apollo 17 operators released in the disclosure Friday details the operators’ exchange over the unknown phenomenon.

“Now we’ve got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,” an operator told the command center.

“Roger. Understand,” the center replied.

UFO COVER USED BY GOVERNMENT TO ‘HIDE A LOT OF THINGS,’ FORMER NASA AGENT SAYS

“There’s a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window,” another operator added.

“Yes. Now you can see some of them in shape. They’re very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling,” the first operator said.

Another pair of photos from the release come from the FBI and contain images from New Year’s Eve 1999 showing other UAPs in the same image as U.S. aircraft.

AIR FORCE F-16 STRUCK BY DRONE DURING TRAINING FLIGHT OVER ARIZONA IN 2023

In February, after former President Barack Obama told a podcaster that aliens were real, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump directly about the existence of aliens.

“He gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that,” Trump said of Obama. “I don’t know if they’re real or not. I can tell you, he gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that – he made a big mistake. He took it out of classified information.”

Days later, Trump announced in a Truth Social post that he would be declassifying files related to the subject.

OBAMA SAYS ALIENS ‘ARE REAL, BUT I HAVEN’T SEEN THEM’ IN RECENT PODCAST INTERVIEW

“Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” he wrote.

Numerous agency heads commented on the release, calling it an unprecedented step in transparency.

“The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said.

TRUMP, SCHUMER FIND RARE COMMON GROUND ON RELEASING UFO FILES

“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” he concluded.

“The American people have long sought transparency about the government’s knowledge of unidentified anomalous phenomena,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard added.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is actively coordinating the Intelligence Community’s declassification efforts with the Department of War to ensure a careful, comprehensive, and unprecedented review of our holdings to provide the American people with maximum transparency. Today’s release is the first in what will be an ongoing joint declassification and release effort.”

NASA CHIEF JARED ISAACMAN SAYS ARTEMIS II WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE ‘IF IT WASN’T FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP’

FBI Director Kash Patel added, “The FBI is proud to stand alongside President Trump and our interagency partners in this landmark release of UAP records. For the first time in history, the American people have unfettered access to declassified government files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon – a level of transparency that no prior administration has delivered. The FBI remains committed to supporting this rolling declassification effort with the same rigorous and integrity we bring to every national security matter. As these files continue to be reviewed and release, the American people can be confident that their security remains our highest priority.” 

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also weighed in. “I applaud President Trump’s whole-of-government effort to bring greater transparency to the American people on unidentified anomalous phenomena,” Isaacman said.

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“At NASA, our job is to bring the brightest minds and most advanced scientific instruments to bear, follow the data, and share what we learn. We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered. Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge are core to NASA’s mission as we endeavor to unlock the secrets of the universe,” he concluded.

A large batch of UAP files will be available at WAR.GOV/UFO.

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent asserted in a post on X that prior to the start of the Iran war, the U.S. intelligence community agreed that the Islamic Republic was not developing a nuclear weapon.

“One of the many tragedies of this war is that before the war began the U.S. Intel Community, including CIA, was in agreement that Iran wasn’t developing a nuclear weapon & that Iran would target U.S. bases in the region & shut down the Strait of Hormuz if they were attacked by Israel & the U.S.,” Kent wrote in a post on Thursday.

“The IC also properly assessed that targeting the Iranian leadership would strengthen the regime and embolden the hardliners. Despite the professionalism & accuracy of the IC, the narrative & agenda spun by a foreign government- Israel, won the argument & forced us into this war,” he continued.

EX-COUNTERTERRORISM CHIEF SAYS TRUMP MUST RESTRAIN ISRAEL BEFORE HE CAN DECLARE VICTORY IN IRAN

“We need to understand exactly how this happened to ensure we are never put in this position again,” he concluded.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Friday for a response to Kent’s comments.

Kent resigned from the National Counterterrorism Center director role back in March.

WHAT ISRAEL WANTS FROM AN IRAN PEACE DEAL: NO ENRICHMENT, MISSILE LIMITS AND STRICT ENFORCEMENT

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” he wrote in his resignation letter. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” 

In an April Truth Social post, President Donald Trump slapped down the notion that Israel convinced him to enter the war against Iran.

TRUMP PUSHES BACK AGAINST PUNDITS, SAYS ISRAEL DID NOT TALK HIM INTO THE IRAN WAR

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“Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” the president wrote in part of the post, referring to the heinous Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack perpetrated against Israel.

Democrat-aligned legal heavyweights moved swiftly this week to block Florida’s congressional map after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the redistricting plan into law on Monday, setting up new high-stakes court fights following the Supreme Court’s landmark Voting Rights Act decision clearing the way for red states to reconfigure their lines.

Prominent election lawyer Marc Elias and vocal anti-Trump lawyer Norm Eisen were among those spearheading a trio of lawsuits challenging the map, designed to give Republicans four new seats on President Donald Trump’s home turf. Elias is best known for leading high-profile election lawsuits on behalf of Democrats, while Eisen led House Democrats’ first impeachment probe into Trump.

One conservative election expert said their new lawsuits might be successful in state court.

“If they can delay, even if they eventually get the injunction overturned, by then it’ll probably be too late for these new districts to be put in place,” Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, told Fox News Digital.

DESANTIS SIGNS FLORIDA REDISTRICTING MAP TO POTENTIALLY FLIP 4 HOUSE SEATS RED

The fast-moving litigation, brought in Leon County, alleges that the 24-4 map violated a unique provision of the state constitution called the Fair Districts Amendment, which bans partisan gerrymandering.

The Supreme Court’s decision involving Louisiana’s map found that congressional lines should not typically be drawn based on racial demographics. DeSantis has signaled that the decision bolstered Florida’s mid-cycle redistricting plan. The Democrat-led lawsuits in Florida, meanwhile, were unable to make race-based claims because of the high court ruling, von Spakovsky said, noting the legal challenges all rested on claims that the newly drawn districts were unfairly crafted to suit Republicans’ political needs.

“I think they’re going to have a battle royale in court,” von Spakovsky predicted.

“All of the different groups that filed these Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, all of them talk to each other, and they don’t work in isolation, and I can tell you, the reason they filed three different lawsuits is that they’re hoping they’ll get at least one of the three judges to issue an injunction, even if they ultimately lose the case,” von Spakovsky said. “The whole point of these lawsuits is to impose delay.”

Republicans are up against the clock to defend the map as Florida’s candidate qualifying period begins in early June, while the state’s congressional primaries are scheduled for Aug. 18.

A spokesperson for Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd told Fox News Digital the office could not comment on pending litigation.

MEDIA OUTRAGE OVER SUPREME COURT’S VOTING RIGHTS ACT DECISION COLLIDES WITH REALITY

One of the lawsuits was brought by Eisen and others on behalf of voting rights groups including Common Cause and the League of Women Voters. Another was brought by Elias on behalf of the Equal Ground Education Fund and several individual Florida voters, and the third was brought by the Campaign Legal Center and the UCLA Voting Rights Project.

Florida is among several red, southern states hoping to rework their maps in time for the midterms. The stakes in Florida, an increasingly red state where Trump lives when not in D.C., are highest with four seats up for grabs, while Tennessee is aiming to break up its one Memphis-based majority-Black district and Alabama has only two Democratic-leaning districts.

When reached for comment, a spokesman for Elias pointed to his firm’s statement calling Florida’s map “one of the most extreme partisan gerrymanders ever recorded.”

“This new map would have one of the largest pro-Republican skews ever recorded,” the statement read, noting that Florida voters “sent a clear message” when they approved the state constitutional amendment banning partisan gerrymandering in 2010.

The lawsuits in Florida also come against the backdrop of a broader pre-existing war over mid-cycle redistricting that began with California and Texas. The Supreme Court has greenlit both states’ maps, which gave five new seats to Democrats and Republicans, respectively.

In Virginia, Democrats secured a 10-1 advantage in a state that typically leans slightly blue. The state Supreme Court is now examining that map after Republicans alleged in multiple lawsuits that a ballot measure approving the map originated from an illegal special legislative session and that the ballot language was deceiving.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

Asked about his redistricting efforts and whether it was a coordinated effort to reverse DeSantis’ plan, Eisen told Fox News Digital DeSantis improperly leveraged the 6-3 Supreme Court decision. The high court’s decision came down on April 29, and DeSantis signed into law the state-legislature-approved map the following Monday, May 4.

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“Gov. DeSantis has used the excuse of [Louisiana v. Callais], really within hours of that decision coming down from the Roberts court, to do a plainly partisan redistricting in Florida,” Eisen said. “We and the coalition of civil rights and democracy groups and clients have filed a lawsuit to stop that. We cannot see the Callais decision, which itself is wrong, being further abused to drive additional illegal behavior.”

DeSantis told Fox & Friends the Supreme Court ruling supported Florida’s new congressional lines both because they dismantled an illegal racial gerrymander and because they reflected population growth.

“We actually had a racial gerrymander that the Supreme Court just said is unconstitutional,” DeSantis said. “I knew that was going to happen, so we called the special session back in January for April. … The other thing is, the Florida today is not the same Florida of 2020. We’ve netted two million people. … It does reflect that we have had explosive growth in parts of our state.”

Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis’ office for comment, as well as lawyers for the Campaign Legal Center.

Incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Republican challenger Spencer Pratt, and Democratic Socialists of America-aligned city councilwoman Nithya Raman squared off in a heated nonpartisan debate on Wednesday as the city heads toward its June 2 mayoral primary.

The debate, hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo 52, centered on questions of public safety, affordability and immigration. Conservative commentators on social media, as well as some on the left, generally felt that Pratt exceeded expectations as he jumps into politics following his history as a reality star on “The Hills.” 

Fox News Digital took a look back at the top moments of the debate, including Bass confronting top issues such as the Palisades fires that tore through Southern California in 2025.  

CALIFORNIA MAYOR WANTS TO GIVE HOMELESS PEOPLE ‘ALL THE FENTANYL THEY WANT’: ‘NEED TO PURGE THESE PEOPLE’

‘Stabbed in the neck’

“First off, Inside Safe, I like to say Inside Safe makes all of us outside, unsafe,” Pratt said near the midpoint of the debate.

Inside Safe is a municipal program spearheaded by Bass intended to take people out of homeless encampments and bring them into temporary or permanent indoor housing. A city report found that it spent $300 million on the project, which assisted roughly 6,000 people, 40% of whom have since ended up back on the streets.

“The reality is, no matter how many beds you give these people, they are on super meth,” Pratt continued. “They are on fentanyl. The DEA statistic says 93% of this is a drug addiction problem. I will go below the Harbor Freeway tomorrow with [Raman] and we can find some of these people she’s going to offer treatment for. She’s going to get stabbed in the neck.”

LA-AREA MAYORS PLEAD WITH TRUMP ADMIN TO STOP ICE IMMIGRATION ARRESTS

‘This is a yes or no question’

Near the end of the debate, moderator Enrique Chiabra asked the three candidates a straightforward question.

“I want to ask you all three if this is a yes or no question and answer,” Chiabra said. “So there’s an LA council member. He wants voters to decide. He is saying that noncitizens, should they be allowed to vote in local elections. Is this a yes or no, Mr. Pratt?”

LA MAYOR BASS PROVIDES CASH PAYMENTS TO ILLEGALS, ISSUES ORDER TO THWART IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

Pratt answered in a single word: “No.”

Bass gave a longer answer, differentiating between green card holders and illegal immigrants, pointing out that some cities allow the former category to vote in local elections.

Raman, meanwhile, gave an answer that a Los Angeles Times columnist described as “tongue-tied.”

“Yeah, I would say again, it does depend in other places, school boards have noncitizens, noncitizens who are residents who vote for these,” she began to say, before a moderator cut her off.

‘The most dangerous thing that the mayor put us up against’

Early in the debate, Pratt took a jab at Bass over her handling of the January 2025 Pacific Palisades fires.

“To the mayor, Karen Bass, the thousand firefighters that were available, but there [were] no engines for them because of the $17 million that Chief Crowley had asked the mayor for nine weeks before, and Mayor Karen Bass denied it,” Pratt said. “Not to mention Janisse Quinones, who Mayor Karen Bass put into a position of power at the LA DWP. She drained both of these reservoirs that these firefighters needed to put out these fires.”

SPENCER PRATT ENLISTS SEN. RICK SCOTT FOR FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE RESPONSE

Pratt called Bass’ conduct in the lead-up to the fires “the most dangerous thing that the mayor put us up against.”

‘Mayor Bass and I are definitely not working together’

Raman, who has been struggling to break through in the polls, accused Bass and Pratt during the debate of working together to block her out of the general election.

“You’re going to watch today as Mayor Bass and Spencer Pratt attack me because they want to run against each other in the general election,” Raman said, directly addressing debate viewers. 

“First off, Mayor Bass and I are definitely not working together,” Pratt responded. “I blame this person for burning my house and my parents’ house and my town and all my neighbors down.”

RESIDENTS IN EXCLUSIVE ENCLAVE DEMAND DEM MAYOR ACT ON CRIME SURGE

He went on to point out that Bass’ strong relationship with labor unions and her status as incumbent mayor made her a stronger opponent than Raman, in his view.

Pratt concluded his statement by dismissing Raman as a “random council member.”

‘Public safety should be our number one priority’

As the debate shifted to public safety, Pratt took an opportunity to slam Raman for historically advocating for decreased police funding.

“Councilwoman Raman keeps saying that the police department is over funded –public safety should be our number one priority,” he said. “And we’re going to find all this money when we stop her useless open bed plans. That actually doesn’t put drug addicts in these housing, that we’re spending billions of dollars, and we’re going to actually start checking where this money is going.”

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Pratt proposed providing more resources to the Los Angeles Police Department to ultimately build the force to 12,500 officers.

The Justice Department has concluded that UCLA’s medical school engaged in illegal race-based discrimination in admissions, alleging the school favored Black and Hispanic applicants in violation of federal law.

The finding follows a yearlong federal investigation and marks the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s push to crack down on diversity-based admissions practices across U.S. universities. A lawsuit filed by medical advocacy group Do No Harm prompted the Justice Department’s investigation into UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.

“UCLA’s admissions process has been focused on racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence — allowing racial politics to distract the school from the vital work of training great doctors.” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racism in admissions is both illegal and anti-American, and this Department will not allow it to continue.”

The Justice Department investigation revealed that UCLA’s medical school intentionally selected minority medical students based upon the presumption that minority patients will receive better care if they are under the treatment of a minority doctor. However, the Justice Department found that the medical school’s focus on selecting minority medical students resulted in the selected students having significantly lower GPAs and MCAT scores on average than their White and Asian counterparts.

UCLA MEDICAL SCHOOL HIT WITH CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT FOR ALLEGEDLY STILL USING RACE-BASED ADMISSIONS PROCESS

A spokesperson for David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA told Fox News Digital in a statement that the school’s admission process is merit-based and “grounded in a rigorous, comprehensive review of each applicant.”

“We are confident in our practices and our mission to maintain access to a high-quality education for all qualified students,” the spokesperson said. “We are carefully reviewing the Department of Justice’s report. The David Geffen School of Medicine is committed to providing equal opportunity to all applicants and fully complying with federal and state laws.”

Amid its investigation, the Justice Department found that David Geffen School of Medicine’s executive director of admissions distributed a document outlining how the medical school could still achieve its “diversity goals” to admission committee members. This document also stated the theory that “diversity” of healthcare workers will be crucial in improving healthcare outcomes for Black and Hispanic patients and that denying Black and Hispanic students’ admission could cause the deaths of future Black and Hispanic patients.

The medical school has also adopted a “holistic” approach in its admissions process, implying that factors such as “citizenship,” “distance travelled,” “relationship status,” “cultural events,” “race,” “national origin” and “sexual orientation” are all taken into consideration, according to an Association of American Medical Colleges model used by the school.

MEDICAL WATCHDOG CHALLENGES KEY STUDY USED TO JUSTIFY DEI HEALTH POLICIES: ‘SCIENTIFICALLY UNSOUND’

Prospective medical students of UCLA’s medical school also engaged in a PREview Exam, a multiple-choice test, which specifically asked applicants if they were part of a marginalized group.

“By design, this question asks Black and Hispanic applicants to reveal their race so that DGSOM can know and consider it,” the Justice Department report stated.

The Justice Department found major disparities between the test scores of White and Asian students and Hispanic and Black students admitted in the 2023 and 2024 cohorts.

In the 2023 cohort, the median MCAT scores among Black and Hispanic test takers were at the 68th percentile, while those who did not report their race scored at the 96th percentile.

GPAs also show a significant gap, with the lowest median (Hispanic) trailing the highest median (Asian) by 0.26 grade points.

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And in the 2024 cohort, Hispanic students scores averaged in the 66 percentile, Black students in the 72 percentile; while those who declined to share their race scored at the 92 percentile.

“Federal law and the Supreme Court precedent are clear: Race discrimination has no place in our nation’s institutions of higher learning,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The pattern of illegal and odious conduct by UCLA’s medical school is abhorrent to our Constitution and our nation’s founding principles.”

The conclusion of the investigation comes as the Trump administration launched investigations into the admission process of medical schools at Stanford University, Ohio State University, and the University of California, San Diego in March.

President Donald Trump visited the National Mall on Thursday, driving his motorcade through the drained Reflecting Pool to inspect a restoration project he said is correcting a “disaster” left by the Obama administration.

Standing on the pool’s floor, the president touted a $1.8 million overhaul of the landmark, contrasting it with the $38 million spent under former President Barack Obama on a project Trump described as a “construction nightmare” that leaked immediately upon completion.

The Reflecting Pool, which stretches more than 2,000 feet between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, is one of the most visited landmarks in the nation’s capital, drawing millions of tourists each year and serving as the backdrop for historic events and presidential ceremonies.

Trump was joined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to review the application of a new, industrial-strength sealant. Trump revealed he personally selected the color for the new surface: “American Flag Blue.”

TRUMP WORKING TO CLEAN ‘FILTHY’ LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL, BLAMES BIDEN FOR MAINTENANCE DELAYS

“The color was never good because basically it had a gray stone underneath,” the president told reporters. “Now it’s going to have the great color. It’s going to last a long time and you’ll have no leak—guaranteed.”

While previous estimates to fix the 2,400-foot-long pool reached as high as $355 million over a multi-year timeline, according to prior National Park Service planning documents, Trump said his team is completing the work in two weeks for a fraction of the cost.

The National Park Service previously oversaw a major rehabilitation of the Reflecting Pool that was completed in 2012 at a cost of roughly $30 million, addressing structural issues and chronic leaking that had plagued the site for years.

WATCH: TRUMP REVEALS FLASHY NEW COLOR FOR NATIONAL MALL’S REFLECTING POOL MAKEOVER

The inspection was part of a broader “beautification” push for the nation’s capital. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Department of the Interior has cleared more than 1,000 graffiti sites and 82 homeless camps in recent months under Trump’s direction to make the city “safe and beautiful.”

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“We’ve never had a president who has cared more, invested more, or put more time and attention into everything about the Mall,” Burgum said.

The president also previewed several upcoming projects, including improvements to the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft and a proposed Triumphal Arc, though details on timelines, funding, and final approvals were not immediately released.

President Donald Trump praised White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as “winning it decisively” in her battle with cancer after she revealed she was diagnosed nine weeks ago while accepting a major award Thursday night.

“It’s been especially inspiring to see her courage and toughness in recent weeks, and she’s been winning a battle with cancer and winning it decisively,” Trump said in a pre-recorded video message. “It was an early diagnosis, so she’s going to be in great shape.”

Wiles said during an onstage conversation that she would continue to work following the diagnosis.

“I come to work every day. I do my job, I don’t complain, and I think that sets an example, too, for the people I work with,” Wiles said.

WH CHIEF OF STAFF SUSIE WILES DIAGNOSED WITH EARLY STAGE BREAST CANCER, PROGNOSIS ‘EXCELLENT,’ TRUMP SAYS

Trump surprised Wiles with the video as she accepted the Independent Women’s Forum Barbara K. Olson Woman of Valor Award at a gala in Washington, D.C.

He praised her as “the first female chief of staff in American history” and “one of the best White House chiefs of staff ever in history.”

“I say the best, actually,” Trump said, adding that he was “tremendously grateful” for her “friendship, loyalty and support every single day.”

TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF PLEDGES NO ‘DRAMA’ OR SECOND-GUESSING IN WHITE HOUSE

Wiles said she did not know the video was intended for the gala, despite briefly walking in while Trump was recording it.

“I walked in when he was filming it, but I didn’t know what it was for, and I kind of ducked out the back door,” she said.

Trump credited Wiles with playing a key role in each of his presidential campaigns, “especially in 2024,” and said his administration’s accomplishments have come with “her help and her leadership.”

TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF SUSIE WILES RECOUNTS BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, THOUGHT PRESIDENT WAS DEAD AT FIRST

“Susie, we have a problem. I say go to Susie,” Trump said. “We owe her a tremendous debt and what she’s done is just incredible for our country.”

Wiles, who described herself as a lifelong Republican, said her decision to back Trump in 2016 was one of the biggest risks of her career.

“I wanted a disrupter,” Wiles said. “I looked around at the disrupters in the field and said, I think Donald Trump’s the one.”

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Asked about her role now, Wiles said, “This is the path God chose for me. And I’m here, and I’m doing the best I can every day.”

The gala was held Thursday at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this reporting.

An aggressive and impassioned debate performance this week by reality TV star and online influencer-turned Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt is the latest evidence that his populist pitch to lead the nation’s second-most populous city appears to be gaining traction.

Pratt tangled with the debate moderator after charging that incumbent Mayor Karen Bass was an “incredible liar” and argued that progressive City Council member Nithya Raman would get “stabbed in the neck” if she tried to offer treatment to homeless people encamped in underpasses below the city’s freeways.

His apparent rise is fueled in part by his well-known status as one of the victims who lost their homes in last year’s devastating wildfires, when over 17,000 homes in Los Angeles County were destroyed, as well as his right-leaning focus on homelessness, crime, and government accountability in a city long run by Democrats.

Pratt, who is running as an independent and outsider and has labeled himself a “truth-to-power” candidate, has grabbed significant media attention for his campaign ads targeting both Bass and Raman.

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Pratt, who has blamed Bass for the destruction of his home, released an ad last week that aimed to tap into Angelenos’ frustration over the city’s current leadership, its response to the wildfires, and its handling of the homeless crisis.

“This is where Mayor Bass lives. Do you notice something? Or here, where Nithya Raman’s $3 million mansion sits,” Pratt said in the ad, as he stands in front of homes of his top two rivals. “They don’t have to live in the mess they’ve created.”

His opponents say that Pratt is borrowing a page from President Donald Trump’s politics of grievance playbook.

LA MAYOR BASS AND TOP RIVALS FACE OFF ON THE DEBATE STAGE

“Spencer is doing his best Trump impression, but it’s not going to work in LA,” Bass’ campaign argued, in response to the recent ad.

It was a similar response from Raman’s campaign, which charged, “Spencer Pratt plays directly from the Donald Trump playbook — incendiary language, fear mongering, and political stunts meant to divide and distract.”

But Pratt’s campaign appears to be resonating with plugged-in voters. According to recent city figures, Pratt has raised more in donations since the start of the year than any of the other contenders.

Elizabeth Barcohana, a Los Angeles-based Republican strategist, told Fox News Digital that “people in Los Angeles want change. We are fed up with the quality of life here that has been brought down upon us by the incumbents. Mayor Bass has been in office for four years. Nithya Raman been in office for nearly six years.”

Barcohona said that Pratt’s “entire platform” is about enforcing the laws as the exist and described it as “commonsense.” 

There has been a dearth of recent polling in the race, but surveys conducted a month ago suggested Bass held a small double-digit lead over Pratt and Raman, with a large percentage of respondents undecided.

ROGAN BACKS REALITY TV STAR SPENCER PRATT’S BID FOR LA MAYOR, SAYS ‘I’D VOTE FOR YOU’

“He’s got some very harsh but imaginative videos online,” veteran Los Angeles-area political scientist Jack Pitney of Claremont McKenna College told Fox News Digital.

“He’s catching fire online,” Pitney said. “Whether he’s catching fire with people who vote in Los Angeles is a different question.”

“His shot is the dissatisfaction message,” Pitney said as he pointed to what may be Pratt’s real strength. “He was displaced by the fire and people are very dissatisfied with the state of government in Los Angeles.”

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If no candidate tops 50% in the June 2 primary, the top two finishers will face off in November.

Early voting kicked off earlier this week and Barcohana pointed to what she said was a brisk turnout so far as a good sign that Pratt’s pitch “is translating into real life.”

“There is an enthusiasm to vote and to vote early that I have never seen in Los Angeles or California before in all the years that I have been doing this,” she emphasized.

.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded with a sharp one-liner after former President Barack Obama criticized the Trump administration for politicizing the Department of Justice.

“The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants prosecuted,” Obama said during an interview with CBS.

“The awesome power of the state, you can’t have a situation where whoever is in charge of the government starts using that to go after their political enemies or reward their friends,” he continued.

In response, DeSantis wrote on X, “The Russia collusion hoax would like a word.”

OBAMA BRANDED ‘CLASSLESS MORON’ FOR AG JAB AT TRUMP AS ‘WINGMAN’ COMMENTS RESURFACE

During an interview with CBS’ Stephen Colbert, Obama said that as president, “There were a couple [norms] that I followed, even though they weren’t law.”

“And we’re going to have to do some work to return to this basic norm, and we probably now have to codify it,” he said. “The idea is that the attorney general is the people’s lawyer and not the president’s consigliere.”

Obama said the politicization of the DOJ poses an existential threat to the United States.

“We can survive a lot, bad policy, funky elections, there’s a bunch of stuff that we can overcome, we can’t overcome the politicization of the criminal justice system.”

He said that he would like to see movement towards “restoring some sense of the Justice Department being independent in making judgments about specific cases and prosecutions.”

Under Obama, the FBI, which is a part of the DOJ, opened a counterintelligence investigation in 2016 to examine whether individuals associated with then-candidate Donald Trump had links to Russian officials and whether there was any coordination.

TULSI GABBARD TORCHES ‘COMPLICIT’ LIBERAL MEDIA FOR IGNORING DNI FINDINGS ON RUSSIA PROBE

The investigation continued during Trump’s first term and was led by special counsel Robert Mueller. It concluded there were “multiple links” between Trump campaign officials and individuals tied to the Russian government. However, it also found that “the investigation did not establish that the Campaign coordinated or conspired with the Russian government in its election-interference activities.”

In July 2025, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard alleged that Obama and senior intelligence officials improperly politicized intelligence about Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence alleged that Obama directed the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, which “served as the basis for what was essentially a years-long coup against the duly elected President of the United States, subverting the will of the American people and attempting to delegitimize Donald Trump’s presidency.”

OBAMA LAUGHS AS HE HINTS COLBERT COULD PERFORM BETTER THAN TRUMP AS PRESIDENT, SAYS ‘BAR HAS CHANGED’

Gabbard said, “There is irrefutable evidence detailing how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an Intelligence Community Assessment that they knew was false, promoting the contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Trump win, as though it were true.”

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Critics have disputed Gabbard’s allegations.

Fox News Digital reached out to Obama for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff, received the Independent Women’s Forum’s valor award on Thursday night as the president honored his longtime aide with a surprise video tribute.

“The woman of valor, that is Susie, come to think of it. Not only is Susie the first female chief of staff in American history, she’s also one of the best White House chiefs of staff ever in history, I say the best, actually. I’m tremendously grateful for her friendship, loyalty, and support every single day. She’s a real professional,” said Trump in the video message, which was shared with Fox News Digital, to Wiles on Thursday evening during the ceremony. 

The award honors the legacy of Independent Women Forum founder Barbara K. Olson, who was killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon, and recognizes women who demonstrate the commitment and courage to advance economic liberty, personal responsibility and political freedom. Trump spotlighted Wiles making history as the first female White House chief of staff, following a long career in Republican politics and key roles in Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns.

TRUMP NAMES SUSIE WILES AS FIRST FEMALE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF IN HISTORY

“I am deeply honored to receive the Barbara K. Olson Woman of Valor Award. Her strength, courage, and deep love of our country are inspiring to so many. I have the privilege of serving President Trump, our administration and my dedicated colleagues who fight every day to protect liberty, expand opportunity, and strengthen the lives of American families,” Wiles told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“This award is not just a personal honor but a reflection of that shared mission, and I am grateful, humbled, and more committed than ever to continuing that work,” Wiles added.

Trump continued in his surprise message during Thursday’s gala that she has been an inspiration while battling cancer. 

“It’s been especially inspiring to see her courage and toughness in recent weeks as she’s been winning a battle with cancer, winning it decisively. It was an early diagnosis, so she’s going to be in great shape. Susie played a key role in every one of my campaigns for president, but especially in 2024 or when she helped lead us to perhaps the most consequential election victory in modern times,” said Trump.

IDAHO REPUBLICANS RALLY BEHIND DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUE WITH CANCER, SHAVE THEIR HEADS IN SOLIDARITY

“Everything we have done here in the White House has been with her help and her leadership. She’s respected by everybody. Every one of these people, they respect Susie. We have a problem. I say go to Susie, we owe her tremendous debt and what she’s done is just incredible for our country. Thank you to Susie and congratulations,” he added. 

In March, Wiles announced she had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer upon early detection and received a strong prognosis. She said she now joins the many women who have breast cancer and still continue to raise their children, go to work, and serve their communities.

Wiles has been dubbed the “Ice Maiden” by Trump, which he noted in his 2024 victory speech, for her hard-nosed approach to handling politics. Wiles famously avoids the public spotlight, instead working as Trump’s behind-the-scenes enforcer from within the White House.

Carrie Lukas, president of Independent Women, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Wiles is an inspiration and a “powerhouse of getting work done,” making her a force in making “America’s future days bright.”

TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF SUSIE WILES ONCE HELPED NFL BROADCAST LEGEND FATHER PAT SUMMERALL BEAT ALCOHOLISM

“Wiles was instrumental in securing President Trump’s victory and continues to keep the administration laser-focused on delivering results. Her impact is enormous—even if she rarely seeks the credit—and that’s exactly why it’s so meaningful to honor her,” said Lukas.

Wiles is the 19th honoree of the award joining the previous recipients including Miranda Devine, Kimberley Strassel, Janice Dean, Maria Bartiromo, Betsy DeVos, Nikki Haley, Kellyanne Conway, Carly Fiorina, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Condoleezza Rice.

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She had a show of support from Trump’s administration with several cabinet members in attendance. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and FBI Director Kash Patel were all in attendance.

Independent Women’s Forum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 1992, presenting itself as an alternative to mainstream feminist groups.

The Department of Justice took aim at reporters it viewed as biased on social media on Wednesday after a federal judge sided with the government in a dispute over 2020 ballots and election materials it seized in Fulton County, Georgia, in January.

“Wrong again, MacFarlane,” a DOJ communications account wrote in an X post, targeting a MeidasTouch journalist who had speculated the department’s arguments would fail to persuade the judge.

Judge J.P. Boulee had found in a 68-page order that Fulton County did not prove its rights were violated when the FBI seized more than 600 boxes of election records. Boulee, a Trump appointee, denied county officials’ request that the boxes be returned, handing the Trump administration a win in its broader fight to investigate the 2020 election and prompting DOJ to taunt media skeptics online.

“Sorry for your loss, Anna,” the DOJ social media account wrote in a separate post about a Lawfare editor.

FBI AGENTS SEARCH ELECTION HUB IN FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA

Boulee’s decision marked a win for the DOJ in its nationwide effort to investigate past elections in key battlegrounds that also include Arizona and Michigan, as Trump maintains that the 2020 election was tainted by widespread fraud and aggressively pushes for tighter election security measures ahead of the midterms.

The FBI had seized the boxes, which included 2020 ballots, from the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center after obtaining a court-approved search warrant. An underlying affidavit revealed the bureau was probing allegations of ballot irregularities and record-keeping failures in Georgia, a state Trump lost by a razor-thin margin to President Joe Biden that became ground zero for Trump’s election fraud claims in the aftermath of 2020.

FBI SUBPOENAS 2020 ARIZONA VOTING DOCS AS FEDERAL PUSH INTO ELECTION ADMINISTRATION WIDENS

Democrats have widely criticized the investigation, including Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who called it a continuation of a “sore loser’s crusade” upon learning of the probe.

Fulton County Board of Commissioners chairman Robb Pitts, who is named in the litigation over the box seizure, previously called the investigation “yet another act of outrageous federal overreach designed to intimidate and to chill participation in elections…. I will always stand up for our elections workers and for the truth.”

NAACP ASKS JUDGE TO LIMIT HOW FEDS USE GEORGIA VOTER DATA SEIZED BY FBI

Pitts and other Fulton County officials had argued the box seizures were unlawful and that the government showed “callous disregard” for the county’s constitutional rights. But Boulee rejected those claims while still acknowledging that the underlying affidavit was flawed and contained “troubling” statements.

“While the Affidavit was certainly far from perfect, this is not a situation where an officer left out all the facts that might undermine probable cause or where an officer intentionally lied,” Boulee wrote, adding that he “cannot say that the Affidavit was so deficient that its shortcomings rise to the ‘high[] threshold’ of callous disregard.”

Boulee relied in his decision on the fact that the investigation was still in an early phase and emphasized that federal authorities had obtained a valid warrant supported by an affidavit. The affidavit outlined allegations related to missing ballot images, inconsistent recount totals and chain-of-custody problems, among other potential issues.

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In response to Boulee’s order, Pitts said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital that he agreed with the judge’s assessment that the affidavit was “defective” and “problematic.” 

“But I strongly disagree with the judge’s denial of Fulton County’s request for the FBI to return the election records it wrongly seized on January 28,” Pitts said, adding that county officials would “continue, as always, to stand by our election workers and the voters of Fulton County. We intend to vigorously pursue all available legal options.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Lawfare and MeidasTouch for comment.

Governor Ron DeSantis‘ famed “Alligator Alcatraz” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility in the Florida swamp will “return to the Everglades” after it is no longer needed, a senior Florida government official has told Fox News.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Florida is in talks with the Trump administration to shut the facility down, citing massive operational costs amounting to hundreds of millions. The outlet also reported that the Department of Homeland Security determined the facility was too expensive to continue operating.

Though calling Alligator Alcatraz a “massive success,” the Florida official emphasized that the facility’s purpose was “to provide Florida and the Trump administration with a rapid, temporary solution to four years of Biden’s open border invasion.”

“President Trump secured record funding from Congress to set up permanent sites for detaining and deporting illegal aliens,” the official noted, explaining, “As those sites come online, the need for Alligator Alcatraz as a holding area will wane.”

DESANTIS HITS OBAMA WITH BRUTAL ONE-LINE RESPONSE TO DOJ POLITICIZATION ACCUSATION: ‘WOULD LIKE A WORD’

The official said Florida “is glad to see DHS rebuilt” under President Donald Trump.

“We continue to fully support the mission,” they said. “And when it’s no longer required, Alligator Alcatraz will return to the Everglades with Florida’s commitment that it will never be developed.”

That said, the official said the facility’s 2.5-mile runway will remain available for large flights from neighboring ICE facilities.

Regarding the operational costs, the official said, “We also appreciate the federal government’s commitment to reimbursing Florida for its immediate efforts to step in and help with this mission.”

FLORIDA OFFICIALS REVEAL CRIMINAL BACKGROUNDS OF MIGRANTS HELD AT ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’

The official said that “since its inception, Alligator Alcatraz has processed over 21,000 illegal aliens for deportation.”

“Needless to say, Alligator Alcatraz was a massive success,” they added.

This comes shortly after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Florida’s favor that Alligator Alcatraz could remain open, following a judge’s order for the facility to wind down operations for failing to comply with federal environmental law.

In a 2-1 decision, the majority on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found the state-run facility was not under federal control and was not subject to federal law requiring an environmental impact review.

WATCH: CHAOS ERUPTS AS FLORIDA DEM IN PINK JUMPSUIT GRABS BULLHORN MID-VOTE: ‘IT’S ILLEGAL!’

“Florida, not federal, officials constructed the facility,” the majority wrote. “They control the land and ‘entirely’ built the facility at state expense.”

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The facility is located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport site, an area surrounded by protected wetlands within the Everglades ecosystem, according to court filings.

The New York Times reported that Florida has been spending more than $1 million a day to run the center.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.