NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is stepping up its response to childhood lead exposure, launching new EPA public-education tools while pressing states to use previously awarded lead-mitigation funds that had gone unused, Fox News Digital learned. 

“There’s no safe level of lead exposure, and it’s well documented that children are more susceptible to the risks of lead. We’ve made a lot of progress over the decades in reducing childhood exposure to lead, but there’s still more work to do,” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. 

The EPA is revamping its website and launching a new story map tool aimed at making critical information on the risks of lead exposure easier for the public to access. The move comes as the agency shifts funding toward higher-impact efforts and steps up pressure on states to address contamination risks.

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Lead can be commonly found in paint, household dust, drinking water, air, and soil. The new tools will provide information to the public on current regulations for prevention.

“We’re also enforcing our rules when it comes to the lead renovation and painting rule. This comes up when you’ve got older homes, 1978 and older. Those are the ones that are more likely to have lead in the home, in the paint,” said Fotouhi. “When those homes are being renovated, it’s critical that folks are following our standards for ensuring the safety of any children that are occupying that home during that renovation.”

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The agency announced $3 billion in new funding for states to reduce lead in drinking water while also reallocating $1.1 billion in unused funding. Fotouhi explained to Fox News Digital that previous federal dollars to protect against lead poisoning and replace service lines sat unused in a handful of states. 

“We’ve really focused on is making sure that states that received lead funding in the past are putting that money to good use,” said Fotouhi. “We encountered a number of situations where states had received funding from EPA to replace lead service lines but had not taken and spent those funds to do that work.”

There are 4 million lead service lines carrying drinking water to homes, according to a 2025 EPA report.

The EPA’s broader push to prevent lead poisoning also included $26 million for states and territories last year to address lead in drinking water at schools and child-care facilities, underscoring the administration’s focus on children’s exposure risks.

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A committee of senior leaders was reestablished in 2025 across the agency’s program offices and 10 regions as part of EPA’s agency-wide effort to reduce children’s exposure to lead.

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“This is federal, this is precious federal grant funding. Designed specifically to reduce human health risk from lead exposure, and the states need to be doing their job here and putting that funding to good use,” said Fotouhi.

The administration has cast children’s health as a cross-agency priority, with HHS helping drive that push through the White House’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, which has focused in part on childhood chronic disease and environmental toxins.

Maine Democrat Graham Platner is vowing to pursue closer ties with China if elected to the Senate, arguing that the U.S. should be “far more cooperative” with the communist state on issues like climate change.

“I think our position towards China should be one of cooperation instead of one of opposition,” Platner said during a livestream in February, arguing it would be “absurd” to have an aggressive approach toward Beijing, citing its trade relationship with the United States.

“I am not a China hawk, not by any stretch of the imagination,” he continued. “I think we need to be figuring out how to integrate, or at least be far more cooperative, especially to fight challenges like climate change.”

Platner, a staunch progressive, is running to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in November’s midterm elections. His views on China appear to be well outside the political mainstream and place him to the left of many Democratic lawmakers, who see the country as the United States’ most formidable strategic competitor or a geopolitical threat.

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The Senate hopeful has also argued that fascism followed by climate change is the top two challenges facing the United States on the world stage.

“Before the rise of fascism, I would have said that the biggest challenge we have … globally is climate change,” Platner, an oyster farmer and combat veteran, said during the livestream. 

Platner referred to federal immigration officers as “armed thugs,” accusing them of murdering American citizens, an apparent reference to two fatal shootings during an immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis earlier this year.

He has previously advocated for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and dragging agents in front of Congress to testify about their work.

Platner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) sharply criticized Platner’s remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Graham Platner’s soft-on-communism radical ideology would lift up dictators, threaten America’s national security, and cost American lives,” RNC spokeswoman Kristen Cianci said in a statement. “He has no business in the Senate or any position of power.”

WARREN CONFRONTED ON CALLING CONTROVERSIAL SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER HER ‘KIND OF MAN’

Platner is facing Maine Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, in an increasingly nasty primary that has split factions of the Democratic Party. Leading progressives, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have endorsed him while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who leads the party’s establishment wing, is supporting Mills. 

Sanders and Warren have doubled down on their embrace of Platner despite the political newcomer’s bevy of controversial online posts and scrutiny over a Nazi-linked tattoo that he has had removed.

Platner called for deposing Schumer as Democratic leader, weakening the filibuster to ease the passage of left-wing legislation and adding seats to the Supreme Court to dilute the power of the conservative majority, in an interview with NBC News this week.

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The Sanders-backed oyster farmer has carved out a dominant lead in recent polling ahead of the June primary, despite Mills serving as the most senior-ranking Democrat in the state. 

Collins is running for a sixth Senate term in the blue-leaning state. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as a “toss-up.”

Democratic Party candidates for California governor said they would fight the Trump administration’s push to get California police officers to begin issuing English proficiency tests for big rig drivers in the state because it’s racist.

The warnings and fear expressed about implementing stricter regulations to ensure anyone with a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) can understand American road signs came from Democrats during the first California gubernatorial debate since Eric Swalwell was forced to jump out of the race amid sexual misconduct allegations. 

It also follows efforts by the Trump administration to push states to become stricter around handing out CDLs and a slew of news headlines and Homeland Security reports highlighting fatal tractor trailer crashes by illegal immigrants who struggle to sufficiently speak English.

“Racial profiling is illegal. And, in fact, picking on people based on the color of their skin in the state of California, is illegal,” Democrat megadonor and billionaire businessman Tom Steyer said when asked if he would support a policy enforcing police to issue road-side language proficiency tests to truck drivers.

WHITE HOUSE SAYS CALIFORNIA GRANTED LICENSE TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER CHARGED IN FATAL DUI CRASH

“Is that officer asking everyone he pulls over to explain those road signs? Or, is he asking only people who look like me? If he’s doing that, then he’s violating the law,” former Biden administration Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera said, slamming a police officer in a short local news clip played at the outset of the question showing an officer issuing a field test to determine if a commercial driver who spoke Spanish could understand road signs.

Meanwhile, Republican California gubernatorial hopeful Sheriff Chad Bianco slammed his Democratic opponents for pulling the race card. 

“Let’s stop with this whole racism thing, and racial profiling and all of this garbage. We have to get over this. You either violated the law or you didn’t. End of story,” Bianco said. “Consequences for bad behavior.”

The Department of Transportation announced in October that it would withhold $40 million from California, arguing the state has failed to comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards. 

The pulled funding came after an audit found that a pattern of states was issuing licenses illegally to foreigners, including through not ensuring drivers could speak sufficient English. In California alone, the audit claimed to have found, more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs reviewed were improperly issued.

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In August, a fatal crash with an 18-wheeler driven by an illegal immigrant was caused after an illegal U-turn was made by the foreign driver. Subsequent investigations revealed the driver lacked English proficiency. “This is a devastating tragedy made even worse by the fact that it was totally preventable,” White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital at the time. “Illegal aliens that have no legal right to be in our country certainly should not be granted commercial drivers’ licenses.”

In response to Bianco telling his Democrat colleagues to “stop with this whole racism thing,” Democratic candidate and former congresswoman from California Katie Porter said she was “stunned” he would say such a thing.

“I am stunned that Mr. Bianco would say to black and brown Californians and immigrants who are being terrorized and racially profiled that you have to ‘get over’ racism. It’s not something that you ‘get over, it’s something that you ‘fight.’ If he doesn’t understand the importance of that he has no business representing a state with the diversity of California,” Porter said when asked about whether she supported enforcing rules so that law enforcement will issue language proficiency tests to truck drivers.

Matt Mahan, the former mayor of San Jose, also said he would not support the policy, but he and Porter both suggested that the DMV could use some oversight.

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“No,” Mahan said when asked if he supported the policy to test truck drivers for language skills. “The right answer here, clearly, is to hold the DMV accountable for ensuring that every driver on our roadway meets the qualifications for the licenses they have. That is the appropriate entity to do this.”

When the moderator pressed Mahan for a clearer answer on whether he would support law enforcement checking truck drivers for language proficiency on the road, he dodged the question.

“It’s not about whether you speak English,” Mahan continued. “What the DMV is responsible for doing is not testing how good your English is, it’s whether or not you’re a safe driver who understands the rules.”

“Protecting Californians also includes enforcing traffic laws and we’ve seen sometimes a need for oversight in California,” Porter also said. “For example, we have seen that the Department of Motor Vehicles was not enforcing rules about DUI’s and drivers who have convictions for that.”

East Village residents who voted for New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani by a 40-point margin are now suing to stop a building in their neighborhood from becoming a temporary homeless shelter.

The lawsuit, filed with the New York City Supreme Court on Monday, shows hesitation even among Mamdani supporters about the cost of implementing some of his plans.

News of the lawsuit has prompted conservative mockery online, with figures like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, noting the irony of Mamdani’s supporters turning on the fruits of his administration.

“Oops,” Sen. Ted Cruz said in a post to X.

MAMDANI PRESSED ON PLEDGE TO BE TRUMP’S ‘WORST NIGHTMARE’ AND LANDLORD PUSHBACK ON RENT FREEZE PLAN

“No one is more ‘not in my backyard’ than white progressives. This community voted for Mamdani in a landslide but don’t want to live with the consequences,” Michael Henry, a former New York attorney general candidate, wrote on social media.

“Not shocked,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said in a post of his own.

Election District 45, the area that includes East Village, voted for Mamdani in a 70.1% victory over independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who garnered just 26.0% of the vote.

Even so, 10 residents joined the Village Organization for the Integrity of Community Engagement (VOICE) in their suit against the city after Mamdani announced plans earlier this year to turn a building at 8 East 3rd Street into a citywide intake shelter to house homeless adult men.

MAMDANI DISCOURAGES HAKEEM JEFFRIES PRIMARY CHALLENGER, TELLS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TO ‘FOCUS’ ON NYC

The filing argues the city fast-tracked the process without proper environmental and legal safeguards.

“It challenges the city’s hastily made and legally invalid decision to locate a new citywide homeless adult male intake center at 8 East 3rd Street without following any of the legal requirements that must precede such a significant and consequential decision,” the filing reads.

To circumvent them, the complaint notes that Mamdani relied on an emergency declaration from 2022 — a power originally issued to handle an influx of asylum-seekers.

Mamdani announced the temporary housing project at 8 East 3rd Street as a way to accommodate the closure of Bellevue Shelter, a separate homeless intake site that the mayor’s office said had deteriorated too far for use.

“The Department of Social Services (DSS) and Department of Homeless Services (DHS) will immediately implement an operational plan to vacate 30th Street and relocate the critical functions to other sites. There are approximately 250 individuals in the shelter and the DSS is working to relocate these individuals by mid-March,” Mamdani’s office said in a press release.

NYC LANDLORDS FIRE BACK AT ‘RACIST’ MAMDANI AIDE’S CLAIM THAT TIES HOMEOWNERSHIP TO ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’

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The mayor’s office also detailed that a second accommodation site would be opened at 333 Bowery St., beginning on May 1, to house families without minor children.

The New York Supreme Court has not yet responded to requests for emergency relief that would pause the city’s plans.

A cohort of Senate Republicans joined Democrats to sink a late-night attempt to attach a version of voter ID and citizenship verification legislation to the GOP’s bill funding federal immigration enforcement.

Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., all voted against a modified version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act early Thursday morning.

Their defection came during the Senate’s marathon “vote-a-rama,” where lawmakers could force votes on any number of amendments, regardless of whether they mesh with the underlying budget blueprint.

The amendment’s 48-to-50 failure crystallized what several Republicans had warned for weeks before launching a quasi-floor takeover to debate the SAVE America Act last month — it didn’t have the support among the GOP to pass.

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It appears the proposal was doomed even if Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., launched an oral filibuster to advance the measure with a simple 50-vote majority.

Still, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pushed his version of the SAVE America Act after threatening to hold up the process until Thursday.

Kennedy acknowledged that his effort may not comport with the strict Senate rules that guide the reconciliation process, known as the Byrd Rule, but countered that critics of his move “can’t predict the future.”

“I respect everybody in this body, everybody,” Kennedy said on the Senate floor. “If you vote against this bill, I’m not going to say a word. And I’m sure as hell not going to go on social media and call you an ignorant slut. That’s not the way I roll, unless I’m pushed too far.”

SENATE GOP LAUNCHES ALL-NIGHT VOTE-A-RAMA TO FUND ICE, BORDER PATROL THROUGH END OF TRUMP’S TERM

Had Kennedy’s bid been successful, it could have instructed the Senate Rules Committee to craft legislation that would require voter ID to register and cast ballots in federal elections, limit voting to Election Day only and require that ballots be counted within 36 hours of an election.

It also would have set a $10 billion ceiling for the committee to use in crafting and implementing the legislation.

Notably, McConnell chairs the Senate Rules Committee and would have been tasked with creating the new legislation if Kennedy’s idea worked out.

Collins previously said she would support the SAVE America Act, but rejected this version of the legislation. Meanwhile, Murkowski and Tillis pushed back against the proposal ever since Republicans launched their floor takeover. 

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President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for passage of the SAVE America Act. Last month he vowed not to sign any other bills until it gets through, and said he wouldn’t approve of a “watered down version.”

Top Senate Rules Committee Democrat Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., charged that Kennedy’s amendment was a “solution in search of a problem.”

“We’ve already gone down this road for several weeks now to debate the so-called SAVE America Act,” Padilla said. “But I think, despite how you felt about the SAVE America Act, which certainly cannot pass the Senate, even my Republican colleagues would say the measure suggested by our colleague from Louisiana is an even more extreme version.”

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Kennedy’s failed attempt comes as debate over the SAVE America Act has taken a back seat in the Senate in recent weeks.

The GOP’s reconciliation gamble, reauthorizing the nation’s controversial spy powers, and the war in Iran have all dominated the Senate floor. Still, Republican leadership has no immediate plans to end its floor takeover.

West Virginia leaders renewed calls for like-minded Virginians to join their neighbors across the Allegheny Front after voters approved a Democratic Party-favored 10-1 congressional map on Tuesday.

West Virginia’s 55 counties seceded from then-Confederate Virginia in June 1863 to remain with the United States. Since then, there have been varied calls for those in the old Commonwealth who believe they’ve lost their political voice to discover redder pastures.

West Virginia state Sen. Chris Rose, R-Morgantown, announced his “VEXIT” movement — a portmanteau of Virginia and British conservatives’ “BREXIT” bid — is inviting “every true Virginian to take those country roads home to Best Virginia.”

Rose said it is west of Richmond where “your Appalachian heritage, values, and freedom are still honored and protected.”

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In a statement, Rose said he watched “the swamp score another victory” on Tuesday as a “YES” vote passed to redistrict Virginia in favor of Fairfax County and the Richmond-Petersburg metro area.

Posting an image of the “Appeal to Heaven” flag to social media as used by then-Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War, Rose invited disaffected Virginians to consider becoming Mountaineers.

Much of what is now West Virginia abhorred or did not utilize slavery, and abolitionist John Brown famously led a raid against the federal armory in Jefferson County in what became the easternmost point in the Mountain State, hoping to spur a slave revolt.

Brown was ultimately hanged for treason in Charles Town in 1859, while the 1863 secession passed in the then-capital of Wheeling. Today, the two Virginias’ differences are largely based on urban-vs.-rural geopolitical divides and issues such as gun control and taxation.

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When asked, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey told Fox News Digital he is onboard with the “VEXIT” idea in that regard, saying that Charleston will welcome people and businesses looking for a better environment.

“West Virginia is open for business and is ready to welcome those freedom loving neighbors who were disenfranchised by the radical left this week,” Morrisey said.

“While the commonwealth is attacking democracy, hiking taxes, and reinstating woke nonsense, our shining state in the mountains offers hope and opportunity.”

The effort follows the introduction of a bill in Charleston to formally invite a several-hundred-mile swath of western Virginia counties — from Big Stone Gap up through Luray — as well as rural counties in Maryland’s panhandle, long represented in Congress by Democrats from the D.C. suburbs, to secede to West Virginia.

That move would likely provide West Virginia an additional congressional seat, as Reps. Riley Moore’s and Carol Miller’s districts currently split the state generally crosswise.

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Fox News Digital also reached out to current Sen. Jim Justice — who as governor championed similar ideas.

In 2020, Justice joined prominent Virginia preacher Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr. to push for “VEXIT” as the then-governor said Appalachian Virginia has more in common with West Virginia than denser parts of the commonwealth.

“If you’re not truly happy where you are, we stand with open arms to take you from Virginia or wherever you may be,” he said in Martinsburg, West Virginia, just a stone’s throw from Frederick County, Virginia.

Meanwhile, West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Charles Trump IV put forth a bill as a then-senator from Martinsburg arguing Frederick County should already be part of West Virginia.

The rural county at Virginia’s northern tip surrounds but does not include the otherwise bluer city of Winchester, and Trump said in his bill that counties formed from the original Frederick are part of the original West Virginia.

Hampshire County, which features the city of Romney, is considered West Virginia’s oldest county and was formed from greater Frederick to the east.

Trump’s bill requested that Frederick County voters consider joining West Virginia, citing an 1862 Virginia state law consenting to “Berkeley, Jefferson and Frederick” joining West Virginia. The other two form West Virginia’s eastern panhandle, but Frederick never acted and therefore still can.

Del. Gary Howell, R-Keyser, a proponent of the Trump-era effort told WVMetroNews that Virginians in the Shenandoah Valley and southwestward are culturally, demographically, and geographically similar to West Virginia.

“They share more with us than they do with Tidewater, Richmond and Northern Virginia. We look at it like, they’re coming home,” he said.

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The issue also arose during the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial race, when Republican Winsome Sears pledged to create a “second governor’s office” west of the Blue Ridge Mountains to serve constituents she said are geographically closer to five other capitals and are forgotten by their own.

Indeed, lawmakers and locals in far southwestern Virginia toward Wise and Cumberland Gap have often said “Virginia ends at Roanoke” as far as Richmond is concerned.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick repeatedly shut down questions about his past ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein during a budget hearing Thursday.

He refused to address discrepancies in his statements and insisted the setting was “not” the place to discuss them because he was appearing before the House Appropriations Committee to discuss the budget.

Lutnick deflected as Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., pressed him on why he claimed to have cut off contact with Epstein in 2005 despite evidence they remained in touch for years afterward, amid mounting calls for his removal from the Trump administration.

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The clash underscores intensifying scrutiny over Lutnick’s past relationship with Epstein and raises fresh questions about the consistency of his account, as lawmakers weigh oversight of the Commerce Department and demand greater transparency from senior officials tied to the late financier’s network.

During the hearing, Meng pointed to reports that Lutnick visited Epstein’s private island in 2012 and exchanged business emails as recently as 2018.

She asked why Lutnick had previously said he was never “in a room” with Epstein after 2005.

Lutnick did not answer her inquiries, instead saying he had agreed to address “any and all questions” in a separate session with lawmakers in the coming weeks. “Today I am here to testify about the budget,” he said, repeating that he had “nothing to hide.”

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The same pattern played out later in the hearing when Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., confronted Lutnick more forcefully, accusing him of lying about the extent of his relationship with Epstein and pressing him on past business ties.

“Why did you lie about your relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?” she pressed, urging the Commerce secretary to respond publicly rather than in a closed-door setting.

Lutnick again declined to engage, pointing to a future appearance before another committee and refusing to answer directly. Dean cut him off, saying, “Let the record reflect—you’re dodging the question. The cover-up continues,” before raising the possibility that President Donald Trump could remove him from his post.

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Lutnick has sought to downplay his past relationship with Epstein amid pressure from the public for the late sex offender’s associates to be revealed.

The two lived next door to each other in New York, but Lutnick told Congress he “barely had anything to do with that person.”

The Trump administration has so far dismissed calls for his resignation, even as questions about his past ties continue to mount, and Lutnick is expected to face more direct questioning from lawmakers in May.

House Republicans are sharply divided over a bipartisan immigration reform bill, with one GOP lawmaker calling on President Donald Trump to intervene. 

For months, GOP lawmakers have fiercely debated the Dignity Act, whose Republican sponsor, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, is pushing for the immigration proposal to be marked up in committee and receive a vote on the floor.

The Miami Republican has quickly run into opposition from a swath of conservatives in the GOP conference who have ripped the proposal as “mass amnesty” and a wholesale rejection of the president’s immigration enforcement agenda.

“The DIGNIDAD Act … is a betrayal of the values that we ran on last election cycle,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview, referring to the bill’s original Spanish name. “We ran on mass deportations. We said we’re going to do that, so we should.”

LATINO VOTERS ARE ‘NO LONGER SLEEPING,’ UNIVISION PRESIDENT WARNS GOP, DEMS

But Salazar, whose Latino-heavy district Trump narrowly won in 2024, is offering a starkly different approach. 

“Now that the border is secured … what are we going to do with those people who do not have a criminal record and have contributed to the economy,” Salazar said at a press conference Wednesday. “The economy still needs them.”

The immigration standoff highlights the fissures in the coalition that elected a Republican trifecta in 2024. The Miami Republican is one of Democrats’ top targets in November’s midterm elections.

Salazar, who first introduced the legislation several years ago, said she has been in conversation with the White House but did not specify whether she had talked directly with Trump. 

“It’s up to him, as an elected official, to determine when is the right timing,” Salazar said of Trump. “When does he want to do this within his presidency?”

“No other president has the political guts to do this, Republicans or Democrats, in the last 40 years.”

When reached for comment, a White House official told Fox News Digital the administration is happy to review legislation but is “focused on enforcing the current immigration laws and deporting the millions and millions of criminal illegal aliens that Joe Biden let in our country.”

Salazar’s Dignity Act does not provide a pathway to citizenship, but it would make millions of migrants who came into the United States prior to Biden’s presidency eligible for work without fear of deportation. 

The legislation would also increase funding for border security, require employers to use E-Verify to verify an individual’s legal status and create a pathway for DACA recipients to obtain permanent residency, among other provisions.

HOUSE DEMS CLASH OVER SCHUMER-TRUMP DEAL AS JEFFRIES BLASTS LACK OF ICE REFORMS

GOP supporters say the bill is attempting to appeal to the “mass middle” who want some legal protections for long-term migrants with no criminal records who are contributing to their communities, while also slamming the door shut on those who illegally entered the country beginning in 2021.

“I think, frankly, this is what America is looking for,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a Republican cosponsor of the bill, told Fox News Digital. “It covers a lot of concerns left and right.

“I think most people want some level of decency,” Bacon added. “You’ve been here for a while, you’ve got a family, you’re working, no criminal record.”

Conservative Republicans aren’t buying it. 

“It’s just amnesty. That’s all that is,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., an immigration hawk, told Fox News Digital. 

Gill said he remains vigorously opposed to the bill after meeting with Salazar for nearly an hour Wednesday to discuss the Dignity Act.

“This is one we’re just diametrically opposed to in irreconcilable ways,” the Texas Republican said, adding that he and Salazar agree on many other policy issues. “I do believe that it very clearly constitutes amnesty.”

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Despite no clear path forward, Salazar has vowed to continue engaging skeptics about the immigration reform legislation. 

She has also shot down the idea of using a discharge petition to team up with Democrats and force a vote on the House floor.

“I’m going to do it the hard way,” Salazar told Fox News Digital.

“I am sure we’re going to be able to get to a yes, and we’re going to be able to solve immigration within the Trump administration,” she added. “I have no doubt about that. Only God the Father knows the time. I’m just waiting.”

The Justice Department’s (DOJ) internal watchdog is investigating whether the agency properly handled the release of records tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein amid concerns it may have failed to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Deputy Inspector General William M. Blier announced Thursday that his office will audit “the DOJ’s identification, collection and production of responsive material,” focusing on whether the department fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law requiring the public release of certain Epstein-related records, including materials tied to his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

The audit centers on whether the DOJ withheld documents covered under the law, raising new questions about transparency in one of the most high-profile criminal cases in recent history.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November, followed mounting pressure on the DOJ to release additional information related to Epstein, including materials officials previously indicated were under review. The law requires the department to identify and disclose responsive records to the public.

PEDO ACT: LAWMAKER MOVES TO PROTECT EPSTEIN FILES, ACCUSES ‘CERTAIN FBI AGENTS’ OF TRYING TO DESTROY DOCS

“If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider addressing other issues that may arise during the course of the audit,” the inspector general said in a statement, adding that a public report will be issued at the conclusion of the review.

The DOJ did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The investigation comes amid broader scrutiny of the DOJ’s handling of Epstein-related disclosures and internal leadership changes at the department. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired earlier this month after public frustration over the pace and scope of document releases tied to the Epstein case.

‘SEPARATED FROM REALITY’: SENATE REPUBLICANS FUME AS DEMS USE EPSTEIN SAGA TO BLOCK TRUMP’S AGENDA

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, however, pushed back on suggestions that Bondi’s firing was linked to the Epstein files during an episode of “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

“I have never heard President Trump say that the attorney general was — that anything that happened to her — had anything to do with the Epstein files,” Blanche said.

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“What happened when the president signed the Transparency Act is the Department of Justice has now released all the files with respect to the Epstein saga. … Attorney General Bondi and I appeared in front of Congress voluntarily a couple weeks ago to answer any questions they had,” he told Fox News. 

“We have made every single congressman, senator available to come and see any document redacted, unredacted.”

Fox News Digital’s Nora Moriarty, Katelyn Caralle and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

As artificial intelligence grabs headlines and stirs debate, the latest Fox News Poll finds most voters see it as a threat to privacy and jobs, contributing to a largely negative impression overall.

The survey, released Thursday, finds voters think AI mostly hurts rather than helps key aspects of life, whether on a personal, national, or global scale.

Voters have negative views on AI by 50 points when it comes to privacy (63% hurts, 13% helps), by 35 points on U.S. job creation (56-21), by 15 points on the national economy (42-27), by 5 points on people’s daily lives (38-33), and by 4 points on their own personal lives (30-26).

FOX NEWS POLL: 56% DOUBT WHITE HOUSE’S COMPETENCE AT MANAGING GOVERNMENT

The only area where people think AI mainly helps rather than hurts is U.S. competitiveness with other countries: 38% think it helps while 32% view it as harmful.

Still, sizable minorities feel AI doesn’t make a difference in each category: 43% feel it makes no difference in their personal life, 30% in the economy, 29% global competitiveness, 28% people’s daily lives, 23% people’s privacy, and 21% job creation.

By double-digits, Democrats and independents are more likely to say AI hurts rather than helps in each area.

While the level of negativity varies, more voters under age 30 say AI hurts more than helps in every category listed. Voters age 65 and over also view AI technology as more hurtful except when it comes to global competitiveness, where they give it the benefit of the doubt.

Viewing the new technology as harmful leads to an overall negative opinion of AI, with 43% having a favorable opinion vs. 54% unfavorable.

Those who view it positively include voters in households with $100,000 or more income (54% favorable), Republicans (53%), Republicans who identify as MAGA (57%), and Catholics (52%).

Some of the biggest drivers of AI pessimism are independents (64% unfavorable), Democrats (61%), and women without a college degree (60%).

FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC GLOOM, TRUMP RATINGS SIGNAL TOUGH GOP MIDTERM PATH

One more thing…

When asked which political party would better handle artificial intelligence, voters are closely divided: 51% say the Democrats vs. 46% the Republicans.  The results are within the margin of error, indicating no clear advantage for either party.

Part of the Democrats’ edge comes from a majority of independents backing them over their GOP counterparts (54% to 46%) and more than 1 in 10 self-identified Republicans defecting as well (13% D, 84% R).

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted April 17-20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

As the war in Iran nears the two-month mark, a new Fox News Poll shows a modest uptick in support, though voters remain divided on key aspects of the conflict – especially over its long-term consequences and U.S. safety.

The survey, released Thursday, shows support for the current military action in Iran at 45%, up from 42% support last month.  A majority of 55% oppose it.

FOX NEWS POLL: 56% DOUBT WHITE HOUSE’S COMPETENCE AT MANAGING GOVERNMENT

Still, a slim majority thinks things are going well in Iran (51% well vs. 49% not well), a flip from March when voters said the action was not going well (47% vs. 52%).

FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC GLOOM, TRUMP RATINGS SIGNAL TOUGH GOP MIDTERM PATH

The bump in support for the war can be mostly attributed to non-MAGA Republicans (+11 points in support), Hispanic voters (+10), men over age 45 (+8), and independents (+5).

Looking at the likely effect on security, voters still narrowly say the action will make the U.S. less safe (36% safer, 39% less safe, 25% no difference). However, this gap has narrowed since March (33%, 44%, 23% respectively).

Voters are also not convinced the costs of the war are worth it. A 57% majority believes the action will not improve U.S. safety enough to justify the problems it has created, while 43% say the short-term problems will be worth it in the long run.

Although voters across the board express skepticism, partisan differences are stark. Roughly 3 in 10 Republicans, 7 in 10 independents, and 8 in 10 Democrats, think improved safety does not justify the challenges.

The most important objectives for voters are avoiding a prolonged conflict and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open (80% say it is extremely or very important for each). Majorities also think it’s extremely or very important to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program (72%), support the people of Iran (65%) and bring about changes to Iran’s government (55%).

The top objective for Democrats and independents is avoiding a prolonged conflict, while for Republicans it’s ending Iran’s nuclear program.

Six in 10 (59%) rate the performance of the U.S. military in the conflict as excellent (32%) or good (27%), about where sentiment was last month (58% excellent/good).

More than 5 in 10 independents (53%) and 8 in 10 Republicans (81%) rate the military positively, while just 4 in 10 Democrats agree (40%).

“One of the more remarkable statistics attesting to the country’s intense polarization is that when asked about the U.S. military’s performance in Iran, by 20 percentage points Democrats rate it negatively, and it’s difficult to proffer an explanation other than those who dislike President Trump are unwilling to say anything positive about anything he touches,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who works on Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson.

Among those who have served in the military, support for the current action in Iran has dipped slightly (down 4 points since March), but a majority still supports it (57%), thinks things are going well (65%), rates the military positively (78% excellent/good) and half think the military action will make the U.S. safer (50%).

Trump said Tuesday the U.S. will extend its ceasefire with Iran, a day before it was set to end and amid a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. This comes as peace talks in Pakistan involving Vice President JD Vance were delayed as Iran has not committed to participating yet. The survey was conducted April 17-20.

When asked to rate how tough Trump has been on Iran, more voters say he’s been too tough (40%), rather than not tough enough (28%) or about right (30%).

The 40% saying Trump is too tough is up from 18% in May 2019 (the last time the question was asked) – mainly driven by Democrats and independents thinking he’s too tough now.

When it comes to the president’s approach to China, however, results are reversed: 21% say he’s too tough, 40% not tough enough, and 38% about right.  

More broadly, Trump’s job performance on foreign policy is underwater by 20 points (40% approve, 60% disapprove).  He does slightly better on his handling of China (42%, 57%) but worse on Iran (37%, 63%).

His overall job rating sits at 42% approve and 58% disapprove, about where it was last month (41%-59%).

Some Cabinet officials are also facing headwinds in their job performance. Vance’s net approval rating is -11 points (44% approve – 55% disapprove) and down from -8 in December.

Sec. of State Rubio’s net approval rating is -12, down from -5, which is the steepest decline in the Cabinet (44% approve, 56% disapprove).

Sec. of War Hegseth’s rating ticked up 2 points to -17, but he remains the lowest rated of the three (41% approve, 58% disapprove).

Iran is not the only foreign policy issue where voters are divided. They are split on U.S. support of Israel, as 40% say it’s too supportive, another 40% about right, and 19% say not supportive enough.

At 40%, the share saying the U.S. is too supportive is the highest since 2023, up from 35% the last time the question was asked in September 2025.

Democrats under age 45 (+9 points saying too supportive since 2025) and Republicans under age 45 (+7), are increasingly more likely to feel the U.S. is too supportive of Israel.  Republicans ages 45+ have the highest share of those who think support is about right (70%) while Democrats ages 45+ say too supportive (57%).

The largest share of Protestants (45%), Catholics (44%), and White Catholics (48%) say support is about right.

On Ukraine, 39% of voters say the U.S. should be doing more to support them against Russia, 26% say less and 34% feel the U.S. is doing the right amount. This is close to where sentiment has been since last summer. 

One more thing…

Trump is a frequent poster on social media, and a majority of voters see these posts as instant reactions to current events (65%) rather than strategic efforts to accomplish goals (34%).

Still, the number viewing them as strategic is up 15 points since 2018, when only 19% said his tweeting had a broader purpose.  At that time, 28% of Republicans felt his tweeting was strategic compared to the 52% who feel that way about his social media posts today. That compares with smaller increases among independents (+13 points) and Democrats (+4).

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted April 17-20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to immediately block taxpayer funding for sex change treatment for minors, warning that billions of federal dollars could soon flow to providers like Planned Parenthood.

In a letter penned to Johnson on Thursday afternoon, Hawley emphasized that “time is of the essence,” noting a current federal ban on taxpayer payments to abortion and “trans-treatment” providers is set to expire July 4.

Hawley’s recent attempt to pass a similar ban in the Senate was rejected Wednesday night, putting the responsibility squarely on the House.

TEXAS LAWMAKER PROPOSES BILL TO BAN GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING ADULTS

“If the House fails to act immediately as part of reconciliation, billions of Federal dollars will go to Planned Parenthood and other medical ‘providers’ for hormones, puberty blockers, and irreversible treatments for minor children,” Hawley wrote, calling the prospect “unconscionable.”

Hawley warned that billions of dollars will potentially be diverted from Medicaid.

Citing a Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimate, the senator pointed out that Planned Parenthood alone received more than $1.5 billion in Medicare and Medicaid funds between 2019 and 2021.

Hawley also referenced a new study from Concerned Women for America, which found a more than 40% increase in sex change treatment and related services at Planned Parenthood clinics.

He argued that the organization is “positioned to supercharge its transgender agenda with taxpayer funding taken from the elderly and those in need,” demanding Johnson take action “without delay or hesitation.”

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Had it passed, the budget amendment presented by Hawley on Wednesday would have been added to the Congressional budget resolution for fiscal year 2026 and created a pathway to defund abortion providers — provided it did not increase the national debt.

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner has ordered an immediate halt to enforcement of a key Obama-era housing rule tied to gender identity, directing the agency to operate programs based on biological sex.

The directive stops any pending or future enforcement of HUD’s 2016 Equal Access Rule, which expanded gender identity as formally recognized in federally-funded housing programs and shelters.

The move marks a significant shift in how shelters and HUD-funded providers operate, particularly those serving women fleeing domestic violence, and implements President Donald Trump’s executive order to restore what the administration calls “biological truth” across the federal government.

“I am directing HUD staff to halt any pending or future enforcement actions related to HUD’s 2016 Equal Access Rule, which, in essence, tied housing programs, shelters and other facilities funded by HUD to far-left gender ideology,” Turner said.

TRUMP STOPPED BIDEN’S PLAN TO FORCE DEI ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES

“We, at this agency, are carrying out the mission laid out by President Trump on Jan. 20 … to restore biological truth to the federal government,” he added. 

“This means recognizing there are only two sexes: male and female. It means getting government out of the way of what the Lord established from the beginning when he created man in His own image.”

The 2016 rule allowed people to self-identify for gender when accessing certain housing services, limiting the ability of shelters to challenge that identification.

Critics of the rule argued it restricted the rights of shelters, particularly those serving women impacted by trauma, domestic abuse and violence, by requiring them to admit individuals based on gender identity rather than biological sex.

JUDGE FORCES CA HOSPITAL TO KEEP TRANS TREATMENTS FOR MINORS DESPITE TRUMP FUNDING THREAT

Turner framed the move as part of a broader overhaul of HUD policy and spending.

“Moreover, this is just the first of many examples of how, starting on day one, HUD is going back to work for the American people and being a good steward of taxpayer dollars,” he said. “There will be more where this came from.”

The Equal Access Rule was first introduced in 2012, prohibiting discrimination in HUD-funded programs based on sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status. A 2016 update expanded those protections by requiring programs to recognize gender identity as well.

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Turner’s order does not repeal the rule but halts enforcement tied to the 2016 expansion.

“As I have said before, we are going to take inventory of HUD’s programs and ensure every dollar that goes out the door is advancing HUD’s mission, which is to provide quality, affordable homes for communities across the country — urban, rural and tribal — and promote economic investment to build stronger communities and a brighter future for all Americans,” Turner said.

None of the Democratic candidates running to replace outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom gave him below a B-minus grade on combating homelessness, a moment that Republicans sharing the debate stage on Wednesday evening called a laughable evaluation of the state’s problem.

“My goodness, of course it’s an F,” Republican candidate Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, said.

“It shames our state, the situation with homelessness. We have about 10% of the U.S. population, around 50% of the country’s homeless.”

The moment forced the four Democratic candidates to weigh in on efforts to unwind a crisis that has only worsened in recent years despite billions in funding. It also highlighted a reluctance among Democrats to critique Newsom, who has yet to make an endorsement in the race. 

TRUMP BACKS HILTON AHEAD OF CALIFORNIA GOP VOTE, TESTING BIANCO’S GRIP ON PARTY ENDORSEMENT

“I’m a notoriously tough grader, but I would probably give him a B on homelessness,” Katie Porter, a former Democratic congresswoman, said.

“I don’t think this has been an easy problem to solve, but I do give him a lot of credit for calling attention to the problem.”

Tom Steyer, a billionaire businessman-turned candidate, put Newsom’s performance in the same ballpark.

NEWSOM STILL BACKING $114M ‘BRIDGE TO NOWHERE’ FOR MOUNTAIN LIONS AND BUTTERFLIES

“So, I’d give the governor a B-minus on this,” Steyer said.

But one other Democrat, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, made the case that the grade was too low, citing Newsom’s “effort.”

“I would say that the governor has made efforts. We’ve seen him come down to Los Angeles, actually go out and try to clean some of these streets. On effort, I would give him an A,” Becerra said.

California reported 161,400 people had experienced homelessness on any given night in 2024, according to the California State Senate Housing Committee.

The numbers are higher than when Newsom took office in January 2019.

That year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development put California’s homeless population at 108,400 — 32% less than levels in 2024.

The persistently high rates have thwarted billions in funding to bring the numbers down. California has spent roughly $20 billion on homeless initiatives from 2019 to 2025, according to the California Budget and Policy Center, a left-leaning think tank.

In a 2023 debate with Newsom on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis illustrated the acuteness of the homelessness problem by holding up a map of San Francisco, detailing over 270,000 reported instances of feces found on the streets of the city, which was dubbed the “poop map” on social media.

To Republican candidate Chad Bianco, Riverside County’s sheriff, it’s clear the problem has nothing to do with money.

“It is an absolute dismal failure, and anyone that says it’s not is fooling themselves — or trying to fool voters,” Bianco said.

CALIFORNIA SHERIFF USES ‘TO CATCH A PREDATOR’ PLAYBOOK TO SQUASH BLUE STATE CRIME

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“We are not dealing with homeless, so stop calling it homeless. It has nothing to do with homes. These people are suffering from drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness.”

California will hold its gubernatorial primary June 2. The top two candidates will advance to the general election Nov. 3, according to the California Secretary of State.

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries ripped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a Fox News Digital interview on Thursday, calling him a “lame duck” after the governor offered to pay for his trip to Florida amid a redistricting push.

Jeffries warned DeSantis he could put Republican seats at risk as the Sunshine State remains in the spotlight of a nationwide gerrymandering battle, with parties reshuffling congressional districts for partisan advantages.

“Ron DeSantis is putting his own congressional delegation in jeopardy, which probably shouldn’t be surprising because all of them, as I understand it, can’t stand the charismatically challenged lame duck governor of Florida,” Jeffries said.

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS SUE TO STOP NEWSOM, DEMOCRATS FROM PUSHING REDISTRICTING PLAN

DeSantis extended the invitation to Jeffries at a press conference in Kissimmee, Florida, on Wednesday following Jeffries’ “F around and find out” warning on redistricting.

“Please. Be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida to campaign,” DeSantis told the crowd. “I’ll put you up in the Florida governor’s mansion. We will take you fishing. We’ll do all this stuff. There’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries, Hakeem Jeffries, everywhere around this state.”

Jeffries warned DeSantis earlier this week not to follow Texas’s lead, where Republicans pushed a redistricting map to flip up to five Democratic-held seats.

“Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out,” Jeffries said. “If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummymander, the Florida Republicans are gonna find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans, who are on the run right now. Under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats. They’ll be fortunate if they get two or three. While in California, we are going to get all five.”

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE RUNS THROUGH VIRGINIA AS COURT OKS HIGH-STAKES REDISTRICTING VOTE

Multiple states have moved forward with similar redistricting efforts following a push initiated by President Donald Trump.

Jeffries added that the redistricting war is not over yet.

“The Republicans are dummymandering their way into the minority before a single voter casts a ballot because they started this war and we’re going to finish it.”

With the 2026 midterms approaching, both parties hope to win the House by leveraging gerrymandering.

President Trump urged Virginia voters this week to reject the “blatant partisan power grab” in Virginia before voters headed to the polls to vote on the congressional redistricting referendum, led by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

The referendum was passed on Tuesday night, securing Virginia Democrats a major win and increasing the party’s chances in the midterms.

FIRST ELECTION TEST FOR TRUMP’S TERM SURPRISINGLY CLOSE IN FL, GOP LOOKS TO INCREASE RAZOR-THIN HOUSE MAJORITY

DeSantis called a special session this week to focus on congressional maps that he says will “accurately reflect the population of our state.” Florida’s state constitution bans favoring parties in redistricting.

Eight Democratic-held districts are up for redrawing. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s seats, while Democrats hold eight.

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A redistricting plan has not been revealed.

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: A conservative policy group is launching an investigation into Virginia’s redistricting amendment vote after a court blocked certification of the results, raising new questions from critics about how the referendum was conducted and whether election procedures were properly followed.

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is initiating a multipart probe focused on mail-in ballot handling and alleged classroom political influence, Fox News Digital has learned.

The move comes as the legal fight over the amendment intensifies, with multiple lawsuits pending and the Virginia Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments Monday.

VOTER-ROLL SCRUTINY ESCALATES IN MINNESOTA AS BIGGEST COUNTIES FACE SWEEPING RECORDS DEMANDS

AFPI’s legal team said the first phase of its investigation will involve records requests to several Virginia counties seeking communications and documentation related to how mail-in and absentee ballots were handled during the election. 

The requests target how applications were processed, how ballots were distributed and accepted, how they were stored and what guidance election officials were operating under.

The group argues those materials are public records required under Virginia law and should clarify whether proper procedures were followed.

“The questions we’re asking aren’t complicated,” said Leigh Ann O’Neil, AFPI’s chief legal affairs officer. “Was the election conducted according to state and federal law? Did teachers improperly turn students into a private grassroots army? And, if so, what will the school district do about it? These are basic questions that demand answers no matter how you voted on Tuesday.”

A second component of the investigation focuses on Fairfax County Public Schools, where AFPI is seeking records related to civics class materials and instruction.

CARVILLE AND CO-HOST LAMENT THAT TRUMP SPARKED A REDISTRICTING WAR, MAKING BOTH PARTIES LOOK CYNICAL

According to the group, some parents have alleged that teachers commented on parents’ political beliefs and encouraged students to persuade their parents how to vote on the referendum. AFPI argues that, if confirmed, such conduct could violate state law, federal law and school district policy governing political activity in publicly-funded classrooms.

The group said it is also sending a letter to the Fairfax County superintendent urging an internal investigation into what it described as “highly concerning reports of partisan voter influence.”

The investigation lands amid a growing legal fight over the amendment. A Virginia court has already moved to block certification of the vote, and the dispute is now moving toward the state’s highest court.

VIRGINIA JUDGE VOIDS REDISTRICTING PUSH, RULES LAWMAKERS OVERSTEPPED AUTHORITY

There are currently three legal challenges pending in Virginia courts, including an original lawsuit brought by state Republicans, which the Virginia Supreme Court is set to hear Monday. There is also a separate case filed in Richmond by GOP Reps. John McGuire and Rob Wittman and a challenge in Tazewell County, where Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley ruled the referendum unconstitutional. An appeal from Virginia Democrat Attorney General Jay Jones is expected.

A ruling in the primary case could come within weeks, with courts under pressure to act before Virginia’s August primary and late-July deadlines for voter registration and mail-in ballots.

AFPI said its investigation is intended to ensure transparency as the legal process unfolds, arguing that if election procedures were properly followed, the records will confirm it — and if not, Virginia voters deserve answers.

The Virginia Supreme Court hearing will be livestreamed, allowing the public to follow arguments as the case moves forward. Meanwhile, AFPI said its probe will continue in phases, with additional findings and requests expected in the coming weeks.

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The Virginia Department of Elections and Fairfax County Public Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News’ Bill Mears and Mark Meredith contributed to this reporting.

A Mexican native green card holder who recently served as mayor of a small Kansas town pleaded guilty to voter fraud after illegally voting multiple times, according to federal authorities. He also falsely claimed U.S. citizenship on voter registration documents.

The case comes as debate continues over voter fraud and election integrity, with the Trump administration pushing measures aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and tightening election safeguards.

Jose “Joe” Ceballos, who formerly served as mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, for two terms, pleaded guilty this week to three counts of disorderly election conduct following a prosecution by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Ceballos also has a prior conviction for battery in 1995. He was issued a green card in 1990 and applied for U.S. citizenship in February.

COLOMBIAN WOMAN CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY VOTING IN 2024 ELECTION STEALING $400,000 IN TAXPAYER FUNDED BENEFITS

On that citizenship application, federal authorities allege he falsely claimed that he had never previously claimed to be a U.S. citizen.

Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis credited the Trump-era SAVE program for helping bring Ceballos to justice.

The database is used to help states determine who is in the country legally versus illegally, but Democrats, including the Shapiro administration in Pennsylvania, have blamed alleged discrepancies in the system after illegal immigrant truckers were found to hold their state’s CDLs.

“The SAVE program is a critical tool for state and local governments to safeguard the integrity of elections across the country,” Bis said. “President Trump has been unequivocal: Nothing is more fundamental than the integrity and security of our elections.”

Bis said the Ceballos case is an exemplar for why Congress must pass the SAVE America Act, which she called “commonsense legislation that requires voters to present photo ID and implements other critical measures to protect federal elections from fraud.”

“Our elections belong to American citizens, not foreign citizens,” she said.

STATE CONSERVATIVES DEMAND ACTION ON NONCITIZEN VOTING: ‘TIME FOR CONGRESS TO LISTEN’

Bis’ office shared with Fox News Digital a facsimile of a Kansas state voter registration form on which Ceballos falsely claimed to be a citizen, as well as his naturalization application on which he had attested that he had never made such a claim.

Since April 2025, more than 24,000 cases have been identified via the SAVE system as potential noncitizens who were on the voter rolls, according to DHS.

In November, Kobach announced the original charges against Ceballos, describing him as “recently reelected” in Coldwater.

NICK SHIRLEY ALLEGES POTENTIAL VOTER FRAUD LOOPHOLE IN CALIFORNIA THAT COULD ENABLE ILLEGALS TO VOTE

At the time, USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser called the situation “absolutely unacceptable and sad,” but said it was no surprise “given the years of lax voting security in the United States.”

 “From day one, the Trump administration has made strengthening the SAVE program a top priority so states can verify that only U.S. citizens are on the voter rolls,” he said.

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“I’m grateful that President Trump implemented the SAVE program to help states and to prevent situations like this,” added Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab.

Fox News Digital’s Kiera McDonald contributed to this report.

There’s no let up in the verbal fireworks between House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida in their war of words over congressional redistricting.

One day after DeSantis on Wednesday taunted Jeffries, saying “there’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries … everywhere around this state,” the top Democrat in the House fired back.

Pointing to the announcement Thursday morning from a top super PAC aligned with House Democrats that it will shell out $20 million to target potentially vulnerable Florida Republican members of Congress, Jeffries said the move is “making it clear that we’re on offense. That’s our Democratic gift to Ron DeSantis and the Florida Republicans, who he is putting in jeopardy.“

The trading of trash talk between the congressman from New York and the two-term Sunshine State governor comes ahead of next week’s special session of the Florida legislature that DeSantis called to enact congressional redistricting to create additional right-leaning U.S. House seats.

DESANTIS, JEFFRIES TRADE VERBAL FIRE OVER CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING

Florida is the latest battleground between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats in the high-stakes showdown over congressional redistricting. Both parties have been redrawing the House district lines in states they control to gain partisan advantages heading into this year’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its razor-thin congressional majority.

Pressure from fellow Republicans is mounting on DeSantis to take action after the passage earlier this week in Virginia of a congressional redistricting referendum, which if it clears legal hurdles, will give the Democrat-controlled legislature — rather than the current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through the 2030 election.

It could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.

VIRGINIA VOTE GIVES DEMOCRATS MIDTERM MAP EDGE – SPARKS GOP BLAME GAME

DeSantis called next week’s special session to create more GOP-friendly congressional seats in a state where Republicans currently control 20 of 28 congressional districts.

But the road ahead for Florida Republicans isn’t easy: they already changed the House district lines four years ago, and it’s illegal under the state constitution to draw maps for partisan gain, which is known as gerrymandering.

Jeffries on Wednesday took aim at what he’s dubbed “dummymander,” which is a play on gerrymander, and argued that redrawing the maps in a state where the GOP suffered setbacks earlier this year in special legislative elections would harm Republican members of Congress.

“Our message to Florida Republicans is, ‘F around and find out,’” Jeffries told reporters as he referenced next week’s redistricting legislative session. Jeffries said the redistricting move would lead Democrats to increase their target list of vulnerable Florida House Republicans.

He warned DeSantis and Republicans that “the electoral tide is turning in Florida,”

DEMOCRATS NARROWLY WIN CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING SHOWDOWN IN VIRGINIA

Pushing back, DeSantis said “Please. Be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida to campaign.”

“I’ll put you up in the Florida governor’s mansion. We will take you fishing,” the governor added.

Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterms, Trump last spring first floated the idea of rare, but not unheard of, mid-decade congressional redistricting.

The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s fragile House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

When asked by reporters last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map.

But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country.

Among those leading the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

California voters in November overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that temporarily sidetracked the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and returned the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.

That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps.

The fight quickly spread beyond Texas and California.

Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio and swing state North Carolina, where the GOP dominates the legislature, have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push.

In blows to Republicans, a Utah district judge late last year rejected a congressional district map drawn by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the midterms.

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Republicans in Indiana’s Senate in December defied Trump, shooting down a redistricting bill that had passed the state House. The showdown in the Indiana statehouse grabbed plenty of national attention.

Virginia was in the redistricting spotlight the past month, leading up to this week’s election, where the Democrat-supported referendum passed by a narrow three-point margin.

Now, the fight moves to Florida, where the special legislative session gets underway Tuesday.

But no proposed maps have been circulated yet to state lawmakers, and DeSantis and Republicans in the legislature have had strained relations.

Regardless, there’s pressure coming from Washington, in wake of the Virginia vote, for Florida to take action.

“Florida has the right and the intention to do it. And my view is that they should,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Wednesday when asked if Florida’s maps should be redrawn in time for the midterms.

Navy Secretary John Phelan was removed from his post after months of tensions with senior Pentagon leadership, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Multiple officials told Fox News Digital that both War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg had concerns with Phelan’s leadership, and tensions had simmered for months. One flashpoint came after Hegseth fired Phelan’s chief of staff, John Harrison, in October 2025, according to sources.

Those frustrations were in part fueled by concerns over Phelan’s execution of major shipbuilding programs, one source confirmed.

But President Donald Trump struck a different tone publicly, praising Phelan in a post on Truth Social Thursday afternoon. 

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“John Phelan is a long time friend, and very successful businessman, who did an outstanding job serving as my Secretary Of The Navy for the last year,” Trump wrote. “John helped my Administration rebuild Sleepy Joe Biden’s rapidly depleted, and almost abandoned, Navy. Now, because of John, and all of the Great Men and Women lovingly and tirelessly involved, we have the strongest Navy in the World — BY FAR!”

Trump added that he would “certainly like to have him back within the Trump Administration sometime in the future” and said Phelan “decided to move on,” a characterization at odds with what other administration officials have told Fox News Digital.

A senior administration official said Trump and Hegseth “agreed new leadership at the Navy is needed.” 

The official added that Hegseth informed Phelan of the decision before Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the move in a post on X Wednesday. 

The leadership shakeup comes at a critical moment for the Navy, as U.S. forces confront escalating tensions amid a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks and mine threats have disrupted a vital global oil choke point. It also comes as Trump has pushed the Navy into a “wartime footing” for expanding the nation’s lagging shipbuilding capacity. 

Phelan, a billionaire and former fundraiser for Trump, and his wife, Amy, hosted a bridal shower for Donald Trump Jr’s fiancé at Mar-a-Lago in mid-April. 

Other Navy insiders described the tensions as more personal, saying Hegseth grew frustrated that Phelan at times bypassed him and took issues directly to Trump.

Phelan declined to comment to Fox News Digital. Hegseth aides could not be reached for comment on the tensions. 

Phelan is the second senior level Pentagon official to lose his job in April after Army chief of staff Randy George, in the midst of the U.S. operation against Iran. His exit also comes amid a broader Cabinet shakeup: Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer all departed their roles since March.

Phelan’s departure also comes amid heightened pressure on the Navy to address persistent shipbuilding challenges. The Navy’s Columbia-class submarine program — its top priority — remains behind schedule and over budget, with delivery of the lead vessel now expected to be delayed by roughly 17 months into 2029.

More broadly, major Navy shipbuilding programs have continued to face delays and cost pressures during Phelan’s roughly yearlong tenure, even as he made shipbuilding a central focus of his leadership. He launched reviews of major programs and pushed changes aimed at accelerating production, while the Navy has invested heavily in efforts to address workforce shortages and production bottlenecks, including a $900 million initiative in 2026 to automate submarine manufacturing.

Tensions escalated as Feinberg moved to centralize oversight of major shipbuilding programs, in some cases stripping Phelan of authority over key efforts, according to New York Times reporting citing a congressional official.

Phelan also drew scrutiny in recent days after suggesting the Navy could explore alternatives such as outsourcing shipbuilding as it grapples with capacity constraints.

“Everything’s on the table,” Phelan said at the Sea-Air-Space conference Monday. “We just need to look at it, understand it, understand the implications behind it and decide if we think that makes sense or not.”

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Hung Cao, the Navy’s under secretary, has stepped in as acting Navy secretary following Phelan’s removal, bringing a sharply different background and leadership profile to the role. Unlike Phelan, a businessman, Cao is a retired Navy captain and special operations officer who served more than two decades in the military, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, before entering politics and later joining the Pentagon’s civilian leadership.

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Cao has also emerged as a prominent voice within the Trump administration on military culture and readiness, taking a hardline stance on recruiting and force standards.

In a political debate while he was running for the Virginia Senate seat in October 2024, Cao said: “When you’re using a drag queen…to recruit for the Navy, that’s not the people we need. What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds.”

Virginia’s redistricting fight is headed to the state’s high court Thursday after a red-county judge who previously tried to spurn the “yes” camp threw a wrench into the certification process late Wednesday.

The situation sets up a clash between the judge who halted certification and the state Supreme Court, which allowed the referendum to proceed while challenges remained under review. Virginia Republicans are urging the courts to take up their challenge to the ballot measure, which voters approved 51%-49% and is expected to redraw the state’s congressional districts to give Democrats a 10-1 majority in the House delegation. GOP officials argue the ballot measure process was illegitimate, and pressure is on to save every Republican-held House seat they can with the U.S. midterm elections fast approaching and the Republican majority in Congress hanging by a thread. 

“[On Tuesday] Virginians saw exactly what happens when a misleading, rigged question is shoved onto the ballot,” state Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, told Fox News Digital. “If this were really about fairness, the advocates wouldn’t have needed to blow $90 million-plus to trick voters. Litigation is still pending with the courts, but the bottom line is clear: Virginians deserve far better.”

The Supreme Court of Virginia (SCOVA) in March stayed an earlier injunction from Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr., clearing the way for the referendum to advance while making clear it had not ruled on the merits. Hurley ruled again late Wednesday, declaring the ballot language unconstitutional and blocking certification of the results.

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A legislative source familiar told Fox News Digital that SCOVA is not likely to play ball on that matter and instead will continue its own litigation of the cases and potentially rebuke Hurley. Still, certification of the election is now paused despite Thursday’s SCOVA filing date.

Shortly after the ruling came down, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, a Democrat who beat GOP incumbent Jason Miyares in November, indicated his office will “immediately file an appeal.”

“As I said last night, Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the People’s vote.” Jones said in a statement.

Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) chairman Jeff Ryer told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday interview that the party is directly involved in a case before Richmond City Circuit Court that is also challenging the new maps.

According to an RPV statement, that case is titled RNC v. VA State Board of Elections, and a decision on any injunction blocking the new maps is expected next week.

Koski v. RNC and another case, Scott v. McDougle, were filed challenging the allegedly misleading ballot language and procedures that led up to the map redraw and the election itself.

Reps. Morgan Griffith and Ben Cline, R-Va., joined the RNC in its Koski case, which focuses in part on state law requiring an “intervening election” to be held before a referendum can go to voters and argued that early voting having begun before the referendum-drafting process started made the vote “void ab initio.”

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McDougle’s case argues lawmakers improperly used an old special session called by then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin to push through the referendum, among other procedural violations — a claim that goes to the heart of whether the process itself was constitutional.

Hurley ruled in McDougle’s favor on January 27 before SCOVA intervened after a Democrat appeal on February 13 to let the election move forward, but said it would still review the merits of that case.

Former U.S. Attorney John Fishwick Jr., of the Roanoke-based Western District of Virginia, told Fox News Digital that the Virginia Supreme Court had issued its postponement hoping that voters would vote “no” and moot any necessary legal action.

“Now there is white heat on this Court but there are strong arguments that the legislature did not follow its own rules when it passed this proposed amendment,” Fishwick said, predicting a “prompt” decision.

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Del. Wren Williams, R-Stuart, an attorney who had favored allowing counties to decline election preparations until SCOVA stayed Hurley’s ruling, argued the referendum was illegitimate and the results should be tossed.

“There are huge constitutional issues with this process to begin with,” said Williams in an exclusive interview. “There’s a 1952 case where Arlington threw out their own referendum. And in this case, people can say the voters decided all they want, but they didn’t decide based on the process that we have in the Constitution.”

Williams said a short time before Hurley’s ruling that everything is essentially “parked” at SCOVA in Richmond, waiting to be consolidated and ruled upon.

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Williams said it was clear the election was made to be more about President Donald Trump than Virginia voters.

That assertion would help the case of Reps. Rob Wittman and John McGuire, R-Va., whose filing challenging Democrats’ “to restore fairness” language describing the referendum at the ballot box is being heard.

Ryer said Wittman and McGuire’s case has been consolidated into the Koski-RNC case.

He remained optimistic about all cases, and pledged that either way, the RPV will have nominees for all 11 seats, redistricted or not; calling Tuesday’s vote an encouraging sign.

“This is the best performance for anything that’s been Republican-aligned in the state since the 2021 election and i think it does demonstrate that Virginia is still a purple state,” Ryer said, as the results depicted about a 12-point swing to the right from former Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears’ loss in November.

House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, added that rural Virginia came out strong to try to offset the Washington suburbs.

“We’re still fighting. We’re still fighting in the courts. We think we’re going to win in the courts. The language was so misleading. They didn’t follow the statutes they were supposed to follow. There’s a lot of missteps that happened during the process. So we feel comfortable going on to the next phase,” he said.

Democrats remained bullish that the election results will stand in the wake of Hurley’s ruling and court activity commencing at SCOVA Thursday, with “Ready for Hillary” founder Adam Parkhomenko saying on X that “Virginia voters spoke. MAGA lost. And now a rogue Republican judge is trying to override the will of the people because they didn’t like the outcome.”

If the cases fail, many redistricting opponents still have faith.

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Del. Delores Oates, R-Front Royal, said in a statement that the “YES” crew did not get a “mandate” and that the new 10-1 map may also be a sign.

“Isaiah 10:1 [says] woe to those who make unjust laws; to those who issue oppressive decrees.”

“Stop looking at Zillow and start planning for November,” Oates said. “We stay and we fight for Virginia.”

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.