Acting AG Blanche says he is open to replacing Bondi if Trump nominates him


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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche showered President Donald Trump with praise during a Justice Department anti-fraud press conference and said any decision on permanently replacing Pam Bondi was up to the president.

“As to whether or not I want this job, I did not ask for this job. I love working for President Trump,” Blanche said in his first public remarks since Bondi’s firing. “It’s the greatest honor of a lifetime, and if President Trump chooses to keep me as acting, that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate me, that’s an honor.”

Blanche added: “If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say, ‘Thank you very much. I love you sir.'”

PAM BONDI IS OUT AS AG — HERE ARE THE CONTENDERS WHO COULD REPLACE HER 

Todd Blanche

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice building on April 7, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Blanche addressed the department’s work on anti-fraud efforts. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Blanche’s remarks came after Trump announced last week that Bondi would be leaving her role and that Blanche, his formal personal attorney and the DOJ’s deputy attorney general, would fill in indefinitely as acting attorney general.

Officials can serve in an acting capacity for up to 210 days. Trump has not signaled a nominee to take the role permanently, but he could nominate Blanche. Fox News Digital previously reported that the president has also had discussions with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin about taking the job.

Blanche noted that Bondi’s transition out of the department remained ongoing. Bondi announced last week that she would take the next 30 days to shift responsibilities to Blanche.

When asked why she was pushed out of her job, Blanche said “nobody has any idea … except for the president.” Trump had fired Bondi after she failed to secure successful indictments against some of Trump’s top political rivals and amid long-simmering frustrations with her handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case files.

pam bondi and todd blanche

Todd Blanche served as Deputy Attorney General with Pam Bondi before she was fired by President Trump. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“As far as Pam Bondi’s last day on the job, I am the acting attorney general,” Blanche said, adding, “We’ve been regularly communicating over the past several days for an appropriate transition. She is very much a big supporter of this department.”

Most of Blanche’s remarks focused on the DOJ’s crackdown on fraud, as he pointed to several recent cases totaling more than half a billion dollars in healthcare and COVID-19-related schemes.

Blanche cited a string of examples, including prosecutors securing a guilty plea in a $160 million healthcare enrollment fraud operation and a sentencing in a $100 million COVID-19 fraud case. He contended that such cases represented a fraction of the fraud occurring nationwide and formally rolled out the DOJ’s new National Fraud Enforcement Division, led by newly confirmed Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, who stood by Blanche during his remarks.

The division, Blanche said, would involve specialized prosecutors and expanded staffing in U.S. Attorney’s offices across the country, and it would use more advanced technology to more effectively investigate fraud.

JD VANCE ANNOUNCES MULTI-STATE FRAUD TASK FORCE IN WAKE OF MINNESOTA SCANDAL

Colin McDonald in nomination hearing

Colin McDonald, assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing Feb. 25, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)

“We have a storied history of combating fraud and bringing criminal actors to justice, but the department has never adopted a comprehensive and coordinated approach to investigating and prosecuting fraud against taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded programs,” Blanche said.

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Former U.S. Attorney John Fishwick of Virginia told Fox News Digital he thought Blanche appeared to be vying for the attorney general role.

“Todd Blanche seems to be trying out for the top job today in his opening press conference and surely trying to catch Trump’s attention with his criticism of many of the questions by the press,” Fishwick said in a statement, observing how Blanche derided some reporters for their questions.



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Trump 25th Amendment push called ‘not realistic’ by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.


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Dozens of congressional Democrats are demanding that Republicans remove President Donald Trump for his latest threat against Iran, but one lawmaker says the idea isn’t “realistic.”

Several congressional Democrats want to invoke the 25th Amendment, a decades-old addition to the Constitution that empowers a president’s Cabinet to remove him from office if he is unable to do the job.

Some Democrats are arguing that Trump’s latest threat against Iran on Truth Social — where he declared that a “whole civilization will die tonight” unless his demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are met — is proof that he has lost the ability to carry out his role as commander in chief.

But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., doesn’t believe now is the moment to pull the trigger on the 25th Amendment.

GRAHAM EYES ‘DOWN PAYMENT’ ON TRUMP-BACKED SAVE ACT WITHOUT DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT

President Donald Trump at podium during news White House news conference

Dozens of congressional Democrats are demanding that Republicans remove President Donald Trump for his latest threat against Iran.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“I’m getting a lot of traffic about the 25th Amendment after Trump’s mad rants,” Whitehouse said on X. “The president is facing serious mental decline; I’m with you on that.”

“But unfortunately, invoking the 25th is not realistic right now, given his oddball Cabinet of sycophants and eccentrics, and Republican ‘spines of foam,’” he continued. “We’re going to have to buckle down and win this the old-fashioned way.”

BIPARTISAN SENATORS PROBE KREMLIN-LINKED DELEGATION’S MEETINGS WITH US OFFICIALS

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse speaking at a hearing.

But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., doesn’t believe now is the moment to pull the trigger on the 25th Amendment. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Doing so would require Vice President JD Vance and a majority of Trump’s Cabinet to agree to remove him. They would then send a declaration to Congress, which Trump would likely dispute, requiring a two-thirds vote in both chambers to officially remove him from office.

It’s a much higher bar than impeachment and conviction — and a move that has never been used to remove a sitting president.

While the measure has been used a handful of times since its ratification in the 1960s — either for brief transfers of power during medical procedures requiring anesthesia or to fill vacancies in the vice presidency — it has never been used to involuntarily remove a president.

HAWLEY, WARREN TEAM UP TO BACK TRUMP, CRACK DOWN ON DEFENSE CONTRACTOR PAYOUTS

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaking at MTK Sportpark in Budapest Hungary

Vice President JD Vance laughs at the sound of President Donald Trump calling in as he was delivering remarks at a Day of Friendship event with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at MTK Sportpark in Budapest, Hungary, on April 7, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Congressional Republicans similarly called for invoking the 25th Amendment against former President Joe Biden toward the end of his presidency, particularly after his debate performance against Trump in the summer of 2024.

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Still, Democrats are seeking recourse over Trump’s Easter comments and his latest post Tuesday.

“If I were in Trump’s Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said on X. “This is completely, utterly unhinged. He’s already killed thousands. He’s going to kill thousands more.”

Others are accusing Trump of being on the cusp of committing war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure. 

When asked if she believed that the administration would be carrying out a war crime by targeting power supply and bridges, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said, “No.”

“It’s an ongoing operation, and if he needs leverage, he’s using that leverage,” Ernst said.

Many Republicans have remained silent on Trump’s post. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment and has not yet received a reply. 



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Trump warns ‘a whole civilization will die’ as Iran deadline looms


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President Donald Trump warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” as a deadline looms for Iran to agree to U.S. demands, escalating his rhetoric even as last-minute negotiations continue through intermediaries to avert sweeping military strikes.

Trump has set a Tuesday night deadline for Iran to accept terms that include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil artery, as U.S. officials — including Vice President JD Vance — continue back-channel talks through intermediaries such as Pakistan. 

But significant gaps remain, and the president’s latest comments raise the risk the U.S. may move forward with strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure, including power and transportation systems and beyond. 

TRUMP REVEALS IRAN MADE ‘SIGNIFICANT PROPOSAL’ AFTER ULTIMATUM, BUT ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’

Trump’s latest remarks mark a sharp escalation from earlier warnings focused on infrastructure. He also suggested Iran had undergone “complete and total regime change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail.”

Mojtaba Khamenei was named Iran’s supreme leader after U.S. strikes killed his father, Ali Khamenei, though his current status and control remain unclear amid conflicting reports. 

Iran has threatened to take action if Trump follows through on his threats. 

“Iran will not stand idle in the face of such egregious war crimes,” said Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations. “It will exercise without hesitation its inherent right of self-defense, and will take immediate and proportionate reciprocal measures.”

President Donald Trump standing in the Cross Hall of the White House speaking

President Donald Trump arrives from the Blue Room to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Diplomatic efforts to avert a wider conflict are ongoing but increasingly strained, with mediators including Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey working to broker a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz before broader talks can begin.

“We are absolutely in touch with” Iran, a senior U.S. official told Fox News. “Absolutely. (The talks) have been positive. If we get lucky, we will have something by the end of the day.”

Iran repeatedly has rejected a temporary truce in favor of a permanent end to the war, while U.S. officials have dismissed Tehran’s proposals as insufficient, leaving key differences unresolved as the deadline approaches.

Trump underscored the threat in a profanity-laced Truth Social post Sunday, declaring that “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day” in Iran and warning that the country’s infrastructure would be destroyed if it did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He told Iran to “open the F—in’ Strait … or you’ll be living in Hell.”

As the deadline nears, the conflict is already intensifying on the ground. Airstrikes hit parts of Iran’s capital city of Tehran Tuesday, while Iranian officials urged civilians to form human chains around power plants in an effort to deter potential U.S. attacks on critical infrastructure, Iranian state media reported. 

Overnight, the U.S. struck dozens of military sites on Kharg Island — including bunkers, radar stations and ammunition storage facilities — a senior U.S. official told Fox News. The island is Iran’s primary oil export hub, making it one of the regime’s most critical economic assets. 

By targeting military sites while avoiding energy infrastructure, the strikes suggest the U.S. is applying pressure while holding Iran’s oil lifeline at risk as a potential next step if the deadline passes without a deal.

Israel also has signaled a potential expansion of the target set to include Iran’s rail network, warning civilians to avoid trains ahead of possible strikes. Rail lines play a critical role in moving military forces and equipment, particularly in and out of Tehran, and disrupting them could significantly limit Iran’s ability to reposition assets and sustain operations.

While Trump has centered his deadline on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the negotiations have expanded into a broader dispute over ending the war, including Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, sanctions relief and security guarantees — issues that remain unresolved as both sides clash over what concessions must come first.

Damaged B1 bridge in Iran

A view of the damaged B1 bridge, a day after it was destroyed by an airstrike, on April 3, 2026 west of Tehran in Karaj, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Trump’s “civilization” remarks have raised new questions about whether the potential U.S. target set could extend beyond bridges and power plants to include additional infrastructure or systems tied to the Iranian regime’s ability to maintain power.

IRAN’S TALLEST BRIDGE COLLAPSES AFTER REPORTED US AIRSTRIKES, IRAN THREATENS AMERICAN ALLIES IN RETALIATION

Trump has warned that “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” and that power plants could be left “burning, exploding and never to be used again” if Tehran fails to meet his demands, underscoring the scale of potential infrastructure strikes.

Trump also has repeatedly extended similar deadlines in recent weeks, delaying threatened strikes as negotiations continued before issuing new ultimatums. The pattern has raised questions about whether the latest deadline will hold — or serve as another pressure tactic in the final hours of talks.

Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes in peacetime — already has sent shockwaves through global markets, raising pressure on the administration to reach a resolution while increasing the stakes of any potential military escalation.

Rescue workers searching through rubble in southern Tehran after a strike

Rescue workers search for survivors in the rubble after a strike in southern Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (Sajjad Safari/AP)

Military options now on the table

Trump’s rhetoric has fueled questions about how far a potential U.S. strike campaign could extend beyond the infrastructure targets he has publicly identified. 

Military analysts say options range from continued infrastructure strikes aimed at crippling Iran’s ability to function to a broader campaign targeting the regime’s core power centers.

The White House rapid response team shot down a post on X which quoted Vance and suggested it implied “Trump might use nuclear weapons.” 

“Literally nothing @VP said here “implies” this, you absolute buffoons.”

“The Iranian regime has until 8PM Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States. Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. 

A U.S. operation could focus on disabling Iran’s electrical grid, transportation networks and energy facilities — a strategy designed to create nationwide disruption and pressure leadership. Such strikes could trigger cascading effects across communications, water systems and industrial production and would impact the civilian population.

Other options could involve further targeting of leadership, facilities tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including command-and-control nodes, weapons production sites and economic assets that fund the regime’s operations. 

Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum, said the president’s language suggests a focus on dismantling the regime’s underlying power structures rather than targeting Iran as a nation.

“I really think that what he’s talking about are the fundamental roots and the anchors of the Islamic Republic, not of the country of Iran,” Roman said.

“Everything that the United States would target in a hypothetical attack on power plants, bridges, other key points of infrastructure would really have to focus on those that are connected to the ability of the generals who are currently in charge of this regime and their ability to maintain power,” he added.

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Roman said Trump’s reference to “civilization” likely reflects the 47-year rule of the Islamic Republic rather than Iranian society as a whole.

“I don’t think he’s speaking about Persian civilization. I think he speaking about the 47 years that the Islamic Republic has ruled as a polity.”

Iranian officials have called on civilians to help protect key infrastructure. Earlier, Iranian official Alireza Rahimi issued a video message calling on “all young people, athletes, artists, students and university students and their professors” to form human chains around power plants.

Iranian Preisdent Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Iranians are willing to give their lives in defense of Iran. 

“More than 14 million brave Iranians have so far declared their readiness to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran. I have also sacrificed my life for Iran, I am, and I will continue to do so,” he wrote on X.

Fox News’ Bill Hemmer, Jennifer Griffin and Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 



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Trump calls into Hungary rally where Vance is campaigning to back Orban


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President Donald Trump, hours away from the deadline he put on Iran to reach a deal, took a few moments on Tuesday to hail Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in an impromptu call-in to a campaign rally address by Vice President JD Vance.

“Mr. President, you are on with about 5,000 Hungarian patriots, and I think they love you even more than they love Viktor Orban,” Vance told the president in a call that blared over the speakers at the event in Hungary.

Speaking by phone to what attendees described as roughly 5,000 supporters before Sunday’s election, Trump praised Orban as “a fantastic man” who has “done a fantastic job” leading his country.

“I love Hungary and I love that Viktor, I’ll tell you,” Trump said. “He’s a fantastic man. We’ve had a tremendous relationship, and he does a job. Remember this? He didn’t allow people to storm your country and invade your country like other people have and ruin their countries.”

TRUMP SAYS HUNGARY’S BORDER STANCE KEEPS CRIME DOWN, SAYS EUROPE ‘FLOODING’ WITH MIGRANTS

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaking at MTK Sportpark in Budapest Hungary

Vice President JD Vance laughs at the sound of President Donald Trump calling in as he was delivering remarks at a Day of Friendship event with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at MTK Sportpark in Budapest, Hungary, on April 7, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

“Frankly, he’s kept your country good. He’s kept Hungarian people in your country. And he’s done a fantastic job,” Trump added.

Trump credited Orban’s hard-line immigration stance with keeping Hungary “strong” and said Hungarians were “my kind of people.”

HUNGARIAN OFFICIAL TOUTS ‘GOLDEN AGE’ OF US RELATIONSHIP, CREDITS TRUMP WITH BOOSTING NATO AND INVESTMENT

Trump said he and the U.S. are with Orban “all the way.”

After Trump’s remarks, Vance told the crowd they had to get Orban reelected as Hungary’s prime minister.

Vance’s visit to Budapest, just days before a vote that independent polls suggest Orban might lose, underscores how crucial Trump’s “MAGA” movement deems the veteran Hungarian nationalist’s reelection.

TRUMP ALLY ORBAN ISSUES SCATHING LETTER DEMANDING ZELENSKYY CHANGE UKRAINE’S ‘ANTI-HUNGARIAN POLICY’

“It’s a real honor to talk to you: You’re really incredible people with great enthusiasm and brilliance,” Trump told the crowd to conclude brief remarks.

“Brilliant people, and I really love it. You have a man that kept your country strong and he kept your country good, and you don’t have problems with all of the problems that so many other countries have because they let their countries be invaded,” Trump added. “And you don’t have that problem because of Viktor Orban. That’s the only reason you don’t have that problem. There was a lot of pressure on him to do it, and those other countries made big mistakes. So I wish you a lot of luck and I love you all.”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaking at a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest

Vice President JD Vance holds a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, Hungary, on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/AP)

Earlier, Vance lashed out at what he called “disgraceful” interference from the European Union in the Hungarian election.

RUBIO SEALS CIVIL NUCLEAR COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH HUNGARY

President Donald Trump greets Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) greets Prime Minister of Hungary Victor Orban as he arrives at the White House on Nov. 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

“What has happened in this country, what has happened in the midst of this election campaign, is one of the worst examples of foreign election interference that I’ve ever seen or ever even read about,” Vance told a news conference. “The bureaucrats in Brussels have tried to destroy the economy of Hungary. They have tried to make Hungary less energy-independent. They have tried to drive up costs for Hungarian consumers, and they’ve done it all because they hate this guy [Orban].”

TRUMP HAILS VANCE AND RUBIO AS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ DUO: HAMMER AND VELVET GLOVE

The visit broke with the norms of prior U.S. presidential administrations of not openly campaigning in foreign elections, especially for a government that has maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Orban has maintained cordial ties with Moscow despite the Ukraine war, and says Russian energy is essential for Hungary.

Trump has already personally endorsed Orban, 62, as “a truly strong and powerful leader” and Vance lavished praise on the Hungarian prime minister’s policies on everything from energy to the war in Ukraine.

“I’m here because of the moral cooperation between our two countries, because what the United States and Hungary together represent under Viktor’s leadership and under President Trump’s leadership is the defense of Western civilization,” Vance said.

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Orban, fighting the toughest reelection bid of his career after 16 years in power, hailed what he called “a golden age” in relations between Hungary and the U.S. under Trump’s leadership.

Reuters contributed to this report.



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Ex-Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for Trump’s removal via 25th Amendment


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Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called for President Donald Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness,” Greene wrote on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Greene’s post featured a screenshot of Trump’s Tuesday Truth Social post in which he ominously warned that Iran’s “civilization will die tonight.”

FORMER REP MTG VENTS THAT SHE’S ‘SO BEYOND DONE,’ CHARACTERIZING TRUMP’S ADDRESS AS ‘WAR WAR WAR’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in 2025

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrives for a meeting of House Republicans in the Capitol Visitor Center on the budget reconciliation bill on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump declared in the Truth Social post.

“However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!” he added.

Greene, a once-fierce Trump ally, had a bitter falling out with the president last year and has become a vociferous critic of the commander in chief.

Some sitting Democratic lawmakers have also called for the president to be booted from office.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a member of the progressive cadre of lawmakers known as “The Squad,” is one of those calling for Trump’s ouster.

“Sickeningly evil. Donald Trump must be impeached. When will it be enough for my Republican colleagues to grow spines and remove him from office?” she wrote in a Tuesday post on X.

ILHAN OMAR CALLS TRUMP AN ‘UNHINGED LUNATIC,’ URGES BOOTING HIM OUT OF OFFICE

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar posing for a portrait in her Capitol Hill office

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., poses for a portrait in her office on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., declared in a Tuesday post on X, “25th Amendment RIGHT NOW! Trump is too unhinged, dangerous, and deranged to have the nuclear codes!”

Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., who last year introduced impeachment articles against Trump, declared in a Tuesday post on X, “Trump just threatened to slaughter 100 million people. It’s clear he’s unfit to be president, the 25th amendment must be invoked. If Vance, Rubio & the others continue to be spineless cowards, Congress must do everything possible to stop Trump & this war.”

In a Truth Social post issued on Easter Sunday, the president warned, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F[—]kin’ Strait, you crazy b——, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”

Omar responded to the president’s comments, declaring in a Monday post on X, “This is not ok. Invoke the 25th amendment. Impeach. Remove. This unhinged lunatic must be removed from office.”

TRUMP WARNS ‘WHOLE CIVILIZATION WILL DIE TONIGHT,’ AS IRANIAN OFFICIAL URGES HUMAN CHAINS AROUND POWER PLANTS

President Donald Trump at podium during news White House news conference

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Greene declared in a Sunday post on X that the president had “gone insane.”

“Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness. I know all of you and him and he has gone insane, and all of you are complicit,” she asserted in part of the lengthy post. “This is not making America great again, this is evil.”



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Vance says Iran has ‘two pathways’ as Trump’s 12-hour deadline looms


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Vice President JD Vance said that Iran has “two pathways” it can take regarding the conclusion of the war as President Donald Trump’s 12-hour deadline is looming Tuesday for the regime to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its power plants and bridges. 

Vance, speaking in Hungary, also said he is praying that the United States is on “God’s side” in its pursuit to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon

“There are two pathways that this thing is ultimately going to end. First of all, the United States has largely accomplished its military objectives,” Vance said. “There are still some things that we’d like to do, for example, on Iranian ability to manufacture weapons, that we’d like to do a little bit more work on militarily. But fundamentally, the military objectives of the United States have been completed.” 

“I think there really are two pathways, and I’m oversimplifying this a little bit, but I think pathway one is where the Iranians decide they’re going to be a normal country. They’re not going to fund terrorism anymore. They’re going to be part of the world system of commerce and exchange,” Vance continued. “And that’s going to mean much better things for them economically. It’s going to mean better things for the peace and safety of the world. It’s going to mean a lot of good things for a lot of people all over the planet. That’s option A.” 

LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP DEADLINE FOR IRAN TICKS CLOSER AS ISLAMIC REPUBLIC REJECTS TEMPORARY CEASEFIRE

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaking at a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest

Vice President JD Vance holds a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, Hungary, on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/AP)

“Option B is that the Iranians don’t come to the table and they stay committed to terrorism, to terrorizing their neighbors, not just Israel but of course their Arab neighbors too. Then the economic situation in Iran is going to continue to be very, very bad. And frankly, it will probably get worse,” the vice president said. 

“The president also has been very clear that while the Iranians are trying to exact as much economic cost through the Strait of Hormuz, the United States has the ability to extract much greater economic costs on Iran than Iran has an ability to extract costs on us or on our friends in the world,” Vance also said. “So I hope that they’re smart. The president has set a deadline for about 12 hours from now, and the United States, we’re going to find out. But there’s going to be a lot of negotiation between now and then, and I’m hopeful that it gets to a good resolution.” 

HEGSETH TIES IRAN RESCUE TO EASTER STORY AND JESUS CHRIST: ‘A PILOT REBORN’

U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft flying in formation

U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft “have been used to strike Iranian naval vessels during Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM said Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (U.S. Central Command)

Vance told reporters Tuesday that his attitude toward military conflict has been to pray that “we are on God’s side.”

“We’re doing this because we don’t want a regime that has committed acts of terrorism to have the world’s most dangerous weapon. Because that would mean a lot of innocent people dead,” Vance said about the war. “I certainly hope that God agrees with the decision that Iran shouldn’t have a nuclear weapon, but I’ll keep praying about it.” 

Vance also accused Iran of unleashing “acts of economic terrorism” that are obstructing the free flow of gas and oil around the world. 

Satellite image showing the Strait of Hormuz connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman

A satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, vital for global energy supply. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

“So they’ve got to know, we’ve got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use. The president of the United States can decide to use them, and he will decide to use them if the Iranians don’t change their course of conduct,” he warned. 

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Vance also confirmed Tuesday that “we were going to strike some military targets on Kharg Island” and “I believe we have done so.”



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Rep. John Larson files 13 articles of impeachment against Trump in House


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Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., is mounting a long-shot bid to impeach President Donald Trump as he stares down a primary threat from younger challengers, who seek to thwart his bid for a 15th House term. 

Larson, 77, introduced 13 articles of impeachment against Trump on Monday, citing the president’s military intervention in Venezuela, the deployment of National Guard troops to cities across the country and his executive order to curtail birthright citizenship, among other charges.

Larson also charged Trump with “murder, war crimes and piracy” for ordering a naval blockade around Venezuela targeting U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers ahead of the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and for launching dozens of strikes against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean.

“Through his serial usurpation of the congressional war power and commission of murder, war crimes, and piracy, Donald J. Trump has acted contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of law, liberty, and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States,” the resolution reads in part.

COMPLEX PARTIAL SEIZURE RULED AS CAUSE OF PAUSING EPISODE DURING HOUSE FLOOR SPEECH, DEM CONGRESSMAN SAYS

Delcy Rodriguez speaking at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in Caracas, Venezuela

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez speaks during a ceremony marking the opening of the new judicial year at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 30, 2026. (Ariana Cubillos/AP)

The resolution has little chance of advancing in the Republican-controlled House or resulting in a Senate trial, even if Larson chooses to force a vote when lawmakers return the week of April 13.

However, Larson’s impeachment push comes as the septuagenarian congressman faces a heated primary challenge from several younger candidates running on a mantle of generational change.

Larson, a senior member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, notably suffered a complex partial seizure while delivering a speech on the House floor in February 2025.

Rep. John Larson speaking at a podium

(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

VOCAL ANTI-TRUMP DEM REVEALS WHICH INDUSTRY IS TRYING TO OUST HIM FROM HOUSE SEAT: ‘I WAS A TARGET’

Primary challenger Luke Bronin, 46, a former Hartford mayor and military veteran, has called on Larson to step aside after nearly three decades in the House. Bronin, who is backed by Democratic-aligned veterans groups, outraised Larson during the first two months after launching his insurgent campaign in 2025.

It is unclear whether Larson’s impeachment push is supported by House Democratic leadership. A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Larson is the latest in a string of House Democrats to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump since he began his second term.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaking at a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2026. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg)

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Trump has repeatedly warned that Democrats will attempt to impeach him for a third time if the party retakes control of the House chamber in 2027.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., did not rule out that possibility during an interview with MS NOW last week, but added that Democrats would focus on addressing cost-of-living issues.

Fox News Digital reached out to Larson and the White House for comment.



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Trump administration targets woke agreements tied to prior administrations


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As President Donald Trump’s administration pushes back against radical leftist gender ideology, the Department of Education is taking aim at agreements from prior administrations.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has rolled back provisions of resolution agreements stemming from previous administrations, unshackling schools from unlawful enforcement of Title IX, according to the department.

“Today, the Trump Administration is removing the unnecessary and unlawful burdens that prior Administrations imposed on schools in its relentless pursuit of a radical transgender agenda,” Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement.

EDUCATION SECRETARY LINDA MCMAHON ACCUSES CRITICS OF HAVING ‘TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME’

President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon

President Donald Trump speaks with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon during an executive order signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on July 31, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“While previous Administrations launched Title IX investigations based on ‘misgendering,’ the Trump Administration is investigating allegations of girls and women being injured by men on their sports team or feeling violated by men in their intimate spaces,” she added.

“Today is yet another demonstration of the Trump Administration’s commitment to uphold the law, protect our students, and restore common sense. No longer will the federal government force educational institutions to violate the law or punish them for upholding it,” Richey declared.

The Department of Education listed Cape Henlopen School District, Delaware Valley School District, Fife School District, La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, Sacramento City Unified and Taft College.

DETRANSITIONER CHLOE COLE ACCUSES MEDIA OF ‘TRYING TO SUPPRESS’ COVERAGE OF TRANSGENDER SHOOTERS

Department of Education sign

A Department of Education sign is displayed outside their federal student aid office on May 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

“OCR is rescinding portions of six resolution agreements that were reached through the illegal, heavy-handed manipulation of Title IX. The Department will therefore no longer monitor or enforce these agreements,” the department said.

A settlement that Delaware Valley School District had with the Obama administration required the district to allow students to utilize restrooms that matched their gender identity, according to The Associated Press.

In February, the Trump administration sent the district a letter saying it was rescinding the settlement. 

The administration required the district to rescind antidiscrimination protections for transgender pupils, the AP reported.

HARVARD ALUM PRAISES TRUMP ADMIN TARGETING UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS POLICIES, HANDLING OF ANTISEMITISM

President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon

President Donald Trump speaks to the media after signing executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on April 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C., as Secretary of Education Linda McMahon looks on. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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The school board voted last month to alter its transgender student policies to comply with the administration’s requirements, the outlet reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report



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Trump calls Artemis II crew after historic far side of the moon flyby


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The Artemis II cew literally went where no man, or woman, had gone before on a historic trek around the dark side of the moon on Monday, and the crew did it with pilot Victor Glover making a quick request for divine assistance.

“I’d like to ask, what was your feeling when you had no communication?” President Donald Trump asked in a call arranged by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman from Houston mission control to “Integrity,” the crew’s chosen name for the Orion capsule. “Zero communication all of a sudden: It was cut off by obviously your very special location; what was your feeling when you had no communication? A little bit different, perhaps.”

“Yes, Mr. President, it was,” Glover replied. “I said a little prayer, but then I had to keep rolling.”

The prayer was quick, because when things went dark, the crew had to get to work during the 45-minute communications outage.

NASA’S ARTEMIS II CREW COMMITS TO MOON TRAJECTORY AFTER CRITICAL BURN SENDS ORION INTO DEEP SPACE

The Moon seen from a camera outside the Orion spacecraft after Artemis II astronauts surpassed farthest distance from Earth

The moon is seen from a camera outside the Orion spacecraft after Artemis II astronauts surpassed the farthest distance ever traveled by humans from Earth on April 6, 2026. (NASA)

“I was actually recording scientific observations of the far side of the moon,” Glover continued. “You know, that is actually the time when we were the farthest and the closest to the moon.

“And so we were really able to make some of our most detailed observations of the far side of the moon up close. And so we were busy up here working really hard. And I must say it was actually quite nice.”

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

Artemis II crew viewing the Moon through the Orion spacecraft window.

Before going to sleep on flight day 5, the Artemis II crew snapped one more photo of the Moon, as it drew closer through the window of the Orion spacecraft. (NASA)

Trump drilled down on the observations.

“Did you see a difference, a big difference between the far side of the moon and the near side of the moon?” Trump asked. “Was there a difference in feel or difference in look, what did you see?”

The lack of light “certainly did” change the perspective, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said, noting the far side looked strikingly different from the near side, with far fewer of the dark plains visible from Earth.

GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND: AMERICA’S SPACE EDGE IS AT STAKE AS ARTEMIS II HEADS TO THE MOON

“The gravitational pull of the Earth has had a profound effect on the near side of the moon, changing all those dark mares, those dark patches of the moon you see from Earth. It’s very different on the far side.

“While you see some small patches of those mare and deep craters, it’s very much absent on that side. So that’s really neat.”

Hansen also took a moment to thank Trump on behalf of Canada, a country that has had at-times testy dealings with Trump.

Artemis II crew Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover speaking with NASA Mission Control in video conference

This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they speak with NASA Mission Control in a video conference while en route to the moon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA)

NUTELLA CAPITALIZES ON GREATEST FREE ADVERTISING MOMENT IN HISTORY ON NASA MOON MISSION

“And while I have the microphone, sir, I just want to thank you on behalf of Canada: The space leadership you spoke of from America truly is extraordinary,” Hansen said. “I’ve said this many times before, a nation that leads like that and creates and sets big goals for humanity, that brings other countries along with it, is truly incredible.

“And I know that’s a very intentional, not a necessary decision, intentional decision to lead by example and to allow other countries like Canada to share our gifts and help you achieve these mutually beneficial goals, like establishing a presence on the moon and eventually going to Mars.

“And Canadians are so proud to be a part of this program.”

TRUMP HYPES MOON MISSION AS ARTEMIS II PREPARES TO LIFT OFF UNDER PRESSURE FROM PAST FAILURES

Trump referenced Canadian hockey great Wayne Gretzky and said the country is proud of Hansen’s bravery.

“They are so proud of you, and you have a lot of courage,” Trump said. “I’m not sure if they’d want to do that. I’m not even sure if The Great One would want to do that, to be honest with you. But you have a lot of courage doing what you’re doing, a lot of bravery and a lot of of genius. But they’re very, very proud of you.”

ASTRONAUT VICTOR GLOVER PRAISED FOR SAYING MOON MISSION IS ‘HUMAN HISTORY,’ NOT ‘BLACK HISTORY’

President Donald Trump and Jared Isaacman standing separately

Split of President Donald Trump and Jared Isaacman. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Mission specialist Christina Koch spoke about regaining sight of Earth after the blackout and the importance of U.S. leadership in deep-space exploration.

“One of the biggest highlights was coming back from the far side of the moon and having the first glimpses of planet Earth again, after being out of communication for about 45 minutes,” said Koch, the first woman to the moon, who already holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days) and was part of the first all-female spacewalk.

“It really just reminds you what a special place we have and how important it is for our nation to work, to lead and not follow in exploring deep space.”

Commander Reid Wiseman told Trump the crew had witnessed views that were first sights for humanity, including a solar corona during an eclipse and planets lining up beyond the moon.

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“We saw sights hat no human has ever seen before, not even in Apollo, and that was amazing for us,” Wiseman said. “And then the surprise of the day, we just came out of an eclipse where the sun, moon — the entire dark moon about that big right out the window that we were watching — we could see the corona of the sun, and then we could see the planet train line up, and Mars.

“And all of us commented how excited we are to watch this nation, and this planet become a two-planet species.”



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White House unleashes on Stacey Abrams in latest election integrity flashpoint


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The White House tore into Democrat activist and failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Monday after she argued President Donald Trump‘s executive order seeking to rein in mail-in voting was “illegal.”

“Has Stacey Abrams conceded the multiple elections she lost yet or is she still pretending to be Governor?” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “Election integrity has always been a top priority for President Trump, and the American people sent him back to the White House because they overwhelmingly supported his commonsense election integrity agenda.”

The comment was in response to Abrams, who said during an appearance on MS NOW over the weekend that Trump’s order would disenfranchise voters, resurfacing long-held tensions with the president amid his latest push to enhance voter security ahead of the midterms. Abrams previously ran for Georgia governor twice and refused to formally concede her 2018 election. 

“It is patently illegal, and it is entirely in the playbook of voter suppression that Republicans, including Donald Trump, have been using for the last decade or so,” Abrams said.

STACEY ABRAMS TOUTS 10 STEPS TO AUTOCRACY, SAYS ‘DO NOT LET PROPAGANDA WIN’

Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams speaks onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative 2025 Annual Meeting, Sept. 25, 2025, in New York City. (JP Yim/Getty Images for New York Hilton Midtown)

Trump’s order, called “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” directs the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration, in coordination with state leaders, to create a list of citizens, and then directed the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver mail-in ballots to people on the list.

“The president will do everything in his power to defend the safety and security of American elections and to ensure that only American citizens are voting in them – that’s only controversial for Democrats like Stacey,” Jackson added.

Abrams founded Fair Fight Action after her 2018 loss to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, saying Georgia’s election system suppressed voters. The group was later ordered to reimburse the state more than $200,000 in legal costs after an unsuccessful lawsuit. 

Separately, Abrams-linked advocacy groups have faced campaign-finance and nonprofit-compliance scrutiny, including a Georgia Ethics Commission case involving the New Georgia Project and a 2025 IRS complaint targeting Fair Fight Action.

Abrams has since criticized Republican-led voting initiatives at the federal and state level as relics of the Jim Crow era and designed to disenfranchise racial minorities.

“The Constitution gives to the states the authority to determine how elections are held,” Abrams said. “What the Republican regime is upset about is that democracy has been working.”

President Trump shows voting EO

President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 31, 2026. Trump signed an executive order Tuesday intended to make it harder for voters to cast mail-in ballots, escalating his long-running campaign against a practice used by millions of Americans. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump criticized Abrams as far back as 2018 over her stance on voting, accusing her of wanting “illegal aliens to vote.” Abrams “opposed requiring proof of American citizenship at the ballot box,” Trump said at the time.

Trump has long argued that noncitizen voting, which is illegal, is a widespread problem in U.S. elections. In addition to his executive order, Trump has urged Congress to pass the SAVE Act before the 2026 elections to impose a physical identification requirement on people registering to vote, though it lacks the needed support from Democratic senators to advance in the upper chamber.

While the White House has framed Trump’s executive order as an effort to bolster election integrity, Abrams and other critics argued it intruded on state authority and would unfairly suppress votes.

“The biggest risk for Americans right now is that we see these as piecemeal, and we don’t recognize it’s part of a pattern,” Abrams said. “This is step 10 in an authoritarian playbook. You end democracy.”

JAMES CARVILLE TELLS EX-CNN HOST HE’S WORRIED TRUMP WILL TAMPER WITH 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS

ballot counting in CA

Vote by Mail ballots are inspected at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on November 4, 2025, in City of Industry. California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Abrams also alleged that the executive order would serve to create a master list of voters, effectively usurping state control over voter registration lists and federalizing elections.

“The creation of a database … should terrify all of us,” Abrams said. “That is an attempt to do national surveillance.”

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In addition to Abrams’ criticisms, roughly two dozen states and voting rights groups filed lawsuits seeking to block the executive order, arguing Trump’s directives violated the Constitution by encroaching on states’ authority to administer elections.

Fox News Digital reached out to an Abrams representative for comment.



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Ilhan Omar calls Trump an ‘unhinged lunatic’ and calls for removal from office


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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called President Donald Trump an “unhinged lunatic” in a Monday post on X, advocating for him to be ousted from office.

“This is not ok. Invoke the 25th amendment. Impeach. Remove. This unhinged lunatic must be removed from office,” she asserted.

The left-wing lawmaker made the comments while sharing a screenshot of the president’s controversial Easter Sunday Truth Social post threatening attacks against Iranian power plants and bridges.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN HE MAY STRIKE ‘EVERY POWER PLANT’ AS DEADLINE TO REOPEN HORMUZ NEARS

Rep. Ilhan Omar

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., poses for a portrait in her office on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F—in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” Trump wrote in the post, referring to the Strait of Hormuz. 

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., warned in a Monday post on X, “Threatening to target power plants and other non-military targets is not strength. If those words become orders to destroy civilian infrastructure with no valid military purpose, it’s hard to see how they would not violate the laws of armed conflict. America leads best with strength, discipline, and professionalism. Illegal orders to make civilians suffer would be a black mark on our military and our country.”

MARK KELLY PRESSED ON WHETHER HE WOULD REFUSE ORDERS IF HE WAS STILL IN UNIFORM

Sen. Mark Kelly

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., during a news conference ahead of the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., declared in a Sunday post on X, “President Trump’s profanity-laden Easter threat to attack Iran’s civilian infrastructure—power plants and bridges—are the words of a frustrated and immoral madman. Many experts agree that such attacks would be war crimes under international law. To our military leaders, remember this: You are legally required to refuse orders to commit war crimes.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., characterized Trump’s comments as “the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual,” asserting in a Sunday post on X, “Congress has got to act NOW. End this war.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment early Tuesday morning.

‘GOD IS GOOD’: INSIDE THE HIGH-RISK US MISSION TO SAVE A WOUNDED AIRMAN SHOT DOWN IN IRAN

President Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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During remarks on Monday, Trump indicated the U.S. has “a plan … where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again. I mean complete demolition by 12 o’clock.”

“We don’t want that to happen,” he said.



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Georgia runoff to fill Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat tests GOP majority


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ROME, GA — Republican congressional candidate Clay Fuller says that Tuesday’s special election runoff in Georgia is “extremely crucial.”

Fuller is facing off against Democrat Shawn Harris in the race to fill the seat in Georgia’s solidly red 14th Congressional District — in the northwest part of the state — left vacant when MAGA firebrand Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stepped down at the beginning of January. Greene quit Congress with a year left in her term, after a bitter falling out with President Donald Trump.

The special election, held on the same day as a state Supreme Court contest in battleground Wisconsin, comes as Republicans cling to a razor-thin 218–214 majority in the House. The GOP cannot afford any surprises and allow the Democrats to pull an upset in the special election, in a district Trump carried by a whopping 37 points in his 2024 presidential victory.

“We need the reinforcements,” Fuller, a local district attorney and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard who’s served in the Air Force since 2009, emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff election, as he pointed to the GOP’s fragile majority. “I think the voters in Georgia 14 understand that, and they’re looking forward to sending a MAGA America first fighter up on Capitol Hill to support that agenda.”

PRIMARY PAUSE, POLITICAL FIRESTORM: HIGH-STAKES ELECTIONS THIS MONTH TAKE CENTER STAGE

Republican congressional candidate Clay Fuller speaking next to President Donald Trump at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Georgia

Republican congressional candidate Clay Fuller, left, speaks next to President Donald Trump, during a visit to the Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Georgia, Feb. 19, 2026. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Asked if he was concerned that MAGA supporters would sit out what may be a low turnout election since the president is not on the ballot, Fuller said voters “would crawl through glass to make sure they have a representative up there that fight for them and fight for President Trump, and that’s why we’re going to have the votes pouring out on April 7.”

TRUMP HITS CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN KEY BATTLEGROUND AS RACE TO REPLACE MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE HEATS UP

Harris, a cattle farmer who spent four decades in the military and retired as an Army brigadier general, needs the support of crossover Republicans in order to pull off an upset.

“I am a Democrat, but I’m not tied to the party,” Harris highlighted as he spoke with Fox News Digital. And Harris argued, “My opponent, Clay, cannot say that. He actually sold his soul to President Trump.”

Harris, pointing to surging gas prices fueled by Trump’s military attack on Iran, said when voters “go to the polls, they will have to stop at the pump, and that’ll be the last thing they think about before they go and vote. And they’re going to say, ‘You know what, Shawn Harris is the only one that’s talking about bringing down costs, Shawn Harris is the only one is saying, ‘I’m going to stand up for the people here in Northwest Georgia, period.”

“We will win this war militarily. However, if we don’t watch it and be clear with the American people, based on these gas prices and diesel prices, we could actually lose this war politically.”

Harris said he “will support President Trump on things like the…southern border.” But he added “when it comes to things like…a forever war. Send me. I will push back.”

Fuller said that “the voters in Georgia-14 support the president in this endeavor. They understand that the Iranian regime was a long term threat to our national security…they understand that President Trump is making the world safer, and they understand that there may be short term pain at the gas pump, and they’ll expect those prices to drop as soon as this conflict is over.”

Harris grabbed 37% of the vote, with Fuller at 35% amid a field of 17 candidates, including 12 Republicans, in the first round of voting in early March. Since no candidate topped 50%, Harris and Fuller advanced to Tuesday’s runoff.

The congressional seat — which stretches from Atlanta’s outer suburbs to the state’s northwest borders with Alabama and Tennessee — was left vacant when Greene quit Congress with a year left in her term, after a very public falling out with Trump mostly over her push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaking at a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol with alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a news conference with 10 of the alleged victims of disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein outside the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

While Greene remains popular among Republicans in the district, Fuller said the voters he’s talked with on the campaign trail “are focused on the fights of the future, not anything that had happened in the past.”

Asked if he’s talked with Greene, Fuller said he “reached out to Rep. Greene, had conversations with her and got advice on the district, and I’ll keep those conversations confidential.”

Harris, who as a first-time candidate lost to Greene by nearly 29 points in her 2024 re-election, emphasized that “I’m not running against Marjorie Taylor Greene anymore,” and that his name “carries more weight than any other name in this district.”

If Harris loses but holds Fuller’s margin to the mid-teens or less, national Democrats will argue the election is the latest in nearly 15 months since Trump returned to the White House in which they’ve overperformed.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

The ballot box brawl in Northwest Georgia isn’t the only electoral showdown on Tuesday. There’s also a state Supreme Court election in battleground Wisconsin.

While officially a non-partisan contest, state Supreme Court elections in Wisconsin have become extremely partisan in recent years.

With the court’s majority on the line in last year’s contest, outside money poured in and out-of-state door knockers blanketed Wisconsin. One of the biggest spenders was Trump ally Elon Musk, who headlined a rally days before the election and donned a cheesehead hat worn by fans of the Green Bay Packers.

Elon Musk speaking at a town hall meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Then-Trump adviser Elon Musk appears at a town hall meeting Green Bay, Wisconsin, in March. Musk and his super PACs spent more than $2 million to support conservative Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel’s campaign.  (Scott Olson/Getty)

Democrats won that election by a larger-than-expected margin and currently hold a 4-3 majority on Wisconsin’s highest court.

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With a conservative justice retiring, the majority isn’t at stake in this year’s election, although if state Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, a former democratic state representative, wins, liberals would expand their majority on the high court to 5-2.

If Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar, a conservative, wins or keeps the margins close, the GOP may claim a moral victory.



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Rep. Mike Turner says US ground troops won’t be needed at Strait of Hormuz


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Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said he doesn’t think mobilizing ground troops in Iran will be “necessary” to open up the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade waterway that has been blocked by the Iranian military for more than a month.

Turner, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, appeared on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday, just hours after President Donald Trump threatened Iran to “open the F—–‘ Strait” or else “you’ll be living in Hell.”

Stephanopoulos asked Turner if he thinks the Strait of Hormuz could be opened without military intervention.

At first, Turner didn’t directly answer the question. Instead, he spoke broadly about the conflict, saying that Iran’s efforts to become a nuclear state are being “eliminated” thanks to President Donald Trump’s military interventions. He also blamed the Obama administration for failing to “undertake the conflict.”

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘NO LONGER A THREAT’ AFTER 32 DAYS — OUTLINES NEXT PHASE OF US WAR

Rep. Mike Turner speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, speaks during a press conference with members of the U.S. Congress delegation in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 9, 2024. (Serhiy Morgunov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

“If you just step back and watch, as the Obama administration was going to do while Iran became a nuclear power and they became North Korea, we wouldn’t be looking at the Strait of Hormuz,” Turner said.

Stephanopoulos then asked Turner again if he thought mobilizing ground troops to open up the important waterway would be necessary.

“Well, I think, you’re certainly seeing that even as this conflict evolves, that that is being put in place, and I don‘t think U.S. ground troops are going to be necessary in any direct conflict,” Turner said.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S IRAN ADDRESS

Cargo ships anchored in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah

Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in the United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. (Stringer/Reuters)

“In this instance, we‘re seeing that the conflict is continuing with the president beginning to, in conjunction with Israel, significantly diminish Iran‘s military capabilities, both their navy, their missile capabilities, overall are continuing, and certainly, their nuclear capabilities are being continually diminished. And that was the goal, and that is an incredibly important goal for the safety of the United States,” Turner continued.

In a follow-up post on Truth Social, Trump gave Iran a deadline of “Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump also urged European countries to assist with reopening the waterway in a Wednesday address to the nation.

TRUMP ORDERS WAR DEPT TO POSTPONE STRIKES ON IRANIAN ENERGY SITES, CITING ‘PRODUCTIVE’ TALKS TO END WAR

President Donald Trump walking from the Blue Room to the Cross Hall in the White House

President Donald Trump arrives from the Blue Room to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

“The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait and won’t be taking any in the future. We don’t need it. We haven’t needed it and we don’t need it,” Trump said.

“We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on,” he continued.

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Even though the United States imports very little oil through the Persian Gulf, a disruption to the supply chain will send shocks throughout the global supply. Since the start of the war, the average price for gas in the United States has jumped to more than $4 a gallon.

Fox News Digital reached out to Turner for further comment.



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Pam Bondi and the attorneys general who were fired or resigned before her


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Attorney General Pam Bondi’s departure last week was the latest in a series of high-profile firings or resignations of America’s top law enforcement officer, from a key Watergate figure to a well-respected attorney whose differences with the president became irreconcilable.

Former President George Washington appointed Founding Father and former Virginia Gov. Edmund Randolph the nation’s first attorney general in 1789, and in the years since, there have been dozens of successors, some lost to history and others more memorable.

Eliot Richardson and Richard Kleindienst — Nixon

Eliot Richardson, the secretary of defense at the time of the Watergate burglary, was named to succeed Attorney General Richard Kleindienst, who resigned amid the scandal after reportedly being pressured by a member of the Watergate “plumbers” to assuage the situation.

“Plumbers” was the moniker for the group accused in the burglary at the DNC headquarters, then located at the Watergate Hotel in Foggy Bottom, D.C. They were organized by CIA officer E. Howard Hunt and FBI agent-turned-future conservative talk radio star G. Gordon Liddy. The name purportedly came from the dual meaning of “leaks” — political versus pipes.

TOP DOJ OFFICIALS TO BRIEF HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FOR JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROBE

Richardson and Nixon

Eliot Richardson, left, and President Richard Nixon, right. (Original/Getty Images)

Kleindienst was playing golf at Burning Tree in Bethesda, Md., in June 1972 when Liddy reportedly approached him to say that the Committee to Re-elect the President (Nixon’s committee) was involved in the burglary, according to an account from the UK Guardian.

Kleindienst reportedly told the G-man to get lost, and the federal investigation ensued as normal.

As the scandal raged on April 30, 1973, Nixon announced he had accepted the resignations of Kleindienst, and presidential assistants John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman — and fired White House Counsel John Dean — who has often called President Donald Trump’s tenure worse than that of his old boss.

“Mr. Kleindienst asked to be relieved as Attorney General because he felt that he could not appropriately continue as head of the Justice Department now that it appears its investigation of the Watergate and related cases may implicate individuals with whom he has had a close personal and professional association,” Nixon said in a public letter that day.

Richardson’s tenure began thereafter and ended with one of the most significant executive branch departures in history: the “Saturday Night Massacre.”

On October 20, 1973, Nixon ordered Richardson to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox shortly after Cox subpoenaed the Oval Office recordings. Richardson, who appointed Cox and reportedly pledged not to fire him without cause, refused and resigned.

TRUMP FIRES JUDGE-PICKED US ATTORNEY AS TOP DOJ OFFICIAL WARNS COURTS TO STAY IN THEIR LANE

Nixon then asked Richardson’s deputy, William Ruckelshaus, to fire Cox, and he also resigned instead of carrying out the order.

Nixon then ordered Ruckelshaus’ deputy, Solicitor General Robert Bork, who is better known for his unsuccessful nomination to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan, to fire Cox. Bork did so and reportedly considered resigning but stayed on at the urging of his predecessors to ensure stability at the DOJ.

That November, an LBJ-appointed federal judge found that Cox’s firing had been unlawful.

Nixon himself ultimately resigned almost one year later on August 9, 1974.

Richardson’s legacy became that of a cabinet official who, in times of crisis, sacrificed professional status for personal integrity, as described by the Constitution Center and others.

Alberto Gonzales — G.W. Bush

Alberto Gonzales and George Bush

Alberto Gonzales, left; President George W. Bush, right. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Alberto Gonzales was one of President George W. Bush’s closest advisers, going back to his time as Texas governor. He was also the first Hispanic attorney general and the highest-ranking Hispanic cabinet official until Trump named Marco Rubio to secretary of state in 2025.

Gonzales ultimately resigned the top cop post in 2007 amid mounting bipartisan criticism of the DOJ’s firing of several U.S. attorneys and allegations that he was not forthright during congressional inquiries about whether politics played a role in the firings.

Bush lamented his friend’s resignation, saying “it is sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.”

Gonzales faced mounting pressure and criticism amid the firings and regarding comments defending enhanced interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists.

He stated “I do not recall” or similar framings of the statement dozens of times during a contentious Senate hearing where he battled Republicans like Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter and Democrats including California’s Dianne Feinstein.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., later confronted Gonzales over his responses.

KARL ROVE: TRUMP DROPPED BONDI, BUT THE REAL POLITICAL FIGHT IS JUST BEGINNING

“You’ve answered ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I can’t recall’ to close to a hundred questions. You’re not familiar with much of the workings of your own department. And we still don’t have convincing explanations of the who, when and why, in regard to the firing of the majority of the eight U.S. attorneys,” Schumer fumed, according to a transcript posted to the left-wing outlet DemocracyNow.

In his testimony, Gonzales said U.S. Attorneys indeed serve at the pleasure of the president, and that the Justice Department makes “decisions based on the evidence, not whether the target is a Republican or a Democrat.”

“I know that I did not, and would not, ask for a resignation of any individual in order to interfere with or influence a particular prosecution for partisan political gain,” Gonzales said. “I also have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. Attorney for an improper reason.”

Bush nonetheless remained behind his pick, rebuking a “no confidence” resolution drafted by Schumer, Feinstein and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. as the controversy continued.

Ultimately, Gonzales announced on August 27, 2007, that he would be stepping down on September 17.

“Yesterday I met with President Bush and informed him of my decision to conclude my government service as attorney general… let me say that it’s been one of my greatest privileges to lead the Department of Justice,” Gonzales said in his resignation announcement.

“I have great admiration and respect for the men and women who work here. I have made a point as attorney general to personally meet as many of them as possible, and today I want to again thank them for their service to our nation.”

Jeff Sessions — Trump

Pam Bondi Jeff Session Trump

Attorneys general Pam Bondi, left, Jefferson Sessions III, center, and President Donald Trump. (Chris Kleponis/Pool-Bloomberg)

Former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions was the first in the upper chamber to endorse then-developer Donald Trump in his 2016 presidential bid.

The immigration enforcement hardliner and Trump loyalist, however, saw his relationship with the new president fray early in their term.

Sessions recused himself from the Trump-Russia investigation, citing his own campaigning for Trump amid reports he also met personally with Russian envoy Sergey Kislyak.

The recusal incensed Trump and led him to regularly bash Sessions in the press, and also to blame Sessions for the appointment of former FBI Director Robert Mueller III as special counsel in the Russia case.

Trump also faulted Sessions for declining to criminally pursue Hillary Clinton.

Sessions’ tenure ended the day after Republicans lost the House in the 2018 midterm elections, but left the Alabamian with a successful professional record in reversing Obama-era policies and cracking down on sanctuary city policies.

US INTERIM ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE CALLS SPECULATION SURROUNDING BONDI’S FIRING ‘SIMPLY NOT TRUE’

But Trump’s firing of Sessions only further invigorated his Democratic critics, as New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker called it an “alarming development that brings us one step closer to a constitutional crisis.”

Booker claimed Trump fired Sessions because he was scared Mueller would “implicat[e]” him in the Russia investigation.

William Barr — Trump

AG Barr at DOJ

Attorney General William Barr speaks. (Michael Reynolds/Getty Images)

Former Attorney General William Barr resigned from his second tenure as the nation’s top cop in December 2020, amid disputes over whether the prior month’s election had been subject to widespread fraud.

Barr, who previously served under President George H.W. Bush, appeared to irritate Trump when he told The Associated Press he had not seen “fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”

In announcing the departure, Trump tweeted that he had a “nice meeting” with Barr and that his relationship “has been a very good one; he has done an outstanding job.”

Barr also touted Trump’s first-term record amid what he called a “partisan onslaught” and “relentless, implacable resistance.”

In comments to NBC News in 2022 ahead of the release of his book “One Damn Thing After Another,” Barr said he told Trump at the White House that he understood the president was frustrated with him, and that he was willing to submit his resignation.

“Accepted,” Trump supposedly said, but the president himself reportedly claimed he asked for Barr’s resignation, not that the AG quit.

PAM BONDI IS OUT AS AG — HERE ARE THE CONTENDERS WHO COULD REPLACE HER

“The absurd lengths to which he took his stolen election claim led to the rioting on Capitol Hill,” Barr said, while adding that Trump’s actions still wouldn’t reach the legal level of “incitement” as claimed by Democrats.

In his resignation letter, Barr applauded Trump’s ability to “weather” the Russia investigation and Democrats’ attempts to “cripple if not oust [the] administration,” and said the president restored the U.S. military and curbed illegal immigration.

Harry Daugherty — Harding and Coolidge

Harding and crew go fishing

President Warren Gamaliel Harding and friends go fishing in Miami in 1921. The president is fourth from left, and AG Harry Daugherty is third from left. (Getty Images)

The first attorney general of the modern era to be ousted was Harry Daugherty, a member of President Warren Harding’s administration.

Daugherty was part of the so-called “Ohio Gang” of longtime Harding confidants from his home state.

Daugherty’s fall began amid the Teapot Dome Scandal — the most infamous incident prior to Watergate — which led to the imprisonment of Interior Secretary Albert Fall.

Fall was implicated in low- or no-bid oil leases at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, in 1923, and jailed for accepting bribes from energy companies.

Daugherty was later investigated for allegedly failing to prosecute people involved in Teapot Dome, and was allegedly implicated in a handful of other scandals, including being charged with conspiracy amid the sale of illegal liquor permits during prohibition.

He was also accused of influence peddling and members of the “Ohio Gang” were accused of selling government appointments.

Daugherty’s brother Mal was president of a bank, which was later closed by the state of Ohio after the Senate was unable to “pry” during its investigation into Attorney General Daugherty, according to a 1930 TIME report.

The sibling’s bank recorded “heavy withdrawals” during that time, which caught the attention of regulators in Columbus.

Harry Daugherty ultimately met his ouster after Harding died in office in August 1923.

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New President Calvin Coolidge booted him from the DOJ over loss of public trust and refusal to turn over departmental records regarding alleged corruption.

Daugherty was never convicted.



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Pete Hegseth draws Jesus resurrection parallel to Easter Sunday Iran rescue


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Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth drew parallels between the rescue mission of an Air Force officer shot down in Iran on Good Friday and Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

Hegseth spoke Monday during President Donald Trump‘s press conference centered on the Easter weekend rescue mission. He described how the airman “evaded capture for more than a day, scaling rugged ridges while hunted by the enemy.”

“When he was finally able to activate his emergency transponder, his first message was simple and it was powerful. He sent a message: ‘God is good,'” Hegseth said. “In that moment of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shone through.”

Hegseth continued to describe the experience of the airman, suggesting that it was a spiritual experience for him.

TRUMP TOUTS AIRMAN RESCUE MISSION, BOASTS IRAN COULD BE ‘TAKEN OUT IN 1 NIGHT’

PEte Hegseth

Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“You see, shot down on a Friday —Good Friday — hidden in a cave — a crevice — all of Saturday and rescued on Sunday,” Hegseth said. “Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday, a pilot reborn. All home and accounted for. A nation rejoicing. God is good.”

Throughout the press conference, Trump also gave thanks to God for the success of the rescue mission, claiming multiple times that “God was watching us.”

‘GOD IS GOOD’: INSIDE THE HIGH-RISK US MISSION TO SAVE A WOUNDED AIRMAN SHOT DOWN IN IRAN

President Donald Trump speaking to media on the South Lawn of the White House

President Donald Trump combined press gaggles with the White House Easter Egg Roll tradition Monday. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg)

On Friday, Iran shot down an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet. The pilot and weapons systems officer ejected. A rescue mission was immediately deployed, and the pilot was rescued later that day.

The Iranian government soon became aware of the U.S. military crash, posting photos online. Meanwhile, the weapons systems officer avoided capture by hiding in a mountain crevice. He climbed 7,000 feet to his hiding spot and remained missing for nearly 48 hours before being rescued in a coordinated effort involving 155 aircraft.

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Downed F-15 jet

A view of wreckage and remains of the downed F-15 fighter jet is seen in Iran on April 5, 2026. (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“No American lives were lost,” Hegseth said. “We leave no man behind. And that is not luck. It’s the result of unmatched training, superior technology and unbreakable warrior ethos and sheer American grit. Our special operators, pilots and support crews performed with near perfection under fire, and they were lethal.”

“Just ask any Iranian soldier who dared attempt to get anywhere near that pilot before or during that mission. Death from above. Our troops turned a potential tragedy into a resounding demonstration of American resolve and capability.”



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Pete Hegseth picks Hillsdale College to train senior military officers


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FIRST ON FOX: Hillsdale College told War Secretary Pete Hegseth it would be “honored” to help educate senior U.S. military officers — aligning itself with the administration’s push to cut ties with Ivy League schools over concerns about ideological influence.

In a March 30 letter to Hegseth, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn thanked the Department of War for including the school among institutions selected for the Senior Service College Fellowship Program, which sends senior military officers to civilian universities for advanced education as they prepare for top leadership roles.

“Thank you for including Hillsdale College among the institutions qualified to educate America’s military leaders,” Arnn wrote, adding that he supports Hegseth’s goal of equipping the military with “the lethality necessary to protect our national interest.”

The letter comes weeks after Hegseth announced the Department of War would end partnerships with several elite universities, including Harvard and Princeton, arguing that “woke” ideology had weakened military education. 

HEGSETH ENDING MILITARY EDUCATION TIES WITH HARVARD AMID TRUMP FEUD: ‘WE TRAIN WARRIORS, NOT WOKESTERS’

A February memorandum shows the Department of War canceled 93 fellowship positions across 22 institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Georgetown, Columbia and Princeton.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaking outside a building at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan

A general view of the exterior of a building at Hillsdale College on April 6, 2023 in Hillsdale, Michigan. (Chris duMond/Hillsdale College)

“We train warriors, not wokesters,” Hegseth said at the time.

Hegseth himself is a graduate of Princeton University and later earned a degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School.

In their place, the Pentagon is steering officers toward a new set of schools, including Hillsdale, Liberty University, George Mason University, Pepperdine University and Texas-based Baylor University, along with large public universities such as the University of Florida, Auburn University and the University of North Carolina.

The new list also includes senior military colleges such as The Citadel and Virginia Tech, as well as Pentagon-affiliated programs like the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies in Alaska. 

The institutions were selected based on criteria including “intellectual freedom,” limited ties to foreign adversaries and alignment with the department’s mission, according to the memo. 

PEte Hegseth

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026.  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WHY ELITE COLLEGES FEAR TRUMP AND MCMAHON’S NEW ACADEMIC COMPACT TYING FUNDING TO FREE SPEECH

In his letter, Arnn pointed to Hillsdale’s curriculum and mission, saying the school emphasizes the U.S. Constitution and the “political philosophy of the West.” He also echoed criticism of higher education, writing that “anti-American ideologies” have “infect(ed) so many of our colleges and universities.”

Arnn said Hillsdale “refuses all government money to preserve its independence” and that any role in the program would be funded through private sources.

The shift away from traditional academic partners marks a significant change in how senior military officers may receive advanced education, with the administration steering the program toward institutions that more closely align with its views on education and national identity.

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Hillsdale has also worked with the White House on initiatives tied to America’s 250th anniversary, including contributing historical material for the administration’s “Freedom Trucks” campaign and collaborating on a video series featuring President Donald Trump.

It remains unclear when the Department of War will finalize new partnerships under the program or how many officers will ultimately be sent to schools like Hillsdale.



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Arizona Senate forces legal review of Pima County’s anti-ICE policies


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EXCLUSIVE: An Arizona border county considering multiple ordinances targeting ICE will be investigated after State Senate leaders forced the Democratic attorney general to conduct a review, the top Republican in Phoenix told Fox News Digital.

Officials in Pima County, which encompasses Tucson, have directed county authorities to deny immigration enforcement agents access to county property unless they have judicial warrants. Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, told Fox News Digital that the chamber’s resolution, SB 1487, will start a 30-day clock for Mayes to respond and ultimately determine whether Pima County has violated state law or the U.S. Constitution.

Petersen, who was joined in the move by Senate President Pro-Tempore TJ Shope of Coolidge and Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills, told Fox News Digital that Democrats in places like Pima are putting “radical political agendas ahead of public safety.”

“Instead of supporting law enforcement and protecting their citizens from crime, they’re creating barriers that make it harder to enforce the law and easier for criminals to stay in our communities,” he said.

STATE TOP COP MOVES TO CRUSH ALLEGED DHS RECORDS RESTRICTION AS COUNTY DENIES ICE-OUT

A Marine standing in front of concertina wire on a border wall in San Diego

The Trump administration made securing the border and deportation criminal illegal aliens a priority in its first months of 2025. (Gregory Bull/Associated Press)

Depending on Mayes’ findings, the county may be required to change the policy, face a loss of state-shared revenue, or the case could be referred to the Arizona Supreme Court, Senate leadership told Fox News Digital.

“This is about making sure our laws are applied consistently across Arizona,” Shope said. “When one county decides to go rogue, it creates gaps that undermine enforcement statewide. Arizonans expect coordination between all levels of government, not policies that tie the hands of law enforcement.”

Kavanagh also faulted Mayes for taking a similarly confrontational tack with DHS and ICE, saying that she doesn’t get to ignore laws she disagrees with.

“Given her record and her public opposition to immigration enforcement, there is a serious question about whether she can review this case objectively. This is not a policy debate. The law is clear, and it must be applied,” Kavanagh said.

Mayes made waves in recent months with some of her rhetoric, including conjecture that ICE operations could run afoul of stand-your-ground laws, according to FOX’s Phoenix affiliate.

MONTANA GOVERNOR LAUNCHES SANCTUARY CRACKDOWN, PROBES CAPITAL CITY OVER ICE LIMITS

“I will not be deterred from speaking out or criticizing the Trump administration for its ongoing abuses of power and its trashing of our sacred Constitution,” Mayes said in response in January.

She also released a statement after the DHS-involved shooting deaths of agitators in Minnesota, saying that “right-wing media” has mischaracterized her previous comments, including those regarding the “danger to public safety” posed by ICE.

Asked about such criticisms on Monday by Fox News Digital, a Mayes spokesman said, “President Trump promised to go after drug cartels, but in reality, his administration is pulling federal agents off drug cases by the thousands to target immigrant workers.”

Attorney General Mayes will continue to go after the actual threats to public safety: the drug traffickers flooding Arizona communities with fentanyl and other illicit drugs.”

When reached for comment on the criticisms, a Pima County official provided text of the resolution to Fox News Digital, which read in part:

“Recent arbitrary and unfocused civil immigration activities conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have trampled on civil and constitutional rights, recklessly endangered citizens and non-citizens alike, and culminated in the deaths of detainees and peaceful protesters.”

JONATHAN TURLEY: DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS ARE RISKING LIVES WITH RECKLESS ANTI-ICE RHETORIC

Pima County Supervisor Jennifer Allen followed up, telling Fox News Digital, “What is there to criticize? The county’s action is in response to the egregious and abusive behavior of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and elsewhere in the country over the past year.”

“Americans protesting this outrageous behavior were killed while peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights. Pima County has no interest in allowing property intended for the benefit of the people of Pima County to be used in support of such lawless actions by the federal government,” Allen said.

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She said that criticism, if any, should be directed at DHS and not at counties trying to prevent alleged abuses.

Allen added that any law enforcement with proper warrants can still access Pima property.

Supervisor Steve Christy, the lone Republican, voted against the resolution being challenged by the Senate, a representative for the lawmaker told Fox News Digital late Monday.

The county also passed a resolution seeking to prevent immigration enforcement agents from wearing face coverings, but details, including an enforcement mechanism, have yet to be ironed out, according to a county official.



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Trump jokes kids could sell his autographs for $25,000 on eBay


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President Donald Trump couldn’t resist turning a fun moment into a roast — and a sales pitch — all at once.

The president yucked it up with a group of kids who were coloring pictures at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday. Trump joked that the kids might as well turn his signature into a side hustle, telling them he could sign autographs for them.

“Then tonight, you could sell them for $25,000 on eBay,” Trump joked, drawing laughs from the crowd. 

But the comedian-in-chief wasn’t done yet. The president rarely passes up an opportunity to shade his predecessor.

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP WHITE HOUSE TORPEDOES BIDEN ATTEMPT TO SHIELD ‘AUTOPEN PRESIDENCY’ FILES

trump colors with children at white house egg roll

President Trump holds a signed drawing as he colors with children at the Egg Roll. (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

“Biden would use the autopen,” Trump said. “He was incapable of signing his name, so they’d follow him around with this big machine. You know what it was called? An autopen!”

The roast of Biden wasn’t the only viral moment. At one point, a young boy wandered behind Trump as he sat at a table and blurted out, “Donald Trump, you’re the best president!” 

To which the president responded: “Thank you, honey. I agree.”

WHITE HOUSE MARKS HOLY WEEK, EASTER WITH DAYS OF PRAYER CENTERED ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

The theme of this year’s Easter Egg Roll was “patriotic spirit.” The South Lawn was packed with kid-friendly attractions, from the traditional egg roll to hands-on stations like military card writing, space-themed activities, egg decorating and even mini golf.

Trump coloring with kids at table egg roll 2026

Held on the South Lawn, this year’s festivities include the beloved egg roll, a Be Best Military Card Writing Station, Lunar Exploration Experience, egg coloring, and mini golf. (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

According to the Office of the First Lady, the event aimed to bring families together to celebrate Easter while highlighting the values of freedom and tradition central to the American story.

There was more fun to be had, including an AI-Creation Station, flower bouquet building, a flight lab, a sensory-friendly egg hunt — and live chickens.

America250 hosted an immersive experience celebrating America’s historic monuments through a “George the Star’s Journey” activity.

Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos standing with Lara Trump and Eric Trump on the White House South Lawn

Tiffany Trump, her husband Michael Boulos, Lara Trump and Eric Trump attend the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

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Spotted at the Egg Roll were some of the president’s children, including son Eric Trump and his wife Laura Trump, as well as daughter Tiffany and her husband Michael Boulos.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.



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NYC Mayor Mamdani’s racial equity plan draws conservative and DOJ scrutiny


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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his “Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan” on Monday, which quickly prompted pushback from conservatives online and skepticism from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department, with one top official saying she will “review” the move. 

Mamdani’s office explained in a press release that the preliminary report, which the mayor had promised to release within 100 days in office, shows racial disparities in areas like housing, education, and income, and the new plan aims to “establish a new framework for how New York City measures affordability, understands inequity and plans for a more equitable future.”

“The True Cost of Living Measure offers an honest account of what it actually costs to live in this city  and who is being left behind. It shows that this is not a crisis affecting a small minority of New Yorkers. It is a crisis touching the vast majority of our city, in every borough and every neighborhood,” Mamdani said in the press release.

“But we know this crisis is not felt equally. Black and Latino New Yorkers  who have been pushed out of this city for decades — are bearing the brunt. The Preliminary Racial Equity Plan is where we begin to reverse that pattern. These reports make one thing clear: we cannot tackle systemic racial inequity without confronting the affordability crisis head-on, and we cannot solve the cost-of-living crisis without dismantling systemic racial inequity.”

MAMDANI’S ‘GUN VIOLENCE’ COMMENTS AFTER KILLING OF 7-MONTH OLD BABY SPARK OUTRAGE: ‘ABSOLUTE DISGRACE’

Zohran Mamdani

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani stands silently during a press conference on the Air Canada Express crash at Terminal B in LaGuardia Airport on March 23, 2026. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Mamdani’s announcement quickly sparked pushback from conservatives, as well as from the Trump administration, expressing concerns about race-based initiatives and spending which the administration has been working to undo since taking power last year.

“Sounds fishy/illegal,” DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon posted on X. “Will review!”

“Straight-up racism against White people,” conservative influencer account Libs of TikTok posted on X

“The reality is Mamdani is implementing blatantly racist policies that reward and punish people based on their skin color,” conservative commentator Paul A. Szypula posted on X.

The city billed the racial equity plan as the “first time any New York City administration has required major city agencies to examine their work through a racial equity lens and identify and eliminate disparities” and said the plan sets goals across seven domains that include: “Children, Youth, Older Adults and Families; Economy; Housing and Preservation; Infrastructure and Environment; Health and Wellbeing; Community Safety, Rights and Accountability; and Good Governance and Inclusive Decision-Making.”

The report cites a sizable gap in the median net worth of white households compared to Black households while reporting that Black New Yorkers also have a lower life expectancy and suggests the way to address those gaps is an expansive framework featuring more than 200 agency-level goals, over 800 proposed strategies, and roughly 600 performance indicators intended to track progress over time.

“Inequity has been embedded in the foundation of our city and nation since their inception; dismantling it requires a collective effort,” NYC Chief Equity Officer and NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice Commissioner Afua Atta-Mensah said in Monday’s press release.

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

“The NYC Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan reflects the city’s commitment to systemic transformation—turning our values into actions. From housing and healthcare to education and infrastructure, every agency plays a pivotal role in reshaping how government serves New Yorkers. This plan outlines measurable goals and actionable strategies to advance racial equity, promote justice and create lasting change.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office and the DOJ for comment.

Dating back to his mayoral campaign, Mamdani has faced intense criticism for his focus on race and “equity, including a policy proposal, “Stop the Squeeze on NYC Homeowners,” that outlined his plans to “shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and Whiter neighborhoods.” 

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Zohran Mamdani speaking at a podium during a Ramadan Iftar event.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a Ramadan Iftar hosted by his team at the New York Taxi Workers Association, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in New York. (Angelina Katsanis/AP)

In February, Mamdani faced criticism over his budget plan that stated the Office of Racial Equity would receive $5.6 million annually, while the Commission on Racial Equity would be allocated $4.6 million, a combined total of $10.2 million. The new figure represents roughly a $3 million increase — or about a 42% jump — from the approximately $7.2 million allocated last year.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.



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Obama Presidential Center’s ID policy sparks voter ID hypocrisy claims


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The Obama Presidential Center is facing a wave of backlash ahead of its opening, with critics blasting its admission policies and raising broader concerns about the project’s cost and management.

Conservative commentators on social media are taking aim at the center’s requirement that Illinois residents show valid identification to receive free admission on certain days, arguing it contrasts with Democratic opposition to voter ID laws.

“They’re making you show ID… to visit the Obama Library… in Chicago. You can’t make this stuff up!” one social media user wrote.

“The Obama Presidential Library is making people show an ID for proof of Illinois residency to get in for free,” another posted. “So residents have to prove who they are for this, but not to vote?”

VALERIE JARRETT REVEALS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP ISN’T INVITED TO OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER OPENING CEREMONY

The Obama Presidential Center with former President Obama's speech text on its side in Chicago

The text of former President Obama’s speech marking the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, is wrapped around the side of the upcoming presidential center in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service)

Others echoed the sentiment more bluntly, with one account writing: “It turns out Democrats support requiring ID… but only for free admission into Obama’s library.”

Obama’s website clearly states that Illinois residents “must be able to provide proof of residency. Be prepared to show proof of residency at the Museum with a valid photo ID, Illinois driver’s license, state ID, or city-issued ID.”

Critics have also pointed to reported restrictions tied to early ticket giveaways, including claims that some promotions are limited to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.

The latest controversy builds on a string of prior criticisms surrounding the $850 million project.

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER SLAMMED FOR PROMOTING ‘FAR-LEFT’ AGENDA ON PUBLIC LAND

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker standing with former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama at a groundbreaking ceremony

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (L) joins former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama in a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on September 28, 2021, in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Earlier this year, the Obama Foundation drew backlash after seeking 75 to 100 unpaid volunteers, dubbed “ambassadors,” to help operate the center, even as top executives collect substantial salaries. Federal filings show CEO Valerie Jarrett has earned roughly $740,000 annually in recent years, while overall compensation at the foundation has climbed significantly.

The project has also faced mounting scrutiny over its financial impact on taxpayers.

Former President Barack Obama once described the center as a “gift” to Chicago, emphasizing it would be privately funded. While construction of the 19.3-acre campus is being financed through private donations, the surrounding infrastructure needed to support the site, including road redesigns, utility relocations and drainage systems, is being paid for with public funds.

Early estimates put those infrastructure costs at roughly $350 million, split between the city and state. But more recent figures show Illinois alone has committed approximately $229 million, while Chicago has allocated more than $200 million in related improvements — though officials have not provided a clear, consolidated total of taxpayer spending tied to the project.

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Obama Presidential Center tower under construction in Chicago.

Exterior view of the Obama Presidential Center tower under construction in Chicago. (Fox 32 Chicago)

“No single agency appears to oversee the full scope” of the infrastructure work, and critics say the lack of transparency has made it difficult to determine the true public cost.

Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi criticized the project, saying taxpayers are being left “on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars” while accusing state leaders of mismanagement.

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The controversy is further fueled by the nature of the site itself. The center sits on nearly 20 acres of historic Jackson Park land transferred under a long-term agreement, with significant roadway changes, including the removal of a major thoroughfare, and utility overhauls required to accommodate the campus.

Foundation officials have defended the project, saying the center is funded by $850 million in private investment and will serve as an economic catalyst for Chicago’s South Side, generating jobs, community programs and public amenities.

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Despite the backlash, the center is pressing ahead with its long-awaited debut.

Tickets for the museum will go on sale April 21 for “Founding Members,” with general public sales beginning May 6. Visitors can reserve timed-entry tickets for dates between June 19 and November 30.

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Admission is set at $30 for adults and $23 for children ages 3 to 11, with discounted rates available for Illinois residents who provide proof of residency. Children 2 and under can enter for free, and Illinois residents will be eligible for free admission on Tuesdays.

All entries will be timed, with officials urging guests to arrive within 10 minutes of their scheduled slot. The museum will feature four levels of exhibits, including a replica Oval Office and the Sky Room.

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Much of the surrounding campus, including gardens, walking trails, a playground, a Chicago Public Library branch and dozens of newly commissioned artworks, will be free and open to the public.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Obama Foundation and the Barack Obama Presidential Library for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. 



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