NationalWatch

Everyman host Mike Rowe called out late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for his “tone-deaf” comments mocking new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for being a former plumber, admitting he is a “tad butt hurt” by the dig.

The “Dirty Jobs” veteran ripped into Kimmel over his remarks, which some have called elitist. Rowe said he took offense at the “suggestion that skilled workers should never evolve into something new,” asking if Mullin’s career progression from plumbing business owner to Congress and then to a top Cabinet official is “not the embodiment of the American Dream?”

“Being offended is always a choice, and I don’t choose to be offended by a joke, even one that comes at the expense of the skilled tradespeople my foundation tries to elevate,” Rowe wrote on X. “But I am a tad butt hurt by the suggestion that skilled workers should never evolve into something new, and that competence is somehow limited to one vocation.”

He continued, saying “obviously, expertise and skill are important,” adding, “If I need a new kidney, I’d prefer a doctor do the surgery, not a late-night talk show host. But if the doctor in question used to host a talk show, why would I hold that against him?”

JIMMY KIMMEL REFUSES TO BACK DOWN AFTER MOCKING SECRETARY MULLIN OVER PLUMBING BACKGROUND

Kimmel, a regular critic of the Trump administration, took flak last week for using Mullin’s prior experience as a plumbing business owner as evidence that he is unqualified to lead DHS.

“Trump’s got a whole new generation of thinkers lined up, including his newly confirmed secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne ‘Chuck Mike Bruce Dave’ Melon — Mullin. Maybe melon’s better,” Kimmel said. “He’s the now former senator of Oklahoma. Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was a low-level MMA fighter and a plumber. That’s right. We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now. It worked for Super Mario. Why not Markwayne?”

He continued, “But honestly — I mean, if Trump is going to keep picking these unqualified people to run the department, why not have more fun with it? I mean, next time, instead of Markwayne, how about Lil Wayne for Homeland Security? At least we can get a concert out of it, right?”

Kimmel later doubled down, saying, “I’m not upset that the head of Homeland Security used to be a plumber. I’m upset that he isn’t still a plumber.”

The late-night host added, “I wouldn’t put a plumber in charge of Homeland Security for the same reason I wouldn’t call a five-star general to pull a rat out of my toilet … We all have our areas of expertise.”

WATCH: TRUMP GOES VIRAL FOR ILLUSTRATING HOW TO CUT GOVERNMENT WASTE WITH HIS FAVORITE WHITE HOUSE PEN

Kimmel’s remarks were viewed as elitist by many commentators on X, who accused the comedian of mocking working-class professions. Among those offended by the joke was Rowe, who runs a nonprofit to promote skilled trade jobs called mikeroweWORKS.  

He emphasized that “the shortage of skilled tradespeople is now headline news and that closing it is nothing less than a matter of national security.”

“The only sensible thing to do in the wake of a moment this tone deaf is remind America that the skills gap is wide and getting wider,” Rowe wrote. “What we really need in this country are more welders who can talk intelligently about Aristotle, and more philosophers who can run an even bead. More Generals, in other words, who can fix their own toilets, and more plumbers who can hold a powerful government job.”

“This is what Mullin did,” he continued.   

JIMMY KIMMEL SLAMMED FOR DIG AT NEW DHS SECRETARY

“He was a private citizen who mastered an essential skill and then turned that skill into a multimillion-dollar company that employed a lot of people and served a lot of customers. That gave him the freedom to do other things with his life, including a career in public service, which got him into Congress, where he’s spent the last 11 years doing whatever Congressmen do. Now, he has a very consequential position in the Cabinet of the current administration.”

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“Is that not the embodiment of the American Dream?” he asked.

“I get that Jimmy Kimmel might have a problem with Mullin’s politics, but what possible objection could he have about the trajectory of his career, or his desire to do more than one thing with his life?”

Rowe concluded, “I’d love to chat but I’ve gotta pull a rat out of my toilet.” 

St. Paul, MINN. – From Times Square to here in Minnesota’s state capital, communist and socialist activists at the nationwide “No Kings” protests escalated their anti-America campaign and openly called for a nationwide economic strike on May 1, an international communist holiday known as May Day, as key Democratic activists joined their call.

At the rally here in St. Paul, organizers, speakers and activists distributed communist literature, waved flags from socialist governments and revolutionary movements and urged demonstrators to transform the day’s protests into a nationwide shutdown of work, school and commerce.

By early Sunday, Press TV, the propaganda arm of the Islamic Republic of Iran, leveraged news of the protests to tell readers, “Regime change begins at home’: No Kings, No War protests held across US.”

As Fox News Digital reported, about 500 organizations with an estimated combined annual revenue of about $3 billion sponsored and organized the demonstrations, creating a centralized protest apparatus even while organizers tried to market the activists as “grassroots.”

The network included traditional Democratic advocacy organizations, like Indivisible, MoveOn and the American Federation of Teachers, alongside openly socialist and communist groups such as the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and local chapters of the Communist Party USA, including the Twin Cities Communist Party USA club, which endorsed the St. Paul rally.

500 GROUPS WITH $3B IN REVENUES ARE BEHIND THE #NOKINGS PROTESTS AND COMMUNIST CALL FOR ‘REVOLUTION’

Offstage at the celebrity-filled “No Kings” protest in St. Paul, activists with the Party for Socialism and Liberation sold a manifesto, “Socialist Reconstruction: A Better Future for the United States,” filled with Marxist teachings.

Yards away, near the main stage, Kevin Dwire a candidate for the U.S. Senate from the Socialist Workers Party, sold copies of the “Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the 1847 work that would transform the next century’s global politics. The group says it is “part of the continuity of revolutionary Marxism,” tracing back to Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky.

In the middle of the lawn, flags for the Islamic Republic of Iran, Venezuela and Cuba flew next to a flag of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a self-described Marxist group.

In the back of the lawn, a young man who identified himself only as “Mason” championed the teachings of the Revolutionary Communists of America. A young woman nearby sold copies of Socialist Alternative, which describes itself as a “revolutionary organization working to build a movement for a democratic, socialist society.”

‘NO KINGS’ CALLS ITSELF LEADERLESS, BUT ITS OWN INTERNAL DOCUMENTS TELL A VERY DIFFERENT STORY

Across the country, from Los Angeles to New York City, pro-communist Americans marched alongside traditional center-left Democrats in an alliance that many mainstream media outlets largely portrayed simply as anti-Trump protests.

The ideological adherents themselves, however, were not shy about their beliefs.

In Times Square, members of the Revolutionary Communists of America chanted: “There is only one solution — communist revolution,” while waving red flags bearing the hammer and sickle.

The common refrain from these groups was a call for a nationwide strike on May 1, the traditional May Day holiday long embraced by communist and socialist movements as a day of mass political action.

At the St. Paul rally, that call received support from the stage.

Ezra Levin, the co-founder of Indivisible, the protest’s key organizer, joined the communist call for a national strike and urged protesters to prepare for economic disruption on May Day, similar to a shutdown that saw limited success in Minneapolis during protests on Jan. 23 against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I want everyone here to put this on their calendar… It is a tactical goal, an escalation… It is an economic show of force, inspired by Minnesota’s own day of truth and action,” Levin told the crowd.

Levin continued: “On May 1, on May Day, we are saying, ‘No business as usual.’ No work, no school, no shopping. We’re going to show up and say we’re putting workers over billionaires and kings.’”

While Indivisible has participated in May Day coalitions before, the prominence of socialist organizations in the protest ecosystem illustrates the growing influence of the far left within networks that overlap with mainstream Democratic political organizing.

Indivisible Project, a nonprofit whose work is often marketed with just the first word of the group’s name, has received $5 million in recent years from billionaire George Soros’ Open Society philanthropy arm.

POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM

Meanwhile, some of the openly pro-communist groups marching alongside Democratic activists are connected to a global activist network funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American-born tech tycoon now based in Shanghai, promoting messaging critical of U.S. democracy and sympathetic to China’s political model.

That network includes media and organizing hubs such as the People’s Forum, BreakThrough BT Media Inc.’s BreakThrough News, CodePink, the ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which have received funding and support through the Singham network. 

Over the years, Singham, who sold his tech company for approximately $800 million in 2017, has provided $22.4 million to People’s Forum, $1.3 million to CodePink and $1.1 million to BreakThrough BT Media Inc. The ANSWER Coalition and Party for Socialism and Liberation have received support through their relationships with the People’s Forum.

 The network has funded conferences, media outlets and activist organizations promoting narratives that portray the United States as a “fascist” and “hyper-imperialist” power while defending the authoritarian governments of China, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The theme echoed throughout the protests, where demonstrators warned of rising “fascism” in the United States.

In the hours after the protests ended, the activist networks celebrated the demonstrations online. In Los Angeles, CodePink posted video showing its banner in the middle of a protest where demonstrators chanted: “Hey, hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.”

BreakThrough News shared videos from protests in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Houston and Gainesville, Fla., declaring: “Massive demonstrations took place as part of the ‘No Kings Day.’”

The outlet blasted what it described as Trump’s “right-wing agenda of endless wars and deportations.”

The ANSWER Coalition circulated video showing Indivisible, CodePink and the Party for Socialism and Liberation marching together in Chicago, writing that the “people of Chicago take the streets to stand against Trump’s agenda.”

Indivisible Chicago responded with three fire emojis, revealing the emerging synchronicity between traditionally Democratic groups and openly pro-communist organizations.

The ANSWER Coalition operates out of the People’s Forum in New York City, which also celebrated the demonstrations online with the caption, putting its stamp on the day: “No Kings Day NYC.”

Leaders tied to some of these activist groups, including CodePink co-founders Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin, have participated in delegations to Venezuela, Cuba, the Islamic Republic of Iran, North Korea and China, strengthening relationships with governments frequently at odds with U.S. foreign policy. Evans married Singham in 2017, as he started funding this network in the U.S.

Back in St. Paul, even some socialist activists expressed skepticism about those alliances.

Dwyer, the Socialist Workers Party leader selling copies of Marx’s manifesto, shook his head when discussing China’s political system. “China socialism is capitalism,” he said.

The young activist from the Revolutionary Communists of America also distanced himself from China’s government, describing it as a betrayal of communist ideals, while he openly embraced communist ideology. “We are against imperialism,” he told Fox News Digital.

As the rally wound down and crews dismantled stage equipment, the protest grounds began to empty.

A demonstrator propped a Party for Socialism and Liberation sign against a porta-toilet.

Nearby, two American flags lay discarded in the grass beside a heap of garbage bags, an emptied bag of Cheez-It visible among the trash.

Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.

A political newcomer and former reality star running in Virginia’s Democratic senatorial primary is causing an uproar in his party after breaking with them on gerrymandering and a slew of new gun control efforts.

Mark Moran, a former contestant on the HBOMax series “FBoy Island” and previously a Wall Street banker, is challenging longtime Senate Intelligence Committee ranking member Mark R. Warner, D-Va., whom he calls an “oligarch” who is no longer serving his constituents.

Warner is the former richest and now fourth-richest senator, with a net worth upwards of $200 million, and is running for his fourth term despite a snippet unearthed by Moran showing him pledging to serve only two.

“Since the establishment is already mad at me, here’s another truth: Virginia Democrats are completely wrong on the Second Amendment,” Moran said on X after invoking the ire of Virginia’s top Senate Democrat for opposing her politically-charged redistricting effort.

YOUR 2A RIGHTS ARE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK AS VIRGINIA DEMS PLOT INSANE GUN BANS

“After facing a personal safety issue, I got a gun. It made me realize how extreme our party’s stance has become,” Moran said. “Dan Helmer’s (loser) July 1st ban literally classifies regular handguns as ‘assault firearms’ so the government can take them away.”

Helmer, a Democratic state delegate from Fairfax, did not respond to a request for comment. He already launched a bid to run in one of the newly-drawn, allegedly gerrymandered congressional districts that have yet to be approved by the voters on April 21.

Moran said the Founding Fathers crafted the Second Amendment to protect the U.S. from tyranny.

“[That is] whether that tyranny comes from Donald Trump or a state legislature trying to disarm you. Our right to protect ourselves shall not be infringed,” Moran said.

The Falls Church native’s comments irritated a handful of other Democratic figures within a few hours of his post, including Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko — the founder of “Ready For Hillary” when the former first lady was eyeing the White House in the mid-2010s.

GOP-LED COUNTIES PUSH BACK AGAINST DEMOCRAT’S REDISTRICTING CHARGE, TESTING VIRGINIA’S CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITS

“Go be a p—- in someone else’s party. We’re not doing that anymore,” Parkhomenko said on X in response to Moran.

Virginia Senate President L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, who has posted at-times raunchy memes celebrating Democrats’ flip of the governorship and push to draw out all but one Republican congressman in Virginia, lambasted Moran’s tweet on that matter, spurring his gun rights commentary.

“Anyone against our redistricting efforts to stand up to Donald Trump doesn’t share our values as Democrats,” Lucas said in a statement on X. “If you want to oppose redistricting, you picked the wrong primary to run in. [By the way] I endorse Mark Warner.”

Moran had called his fellow Democrats’ cartographical creativity “extremely anti-democratic and that it is a reactionary policy to Donald Trump that was created by DC consultants.”

He noted that Virginia voters already approved a resolution in 2019 to remove the legislature from redistricting considerations and slammed the new maps for “slic[ing] up Arlington and tak[ing] away the voices of everyone outside Northern Virginia.”

“In every local Democratic committee I’ve been in, when this issue comes up, nobody can defend it, it’s just ‘well this is what the party says is best’ — NO. The Democratic Party loses because of reactionary maneuvers and because it doesn’t have a big bold vision for the future,” he said.

VIRGINIA DEM ADMITS REDISTRICTING PUSH AIMS TO ‘STOP TRUMP’, NOT ABOUT ‘FAIRNESS’

“I can’t hold my tongue any longer despite what this will do to me with the Dems in Virginia.”

Moran also has spoken out against the proliferation of data centers in Virginia, sucking up power from the grid in both West Virginia and Virginia and allegedly increasing costs on residential consumers.

He posited a plan to tax the data centers to create a free-college fund.

While Moran came across moderate on those issues, a report from the New York Post showed his campaign platform includes abolishing ICE and passing Medicare-for-All, which the paper said places him to Warner’s left on those key issues.

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“This year is the 250th anniversary of our country; now is the time for a peaceful revolution against the billionaires, the tech oligarchs, the data centers and all the other big money interests,” he said in a statement obtained by the Post.

Fox News Digital reached out to Warner’s campaign, Moran’s campaign and Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s office for comment.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is calling on prosecutors to try, convict and punish the undocumented killer of Stephanie Minter, arguing that he must face American justice before he’s ordered to leave the country.

Kaine said he fears deportation could be a form of leniency.

“I’m not sure that if he’s deported, [that] he will really face the punishment that he should face. If you do a deportation now, what’s the guarantee he would really face severe consequences for what he’s done?” Kaine said.

“I think he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and then possibly deported after that, but I wouldn’t want him to escape accountability for the crime.”

TRUMP ADMIN ASKS SPANBERGER, VIRGINIA OFFICIALS NOT RELEASE ILLEGAL CHARGED WITH GROPING HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS

Authorities are charging Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old Sierra Leone native, with the murder of Stephanie Minter after authorities found her dead at a bus stop in Fairfax, Virginia last month.

Jalloh had already been arrested more than 30 times before his fatal confrontation with Minter, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Among others, his previous charges included rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing and more.

Local authorities dropped previous charges against Jalloh, allowing him to walk free.

IGNORED ICE DETAINERS ‘PUT LIVES AT RISK,’ DHS SAYS, TARGETING NEWSOM, PRITZKER, HEALEY

Kaine believes this time should be different.

“I think he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and then possibly deported after that,” Kaine said.

Jalloh has been charged with second-degree murder.

Even as questions remain about why Virginia authorities let Jalloh go, Kaine, who served as governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, posited that ICE may have failed to follow through on requests to detain Jalloh ahead of Minter’s murder.

“My experience when I was governor — and this is now 15 or 20 years ago — is that we would normally let ICE know before we let anybody out of prison in Virginia, and then they wouldn’t show up,” Kaine said.

VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR’S RECORD ON VIOLENT OFFENDERS SCRUTINIZED AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN MOM’S MURDER

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“We would give them two-weeks notice [and say] ‘Hey, here’s somebody who’s here, come pick them up,’ and they wouldn’t show up. That was more my experience.”

Fox Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the military is constructing a “massive complex” beneath a planned White House ballroom, which he said will feature bulletproof glass and drone-proof protections while being funded entirely by private donors.

The project, which Trump said is designed to accommodate large events and visiting dignitaries, would expand capacity at the White House, where he said existing rooms are too small for major gatherings.

“The military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well,” Trump said. 

Trump said the underground construction is already underway and tied to broader security measures surrounding the site, describing the ballroom as serving a dual purpose tied to what is being built beneath it.

DEMS MOVE TO SET LIMITS ON TRUMP’S DONOR-FUNDED WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM, CLAIMING ‘BRIBERY IN PLAIN SIGHT’

The ballroom itself will include a range of security upgrades, including reinforced materials and structural protections designed to guard against modern threats.

“We have all bulletproof glass. We have drone-proof roofs, ceilings,” Trump said. “Everything is drone-proof and bulletproof, and unfortunately, we’re living in an age where that’s a good thing.”

Trump said the project is being privately funded and will not rely on taxpayer dollars, emphasizing that the ballroom is being financed through personal contributions and outside donors.

FEDERAL JUDGE QUESTIONS TRUMP AUTHORITY ON WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT

The ballroom proposal was approved in February by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which fast-tracked the roughly $400 million project following a unanimous vote of 6-0.

The project will be built on the site of the former East Wing, which was demolished in October, and is expected to significantly expand the White House’s capacity for large events.

Previous administrations have long relied on temporary structures to host major gatherings, as the old East Wing dining room had just a 200-seat capacity.

MICHELLE OBAMA TAKES SWIPE AT TRUMP’S DEMOLITION OF WHITE HOUSE EAST WING

“All of the money paid is paid by myself and donors…it’s all donors,” Trump said. “There’s not one dime of government money going into the ballroom.”

He added that construction is progressing quickly and remains on track, describing the effort as both ahead of schedule and under budget as work continues.

“We’re ahead of schedule and under budget,” Trump said.

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Trump also described the ballroom as being designed to match the look and scale of the White House, including its height and architectural style, calling it a tribute to the historic building.

“I think it’ll be the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world,” Trump said. “It pays total homage to the White House, which is, I think, very important.”

A new survey highlights President Donald Trump’s continued dominance within the conservative movement.

According to a poll of more than 1,600 attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), held this past week from March 25–28, an overwhelming 96% said they approve of the job Trump is doing as president.

An additional 94% agreed with the statement that Trump has been “the best president in my lifetime.”

Support for Trump’s policy agenda was similarly strong.

The survey found that 91% of respondents back tariffs aimed at reducing the trade deficit and boosting American workers and businesses. 

TRUMP GETS HIGH MARKS FROM REPUBLICANS WHEN TICKING OFF ECONOMIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Another 89% support Trump’s military action in Iran to remove Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and halt the country’s nuclear program, while 92% approve of the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Other leading Republicans also received high marks among respondents.

Vice President JD Vance earned a 92% approval rating, while House Speaker Mike Johnson received 84%.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune trailed with 57%.

1 IN 4 AMERICANS BACK TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES, MOST SAY HE’S TOO QUICK TO USE FORCE: POLL

Within Trump’s Cabinet, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ranked as the most popular, with 42% naming him their favorite.

He was followed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

The poll also offered an early glimpse at the GOP’s future.

In a hypothetical 2028 Republican primary, Vance leads with 53% support, ahead of Rubio at 35%, with all other contenders in single digits.

SCATHING REPORT CLAIMS NATION’S OLDEST LABOR UNION ‘BETRAYED’ MAGA MEMBERS THROUGH ‘SHOCKING’ SPENDING

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On the Democratic side, respondents identified California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as the most articulate figures on the political left.

Founded in 1964, CPAC is the nation’s oldest conservative grassroots gathering and promotes the values of “life, liberty, and property.”

Among survey participants, 86% were from the South, and the average age was approximately 49.

An African nation is calling for Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., to be extradited after Vice President JD Vance claimed during an interview that the lawmaker committed immigration fraud.

The Republic of Somaliland, a partially recognized state in the Horn of Africa, reacted in a post on X to the claim that Vance made in a podcast interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson.

“Deportation? Please you’re just sending the princess back to her kingdom. Extradition? Say the word …” the post read.

In the interview, Vance said he has spoken with White House immigration advisor Stephen Miller about potential legal action against Omar, saying, “We think Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America.”

TRUMP ACCUSES TIM WALZ AND ILHAN OMAR OF USING ICE PROTESTS TO DISTRACT FROM MASSIVE STATE FRAUD

“We’re trying to look at what the remedies are,” Vance said. “That’s the thing that we’re trying to figure out is what are the legal remedies now that we know that she’s committed immigration fraud — how do you go after her, how do you investigate her, how do you actually do the thing, how do you build a case necessary to get some justice for the American people?”

Omar has denied accusations from President Donald Trump and the White House that she married her brother to enter the United States. In December, she called the accusations “bigoted lies,” writing on social media that Trump was obsessed with her.

“He needs serious help,” Omar wrote on X at the time. “Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead.”

Omar’s Chief of Staff, Connor McNutt, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that the vice president’s claim is a “ridiculous lie.”

“This is rich coming from someone who literally said they were willing to ‘create stories’ to redirect the media,” the statement said. “This is a ridiculous lie and desperate attempt to distract from the pedophile protection party’s unpopular war of choice, increasing gas prices, and rapidly dropping polling numbers.”

COMER PROBES SUDDEN WEALTH JUMP TIED TO ILHAN OMAR’S HUSBAND, EYES LINK TO MINNESOTA FRAUD

Somaliland’s post about Omar, who is from Somalia, comes amid criticism over her opposition to the recognition of an independent Somaliland and her defense of Somalia’s territorial claims.

Somaliland has acted as a self-governing territory since 1991, maintaining internal security and building its own democratic institutions.

While most in the international community, including the U.S., do not recognize Somaliland as an independent country, Israel became the first U.N. member state to recognize the self-declared state.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last year that Israel had established full diplomatic relations with Somaliland, describing the move as being in the spirit of the United States-brokered Abraham Accords.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: One of the nation’s most prominent railroad unions is facing new scrutiny after a watchdog report alleged its leadership is quietly working against the political views of its members who support President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The report, released by the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), claims the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), one of the nation’s oldest labor unions, is run by leaders who are endorsing and promoting Democratic policies and candidates despite a membership base that data suggests largely supports the president.

The report, which alleges the union “betrayed” its MAGA members, points to the union’s endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket in the 2024 election cycle, as well as its ties to prominent Democrats, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is running for Senate again.

While BLET has touted Republicans in recent years, including earlier this year when it applauded Vice President JD Vance and the bipartisan reintroduction of the Railway Safety Act (RSA), the report highlights repeated criticism of Trump-era policies, including transportation regulations, immigration enforcement and the conservative-backed Project 2025 agenda, alongside praise for the policies of the Biden administration.

WORKERS SAY ‘I LIKE UNIONS, I JUST DON’T LIKE MY UNION’ — HERE’S WHAT THEY’RE DISCOVERING

A review of the union’s social media account by AAF shows numerous examples of the union opposing various moves by the first Trump administration during his presidential campaign against incumbent Joe Biden, which the report describes as evidence of “woke leadership.”

“In the lead-up to the 2024 election, BLET issued 14 tweets that criticized the actions of the first Trump administration while praising the Biden administration’s railroad policies,” the report says. “The messaging was clearly intended to skew union members toward the Democratic presidential ticket. In these tweets, they attacked nearly every major Trump-era rail policy decision while framing the Biden administration’s actions positively.”

The union’s public support of Democrats had a financial angle as well, as the report states that the organization spent more than $26 million on political activity in recent years, with the vast majority supporting Democratic candidates and causes to a degree that AAF referred to as “shocking.”

According to the report, 99% of the union’s party committee donations went to Democrats.

“For example, in the 2016 cycle, BLET donated $15,000 to the DNC when they were the nexus for GOTV for the Hillary Clinton campaign but never donated a dollar to the RNC,” the report says. “In 2024, long after it had become clear that industrial union membership was strongly behind President Trump, the BLET leadership still hadn’t gotten the message, making 24 different donations to Democrat party committees for a total of $53,400 and a mere two donations to Republican committees for a spare $2000.”

LEAKED TEACHERS’ UNION K-12 TRAINING PRESENTATION RAILS AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, RED STATES

According to the report, the divide reflects a broader shift in American politics, with blue-collar workers increasingly backing Trump while union leadership remains entrenched in traditional left-leaning positions.

The report goes beyond the union’s spending on politics and delves into what it calls “waste and abuse” in the form of millions of dollars of member dues being shelled out for travel, hotels and “swag.”

“While it’s bad enough that BLET spent over $5,000,000 on hotels and conferences, even more concerning is the fact that the union spent over $2,000,000 on casinos and resorts alone,” the report says. “The union appears more concerned with staying at entertaining destination resorts than they do being thrifty with their members’ dues.”

Recent polling shows that labor unions like BLET consist of a large number of workers who support Trump, including Teamsters polling that shows a 60/40 breakdown in favor of Trump and exit polling from the 2024 election that shows working-class voters without a college degree went 56% for Trump and 42% for Harris. 

The report also points to leadership compensation as part of the disconnect, noting multiple top officials earning over $200,000 annually, with the union president and vice president each making more than $300,000.

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“The men pulling America’s freight voted for President Trump because they believe in secure borders and putting American workers first,” AAF President Tom Jones said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“But their union bosses are busy living large on member dues and carrying water for the Left. They’ve turned a blue-collar brotherhood into a woke political machine that’s doing everything it can against the Trump-Vance agenda, and likewise, against everyday railroad workers. Every BLET member should be asking where their hard-earned dollars are really going.” 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a BLET spokesperson said: “We do not comment on false press releases by dark money groups who have no accountability to the truth.”

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, intended to hit President Donald Trump amid nationwide “no kings” protests, but instead Republicans argued her comment admits the flimsy case being made.

“Donald Trump is not, never will be, and has never been a king. #NoKings,” Hirono’s Saturday morning X post read as left-wing protesters marched in various anti-Trump demonstrations.

The remarks landed with rare agreement from figures on the right, though.

“So you agree – you think your ‘no kings’ rallies are stupid…,” replied Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who once backed Trump’s 2024 Republican primary opposition from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

JANE FONDA WARNS AMERICA FACES ‘EXISTENTIAL’ CRISIS AS SHE URGES TURNOUT AT ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS

“Roger that!” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on X.

Social media reacted in wild agreement even from the right, with some noting that the 2024 November election was a “no kings” protest and some referencing Independence Day as America’s true “no kings” protest.

NANCY PELOSI SWIPES AT TRUMP, ACCUSING HIM OF CROWNING HIMSELF AS ‘KING’

One post even noted the irony of “no kings” protests in London, where the United Kingdom actually has a king.

More than 3,200 events had been planned in all 50 states, after the two previous nationwide events attracted millions of participants.

Large rallies took place in New York, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington, but two-thirds of “no kings” events were happening outside major cities, a nearly 40% jump for smaller communities from the movement’s first mobilization last June, organizers said.

LEADER SCALISE: DEMOCRATS CHEER ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS, BUT LET SHUTDOWN DEVASTATE FAMILIES

Video and photos shared on social media showed protesters marching for “no kings,” while waving red flags associated with communist dictatorships.

“These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone and House Democrats get their marching orders,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella wrote in a statement Saturday.

“Voters will punish Democrats for gleefully standing shouder-to-shoulder with radicals who call for assassinations and violence.”

JOHN CUSACK TELLS TRUMP TO ‘GO TO HELL’ AT CHICAGO ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST

Trump has long rebuked the “no kings” protest mantra.

“I’m not a king — I work my a– off to make America great,” Trump said during last October’s congressional recess protests. “That’s the difference.”

Trump rebuked the protests as “small, crazy, and totally out of touch with real Americans.”

CHIP ROY SAYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY TAKING ITS ‘DYING BREATHS’

Hirono was not the only Democratic figure targeted for social media trolling Saturday. The RNC Research X account shared video of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., getting emotional during a “no kings” rally speech, rebuking America as no beacon of hope but “authoritarianism.”

‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS LARGELY COMPRISED OF PEOPLE FROM ONE DEMOGRAPHIC: EXPERTS

Omar and Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz have been under fire for allegations of fraud among the Somali community in their state, and Vice President JD Vance last week alleged to have evidence that Omar violated immigration law.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, replied to a Fox News investigation that revealed “no kings” protests were backed by a network of 500 organizations, finding many tied to socialist and communist groups.

“Lefty billionaires & communists,” Cruz wrote. “There’s a shock….”

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The first “no kings” event, on Trump’s birthday, June 14, last year, drew an estimated 4 million to 6 million people across roughly 2,100 sites nationwide. The second mobilization in October involved an estimated 7 million participants in more than 2,700 cities, according to a crowdsourcing analysis published by prominent data journalist G. Elliott Morris.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A new pro-AI political group is jumping into the 2026 midterms with plans to spend more than $100 million, marking a major escalation in efforts to shape U.S. tech policy.

The organization, Innovation Council Action, is championed by tech investor and White House AI adviser David Sacks and is closely aligned with President Donald Trump’s agenda. It plans to support candidates who favor deregulation while opposing those pushing for stricter AI rules.

The move underscores how artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a central political battleground, with deep-pocketed groups preparing to reward allies and pressure critics ahead of the elections.

TRUMP NAMES DAVID SACKS CO-CHAIR OF TECH ADVISORY COUNCIL, EXPANDING AI, CRYPTO ROLE

“President Trump has made it clear, America will win the AI race against China, period. He built the framework, he’s leading from the front, and this organization exists to make sure he doesn’t fight that battle alone,” Taylor Budowich, founder of Innovation Council, told Fox News Digital.

“The cavalry is coming to back up the policymakers who stand with the president and will hold accountable the ones who don’t,” Budowich added.

Trump has made AI a cornerstone of his policy agenda, calling for a single federal regulatory framework instead of a patchwork of state laws, while pushing to accelerate development of infrastructure like data centers and strengthen U.S. competitiveness against China.

AI POWER PLAYERS POUR CASH INTO COMPETITIVE PRIMARIES AS 2026 MIDTERMS HEAT UP

Innovation Council Action enters an increasingly crowded field of AI-focused political spending. Leading the Future, another pro-industry group, has reported raising $50 million from tech figures including Greg Brockman, Joe Lonsdale and Marc Andreessen.

Meta is also backing a separate super PAC expected to spend roughly $65 million, with a focus on state-level races.

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Innovation Council Action has been quietly building its presence in Washington, opening a D.C. office and raising funds since late last year. 

The group has also developed a scorecard ranking lawmakers based on their alignment with Trump’s AI agenda, a tool expected to guide its political spending in the months ahead, according to Axios.

Jet fuel prices in the U.S. have more than doubled in a matter of weeks as Middle East tensions squeeze supply, fueling concerns airlines could run short of fuel.

Prices jumped from about $2.17 to $4.57 per gallon by March 27, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index. Airlines warn inventories could run dry within weeks, raising the risk of higher airfares and flight cancellations.

Airlines are already adjusting. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the carrier will cut about 5% of planned flights in the near term as fuel costs surge, warning that if prices persist, jet fuel alone could add $11 billion in annual expenses.

MAPPED: WHERE GAS PRICES ARE RISING THE FASTEST FROM THE IRAN CONFLICT

United is also scaling back service during off-peak periods and suspending select international routes, including Israel and Dubai due to the conflict.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the jet fuel spike added as much as $400 million in costs in March alone. He said the airline is moving quickly to pass those higher costs on through fare increases.

American Airlines also expects fuel to add about $400 million to its first-quarter expenses. 

The impact is also spreading beyond U.S. carriers.

European airline chiefs, including executives from Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, warned that a prolonged conflict in the Middle East will push fares higher and strain already tight fuel supplies, with some cautioning that jet fuel could run out if disruptions persist.

Airlines are already acting on those pressures. Air France-KLM plans to raise long-haul ticket prices, while Cathay Pacific and several Asian carriers are increasing fuel surcharges. SAS said it will cancel about 1,000 flights in April due to rising costs, while Qantas and Thai Airways are also adjusting fares and schedules.

THE UNLIKELY TOOL TRUMP IS EYEING TO TACKLE RISING OIL PRICES AMID THE IRAN CONFLICT

Jet fuel, one of airlines’ largest expenses, is especially volatile due to thin inventories, specialized storage and limited spot trading, which can amplify price swings when supply tightens.

The Middle East exports about 1.1 million barrels per day of jet fuel—roughly 15–17% of global consumption—according to Jaime Brito, executive director of refining and oil products at OPIS.

Much of that supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has slowed sharply amid rising regional tensions.

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Just 21 miles wide at its narrowest, the waterway between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman is a critical energy choke point.

The waterway carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day and about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas, along with significant volumes of jet fuel.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is calling for Republicans to provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with enough funding to last a decade.

He believes Republicans can do that without the support of a single Democrat.

“We can do it with just 50 votes,” Cruz said.

Lawmakers in the Senate agreed early on Friday to advance funding for DHS that includes the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and seven other agencies — even as gridlock over ICE remains firmly in place.

SCHUMER, DEMS BLOCK DHS FUNDING AGAIN, TRUMP INTERVENES TO PAY TSA AGENTS

Cruz believes that Democrat opposition to funding the agency will only continue, promoting the possibility of future shutdowns.

“I think we may very well be in a world where these Senate Democrats will never again vote to fund ICE, that they’re simply saying, ‘shut down,’” Cruz said.

Like the rest of DHS, funding for ICE lapsed on February 14 when Democrats made their support for the agency conditional on a set of 10 operational reforms.

Among other items, Democrats had called for a ban on masks for ICE agents, stiffer warrant requirements for apprehending suspects in public, a ban on roaming patrols and requirements for clearly visible identification — demands Republicans argued would handcuff Trump’s immigration enforcement goals.

Cruz believes Republicans can still advance funding without meeting any of those demands through a process called “reconciliation” that would allow Republicans to get around a filibuster.

“You need 60 votes to pass funding for the government. We only have 53 Republicans, and so we need at least seven Democrats. Reconciliation, which is how we passed the [Big Beautiful Bill] last year, we can do with just Republicans,” Cruz said.

DHS SHUTDOWN BREAKTHROUGH COMES AT COST FOR REPUBLICANS AS FUNDING FIGHTS NEARS END

THUNE, GOP BLAST DEMS IN DHS STANDOFF AS LANKFORD SAYS THEY FEAR ICE OVER IRAN

“And so, what I’ve argued to my colleagues is let’s take up reconciliation, and let’s fund ICE for the next decade, because the Democrats are going to vote against ICE funding for the foreseeable future, I think, potentially forever,” Cruz said.

While lawmakers can’t use that vehicle to change existing policies or set new ones, Cruz argues Republicans can certainly use it to add to ICE’s existing provisions, putting the agency’s funding beyond the influence of another shutdown.

In some ways, it’s a plan Republicans have already done once before.

Republicans funded ICE to the tune of $75 billion last year through Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. Cruz’s plan would take the same principle and extend it. At levels from 2025, base funding ICE and its removal operations for 10 years would cost roughly $100 billion.

Cruz believes passing those appropriations is consistent with the mandate Republicans received when they won over a governing trifecta in the 2024 elections.

SENATE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO REOPEN DHS WITH NEW PLAN, WAIT FOR DEMOCRATIC BUY-IN

“The American people said, enough. President Trump and Republican Congress have an incredible record of success on securing the border. We have seen illegal border crossings drop 99%. We’ve seen the murder rate across the country drop 20%. We’ve seen the drug overdose rate nationally drop 20%.

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“It is literally the case that there are thousands of Americans alive today because President Trump was reelected, and because we have a Republican House and Senate.”

Instead of passing the Senate’s plan, the House advanced its own package late Friday night, which would extend DHS funding at current levels for two months, buying more time for lawmakers to continue negotiations over ICE.

Gas prices are surging as the ongoing conflict with Iran drives up crude oil costs, fueling higher prices at the pump nationwide.

The national average now stands at $3.98 per gallon, up $1 from a month ago, according to AAA.

Prices are climbing across nearly every region, with some states already well above the national average. 

BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE IMAGERY OFFERS A RARE LOOK AT DAMAGE INSIDE IRAN

On the West Coast, drivers are seeing the highest costs, with prices reaching $5.87 per gallon in California and $5.32 in Washington.

Along the East Coast, gas prices are approaching or exceeding $4.00 in several areas, including $4.16 in Washington, D.C., and $3.93 in New York.

In the Midwest, Illinois stands out at $4.21 per gallon, while much of the region remains closer to the mid-$3 range. 

Southern states are generally lower, though still rising, with Texas at $3.60 and South Carolina at $3.64, while Florida is higher at $3.96.

THE UNLIKELY TOOL TRUMP IS EYEING TO TACKLE RISING OIL PRICES AMID THE IRAN CONFLICT

Diesel prices are climbing faster than gasoline, reflecting their close ties to freight and industry—meaning increases can ripple through supply chains and raise costs across the economy. 

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Diesel averaged $5.41 a gallon, up $1.65 over the same period, according to AAA, surpassing $5 for the first time since December 2022 as the war in Iran continues to disrupt global energy supplies.

Amid a funding standoff that went into overtime on Friday, Sen. John Fetterman is stressing the need for lawmakers to end travel delays and support the country’s weakened airport security as he warns that security preparations are “significantly behind” for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“I could never justify this from the start, but here we are day 39, 40? It’s like, how long are you gonna continue that?” Fetterman told Fox News Digital earlier this week.

Fetterman raised concerns that the shutdown — the second for TSA workers have endured in just three months — has wreaked havoc on the country’s transportation security workforce that won’t be easily undone ahead of high-profile U.S.-based events.

“Preparations are significantly behind and now we’re 77 days out and this is still shut down. And you have millions of people from abroad coming and millions of Americans joining these two,” Fetterman said, referring to the World Cup.

SCHUMER GAMBIT FAILS AS DHS SHUTDOWN HITS 36 DAYS AND AIRPORT LINES GROW

Fetterman’s comments come as the Senate advanced most of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) funding in the early hours of Friday morning. Their bill looked to supply the many agencies that operate under DHS such as the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), TSA and more — but at the exclusion of funding for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Funding DHS first ran dry on February 14, when Democrats made their support for the agency conditional on a set of reforms to rein in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. 

The Senate’s bill didn’t include any of the Democrats’ reform, but also didn’t include funding for ICE, either. That proposal ran into fierce resistance in the House of Representatives, where even U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson blasted the attempted resolution.

“This gambit that was done last night is a joke. I’m quite convinced — it can’t be that every Senate Republican read the language of this bill. It’s pretty alarming. It says, quote: ‘the contents printed under the headings of this bill: U.S. immigrations and customs enforcement and border security operations … an amount specified in the final bill shall be zero’,” Johnson said, reading from the Senate bill’s text.

“We’re not doing that,” Johnson added.

The agency has, however, already received $75 billion through Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill in July of 2025 — enough to fund the agency’s operations at least through 2026. House Republicans stressed that it’s unclear if those funds can legally be used to fund all of ICE’s operations. 

Instead of passing the Senate’s plan, the House advanced its own package late Friday night, which would extend DHS funding at current levels for two months, buying more time for lawmakers to continue negotiations over ICE.

The House version is likely dead on arrival in the Senate.

TSA CALLOUTS HIT HOUSTON, ATLANTA, NEW ORLEANS HARDEST, 450 OFFICERS HAVE QUIT NATIONWIDE

As lawmakers continue the back-and-forth over the ICE funding standoff, spokespersons from DHS also echoed Fetterman’s calls to restore travel operations, slamming the compounding effects of the repeated shutdowns.

“Now, 366 TSA officers have left the force. Because of this DHS shutdown, Americans are facing HOURS long waits at airports across the country. Democrats must reopen DHS now,” Lauren Bis, a spokesperson for the agency said in a press release.

Although Trump signed an executive order on Friday that looks to fund the salaries of TSA workers, the agency also noted that even with the resolution to the shutdown looking hopeful, the country’s travel security would take time to recover.

“TSA does not have the luxury of time. The FIFA World Cup is kicking off on June 11 – less than three months away. We are anticipating a significant influx in passenger volume as fans travel through our airports to see the games,” DHS said in a press release.

“Even if TSA were to hire new officers upon the conclusion of the DHS shutdown, those officers would not be able to work on the checkpoint until well after the World Cup has concluded.”

DHS DEAL IN LIMBO AS DEMOCRATS DEMAND TOUGHER ICE CRACKDOWN DESPITE GOP COMPROMISE

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Fetterman urged members of his own party to focus on the country’s outstanding travel needs instead of continuing to pursue their demands.

“[It’s] just getting harder and harder to justify extending this shutdown,” Fetterman said.

The Supreme Court is poised to answer a fundamental constitutional question largely ignored for more than a century: Who qualifies as an American citizen?

The justices on Wednesday will hold oral arguments to review President Donald Trump’s efforts to limit birthright citizenship in the U.S., a landmark case with the potential to upend the lives of millions of Americans and lawful residents.

At issue is the executive order the president signed on his first day back in office, which would end automatic citizenship for nearly all persons born in the U.S. to undocumented parents, or parents with lawful temporary status in the country — a seismic legal, political, and social shift that critics note would break with more than 150 years of legal precedent. 

A ruling is expected within three months but until then, Trump’s plans remain on hold.

HOW TO MAKE PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION PAUSE STICK IN COURT

The case is the fourth of a five-part series of appeals the Supreme Court will consider this term on the merits of Trump’s sweeping executive agenda.

The nine-member bench has already tossed out his reciprocal tariffs on most other countries, which relied on an economic emergency law. A separate dispute over ending protections for migrants with temporary protected status will be argued later in April.

Still pending are rulings on the president’s ability to fire members of independent agencies, including Federal Reserve governors.

But the administration has been winning most of the emergency appeals at the Supreme Court since Trump took office again, which dealt only with whether challenged policies could go into effect temporarily, while the issues play out in the lower courts– including immigration, federal spending cuts, workforce reductions, and transgender people in the military.

Constitutional Meaning

Trump’s order now before the high court for final review would reinterpret the 14th Amendment, which states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside” — a provision the president argues has been misinterpreted.

Executive Order 14160, entitled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” would deny it to those born after February 19, 2025 whose parents are illegal immigrants, or those who were here legally but on temporary non-immigrant visas.

And it bans federal agencies from issuing or accepting documents recognizing citizenship for those children.

“The privilege of United States citizenship is a priceless and profound gift,” says part of the order. “But the Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.”

A Supreme Court ruling on the issue could have sweeping national implications for an issue Trump officials argue is a crucial component of his hardline immigration agenda, which has become a defining feature of his second White House term.

BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP SUPPORTERS GET THE LAW WRONG BY IGNORING OBVIOUS EVIDENCE

In its high court petition, the Trump Justice Department said all lower court decisions handed down last year striking down the executive order had relied on a “mistaken view” with potentially “destructive consequences.”

“The lower courts’ decisions invalidated a policy of prime importance to the president and his administration in a manner that undermines our border security,” said John Sauer, U.S. Solicitor General, who will make the case in person at oral arguments.

“Those decisions confer, without lawful justification, the privilege of American citizenship on hundreds of thousands of unqualified people,” he added.

Opponents argue the effort is unconstitutional and “unprecedented,” and would threaten some 150,000 children in the U.S. born annually to parents of non-citizens, and an estimated 4.6 million American-born children under 18 who are living with an undocumented immigrant parent, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

Separate coalitions of about two dozen states, along with immigrant rights groups, and private individuals — including several pregnant women in Maryland — had filed a class-action lawsuit.

The plaintiffs — including those originally from Taiwan and Brazil — seek to preserve access to citizenship-related benefits including Social Security, SNAP, and Medicaid.

To date, no court has sided with the Trump administration’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment, and blocked the order from taking force.

The ACLU and other immigrant advocacy groups in the U.S., have accused Trump of attempting to “unilaterally rewrite the 14th Amendment.”

“The federal courts have unanimously held that President Trump’s executive order is contrary to the Constitution, a Supreme Court decision from 1898, and a law enacted by Congress,” said ACLU legal director Cecillia Wang, who will argue for the plaintiffs in the courtroom session. “We look forward to putting this issue to rest once and for all in the Supreme Court this term.”

The Arguments

Much of the public session is expected to focus on a phrase in the Constitution that the government asserts limits the citizenship right.

“The Fourteenth Amendment has always excluded from birthright citizenship persons who were born in the United States but not ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof,'” said Trump’s original order, which the Justice Department essentially interprets as “being subject to U.S. law” — which would give the government discretion to exclude those whose parents are in the country illegally.

But lawyers for the plaintiffs say a century-old Supreme Court ruling affirmed the phrase only excluded automatic citizenship to children born to foreign diplomats or hostile forces.

Supporters of a broad, traditional interpretation point to the 14th Amendment’s origins — passed after the Civil War to end the practice of excluding individuals of African descent, including slaves and free persons, from ever becoming U.S. citizens.

TRUMP ADMIN PUTS KEY BIDEN-ERA IMMIGRATION POLICY ON NOTICE: ‘UNSUSTAINABLE CYCLE’

Thirty-one years after its enactment, the Supreme Court for the first time decided the status of children born in the U.S. to alien parents, creating the precedent of how the Citizenship Clause would be applied in future cases.

Plaintiff Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco and became a cook, but was subject to the Chinese Exclusion Act and denied reentry to the U-S after a trip abroad.

In its landmark ruling, the high court concluded, “A child born in the United States, of parents of Chinese descent, who, at the time of his birth, are subjects of the Emperor of China, but have a permanent domicil and residence in the United States… becomes at the time of his birth a citizen of the United States, by virtue of the first clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.”

The Impact

A recent Pew Research poll asked Americans whether they wanted children of immigrants, temporary immigrants or any immigrants lawfully present in the United States to be citizens, and 94% said yes.

Critics of the administration’s plans fear a chaotic and unfair patchwork of enforcement that would apply in some states and not others, some families and not others, and that it could be sweeping in scope.

“Under the executive order, that child is born a non-citizen,” Amanda Frost, director of the Immigration, Migration and Human Rights Program at the University of Virginia School of Law. “Denied all the benefits and privileges of citizenship and theoretically deportable on day one of their life. And then every single American family having a child will now have to prove their status before that child is considered a citizen by the U.S. government. And that doesn’t matter if they go back to the Mayflower. That’s what everyone will have to prove going forward.”

But immigration reform advocates point to what they call abuses in the system.

JUSTICE JACKSON AUTHORS UNANIMOUS SCOTUS OPINION HANDING TRUMP AN IMMIGRATION WIN

“That is the exploitation of America’s birthright citizenship policy… particularly those by nationals of the People’s Republic of China,” Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute. “Birth tourism is essentially an industry that provides concierge service at every step of the way for a foreign national, in this case China, to pay the firm roughly $100,000, they will transport them to the United States, arrange medical care, arrange citizenship for the child,” he added. “And as soon as the child is old enough to travel, they will return back to China.”

In oral arguments last May when the Supreme Court first looked at Trump’s birthright citizenship order, many on the bench were skeptical of the Trump administration.

The government’s position “makes no sense whatsoever,” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, saying it could leave some children “stateless.”

“So as far as I see it, this order violates four Supreme Court precedents,” added Sotomayor. “And you are claiming that not just the Supreme Court, that both the Supreme Court and no lower court can stop an executive from universally violating those holdings by this Court.” 

“On the day after it goes into effect — it’s just a very practical question of how it’s going to work,” asked Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “What do hospitals do with a newborn? What do states do with a newborn?” when it comes to determining citizenship on the birth certificate.

“I don’t think they do anything different,” replied Sauer. “What the executive order says in Section Two is that federal officials do not accept documents that have the wrong designation of citizenship from people who are subject to the executive order.”

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“How are they going to know that?” asked Kavanaugh, shaking his head.  

The case is Trump v. Barbara (25-365), a pseudonym for a Honduran citizen who fears for her and her family’s safety. Her child was born in the U.S. in October, months after she joined the lawsuit as the named plaintiff.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is staying neutral in the combustible GOP Senate nomination showdown in Texas between longtime Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“I like John. I like Ken. They’re both friends of mine. I have supported both of them in the past. I’ve worked closely with both of them. I’ve endorsed both of them. I’ve campaigned with both of them, and so I’m staying out,” the conservative firebrand three-term senator said in a Fox News Digital interview on Wednesday.

The winner of the May 26 Republican runoff election will face off with Democratic nominee state Rep. James Talarico in this autumn’s general election in a race that’s among a handful which may decide if the GOP keeps its Senate majority in the midterms. The GOP currently controls the chamber, 53–47.

BRUISING GOP SENATE PRIMARY SHOWDOWN HEADS INTO OVERTIME

Cornyn edged Paxton by a point in the March 3 primary, as they were the top two contenders among a crowded field of Republican candidates. But since neither of the heated rivals cracked the 50% threshold to win the nomination, the race headed into overtime.

While some of Cruz’s top outsider political advisers are supporting Paxton, the senator is declining to take sides.

“I trust the voters of Texas to make this decision,” the senator said.

‘OPEN BORDERS, TRUMP-HATING RADICAL’—REPUBLICANS QUICKLY POUNCE ON TALARICO

Talarico, who is considered a Democratic Party rising star, topped progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in their party’s primary. Talarico is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in right-leaning Texas.

The Cornyn campaign and aligned super PACs have spent big bucks to run ads attacking Paxton, arguing that Democrats will flip the seat in the general election if Paxton’s the GOP’s nominee.

Cornyn, his allies, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, repeatedly pointed to the slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered Paxton over the past decade, as well as his ongoing messy divorce.

Paxton, a longtime supporter and ally of President Donald Trump and a MAGA firebrand who grabbed significant national attention by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, has pushed back by repeatedly questioning Cornyn’s conservative credentials and past support for Trump.

The president, whose sway in Republican nomination battles remains immense, stayed neutral during the primary campaign.

Hours after Cornyn and Paxton advanced to the runoff, Trump took to social media to announce, “I will be making my Endorsement soon.”

Trump added that Trump added that he would “be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!”

All signs at the time pointed to Trump backing Cornyn.

But more than three weeks since his social media post, Trump still remains neutral. And that has the MAGA faithful, many of whom are backing Paxton, hopeful that the president will stay out of the race, which would be a major victory for the Texas attorney general.

Paxton traveled to the president’s Mar-a-Lago residence last weekend for a Palm Beach County GOP dinner, where he briefly met with President Trump, two sources with knowledge of the encounter confirmed to Fox News Digital. One of the sources called it a ‘check in’ between Trump and Paxton. The news was first reported by Politico.

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There’s been a dearth of public opinion polling in the runoff, but the two surveys that have been released suggest Paxton holds a single-digit lead.

The race between Cornyn and Paxton is viewed by many Republicans as a battle between MAGA world and the grassroots versus the party establishment for the soul of the GOP.

President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda is hitting repeated roadblocks in Washington, D.C., federal court, where judges have halted major policies — fueling a growing clash over whether the judiciary is checking executive power or overstepping into it.

The rulings have halted key parts of Trump’s agenda on immigration, policing and federal authority, intensifying debate over whether courts are acting as a constitutional check or obstructing elected leadership.

Here are some of the biggest court clashes Trump is facing in D.C. federal court.

Alien Enemies Act: A centuries-old statute becomes the focus of a modern fight

One of the biggest fights is also one of the earliest lawsuits filed against the Trump administration in D.C. federal court  — centered on the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, to deport certain migrants to El Salvador’s CECOT prison.

Civil rights groups and immigration advocates have argued the Trump administration is stretching the law beyond its intended use case, including the three previous times it was used in U.S. history — most recently, during World War II. The Trump administration has defended the move as a lawful exercise of executive authority over national security and immigration enforcement.

The case quickly landed in D.C. federal court and has since moved up on appeal, with higher courts now weighing the scope of the president’s authority under the centuries-old statute. The outcome could have sweeping implications for how rarely used emergency powers are applied in modern immigration policy.

EX-JUDGES BLAST TOP TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR DECLARING ‘WAR’ ON COURTS
 

Who controls DC streets: Washington or the White House?

The scope of federal power over states and localities has also been tested. Courts have imposed limits on Trump’s efforts to assert control over National Guard units, raising federalism concerns about the balance between state and federal authority.

The standoff began in August 2025. Trump moved to expand federal control over policing in Washington, D.C., including deploying National Guard troops to respond to crime. 

A related lawsuit, District of Columbia v. Trump, challenges what city officials describe as an unprecedented federal intrusion into local policing. The case remains a key test of presidential authority over the nation’s capital.

Protected status for Haitian migrants: Temporary or ‘de facto amnesty’?

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a pair of appeals from the Trump administration seeking to immediately halt Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Haitian migrants. Haitians were first granted TPS status in 2010 after a devastating earthquake. Previously, a lower court judge in D.C., U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, had blocked the Trump administration from lifting the TPS designation.

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the high court to take up the broader issue of whether the Trump administration can revoke TPS protections for other migrants living in the U.S. — citing the Justice Department’s appeal of a similar case centered on TPS protections for Syrian migrants that was kicked to the high court earlier this year.

“Unless the court resolves the merits of these challenges — issues that have now been ventilated in courts nationwide — this unsustainable cycle will repeat again and again, spawning more competing rulings and competing views of what to make of this court’s interim orders,” Sauer said last week. “This court should break that cycle.”

The appeal comes as the Trump administration has sought to wind down most TPS designations, arguing the programs have been extended for too long under Democratic presidents.

“Haiti’s TPS was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago,” said then-spokesperson for DHS Tricia McLaughlin. “It was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that’s how previous administrations have used it for decades.”

SCOTUS TO REVIEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

USAID: Judges pump the brakes on agency cuts

Early in the term, the administration’s effort to rapidly scale back the U.S. Agency for International Development was halted by a federal judge, who blocked mass leave orders and the dismantling of the agency’s workforce.

The Supreme Court eventually intervened in the case. Last March, the high court denied the Trump administration’s request to block a lower court’s order for the administration to pay nearly $2 billion in foreign aid money for previously completed projects, and leaving to the lower court judge the details of how those contracts should be paid out. That suit was eventually appealed to a higher court, where litigation remains pending.

BIDEN-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TRUMP’S ‘THIRD COUNTRY’ DEPORTATION POLICY IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Can the White House reshape the Fed?

The independence of the Federal Reserve is also an issue before the courts.

Lawyers for the Trump administration asked U.S. District Judge James Boasberg earlier this month to reconsider an earlier order that quashed grand jury subpoenas of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, appearing to make good on a vow from U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro to appeal the order to a higher court.

In the Justice Department’s motion for reconsideration that was submitted Monday, prosecutors argued that the court “applied an incorrect legal standard, erred with respect to certain facts, and overlooked other relevant facts.” 

They argued that a subpoena should be allowed when there is even a “reasonable possibility” that the category of materials the government seeks will produce information “relevant to the general subject of the grand jury’s investigation,” and even where a subpoena recipient “proposes a plausible theory of an ulterior motive.”

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a separate case, Trump v. Cook, earlier this year. That case centered on whether Trump has the power to fire Lisa Cook from the Fed’s board of governors — without notice and largely without the ability for courts to challenge the “for cause” provision underpinning her removal.

Cook remains in her position for now, following an order from U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb. 

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Meanwhile, White House officials have railed against the “activist” judges who they have accused of overstepping their agenda or acting with a political agenda to halt or pause Trump’s policies from taking force.  

While discussing the mystery surrounding UFOs, Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, said he believes what people think of as aliens are actually “demons.”

While interviewing Vance, conservative commentator Benny Johnson asked the vice president, “You gonna release all the UFO files?”

“Ah, we’re workin’ on it,” Vance said. 

He explained that when he took office he “was obsessed with the UFO files” but ended up being busy with other issues.

Vance asserted that he will “get to the bottom” of the matter.

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“I don’t think they’re aliens. I think they’re demons anyway,” Vance noted.

Prompted by Johnson, Vance later elaborated on his view.

“Well, look, I, I think that celestial beings who fly around, who do weird things to people — I think that the desire to describe everything celestial… to describe it as aliens — I mean every great world religion, including Christianity, the one that I believe in, has understood that there are weird things out there, and there are things that are very difficult to explain,” he said.

“And I naturally go — when I hear about, sort of, extra-natural phenomenon — that’s where I go to is the Christian understanding that, you know, there’s a lotta good out there, but there’s also some evil out there,” he continued.

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He added that he believes that among “the devil’s great tricks is to convince people he never existed.”

Last month, President Donald Trump said he would order the release of files pertaining to the issue of aliens and UFOs.

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

“No Kings,” a decentralized protest movement that crystallized in opposition to President Donald Trump’s second term, will hold thousands of events on Saturday morning, according to Sarah Parker, an organizer for one of the events in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The protests mark the most recent development for the amorphous group, which has prompted similar events in the past.

“Tomorrow we’re going to have over 3,500 events across the country,” Parker said. “I think it’s important to be out in the streets at this moment in time to save our country. The events will be overwhelmingly peaceful, and there are going to be millions of Americans from different affiliations, different ages and different ethnic backgrounds coming together to be in community.”

Parker did not describe how “No Kings” works with local figures to organize events but said the protests aim to build on local displeasure with the administration.

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“I think this is organic. This is a people-powered movement. We have different local hosts that are volunteers who have stepped up to host an event in their areas, even in rural areas. We have hundreds of events in rural and deep-red states,” Parker said.

Unlike other organized organizations, “No Kings” is not a non-profit, a business, or a formal organization, making its structure a mystery. Because of its lack of centralization, it has little to no financial reporting requirements and no easily identifiable leadership.

“No Kings” first burst onto the scene through “No Kings Day” in June 2025, an event that, in the words of their website, inspired “a nationwide uprising 14 times larger than both of Trump’s inaugurations combined.”

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Almost a year later, the protests scheduled for Saturday hope to continue their opposition, touting opposition to Trump’s recent actions in Iran and debates over immigration enforcement.

“Masked secret police terrorizing our communities. An illegal, catastrophic war putting us in danger and driving up our costs. Attacks on our freedom of speech, our civil rights, our freedom to vote. Costs pushing families to the brink,” their website’s description reads.

Despite Parker’s framing of a decentralized movement, No Kings provides a highly-structured document for organizers titled “March 28 Toolkit,” instructing viewers on how to recruit their own speakers, delegate roles, register their event and use No Kings branded media materials. It also lays out best practices for logistics as well as how to avoid permitting and insurance requirements for event-holders.

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Notably, the document also includes a “host hotline,” providing a number with a Maryland area code.

A map of events scheduled for Saturday shows organizational activity in the vast majority of urban centers across the country. Parker said that no one center will play a lead role, but that Minneapolis will act as a “flagship.” 

Parker isn’t affiliated with No Kings directly. Instead, she described herself as a part of 50501 — another decentralized organization that partners with No Kings. She did not describe the nature of the partnership or how they interacted amid their similarly decentralized structures.

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Asked what 50501 meant, Parker said the name originally stood for “50 states, 50 capitols, one day.”

It, too, is not registered as a non-profit or business.

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When asked who should be listening to No Kings’ messaging, Parker said she believes its lawmakers that should pay attention.

“I think it’s for any elected official that is not listening to their constituents again. It should be a message for any, any elected officials, regardless of their political affiliation,” Parker said.

Scouting America, the Texas-based national organization founded as the Boy Scouts of America, is working to shed claims it has gone “woke” in recent years as it renews its focus on training young people with life skills, providing fun and educational outdoor experiences and revitalizing its partnership with the U.S. military.

Since its inception by Lt. Gen. Robert Baden-Powell in February 1910, what is now Scouting America has remained dedicated to providing the key life tenets of faith, character and service to young people, as in one example it eliminated an otherwise recently conceived “DEI” merit badge and replaced it with a military-centric one.

Chief Scout Executive Roger Krone told Fox News Digital that scouts have been central to key moments in history, a testament to the program’s values, importance and longevity.

“In fact, I think all but one of the men that walked on the moon were Scouts. There is [also] a tendency for a certain percentage of membership to want to trade their Scout uniforms for military uniforms: we have a long tradition with the military,” Krone said.

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In 1915, professional scouter E. Urner Goodman founded Scouting America’s own honor society, the Order of the Arrow, at Treasure Island Scout Reservation in the middle of the Delaware River to recognize scouters who excel in their life of service.

John F. Kennedy was the first scout president, and Gerald Ford is the only one to date who has earned Eagle Scout. President Jimmy Carter, though never a scout, earned the BSA’s Silver Buffalo Award for service to Georgia scouts.

As part of its reaffirmation of American values, Scouting America will waive registration fees for military families’ children and participate in the America250 program.

“Just as it has for 116 years, Scouting America is dedicated to shaping patriotic Americans grounded in faith, character and service,” Krone said. “Our relationship with the United States Military reflects a shared belief that leadership, service, and love of country are not abstract ideals—they are values forged through action, discipline, and commitment. The Scouting program is uniquely positioned to instill these values in our future leaders.”

Fifteen percent of military academy cadets are Eagle Scouts, and more than 130 million Americans have been trained by the Boy Scouts since 1910.

He noted that Baden-Powell, a British military hero, conceived the idea in the wake of the Industrial Revolution to instill merit and values in wayward children in London.

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“There were kids in London that were getting in trouble because they had too much time on their hands. And so we started using these military tactics, learning how to track animals and using compasses and these things, to keep kids occupied they go on camp out some things like that. And that was the birth of the scouting program. So we have a proud tradition with the military.”

Scouts continue wearing the American flag on their Class-A uniforms from their time as Cub Scouts through earning Eagle, and, as Krone noted, their meetings also begin with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Scout Oath, which include pledges to honor God, country and law.

“There’s a deep connection between what we teach with character and leadership … to the military so it’s probably just natural.”

Krone pushed back on Scouting America being called woke, noting that about 70 percent of sponsoring organizations are churches. The Catholic Church is said to be the largest holder of unit charters, Krone said, while across the country other houses of worship, from Methodist to Episcopal to the United Church of Christ, sponsor troops.

“We are a very faith-based, faith-driven organization, very patriotic, we love God and country and so yeah, we strive very hard to be apolitical these days.”

Scouting received blowback for allowing girls to join in the past decade. Krone said that Scouting remains a meritocracy and rank requirements aren’t changed by gender.

“Whether you’re a young man in a program or a young woman in a program, you do the same exact thing. And it all is about using the outdoors as a classroom where you learn leadership and grit and resilience and you put the ideals of Scout … to practice in the outdoors and it is an amazing teacher. It’s an amazing program.”

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The Scouting program also takes kids away from their screens and away from potentially “woke” influences online and reconnects them with serving their community and working or camping outdoors.

“We know one of the challenges I think our kids in our country face today is that they’re glued to the devices, they’re indoors or on a couch,” Krone said.

“And I think there’s a lot of authors out there have written about the fact that it’s toxic, right? We’ve got to get kids back outdoors and get them off devices, you know, moving around. “We say it’s ‘social without the media’.”

Scouting America’s youth leaders recently visited Capitol Hill, where they met with congressional leaders who included scouters among them.

“Great day with [the] Boy Scouts. I enjoyed meeting Ricky Mason, Chair of the Scouts Executive Board, and outstanding young leader Joshua Nero, Chief of the Order of the Arrow (the highest ranked Scout), and taking him to meet Speaker Mike Johnson,” Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., said in a statement.

“Scouts is a great program and more parents should get their kids off of their phones and out into the wilderness learning life skills and confidence with Scouting for America.”

The Hill also hosts its own Congressional Scouting Caucus led by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., and Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.

To be awarded the Eagle Scout rank, a scout must earn at least 21 merit badges, including 10 from a specific list that includes three “Citizenship” badges — Community, Nation and World — through which they learn civics and about America’s founding principles and are required to write their congressman or senator about an issue important to them.

Other required skills include Personal Management, First Aid, Swimming, Cycling or Hiking, Family Life and Environmental Science. Most scouts earn many more than required.

The Scout Law, which all scouts agree to, hosts 12 tenets for daily life:

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“Trustworthy; Loyal; Helpful; Friendly; Courteous; Kind; Obedient; Cheerful; Thrifty; Brave; Clean; Reverent.”

Scouting’s motto remains “Do a Good Turn Daily,” and it is most recognized by its 116-year-old slogan: “Be Prepared.”