NationalWatch

Gov. Ron DeSantis urged House Republicans to take note of Florida’s successful implementation of “DOGE”-type governance and get moving on slashing waste, fraud and abuse identified by the executive branch organization.

“Elon Musk took massive incoming – including attacks on his companies as well as personal smears, to lead the effort on DOGE,” DeSantis posted on X.

“He became public enemy #1 of legacy media around the world. To see Republicans in Congress cast aside any meaningful spending reductions (and, in fact, fully fund things like USAID) is demoralizing and represents a betrayal of the voters who elected them,” the Republican said on Tuesday.

DeSantis had reposted a comment from former government scientist Matt van Swol, who claimed congressional Republicans have not done enough to go to bat for DOGE.

WINNERS, LOSERS AND GRAB-BAGS FROM HOUSE GOP’S NARROW PASSAGE OF BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL

“DOGE is literally one of the most popular government initiatives in history. 73% of Americans say they support cutting government waste. Trump brought in the smartest man on earth to do it… …the Left destroyed Elon for it …the GOP won’t vote on it I can’t believe this,” van Swol said in the shared message.

In remarks Tuesday, DeSantis expounded upon his concerns, saying that Florida’s executive branch has successfully implemented DOGE-type policies in the state, increasing affordability, lowering taxes and ridding Tallahassee of waste and fraud.

He said Florida has been a state for 180 years, and it was his own administration who reportedly paid down 41% of its accumulated debt to-date. 

DeSantis said the average Floridian’s share of the state debt is $400, while federally, their onus is about $105,000.

The governor noted how Musk stuck his neck out for DOGE and saw his car dealerships “firebombed” and how the media “smearing him relentlessly because he basically said, look, we can’t keep doing this…”

“And yet, we have a Republican Congress, and to this day, we’re in the end of May, past Memorial Day, and not one cent in DOGE cuts have been implemented by the Congress,” the one-time congressman said.

DEMS CALL BUDGET BILL ‘BUREAUCRATIC WATER TORTURE’ AS GOP ‘GLAD TO HAVE THE BALL IN OUR COURT’

“That’s one of the reasons why we need a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It’s another reason why we need term limits for members of Congress. But I think what you’ve seen with how, and I kind of said this early on, that DOGE and Elon were on a collision course with the swamp.”

Libertarian-minded Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., had lodged a similar complaint – claiming that rescission votes to act on DOGE’s proposed cuts were “cancelled” earlier in May – but a top aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., disputed the claim. 

“No votes on rescissions were cancelled this week. The Speaker has repeatedly expressed his commitment to save taxpayer funds via the rescissions process,” wrote press secretary Athina Lawson.

“Under law, this process requires a special message to Congress detailing proposed rescissions before Congress can act.”

House Republicans could not include any DOGE cuts in the “big beautiful bill” because, in order to pass the Senate, the bill could only deal with statutorily “mandatory” spending concerns.

The rules of Senate Reconciliation preclude that move as well.

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The two options House Republicans have are to wait for a formal rescission request for a cut or cuts from Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought – a Trump appointee – and take that up within 45 days, or try to pass separate legislation themselves through the appropriations process.

The issue with the latter is that legislation independent of a request originating from the executive branch would require 60 votes – while a rescission request only requires a simple majority.

Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the Senate. Two independents – Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King, Jr. of Maine – caucus with Democrats.

However, Republicans have had luck putting Democrats in a bind via the appropriations process, as the last passage of the typically massive bills led to members of that party turning on its leader – Sen. Charles Schumer of New York – for ultimately voting to fund the government earlier this year.

Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis and Johnson for comment.

A federal judge permanently blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm WilmerHale on Tuesday.

Trump’s order sought to limit the influence of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP by urging federal agencies to suspend security clearances for the firm’s employees as well as cancel contracts with the organization. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon found that the order violated the Constituion’s First, Fifth and Sixth Amendments, as well as separation of powers.

“For the reasons set forth below, I have concluded that this order must be struck down in its entirety as unconstitutional,” Leon wrote. “Indeed, to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!”

Leon argued that Trump’s order served as a threat to law firms across the country.

FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING

“If you take on causes disfavored by President Trump, you will be punished!” Leon wrote. “Other firms facing similar executive orders have capitulated to President Trump.”

WilmerHale drew Trump’s ire as the home firm of Robert Mueller, who served as special counsel during Trump’s first term and investigated alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO

Federal judges have been a bane to Trump’s agenda in the opening months of his return to the White House, foiling or delaying key aspects of his immigration and economic plans.

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily halted the administration’s effort to kill New York City‘s controversial congestion pricing program as well.

U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman issued a temporary restraining order barring the administration from getting rid of the program and withholding federal funding if the city failed to nix the program.

Another federal judge in Massachusetts chastised senior Trump officials Monday night for failing to comply with his court orders after a group of migrants was deported from the U.S. to South Sudan.

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy rejected Trump’s request to amend or withdraw the judge’s earlier decision requiring them to keep in U.S. custody six migrants who were deported to South Sudan without due process or notice. 

“It turns out that having immigration proceedings on another continent is harder and more logistically cumbersome than defendants anticipated,” Murphy said in his order, noting that the Trump administration is free to return individuals to have the interviews carried out on U.S. soil.

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The salvo comes as Murphy, a federal judge in Boston, presides over a class-action lawsuit from migrants who are challenging deportations to third countries, including South Sudan, El Salvador and other countries, including Costa Rica, Guatemala and others that the administration has reportedly eyed in its ongoing wave of deportations.

Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report

Defense Department civilian employees will no longer need to submit a weekly bulleted list of what they accomplished, which the Department of Government Efficiency had demanded of federal employees starting in February.

In an email to the Pentagon’s civilian workforce, Jay Hurst, who is performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the “five bullet exercise” will no longer be required and that employees should instead submit at least one idea by Wednesday to help improve efficiency or root out waste at the Defense Department.

Other agencies have also begun to end the weekly reports, including the National Institutes of Health last month.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP DISMANTLING OF US INSTITUTE OF PEACE

Workers had been required to submit weekly reports justifying their employment by listing five things they did the previous week, as part of efforts by billionaire Elon Musk and DOGE — which had been led by Musk — to eliminate waste in the federal government.

Musk, who recently announced he is stepping back from DOGE and focusing more on his companies, Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, said on Feb. 22 that federal employees would be required to start sending weekly reports of what they accomplished to the Office of Personnel Management as well as their managers.

“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X at the time.

“Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” he emphasized.

Some agencies, including the Defense Department, the State Department and the FBI, initially told employees to hold off on submitting the reports.

Days later, the Office of Personnel Management told human resources officers across the government that the emailed reports were voluntary, according to The Washington Post.

ELON MUSK ‘DISAPPOINTED’ BY TRUMP’S SPENDING BILL, SAYS IT UNDERMINES WHAT DOGE IS DOING

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Officials at the agency also said they did not plan to do anything with the emails they received.

But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent a memorandum on Feb. 28 instructing all Pentagon civilian employees to submit the weekly emails requested by DOGE.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, appears to be leaning in on her rising political stardom this week, briefly sharing what appeared to be a fan-made song that referred to the Democratic firebrand as the “leader of the future.”

“Jasmine Crockett, she rises with the dawn. Fighting for justice, her light will never be gone,” the song went. “A voice for the people, standing strong and proud. Infectious with passion, she’ll never bow down. Leader of the future, she’s breaking all the chains. Jasmine you rock girl, keep leading the fight.”

The roughly two-minute-long song was set against what appeared to be photos of Crockett that were lightly animated using artificial intelligence (AI). It ended with a minute of Crockett’s own comments at a recent House hearing.

HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT

Fox News Digital observed the video on Crockett’s Instagram Story, where users post highlights that normally disappear after 24 hours. It was also visible on her Instagram Reels tab. Crockett’s official House of Representatives account was listed as a co-author alongside another Instagram account that appears to specialize in AI-generated musical video clips.

Crockett’s account notes that posts are made by her staff unless the letters “CWC” are present. Her account appears to have shared, but not originally posted the video. Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett’s office to ask if she took any part in creating or sanctioning the post.

After Fox News Digital’s inquiry, mention of the video disappeared from Crockett’s page. 

“A beacon of hope, we know you won’t deceive,” the song continued at another point. “Democratic champion, her mission’s loud and clear. For every single citizen, she’ll always be near. No MAGA could silence the truth she displays. Jasmine, you rock girl, keep leading the fight.”

MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE

Crockett has garnered a notable fan base among the progressive left since bursting on the national stage just over two years ago.

She has been known for public comments that have pushed the boundaries of congressional decorum and have even earned her censure threats from her Republican colleagues in the House.

Crockett garnered controversy in late March for referring to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is in a wheelchair, as “Governor Hot Wheels.” She later clarified in a statement that she “wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition,” but she did not apologize.

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She also appeared to cash in on a spat she was part of during a House Oversight Committee hearing last year, when her response to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., claiming Crockett had “fake eyelashes,” was to mock Greene as having a “bleach blonde bad built butch body.”

Crockett later moved to trademark the phrase through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Republican minority leaders in California are responding to potential next steps for the highly scrutinized Medi-Cal program, which is insolvent, as some believe the ability for people to enroll “regardless of their immigration status” is a leading cause. 

The state faces a $12 billion budget shortfall as budget talks continue in Sacramento.

The Medi-Cal program went insolvent earlier this year after it went billions over budget, resulting in $3.44 billion in loan requests to salvage the program, which covers low-income Golden State residents. Republicans said it was in large part due to illegal immigrants being allowed to enroll in the program, and Newsom also said that it was part of the spending issue, but not the whole picture, according to KCRA.

LAWMAKERS REVEAL WHETHER AMERICANS SHOULD PICK UP THE MEDICAID TAB FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“That’s going to continue to be a big debate here in California as we’re wrestling with a $12 billion dollar deficit and the cost of providing free healthcare to illegal immigrants is $11.4 billion dollars, so if we just didn’t do that, that would eliminate our budget deficit,” California State Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones said. “Now, there’s lots of other ways we can find $12 billion dollars to eliminate the deficit as well.”

Newsom’s May budget revision proposes a pause for adults 19 and older from enrolling in “full-scope coverage” and to start charging a $100 premium each month “for individuals with certain statuses,” Fox News Digital reported earlier this month. 

“To be very clear, these proposals are the results of a $16 billion Trump Slump and higher-than-expected health care utilization. Because of these outside factors, the state must take difficult but necessary steps to ensure fiscal stability and preserve the long-term viability of Medi-Cal for all Californians,” Elana Ross, deputy communications director for Newsom’s office, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“Governor Newsom refuses to turn his back on hardworking Californians, especially when it comes to their basic health care needs,” she added.

The proposal from the Newsom administration sparked criticism among some in the legislature, as the Democratic California Legislative Latino Caucus is suggesting a tax hike to pay for the program’s coverage for illegal immigrants, according to KCRA. The question remains whether a $100 premium would be enough to get people to leave the program.

LAWMAKERS IN DEEP BLUE STATE DEMAND AUDIT OVER SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE COSTS: ‘ALARMING NATURE’

However, Jones said that Medi-Cal being offered to illegal immigrants might not be quite what Democrats present it as.

“It’s just a messaging point for the governor and the Democratic leadership. It’s not an actual thing. Meaning the governor and the Democrat leadership are promising illegal immigrants coverage, and they are on the rolls, but there’s very little access,” he said.

“A lot of doctors in California that used to provide Medicare and Medicaid have closed up shop, moved to other states. A lot of other doctors that are still here have stopped taking those kinds of patients, even if they’re here legally or illegally, because the reimbursement rates are so low, the doctors actually lose money when they take a Medicare or Medicaid patient,” Jones continued.

NEWSOM CONCEDES SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE COSTS FOR ILLEGALS ARE ‘PARTIAL’ CONTRIBUTOR TO MEDICAID PROBLEM

Meanwhile, Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher told Fox News Digital in an interview that the budget shortfall is “a total disaster” that “was completely predictable.”

“You know, two years ago, Gavin Newsom and the supermajority Democrats decided to fund illegal immigrant healthcare through our Medi-Cal program. And everybody said it’s gonna be billions of dollars. It’s not sustainable. And at the time, Biden was president, and people were coming across the border, millions of people. We had no idea. And I think a lot of them came to California and signed up. And so now we have a completely unsustainable, bankrupted Medi-Cal system that’s required $3.4 billion worth of loans to prop up.”

On a federal level, the pending reconciliation bill that recently passed the House of Representatives could also create issues for the state’s Medi-Cal offerings, as it would change the federal “match” from 90% to 80% for care that is not an emergency, which the Newsom administration says could cost the state billions, The Center Square reported.

“If Republicans move this extreme MAGA proposal forward, millions will lose coverage, hospitals will close, and safety nets could collapse under the weight,” Newsom stated last week.

Alex Thompson, co-author of the recently released exposé on former President Joe Biden, told Fox News Sunday that top aides ‘rationalized’ doing ‘undemocratic’ things to hide the president’s cognitive decline, because failing to do so would have been too beneficial to Donald Trump. 

During an interview with “Fox News Sunday’s” Shannon Bream, Thompson was asked whether any officials close to Biden, such as his cabinet secretaries, expressed remorse for their potential complicity in covering up Biden’s health.

“There was definitely a lot of self-reflection about what — if anything — they should have done differently,” Thompson said. 

“I think there was a feeling — like a lot of members of the Democratic Party that were seeing this, or saw moments of [Biden] seeming out of it — that going public wasn’t going to change his mind. It was only going to help Donald Trump. And I think that’s how a lot of them rationalized it.” 

AXIOS’ ALEX THOMPSON CALLS DONALD TRUMP’S HEALTH ‘FAIR GAME’ AFTER BEING ‘UNTRANSPARENT’ ABOUT RECORDS

“Now, whether or not history will judge them as being right for doing that, we will see. But this is also part of the reason why the White House was shielding [Biden] from as many people as possible, including cabinet secretaries.”

Bream went on to question Thompson about an aide he spoke to who said Biden “just had to win and then could disappear” because Biden’s “aides could pick up the slack.” Bream described the quote as essentially “admitting” Biden shouldn’t be running again.

EX-DNC CHAIR CALLS BOOK’S CLAIM THAT BIDEN DIDN’T RECOGNIZE HIM A ‘BOLD FACED LIE’

“Who would have been running the White House in a second Biden term?” Bream asked Thompson.

“Well, this person went on to say, ‘When you’re voting for president, you’re voting for the aides around him.’ But these aides were not even Senate confirmed aides – these were White House aides, these were unelected people.” Thompson replied. “One of the things that really comes out in our reporting here is that if you believe — and I do think a lot of these people do sincerely believe that Donald Trump was and is an existential threat to democracy — you can rationalize anything, including sometimes doing undemocratic things — which I think is what this person was talking about.”

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Thompson and CNN’s Jake Tapper have been doing the rounds discussing and promoting their new book titled “Original Sin,” which has garnered a lot of attention for detailing what critics have said shows Biden’s cognitive decline while he was in the White House was even worse than most people suspected. 

The book has been compounded by other revelations showing Biden’s cognitive abilities were likely hidden from the public by those closest to him.

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily halted the Trump administration’s effort to kill New York City‘s controversial congestion pricing program.

U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman issued a temporary restraining order barring the administration from getting rid of the program and withholding federal funding if the city failed to nix the program.

NEW YORK CITY URGES JUDGE TO BLOCK TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM ELIMINATING ITS CONGESTION PRICING PROGRAM

Liman’s Tuesday restraining order keeps the tolls in place through at least June 9 and prevents Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy from retaliating against the city. 

“The judge’s ruling today was not on the merits of our case against Hochul’s class warfare, but rather a temporary pause to have more time to reach a decision,” a Department of Transportation spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Enforcement actions for noncompliance were merely under consideration, and we will comply with the judge’s request to hold.”

“We look forward to making our case in court against (New York Gov. Kathy) Hochul’s illegal tolls as we work to protect working-class Americans from being unfairly charged to go to work, see their families, or visit the city,” the statement continued. 

In February, Trump posted an image of himself wearing a crown and wrote, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

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

The program was launched in January, using electronic license plate readers and charging most drivers a $9 toll during peak periods to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street in an attempt to reduce congestion and raise funds to improve mass transit.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SETS DEADLINE FOR NYC TO SHUT DOWN CONTROVERSIAL CONGESTION PRICING TOLL

The city said the program has dramatically reduced congestion on the roadways. There have been about 5.8 million fewer cars than expected in the congestion zone between January and March, or a reduction of about 8% to 13%, officials said. 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said the program was better for businesses, the city’s tourism industry and bus and taxi rides. 

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He noted that car crashes, noise complaints and traffic were down. 

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday announced his 2026 run for Alabama governor.

Tuberville, a top Senate supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, launched a campaign website that touts his “conservative Alabama values.”

And the senator made his first appearance after announcing his candidacy on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show.”

“I’m doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama,” Tuberville said in his Fox News Channel interview. “I’m a football coach. I’m a leader. I’m a builder. I’m a recruiter, and we’re going to grow Alabama.”

WHY TOMMY TUBERVILLE IS TAKING AIM AT MAINE’S GOVERNOR 

“We’re going to bring manufacturing to this state. We’re going to stop this illegal immigration. We’re going to make education better again, and we’re going to do everything possible to make sure our kids… stay in this state and work,” Tuberville added.

Tuberville joined Fox News as he stood in front of his family and friends at an Auburn barbecue restaurant. 

The move by the former longtime college football coach — who spent 10 years as head coach at Auburn University in Alabama — ended weeks of speculation about his ambitions to run for governor in his homestate.

TUBERVILLE SPOTLIGHTS TRUMP IN EFFORT TO SAVE COLLEGE SPORTS

Just a week ago, Fox News confirmed that Tuberville told donors at recent private meetings that he would be launching a gubernatorial campaign.

And a source familiar told Fox News a couple of weeks ago that an endorsement from Trump would be a “done deal” if Tuberville decided to run for governor.

Tuberville, in his Fox News interview, said Trump was “fully supportive” of his gubernatorial run.

He is also backed by the politically influential and deep-pocketed Club for Growth, a fiscal conservative group that takes sides in GOP primaries.

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS’ CAMPAIGN CHAIR DETAILS BALLOT BOX GAMEPLAN

Tuberville is seen as a front-runner in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey in the heavily red southern state. 

Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who had been expected to run to succeed Ivey, last week announced that he would not seek the office.

Tuberville was first elected to the Senate in 2020, running as an outsider who was closely aligned with Trump.

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In the Republican primary, he topped former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a longtime senator from Alabama before resigning in 2017 to serve as Trump’s attorney general. Tuberville went on to defeat incumbent Sen. Doug Jones, who was the first Democrat elected to the Senate in Alabama in decades.

Tuberville’s move to run for governor sets up an open Senate seat in Alabama in next year’s midterm elections.

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to intervene and allow it to quickly deport illegal immigrants to countries other than their own, Fox News has learned. 

The request from the Justice Department comes after a lower-court judge, Brian Murphy, issued an injunction last month that halted the Trump administration’s attempts to rapidly deport immigrants residing illegally in the United States to third-party countries not their own. In the ruling, Murphy said the Trump administration must provide “meaningful” notice to immigrants it wishes to deport to third-party countries, so they have adequate time to challenge their deportation. 

The Justice Department’s request follows a separate Monday evening ruling from Murphy, rejecting the Trump administration’s request that his injunction be lifted, in order for deportations to continue while the merits of his ruling are adjudicated. Due to Murphy’s rejection, the Trump administration sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court, asking it to upend the injunction itself.

UPENDING US BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP WOULD HAVE DRASTIC NEGATIVE IMPACT, DEFENDERS WARN

At the center of the Trump administration’s request for relief from Murphy’s injunction are as many as a dozen people from various countries, including Vietnam and Myanmar, who were allegedly ordered deported to South Sudan in violation of Murphy’s earlier order. 

Last week, Murphy ordered that the migrants remain in U.S. custody at a military base in Djibouti until each of them could be given a “reasonable fear interview,” or a chance to explain to U.S. officials any fear of persecution or torture, should they be released into South Sudanese custody. As of Monday night, these interviews had not taken place, according to Murphy.

US JUDGE ACCUSES TRUMP ADMIN OF ‘MANUFACTURING CHAOS’ IN SOUTH SUDAN DEPORTATIONS, ESCALATING FEUD

It was unclear where the plane carrying the migrants may be as of last week, but a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Fox News that the flight was in the nearby African country of Djibouti, with U-S military personnel on the scene assisting. No word on when or if the flight would travel on to South Sudan. 

A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman had indicated South Sudan would not be the final destination for that particular flight.

Reacting to Murphy’s ruling last week halting the deportation of illegal immigrants to South Sudan, President Donald Trump called on the Supreme Court to “put an END” to judges getting in the way of his immigration enforcement efforts.

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“The Judges are absolutely out of control, they’re hurting our Country, and they know nothing about particular situations, or what they are doing – And this must change, IMMEDIATELY! Hopefully, the Supreme Court of the United States will put an END to the quagmire that has been caused by the Radical Left,” Trump wrote in a post shared to his Truth Social platform.

“If this is not worked out quickly, and the World is watching, our Country will be under siege again, with hundreds of thousands of hardened criminals, ‘BREAKING DOWN THE WALLS.'”

Facing yet another loss after the Trump-backed “Big, Beautiful Bill” advanced in Congress, liberals are lashing out at Democratic Party elders for clinging on to power too long — even to death.

Shortly before the so-called BBB went up for a vote, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a longtime leader in the Democratic Party from deep-blue Fairfax County, passed away after a battle with esophageal cancer. Connolly had previously indicated he would be retiring at the end of his term in 2026.

In response, many liberal analysts and consultants complained that too many Democrats were refusing to leave office, including FIGHT Agency’s Rebecca Katz, who posted on X, “Imagine if one of the older and sicker Dems would’ve retired instead of died in office and what that would’ve meant for millions of people,” quoting a post of the final 215-214 tally.

Below that was a repost of a story with a large image of Connolly that described recent elderly Democrats who have died in office.

WHITE HOUSE: DEMS HAVE ‘NEVER BEEN MORE RADICAL, OUT OF TOUCH’ AFTER VOTING AGAINST ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

When reached for comment, Katz told Fox News Digital that “no individual has a divine right to rule for eternity.”

“Democratic voters feel lied to and are demanding accountability, and our party needs to earn back their trust and start winning again. We shouldn’t be afraid to have hard conversations,” Katz said.

The story — in the left-wing New Republic — described how Connolly was the latest in a recent string of Democrats who have died in office, including Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Sylvester Turner, D-Texas. According to her X profile, Katz has experience in Arizona politics working with Sen. Ruben Gallego’s campaign, as well as previously Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y.

Meanwhile, the last eight lawmakers to have died in federal office have all been Democrats — including Turner’s own predecessor Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, for whom he took over for less than a term.

The New Republic appeared to lay the blame for the BBB’s narrow win at the feet of dead Democrats.

“House Republicans managed to pass their draconian budget bill, which promises to make massive cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and food assistance, early Thursday morning by a narrow one-vote margin that was only possible due the deaths of three in this current Congress,” the New Republic’s Hafiz Rashid wrote, describing Connolly, Grijalva and Turner.

WINNERS, LOSERS AND GRAB-BAGS FROM HOUSE GOP’S NARROW PASSAGE OF ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

Quoting another article from The Nation, Katz wrote: 

“In a democracy, politicians exist to serve the public; the public does not exist to serve politicians. It’s a sign of democratic decline if politicians live and die like warlords, clinging to every last ounce of power. Democrats need to define what they stand for as a party so their elected officials can once more be genuine public servants and not mere warlords.”

The Nation lamented how Democrats are supposed to be a political movement seeking to gain power and implement an agenda.

But, “in practice… [they] more closely resemble a hospice, if not a funeral home,” it went on, pivoting to criticizing the party for its bolstering of former President Joe Biden amid revelations from CNN anchor Jake Tapper’s book on the alleged “cover-up [of] his infirmity.”

The three Democrats who died within close proximity to BBB negotiations all hailed from reliably Democratic districts in Fairfax, Tucson and Houston, and could have had their seats filled by Democrats if they had retired in a timely fashion.

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Senior House Republican leadership staff emphasized that Connolly’s absence would not have had any bearing on the outcome of the votes.

Johnson had 217 votes on-hand, Fox News learned Tuesday.

Prior to Connolly, Turner and Grijalva, Democrats from similarly-secure Paterson, New Jersey; Houston oncemore; Newark, New Jersey; California (Sen. Dianne Feinstein); and Petersburg, Virginia, died in office and left their party in the statistical lurch.

Currently, the four oldest sitting federal lawmakers are Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, at 91, Reps. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Hal Rogers, R-Ky., at 87, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., at 87. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is 85.

Fox News Digital reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Connolly’s office for comment.

Elon Musk said he is “disappointed” by the costs of President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” passed by Republicans in the House last week.

“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told “CBS Sunday Morning” in an exclusive broadcast interview.

DEMS SLAM TRUMP ADMINS OVER ALLEGED $436B SPENDING BLOCK

The remarks by Musk, who recently stepped back from running the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, are in contrast to Trump, who backed the legislation, which still needs Senate approval. 

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed 215 to 214 in the House. All Democrats and two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voted against the bill. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., voted “present.”

The bill is a victory for Trump and House Republicans, who overcame policy disagreements to deliver on Trump’s key campaign promises, including an extension of his 2017 tax cuts and no tax on tips, overtime and Social Security. 

SENATE DEMS RAIL AGAINST ‘SHADOW SPEAKER’ BILLIONAIRE ELON MUSK: ‘NOT ELECTED TO ANYTHING’

It aims to cut roughly $1.5 trillion in government spending. The U.S. government is still more than $36 trillion in debt and has spent $1.05 trillion more than it has collected in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department.

The bill still faces hurdles. 

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The Senate is tasked with passing its own version. Republican leaders are hoping to send the bill to Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July. 

Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report. 

A spokesperson for first lady Melania Trump shut down a “completely false” theory that her husband, the president, is warring with Harvard University because her son, Barron, was supposedly not accepted to the school.

The Palm Beach Post first reported that first lady spokesperson Nicholas Clemens said, “Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false.”

This comes amid online rumors that President Donald Trump is targeting Harvard with federal funding cuts because Barron, who just finished his freshman year at New York University, was supposedly rejected by the school.

The Trump administration is asking all federal agencies to find ways to terminate all federal contracts with Harvard amid an ongoing standoff over foreign students’ records at the Ivy League school. Harvard has already sued in federal court seeking the restoration of about $3.2 billion in federal grant funding frozen by the administration since last month. 

HARVARD FOREIGN STUDENTS FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURE AMID TRUMP CAMPUS CRACKDOWNS 

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump accused Harvard of being “very antisemitic” and said he was considering giving the school’s federal funding to trade schools “all across our land.”

“What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!” he wrote.

In a letter Thursday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem informed Harvard’s leadership that the university had lost its “privilege” of enrolling foreign students as a result of the institution’s “refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security with pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ policies.” 

On Friday, Judge Allison Burroughs, a President Barack Obama appointee, granted Harvard a temporary restraining order, preventing the government from revoking the Ivy League school’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The program permits the university to host international students with F-1 or J-1 visas to study in the U.S.

TRUMP RAMPS UP HEAT ON HARVARD: HERE ARE 5 REASONS FROM THE UNIVERSITY’S OWN INVESTIGATION

Trump said this week that Harvard is being “very slow” to turn over information on foreign students. 

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“We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country,” Trump wrote.

“Harvard is very slow in the presentation of these documents, and probably for good reason!” he wrote. “The best thing Harvard has going for it is that they have shopped around and found the absolute best Judge (for them!) – But have no fear, the Government will, in the end, WIN!” 

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

The White House ripped Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., for making a “shameful” Memorial Day trip to El Salvador in an attempt to visit deported illegal immigrant and suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

The White House’s rapid response account said of Ivey’s trip, “This moron spent his Memorial Day trying (and failing) to visit a criminal illegal immigrant gangbanger in a foreign country. For Democrats, criminal illegals > American citizens every time.”

Ivey posted about the attempted visit on his X account, saying that he represents Abrego Garcia, and that the Salvadoran government stonewalled his efforts to conduct a welfare check.

“Today, I was denied access to seeing my constituent, Mr. Kilmar Abrego Garcia. If there is nothing to hide, cut the crap. Let his lawyer and I check on him,” he said. “I’m the congressman who represents Kilmar and I came all the way down from the United States after we contacted their ambassador, after we made formal requests through our ambassador to the El Salvadoran government, and we came here to visit him today.”

DEM IMMIGRATION TALKING POINTS FIZZLE AS DARK PICTURE OF ABREGO GARCIA EMERGES

“We need to bring him home. I won’t stop until we do,” Ivey added in an X post.

Abrego Garcia’s deportation to his home country, El Salvador, has caused significant controversy. The Trump administration has pointed to evidence suggesting that Abrego Garcia was involved with MS-13 and human trafficking to justify his deportation. The administration has also cited court documents detailing Abrego Garcia’s alleged physical abuse of his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura. Democrats, meanwhile, say he is a “Maryland man” who was not given his due process in court before being deported. 

Since Abrego Garcia’s deportation, several Democrats, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., have made trips to El Salvador to conduct similar wellness checks and to advocate for his release.

The trips have stirred significant controversy as well, with many asking why Democrats are spending so much time advocating for a suspected gang member who was unlawfully present in the U.S.

MARYLAND DEMOCRAT IVEY FURIOUS NOT GIVEN ACCESS TO KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA IN EL SALVADOR

The video also caught the attention of White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson.

Jackson told Fox News Digital that “it’s shameful, and an insult to the American people, that a Democrat Congressman spent his Memorial Day trying to visit a deported illegal alien, MS-13 terrorist, human-trafficker, and wife beater.”

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“This pathetic stunt tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of the modern Democrat party – they’re putting criminal illegals over American citizens all the time,” said Jackson.

In addition to the wife beating evidence, Fox News Digital has previously reported on documents detailing Abrego Garcia being stopped by a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper after he was “observed speeding” and unable to stay in his lane in 2022. The trooper noticed eight individuals in the car with Abrego Garcia, who said he began driving three days prior from Houston to Temple Hills, Maryland, via St. Louis to “perform construction work.” 

KILMAR ABREGO-GARCIA SUSPECTED OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN REPORT OBTAINED BY FOX NEWS

The report states that the trooper suspected it was a human trafficking incident, as there was no luggage in the vehicle. Additionally, the individuals in the car reportedly gave the same address as Abrego Garica’s home address.

When speaking with the trooper, Abrego Garcia allegedly “pretended to speak less English than he was capable of and attempted to put encountering officer off-track by responding to questions with questions.” After the incident, the officer decided not to give Abrego Garcia a citation for the driving infractions, but rather to give him a warning for driving with an expired license. 

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The White House has not held back in its criticisms of Van Hollen’s visit. In April, the White House tweeted side-by-side photos of Trump meeting with the mother of Rachel Morin, who was murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2023, and Van Hollen sitting with Abrego Garcia with the caption, “We are not the same.”

Rachel Morin was a Maryland resident, as is her mother, Patty, who said that Van Hollen had not reached out to her since her daughter was murdered.

Van Hollen responded to this criticism in a Fox News interview in which he said he “did have concern” for the Morin family and his “heart goes out to every Maryland family that is the victim of violence.” Van Hollen also said that “there is zero connection between the horrible murder of Rachel Morin and the situation with Abrego Garcia.” 

Ivey did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Two U.S. Secret Service officers have been suspended after reportedly fighting with each other in front of former President Barack Obama’s Washington D.C. mansion last week.  

The two uniformed officers were outside Obama’s residence around 2:30 a.m. on May 21 when one called for a supervisor to come immediately before “I whoop this girl’s a**,” according to an audio recording posted online. 

AUTHORITIES NAB WHITE HOUSE FENCE CLIMBER JUST TWO WEEKS INTO TRUMP’S NEW TERM

In addition to the audio, a video published Tuesday by RealClearPolitics shows the female officers punching and shoving each other.

“I need a supervisor out here… immediately before I whoop this girl’s a**,” one of the women said into the radio, the report states. 

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO CLIMB FENCE OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE

The Secret Service confirmed the fight with Fox News Digital. 

“The individuals involved were suspended from duty and this matter is the subject of an internal investigation. The Secret Service has a very strict code of conduct for all employees and any behavior that violates that code is unacceptable.”

“Given this is a personnel matter, we are not in a position to comment further,” the spokesperson added. 

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It wasn’t clear what prompted the fight between the two officers. 

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. 

Here’s what’s happening…

–‘The Kamala Excuse’: Tensions between Biden and Harris plagued their campaigns, new book reveals

-Former NY Democratic Rep Charlie Rangel dead at 94

-Dem strategy session to stop hemorrhaging of male voters ridiculed

Trump’s war with Harvard

The Trump administration escalated its war with Harvard University on Tuesday, announcing it will claw back the university’s remaining $100 million in federal funding – effectively ending all financial ties with the Ivy League institution.

“The government is out of business with Harvard University, fully,” a senior administration official told Fox News Digital.

At the center of the fight are accusations of Harvard failing to combat a campus culture of antisemitism. While the university accuses the White House of overreach and insists it is defending free speech, its own internal investigation appears to have handed Trump officials ammunition…Read more

White House

‘MONSTERS’: Trump fires off scathing all-caps Memorial Day message targeting ‘SCUM’ who sought to ‘DESTROY’ the US

HONORING HEROES: Trump honors fallen American heroes, praises God in Memorial Day address: ‘Great, great warriors’

CONVICTION UNDONE: Trump pardons former Virginia sheriff convicted of taking $75K in bribes

PULLING THE PLUG: Trump admin seeks to cancel all remaining contracts with Harvard University

A SECOND LOOK: FBI reopening investigation into cocaine found at Biden White House

UNDETECTED: Biden’s presidential health reports showed no sign of recently revealed aggressive cancer

‘SQUANDERED’: DOGE sniffs out eye-popping spending on Biden DEI efforts in key agency

World Stage

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: GOP lawmaker blasts ‘dumb’ Trump comment on Zelenskyy despite ‘perfect’ criticism of Putin

RISING TENSIONS: Trump warns Putin is ‘playing with fire’ after declaring the Russian president has ‘gone absolutely CRAZY’

DEMOCRAT DETOUR: Maryland Democrat Ivey furious not given access to Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador

Capitol Hill

TRUMP-APPROVED: Trump endorses House Republican who failed to vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

POLITICS AT PLAY: Vets groups torch Dems for holding up key VA picks, including memorials chief on Memorial Day

STORIES FROM THE HILL: Remembering Rep. Charlie Rangel – and a voicemail I’ll never forget

MALE ‘SYNTAX’: Dems drop $20M on bizarre ‘American men’ study in effort to dig out of 2024 political hole

DIVA DEMOCRACY: Jasmine Crockett shares bizarre song clip calling herself ‘leader of the future’

‘WEAK AND WOKE’: Rahm Emanuel calls Democrat’s party brand ‘weak,’ appearing to weigh White House run

Across America 

FARM ALARM: Key Trump voting bloc has concerns with MAHA report, as Trump officials give assurances

TOXIC BETRAYAL: Veterans of US’ ‘toxic soup’ Uzbekistan base still fight for proper healthcare 20 years after it was shuttered

ELECTION INTEGRITY: Texas governor makes it ‘crystal clear’ only U.S. citizens can vote in state elections

BUSTED BACKER: DOJ reaches plea deal with Dem donor who sought to bribe her way to Kennedy Center seat

‘UNSUSTAINABLE’: Illegal immigrant health care costs in blue state triggers intense budget debate

‘POLITICAL TARGETING’: Red state official recounts personal experience of being ‘debanked’ and why it ‘has to be stopped’

SPEECH SILENCED: Supreme Court declines to review free speech case involving student who wore ‘only two genders’ shirt

SPACE FORCE BATTLE: Battle over Space Command HQ location heats up as lawmakers press new Air Force secretary

‘MENACE TO OUR CITY’: Far-left candidate’s office accused of fostering toxic environment for women

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

The State Department is planning to bolster its efforts to vet and screen the social media of those applying for international student and exchange visitor visas to ensure applicants don’t pose a national security threat to the U.S., Fox News Digital has learned. 

To do this, the State Department is temporarily suspending new student and exchange visitor visa interviews as it evaluates enhanced social media screenings for the application process. 

The effort is the latest initiative from the Trump administration to crack down on immigration and revoke visas of those attending academic institutions in the U.S. Those who’ve publicly supported Palestine have faced increased scrutiny, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in May that the administration was reviewing the visa status of students who participated in pro-Palestine protests. 

The Trump administration has accused students who’ve participated in these protests of supporting Hamas — a designated foreign terrorist organization. 

The State Department is currently examining existing operations that go into screening and vetting student and exchange visa applications, and “based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,” according to a Tuesday email obtained by Fox News Digital. 

TRUMP ADMIN STEPS UP OVERHAUL OF NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, WEEKS AFTER WALTZ’S DEPARTURE

As a result, the State Department is instructing consular sections to pause adding any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued, “in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting,” the email said. 

“The next step is for posts to evaluate operations and processes in preparation for this expanded social media vetting of all student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants,” said the email.

“Appointments already scheduled can proceed under current guidelines,” the email said. “However, appointments that are available, but not taken as of the release of this cable, should be immediately removed from availability.” 

RUBIO FIRES BACK AFTER DEM SENATOR SAYS HE REGRETS VOTING FOR HIM, SPARKING TENSE EXCHANGE

The email does not specify what additional steps would be involved in the more stringent social media screening process, but says that consular offices have been instructed to refer certain student and exchange visitor visa applicants to the Fraud Prevention Unit for a “mandatory social media check.” 

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on what the existing social media policy is for applicants. 

Meanwhile, Rubio told lawmakers May 20 that he expects that the State Department has already pulled thousands of visas since January following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. That’s up from the 300 the administration had revoked as of late March. 

Rubio also said that his agency would continue to pull student visas, stating that a visa is not a right, it’s a “privilege.” 

“I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” Rubio told lawmakers on the Senate appropriations subcommittee overseeing foreign affairs. “We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities.”

Meanwhile, Democrats have said that the Trump administration’s effort to revoke visas is a violation of due process.

“I do think it’s a fundamental attack on freedom, because due process is the guardian of the gate to keep a government from taking away people’s life or liberty, and liberty is what happens when you take away a visa without due process,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., told Rubio May 20. 

A student visa allows those outside the U.S. to study in the country for a specific amount of time at an academic institution. In contrast, a green card allows an individual already in the U.S. who is not an American citizen to remain in the country. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS NEW WAVE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISA REVOCATIONS: ‘NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO A VISA’

The State Department’s effort aligns with executive orders that Trump signed in January to protect the U.S. from foreign terrorists and other national security threats, as well as one that aims to combat antisemitism, a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital. 

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One of the executive orders instructs the State Department, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, the attorney general, and the director of national intelligence, to “vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States, particularly those aliens coming from regions or nations with identified security risks.” 

Additionally, the other executive order states that the U.S. will use “all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.”

A federal judge in Massachusetts chastised senior Trump officials Monday night for failing to comply with his court orders after a group of migrants was deported from the U.S. to South Sudan — the latest dust-up centered on deportations, due process protections and the administration’s willingness, or lack thereof, to comply with federal courts.

In a scathing, 17-page order, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy rejected Trump’s request to amend or withdraw the judge’s earlier decision requiring them to keep in U.S. custody six migrants who were deported to South Sudan without due process or notice. 

On Wednesday, Murphy ordered that the migrants remain in U.S. custody at a military base in Djibouti until each of them could be given a “reasonable fear interview,” or a chance to explain to U.S. officials any fear of persecution or torture, should they be released into South Sudanese custody. 

As of Monday night, he said, these interviews had not taken place.

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP’S REMOVAL OF BIDEN APPOINTEES FROM FEDERAL BOARDS

“It turns out that having immigration proceedings on another continent is harder and more logistically cumbersome than defendants anticipated,” Murphy said in his order, noting that the Trump administration is free to return individuals to have the interviews carried out on U.S. soil. 

He also took aim at Trump officials for attacking the courts, noting Monday night that defendants here have “mischaracterized” the court’s order, “while at the same time manufacturing the very chaos they decry.”

The salvo comes as Murphy, a federal judge in Boston, presides over a class-action lawsuit from migrants who are challenging deportations to third countries, including South Sudan, El Salvador and other countries, including Costa Rica, Guatemala and others that the administration has reportedly eyed in its ongoing wave of deportations.

In considering the third-country removals, Murphy stressed that he has attempted to strike a delicate balance between due process protections under the U.S. Constitution and the Trump administration’s wave of eleventh-hour removals and deportations. 

Murphy noted that he allowed the Trump administration to keep the six deported migrants in South Sudan under the custody of U.S. officials, so long as they carry out the so-called “reasonable fear interviews,” and make a determination over whether the migrants’ concerns were adequate.

FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING

“The court never said that defendants had to convert their foreign military base into an immigration facility,” Murphy wrote in his order Monday night. “It only left that as an option, again, at defendants’ request.”

Murphy also doubled down on his earlier orders as “sensible and conservative,” noting that he had repeatedly attempted to strike the right balance in weighing the Trump administration’s requests for the men to remain in South Sudan against their right to habeas proceedings and due process under the U.S. Constitution. 

He also cited DOJ’s seemingly fluid position as to what constitutes adequate notice for removals. He said Justice Department attorneys previously told the court that they believe that 24 hours is sufficient and meaningful notice to remove certain migrants, before breaking with that in removing the men to South Sudan. 

These individuals also do not appear to have any access to counsel. In one case, he said, plaintiffs declared Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had canceled at least one prerescheduled meeting with an attorney and her client.

“Class members likewise had no opportunity to learn anything about South Sudan, a nascent, unstable country to which the United States has recently told its citizens not to travel because of crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict,” Murphy said.

‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO

The judge’s order is the latest attempt by federal courts judges to rein in the Trump administration as it continues to deport migrants to third countries, including El Salvador and South Sudan. 

U.S. judges have repeatedly ruled that the Trump administration has violated due process by failing to notify the migrants of their imminent removals, or afford them any opportunity to challenge their deportations in court— a view reiterated, albeit narrowly, by the Supreme Court four separate times since Trump took office.

The judges have repeatedly ordered the Trump administration to facilitate their return to the U.S. To date, the Trump administration has not complied publicly with any of the requests to return the deported individuals.

White House officials, meanwhile, have blasted so-called “activist” judges as attempting to enact a political agenda, and have repeatedly rejected the notion that illegal immigrants are not entitled to due process. 

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT

Trump took aim at what he described as “USA hating judges” in a Truth Social post Monday, arguing that they “suffer from an ideology that is sick and very dangerous for our country.”

Earlier, he described Murphy as yet another “activist judge” who he said is trying to protect “criminal illegal immigrant monsters.” 

“The court recognizes that the class members at issue here have criminal histories,” Murphy wrote in an apparent response to these comments Monday night.

“But that does not change due process,” he wrote. “The court treats its obligation to these principles with the seriousness that anyone committed to the rule of law should understand.”

Murphy added in his order that the Trump administration is welcome to submit its arguments to the court in writing.

But he noted, “From this course of conduct, it is hard to come to any conclusion other than that Defendants invite lack of clarity as a means of evasion.”

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As of Monday, he said, this step had not been completed. 

Democrats are spending $20 million on a study examining how to speak to “American men” after losing ground with the demographic during the 2024 election cycle, The New York Times revealed. 

“Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan” is a $20 million project crafted by Democrats to “study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces” of male voters, the Times reported Sunday. 

Known as “SAM,” the study will specifically examine young male voters and how the party can connect with the demographic. Additionally, the study advised rolling out pro-Democrat ads in video games. 

The study’s revelation was made in an overarching article detailing the uphill battle Democrats face after the 2024 election, which included Democrats scrambling to replace former President Joe Biden as the nominee with just more than 100 days left in the election cycle and ultimately delivering all seven battleground states to President Donald Trump. 

“The Democratic Party’s tarnished image could not come at a more inopportune moment,” the article detailed. “In this era of political polarization, the national party’s brand is more important and influential than ever, often driving the outcomes of even the most local of races.” 

DEMOCRATIC PARTY SCRAMBLES TO FIX IMAGE AS MEMBERS ACKNOWLEDGE PARTY ‘LOST CREDIBILITY’

In response, Democrat operatives and donors have gathered at swank hotels to craft plans on how to draw back the working class and male voters, the Times reported. 

Trump made big in-roads with the male vote during the 2024 election cycle. A Fox News Voter Survey published in November 2024 found that men aged 18–44 supported Trump at 53%, compared to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 45%. 

While The Associated Press found that more than half of male voters under the age of 30 voted for Trump instead of Harris — including roughly six-in-10 White male voters supporting Trump — about one-third of Black male voters supported Trump, as did about 50% of young Latino male voters. 

Trump’s support among young Black and Latino male voters jumped by about 20% compared to his 2020 support, the AP reported. 

Democratic strategist Michael Ceraso told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he does not take issue with Democrats investing in voter engagement strategies but added that he found it “hilarious” that “people in suits are hanging out at luxury hotels asking how they can talk to day-to-day Americans.”

“We’re having an issue with the messenger more than the message,” Ceraso said, arguing that voters support longstanding Democratic policies such as affordable housing, but that “Democrats just need to take a reality check” on how they convey their messaging to voters. 

“I just don’t understand how, after all these years and all these Democrats who’ve been in the game, how we continue to make those same choices,” he added. “Like Rahm Emmanuel, or all these sort of big names, they’re just like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to figure out how to win in, you know, rural North Carolina by hanging out in a New York hotel.’ That makes no sense to me. And strategically, I don’t care how much money you spend on focus groups, if you’re doing that, you’re just negating any type of investment you’re putting into how to have a conversation with voters.” 

Democrats spending millions studying American male “syntax” sparked condemnation from conservatives and Democrats alike on social media, Fox News Digital found. 

FETTERMAN HITS PARTY’S LOSSES AMONG YOUNG MALE VOTERS: ‘IT’S UNDENIABLE THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE LOST A LOT’

“Democratic donors treating men like an endangered species on a remote island they need to study probably won’t rebuild trust,” MSNBC contributor Rotimi Adeoy posted to X in response to the Times’ report. “This kind of top-down, anthropological approach misses the point: people don’t want to be decoded, they want to be understood and met where they are.” 

“The idea that you can “fix” the male voter problem that exists with Black, Latino, and white men by spending $20 million to study their syntax like they’re a foreign culture is exactly why there’s a disconnect,” Adeoy continued. “These voters aren’t a research subject. They’re citizens.” 

Chief political analyst at the Liberal Patriot, Michael Baharaeen, posted to X, “This really says it all,” in response to a tweet quoting the article regarding how “Democratic donors and strategists have been gathering at luxury hotels to discuss how to win back working-class voters, commissioning new projects that can read like anthropological studies of people from faraway places.”

“The fact that Democrats need to drop $20 million just to figure out how to speak to American men tells you everything you need to know. This is the same move they pull on black people. They don’t care about you they only care about your vote!” conservative podcaster DeVory Darkins posted to X. 

CRINGEWORTHY PRO-HARRIS AD SHOWCASING MALE SUPPORT FEATURES PROFESSIONAL ACTORS

“Democratic donors are planning to spend $20 million to figure out how to talk to dudes,” polster Frank Luntz posted to X. 

A handful of critics reposted a video from the 2024 campaign cycle that featured men declaring they were “man enough” to support Harris for president. The grassroots ad went viral in October 2024 as social media commenters panned it as “the cringiest political ad ever created” and pointed out it was created by a former producer for Jimmy Kimmel and featured actors vowing support for Harris. 

The video featured six self-described manly men who claimed they were so masculine that they ate “carburetors for breakfast” and were not “afraid of bears,” while adding they also do not fear women and would support Harris for the Oval Office.

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“Remember the month before the election and Democrats tried to relate to men?. Now they’re trying again spending $20 million,” one social media commenter posted this week, accompanied by the October 2024 video. 

A Maryland congressman has returned to the U.S. from El Salvador having failed in his attempt to meet deported illegal migrant and suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Rep. Glenn Ivey said he was “stonewalled” in his efforts to check on the welfare of Abrego Garcia, whose deportation in March has become a deeply polarizing issue for Republicans and Democrats. The Trump administration accuses Abrego Garcia of also being a human trafficker and a wife beater, while Democrats say he is a “Maryland man” who was not given his due process in court before being deported. 

“I was very, not just disappointed, but angry, actually,” Ivey told reporters after returning from his trip Tuesday morning. 

DEM IMMIGRATION TALKING POINTS FIZZLE AS DARK PICTURE OF ABREGO GARCIA EMERGES

Ivey, who said he did not use taxpayer money to fund his trip, said he had arranged with embassies in the U.S. and in El Salvador to meet Abrego Garcia in prison but was met with bureaucratic hurdles when he got there. Ivey said he was told he had to obtain a permit at a location 90 minutes away, which blocked his plans.

“And I won’t tell you what I said, but I mean, it’s ridiculous that an international delegation would get that kind of treatment, especially when we’re making this kind of request,” Ivey said. 

WATCH: Democrat Rep. Glenn Ivey fumes he was not allowed access to Kilmar Abrego Garcia

He didn’t say if he attempted to get a permit but added that locals also told them no one—not even families—were getting permits to visit loved ones in detention.

“It was a clear run around and not a way that a foreign government should be treating the Congress of the United States,” he said.

Ivey said he wanted to see Abrego Garcia to confirm the detainee’s condition, location and ensure he receives due process in U.S. courts. Several other Democrats, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, have rushed to meet with Abrego Garcia and decried what they said was a lack of due process extended to him.

WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BLUNTLY SHOWS WHERE PARTIES STAND ON IMMIGRATION AMID ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION

When asked about Abrego Garcia’s condition, Ivey told reporters, “Nothing’s been confirmed along those lines. We believe he is and we believe he’s at Santa Ana. But they didn’t confirm that yesterday. So it was kind of a runaround.”

In a video posted to X on Monday, Ivey wrote that he traveled to the Central American country to visit his “constituent” and called on the government there to “cut the crap.”

Abrego Garcia was sent in March to El Salvador’s notoriously high-security prison equipped to handle violent gang members, known as CECOT, which sparked Van Hollen to lead the surge of Democrats traveling there. The Trump administration has repeatedly cited court and police documents showing that the El Salvadoran man was not only in the U.S. illegally, but also connected to the MS-13 gang and that his wife had sounded the alarm to police about his violence.

Court records show Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, filed a protective order against her husband in August 2020. The order said their shared son and stepchildren needed protection from Abrego Garcia, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse against her and mental abuse against her children. 

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Some Democrats and left-wing media have characterized Abrego Garcia as a “family man” who was wrongly deported back in March and the following weeks. 

Ivey, meanwhile, also railed over what he said were more than 250 Venezuelans jailed in El Salvador after deportation from the U.S., claiming that around 50 of them have no criminal records and were sent to a country where they have no pending offenses. 

“That’s un-American. That’s not what we should be doing,” Ivey said. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

The Trump administration escalated its war with Harvard University on Tuesday, announcing it will claw back the university’s remaining $100 million in federal funding — effectively ending all financial ties with the Ivy League institution.

“The government is out of business with Harvard University, fully,” a senior administration official told Fox News Digital.

At the center of the fight are accusations of Harvard failing to combat a campus culture of antisemitism. While the university accuses the White House of overreach and insists it is defending free speech, its own internal investigation appears to have handed Trump officials ammunition.

Earlier this year, Harvard President Alan Gerber called the 2023–2024 academic year “disappointing and painful” as he unveiled the results of two separate task forces: one examining antisemitism and the other focused on anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias. 

The report from the antisemitism task force painted a bleak picture of life for Jewish and Israeli students on campus. 

Many said they felt ostracized, harassed online and unsupported by the university. Some students told investigators they had been pressured by peers, and even the faculty, to disavow ties to Israel to prove they were “one of the good ones.” Others chose to hide their Jewish identity altogether.

Here is a look back at more findings of the report, released April 29.

1. Hostile environment for Jewish students

Jewish, Arab and Muslim students at Harvard reported feeling ostracized, pushed to the margins by their peers and experiencing online harassment. 

Jewish and Israeli students told the antisemitism task force the university’s response to complaints was “unclear and unconscionably slow.”

Some Jewish students, according to the report, had been told by peers and even faculty members they were associated with “something offensive, and, in some cases, that their very presence was an offense.”

Some decided to conceal their identities from classmates, while others were asked to renounce any ties to Israel to prove they were “one of the good ones.”

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“No other group was constantly told that their history was a sham, that they or their co-religionists or co-ethnics were supremacists and oppressors, and that they had no right to the protections offered by anti-bias norms,” read one section of the report. “Many Jewish students told us they feel like objects of suspicion.”

One Jewish graduate student told the task force, “Jews are now being treated like Republicans were when I was in college.” 

That statement “of course points to another problem with which elite universities have been struggling,” the report said. 

At times, the anti-Muslim and antisemitism task force reports were seemingly at odds with each other. Muslim and pro-Palestinian students reported a widespread fear of doxxing, or having their personal identifying information shared publicly with the intent to intimidate or harm them. They reported often seeing pictures of their faces on the sides of trucks driven around campus by pro-Israel groups. 

Forty-seven percent of Muslim students reported feeling physically unsafe on campus during the 2023–2024 school year, compared with 15% of Jewish respondents. 

The antisemitism report called for a set of rules to govern permissible behaviors for instructors in classrooms, while the anti-Muslim and Arab bias task force called for the university to do more to protect academic freedom and free speech. 

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2. Academic biases

The antisemitism report found Harvard classes often portrayed “partisan and one-sided pedagogy” that failed to account for Jewish and Israeli perspectives, particularly within the university’s divinity school and school of public health. 

The task force also documented instances when faculty canceled or ended class early on the day of a pro-Gaza protest or “gave time at the end of class for students to promote various solidarity groups” like the Palestine Solidarity Committee. 

The report recommended expanding courses on antisemitism, Judaism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to foster a more inclusive and comprehensive academic environment.

“Anti-Zionist views seem built into some classes,” one student noted. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Harvard for comment on the report. 

3. Political divides worsening 

In the 1980s and 1990s, the report found that at the university “pro-Israel organizers and pro-Palestinian organizers had disagreed strongly yet often worked together to build bridges and to imagine jointly a better future for the region.”

“Those efforts started to fade in the 2000s amidst the Second Intifada and through the Israel-Hamas wars of the 2010s, and by the time Hamas crashed through the Israeli border fence in 2023 the conditions at Harvard (as in the Middle East itself) were very different,” the report read. 

Some pro-Palestinian campus organizers viewed bridge-building activities “as a form of betrayal,” the report found. 

The report found that many students, including Jewish ones, had “sympathy” for Israel’s “massive military response” that followed the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

However, campus protests “crossed a line from a call for freedom and security for Palestinians and Jews alike to a stereotyped notion: that Israel is not a state, but rather a ‘settler colony’ of white Europeans who have no real connection with the land they had stolen, that epitomized aggression, and was bereft of virtues.”

4. Admissions process led to dwindling Jewish population

The report found that changes in Harvard’s admissions policies meant that by 2023, the Jewish student community was much smaller than it was in the early 2010s. 

The hostility that some students had felt, the report found, was “degrading” to the university, and some Jewish students turned down offers of admission to Harvard over it. 

Some Jewish students vying for doctorate degrees said they decided to leave for private industry jobs because of the perception that academia is “unfriendly to Jews.” 

Some non-Jewish faculty members told the task force that Jewish candidates had turned down post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard and Jewish medical school students shied away from residencies at Harvard hospitals “because of the deep politicization of the climate.” 

The task force determined Harvard should change its admissions policy to reflect “what campus should look like: people listening to each other.” 

5. Lack of educational oversight 

The task force also found a lack of oversight over seemingly university-endorsed educational content. 

The Harvard Chan School of Public Health, for example, launched a Palestinian program in 2022 that is run by a “leadership collective” of five individuals, none of whom hold a tenure-track faculty appointment at Harvard. 

“The use of the Harvard brand for a research or teaching project creates expectations among Harvard faculty, staff, students, and the broader public. Programs operating without the guidance and oversight of Harvard’s regular faculty with expertise risk falling short of these expectations,” the task force found. 

In another example, the task force found the coursework for a master’s degree in Religion and Public Life to be misrepresented. The program is advertised as offering students a better understanding of religion to illuminate a range of contemporary issues. 

Both faculty and students did not expect the program to be as focused on the Israel–Palestinian issue as it was, and some students found “program offerings and materials disproportionately presented Israelis and Jews as guilty of monstrous historical crimes, which require both repentance and redress.”

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The program “appears to have focused on non-mainstream Jewish religious perspectives that lack widespread support within the Jewish diaspora or in Israel.” It also linked Jews to “two great sins,” according to the task force: the creation of the state of Israel and participation in White supremacy, which staff “appeared to embrace openly.”