NationalWatch

Attorney General Pam Bondi fired another Department of Justice paralegal on Friday, this time for flipping off a member of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., on her way to work earlier this month.

Elizabeth Baxter of the department’s environmental division arrived for work just after 8:20 a.m. on Aug. 18 at the DOJ’s “4CON” building in the NoMa district, where she bragged to a security guard that she had just made the gesture at Metro Center Metro Stop and told the guardsman, “F–k the National Guard,” Bondi said, according to the New York Post.

“Today, I took action to terminate a DOJ employee for inappropriate conduct towards National Guard service members in DC,” Bondi told the outlet.

FORMER DOJ WORKER WHO HURLED SANDWICH AT FEDERAL OFFICER CHARGED WITH MISDEMEANOR

“This DOJ remains committed to defending President Trump’s agenda and fighting to make America safe again,” she continued. “If you oppose our mission and disrespect law enforcement — you will NO LONGER work at DOJ.”

Later that day, Baxter was seen on DOJ security footage sticking up her middle finger at the National Guard and exclaiming, “F–k you!” the outlet reported. She was also allegedly seen demonstrating to a department security guard how she held up her middle finger.

On Aug. 25, she allegedly arrived at work and again boasted to the security guard that she hated the National Guard and that she told them to “F–k off!” 

BONDI ANNOUNCES NEARLY 200 ARRESTS ‘AND COUNTING’ AS FEDERAL AGENTS SWARM NATION’S CAPITAL

“You are removed from your position of Paralegal Specialist, GS-0950-11, Environmental Defense Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and from the federal service, effective immediately,” Bondi wrote in a termination letter to Baxter on Friday following an investigation into her conduct, according to the outlet.

The Trump administration moved in recent weeks to boost the presence of federal law enforcement in D.C. in an attempt to reduce crime. Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to the city’s streets as part of the federal takeover of the district.

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Baxter’s termination comes after Sean Charles Dunn, another DOJ paralegal, was fired after he was accused of throwing a sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent earlier this month in Washington, D.C.

Dunn, who worked in the criminal division’s international affairs section in the 4CON building, was initially charged with a felony, but a grand jury declined to hand down an indictment. He was subsequently charged with a misdemeanor, which could result in up to one year in jail.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deported nearly 200,000 people so far since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, a Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital, putting the agency on track to record its highest number of removals in a decade. 

The spokesperson said Friday that ICE removed 199,600 individuals from the U.S. between January and Aug. 27, 2025. In the first three months of this ongoing fiscal year, between the beginning of October 2024 and the end of December 2024 – which were former President Biden’s final months in office – ICE said it deported 71,405 people.

The combined figure puts ICE at around 271,000 deportations during the federal Fiscal Year 2025, which ends Sept. 30. 

ICE removed 271,484 individuals during the previous fiscal year, which was the highest figure since FY2014 under former President Barack Obama, when there were 315,943 deportations. 

TRUMP’S DHS TOUTS MASSIVE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DEPORTED AS DEMS LASH OUT AT ICE 

Of the last fiscal year’s removals, around 33% had “criminal histories,” ICE said, including 47,885 with charges or convictions for assault, 16,552 for sexual assaults and other sexual offenses and 2,699 for homicides. 

“Of the 271,484 individuals removed, 237 were known or suspected terrorists, a 70.5% increase compared to fiscal year 2023, and eight were human rights violators for an increase of 33.3% compared to fiscal year 2023,” ICE also said that year. 

White House border czar Tom Homan said Thursday, “Operations are ramped up across the country.”

“But you are going to see a ramp-up of operations in Chicago, absolutely. You’re going to see a ramp-up of operations in New York, you’re going to see a ramp-up of operations continue in L.A. and, you know, Portland, Seattle, I mean, all these sanctuary cities that refuse to work with ICE, where we know public safety threats are being released every day into this country, especially those cities, we’re going to address that,” Homan added. 

ICE DETAINERS IN TOP SANCTUARY CITY HAVE SKYROCKETED UNDER TRUMP COMPARED TO BIDEN’S 4-YEAR TERM: DHS 

“We don’t have that problem in Texas and Florida, where all the sheriffs are working with us. They’re actually holding people for us and letting us know when someone’s being released,” Homan also said. “So we’re going to take the assets we have and move on to problem areas like sanctuary cities where we know for a fact they’re releasing public safety threat, illegal aliens to the streets every day. That is where we need to send the majority of the resources, and that is where they are going.” 

A senior Department of Homeland Security official also told Fox News Digital that recent total deportations from all federal agencies “have reached nearly 350,000” and “this is just the beginning.” 

“President Trump and Secretary Noem have jumpstarted an agency that was vilified and barred from doings its job for the last four years. In the face of a historic number of injunctions from activist judges, ICE, CBP, and the U.S. Coast Guard have made historic progress to carryout President Trump’s promise of arresting and deporting illegal aliens who have invaded our country,” the DHS official said.  

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“Additionally, illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now or face the consequence. Tens of thousands are using the CBP Home App to self-deport. Migrants are now even turning back before they reach our borders — migration through Panama’s Darien Gap is down 99.99%,” the official added. 

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is reportedly planning to call a special session to redraw the state’s congressional maps.

On Friday, Kehoe told reporters he wasn’t ready to make a formal announcement.

“When we’re ready to make that announcement, we’ll get it out there,” Kehoe said during a stop at the Missouri Soybean Association headquarters, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. 

“There are a lot of moving puzzle pieces. We’re still making sure what’s going to work is going to work.”

TRUMP URGES TEXAS REPUBLICANS TO SWIFTLY PASS REDISTRICTING MAPS WHILE NEWSOM, CALIFORNIA DEMS COUNTER

The move comes as President Donald Trump continues to pressure GOP-led states to redraw their political boundary lines to favor Republican candidates in the midterm elections.

Missouri has eight House seats, two of which are held by Democrats. Republicans want to change the partisan makeup of the Kansas City-focused 5th District, potentially giving the GOP one additional seat in the House to support Trump’s policies, the website reported.

Similar efforts are underway in Texas and California.

Last week, Trump alluded to the redrawing of Missouri’s congressional maps.

TRUMP, ABBOTT VS. NEWSOM: MAD DASH TO REDO CONGRESSIONAL MAPS IN CALIFORNIA, TEXAS

“The Great State of Missouri is now IN. I’m not surprised… We’re going to win the Midterms in Missouri again, bigger and better than ever before!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Democrats have been issuing fundraising alerts connected to the redistricting battle, the website said.

“This isn’t just about one district. It’s about whether Missouri voters get to choose their representatives or whether politicians get to rig the rules to choose their voters. And with Trump’s political machine and a Republican supermajority pushing hard, the danger couldn’t be greater,” said Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Russ Carnahan, a former congressman.

Ashley Aune, the state House minority leader, mocked Kehoe, calling him a tool of the president.

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“The governor’s complete capitulation to the president’s will proves that Donald Trump — not Mike Kehoe — calls the shots in Missouri, while the man Missourians elected to lead our state is a mere puppet responding to his master’s commands,” she wrote.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pursuing the extradition of a Mexican national who allegedly stabbed a 24-year-old woman to death in her Illinois apartment, and she is also taking aim at Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker as a result.

The suspect, Gabriel P. Calixto, is charged with first-degree murder and domestic battery for allegedly killing Emma Shafer in Springfield, Illinois, in July 2023. Calixto was in the U.S. illegally when the crime was committed, and he was captured by Mexican law enforcement on Thursday.

“The vicious illegal alien murderer who has been evading justice for two years after stabbing 24-year-old Emma Shafer has been ARRESTED. We will continue to work with federal authorities to coordinate extradition proceedings,” Noem said in a statement. “THANK YOU to our law enforcement partners for bringing this perpetrator to justice.”

DHS REVEALS ILLEGAL MIGRANTS CONVICTED OF CHILD MOLESTATION, RAPE ARRESTED IN DC UNDER TRUMP CRIME CRACKDOWN

The announcement comes as the Trump administration is considering a crime crackdown in Chicago, which could lead to a possible surge in National Guard troops and ICE agents conducting operations.

“I am calling upon Governor Pritzker, and other leaders in the state of Illinois, to abandon these dangerous sanctuary policies,” Noem added. “We need to return to law and order and put the safety of Americans first.”

Noem held a press conference in Springfield in May to criticize the state’s immigration policies. 

DHS SAYS NOEM IS TEMPORARILY STAYING IN MILITARY HOUSING AFTER FACING ‘VICIOUS DOXXING,’ DEATH THREATS

Pritzker is specifically opposing the possible deployment of the National Guard, which is underway in Washington, D.C., to serve as a deterrent to crime. The Democrat said it is “un-American” to send troops into the city at a press conference on Friday.

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“A U.S. president invading a city with troops. It is un-American. We always need help with crime, but not troops,” he said.

The Washington, D.C., crime crackdown has resulted in hundreds of immigration arrests on its own, including alleged gang members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13. Many Democrats have opposed the troop deployment, but there have been degrees of nuance in the criticism and even praise for the takeover in the capital city. The takeover has ranged from federal oversight of the police force to other federal agencies patrolling the streets.

NOEM, IN ILLINOIS, CALLS OUT GOV. PRITZKER, CHICAGO’S MAYOR OVER THEIR HANDLING OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“This is what we think in just a couple of weeks of experience has worked,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday, saying it’s helped with the seizure of illegal guns.

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“We think that there is more accountability in the system, or at least perceived accountability in the system, that is driving down illegal behavior. We know that we have had fewer gun crimes, fewer homicides, and we have experienced an extreme reduction in carjackings.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office.

The Pentagon is standing firmly behind Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata, who is facing a legal dispute in Florida connected to a self-described astrologer.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Fox News that Tata continues to enjoy full confidence from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“Under Secretary Tata has the complete and total confidence of Secretary Hegseth in his role and will continue to have his support,” Parnell said. “Mr. Tata has done a fantastic job delivering on the priorities of this Department and this administration. We strongly stand by him.”

According to a 17-page complaint filed in Palm Beach County and obtained by Fox News Digital, John Doe, whose personal details align with Tata, accused Amy Tripp of harassment, defamation and attempted extortion. The suit alleges she threatened his marriage and career while demanding money to remain silent.

PENTAGON TAPS CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES TO ASSIST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

The filing states Doe and Tripp met in April 2024 on the dating app Bumble while Doe was working on a book and consulting about “astrological beliefs and related issues.” 

Their relationship developed into both “a casual sexual relationship as well as a professional relationship regarding the astrology business.” Doe also invested in Tripp’s company, Starheal LLC, in exchange for a 5% equity stake.

Court records show that a temporary restraining order was granted against Tripp on Aug. 7, 2025, after the alleged harassment escalated. A summons issued later that month ordered her to respond to the allegations within 20 days.

PENTAGON UNVEILS NEW MEDAL FOR TROOPS DEPLOYED IN TRUMP’S SOUTHERN BORDER CRACKDOWN

While the Florida case unfolds, Tata’s career spans decades of military and public service. A retired Army brigadier general and novelist, he spent 28 years in uniform, including service in Afghanistan. After retiring, he transitioned into civilian leadership roles, including stints in education and as North Carolina’s transportation secretary.

Tata, a graduate of West Point, is also a recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Combat Action Badge, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, and Ranger Tab.

His public career has not been without turbulence. Tata resigned from the transportation post in 2015, following scrutiny from his management, and his nomination for a top Pentagon role in 2020 drew attention to past social media posts as reported by CNN. Tata later apologized for his remarks.

Tata’s current responsibilities overseeing personnel and readiness for the U.S. military remain the Pentagon’s priority despite the legal challenge.

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Attorneys for John Doe in the Palm Beach County complaint did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from expanding the expedited removal of illegal immigrants, saying the risk of applying fast-track deportations in the interior of the United States is too great and could impact foreigners who aren’t eligible.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, D.C. prevents the Trump administration from using expedited removal for immigrants granted parole status.

“The Court does not cast doubt on the constitutionality of the expedited removal statute, nor on its longstanding application at the border,” Cobb wrote in a 48-page opinion. 

BOASBERG CLEARED TO RULE ON CECOT MIGRANT DEPORTATIONS AFTER APPEALS COURT DECISION

“It merely holds that in applying the statute to a huge group of people living in the interior of the country who have not previously been subject to expedited removal, the Government must afford them due process. The procedures currently in place fall short,” the opinion continued. 

Earlier this month, Cobb temporarily blocked the Trump administration from efforts to expand fast-track deportations of immigrants who legally entered the U.S. under humanitarian parole.

US APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP CONTEMPT PROCEEDINGS ORDERED BY BOASBERG

Fast-track deportations allow federal authorities to remove someone from the country without seeing a judge first. 

Expedited removal has been used by the Trump administration to quickly remove illegal immigrants, a major hallmark of President Donald Trump’s campaign. 

Meanwhile, the administration has pressured immigration authorities to ramp up deportations. 

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday said it was time to “take serious action” in the state legislature after a deadly shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis this week.

“It’s time to take serious action at the State Capitol to address gun violence,” the Democrat and former 2024 vice-presidential candidate wrote in an X post. 

Walz has been considering a special session on guns next month at the state capitol and has been calling legislators after a fatal shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church Wednesday, according to FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul.

An 8-year-old boy, Fletcher Merkel, and a 10-year-old girl, Harper Moyski, were killed at the back-to-school event. Eighteen others were injured, including 15 children. 

WHAT LEADS SOMEONE TO COMMIT A MASS SHOOTING? TRUMP ADMIN, RFK JR PLAN TO FIND OUT

The shooter’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, previously refused to talk to police and retained a lawyer, Fox News reported. 

Minneapolis Assistant Police Chief Christopher Gaiters said at a news conference Friday that, with the cooperation of the Minnesota Department of Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, there has been “conversation” with Westman, “and I’m not at liberty to go any further.”

When asked what changes the city has made since the 2020 George Floyd riots to respond to incidents, Mayor Jacob Frey said, “What this is more about than specific changes is practice, and we practice a whole lot. We practiced the coordination through our incident management system. 

“We practiced communication channels and how that would work in a time of crisis. We practiced making sure people understood exactly what their responsibility was regardless of the events that might occur. And that may sound like a small thing. It’s not.”

MINNESOTA BISHOP REBUKES DEM MAYOR FOR DISMISSING PRAYER FOLLOWING DEADLY CATHOLIC SCHOOL ATTACK

He said the “flow of information was drastically improved,” adding that the governor had immediately offered assistance after the shooting.

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Gaiters said the Minneapolis Police Department was conducting additional patrols at all schools and religious institutions. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz’s office for comment.

America First Legal (AFL) sued the Food and Drug Administration on Friday to obtain Biden-era records related to the government’s internal guidance for the recommended use of puberty blockers for kids.  

The Trump-aligned legal group previously uncovered communications from the former administration through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which reportedly showed the FDA knew that these drugs increased mental health risk but still recommended approving them for kids.

Following those uncovered communications, AFL followed up with a separate FOIA requesting documents specifically pertaining to the FDA’s internal guidance for the off-label use of these drugs. Despite acknowledging the federal information request, the FDA has not cooperated, and the deadline to produce documents is up.

DEMOCRATIC STATES SUE TRUMP ADMIN OVER ENDING SEX CHANGE SURGERIES FOR MINORS 

“The Biden administration pushed gender-denying treatments on American kids. Now, it’s time to expose what officials really knew,” AFL counsel Will Scolinos, said. 

Similar to AFL’s current FOIA request, the group was required to engage in litigation to compel the release of the first set of documents. 

But, eventually, documents were released that seemed to show the Biden-era Division of General Endocrinology at the FDA recommended the agency approve puberty blockers for children despite the knowledge that there were deleterious impacts associated with them, such as increased depression, suicidality and seizure risks.

“There is definitely a need for these drugs to be approved for gender transition,” an FDA official from the agency’s endocrinology division stated in an email uncovered by AFL. In the same communications, the FDA official also explicitly states that studies found “increased risk of depression and suicidality, as well as increased seizure risk.”

Such findings have been confirmed by other studies as well.

Researchers at the University of Texas sampled 107,583 patients 18 and older who had gender dysphoria, including some who underwent gender surgery, and concluded that “gender-sensitive mental health support … to address post-surgical psychological risks” is a “necessity.”

PROGRESSIVES TRAPPED IN ‘MISINFORMATION BUBBLE’ ABOUT TRANSGENDER YOUTH TREATMENTS, ATLANTIC WRITER ADMITS 

Males who received surgery had depression rates of 25% compared to males without surgery, who had rates slightly below 12%. Anxiety rates among that group were 12.8% compared to 2.6%.

The same differences were seen among females as well. Those with surgery had 22.9% depression rates compared to 14.6% in the non-surgical group. Females who did get surgery also had a rate of anxiety of 10.5% compared to 7.1% for girls who had not gotten surgery.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the FDA for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News’ Melissa Rudy and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report

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…

-Trump admin blocks citizenship for noncitizen voters

-Republican Sen. Joni Ernst won’t seek reelection in Iowa in 2026: sources

-Abbott signs Texas redistricting map into law, securing major GOP victory ahead of 2026 midterms

Russia and US complex relationship continues

Russia isn’t backing off from attacking Ukraine and pummeled it with missiles and drones Thursday — just weeks after President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in an attempt to advance a peace deal. 

The attack could be a signal Putin is utilizing diplomacy to buy himself more time to advance his goals and continue to attack Ukraine, all while avoiding secondary sanctions that the Trump administration has threatened to impose, according to experts. 

The time to act is now, according to Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on cyber issues…Read more

White House

‘SAFE AGAIN’: Trump’s looming Chicago takeover puts violent illegal immigrant crimes in spotlight: ‘Incompetent mayor’

‘REPRESSIVE TACTICS’: Trump’s Chinese student visa push sets off alarm bells amid rising CCP ‘influence’ in US

WEAKENED SECURITY: Kamala Harris Secret Service protection revoked by Trump, spokesperson says

‘POLITICAL CONTROL’: ‘Web of dark money’ tied to Obama, Dems fuels green opposition to crucial Trump energy plan

World Stage

PEACE AMID MISSILES: Witkoff meets Ukraine officials in New York ahead of emergency UN Security Council meeting: ‘Very productive’

Across America 

REMOVAL BLITZ: ICE deported nearly 200,000 so far during Trump’s second term, setting pace for highest level in decade

BLOOD AND MONEY: NH mom who killed cancer-stricken husband, 2 children embezzled $600K from employer, owner says

JUSTICE BETRAYED: Karen Read tells prosecutors ‘you lost big time’ in first public interview since acquittal

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

A federal appeals court has ruled that most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs are illegal.

“We affirm the CIT’s holding that the Trafficking and Reciprocal Tariffs imposed by the Challenged Executive Orders exceed the authority delegated to the President by IEEPA’s text,” the court opinion states. “We also affirm the CIT’s grant of declaratory relief that the orders are “invalid as contrary to law.”

This story is breaking. Please check back for updates. 

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. on Friday grilled lawyers for the Justice Department and Lisa Cook over President Donald Trump’s historic attempt to fire her from the Federal Reserve.

The landmark case is almost certain to be kicked to the Supreme Court for review — but despite the high-stakes nature of the legal dispute, Friday’s hearing ended after more than two hours without clear resolution. 

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, a Biden appointee, declined to immediately grant the temporary restraining order sought by Lisa Cook’s attorneys, which would keep her in her role on the Fed’s Board of Governors for now. 

Cook’s lawyers included the request for the temporary restraining order in the lawsuit filed in federal court on Thursday, challenging Trump’s attempt to fire her from her position on the independent board due to allegations of mortgage fraud. 

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP FROM FIRING FEDERAL BOARD MEMBERS, TEES UP SUPREME COURT FIGHT

Instead, Judge Cobb ordered both parties to submit any supplemental briefs to the court by Tuesday, shortly before she dismissed the lawyers for the long weekend.

Cobb noted the novelty of the case before her, which involves the first attempt by a sitting president to oust a Federal Reserve governor “for cause.” 

The fraud allegations were first leveled by Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the federal agency that regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He accused Cook of claiming two primary residences in two separate states in 2021, with the goal of obtaining more favorable loan conditions. 

Trump followed up by posting a letter on Truth Social earlier this week that he had determined “sufficient cause” to fire Cook, a dismissal he said was “effective immediately” — prompting her attorneys to file the emergency lawsuit.

The crux of Friday’s arguments centered on the definition of what “for cause” provisions must entail for removal from the board, under the Federal Reserve Act, or FRA — a law designed to shield members from the political whims of the commander-in-chief or members of Congress. 

The arguments also centered on Cook’s claims in her lawsuit that Trump’s attempt to fire her amounts to an illegal effort to remove her from the Fed well before her tenure is slated to end in January 2038, to instead install his own nominee. 

Lawyers for Cook argued that her firing is merely a “pretext” for Trump to secure a majority on the Fed board — a contention that Cobb admitted made her “uncomfortable.”

They also attempted to poke holes in the mortgage fraud allegations, which they said were made on social media and “backfilled.”

The case “obviously raises important questions”about the Federal Reserve Board, Cobb said shortly before adjourning court.

She also noted that she had not yet made a determination about the alleged “irreparable harm” — prompting her to set the Tuesday filing deadline.

TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘ALWAYS’ READY FOR LEGAL FIGHT AS OUSTED FED GOVERNOR PLANS LAWSUIT

Cook’s attorneys argued Friday that Trump’s attempt to fire her violates her due process rights under the Fifth Amendment, as well as her statutory right to notice and a hearing under the Federal Reserve Act. 

Her lawyer, Abbe Lowell, noted on several occasions that there was no “investigation or charge” from the administration prior to Trump’s abrupt announcement that he would fire Cook.  

Lowell also vehemently disputed the Justice Department’s allegations that Cook had an “opportunity” to respond to the mortgage fraud accusations leveled by Bill Pulte — noting that they were made just 30 minutes before Trump called for Cook to be removed.  

He told Cobb that it was the latest attempt by the Trump administration to “litigate by tweet.”

A LOOK AT THE UNFOLDING BATTLE BETWEEN TRUMP AND POWELL OVER FED POLICY

Lawyers for the Trump administration, for their part, argued that the president has broad latitude to determine the “for cause” provision.

Justice Department attorney Yakoov Roth told Cobb that the determination of when to invoke the provision should be left to the president, regardless of whether it is viewed by others as “pretextual.”

“That sounds to me like the epitome of a discretionary determination, and that is when the president’s power is at [its] apex,” Roth said.

DOJ lawyers also noted that Cook, to date, has not disputed any of the allegations in question, and argued that there is “nothing she has said” about the allegations that would cause her to not be fired.

“What if the stated cause is demonstrably false?”  Cobb asked, going on to cite hypothetical concerns that a president could, theoretically, use allegations to stack federal boards with majorities.

As for the issue of “irreparable harm,” Justice Department attorneys argued that it would be more harmful for Cook to remain in office, arguing that the “harm of having someone in office who is wrongfully there … outweighs the harm of someone being wrongfully removed from office.”

TRUMP ASKS SCOTUS TO UPHOLD FREEZE ON BILLIONS IN USAID PAYMENTS

Cook’s attorneys said Friday that in reviewing the lawsuit, the court need not itself establish a definition of what “cause” means under the Federal Reserve Act.

Instead, Lowell suggested, the court should instead work backwards to determine whether the accusations leveled by Pulte were in fact “backfilled” by Trump to form the basis of her removal.  

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“It’s very difficult to come up with an 11-page definition of what it is,” Lowell said Friday of the “cause” definition, adding that it is far easier to come up with a one-page definition of “what it’s not.” 

“Whatever it is, it’s not this,” Lowell said.

Russia isn’t backing off from attacking Ukraine and pummeled it with missiles and drones Thursday — just weeks after President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in an attempt to advance a peace deal. 

The attack could be a signal Putin is utilizing diplomacy to buy himself more time to advance his goals and continue to attack Ukraine, all while avoiding secondary sanctions that the Trump administration has threatened to impose, according to experts. 

The time to act is now, according to Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on cyber issues.  

“Putin is stringing President Trump along and the added time is helping Russia to continue the bombing campaign against Ukrainian cities,” Bacon said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. “The longer Trump refuses to impose secondary sanctions against Russia and send high-end weapons to Ukraine, the more he looks like a simp for Putin. It is beyond time for Trump to have moral clarity and come in strong to help the democracy that is being attacked by the Russian thug.” 

RUSSIA LAUNCHES LARGEST ATTACK ON UKRAINE THIS MONTH FOLLOWING TRUMP’S MEETINGS WITH PUTIN, ZELENSKYY

Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general who is not seeking reelection in 2026, said that discussions with Putin have proven futile and have indicated Putin isn’t serious about a deal. 

“We’ve seen zero results from the talks as far as Putin being willing to compromise,” Bacon said. “Although I think seeking negotiations was worthwhile initially, it showed Putin does not want peace.” 

The White House has maintained that Trump has made more progress in two weeks to resolve the conflict than his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, did in more than three years, and pointed to Trump’s meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy within days of each other.  

“President Trump’s national security team continue to engage with Russian and Ukrainian officials toward a bilateral meeting to stop the killing and end the war,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. 

Trump announced July 14 that he would sign off on “severe tariffs” against Russia if Moscow failed to agree to a peace deal within 50 days. He then dramatically reduced the deadline to only 10–12 days — which ended Aug. 8. But rather than lay on additional sanctions against Russia, Trump met with Putin a week later in Alaska and hailed the meeting a great success. 

Still, progress stemming from the meeting appears limited. Russia did not agree to a ceasefire, and while Trump initially said a trilateral meeting with both Putin and Zelenskyy was in the works, Russia has shown disinterest in such a meeting. 

RUSSIAN DRONE STRIKES KILL 7 IN KHARKIV DURING ZELENSKYY’S WHITE HOUSE MEETING WITH TRUMP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with NBC News Aug. 22 that no meeting had been scheduled and Putin would only agree to one if certain terms were approved beforehand. That’s not the case, he said. 

“Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all,” Lavrov said. 

Meanwhile, Russia launched a massive attack employing nearly 600 drones and decoys against Kyiv Thursday, killing more than 20 people. In response, the U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday, per the urging of Ukraine and several other European allies. 

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Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia during former President Barack Obama’s administration, said in a post on X that Putin has only escalated attacks against Ukraine following the Alaska meeting, and said Putin is “openly mocking” Trump. 

“I hope Mr. Trump and his team understand how Putin is spitting in their faces,” McFaul said in a Thursday post on X. 

Additionally, Putin is onto the fact he can bypass economic consequences, and won’t seriously negotiate a deal unless he must, according to Steven Pifer, who previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine during former President Bill Clinton’s administration. 

“I think that Putin is, in fact, stringing the president along,” Pifer told Fox News Digital. “Putin still believes he can achieve his goals, vis a vis Ukraine, on the battlefield. And we’re not going to see a serious negotiating attempt by the Russians until Putin is convinced he cannot win on the battlefield, and that continuing to try is only going to mean greater and greater cost — first and foremost, a lot more dead Russian soldiers.”

TRUMP AND PUTIN’S RELATIONSHIP TURNS SOUR AS PRESIDENT PUSHES FOR RESOLUTION WITH UKRAINE

“I just don’t see any really serious steps the administration has taken to inflict any punishment on Putin,” Pifer said. “I think Putin’s figured that out, and until Putin is disabused of that notion, he’s going to keep missing deadlines.” 

Historically, Russia’s demands for a peace deal have included barring Ukraine from ever joining NATO, along with concessions on some of the borders that previously were Ukraine’s.

Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank, said that because Putin knows the U.S. is eager to end the war, Putin’s peace deal requirements are an attempt to turn up the heat on Ukraine. 

Following Trump’s meeting with Putin and ahead of his meeting days later with Zelenskyy, the U.S. president put the onus on Ukraine to end the war – and said that Ukraine could end the war immediately if it agreed to cede Crimea to Russia, and abandon its bid for NATO membership.

“Putin managed to sidestep U.S. sanctions in Alaska and is content slogging away in Ukraine,” Rough told Fox News Digital Monday. “But he also recognizes that the U.S. wants this war to come to an end, so he has put forward a proposal intended to appeal to Washington in the hopes that the U.S. will put pressure on Ukraine to accept its terms. If he can divide the transatlantic alliance along the way, all the better. At the very least, it helps him stave off additional U.S. sanctions.” 

John Hardie, Russia program deputy director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that Putin isn’t interested in agreeing to a deal unless his terms are included in it. In the meantime, Putin is utilizing diplomacy to avoid economic consequences, Hardie said. 

“I think Putin does want a deal — but only if it’s on his terms,” Hardie told Fox News Digital Monday. “Until that happens, he’s bent on continuing the war, and Russia seeks to use diplomacy to forestall tougher U.S. economic pressure and redirect Trump’s ire from Moscow to Kyiv.” 

The Trump administration is weighing National Guard deployments in Chicago, drawing new attention to how immigration-related arrests have become a central feature of its crackdown in Washington, D.C.

Many of the arrests since President Donald Trump announced the crackdown earlier this month have been immigration-related, including alleged members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13. 

The federal surge in the capital city is now inspiring the possibility of targeting Chicago and other blue cities next. In Chicago, ICE is expected to use the Great Lakes Naval Station as a home base for a major immigration enforcement operation in the area soon, according to the New York Times. 

“Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent,” Trump said on Friday.

ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT LEADERS BLAST TRUMP PUSH TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO

Like residents in D.C., Chicagoans are already pushing back against Trump’s potential plans.

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“Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities,” Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson fired back in a statement. “An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made.”

Since President Trump took office in January, the Department of Homeland Security has highlighted a series of major ICE arrests in Chicago as part of its broader enforcement push. Officials say the agency is continuing mass deportation efforts while also urging undocumented immigrants without additional criminal records to voluntarily leave the country.

WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES PRITZKER, ILLINOIS DEMS OF WHINING WHILE CHICAGO CRIME RAGES

Guatemalan national Francisco Dominguez-Chon was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor, and Adonias Garrido-Virul, also from Guatemala, was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a minor.

Mexican national Hector Bonaparte-Contreras was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13 years old. In addition, Israel Cobian-Sandoval, a Mexican national, was convicted of homicide.

“President Trump has been clear: we are going to make our streets and cities safe again. Across the country, DHS law enforcement is arresting and removing the worst of worst including gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and rapists that have terrorized American communities. Under Secretary Noem, ICE and CBP are working overtime to deliver on the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens and make America safe again.

TRUMP’S WEEK SHAPED BY CRIME AGENDA, POTENTIAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO

Some local voices in Chicago are calling for major changes in order to stop crime in some parts of the city.

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“The city is not safe,” restaurateur Sam Sanchez told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

“For the mayor and the governor to go on TV and use us as statistics, as numbers, I mean, we’re human beings, we’re talking about real time,” he added.

Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is changing its policy manual to prevent illegal migrants who voted in elections or attempted to register to vote from receiving citizenship under new guidelines. 

The policy update will also include USCIS initiating deportation proceedings against any illegal migrant who committed a form of voter fraud or claimed to be a U.S. citizen for any purpose or benefit.

“Illegal voting undermines the will of the American people and threatens the legitimacy of our elections,” USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser told Fox News Digital. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are making changes to prevent and punish aliens who voted illegally in our elections from gaining U.S. citizenship.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RESURRECTS ‘NEIGHBORHOOD CHECKS’ FOR CITIZENSHIP APPLICANTS LAST USED IN FIRST BUSH-ERA

“Aliens who facilitate or perpetuate illegal voting face swift and severe consequences,” Tragesser added.

Under current USCIS guidelines, illegal migrants must demonstrate good moral character (GMC) to qualify for citizenship. The new guidelines, which will take effect Friday afternoon, specify that attempting to circumvent voter laws or unlawfully claiming to be a U.S. citizen would be a failure of GMC requirements and prevent an illegal migrant from applying for citizenship.

Fox News Digital obtained an internal leadership guidance memo that will be sent to employees at USCIS on Friday afternoon, which outlines the course of action for implementing the updated policy and clarifies that illegal migrants who fail to meet GMC will be issued a Notice to Appear (NTA) and be referred for criminal prosecution. 

SOUTH KOREAN, VIETNAMESE NATIONALS AMONG ICE’S LATEST ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ROUNDUP IN LOS ANGELES: DHS

Applications for passports and drivers’ licenses will also prevent illegal migrants from receiving citizenship and initiate the deportation process. 

The move comes after President Donald Trump’s March executive order, titled “Preserving And Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” which ordered the secretary of Homeland Security to access “appropriate systems for verifying the citizenship or immigration status of individuals registering to vote or who are already registered.”

Trump’s executive order was met by some legal challenges, including a lawsuit by 19 Democratic attorneys general and two federal judges in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., blocking portions of the order that outlined voter ID requirements.

Judge Denise J. Casper, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, ruled in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts that “the Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections.”

ABREGO GARCIA HEARD SAYING TWO WORDS DURING ICE ARREST

Despite the legal setbacks, President Trump remained determined to fulfill his campaign promises on revising immigration policy, including this latest policy update at USCIS. 

The tightened restrictions and likely increase in deportations as the president continues to remove millions of illegal migrants who entered the country during the Biden administration.

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Last week, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that the agency has arrested more than 359,000 illegal migrants and removed more than 332,000 illegal migrants from the U.S.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle panned the White House’s move to cancel billions in foreign aid funding as illegal, and warned that it could have dire consequences on the fast-approaching deadline to fund the government.

The White House on Thursday notified Congress of the administration’s intent to cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid funding through a “pocket rescission.”

“Last night, President Trump CANCELED $4.9 billion in America Last foreign aid using a pocket rescission,” the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said on X. “[President Donald Trump] will always put AMERICA FIRST!”

‘BAIT AND SWITCH’: SCHUMER WARNS OF BITTER FUNDING FIGHT OVER GOP CUTS PLAN

The pocket rescissions package obtained by Fox News Digital includes cuts to a variety of foreign aid programs over several fiscal years that the administration argued did not comport with Trump’s agenda.  

Included are roughly $520 million in cuts to Contributions to International Organizations account, over $390 million in cuts to the Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities account, $322 million from the Democracy Fund, $445 million from the Peacekeeping Operations account and over $3 billion from Development Assistance.

The rescissions process allows the president to make a request to Congress to cancel already approved funding within a 45-day period. Lawmakers successfully went through that exercise earlier this year when they approved $9 billion to be slashed from public broadcasting and foreign aid.

TRUMP SIGNS $9B RESCISSIONS PACKAGE INTO LAW, REVOKING FUNDING FOR FOREIGN AID, NPR

However, a pocket rescission is designed to skirt that 45-day window by coming so close to the end of a fiscal year that lawmakers wouldn’t have time to weigh in. And the White House’s maneuver is already giving Senate Republicans and Democrats heartburn.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a statement that the move was an “apparent attempt to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval.”

She also argued that the Government Accountability Office found that under the Impoundment Control Act, the law that governs rescissions, this style of pocket rescission was illegal.

“Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law,” she said.

“Instead of this attempt to undermine the law, the appropriate way is to identify ways to reduce excessive spending through the bipartisan, annual appropriations process,” Collins continued. “Congress approves rescissions regularly as part of this process.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the OMB and the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back.

TRUMP SENDS $9.4 BILLION DOGE CUTS PROPOSAL TO CONGRESS, TARGETING NPR, PBS

Lawmakers will also have to grapple with how the pocket rescissions will affect negotiations to keep the government open. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., already warned that further attempts to claw back congressionally approved funding would be a bridge too far for Democrats.

Prior to the announcement, Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., imploring both to meet with them to discuss the looming Sept. 30 deadline. 

In the letter, they specifically asked if more rescissions were coming.

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Now, Schumer charged that the “unlawful ‘pocket rescission’ package is further proof President Trump and Congressional Republicans are hellbent on rejecting bipartisanship and ‘going it alone’ this fall.”

“As the country stares down next month’s government funding deadline on September 30th, it is clear neither President Trump nor Congressional Republicans have any plan to avoid a painful and entirely unnecessary shutdown,” Schumer said in a statement.

“In fact, it seems Republicans are eager to inflict further pain on the American people, raising their health care costs, compromising essential services and further damaging our national security,” he continued. 

In an apparent effort to address the millions of backlogged immigration cases, the Justice Department made a rule change to allow attorneys without immigration law experience to act as temporary immigration judges. 

The DOJ’s Office of Immigration Review published the rule in the federal register Thursday, which removes the requirement that temporary immigration judges have substantive prior experience in immigration law.

Jurists who are approved by Attorney General Pam Bondi may serve as immigration judges, which represents a tide change after more than 100 judges were fired or bought out by the Trump administration earlier in 2025. 

The DOJ hopes that by expanding the net as to who may hear immigration-related cases, the more than three million case backlog may finally be assuaged.

DOJ FACES OFF WITH ENTIRE MARYLAND FEDERAL BENCH OVER AUTOMATIC PAUSES IN DEPORTATION CASES

The “department no longer believes the restriction of TIJs to current department employees with a threshold level of immigration law experience serves EOIR’s interests,” the entry in the federal register read.

“Immigration law experience is not always a strong predictor of success as an (immigration judge) and EOIR has hired individuals from other federal agencies and Department components without prior immigration experience who have become successful and exemplary (immigration judges),” it went on.

TRUMP ADMIN SEEKS TO OVERTURN FEDERAL RESTRAINING ORDER LIMITING ICE OPERATIONS IN LOS ANGELES

The rule further stated that there is no clear reason why attorneys who have argued before prominent courts on nonimmigration matters or clerked for the Supreme Court should be disqualified from serving in an immigration-related capacity.

The “need for assistance in fairly and efficiently adjudicating immigration cases has only increased since EOIR first adopted a plan to utilize TIJs in 2014. However, that original plan has proven largely ineffectual, requiring the agency to update it in order to ensure a more robust applicant pool to provide the assistance EOIR needs,” the rule later stated, adding it allows for the “greatest degree of flexibility” in finding highly qualified temporary immigration judge candidates.

Dozens of immigration judges were fired as of July, with some filing formal appeals of their dismissals.

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Some of those sent packing claimed that prior decisions, gender discrimination and, in one case, a courthouse tour given to Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., are behind the decisions.

The Justice Department referred Fox News Digital to a background section in the federal register that said that the rule change is meant to “assist with the immigration courts’ substantial caseload.”

“The EOIR director, with the approval of the attorney general, may designate or select TIJs, which have the authority of an IJ to adjudicate assigned cases and administer immigration court matters,” it continued in part.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A China expert warns that President Donald Trump’s Chinese student visa push amid trade talks between the United States and China could exacerbate the growing CCP “influence” in American universities.

China policy expert Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, explains where things stand right now, as several conservatives sounded the alarm on how the push could enable the Chinese Communist Party’s influence in the U.S.

Sobolik explained that Chinese students in the United States can become a major national security liability, adding that the CCP has taken advantage of Chinese nationals to “advance malign influence operations.”

TRUMP IGNITES CONSERVATIVE BACKLASH AFTER OPENING DOOR TO 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS: ‘WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?’

“They do this by re-appropriating basic and applied research in American universities, taking it over to China, and stealing American innovations, essentially,” he said. “And they also will conduct espionage. They will silence Chinese students on American campuses and force them to either advance the CCP propaganda line or silence them. And that’s just unacceptable.”

Sobolik continued by pointing out the history of the trade agreements between Trump and Xi Jinping.

“I think it’s partially a function of the fact that [Trump’s] trying to get to a trade deal with Xi Jinping and he wants to smooth that road, make sure there aren’t any bumps along the way, much like he did in his first term when he was trying to get his phase one trade agreement with China negotiated,” he said.

REP. GREENE RAISES RED FLAG AFTER TRUMP INDICATES US WILL ACCEPT 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS

President Donald Trump said in a Tuesday cabinet meeting that the “college system would go to hell very quickly” if the Chinese student visa policy were significantly altered.

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“And it wouldn’t be the top colleges, so it’d be colleges that struggle on the bottom. And you take out 300,000 or 600,000 students out of the system,” Trump said.

“I like having, and I told this to President Xi that we’re honored to have their students here. Now, with that, we check in with careful and we see who’s there,” the president continued.

“President Trump isn’t proposing an increase in student visas for Chinese students. The 600K references two years worth of visas,” a White House official told Fox News on Thursday. “It’s simply a continuation of existing policy.”

TRUMP OPENS DOOR TO 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS AMID BEIJING TRADE TALKS

Sobolik said universities will ultimately go along with the “repressive tactics of China,” as he says students are willing to attend American institutions for their full price.

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“It’s not just STEM programs and security risks. It is not just what China’s government is doing on these campuses. It’s how universities are complicit in it because they need that money. It’s all about the bottom line for them, and American values suffer in the process,” Sobolik added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied Palestinian leaders visas to attend next month’s United Nations General Assembly, citing longstanding U.S. law that prohibits recognition of Palestinian statehood and sanctions the Palestinian Authority for so-called “pay for slay” payments to terrorists.

According to internal documents reviewed by Fox News, Rubio signed off on recommendations that would block visas for senior officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), including PA President Mahmoud Abbas. 

In compliance with the laws and national security interests of the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement on Friday. 

“Before they can be taken seriously as partners for peace, the PA and PLO must end their glorification of terrorism — including the corrupt “pay to slay” bounty program — international lawfare campaigns, and the pursuit of unilateral recognition of statehood. The Trump Administration does not reward terrorism.” 

HOUSE DEMOCRATS CALL ON RUBIO TO ALLOW INJURED CHILDREN FROM GAZA INTO US FOLLOWING VISA HALT

The move prevents Palestinian leaders from addressing the annual U.N. gathering in New York next month, a stage they have frequently used to advance unilateral recognition of statehood.

The decision stems from findings under the Palestinian Liberation Organization Commitments Compliance Act (PLOCCA) and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act (MEPCA), which determined the PA and PLO were out of compliance with U.S. commitments by “unilaterally declaring Palestinian statehood; glorifying violence; promoting antisemitism; and providing material support to terrorists.” The sanctions mandate an automatic denial of visas for at least 180 days.

While the United States has previously denied visas on a case-by-case basis — including for members of the Iranian delegation — officials acknowledged in the documents that Washington has never before barred an entire delegation from attending the U.N. General Assembly. The internal guidance argues that the unprecedented step is justified because Palestinian leaders plan to use the September forum to push a “constitutional declaration” of independence, a move the U.S. views as a major propaganda victory for Hamas and a threat to ceasefire talks in Gaza.

The recommendations call for rejecting visa applications from Palestinian officials, declining a waiver for Abbas himself, and revoking visas issued before July 31 for PLO and PA members. However, the guidance makes one exception: permanent staff and dependents at the Palestinian U.N. Observer Mission would be allowed to remain under U.S. obligations to the U.N. Headquarters Agreement.

U.S. officials wrote that granting waivers “would undermine the credibility” of existing sanctions and embolden the PA to pursue unilateral recognition efforts. By contrast, enforcing the visa bans was described as a “low-cost, high-impact action” to reinforce U.S. policy.

US SANCTIONS PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY OFFICIALS AFTER REJECTING GLOBAL PUSH TO GIVE IT CONTROL OF GAZA

Since 2012, Palestinian representatives have held non-member observer status at the U.N., a designation that allows them to participate in debates but not vote. While the U.S. has pledged under the U.N. Headquarters Agreement not to obstruct travel for official U.N. business, the documents argue that the PA’s use of the General Assembly to advance statehood recognition falls outside routine mission work and poses a direct challenge to U.S. national interests.

Rubio’s decision marks a historic departure from the U.S. practice of accommodating U.N. participation, setting up a likely clash with international bodies and U.S. allies that continue to recognize Palestinian representatives.

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The move follows decades of friction between Washington and the United Nations over Israel-related issues, most especially after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. 

The United States has used its Security Council veto power dozens of times to block resolutions critical of Israel — more than any other permanent member has used its veto for a single ally.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s lawyers asked a federal judge in Tennessee on Thursday to prohibit top Trump officials from making remarks about their client that could bias the jury against him.

The attorneys said that administration officials have repeatedly accused Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national facing human smuggling charges, of being a criminal gang member and made other negative claims about him that pose a “substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing this proceeding.”

The attorneys pointed to numerous recent instances, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem calling Abrego Garcia an “MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator.”

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“She also called Mr. Abrego a ‘monster,’” the attorneys wrote.

This is the second time Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have asked the judge to rein in statements from the administration. The judge previously responded by reminding the government to follow all typical rules and procedures of prosecutions, which include avoiding making prejudicial statements outside of court.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The U.S. Department of Education said on Thursday that it found Denver Public Schools violated Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, by establishing all-gender bathrooms and allowing students to use bathrooms that match their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation in January, shortly after President Donald Trump returned to the White House, into Denver’s East High School after the school district converted a girl’s bathroom into an all-gender restroom while leaving another bathroom on the same floor just for boys. 

The district has said the change was made after a student-led process and that the bathroom had 12-foot-tall partitions around the toilets for privacy and security.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THREATENS TO PULL FEDERAL FUNDS FROM VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN GENDER POLICY DISPUTE

A second all-gender restroom was later on the same floor, which the district said was done to address concerns of unfairness. The district said at the time that students would also continue to have access to gender-specific bathrooms and single-stall, all-gender restrooms.

The federal government said it sent the district a proposed resolution that includes four conditions to which it must agree within the next 10 days to resolve the matter and avoid facing the risk of “imminent enforcement action.”

“Denver Public Schools violated Title IX and its implementing regulations by converting a sex-segregated restroom designated for girls in East High School to an ‘all-gender’ facility and by allowing students to use the high school’s intimate facilities on the basis of their ‘gender identity’ rather than their biological sex,” Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary of the department’s Office for Civil Rights, said in a statement.

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY VIOLATED TITLE VI WITH ‘UNLAWFUL DEI POLICIES,’ EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAYS

“As a result, the District is creating a hostile environment for its students by endangering their safety, privacy, and dignity while denying them access to equal educational activities and opportunities,” he continued. “Denver is free to endorse a self-defeating gender ideology, but it is not free to accept federal taxpayer funds and harm its students in violation of Title IX. The Trump Administration will work relentlessly to hold accountable school districts that harbor the ideological fanatics and policies that sully students’ educational experience with sex discrimination.”

The proposed resolution would require the district to redesignate all-gender bathrooms back to sex-designated multi-stall restrooms, scrap any policies or guidance allowing students to access bathrooms based on gender identity rather than biological sex and adopt “biology-based definitions” for the words “male” and “female” in all policies and practices related to Title IX.

The district must also issue a memorandum to its schools affirming that they must provide access to bathrooms that “protect the privacy, dignity and safety of students and are comparably accessible to each sex.” It is also required to state that Title IX compliance ensures girls may not be discriminated against in any education program or activity.

Fox News Digital reached out to Denver Public Schools for comment.

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Under the Trump administration, federal officials have sought to target school districts for policies allowing students to use bathrooms or participate on sports teams that correspond with their gender identity.

The president signed an executive order in February to block transgender girls from participating on sports teams that do not match their biological sex.

Earlier this week, House Republicans introduced legislation to prohibit transgender girls from bathrooms or sports teams or restrooms that align with their gender identity and not their biological sex.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.