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Rwanda is reportedly “in discussions with the United States” to receive migrants deported by the Trump administration. 

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told state broadcaster Rwanda TV on Sunday that the East African country “has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but the talks are ongoing … still in the early stages,” according to Reuters. “We are in discussions with the United States.”

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Monday that implementing the Trump administration’s immigration policies is a top priority and that it is working closely with partners and regional leaders to end the crisis of illegal and mass migration. 

The spokesperson added that ongoing engagement with foreign governments is vital to accomplishing that goal but noted that the State Department does not publicly discuss the details of its diplomatic communications.

RWANDAN PRESIDENT PRAISES ‘UNCONVENTIONAL’ TRUMP, SAYS ‘WE MIGHT LEARN SOME LESSONS’ WITH USAID SHUTDOWN 

Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda Olivier Nduhungirehe addresses the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva on Feb 26. (Reuters/Denis Balibouse)

Rwanda’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

At a Cabinet meeting last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We have gone to countries all over the world and said, ‘Hey, you want good relations with the United States, you need to take back your people that are here illegally.’ And we’ve had historic cooperation. Beyond that, and I say this unapologetically, we are actively searching for other countries to take people from third countries.  

“So we are actively – not just El Salvador – we are working with other countries to say, ‘We want to send you some of the most despicable human beings to your countries, will you do that as a favor to us?’ And the further away from America the better, so they can’t come back across the border,” Rubio added. 

TRUMP QUESTIONS JUDGES WHO BLOCK DEPORTATIONS OF ‘CRIMINALS, INCLUDING MURDERERS’ 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, said at an April 30 Cabinet meeting that the U.S. is looking for countries to take in “some of the most despicable human beings.” (Getty Images)

In a 2023 report on the human rights situation in Rwanda, the State Department said “significant” issues exist, such as “credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; political prisoners or detainees; transnational repression against individuals in another country; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy,” among other allegations. 

Rwanda previously had an agreement with the United Kingdom in 2022 to accept thousands of asylum seekers, but that deal was scrapped last year by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Reuters reported. 

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a tour of the Terrorist Confinement Center on March 26 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

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Rwandan President Paul Kagame said in February that “President Trump has an unconventional way of doing things,” and “I completely agree with him on many things.” 

Fox News Digital’s Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report. 

Some Republican leaders are hoping they can pass a massive bill codifying President Donald Trump‘s agenda into federal law by the Fourth of July.

It means the sweeping policy overhaul could reach Trump’s desk for a signature by the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding.

“I’ve said all along, my goal is, is for the president to sign this one big, beautiful bill on July 4th,” House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., told “Fox News Sunday.”

It comes as House Republicans struggle to reconcile differences on clean energy and Medicaid in talks to find at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to pay for Trump’s tax policies.

SCOOP: REPUBLICANS DISCUSS DEFUNDING ‘BIG ABORTION’ LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN TRUMP AGENDA BILL

Republican leaders are signaling they want a bill on President Donald Trump’s desk by Fourth of July. (Getty Images)

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters days earlier on Capitol Hill, “We’ve got three legs to the President’s economic agenda: trade, tax and deregulation, and we hope that we can have this tax portion done by Fourth of July.”

Republican lawmakers are working on a multitrillion-dollar piece of legislation aimed at advancing Trump’s policies on tax, defense, energy, immigration, border security and at raising the debt limit.

Trump’s tax policies, a cornerstone of his platform and the costliest portion of the bill, include extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay and retirees’ social security.

Republican leaders and tax hawks have warned that failing to extend TCJA by the time its provisions expire at the end of this year could result in a tax hike of over 20% for millions of families. 

House GOP leaders said in a letter to lawmakers dated April 5, “Immediately following House adoption of the budget resolution, our House and Senate committees will begin preparing together their respective titles of the reconciliation bill to be marked up in the next work period. As always, this will involve input from all Members and will keep us on track to send a bill to the President’s desk by Memorial Day.”

BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY

However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has since somewhat walked that goal back, telling reporters he believes the House can finish its portion by Memorial Day.

“We are on track to pass the bill out of the House. As we’ve said from the very beginning, and get it over, to the next stage by Memorial Day,” Johnson said during a press conference last week.

He was optimistic about beating the early July goal after meeting with Bessent and other top lawmakers last Monday, however.

“He says July 4 because that’s a big, big birthday for us. And everybody knows that,” Johnson said of Bessent’s comments. “But I think – and I hope, and believe – that we can get it done sooner than that.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent floated the Independence Day deadline. (Getty Images)

A House GOP leadership aide told Fox News Digital that Johnson “stated his goal is to move the bill through the House by Memorial Day” and that it was “not in conflict” with sending a bill to Trump by July 4.

When asked if that goal was feasible, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital, “It’s gonna have to be.”

Others who spoke with Fox News Digital were more skeptical.

A senior House Republican aide told Fox News Digital, “Deadlines are so arbitrary in Congress. Passing the bill by Memorial Day was always a long shot, but moving the goalposts from Easter to Memorial Day to July 4 just shows weakness.”

“We better stick with this one, because the next federal holiday isn’t until September!” the aide said.

Republicans are not only racing the clock on the TCJA deadline, but also the possibility of a national credit default. The U.S. is expected to run out of cash to pay its debts sometime this summer, according to several projections – a somewhat murky deadline based on a number of factors, including yearly tax filings.

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

Hitting that date without acting on the debt limit would send domestic and global financial markets into turmoil.

Republicans are looking to move Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process. By lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, it allows the party in power to sideline the opposition, in this case Democrats, while passing legislation focused on spending, taxes and debt.

After both the House and Senate passed budget “frameworks” earlier this year, the relevant committees named in the frameworks are working to write policy in line with the spending cut or surplus they are granted.

Seven of 11 House committees have completed their work so far. However, three critical panels – the committees on Ways & Means, Agriculture, and Energy & Commerce – had to delay initial tentative plans to advance their portions this week.

Republicans in blue states, who GOP leaders view as critical to keeping the majority, have raised alarms about cutting too deeply into Medicaid. It is under the jurisdiction of the Energy & Commerce Committee, which is tasked with finding $880 billion of the $1.5 trillion in spending cuts.

Negotiators have insisted they are only interested in going after waste, fraud and abuse in the system, but it has not stopped Democrats from accusing the GOP of trying to cut critical healthcare programs for millions of Americans.

Meanwhile, the committee is also going to have to decide on an ongoing battle between conservatives and blue state Republicans over whether to repeal some or all of the former Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) green energy tax subsidies.

In March, 21 House Republicans signed a letter urging their colleagues to preserve the green energy tax credit.

“Countless American companies are utilizing sector-wide energy tax credits – many of which have enjoyed broad support in Congress – to make major investments in domestic energy production and infrastructure for traditional and renewable energy sources alike,” they wrote.

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The anti-IRA Republicans, however, said in a letter last week that the U.S.’ growing green energy sector was the product of government handouts rather than genuine sustainable growth.

“Leaving IRA subsidies intact will actively undermine America’s return to energy dominance and national security,” they said. “They are the result of government subsidies that distort the U.S. energy sector, displace reliable coal and natural gas and the domestic jobs they produce, and put the stability and independence of our electric grid in jeopardy.”

Negotiations are expected to continue this week.

When reached for comment on whether the Senate could meet the Independence Day goal, a spokesperson for Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., pointed Fox News Digital to a recent interview where he signaled openness to the idea.

“We have a similar target. And I think the House is, you know, they would like to, the speaker would like to have it out of the House by Memorial Day. And the Senate has a more complicated procedure that we have to go through when it comes to reconciliation that makes it harder and more complicated and takes a little bit longer time,” Thune said.

“But there’s been a ton of work done already, and we’re working closely with our counterparts in the House on all the relevant authorizing committees that have been instructed.”

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security will front the cost of commercial flights and provide a $1,000 stipend to illegal aliens who opt to self-deport from the United States in a move DHS says will save thousands of dollars.

The department says this will be 70% cheaper for American taxpayers, as it currently costs DHS, on average, over $17,000 to arrest, detain, and deport someone. DHS told Fox News that paying for aliens to remove themselves, even with the stipend, is anticipated to cost only around $4,500 on average. 

The stipend would not be paid until it was verified that an individual self-deported. Aliens will use the CBP Home self-deportation app to access this assistance, and DHS expects self-removals, already in the thousands, to ramp up significantly with this announcement.

SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem watches during a vehicle scan during a tour of the San Ysidro Port of Entry, in San Diego, U.S., March 16, 2025. (Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS)

According to a news release, those who use the CBP Home app to leave the U.S. will be “deprioritized for detention and removal” if they are actually taking steps to exit the country. 

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News in a statement. 

“DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App. This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers. Download the CBP Home App TODAY and self-deport,” she continued. 

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DHS says that self-deportation allows individuals a chance to come back into the country legally one day.

ICE FILES DETAINERS AGAINST 2 ILLEGAL ALIENS, INCLUDING 1 FACING ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES FOR SHOOTING SPREE

A group of over 100 migrants attempting to enter the US illegally rush a border wall Thursday, March 21, 2024. In the process the migrants knock down Texas National Guardsmen before they are halted  by the border wall. (James Breeden for New York Post / Mega)

Still, the move could be controversial among some critics, as some will see it as aliens being rewarded with taxpayer money for breaking the law. DHS acknowledged this concern with Fox News, and the department reinforced that this will save taxpayers significant amounts of money in the bigger picture, with the end goal of getting illegal aliens out of the country. 

ICE TOUTS RECORD-BREAKING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS 

REAL ID sign in a wideshot of an airport full of people. (Fox News)

Millions of people entered the country illegally under the Biden administration, and new apprehensions at the border have come to a near-screeching halt.

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 In addition, the Trump administration has put a primary focus on deporting individuals with criminal convictions and charges against them on top of being in the country illegally. This includes transferring some alleged MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members to a prison in El Salvador, as the two groups were designated a foreign terrorist organization by Trump. 

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is planning to introduce a bill that would enshrine into law President Donald Trump‘s executive order to rename a national park after a 12-year-old Houston girl allegedly killed by two illegal immigrants. 

The bill is being brought forward by Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, to make it more difficult for future administrations, Republican or Democrat, to change the name of the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge.

“Jocelyn Nungaray was taken from this world far too soon at the hands of brutal killers who were in the U.S. illegally due to President Biden’s open-border policies, and her legacy deserves to live on forever,” Cornyn told Fox News Digital. “I am proud to lead this legislation alongside Congressman Babin to ensure President Trump’s renaming of this sanctuary to the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge is made permanent.”

JOCELYN NUNGARAY MURDER: HOUSTON PROSECUTORS SEEK ICE, CBP RECORDS ON ILLEGAL ACCUSED OF CHILD KILLING

The Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas was renamed the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge in honor of the Houston girl allegedly killed by two illegal immigrants. (KRIV)

During his joint address to Congress in March, Trump announced the renaming of the 39,000-acre sanctuary, formerly known as the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, along the Texas Gulf Coast. 

In April, officials held a renaming ceremony for the park.

Former President Joe Biden, Jocelyn Nungaray, President Donald Trump (Getty Images)

“One thing I have learned about Jocelyn is that she loved animals so much. She loved nature. Across Galveston Bay, from where Jocelyn lived in Houston, you will find a magnificent national wildlife refuge, a pristine, peaceful, 34,000-acre sanctuary for all of God’s creatures on the edge of the Gulf of America,” Trump said during his address. 

The bill would codify the park’s new name into law, making the process to change it more difficult. 

“The heartbreaking murder of Jocelyn Nungaray shook our community to its core, and it never should have happened,” Babin said in a statement. “Today, we are introducing legislation to honor Jocelyn’s life and to send a clear message: securing our border and restoring the rule of law is not optional, it’s essential. President Trump’s leadership is making America safe again, and we are proud to stand with him to ensure that no family ever has to endure such a tragedy again.”

“Honoring Jocelyn isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue — it’s an American issue,” he added. 

ELYN NUNGARAY’S MOTHER REVEALS HORRIFIC TIMELINE OF DAUGHTER’S MURDER IN HEARING ON OPEN-BORDER CRIME

Cornyn’s bill aims to make it more difficult for the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge’s name to be changed. (Reuters)

“Ms. Nungaray loved animals and, given the close proximity of her hometown of Houston, it is fitting that the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge be renamed in her honor,” the bill’s text states. 

Cornyn said he learned of Nungaray’s love of nature while getting to know her family.

Nungaray’s killing, as well as others involving illegal immigrant suspects, became a flash point during the 2024 presidential election as Trump campaigned on a platform of deporting criminals in the U.S. illegally. Nungaray, who lived in Houston, was kidnapped, sexually assaulted before she was strangled to death and left dead under a bridge in June 2024 by Franklin Pena, 26, and Johan Martinez-Rangel, 22, Harris County prosecutors said. 

Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel have been charged in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston on June 17. (Harris County Jail)

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Both men, alleged members of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua who entered the United States illegally, face capital murder charges and the death penalty. 

Bloated bureaucracy and growing debt are holding back President Donald Trump’s economic “golden age,” according to one House Republican who is urging lawmakers to have the “political courage” to execute Trump’s America First agenda and pass a budget reconciliation bill.

Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, appeared on “Fox News Sunday” where he was asked about his concerns over out-of-control spending and the rising national debt – a combination that he previously said is “the greatest threat to our country and our children’s future.”

“The question is, will we have the political courage to execute on that and right-size the bloated bureaucracy, as was reflected in the president’s budget, and deal with this wartime-level debt, $2 trillion in annual deficit spending that’s going to double, and interest payments that exceed not only national defense, but Medicare payments,” said Arrington, who is chair of the House Budget Committee.

Arrington warned that this would prove to be a “pivotal” moment for America.

TRUMP SAYS PUBLIC ENTITLEMENTS LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICAID WON’T BE TOUCHED IN GOP BUDGET BILL

Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, speaks at a news conference at the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Cotton Classification Complex on April 16 in Lubbock, Texas. (Mateo Rosiles/ Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

“The wheels are coming off the wagon,” he said. “We can’t get to the president’s rocket ship economy, we cannot usher in the golden age. In fact, we risk a sovereign debt crisis if we don’t deal with the unsustainable deficits and national debt.”

Arrington said that he believed the pro-growth policies in the budget reconciliation bill and a reduction in deficit spending, along with entitlement reform, “will bend the curve on debt to GDP and deficit to GDP.”

“So if we follow the framework that we laid out in the budget resolution, then we will restore fiscal health,” he said, though he did not provide specifics on the bill’s policies.

GOP FIRES BACK AT DNC’S ‘POLITICAL STUNT’ TARGETING ‘VULNERABLE’ REPUBLICANS OVER MEDICAID FIGHT

Democrats, however, have accused Republicans of trying to cut costs by slashing Medicaid, affecting America’s “most vulnerable.”

The White House has maintained that public entitlements, including Social Security and Medicaid, will not be cut in the Republicans’ budget bill. 

Arrington conceded that the bill alone would not solve America’s debt crisis.

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“It won’t get us out of the debt hole overnight, but it is a good first step and a down payment for our kids to actually be on good fiscal footing, a sustainable path, and enjoy the same opportunities and freedoms that we have,” the lawmaker said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., expressed her frustrations on a variety of political topics on Friday, stating in a post on X that she represents the Republican base and if she’s unhappy, the base is too.

The congresswoman suggested that the situation does not bode well for future elections, as President Donald Trump will not be on the ballot.

“I represent the base and when I’m frustrated and upset over the direction of things, you better be clear, the base is not happy,” Greene wrote. “When you are losing MTG, you are losing the base. And Trump isn’t on the ballot in the future, so do the math on that.”

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE BRINGS TOWN HALL TO HARRIS-WON GEORGIA COUNTY, SHRUGS OFF POSSIBLE ‘OUTBURSTS’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she is “frustrated and upset over the direction of things” before listing various political topics and stating that if she’s unhappy, the GOP base is too. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to Greene’s office for a comment on her post, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

“I campaigned for no more foreign wars. And now we are supposedly on the verge of going to war with Iran. I don’t think we should be bombing foreign countries on behalf of other foreign countries especially when they have their own nuclear weapons and massive military strength,” the lawmaker wrote.

FETTERMAN CALLS FOR BOMBING IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES: ‘WASTE THAT S—’

She has expressed staunch opposition to the minerals deal the Trump administration struck with Ukraine last week. 

The White House indicated that the “partnership between the United States and Ukraine establishes a fund that will receive 50% of royalties, license fees, and other similar payments from natural resource projects in Ukraine.”

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SCOLDS NPR CEO OVER PERSONAL VIEWS DURING FIERY DOGE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING

Ukrainian official Yulia Svyrydenko noted, “the Fund will be financed exclusively from NEW licenses,” and the U.S. “will contribute to the Fund. In addition to direct financial contributions, it may also provide NEW assistance — for example, air defense systems for Ukraine.”

Greene asked in her post, “Why on earth would we go over and occupy Ukraine and spend an untold amount of future American taxpayer dollars defending and mining their minerals as well as potentially putting American lives at risk and future war? Why don’t we just mine our own rare earth minerals that are tied up on federal lands that the government confiscated years ago?”

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Another issue Greene expressed frustration with is the coronavirus pandemic, specifically the COVID-19 vaccines.

“I also campaigned on accountability for the communist and tyrannical acts made by the government during Covid. Yet the Covid vaccine still has FDA approval even though there are millions reported injuries and deaths, and this mRNA vaccine is known to have horrific side effects and DOES NOT STOP PEOPLE FROM CATCHING COVID. And to this day, it’s still on the childhood vaccine schedule, why on earth is this happening?” she asked.

President Donald Trump is fresh off his 100th day in office and says his administration has no plans to slow down in the coming weeks, months and years. 

“This week, we’re celebrating the most successful first 100 days of any presidential administration in the history of our country. And we’ve been given a lot of credit for that. … But we’re going to do even better as we move along,” Trump said during his commencement address at the University of Alabama on Thursday.

Trump’s 16th week back in the Oval Office is anticipated to include a meeting with Canada’s new leader, ongoing talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, and trade negotiations with foreign nations that are expected to continue heating up before the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs ends in July. 

TRUMP SAYS HE WASN’T ‘TROLLING’ ABOUT ACQUIRING GREENLAND, CANADA AS 51ST STATE

Canadian PM to visit White House

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday he would visit the White House on Tuesday after Carney’s Liberal Party emerged victorious in the nation’s federal election last week to discuss a 25% tariff imposed on goods from the nation sent to the U.S. and Trump’s repeated urging that the U.S. northern neighbor become the “51st state.”

“We are meeting as heads of our government,” Carney said Friday of the upcoming meeting. “I am not pretending those discussions will be easy.”

VANCE SOLIDIFIES DOMINANCE DRIVING EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY AHEAD OF GREENLAND TRIP 

Trump added during his meeting with Cabinet members on Thursday that he spoke with Carney after Canada’s election and predicted they would have “a great relationship.”

“He’s going to come to the White House very shortly within the next week or less,” Trump said on Thursday.

Beijing ‘evaluating’ trade negotiation offer 

Chinese President Xi Jinping (Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

The Trump administration has leveled tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods as the president looks to bring parity to the nation’s chronic trade deficit with foreign countries. Trump paused his reciprocal tariff plan on dozens of nations in April as countries called on the administration to make trade deals, but he upped the ante on China as the country rebuked Trump’s trade policies with tariffs of its own, including 125% duty taxes on U.S. goods. 

China’s Commerce Ministry said on Friday that officials are “evaluating” an offer from the Trump administration to hold trade talks on the 145% U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, signaling it could be a busy week of discussions if China accepts the offer. 

“The U.S. has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China,” the statement said, according to Reuters. 

TRUMP SAYS HE WILL NOT DROP TARIFFS TO GET CHINA TO NEGOTIATING TABLE

“Attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in coercion and extortion would not work,” the statement added. 

Trump and the administration have previously said they were willing to hold trade negotiations with China, including the president saying on April 8, “We are waiting for their call. It will happen.”

The president said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he will not drop the tariffs to bring China to the negotiation table.

“They said today they want to talk. Look, China, and I don’t like this, I’m not happy about this: China’s getting killed right now,” Trump told host Kristen Welker. “They’re getting absolutely destroyed. Their factories are closing. Their unemployment is going through the roof. I’m not looking to do that to China now. At the same time, I’m not looking to have China make hundreds of billions of dollars and build more ships and more army tanks and more airplanes.” 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday the Trump administration will take into account China’s lack of compliance with a trade deal from the president’s first term when it finalizes a new trade deal.

“I think we’ll have to take into account that they didn’t adhere to the phase 1 deal, and … I note with great interest that the Biden administration liked the tariffs, but they didn’t enforce the purchase agreements,” Bessent said on Fox News last week. 

Meanwhile, Bessent and other administration trade leaders are negotiating with dozens of other nations during the 90-day pause that began on April 9. The pause will sunset in July, meaning officials on U.S. soil and worldwide are working at a breakneck pace to secure such deals within that time frame.

Russia-Ukraine talks continue 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin (Fox News Digital image)

Trump said on “Meet the Press” that he believes he’s closer to ironing out a peace deal after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned last week it was “critical” to U.S. efforts to secure a peace deal between Russia and its war with neighboring Ukraine. 

War has raged between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, with Trump campaigning last year to end the war that he said never would have started if he had been in office after the 2020 election.

“I do believe we’re closer with one party,” Trump said during the interview, “and maybe not as close with the other, but we’ll have to see. I’d like to not say which one we’re closer to, but we did do a deal for the American people.”

Ukraine signed a deal with the U.S. last week allowing access to Ukraine’s rare minerals as it continues to hash out a peace agreement. 

TRUMP SAYS HE COULD ‘WALK AWAY’ FROM RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS, CITES ‘TREMENDOUS HATRED’ ON BOTH SIDES

“We were able to get rare Earth [minerals]. You know, the Europeans are getting paid back. They have a loan. We didn’t. [Former President Joe] Biden just gave him $350 billion. He has no idea where the money is. … And remember this: This is Biden’s war. This was a war that was never going to happen if I were president. This is a horrible, horrible war,” he continued. 

“How long do you give both countries before you’re going to walk away?” Welker asked.

“Well, there will be a time when I will say, ‘OK, keep going, keep being stupid,’” Trump replied.

“Maybe it’s not possible to do,” he added. “There’s tremendous hatred. Just so you understand, Kristen, we’re talking tremendous hatred between these two men, and between … some of the soldiers, frankly, between the generals, they’ve been fighting hard for three years. I think we have a very good chance of doing it.”

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Thursday that Ukraine and Russia need to deliver “concrete ideas” to end the bloodshed or the U.S. will end its involvement in negotiations.

“Now is the time that they need to present and develop concrete ideas about how this conflict is going to end. It’s going to be up to them,” she told reporters last week, adding that the U.S. remains focused on helping secure a peace deal. 

National Security Council shake-up

Mike Waltz and President Donald Trump (Reuters)

Trump tapped former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after Waltz was ousted from the National Security Council office earlier Thursday. The president said Rubio would serve as interim national security advisor, which is reminiscent of former President Richard Nixon tapping Henry Kissinger to simultaneously serve as secretary of state and national security advisor in 1973.

Headlines on the shake-up are expected to continue into this week as Democrats have said they are eager to grill Waltz in a Senate confirmation hearing to serve as the U.N. ambassador, and others said they were unsure how Rubio could serve as both secretary of state and the president’s national security advisor. 

TRUMP NOMINATES WALTZ FOR HIGH-LEVEL POST AFTER OUSTING HIM AS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR

“What worries me about Marco Rubio’s role now is the secretary of state and national security adviser. Both of those jobs are too big for one person. To have both of those jobs, including a bunch of other jobs on the shoulders of Marco Rubio, these are people who actually need sleep, if we are going to stay out of wars and stuff,” Democrat Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes told “Fox News Sunday.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“I don’t know how anybody could do these two big jobs, and they’re, frankly, very different,” Democrat Virginia Sen. Mark Warner told CNN on Sunday of Rubio wearing two hats for the administration. 

Democrats have signaled their eagerness to grill Waltz in his upcoming Senate hearing to serve as U.N. ambassador. The former national security advisor had been at the heart of the Signal chat leak debacle that unfolded in March, when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine was inadvertently added to a group chat with high-profile Trump officials such as Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe discussing military strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“I think there’s obvious questions about the treatment of classified or sensitive information, use of Signal, how the whole episode of Signal unfolded,” Democrat Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said last week, according to the Washington Post. “But I also want to talk about [the] United Nations … [and] how he understands our security, because I think a lot of the moves by the Trump administration have made our nation less secure, not more secure.”

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Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine added that Waltz “should be prepared to answer pointed questions” during the hearing. 

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace, Anders Hagstrom and Eric Revell contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected his offer to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help fight against cartels because she is afraid of them.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he floated the idea of sending American troops to deal with the Mexican cartels facilitating drug trafficking, and criticized Sheinbaum for refusing his offer.

“She’s so afraid of the cartels she can’t walk … And I think she’s a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can’t even think straight,” Trump said.

His reaction came after Sheinbaum confirmed that Trump pressured her in a call last month to allow the U.S. military to play a larger role in tackling drug cartels in Mexico.

MEXICAN PRESIDENT DECLINES TRUMP’S OFFER OF US TROOPS TO HELP FIGHT DRUG CARTELS

President Donald Trump said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected his offer to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help fight the country’s cartels because she is afraid of them. (AP)

Sheinbaum said she told Trump at the time that Mexico would “never accept” a U.S. military presence.

“No, President Trump, our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable,” Sheinbaum claimed to have said. “We can collaborate. We can work together, but with you in your territory and us in ours. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States Army on our territory.”

There has been a larger American military presence at the U.S.-Mexico border after Trump issued an order in January to increase the army’s role in slowing the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S.

CONSERVATIVE GROUP’S ROADMAP SHOWS HOW TRUMP CAN USE MILITARY TO THWART CARTELS 

President Donald Trump before talking with reporters on Air Force One on his way back to Washington on Sunday from West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP)

In addition to fighting illegal immigration, Trump said American troops are needed to slow the amount of fentanyl being brought into the U.S. by drug cartels.

“They are bad news,” Trump said Sunday, referring to the cartels. “If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, we would be honored to go in and do it. I told her that I would be honored to go in and do it. The cartels are trying to destroy our country. They’re evil.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told Trump at the time that Mexico would “never accept” a U.S. military presence. (AP Images)

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U.S. Northern Command has deployed troops and equipment to the southern border, increased manned surveillance flights to monitor fentanyl trafficking along the border and requested expanded authority for U.S. Special Forces to work closely with Mexican forces conducting operations against cartels.

In February, Trump designated many gangs and cartels smuggling drugs into the U.S. as “foreign terrorist organizations,” giving law enforcement more resources to take action against the groups.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Department of Justice sued the state of Colorado and the city of Denver for allegedly interfering with federal immigration enforcement.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Colorado District Court, accuses the state and its most populous city of implementing “sanctuary laws” in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.

“The United States has well-established, preeminent, and preemptive authority to regulate immigration matters,” the lawsuit reads.

Sanctuary cities refer to areas that seek to protect migrants without legal status and that have limited cooperation with federal officials to enforce immigration laws.

OVER 100 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED IN COLORADO SPRINGS MASSIVE UNDERGROUND NIGHTCLUB RAID

Officers gather outside one of the condemned buildings of an apartment complex called The Edge at Lowry after a news conference to outline that the five housing structures have been closed by the city, Feb. 19, 2025, in Aurora, Colorado. (AP)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforces federal immigration laws across the country but solicits support from state and local officials, particularly for large-scale deportations. The agency also asks police departments and sheriff’s offices to flag migrants it wants to deport and hold them until federal agents can take custody.

The Department of Justice has filed similar lawsuits challenging “sanctuary policies” in Rochester, New York, and Chicago.

Attorneys for the department argue Colorado’s “sanctuary policies” allowed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) to seize control of an apartment complex in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

Local officials have described President Donald Trump’s claims that the gang had taken over large areas of the city as exaggerated, but admitted that the apartment complex was terrorized, including by people with links to TdA.

The Department of Justice has filed similar lawsuits challenging “sanctuary policies” in Rochester, New York, and Chicago. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The lawsuit in Colorado lists the defendants as Gov. Jared Polis, the state Legislature, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.

Polis’ office said Colorado is not a sanctuary state and regularly works with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

“If the courts say that any Colorado law is not valid then we will follow the ruling,” spokesperson Conor Cahill told The Associated Press. “We are not going to comment on the merits of the lawsuit.”

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS SEEK TO STRIP DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OF ITS SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES

The DOJ’s lawsuit lists the defendants as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the state Legislature, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Republicans in Congress have attempted to pressure officials in Democratic-led cities to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which include promises of mass deportations. 

The GOP lawmakers summoned the mayors of Denver, Boston, New York City and Chicago to testify last month before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. However, the mayors pushed back and defended their cities as welcoming places and not lawless danger zones. The mayors also called on Congress to pass immigration reform.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump is calling for the notorious prison and now historical landmark, Alcatraz, in San Francisco, California, to be rebuilt larger and reopened to house the country’s most ruthless and violent criminals.

Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Sunday evening.

“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” the president said. “For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering.

“When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm,” Trump continued, adding that it’s supposed to be this way. “No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, AUGUST 11, 1934, AMERICA’S MOST NOTORIOUS PRISONERS ARRIVE AT ALCATRAZ

President Donald Trump is ordering the reopening of a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” Alcatraz Island to house “America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.” (Credit: iStock | Getty Images)

Trump said he is directing the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, FBI and Department of Homeland Security to reopen a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” Alcatraz, “to house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.”

“We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally,” he said in the post. “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Alcatraz opened in 1934, but the prison, located on a 22-acre spit of rock, was shuttered after 29 years.

THE ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ: WHAT HAPPENED, BIGGEST CONSPIRACY THEORIES SURROUNDING THE INFAMOUS PRISON BREAK

Alcatraz Island opened as a prison in 1934. (Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)

Considering its 1.25-mile distance to shore, the Bay Area island was considered practically escape-proof, although there were 14 documented attempted escapes.

The most notorious one was the June 11, 1962, escape by John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris, which inspired “Escape from Alcatraz.”

It remains a mystery whether the three reached the shore and survived. The FBI concluded the escapees drowned due to harsh conditions.

BUILDING ALCATRAZ: AMERICA’S INESCAPABLE, ISLAND-RIDDEN PRISON

The escape of three convicts – John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris – from Alcatraz, including a suspected mystery boat seen on the San Francisco Bay the night of their disappearance, is detailed in the June 17, 1962, edition of the Oakland Tribune newspaper. (Photo by MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)

The three prisoners chiseled an escape route from their own jail cells and built makeshift, papier-mâché heads.

The final attempted escape from the prison, almost six months later, inspired what has become the swimming route of the “Escape from Alcatraz” triathlon.

Its most notorious inmates included gangsters James “Whitey” Bulger, Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, plus infamous “Birdman of Alcatraz” Robert Stroud and “Public Enemy No. 1” Alvin Karpis. 

Alcatraz ultimately closed in 1963 after its island operations proved far more costly than mainland-based prisons.

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Alcatraz Island today is a popular San Francisco tourist attraction operated by the National Park Service. 

Fox News Digital’s Kerry J. Byrne and Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

BOSTON, Mass. – Former Vice President Mike Pence was honored on Sunday night for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, in defying his then-boss, President Donald Trump.

Pence received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his refusal to honor Trump’s request to throw out the results of the 2020 presidential election, and instead oversaw congressional certification of former President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

“Vice President Pence put his life career and that of his family on the line to execute his constitutional responsibilities. His actions preserved the fundamental democratic principle of free and fair elections and we are proud to honor him,” former ambassador Caroline Kennedy, the late President Kennedy’s daughter, said in presenting Pence with the award.

Pence, in accepting the annual award, emphasized that it’s a “distinction that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

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Former Vice President Mike Pence acknowledges his staff members as he speaks after receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award during a ceremony at the JFK Library, Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

And the former vice president, pointing to his actions on Jan. 6, said to a standing ovation, “I will always believe by God’s grace that I did my duty that day.”

In a Fox News Digital interview minutes after the awards ceremony, Pence said, “in all my travels across the country in the last four years, I’ve been deeply humbled by how many Americans have come up to me and just taken a point to encourage us and support us, and it convinces me that the American people know that what ever differences we may have, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand.”

The now-65-year-old Pence was Indiana’s governor when Trump named him his running mate in 2016. For four years, Pence served as the loyal vice president to Trump during the president’s first term in the White House.

However, everything changed on Jan. 6, 2021, as right-wing extremists — including some chanting “hang Mike Pence” — stormed the U.S. Capitol aiming to upend congressional certification, overseen by Pence as part of his constitutional duties as vice president, of Biden’s Electoral College victory.

The attack on the Capitol took place soon after Trump spoke to a large rally of supporters near the White House about unproven claims that the 2020 election was “rigged” due to massive “voter fraud.”

Pence has long described the violent attack on the Capitol as “tragic” and dishonoring to “the millions of people who had supported our cause around the country.” He has emphasized that he did “the right thing” and performed his “duty under the Constitution.” He has also noted a number of times that he and Trump may never “see eye to eye on that day.”

In this Jan. 6, 2021 photo, protesters loyal to President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

While Pence, his family and top aides were hastily moved by Secret Service agents as rioters roamed the halls of the Capitol, Trump argued in a social media post that “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify.”

Pence rejected the advice of the Secret Service that he flee the Capitol, and after the rioters were eventually removed from the Capitol, he resumed his constitutional role in overseeing the congressional certification ceremony.

The former vice president has repeatedly refuted Trump’s claim that he could have overturned the presidential election results. Despite that, hardcore Trump loyalists have never forgiven Pence, whom they view as a traitor, for refusing to assist the president’s repeated efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Former Vice President Mike Pence formally announced his candidacy for president in Ankeny, Iowa, on June 7, 2023. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Pence in June 2023 launched a presidential campaign of his own, joining a large field of challengers to Trump gunning for the 2024 GOP nomination, becoming the first running mate in over 80 years to run against their former boss.

Pence ran on a traditional conservative platform, framing the future of the Republican Party against what he called the rise of “populism” in the party. 

Among the slim anti-Trump base of the Republican Party, Pence received praise for his courage during the attack on the Capitol, often receiving thanks at town halls during his campaign for standing up to Trump. 

While Pence regularly campaigned in the crucial early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, his White House bid never took off. Struggling in the polls and with fundraising, he suspended his campaign just four and a half months after declaring his candidacy.

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks after receiving the John F. Kenney Profile in Courage Award, at the JFK Library in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 4, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The Profile in Courage Award is named for a book the late John F. Kennedy published in 1957 before he became president.

The award honors public officials who take principled stands despite the potential political or personal consequences. Among the previous recipients were former Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford.

Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s grandson, who introduced the former vice president at the awards ceremony, said Pence “saved America that day.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence, second from right, stands with his wife, Karen Pence, far right, as he is presented with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award by Jack Schlossberg and his mother, Caroline Kennedy, at a ceremony at the JFK Library, Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Caroline Kennedy, in honoring the former vice president, noted her “political differences” with Pence, but emphasized that “political courage is not outdated in the United States.”

And Pence, a well-known fiscal and social conservative, joked about speaking in front of an audience dominated by Democrats, saying that he was “the minority in this room.”

After dropping his own bid for the White House, Pence declined to endorse Trump, even after Trump clinched the GOP nomination last spring, though he did congratulate his former running mate after his victory last November.

Trump and Pence were seen shaking hands at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in early January – their first public appearance together in nearly four years.

TRUMP, PENCE SHAKE HANDS AT CARTER FUNERAL IN FIRST PUBLIC MEETING SINCE LEAVING OFFICE

Former Vice President Al Gore (left) watches as former Vice President Mike Pence (center) shakes hands with then-President-elect Donald Trump before a State Funeral Service for the late President Jimmy Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Pence has emerged as a rare vocal Republican critic of Trump so far during the president’s second tour of duty in the White House.

He has critiqued Trump’s controversial and haphazard implementation of massive tariffs on America’s largest trading partners, which initially sparked a massive stock market sell-off, and raised concerns of increased inflation and talk of a recession.

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He has also criticized the president’s upending of longstanding American foreign policy and has urged Trump to stand with longtime international allies.

Pence’s public advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, also campaigned against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the nation’s health agencies.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he plans to appoint a new national security advisor in about six months, telling reporters the former advisor, Mike Waltz, did not resign, but was instead tapped for an upgraded position as the administration’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump spoke with reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night, where he was asked about several topics, including the trade deals, Mexican cartels and the national security advisor position.

One reporter asked the president about Waltz’s exit as the national security advisor, which the president said he was being selected for what he called a “higher position,” or an “upgrade.”

Trump also said Waltz did not make any mistakes, and, as the ambassador to the UN, he would do a good job.

MIKE WALTZ, OTHER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STAFFERS OUT IN LATEST TRUMP PURGE FOLLOWING SIGNAL CHAT LEAK

President Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. (Pool)

“I didn’t lose confidence in him,” Trump said. “He’s going to the United Nations for a reason. To me, I think it’s personally, if I had assurance for myself… I’d rather have that job than the other.”

He also reiterated that Waltz did not resign, but instead, Trump moved him.

“There was no resignation,” the president said.

TRUMP NOMINATES WALTZ FOR HIGH-LEVEL POST AFTER OUSING HIM AS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR

Michael Waltz attends a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Waltz and other National Security Council staffers were ousted from their office on Thursday in the most high-profile executive office exits of the second Trump administration. Trump’s announcement on naming Waltz as U.N. ambassador unfolded just hours after the news began circulating. 

Trump told reporters Sunday that he plans to appoint someone to the national security advisor position within six months, saying there are a lot of people who want the job, which works into Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s – the interim national security advisor – current responsibilities.

The president was specifically asked if White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller was being considered for the role.

UN WATCHDOG PROJECT CALLS ON DOGE CAUCUS TO ‘AUDIT’ THE INTERNATIONAL ORG

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“Stephen Miller at the top of the totem pole? I mean, I think he sort of indirectly already has that job… because he has a lot to say about a lot of things,” Trump said. “He’s a very valued person in the administration, Stephen Miller.”

The president was also asked if any trade deals would be announced this week, answering that there could be some coming.

But when pressed if he could say more about the deals, Trump held back.

CONSERVATIVE GROUP’S ROADMAP SHOWS HOW TRUMP CAN USE MILITARY TO THWART CARTELS 

President Trump announced increased tariffs on countries around the world. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

“Nobody understands,” he said. “We’re negotiating with many countries. But at the end of this, I’ll set my own deals because I set the deal. They don’t set the deal. I set the deal.”

Trump said he is meeting with almost all of the countries regarding trade deals, including China.

Explaining the process further, Trump said he will set the tariff, and a country could agree to it or not.

“They don’t have to deal with us, which is ok, because we lost under Biden. We’re losing $5 billion a day,” he said. “Think of it. $5 billion a day. Now we’re not dealing with China at all because of the tariffs… Because of that, we’re saving billions of dollars.”

MEXICAN PRESIDENT DECLINES TRUMP’S OFFER OF US TROOPS TO HELP FIGHT DRUG CARTELS

President Trump said he offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to fight the cartels. (Reuters)

During the gaggle, a reporter also asked if it was true that he offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to take care of the cartels.

“It’s true because they should be. They are horrible people that have been killing people left and right,” Trump said. “They’ve made a fortune in selling drugs and destroying other people.”

He explained that the cartels are responsible for importing fentanyl into the U.S., which has killed over 300,000 people this year.

Trump called the cartel members “bad news.”

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“If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, we would be honored to go in and do it,” Trump said “I told [Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum] that I would be honored to go in and do it. The cartels are trying to destroy our country. They’re evil.”

The offer was ultimately rejected, which Trump said was because Sheinbaum is afraid of the cartels, so afraid that she “can’t even think straight.”

National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Jay Bhattacharya recently announced on Fox News the agency closed its last in-house beagle laboratory on the NIH campus.

The announcement comes just days after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk posted on X that he would investigate funding beagle experiments.

A report from the White Coat Waste (WCW) project detailed the lab’s history of allegedly pumping pneumonia-causing bacteria into more than 2,000 beagles’ lungs, bleeding them out, and forcing them into septic shock for deadly experiments.

Following the announcement, WCW president and founder Anthony Bellotti praised President Donald Trump for ending the highly scrutinized project.

REP. NANCY MACE SAYS FAUCI ‘SENT PUPPIES TO SLAUGHTER’ WITH ‘BARBARIC AND GRUESOME’ NIH-FUNDED EXPERIMENTS

FILE- The Humane Society of the United States previously helped rehome rescued beagles at the request of the DOJ.  (Meredith Lee/ USHS)

“Taxpayers and pet owners shouldn’t be forced to pay for the NIH’s beagle abuse,” Bellotti wrote in a statement. “We applaud the President for cutting this wasteful NIH spending and will keep fighting until we defund all dog labs at home and abroad. The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!”

FILE – The Humane Society of the United States previously worked with the Department of Justice and animal welfare partners, including Homeward Trails, to find new homes for rescued beagles. (Sue Bell/Homeward Trails)

HHS AXES MORE THAN $300M IN GENDER, DEI-RELATED HEALTH GRANTS TO CALIFORNIA ALONE

Shortly after the Trump administration took office, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in April it would phase out an animal testing requirement for antibody therapies and other drugs in favor of testing on materials that mimic human organs.

Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Zeldin also announced his agency would reinstate a 2019 policy from the first Trump administration to phase out animal testing.

FILE – Homeward Trails, a Virginia-based animal shelter, previously rescued beagles from Envigo breeding. (Sue Bell/Homeward Trails)

PETA PLEADS WITH NIH TO STOP FUNDING FOR ANIMAL STUDY, CALLS SLEEP EXPERIMENT ‘CRUEL AND HORRIFIC’

During Trump’s first term in 2019, the administration closed the government’s largest cat lab.

Bhattacharya said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reached out to him following the closure of the beagle testing facility, sending him flowers.

PETA, ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS PRAISE TRUMP ADMIN FOR PHASING OUR ‘CRUEL TESTS ON DOGS’ AND OTHER ANIMALS

“Normally, I think NIH directors tend to get physical threats, but they sent me flowers,” Bhattacharya said on air. 

PETA in 2021 highlighted Anthony Fauci’s alleged approval of funding for tests in Tunisia where beagle puppies were drugged, and their heads were locked in cages filled with hungry, infected sandflies.

A pair of beagles stand next to an anti-animal experiments banner. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

TRUMP ADMIN CUTS ADDITIONAL $1M IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ‘TRANSGENDER ANIMAL’ EXPERIMENTS

After the reports came out, 23 bipartisan lawmakers, including Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., sent a letter to Fauci addressing the heartbreaking experiments.

“Yesterday, I sent a letter to Dr. Fauci regarding cruel, taxpayer-funded experiments on puppies; debarking before drugging and killing them,” Mace wrote in an October 2021 post on X. “This is disgusting. What say you @NIH.”

Kathy Guillermo, PETA senior vice president of laboratory investigations, told Fox News Digital on Sunday night the organization is “delighted” by the news of the NIH facility closure.

“We are letting the new NIH Director know how important this step is for modernizing science, and we’re especially happy because these last experiments involved sepsis, which we have been working to end for several years. Sepsis experiments on animals are failures.”

Guillermo noted PETA has a lawsuit pending, filed under the Biden administration, to try to prevent the government from funding any more sepsis experiments. 

NIH director Jay Bhattacharya announced the closure of the facility, which experimented on beagles. (Getty Images)

The Indiana-based company that bred the beagles for research, Envigo, pleaded guilty in 2024 to neglecting thousands of dogs at its Cumberland, Virginia, breeding facility, and will be required to pay more than $35 million in fines, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“We are just thrilled to see that the [Envigo] beagles who were used [at the NIH location], will no longer be used,” Guillermo said. “We first exposed [Envigo] in an undercover investigation that eventually led to the closure of the facility and the release of 4,000 beagles to good homes.”

FDA PHASING OUT SOME ANIMAL TESTING IN ‘WIN-WIN’ FOR ETHICS AND PUBLIC HEALTH: COMMISSIONER

PETA is awaiting information about the condition of the dogs that will be released, and if they are in good enough shape to be placed in a home, Guillermo said they stand ready to help.

“Dr. Bhattacharya has made a wonderful start, and there is a lot more work to be done, because animals are being experimented on, including beagles and other dogs, across the country,” she said. “So we’re looking forward to what comes next.”

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The White House and the NIH did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

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

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, responded to President Donald Trump Sunday afternoon on X, saying he is “terrified” of “smart, bold Black women” telling him the truth.

The post was in response to an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” where Trump said Crockett was a “low IQ person,” and voiced concerns about the future of the Democratic Party.

“For you to be in charge of the WHOLE country, you sure do have my name in your mouth a lot,” Crockett wrote in the X post. “Every time you say my name, you’re reminding the world that you’re terrified of smart, bold Black women telling the truth and holding you accountable. So keep talking…”

The social media response was not her first time addressing Trump’s remarks.

JASMINE CROCKETT SETS SIGHTS ON TOP DEMOCRATIC SEAT ON OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: REPORTS

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) responded to President Donald Trump’s remarks about her IQ by saying he is “terrified” of “smart, bold Black women.” (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)

Following the president’s interview, Crockett sounded off on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show, saying she would “absolutely” take a head-to-head IQ test against Trump.

JASMINE CROCKETT ROASTED FOR WORRYING ABOUT EFFECT OF DEPORTATION ON OTHER COUNTRIES

Crockett, a first-term Democrat who has been criticized for several controversial comments this year, often voices her opinions on social media — where she has accumulated more than a million followers.

In March, she was scorched online for failing to apologize for calling Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, “Governor Hot Wheels.” 

She claimed on X that she was not thinking about the paralyzed governor’s condition when she made the remarks, but then took shots at Trump supporters — calling her gaffe “yet another distraction.”

Rep. Jasmine Crockett joined late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for an interview.  (Screenshot/Kimmel)

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS OVER JASMINE CROCKETT ‘GASLIGHTING’ ABOUT CALLING ABBOTT ‘GOVERNOR HOT WHEELS’

“I’m even more appalled that the very people who unequivocally support Trump—a man known for racially insensitive nicknames and mocking those with disabilities — are now outraged,” she wrote in the post. “Keep that same energy for all people, not just your political adversaries.

“Finally, this is yet another distraction. Instead of obsessing over and hanging on to my every word, maybe my political foes should focus on doing the work of the people who elected us to improve their lives.”

US Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks during a “Oversight and Government Reform” hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2025. 

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT SAYS DEMOCRATS NEED TO BE ‘OK WITH PUNCHING’ IN RACES AGAINST TED CRUZ, REPUBLICANS

Randy Weber, R-Texas, Crockett’s fellow delegation member, responded to her explanation by telling her “words have meanings & actions have consequences.

“I look forward to introducing my resolution to censure you for your words and actions,” Weber wrote.

Crockett also previously called for DOGE head Elon Musk to be “taken down,” and said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, should be “knocked over the head, like, hard.”

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

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

President Donald Trump decried the state of the motion picture industry in a social media post on Sunday while announcing plans to implement a Hollywood-related tariff.

In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump wrote that the “Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death.”

“Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,” Trump claimed. “Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated.”

The president said that the situation was a “concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat.”

UN WATCHDOG PROJECT CALLS ON DOGE CAUCUS TO ‘AUDIT’ THE INTERNATIONAL ORG

President Donald Trump criticized the current condition of the film industry in a social media post on Sunday. (Getty Images)

“It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!” Trump wrote.

The Republican said that his plans to institute a tariff are in the works, and he authorized the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative “to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”

TRUMP URGED TO REVIEW UN IMMUNITY, LAX VISA RULES AMID NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at his Michigan rally commemorating the first 100 days of his second term. (Getty Images)

“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” Trump concluded.

The comments come after several of Trump’s tariff plans have been paused in recent months due to market turmoil and backlash. On Sunday, Trump said that he would not drop tariffs on China to get Beijing to come to the negotiating table.

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President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sunday, April 13, 2025.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

“At some point, I’m going to lower them, because otherwise you could never do business with them,” Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker. “And they want to do business very much like their economy is really doing badly. Their economy is collapsing.” 

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

The White House slammed the “radical left” in a social media post Sunday, showing an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump wielding a lightsaber in celebration of May the Fourth, or “Star Wars Day.”

May 4 has long been regarded as a day to celebrate the iconic movie franchise as fans post on social media “May the Fourth be with you,” an offshoot of the memorable Star Wars quote “May the force be with you.”

On Sunday, the White House took an opportunity to celebrate the popular day with a post on X, while also taking digs at the Trump administration’s biggest critics.

“Happy May the 4th to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting so hard to bring Sith Lords, Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, & well known MS-13 Gang Members, back into our Galaxy. You’re not the Rebellion—you’re the Empire,” the White House wrote. “May the 4th be with you.”

‘STAR WARS’ CREATOR SLAMS CRITICS WHO COMPLAIN SAGA ISN’T DIVERSE ENOUGH: ‘MOST OF THE PEOPLE ARE ALIENS’

The post included an AI-generated image of Trump, who not only donned a Jedi robe and set of ripped arms but also held a red lightsaber. Behind him in the image were two bald eagles and two American flags.

The post received mixed reactions.

“Our efforts to FOIA info about a reported ‘Death Star’ have been stonewalled. And we pulled The Honorable Darth Vader as a judge when we sued so THAT will go nowhere,” a user wrote.

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU AS YOU SHOP AMAZON’S STAR WARS COLLECTION, BACK MAY 4TH THROUGH 6TH

Last Year, the Empire State Building in New York City was lit up with a dynamic light show to kick off “March to May the 4th,” and it showed an image of Darth Vader holding a red lightsaber. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Disney)

Another user asked X’s AI feature Grok what the meaning of a red lightsaber is in Star Wars. Those who follow the science fiction franchise will remember Darth Vader, Kylo Ren and others associated with the dark side or Sith powers used a red lightsaber of some sort.

The Star Wars fandom website Wookieepedia explains that in the process of making a lightsaber, negative emotions like rage, hate, fear and pain would result in a red hue.

POLITICIANS MOCKED FOR COMMEMORATING STAR WARS DAY WITH ‘CRINGE’ TWEETS: ‘HOW HORRIBLY EMBARRASSING’

Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)

“How do you not have one nerd on staff to tell you what color lightsaber is good and what color is bad???” a user asked in reaction to the White House post.

But supporters of the president were quick to respond to reactions about the color of the lightsaber Trump is holding in the image.

“People arguing Trump using a red lightsaber equates him to evil…R ed is literally one of the three colors in our nation’s flag,” a user wrote. “He is the leader of the Republican Party which is often ascribed the color Red. Context matters.”

‘STAR WARS’: CARRIE FISHER’S COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BELOVED FRANCHISE

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

Still, the White House was not the only federal government agency to have fun with May the Fourth.

The U.S. Army Pacific posted an AI-generated image to social media of two soldiers with lightsabers – one holding red and the other holding a red, white and blue weapon – walking into combat at night, with the Milky Way Galaxy behind them.

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“Across every galaxy – known and unknown – no force rivals our discipline, strength, and precision,” the post read. “We don’t just defend the world. We protect the future. Victory is forged not found. May the 4th be with you.”

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis-area Hennepin County Attorney’s Office’s new directive for its prosecutors to consider race when negotiating plea deals with criminal defendants. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi, Acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle and Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon informed Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in a letter that the Justice Department is opening a probe into whether the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office “engaged in a pattern of practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges or immunities secured or protect by the Constitution or laws of the United States.” 

The letter, dated May 2, cited Moriarty’s recently adopted “Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants,” which instructs prosecutors to consider race when formulating plea offers, stating that “racial identity… should be part of the overall analysis,” and that prosecutors “should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate.”  

“In particular, the investigation will focus on whether HCAO engages in illegal consideration of race in its prosecutorial decision-making,” they said in the letter, which Dhillon shared on X.

SOROS PROSECUTOR RIPPED FOR FAILING TO CHARGE WALZ STAFFER OVER TESLA VANDALISM: ‘TWO-TIERED JUSTICE SYSTEM’

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty discussed the decision to dismiss the case against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan in the killing of Ricky Cobb II in a press conference on Monday, June 3, 2024. (Hennepin County Attorney’s Office )

Bondi, Mizelle and Dhillon said their investigation will include “a comprehensive review of all relevant HCAO policies and practices that may involve the illegal consideration of race in prosecutorial decision-making.” 

Dhillon has also authorized a “full investigation to determine whether the HCAO is engaged in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.” 

“Please be assured that we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation,” their letter addressed to Moriarty said. “We will consider all relevant information, and we welcome your assistance in helping to identify what that might be. We would appreciate your cooperation in our investigation. In our years enforcing civil rights statutes involving state and local law enforcement agencies, we have worked with jurisdictions of all sizes across the nation to resolve investigations, usually without contested litigation.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announces the arrest of gang members involved in four homicides, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

 LEFT-WING DA FORCING PROSECUTORS TO CONSIDER ‘RACIAL IDENTITY’ IN PLEA DEALS

The letter said the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Sections will oversee the investigation and will be in contact with Moriarty “shortly to set up a mutually agreeable date and time to discuss the parameters of this investigation, including the scope of information that we will be seeking from you.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to Moriarty’s office and the DOJ for comment on Sunday. 

Moriarty was elected among a wave of progressive district attorneys who took office following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests and riots. She has been backed by groups tied to money from megadonor George Soros, one of the most prominent backers of progressive issues in the United States.

The former chief public defender for the county, Moriarty became the Hennepin County Attorney in January 2023 after promising to deliver on holding police accountable in the community where Floyd was killed. 

Harmeet Dhillon during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Moriarty’s two immediate predecessors had been in office for a combined 31 years, and her promises of dramatic changes had the backing of the state Democratic Party and community leaders. Since then, however, Moriarty has faced fierce backlash, even among some former supporters, as critics questioned decisions to seek lighter sentences for violent crimes in some cases and to divert more people to programs rather than jail.

Police officers, local officials and some progressive activists condemned Moriarty after she charged a White state trooper with the killing of a Black man last summer, only to later reverse course and drop the charges. Leaders of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association had waged a high-profile campaign urging Tim Walz, the state’s governor and former Democratic vice presidential nominee, to reassign the prosecution away from Moriarty. 

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Last month, Republicans across the North Star State condemned Moriarty for failing to charge a Walz staffer who allegedly vandalized at least six Tesla vehicles. President Donald Trump’s administration has identified Tesla vandalism as “domestic terrorism” and led a nationwide effort alongside the Justice Department to hold vandals accountable. 

Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavy, Andrew Mark Miller and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump officially crossed the finish line of his first 100 days in office this week, signing executive orders cracking down on immigration and advancing religious liberty. 

Among the most consequential events marking the week was a major staff shakeup where he announced that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz would depart his post at the White House. Hours later, Trump unveiled plans to tap Waltz to represent the U.S. at the United Nations. 

“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump posted to Truth Social Thursday. 

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks as he sits with President Donald Trump during an Ambassador Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25, 2025, in Washington.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role. In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department. Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Here’s what also happened this week: 

Sanctuary city crackdown 

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order demanding the Justice Department and Homeland Security establish a list of all sanctuary cities failing to follow federal immigration laws.

Per the executive order, cities will receive notification and have the opportunity to drop the sanctuary status. Failure to do so could cause them to risk losing federal funding, according to the executive order.

Sanctuary cities are local jurisdictions that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities, including refusing to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests.

“It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. “The American public don’t want illegal alien criminals in their communities. They made that quite clear on Nov. 5, and this administration is determined to enforce our nation’s immigration laws.”

New Fighter Jet Mission 

Trump also revealed new plans Tuesday to swap out the retiring A-10 Warthog aircraft based out of Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan with 21 brand-new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets. 

Trump shared details of the new fighter jet mission during a speech to National Guard members at the Michigan base for an event commemorating his 100th day in office. 

Selfridge will become the fourth military installation to operate the fighter jet, which entered operational service in July 2024.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES NEW ‘SERIOUS POWER’ FIGHTER JET MISSION FOR MICHIGAN GUARD BASE TO REPLACE AGING A-10S

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the Michigan National Guard at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Harrison Township, Mich. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

“Fresh off the line. That means they are brand new,” Trump said. “They’ve never been anywhere. This is where they’re going to be for a long time. And I saw one of them, flew over my head, and I said, ‘What the hell is that?’ That plane has serious power. So, this is the best there is anywhere in the world, the F-15EX Eagle II. This will keep Selfridge at the cutting edge of Northern American air power.”

The fighter jet is an updated version of the F-15C Eagle aircraft the Air Force introduced in 1989 and features bolstered fuel efficiency, radar and avionics, according to the Air National Guard. The jet is designed to work alongside other Air Force aircraft, including the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighter jets.

Religious liberty commission 

Trump signed an executive order Thursday establishing a presidential commission on religious liberty. Trump disclosed plans for the new commission during a National Day of Prayer event at the White House, revealing that Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will serve as the chairman of the commission. 

“The last administration attacked people of faith for four years,” Patrick said Thursday. “There’s a saying that no one should get between a doctor and a patient. I think we would say no one should get between God and a believer. No one should get between God and those seeking him.”

TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER STANDS UP PRESIDENTIAL RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION 

President Donald Trump calls people to the podium to stand with him during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

The Religious Liberty Commission will compose a report evaluating threats to religious liberty in the U.S., ways to enhance religious freedom and examine the history of American religious liberty, according to a White House fact sheet on the executive order. 

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The report will address issues including parental rights in religious education, school choice, attacks on religious places of worship and free speech issues for religious organizations, according to the fact sheet.

Additionally, these leaders will provide guidance to the White House on policy and legislative solutions to advance religious liberty.

With the final REAL ID deadline looming this week, one House Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital he believes it’s an “unnecessary” burden on Americans.

“I personally don’t support the REAL ID. I think that it’s unnecessary in keeping us safe,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

The Missouri Republican said his state made it “very easy” for residents to comply with the coming May 7 deadline, though he suggested he didn’t agree with it.

NO ‘REAL ID’ APPOINTMENTS OPEN IN NEW JERSEY AS RESIDENTS SOUND OFF: ‘GET WITH THE TIMES, NJ’

A TSA agent, a DMV center and lines of travelers at a U.S. airport (Getty Images)

“I think that when you look at, you know, this was implemented from recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. But yet every one of the terrorists that were here had a passport. I mean, they had more than just a state ID. I don’t think any of them were operating on a state ID,” Burlison said.

“It’s once again government seeing an opportunity in making the lives of U.S. citizens more difficult.”

REAL ID was created by law in 2005, but the federal government has delayed its implementation multiple times, most recently in 2022. But the Trump administration has made clear the current May 7 deadline is final.

‘MASS SURVEILLANCE’: CONSERVATIVES SOUND ALARM OVER TRUMP ADMIN’S REAL ID ROLLOUT

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said REAL ID is “unnecessary” for safety. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

From then, a REAL ID will be needed for domestic airline travel — rather than a normal state-issued license — as well as in areas where federal identification is required. 

Having a REAL ID itself is not required, particularly if one has a U.S. passport.

The Trump administration has argued that finally acting on REAL ID helps the White House’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, millions of whom have entered the country since President Donald Trump was last in office.

But the scramble to reach the deadline has led to long lines at DMVs, with some states opening emergency locations in airports and other places to help deal with the surge of people seeking appointments.

REAL ID will be needed for domestic air travel in place of a state ID. (Fox News)

When previously reached about the deadline by Fox News Digital, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said, “Beginning on May 7, passengers will need a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification to fly, like a passport or military ID. TSA is committed to enforcing the law, as directed by Congress.

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“Noncompliant passengers may expect wait times or additional measures at airports. If you are an illegal alien without a REAL ID, the only way you will be permitted to fly is if you are self-deporting,” TSA said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the TSA for comment on Burlison’s remarks.

President Donald Trump said he will not drop tariffs on China to get Beijing to come to the negotiating table. 

The president discussed his stance on the tariffs, which he defended, in an interview with NBC’s “Meet The Press” recorded Friday from his Mar-a-Lago estate. He claimed that 

“They said today they want to talk. Look, China, and I don’t like this. I’m not happy about this. China’s getting killed right now,” Trump told host Kristen Welker. “They’re getting absolutely destroyed. Their factories are closing. Their unemployment is going through the roof. I’m not looking to do that to China now. At the same time, I’m not looking to have China make hundreds of billions of dollars and build more ships and more Army tanks and more airplanes.” 

“You’re not dropping the tariffs against China to get them to the negotiating table?” Welker asked. 

Trump responded, “No.”

CHINA OPEN TO TALKS WITH TRUMP ADMIN ON LOWERING TARIFFS, MINISTRY SAYS

President Donald Trump speaks in the Cross Hall of the White House during an event on “Investing in America” on April 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Trump was joined by CEOs to highlight their companies during the event.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“At some point, I’m going to lower them, because otherwise you could never do business with them,” he added later. “And they want to do business very much like their economy is really doing badly. Their economy is collapsing.” 

Trump pushed back on the premise of Welker’s question about whether he’d consider relief for small businesses. The president said the NBC host should consider larger businesses, such as the car industry, that “are going to make a fortune” because of his tariff plan. Trump also declined to rule out making some tariffs permanent, claiming the U.S. could expect $9 trillion worth of new investments since he took office. 

CHINESE OFFICIAL REPORTEDLY SEEKING TALKS WITH TRUMP ON FENTANYL INGREDIENTS AMID TRADE WAR

He noted that Apple and other tech companies, as well as automobile companies, such as Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Stellantis, have made multi-billion-dollar commitments to bring their plants to the United States. 

The Chinese government has assembled a list of American products that would be exempt from its 125% tariffs on U.S. goods, Reuters reported last week. Beijing already has exemptions for some U.S. pharmaceuticals, microchips and aircraft engines. 

Trump also declined to rule out a potential recession in the short term, though he promised the “greatest economic boom in history.”

“Is it okay in the short term to have a recession?” Welker asked. 

“Look, yeah. . . . Everything’s okay,” Trump responded, arguing that the U.S. economy is in a “transition period” and “we’re going to do fantastically.” 

“Are you worried about a recession?” Welker asked.

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping

To that, Trump responded flatly, “No.” 

“Are you worried it could happen? Do you think it could happen?” she pressed. 

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“Anything can happen,” Trump said. “But I think we’re going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country. I think we’re going to have the greatest economic boom in history.”