NationalWatch

The Trump administration has asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, sources within the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed to Fox News.

The Ivy League school’s failure to address antisemitism on campus is grounds for losing its 501(c)(3) status, Fox News’ sources said.

The IRS is expected to make a final decision soon on Harvard’s tax exemption, according to CNN, which was first to report the story. 

 In a recent social media post, President Donald Trump claimed that Harvard had “lost its way” and didn’t deserve federal funding.

STEFANIK SHREDS HARVARD OVER ‘COMPLETE MORAL FAILURE’ AFTER ALLOWING CLAUDINE GAY TO REMAIN PRESIDENT

Trump has publicly criticized Harvard University multiple times in recent weeks. (Getty Images | iStock)

“Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and ‘birdbrains’ who are only capable of teaching FAILURE to students and so-called ‘future leaders,'” Trump wrote. “Look just to the recent past at their plagiarizing President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States Congress.”

“Many others, like these Leftist dopes, are teaching at Harvard, and because of that, Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges,” he continued. 

“Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds.”

TRUMP ANNOUNCES PLAN TO CHOP DOWN MAGNOLIA TREE PURPORTEDLY PLANTED BY ANDREW JACKSON: ‘MUST COME TO AN END’

A view of the statue of John Harvard on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The developments come less than three weeks after the Justice Department announced a “comprehensive review” of federal contracts and government-funded grants at Harvard University.

Citing an ambition to eliminate antisemitism on campuses, and coming on the heels of a similar move against Columbia University, the Department of Education said that over $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard, its affiliates and the federal government would be reviewed, plus nearly $9 billion worth of grants.

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President Donald Trump’s administration has asked the IRS to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations — the pinnacle aspiration for students all over the world to work hard and earn admission to the storied institution,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said at the time. “Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic [sic] discrimination — all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry — has put its reputation in serious jeopardy.”

An audit of D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) found staffing levels in the district have increased at a rate of seven-and-a-half times more than student enrollment, while simultaneously student achievement levels in the district still remain behind pre-pandemic levels for most students. 

The Office of the District of Columbia Auditor found that over a five-year period, while student enrollment grew by 2.6%, the number of staff increased by 19.5%. This amounts to roughly 1,600 new positions funded by the district since Fiscal Year 2020, and an approximately 43% increase in per-pupil spending.

Meanwhile, both in D.C. and nationally, students are still trying to find their way back to pre-pandemic achievement levels.

EDUCATORS HOPE ‘ABYSMAL’ NATIONAL LITERACY RATES WILL BE ADDRESSED NOW THAT DEI, GENDER IDEOLOGY OUT THE DOOR

“DC Public Schools works every day to help all our scholars reach their full potential. This recent report highlights a staffing strategy that prioritizes teachers and led to increases in enrollment and academic performance that stands out from other urban school districts. DCPS will work with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer to identify ways to improve data systems to demonstrate the district’s continued fiscal stewardship,” DCPS press secretary Evan Lambert told Fox News Digital in response to the audit’s findings. “Following the sunset of federal pandemic relief, DCPS has increased local funding to schools by decreasing the overall number of Central Services staff.”

The United States is the third-greatest spender among the 40 other developed nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on per-pupil spending, according to the Education Data Initiative. (iStock)

The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, known colloquially as the nation’s report card, showed some improvements since the assessment was last released in 2022, but student achievement levels in reading and math nationally remain below 2019 levels for most students. In D.C. specifically, students saw better improvement than most big urban districts, but students in the nation’s capital have still not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic achievement levels, per the nation’s report card.

The United States is the third-biggest spender among the 40 other developed nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on per-pupil spending, according to the Education Data Initiative. The pandemic spurred a massive influx of cash into the public school system as well, but many districts were found to be putting all that extra funding toward staff salaries and bonuses, as opposed to things directly related to student achievement.

A FAILING NATION’S REPORT CARD PROVES NEED FOR SWEEPING CHANGE

In North Carolina, the Wake County Public School System spent 78% of its total pandemic relief funding on salaries and employee benefits. In Chicago’s public schools system 77% of the district’s pandemic money went to staff bonuses, salaries and benefits.

Nationally, according to research from nonprofit education news group The 74, public schools nationally added approximately 121,000 employees last year, even though they served about 110,000 fewer students. (Adobe Stock)

“Thanks to an infusion of $190 billion in federal relief funds, schools have been on a hiring spree over the last few years,” stated an analysis by nonprofit education news group The 74. “For example, before the pandemic, Los Angeles Unified was reducing its teacher count pretty much in line with its declining enrollment. But with the infusion of federal (and state) funds, Los Angeles kept staffing levels constant despite further enrollment declines. Gwinnett County in Georgia shows a similar bifurcated trend. Its staffing and enrollment lines were moving in tandem until the federal funds drove a rapid increase in hiring.”

The 74, which stands for the 74 million American school children enrolled in K-12 schools across America, examined staffing and enrollment levels in over 9,500 school districts across the country, comprising roughly 92% of all K-12 students nationwide. 

The nonprofit education newsgroup found that almost 3,000 districts saw staff levels increase despite enrollment declines. Others, according to the analysis, shrunk their staff counts, but not as quickly as they lost students, while another category included districts that gained students but increased their staffing levels even faster. According to The 74, public schools overall added approximately 121,000 employees last year overall, even though they served about 110,000 fewer students.

RANDI WEINGARTEN: TRUMP’S DECISION TO GUT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS NOT ONLY ILLEGAL, IT’S WRONG

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to reduce the size and scope of the Education Department alongside school children signing their own versions, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump and Republicans have taken steps to put greater control over school funding in the hands of individual states, as opposed to the federal government. Last month, he signed an executive order meant to effectively dismantle the U.S. Department of Education through transferring its educational authority to the states. Last week, GOP senators also introduced a bill to close the department.

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“Despite per-pupil spending having increased by more than 245% [since the 1970s,] there has been virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement,” Trump’s March 20 order stated. “President Donald J. Trump and his administration believe we can, and must, be better.”

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, was denied a visit with a Salvadoran migrant and accused MS-13 member who was deported to El Salvador, after flying to the country on Wednesday morning.

Van Hollen intended to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, who was deported to the El Salvadoran mega prison “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT) for being an alleged MS-13 gang member, though his attorneys maintain he does not have any gang ties.

Van Hollen spoke to reporters from El Salvador on Wednesday afternoon, when he vowed to continue pressing for access to Abrego Garcia.

He met with Vice President Félix Augusto Antonio Ulloa Garay because President Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez was out of the country, though Van Hollen said he was grateful to speak about the case of Abrego Garcia.

LIBERAL SENATOR SAYS HE IS FLYING TO VISIT DEPORTED MIGRANT IN PRISON, OTHER DEMS PLANNING TRIPS

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) flew to El Salvador to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is being housed at a maximum security prison for terrorists, only to be told he could meet with the accused MS-13 member. (Kevin Dietsch)

“I asked the vice president if I could meet with Mr. Abrego Garcia, and he said, ‘well, you need to make earlier provisions to go visit CECOT,’” Van Hollen said.

He told Ulloa that he was not interested in taking a tour of CECOT and that he just wanted to meet with Abrego Garcia.

“He said he was not able to make that happen,” Van Hollen said of Ulloa.

When Van Hollen asked if he could come back next week to see Abrego Garcia, Ulloa told him he could not promise that, either. Ulloa also told the U.S. senator that he could not even arrange for him, or Abrego Garcia’s family to speak with the inmate over the phone.

EL SALVADOR’S BUKELE SAYS US CANNOT ‘FREE CRIMINALS AND THINK CRIME IS GOING TO GO DOWN MAGICALLY’ 

Justice Department attorneys on Friday said they are unaware of illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts after he was deported to a Salvadoran prison last month. (Fox News)

The senator said the situation in El Salvador is “unjust,” and he accused the Trump administration of lying about Abrego Garcia.

“I am going to keep pressing,” Van Hollen said. “I will keep pressing in my remaining time here, and I will keep pressing beyond that if necessary.”

The Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court’s decision to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia from CECOT where federal officials have sent hundreds of suspected criminals and gang members. 

The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from coming back to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is “up to El Salvador. If they want to return him. That’s not up to us.” 

TRUMP SPARS WITH ‘LOW-RATED’ CNN ANCHOR OVER DEPORTATION OF EL SALVADOR MIGRANT 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that it is up to El Salvador to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

This has caused no small outrage from Democrats, with Van Hollen being the first to announce plans to travel to El Salvador to help secure Abrego Garcia’s release. 

“Mr. Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted by the Trump Admin and, by their own admission, wrongly deported to El Salvador,” Van Hollen on Tuesday.

“He shouldn’t have to spend another second away from his family,” he went on. “I’m flying to El Salvador tomorrow morning to check on his condition and discuss his return.”

EL SALVADOR’S BUKELE SAYS US CANNOT ‘FREE CRIMINALS AND THINK CRIME IS GOING TO GO DOWN MAGICALLY’ 

Senator Chris Van Hollen said he plans to continue to press for access to Kilmar Abrego Garcia while in El Salvador. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Van Hollen is not the only Democrat discussing visiting Abrego Garcia and other imprisoned migrants. Far left Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida, and Robert Garcia, D-California, issued a joint letter on Tuesday in which they said they are “prepared to travel as soon as possible.” 

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In their letter, which was sent to House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, on Tuesday, Frost and Garcia requested authorization to send a congressional delegation to visit CECOT to “conduct a welfare check” on Garcia and other deported migrants at the prison.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Roughly 2,300 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) employees have opted to take deferred resignation offers since January, Fox News Digital learned. 

“To continue serving the American people at the highest standard, we are taking inventory of all programs and personnel while maintaining a strong workforce that is dedicated to supporting our most vulnerable and promoting pathways to self-sufficiency,” Secretary Scott Turner told Fox News Digital Wednesday. 

“The Deferred Resignation Program carries out President Trump’s commitment to efficiency in the federal government by providing a pathway for employees to wish to seek new opportunities while also affording the agency an opportunity to streamline our operations.”

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offered deferred resignations to federal employees earlier in 2025, which closed in February. The deferred resignation initiative offered staffers eight months of pay and benefits if they parted ways with their federal government jobs. 

HUD announced the launch of a second resignation offer March 31 to employees “who wish they had taken” OPM’s offer. 

Roughly 2,300 HUD employees have taken the deferred resignation offers, with slight fluctuations possible as they iron out final agreements with staffers, Fox Digital learned. Ahead of the Trump administration, HUD employed nearly 10,000 individuals.

HUD OFFICES BECAME AS VACANT AS A ‘SPIRIT HALLOWEEN’ STORE UNDER BIDEN: ADMIN SOURCES

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development nominee Scott Turner is sworn in during his Senate confirmation hearing, Jan. 16, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“On week 1, President Trump went straight to work on reforming the federal workforce. One option offered to federal employees was a ‘fork in the road’ to separate from the federal workforce,” HUD posted to its official X account March 31.  

HUD CHIEF PUTS ILLEGAL ALIENS LIVING IN GOVERNMENT-FUNDED HOUSING ON NOTICE: AMERICANS ARE ‘OUR ONLY PRIORITY’

“The option to take the fork in the road closed on February 12, 2025. Since then, we have heard from staff who wish they had taken it. Today, we’re launching a second Deferred Resignation Program or ‘fork in the road’ in coordination with OPM that opens today and closes on Friday, April 11, 2025.

Under the Biden administration, HUD reportedly had become desolate as staffers worked from home and rarely visited its massive Washington headquarters. Fox News Digital reported in February that HUD’s headquarters became as empty as an off-season “Spirit Halloween” store under the Biden administration, which had left offices relatively untouched since the first Trump administration.

LIBERAL NORTH CAROLINA CITY’S DEI PLAN FOR HURRICANE RELIEF SHUT DOWN BY HUD SECRETARY

“For four years, the American people witnessed their government buildings transform overnight into massive, taxpayer-funded ‘Spirit Halloween’ stores,” a senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital at the time. 

President Donald Trump signed a memo on his first day back in the Oval Office ordering agency heads to terminate remote work arrangements that had been ongoing since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.  

Turner told Fox Digital in February that upon his confirmation, “the four year vacation” for staffers was “over.” 

Under the Biden administration, HUD reportedly had become desolate as staffers worked from home and reportedly rarely visited its massive Washington headquarters. (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

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“This is a huge disservice to the American people and a massive waste of hard-earned taxpayer dollars,” Turner told Fox Digital in February. “Let me be clear – the four-year vacation is over.” 

“I’ve been on many teams in my career, and I know from experience that in-person teamwork ensures accountability and fosters an environment of collaboration, creativity and communication,” he said. “At HUD, we’re getting back to work for the American people.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is considering a bid for governor in 2026, multiple sources close to her confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Stefanik was withdrawn from consideration as President Donald Trump’s United Nations ambassador to shore up numbers of the House Republicans’ narrow majority. She is now the chairwoman of House Republican leadership.

Sources tell Fox News Digital that she is being encouraged to run by allies of Trump and longtime friends. Stefanik outperformed the president in her congressional district in 2016, 2020 and 2024, which one source says could be an indicator that she could do well with New York’s swing voters. The Republican won with 62% of the vote in her strongly conservative district in November.

On Wednesday, Stefanik made the case for a GOP win in New York this year when she commented on a Marist poll that shows Gov. Kathy Hochul’s approval numbers to be underwater with New York voters. “This latest bombshell polling proves what every New Yorker already knows: that we must FIRE Kathy Hochul in 2026 to SAVE NEW YORK. Hochul is the Worst Governor in America and it’s not even close.” 

“Her incompetence, corruption, and radical failed Far Left policies have destroyed our great state causing businesses and families to flee from crushing high taxes, out of control regulations, inept fiscal mismanagement, wide open border sanctuary city policies putting illegals first and New Yorkers last, and an out of control crime crisis due to Democrats’ failed bail reform defund the police policies. This polling shows that we can WIN & SAVE NEW YORK.”, Hochul said in the statement.

HARVARD IS ‘ACTING MORE ENTITLED THAN EVER,’ SAYS GOP CONGRESSWOMAN

Elise Stefanik with Donald Trump (Getty Images)

“Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is GREAT!!!” Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday morning.

She has $10 million cash-on-hand through her entities, and is considered popular among Republican voters in the state. Stefanik was the keynote speaker at a New York GOP event on Tuesday night.

At the time of her nomination’s withdrawal, the Republican congresswoman said it was a matter of holding the line in Congress.

“I have been proud to be a team player. The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I’m committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents,” Stefanik said on “Hannity” last month.

REP. ELISE STEFANIK EXPLAINS HER ‘TEAM PLAYER’ DECISION TO STAY IN CONGRESS

Rep. Elise Stefanik listens as President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the House Republicans Conference meeting on Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump said he would work on finding a replacement pick, which has not been announced yet.

“As we advance our America First Agenda, it is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress. We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning,” the president posted to Truth Social at the time. 

“I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,.”

Whoever wins the primary could be running in the general election against Hochul, who had a tough re-election fight in 2022 against then-Rep. Lee Zeldin. He is now the Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

SANCTUARY GOVERNORS WALZ, PRITZKER, HOCHUL CALLED TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

Stefanik is far from the only well-known Republican in New York state considering a 2026 run for governor.

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., a moderate who’s in his second term representing the state’s 17th Congressional District, which covers a large swath of New York City’s northern suburbs, is mulling a bid.

“I’ll make a decision at some point – middle of the year. Obviously, you know if we’re going to do it, you got to get out there, and you got to campaign hard,” Lawler said last week in an interview with Fox News Digital.

He added, “I haven’t made a decision yet. I think, obviously, there’s a number of factors in play, but you know, we’re working through that right now.”

Among the other Republicans weighing a gubernatorial run are Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, who, like Stefanik, is a major Trump ally, and longtime Bethany town supervisor Carl Hyde Jr.

It’s been 23 years since a Republican won a gubernatorial election in heavily blue New York state. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. George Pataki’s second re-election victory in 2002.

“New York’s Republican primary is set to be a nasty and vicious race to see who can be the Trumpiest – and most out of touch with New Yorkers,” Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe said. “All three potential candidates in this race are running to bring Donald Trump’s extreme agenda of raising costs and taking away fundamental freedoms to Albany – and could not be more out of step with New York.”

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman at the podium for a news conference in Mineola, New York, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo, File)

But Hochul’s approval ratings and favorable ratings remain underwater, giving Republicans hope the losing streak will come to an end next year. The governor also faces potential, long-shot primary challenges from her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, as well as Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y.

In 2022, Zeldin had the best performance by a GOP gubernatorial candidate in New York since Pataki’s 2002 victory. Zeldin, who now steers the EPA in Trump’s second administration, lost to Hochul by less than six and a half points.

And Trump lost the state to Vice President Kamala Harris by 13 points in last November’s presidential election, but that was a 10-point improvement from his loss margin to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

“What is really telling is that you have three, at least, very qualified Republican candidates looking at it,” a veteran Republican strategist who works on New York state races told Fox News. “I think it shows her [Hochul’s]  vulnerability.”

Stefanik’s departure could still have an impact on House Republicans’ razor-thin three-seat majority, but GOP leaders hope to be done with their plans for a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process by the end of this year.

If elected governor, Stefanik would not have to leave the House until the end of December 2025.

Her vote was critical to advancing the legislation earlier this month. The bill appeared at risk of failing during a tense procedural vote last week, but Stefanik – who was among the last to cast her vote – carried it over the like 216 to 215.

Fox News’ Madeline Coggins contributed to this report.

A federal judge said Wednesday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for failing to return two planes deporting migrants to El Salvador last month, a major update that comes as tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary have reached a fever pitch.

In the 48-page opinion, Judge Boasberg said the court had ultimately determined that the Trump administration’s actions on the March 15 deportation flights, which took place after he issued a bench ruling ordering their immediate return to U.S. soil, demonstrate a “willful disregard” for the court that is sufficient for the government to be found in criminal contempt.”

Should they fail to answer his questions by April 23, he said, he will refer the matter for potential prosecution. 

JUDGE BOASBERG CANCELES PLANNED HEARING TO REVIEW TRUMP DEPORTATIONS

James Boasberg, chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, attends a panel discussion at the annual American Board Association (ABA) Spring Antitrust Meeting at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC, on Apr. 2, 2025.  (DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images)

That would involve identifying the individuals responsible for what he described as “contumacious conduct,” and by “determining whose ‘specific act or omission’ caused the noncompliance,” Boasberg said. 

The Justice Department could then request that the contempt be prosecuted by an attorney for the government and, should they decline to prosecute the matter, could “appoint another attorney to prosecute the contempt.”

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“The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions,” the judge continued. “None of their responses has been satisfactory…”

“As this Opinion will detail, the Court ultimately determines that the Government’s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt,” Boasberg said Wednesday. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

FIRST ON FOX: The vice mayor of a Florida town that is home to one of the country’s largest population of Venezuelan migrants is supporting a deal that will allow the city’s law enforcement to cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

“I support this agreement because I believe it is essential to strengthening our Police Department’s ability to carry out their duties effectively and responsibly,” Doral, Florida, Vice Mayor Maureen Porras told Fox News Digital. “By moving forward with this, we are ensuring that the City of Doral remains in full compliance with both state and federal mandates—an important step in maintaining public trust and upholding the rule of law.”

The comments come as Doral, a key Florida hub for Venezuelan immigrants, is set to vote on a potential agreement with ICE on Wednesday that would allow the city’s law enforcement to carry out some immigration-enforcement operations.

FLORIDA’S LARGEST VENEZUELAN STRONGHOLD POISED TO JOIN FORCES WITH ICE: REPORT

Doral Vice Mayor Maureen Porras told Fox News Digital that she will support the city’s potential agreement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs. (Getty Images)

Members of the City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to ink a 287(g) program deal with ICE, which would allow Doral police officers to assist ICE with detentions, questioning and processing individuals suspected of breaking federal immigration laws.

Doral would become one of the latest local law enforcement agencies to join President Donald Trump’s push to ramp up deportation efforts, with 287(g) agreements with ICE seeing more widespread use across the country since the new president took office in January.

That effort was given a boost by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has encouraged local cooperation with federal immigration authorities through a law that requires the local agencies in charge of jails to be enrolled in 287(g) programs.

However, Doral’s involvement in the program could be seen as a seemingly surprising turn, with the city being home to one of the largest proportions of Venezuelan immigrants in the United States, leading to concerns about the program from many in the local population.

The 287(g) agreements with ICE have become more common across the country. (John Moore/Getty Images)

BLUE STATE SHERIFFS COMBINE FORCES TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST SANCTUARY LAWS

Doral Councilwoman Digna Cabral acknowledged those concerns, telling Fox News Digital that she hopes Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez will provide further explanation on the details of the program during Wednesday’s proceedings, noting that immigration enforcement is “a sensitive topic” for many in the community.

“I believe it is important to approach this matter with care, clarity, and full transparency,” Cabral told Fox News Digital. “At this stage, I have not taken a final position, and I will await the full presentation and discussion at the Council meeting before making any further statements.”

Porras acknowledged those concerns as well, but argued that the agreement “is not designed to discriminate against anyone” and that she will not “support its use for that purpose.”

Doral, Florida is home to one of the largest populations of Venezuelan immigrants. (D.A. Varela/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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“As an experienced immigration attorney with many years of helping families in South Florida, I understand the serious consequences of discriminatory practices and remain fully committed to ensuring that our laws are applied fairly and justly,” Porras told Fox News Digital. “I will make sure that our law-abiding residents are not negatively affected. My focus is on promoting public safety, protecting civil rights, and ensuring that everyone in our community feels safe and respected.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James is in the preliminary stages of looking into whether President Donald Trump’s recent reciprocal tariff pause included insider trading violations, Fox News Digital confirmed. 

James, who is a longtime political foe of Trump’s, is only in the preliminary stages of investigating whether Trump or people close to him may have had advance knowledge of a tariff decision that caused stock markets to surge. The attorney general’s office confirmed the preliminary review of the matter to Fox News Digital Wednesday morning.

Trump’s customized, reciprocal tariffs on nations that historically have installed trade barriers on U.S. goods took effect April 9.

Trump, ahead of pausing the reciprocal tariffs, posted to Truth Social, “BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!” and “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT.”

He announced a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs later that day in a surprise move that helped push U.S. markets sharply higher. 

China, however, was not part of the tariff pause and was instead hit with a higher 125% tariff after retaliating with its own additional tariffs against the U.S., and the 10% baseline tariff leveled on nations earlier in April was kept in place. 

NY AG LETITIA JAMES SKEWERED FOR ‘DISTASTEFUL’ REMARKS AFTER TRUMP VICTORY: ‘UTTER ARROGANCE’

President Donald Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James. James’ office is conducting a preliminary review into possible insider trading related to Trump’s April tariff announcement that triggered a historic stock market rally. (Getty Images)

TRUMP VOWS NOBODY GETTING ‘OFF THE HOOK’ FOR ‘UNFAIR’ TRADE BALANCES, SAYS THERE WAS NO TARIFF ‘EXCEPTION’

The DOW went up 7.9%, the S&P 500 rose 9.5% and the Nasdaq jumped 12.2% the same day.

Some lawmakers have raised concerns about possible insider trading. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” that the Securities and Exchange Commission should investigate.

“It’s entirely appropriate to have an investigation to make sure that Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s family, Donald Trump’s inner circle, didn’t get advance information and trade on that information,” Warren said.

Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., wrote a letter Thursday to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, as well as Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, calling for an investigation into potential insider trading. 

President Donald Trump. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The White House hit back in comments provided to Fox Digital amid allegations of insider trading that Democrats were “playing partisan games.” 

WH SLAMS DEMS’ ‘PARTISAN GAMES’ AFTER TRUMP-FOE SCHIFF CALLS FOR INSIDER TRADING INVESTIGATION OVER TARIFFS

“It is the responsibility of the President of the United States to reassure the markets and Americans about their economic security in the face of nonstop media fearmongering,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in comment to Fox Digital Thursday. “Democrats railed against China’s cheating for decades, and now they’re playing partisan games instead of celebrating President Trump’s decisive action yesterday to finally corner China,” 

New York State Attorney General Letitia James, a former city council member in New York and public defender, launched her run for New York attorney general during the 2018 cycle. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

James, a former city council member in New York and public defender, launched her run for New York attorney general during the 2018 cycle, while emphasizing that if she were elected, she would aggressively pursue legal charges against Trump, vowing to expose the “con man” following her win that year. 

James reported in November 2024 that her office took on nearly 100 legal challenges against Trump during his first administration and added after his second presidential win last year that she would continue challenging him in the courts to “defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law.”

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“We did not expect this result, but we are prepared to respond to this result. And my office has been preparing for several months because we’ve been here before,” James said following Trump’s election win in November 2024. “We faced this challenge before, and we used the rule of law to fight back. And we are prepared to fight back once again because, as the attorney general of this great state, it is my job to protect and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law. And I will not shrink from that responsibility.”

Under the 1921 Martin Act, the New York attorney general has broad authority to investigate possible securities fraud.

The law allows the office to subpoena witnesses, demand documents, and bring civil or criminal cases without proving intent to defraud.

An illegal immigrant who was arrested in January on charges of incest and sexual battery is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being released from a Virginia county jail.

Officers with ICE, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security team, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and Virginia State Police arrested Marvin Mateo-Alberto last week, a Honduran national who was in the U.S. illegally, according to an ICE release.

The Hoduran national first illegally entered the U.S. in October 2005 near Eagle Pass, Texas, according to the release, where he was given a notice to appear in front of an immigration judge.

ICE USING SOCIAL SECURITY RECORDS TO AID TRUMP PUSH TO DEPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Marvin Mateo-Alberto was taken into custody by officers from multiple agencies. (ICE)

In April 2006, a Justice Department judge ordered that Mateo-Alberto be removed from the United States.

Despite that, Mateo-Alberto was arrested in January by the Fairfax County Police Department and charged with incest with a 13-to-17-year-old child and aggravated sexual battery: parent with a 13-to-17-year-old child, the release notes, resulting in ICE lodging a detainer against him with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

However, the release notes, the county detention center did not honor the ICE detainer and released Mateo-Alberto 15 days after his arrest.

Fairfax County has “not designated” itself “as a sanctuary county,” according to the county’s website, adding that it “complies to the fullest extent required by federal, state or local law with any law enforcement agency requesting criminal law enforcement assistance.”

However, the website also notes its official policy is that it “does not and will not enforce civil federal immigration laws.”

Marvin Mateo-Alberto was initially arrested by Fairfax County Police in January. (Fairfax County Police)

FLORIDA’S LARGEST VENEZUELAN STRONGHOLD POISED TO JOIN FORCES WITH ICE: REPORT

“The federal courts have determined that the enforcement of civil immigration laws is solely a federal responsibility under the exclusive authority of ICE,” the county website reads.

The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Mateo-Alberto was eventually arrested by ICE on April 10 and remains in the agency’s custody, according to the ICE release.

An ICE detainer against Marvin Mateo-Alberto was not honored by the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. (ICE)

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“Marvin Mateo-Alberto stands accused of some very appalling and disturbing crimes and represents a threat to the children of our Virginia communities,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C., Field Office Director Russell Hott said. 

“We cannot in good conscience allow Mr. Mateo to continue to potentially threaten other children in our neighborhoods. ICE Washington, D.C. will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing criminal alien threats from our streets.”

While American taxpayers are familiar with the annual rigmarole of filing their federal taxes and realizing just how much of their hard-earned money Uncle Sam is taking away, several House Republicans are pushing a proposal to take some things away from the Internal Revenue Service: Guns and ammunition.

The “Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act” would disarm the federal agency, prohibiting the commissioner of internal revenue from using funds to buy, receive or store firearms and ammo, and requiring the transfer of IRS firearms and ammunition to the Administrator of General Services. 

The guns would then be sold or auctioned to licensed dealers and the ammo would be auctioned to the public. 

Proceeds would go to “the general fund of the Treasury for the sole purpose of deficit reduction,” the measure stipulates.

TRUMP SAYS THERE’S A ‘REAL CHANCE’ TARIFFS COULD REPLACE INCOME TAX

Rep. Barry Moore introduced the “Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act.” (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images | Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

The bill states that “there are transferred to the Department of Justice the authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, which shall be maintained as a distinct entity within the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, including the related functions of the Secretary of the Treasury.”

Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., introduced the measure, which is backed by three original cosponsors: GOP Reps. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Mary Miller of Illinois, and Clay Higgins of Louisiana. 

The IRS says on its website that its “mission is to provide America’s taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and to enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all.”

WHITE HOUSE QUIETLY FLOATS MILLIONAIRE TAX HIKE PROPOSAL IN CONGRESS AS GOP LEADERS SIGNAL OPPOSITION

But Moore claimed that the federal agency has regularly been “weaponized.”

“The IRS has consistently been weaponized against American citizens, targeted religious organizations, journalists, gun owners, and everyday Americans,” Moore asserted, according to a press release. 

“Arming these agents does not make the American public safer. My legislation, the Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act, would disarm these agents, auction off their guns to Federal Firearms License Owners, and sell their ammunition to the public. The only thing IRS agents should be armed with are calculators.”

HAWLEY URGES REPUBLICANS TO CUT TAXES FOR WORKING-CLASS VOTERS WHO ‘PUT TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE’

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In an April 15 post on X Moore noted, “Tax Day is a great reminder that it’s time for the IRS to stop wasting our taxpayer dollars stockpiling guns and ammo.”

Easter Monday could soon be a federal holiday under a new legislative proposal.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va., are leading the way on legislation to make the day following Easter Sunday a holiday amid several other countries also recognizing the holiday.

In a thread posted to X, Schmitt cited a poll that 81% of Americans celebrated Easter as of 2023, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

“This isn’t a radical idea. It’s a federal recognition of a tradition that is central to Western civilization—a tradition that’s already recognized as a public holiday in nations across (and beyond!) the West, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most of Western Europe,” the Republican lawmaker said.

WHITE HOUSE PLANS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ HOLY WEEK AS TRUMP HONORS EASTER WITH ‘THE OBSERVANCE IT DESERVES’

Senator Eric Schmitt, a Republican from Missouri, during the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. ( Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Easter is a floating holiday, it can fall from Mar 22 to April 25. The only two-month gap in our federal holiday calendar is April-May. An Easter Monday holiday fills the gap—creating a three-day weekend when workers and families need it most. Pro-worker. Pro-family. Pro-faith,” he added.

“There are plenty of practical arguments for it, too. Easter weekend already generates around $15 billion for our economy. Making it a three-day weekend could boost that by an estimated 10-15%, adding up to $2 billion in economic activity while strengthening American families.”

There are 11 public federal holidays, which means that the federal public sector is closed, along with many private sector businesses. 

AHEAD OF EASTER AND AMID BIRD FLU, IS IT SAFE TO COLOR EGGS?

Children dying Easter eggs at the table at home. (iStock)

The most recently added public holiday is Juneteenth, which is meant to recognize the abolition of slavery in the United States. It was signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2021.

Christmas Day is the only traditionally religious holiday on the list.

Easter is on Sunday, and it is often considered the highest holiday in the Christian faith as it honors the resurrection of Jesus after the crucifixion on Good Friday. Additionally, it is also widely regarded in the U.S. as a spring celebration with the Easter Bunny and egg hunts.

UK SCHOOL FACES BACKLASH AFTER CANCELING EASTER CELEBRATION FOR ‘INCLUSIVITY’

The congregation follows along to the Lord’s Prayer. Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley celebrates Solemn Mass on Easter Sunday, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston on March 31. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

“The passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in the history of the world. ‘Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld,’” Moore tweeted.

Senate bill 1426 was introduced by Schmitt on Thursday, and it’s been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Texas will likely have its own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) very soon after lawmakers passed a bill to create an efficiency office within the governor’s office. 

The bill, known as Senate Bill 14 (S.B. 14) and inspired by Elon Musk’s DOGE, would create a new Texas Regulatory Office which aims to streamline state regulations and eliminate unnecessary rules.

An advisory panel would also be established to work with the governor and help Texas state agencies cut red tape, eliminate unnecessary or burdensome rules and make regulations more cost-effective and transparent. The panel would be made up of business owners, researchers, state agencies and the public.

A Texas state flag and White House Senior Advisor Elon Musk walks to the White House after landing in Marine One on the South Lawn. Samuel Corum/Getty Images (Samuel Corum/Getty Images, right.)

DOGE UNCOVERS MASSIVE VA CONTRACT FOR ‘SALARY SURVEY DATA AND ANALYSIS’ — SAYS IT CANCELED IT, SAVING MILLIONS

S.B. 14 has passed both chambers of the Texas Legislature and is heading to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed into law. Abbott has not publicly stated whether he will sign the bill.

The bill was authored by Weatherford Republican Phil King while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said previously that it would help save taxpayers money and grow the Texas economy by “cutting red tape.”

S.B. 14 has passed both chambers of the Texas Legislature and is heading to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed into law. Abbott, pictured, has not publicly stated whether he will sign the bill. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

JASON CHAFFETZ: DEMOCRATS HAVE MADE A FATAL ERROR OPPOSING DOGE

“I prioritized SB 14 because President Trump’s creation of the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ inspired me to find ways Texas can save taxpayers and businesses money by cutting burdensome regulations,” Patrick said, according to Fox 26.

“The Texas Miracle will continue long into the 21st century because our common-sense, conservative approach to regulation will keep Texans prosperous and our economy strong.”

The bill also requires agencies to write rules in plain language, reduce paperwork and fees, and justify new rules with clear cost and benefit analyses. It also gives courts more power to challenge agency interpretations of laws, shifting legal authority away from agencies.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk sit down for a “Hannity” exclusive interview where they discussed DOGE. (Fox News)

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Additionally, it requires the development of an interactive website where the public can easily search for agency rules and forms as well as regulatory information by topic, industry, or North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.

The Elon Musk-led DOGE has shaken up federal bureaucracies and uncovered billions of dollars in wasteful spending. Through canceling contracts, workforce reductions and more, DOGE says it has so far saved taxpayers $155 billion. 

Police forcibly escorted at least six people out of a town hall being held by GOP Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tuesday night and were forced to deploy a taser against two of the individuals.

Reporters on the ground at the event in Georgia indicated there were at least six protesters escorted from the town hall within minutes of it starting. Three of the individuals were eventually charged by police for their involvement in the disruption, including one for disorderly conduct, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. 

“Put your hands behind your back!” a police officer can be heard in a video of the incident shared on social media by CBS News reporter Jared Eggleston. “F— off –” the man can be heard yelling as he disappeared off-screen behind a wall, before a loud bang could be heard followed by the sound of a taser.

VIOLENT ATTACKS FROM ANTI-MUSK, ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTERS PLAGUE NATION, COMPEL GOP LAWMAKERS TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS 

A second bang from another taser going off could be heard shortly thereafter.

Image of police deploying their taser against a man following a physical altercation with the subject as police attempted to escort him out of the town hall. (Fox News Digital)

The suspect, who was tasered by police, can be seen brawling with officers before they deployed the stun gun twice.

Different videos from the event show a handful of others being escorted out, with some leaving on their own volition and others having to be literally dragged out by police. 

“Free Garcia,” one protester could be heard saying as they were exiting in a video posted to X, referring to Kilmar Ábrego García, who has been at the center of a deportation controversy after a federal judge said the Trump administration wrongly deported him with a group of Venezuelan gang members. 

“Free Kilmar!” another could be heard screaming repeatedly on video as they were escorted out.

PRO-LIFE JOURNALIST ASSAULTED ON STREET ASSIGNS BLAME TO DEMOCRATIC RHETORIC

At moments, as police escorted the protesters out of the town hall, Green engaged with the disruptors.  

“The protest is outside. Thank you very much,” Greene said. “If you were to sit and listen, you’re welcome to listen. Everyone across the aisle – Democrats, Independents,” she added while someone was being escorted out.  

“I’m glad they got thrown out,” Greene said following the event. “That’s exactly what I wanted to see happen … This isn’t a political rally or a protest. I held a town hall tonight. You know who was out of line? The protesters.” 

The disruption at Greene’s rally follows increased volatility at local GOP town halls. Things have gotten tense enough that the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., has told his fellow Republicans to temporarily refrain from holding in-person town hall events. 

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Citing the uptick in “Democrat threats of violence,” GOP Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman followed Hudson’s advice and moved all of her in-person town halls online. The move came after an incident in which an attendee of one of her in-person events followed Hageman as she left and initiated a physical confrontation with her staff, eventually requiring police to intervene.

Green was only one of a handful of GOP members that decided to do an in-person event amid the current ongoing legislative recess, according to NBC News.

Vice President JD Vance asserted that he and President Donald Trump will not allow the “illegal migrant invasion” that occurred during President Joe Biden’s White House tenure to be ratified via “fake legal process.”

He suggested that if the people crying “lack of due process” regarding the deportation of illegal aliens do not have a proposed solution that allows the nation to remove at least several million illegal aliens annually, they do not actually want to achieve border security and expel the illegal immigrants.

“When the media and the far left obsess over an MS-13 gang member and demand that he be returned to the United States for a *third* deportation hearing, what they’re really saying is they want the vast majority of illegal aliens to stay here permanently,” Vance wrote in the lengthy Tuesday night post on X.

TWO VENEZUELAN ILLEGAL ALIENS CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING, TORTURING, ATTEMPTING TO KILL WASHINGTON STATE WOMAN

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are seen after a ceremony with the 2025 College Football Playoff National Champions Ohio State Buckeyes on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday, April 14, 2025 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Here’s a useful test: ask the people weeping over the lack of due process what precisely they propose for dealing with Biden’s millions and millions of illegals. And with reasonable resource and administrative judge constraints, does their solution allow us to deport at least a few million people per year?” he noted.

“If the answer is no, they’ve given their game away. They don’t want border security. They don’t want us to deport the people who’ve come into our country illegally. They want to accomplish through fake legal process what they failed to accomplish politically: The ratification of Biden’s illegal migrant invasion. President Trump and I will not stand for [it],” Vance declared.

PAM BONDI CALLS OUT ‘DETACHED FROM REALITY’ DEMS FOR DEMANDING ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER BE RETURNED TO US

The vice president asserted that American voters elected the Trump administration to fix the illegal immigration issue.

“Consider that Joe Biden allowed approximately 20 million illegal aliens into our country. This placed extraordinary burdens on our country–our schools, hospitals, housing, and other essential services were overwhelmed. On top of that, many of these illegal aliens committed violent crimes, or facilitated fentanyl and sex trafficking. That is the situation we inherited,” he wrote.

BORDER CROSSINGS HIT RECORD LOW IN MARCH THANKS TO ‘VIGILANT’ WORK OF AGENTS: REPORT

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“The American people elected the Trump administration to solve this problem. The President has successfully stopped the inflow of illegal aliens, and now we must deport the people who came here illegally,” he declared.

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…

-CDC eyes narrower COVID-19 vaccine guidance ahead of 2025–2026 season

-Top Republican warns families of ‘largest tax hike in history’ next year if Trump budget fails

–Biden to address disability advocates in first major speech since leaving White House

Placed on leave 

A top advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon on Tuesday and placed on administrative leave, according to a Defense Department official. 

Reuters first reported Caldwell had been placed on leave for an “unauthorized disclosure” of information amid an investigation into Pentagon leaks. An official confirmed to Fox News Digital that Reuters’ reporting is accurate but declined to comment on an ongoing investigation. 

Caldwell previously worked at restraint-minded think tank Defense Priorities and Concerned Veterans for America, a group formerly led by Hegseth. A foreign policy realist, he has argued that the U.S. should dramatically reduce its footprint in Europe and pull out forces in Iraq and Syria…Read more

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a joint press conference with Panama’s Security Minister Frank Abrego (out of frame) after the signing of a bilateral agreement, in Panama City on April 9, 2025. Hegseth arrived in Panama for the regional security summit and to reinforce the Trump administration’s continued interest over the canal. (FRANCO BRANA/AFP via Getty Images)

White House

‘NEED TO COMPLY’: SCOTUS should hold Trump admin in contempt over deported Salvadoran migrant

DEPORTATION BATTLE: Trump admin defies court over Maryland deportation, ignites legal showdown

‘SUPPORTING SICKNESS’: Trump says Harvard should lose its tax exempt status, be treated as ‘political entity’ amid funding dispute

Cambridge, MA – April 1: Protesters gather outside Harvard University to show their disapproval of actions taken under the Trump administration.  (Brett Phelps/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

CHECKMATE: Trump admin strikes deal for new state-of-the-art border checkpoint in California

ROLLING BACK: Trump directs agencies to follow Supreme Court rulings, as he continues to rein in administrative state

‘HIGHER SECURITY’: Top Trump agency reveals key reason why REAL ID will be enforced

World Stage

DISMISSED: Judge greenlights DOJ’s motion to drop gun case against Salvadoran, accused MS-13 leader

BEST BROS: El Salvador’s Bukele after friendly White House meeting with Trump: ‘I miss you already, President T’

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president, during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, April 14, 2025 (Al Drago for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Capitol Hill

‘BAD MEDICINE’: Schumer calls on Leland Dudek, acting commissioner of SSA, to resign

GREENE DAY: Marjorie Taylor Greene brings town hall to Harris-won Georgia county, shrugs off possible ‘outbursts’

CASH DASH: House Republican campaign arm touts ‘unstoppable momentum’ with record fundraising haul

‘BIG BOOST’: GOP senator reveals why Trump’s ‘complete and total endorsement’ will be crucial for his midterm race

President Trump recently endorsed Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted’s campaign (Fox/Getty)

COMEBACK KID: First Mexico-born rep targets indictment-plagued Democrat in House GOP comeback bid

‘DEEP DIVISIONS’: AOC tells rally goers don’t let Republicans ‘trick’ them into identity politics, stoking racial divisions

‘KAMALA’S PLAYBOOK’: Social media erupts after AOC debuts another ‘strange’ accent at rally: ‘Kamala’s playbook’

WAR OF THE WORDS: Left-wing lawmaker calls Trump MAGA’s ‘buffoon of a leader’: ‘Thank me later’

Across America

DEPARTMENT DISMANTLED: Shapiro leads lawsuit against Trump admin for pulling COVID-era school funding

BILLION-DOLLAR BAILOUT: Newsom signs $2.8B bailout for healthcare program overrun by illegal immigrants

BY THE NUMBERS: ICE using Social Security records to aid Trump push to deport illegal immigrants

The Social Security Administration has begun moving some migrants on the terror watch list to an ineligible database. (Getty Images)

VISA CRACKDOWN: ACLU of Indiana sues Trump admin, claims DHS violated rights of foreign students

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

It’s too bad there are no cameras allowed in federal courtrooms, because I really would like to see Mark Zuckerberg testify.

He was the leadoff witness in the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Meta, and that in itself was news.

The clash is the most sweeping attempt to dismember the world’s biggest social network, and goes to the heart of how competition is defined.

HAWLEY DEMANDS ZUCKERBERG TESTIFY ON ALLEGED TIES BETWEEN META, CHINA

Not since the government broke up AT&T more than four decades ago has a mega-corporation faced the prospect of being torn apart.

The suit was filed in the first Trump term (the president couldn’t stand Facebook at the time), aggressively pursued by Joe Biden, and now has finally come to trial in a Washington courtroom.

Trump once told me Facebook was such a threat to society that he used it as justification for flip-flopping on his effort to ban TikTok. 

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was the leadoff witness in the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against his company. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

But since he won a second term, Zuck, like many tech bros, has been cozying up to the new sheriff in town, including a $1-million donation to the president’s inaugural.

There are reports that when the man who runs Facebook recently met with Trump, he asked about the possibility of dropping the lawsuit. Obviously, it didn’t work.

The focus of the trial is Zuckerberg’s decision to buy Instagram and WhatsApp when they were small start-ups.

FACT-CHECKING DIRECTOR WARNS OF ‘CRISIS’ AS META, TRUMP’S DOGE CUTS THREATEN THEIR ‘HONORABLE, PATRIOTIC’ WORK

The FTC’s lead lawyer questioned Zuckerberg about a platform meant to foster ties between family and friends to a concentration on showing users interesting third-party content through its news feed.

“It’s the case that over time, the ‘interest’ part of that has gotten built out more than the ‘friend’ part,” Zuckerberg said. He added that “the ‘friend’ part has gone down quite a bit, but it’s still something we care about.”

Translation: Screw the friends. Very 2010s. We’ve moved on.

Zuckerberg spoke slowly – at least according to reporters who were there – and he was back on the hot seat yesterday. FTC lawyers pressed him on a stack of emails he had sent:  

“We really need to get our act together quickly on this since Instagram’s growing so fast.

“Instagram has become a large and viable competitor to us on mobile photos, which will increasingly be the future of photos.”

WHISTLEBLOWER TELLS SENATE COMMITTEE THAT META UNDERMINED US NATIONAL SECURITY TO COZY UP TO CHINA

“If Instagram continues to kick ass on photos, or if Google buys them, then over the next few years they could easily add pieces of their service that copy what we’re doing now.” Which was a flop called Facebook Camera.

In yet another message, Zuck called Instagram’s growth “really scary,” saying “we might want to consider paying a lot of money for this.” Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in 2012, and two years later spent $19 billion on WhatsApp.

In an email to Tom Alison, head of Facebook, Z offered alternatives:

“Option 1. Double down on Friending. One potentially crazy idea is to consider wiping everyone’s graphs and having them start again.”

Alison responded: “I’m not sure Option #1 in your proposal (Double-down on Friending) would be viable given my understanding of how vital the friend use case is to IG.”

Meta bought out Instagram for $1 billion and WhatsApp for $19 billion before they took off. (Meta)

Now we come to the fascinating part.

It’s not breaking news that Mark’s judgment can be flawed. Remember when he insisted that virtual reality would be the next big thing? 

But he argues that Meta has all kinds of rivals in the “entertainment” area, such as X, TikTok and YouTube – and he easily could have added Snap, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and HBO’s Max. It’s all about the battle for eyeballs now. There are only so many hours in the day. Mindshare is everything.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

And with group chats all the rage, Meta doesn’t do well on that kind of interaction, with Instagram as a possible exception.

Now of course it’s in Zuckerberg’s self-interest to testify that he competes with anything that has a screen. But it’s not that far off the mark. Keep in mind that Meta has 4 billion active monthly users.

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I sure wish we could see the embattled CEO making the case that he’s awash in a vast sea of rivals. 

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum visited New Mexico on Tuesday to announce the U.S. Army will take control of nearly 110,000 acres of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border, the latest attempt to curb illegal immigration and trafficking.

The 109,651 acres of federal land will be transferred to the Army for three years, subject to valid existing rights, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The move comes after President Donald Trump last week signed a memorandum, “Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions,” directing the secretaries of Defense, Interior, Agriculture and Homeland Security to take control of federal lands “reasonably necessary to enable military activities.”

The switch in jurisdiction will allow the government to protect sensitive natural and cultural resources in the region, while helping the Army support U.S. Border Patrol operations in securing the border and preventing illegal immigration, according to the Department of the Interior.

NAVY DEPLOYS ANOTHER HOUTHI-FIGHTING WARSHIP TO NEW US SOUTHERN BORDER MISSION 

A group of over 100 migrants attempted to enter the U.S. illegally on Thursday, March 21, 2024. (James Breeden for New York Post/Mega)

“Securing our border and protecting our nation’s resources go hand in hand,” Burgum said in the statement. “The American people gave President Trump a mandate to make America safe and strong again.”

Burgum said the change reflects Interior’s commitment to public safety, national security and responsible stewardship of public lands.

Migrants at the southern border in Arizona. (U.S. Border Patrol)

TRUMP ORDERS MILITARY TO TAKE CONTROL OF FEDERAL LAND AT SOUTHERN BORDER

The Army requested the transfer on “an emergency basis,” so they could increase regular patrols by federal personnel.

Trump declared a national emergency earlier this year along the southern border.

The Army will also be able to build infrastructure to prevent illegal immigrants, human traffickers and narcotics from crossing the border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s agents from the Houlton Sector arrest illegal border crosser in March of 2025.  (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

The department noted the crisis along the border is not limited to national security and law enforcement concerns, but also “presents an environmental crisis.”

Nearly two dozen federally endangered species live in the region, which was previously managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

The region also contains cultural sites that range from small artifact scatters to large multiroom pueblos, which could be harmed by repeated foot traffic, unregulated vehicle use and the creation of informal trails or camps, according to the statement. 

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High-traffic illegal crossings could lead to soil erosion, damage to fragile desert vegetation and critical wildlife habitat, loss and damage to cultural resources, increased fire risk and pollution from trash and human waste.  

The department acknowledged some of the land transferred to the Army is essential to the livelihoods of local communities and said the Bureau of Land Management will work with the Army to ensure “some” uses will continue to support local grazing and mining.

White House aides are quietly floating a proposal within the House GOP that would raise the tax rate for people making more than $1 million to 40%, two sources familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital, to offset the cost of eliminating tips on overtime pay, tipped wages, and retirees’ Social Security.

The sources stressed the discussions were only preliminary, and the plan is one of many being talked about as congressional Republicans work on advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process.

Trump and his White House have not yet taken a position on the matter, but the idea is being looked at by his aides and staff on Capitol Hill.

Meanwhile House GOP leaders including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have publicly opposed the idea of any tax hikes.

TRUMP OPEN TO SENDING VIOLENT AMERICAN CRIMINALS TO EL SALVADOR PRISONS

Speaker Mike Johnson is working to pass President Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process (Getty Images)

“I’m not a big fan of doing that. I mean, we’re the Republican Party and we’re for tax reduction for everyone,” Johnson said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”

One GOP lawmaker asked about the proposal and granted anonymity to speak candidly said they would be open to supporting it but preferred a higher starting point than $1 million.

They said the reaction was “mixed” among other House Republicans. But not all House GOP lawmakers are privy to the discussions, and it’s not immediately clear how wide the proposal has been circulated.

Nevertheless, it signals that Republicans are deeply divided on how to go about enacting Trump’s tax agenda.

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

Extending Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and enacting his newer tax proposals is a cornerstone of Republicans’ plans for the budget reconciliation process.

By lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, it allows the party in power to skirt opposition to pass a sweeping piece of legislation advancing its own priorities – provided the measures deal with tax, spending, or the national debt.

Extending Trump’s tax cuts is expected to cost trillions of dollars alone. But even if Republicans use a budgetary calculation to hide its cost, known as current policy baseline, they will still have to find a path forward for new policies eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay, and retirees’ Social Security checks.

Hiking taxes on the ultra-wealthy could also serve to put Democrats in a tricky political situation in forcing them to choose between supporting Trump’s policies and opposing an idea they’ve pushed for years.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is also opposed to raising taxes on the rich (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

The top income tax rate is currently about 37% on $609,351 in earnings for a single person or $731,201 for married couples. 

But raising the rate for millionaires could be one way to pay for Trump’s new tax policies.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., one of the deficit hawks leading the charge to ensure new spending is paired with deep cuts elsewhere, said “That’s one possibility.”

“What I’d like to do is I’d actually like to find spending reductions elsewhere in the budget, but if we can’t get enough spending reductions, we’re going to have to pay for our tax cuts,” Harris told “Mornings with Maria” last week.

“Before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the highest tax bracket was 39.6%, it was less than $1 million. Ideally, what we could do, again, if we can’t find spending reductions, we say ‘Okay, let’s restore that higher bracket, let’s set it at maybe $2 million income and above,’ to help pay for the rest of the president’s agenda.”

But Johnson’s No. 2, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., again poured cold water on the idea Tuesday.

“I don’t support that initiative,” Scalise told “Mornings with Maria,” though he added, “everything’s on the table.”

House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris signaled openness to the idea (Getty Images)

“That’s why you hear all kind of ideas being bounced around. And if we take no action, then you’d have over 90% of Americans see a tax increase,” Scalise warned.

Bloomberg News was first to report House Republicans’ 40% tax hike proposal.

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When reached for comment, the White House pointed Fox News Digital to comments by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier on Tuesday when she said Trump had not made up his mind on another proposal to raise the corporate tax rate.

“I’ve seen this idea proposed. I’ve heard this idea discussed. But I don’t believe the president has made a determination on whether he supports it or not,” Leavitt said.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.

The Defense Department’s (DOD) deputy chief of staff was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday, following the steps of another Pentagon official earlier in the day.

Darin Selnick, the deputy chief of staff for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been removed, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.

Selnick is under investigation for the same leak probe that saw Hegseth aide Dan Caldwell escorted out of the Pentagon by security. Both Selnick and Caldwell are on administrative leave.

According to the Pentagon’s website, Selnick is a retired Air Force officer who has worked extensively in veterans’ affairs organizations.

“Mr. Selnick leverages his extensive government and non-government experience advocating for veterans to position Service members for productive post-separation lives from the first day they put on a uniform,” the biography states.

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Pentagon deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick was removed from the Department of Defense headquarters on Tuesday. (Department of Defense | Getty Images)

Both Selnick and Caldwell worked for Concerned Veterans for America in the past, a group formerly led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Reuters reported that Caldwell was placed on leave for an “unauthorized disclosure,” as part of an investigation into leaked Pentagon documents.

The probe was announced last month, and concerned itself over “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information.” 

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Pete Hegseth, US defense secretary, during a news conference in Warsaw, Poland. (Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,” DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in a memo at the time. “This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.”

An official told Politico that the leak concerned Panama Canal plans and Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon, among other matters.

Pentagon officials Dan Caldwell, left, and Darin Selnick are being investigated amid the probe. (Concerned Veterans for America | Department of Defense)

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More information about the leak is unknown, and there is currently no evidence to connect Caldwell or Selnick to that leak.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that a $150 million federal grant had been finalized to construct a new port of entry facility and road for the San Diego-Baja California border.

As part of the agreement for the grant, Green New Deal requirements from the Biden administration, including a zero-emission vehicle charging provision, will be removed.

The DOT called the requirements a waste of taxpayer funds, taking away from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) mission toward national security.

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The Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project was awarded a grant from the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program in September 2022, though the project never moved forward.

The Otay Mesa, Calif., commercial port of entry is one of three ports of entry in the San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan region. (Google Maps)

“Thanks to the prior administration’s lack of focus, this critical project sat in limbo for two years. No more. We moved to finalize this deal so we can help protect our Southern border and crack down on drug trafficking while preventing tax dollars subsidizing pointless Green New Deal priorities,” Duffy said. “This department will continue to clear the previous administration’s unprecedented grants backlog and deliver results.” 

The $150 million investment will give the CBP new state-of-the-art inspection facilities, as well as a commercial vehicle enforcement facility.

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The deployment of intelligent transportation technologies to help manage traffic demand through dynamic tolling will also be included, which the DOT said will increase inspection efficiency and bolster cross-border trade.

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DOT added that the project will reduce congestion, bring economic benefits and spur job creation across Southern California.

The nearly 3,600 trucks that cross the border at Otay Mesa and Tecate Ports of Entry, which are currently operating at full capacity, will have an alternative crossing once the project is complete.

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The project comes after the Trump administration inherited over 3,200 grants which were promoted by the Biden administration but never followed through on, according to the DOT.

“This unprecedented backlog of unobligated grants delayed critical investments in communities across the country,” the DOT said in a news release. “Under Secretary Duffy’s leadership, the Department is working diligently to accelerate the distribution of these long-overdue funds and address core infrastructure projects.”