NationalWatch

President Donald Trump is doubling down on his controversial tariffs program and has called on Americans to “hang tough” amid stock market turmoil over the last few days. 

Trump, in a post on Truth Social Saturday morning, wrote that his plan is already working with trillions of dollars already being poured into the U.S. economy.

“We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before. Already, more than FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT, and rising fast! THIS IS AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION, AND WE WILL WIN,” Trump wrote. 

President Donald Trump is doubling down on his controversial tariffs program and has called on Americans to stay the course amid stock market turmoil over the last few days. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

HERE’S WHAT TRUMP IS REALLY UP TO WITH HIGH-STAKES TARIFF GAMBIT

This week’s steep losses for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were among the worst in the past decade as stocks tumbled for a second day in a row. On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 2,231.07 points, or 5.5%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite fell 5.97% and 5.82%, respectively. The Nasdaq entered into bear market territory on Friday.

Trump implemented a 10% baseline tariff on all imported goods into the United States while some countries were slapped with higher tariffs.

But Trump remains defiant that his plan will work in the long term as he aims to reduce America’s trade deficit with other countries, protect American industries and bolster jobs by encouraging companies to move manufacturing back to the U.S.

“HANG TOUGH, it won’t be easy, but the end result will be historic,” Trump wrote. “We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump wrote. 

Trump took aim at China after the communist country clapped back to Trump’s Liberation Day tariff announcement with a reciprocal 34% tariff on U.S. imports.

“China has been hit much harder than the USA, not even close,” Trump wrote. “They, and many other nations, have treated us unsustainably badly. We have been the dumb and helpless “whipping post,” but not any longer.”

Trump’s 34% tariffs announced against China on Wednesday come in addition to the 20% tariffs already imposed against the country.

Trump implemented a 10% baseline tariff on all imported goods into the United States while some countries were slapped with higher tariffs. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

HOW WE GOT TO LIBERATION DAY: A LOOK AT TRUMP’S PAST COMMENTS ON TARIFFS

“China played it wrong, they panicked — the one thing they cannot afford to do,” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social.

The back and forth has raised concerns about a global trade war and possible recession.

The new Chinese tariffs against the U.S. will go into effect on April 10, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Companies who sell their goods to China were hit hard on Friday, including those in aerospace, agriculture and heavy equipment.

Some of Thursday’s biggest losers — banks, airlines and technology companies — sank again on Friday. Others, such as retailers, clothing and restaurants, were down but not nearly as bad. A handful, like Nike, even posted small gains on Friday.

A television broadcasts market news on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Friday, April 4, 2025. The S&P 500 slumped 5.97% on Friday, closing out its worst week since COVID. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The so-called Magnificent 7 stocks that have dominated the market the past few years had some of the heaviest losses. Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Tesla have lost around $1.8 trillion in market value combined in the past two days.

Meanwhile, a conservative legal group is challenging President Trump’s tariffs on China, calling them “an unlawful attempt” to make Americans pay higher taxes on Chinese imports. 

The Fox Business team and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump marked the week by unveiling an unprecedented wave of tariffs on imports to the U.S., aligning with his long-held position that other countries have taken advantage of the U.S. in trade. 

Trump disclosed the historic tariffs in a ceremony at the White House’s Rose Garden for a “Make America Wealthy Again” event, asserting these new duties would generate new jobs for U.S. workers. 

“For nations that treat us badly, we will calculate the combined rate of all their tariffs, nonmonetary barriers and other forms of cheating,” Trump said Wednesday.

“And because we are being very kind, we will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us,” he said. “So, the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal. I could have done that. Yes. But it would have been tough for a lot of countries.”

HERE’S A CLOSER LOOK AT TRUMP’S TARIFF PLAN: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW DUTIES

The tariff plan establishes a baseline tax of 10% on all imports to the U.S., along with customized tariffs for countries that place higher tariffs on American goods. The baseline tariffs of 10% will take effect Saturday, while the others will take effect Wednesday. 

The Trump administration previously imposed a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, up to 25% tariffs on certain goods from Mexico and Canada and a 20% tariff on shipments from China. The tariffs already imposed on Canada and Mexico remain unaffected, but the new tariffs on China will be added on top of the previous duties on Beijing, according to the White House. 

President Donald Trump during a “Make America Wealthy Again” event in the Rose Garden of the White House April 2, 2025.  (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The tariffs have faced backlash from both parties in Congress, and allies, including Canada and Australia. A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Friday called the Trade Review Act of 2025 that would require the executive branch to provide Congress a 48-hour notice before imposing tariffs. Likewise, the measure would permit tariffs to expire after 60 days, unless Congress moves to approve a joint resolution codifying the duties. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged countries against imposing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in response. 

“My advice to every country right now: Do not retaliate,” Bessent said in an interview Wednesday with Fox News. “If you retaliate, there will be escalation.”

TRUMP CONFIRMS NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL FIRINGS AS WALTZ’S SIGNAL CHAT WOES SNOWBALL

Here’s what also happened this week: 

National Security Council firings 

Trump also disclosed that several members of the National Security Council, headed by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, were fired Thursday. Trump said the firings affected a small number of employees, and he still had a high level of confidence in his national security team. 

“Always, we’re going to let go of people we don’t like or people we don’t think can do the job or people who may have loyalties to somebody else,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One when asked about media reports on the firings.

The firings come amid scrutiny over Waltz’s use of a Signal group chat to discuss strikes in Yemen after a journalist was accidentally added to the group. 

Waltz created the group chat that included White House leaders like Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The chat also included Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stand as President Donald Trump meets French President Emmanuel Macron in February.  (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

The White House said classified information was not shared via the encrypted messaging service. However, The Atlantic published the full exchange of messages March 26. The messages included certain attack details, including specific aircraft and times of the strikes. 

Still, the White House has defended Waltz and said the White House is no longer looking into the incident. 

MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE

“As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. “And this case has been closed here at the White House as far as we are concerned.”

Musk’s DOGE status 

The White House confirmed that SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk would depart his position spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) later this spring in response to reports from Politico that Trump was disclosing to those close to him that Musk would “step back” from his role with DOGE in the forthcoming weeks. 

Elon Musk arrives for President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington March 4, 2025.  (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

“This ‘scoop’ is garbage,” Leavitt posted on X Wednesday. “Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Musk is a “special government employee.” The executive or legislative branches are permitted to take on temporary employees to address short-term projects for up to 130 days in a single 365-day period. For Musk, that period of time will expire at the end of May.

Musk and Trump have previously said they anticipate Musk will complete the work necessary for DOGE within that window of time. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

A cohort of Democratic representatives and senators are proposing legislation aimed at stalling President Donald Trump’s efforts to relocate federal agencies outside of Washington, D.C., something the president has taken steps to start doing. 

Guidance issued in February from the Trump administration instructed federal agencies to submit any proposed relocation of agency bureaus and offices by April 14, instructions that were tied to the president’s broader efforts to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government. 

The pair of companion bills from Democrats in the House and Senate seeks to require agencies to conduct and share a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis with Congress and the public prior to any relocations.

ELON MUSK SAYS DOGE WILL INVESTIGATE ‘STRANGELY WEALTHY’ LAWMAKERS: ‘NOBODY CAN EXPLAIN THAT’

A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign outside its headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 7. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

“Everyone standing here, every one of my colleagues, wants to get rid of fraud, waste and abuse… but that rhetoric [from the administration] is a cover for an agenda that is perverse and contrary to the interests of the United States of America,” Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said during a press conference held at the Capitol announcing the new legislative effort.

“All of this is targeted at depleting the federal workforce and nullifying the government of the United States,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., added. “That is the philosophy that is driving this entire thing.” 

ELON MUSK AND DOGE TEAM SIT DOWN WITH BRET BAIER IN ‘SPECIAL REPORT’ EXCLUSIVE

Maryland Democrats have introduced a pair of bills in the House and Senate aimed at stalling President Trump’s efforts to relocate federal agencies outside of Washington, D.C. (Getty Images/Fox News)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen previously introduced “The COST of Relocations Act” in 2020, and again in 2023.

“We hoped [the bill] wouldn’t be necessary again, but it is,” Van Hollen stated at the press conference. “It’s necessary in order to stop Donald Trump and Elon Musk from wasting American taxpayer dollars by sabotaging services that the American public depends on.”

Since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Democrats have made xenophobic comments about DOGE chief Elon Musk and first lady Melania Trump.

Some of the party’s leaders have repeatedly complained about Musk’s country of birth being South Africa and told Trump to look into deporting his wife, who was born in the former Yugoslavia.  

Speaking at an anti-DOGE protest in Los Angeles March 22, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., suggested Trump should investigate and potentially deport the first lady.

“When he [Trump] talks about birthright, and he’s going to undo the fact that the Constitution allows those who are born here, even if the parents are undocumented, they have a right to stay in America. If he wants to start looking so closely to find those who were born here and their parents were undocumented, maybe he ought to first look at Melania,” Waters said on stage at a rally in Los Angeles, various videos posted to social media show. 

CORY BOOKER ON WHETHER HE SHOULD BE DEMOCRATS’ NEXT LEADER: ‘IT’S TIME FOR ALL OF US’

Since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Democrats have raised concerns about DOGE chief Elon Musk and first lady Melania Trump. (AP; Getty Images)

“We don’t know whether or not her parents were documented. And maybe we better just take a look.” 

The first lady became a U.S. citizen in 2006, according to official government biographies. She is the first U.S. first lady to become a naturalized citizen and the second first lady to be born outside the U.S., following President John Quincy Adams’ wife, Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, who was born in London in 1775. 

Democrats, however, have reserved some of their most vitriolic attacks for Musk, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1995 and became a citizen in 2002.

Speaking at a congressional Democratic rally protesting musk’s access to the Treasury Department Feb. 4, Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., compared Musk to the British burning the city of Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812.

WATCH: DEM JASMINE CROCKETT SILENT AS AIDE ATTEMPTS TO INTIMIDATE, BLOCK REPORTER’S QUESTION ABOUT VIOLENCE

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., has suggested first lady Melania Trump could be deported. (Getty Images)

“They always told us the British had come to storm the city. They always reminded us the British had come, and they burned everything down, and we could never let that happen again. They told us, and here we are, Trump and his billionaire boy band. They are not British this time. This one is South African. But they came back,” said Bynum.

Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., did not use allegories, but simply called for Musk to “go back to South Africa.”

“It was interesting yesterday. I was watching a video of an interview of Elon Musk with someone where he said that the Italians should stay in Italy and the Chinese should stay in China. My question to Elon Musk is, what the hell are you doing here in America?” Velazquez said while speaking at an event outside the HUD Department.

Even before Musk took the helm at DOGE, far-left Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, slammed him during a Jan. 20 interview for not being born in the U.S. while suggesting he supported apartheid.

BAN ON TAXPAYER-FUNDED SEX CHANGES FOR PRISONERS SPARKS DEM WALKOUT IN GEORGIA HOUSE VOTE

Rep. Jasmine Crockett touted the Signal app in comments over the weekend.  (Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

“[Musk] went from being the dork that was jumping around on stage to allegedly being this amazing genius that’s going to save this entire country, the country he wasn’t born in and a country that maybe he doesn’t agree with, the idea of a Democratic Republic, considering the fact that he may have been more so on the side of apartheid,” said Crockett.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., piled on further, suggesting in a February interview that Musk was reverting to a fascist state of mind due to his South African heritage.

“I think that’s a leftover from Elon Musk’s South African heritage, and maybe he’s falling too far back on the apartheid system of government that was a fascist form of government,” said Connolly.

“Here in the United States, Mr. Musk,” he added, “we have three branches of government, each of them separate but coequal, and, ultimately, the judicial branch is the deciding factor when there is a dispute between the other two branches of government. That’s how our system works here.”

DEM CONGRESSMAN LASHES MUSK IN OPENING SALVO OF POPULIST BID IN 2026 SWING-STATE SENATE RACE

Elon Musk with mother Maye Musk. (Reuters/Danny Moloshok)

Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., accused Musk’s parents of trying to deny Black people their rights in South Africa, comparing them to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Why can’t you understand? The Ukranians [sic] are fighting for the same thing which his parents tried to deny black South Africans,” Cohen wrote in a February X post.  

“Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., also suggested Musk did not care for democracy because he came from South Africa.

“Elon Musk, who grew up in apartheid, Trump who worships dictators around the country, and strong men, are not interested in our constitutional republic,” Omar said.

Despite these claims, a Snopes fact-check found the reason Musk left his birth country in the first place was to avoid military service because he did not want to fight for an apartheid state.

After taking to social media to announce he was ditching his Tesla because it was made by an “a–hole” he claimed is damaging the country, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., refused to say whether Democrats’ inflammatory rhetoric against Elon Musk is to blame for the ongoing spate of attacks against Tesla owners and dealers across the country.

Kelly also refused to say whether the attacks — some of which have involved shooting at and throwing Molotov cocktails into dealerships — qualify as “domestic terrorism.”

The Arizona senator admitted that “it’s certainly vandalism and it’s a crime, a significant crime, especially if you firebomb a car or vandalize somebody’s vehicle, or even key somebody’s vehicle, you shouldn’t be doing it.”

While Kelly said those responsible should be tried and prosecuted, pressed by Fox News Digital on whether the attacks qualify as terrorism, he responded, “I think we’ve got to tread lightly on the whole ‘terrorist’ word.”

OVER 200 ‘TESLA TAKEDOWN’ PROTESTS ERUPT NATIONWIDE

After months of slamming Elon Musk as a threat, Democrats are refusing to say whether their inflammatory rhetoric is to blame for the attacks against Tesla owners and dealers across the country. (Getty Images/Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images/Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images/AP Images)

“Sometimes trying to expand this thing, it kind of loses its focus,” he said. “But when folks are vandalizing people’s vehicles or dealerships, it is wrong and it is dangerous. Somebody’s going to get hurt. For that reason, we should let the full force of law enforcement get to this problem and prosecute it.”

There have been at least 80 acts of vandalism against Tesla vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, and at least 10 incidents of vandalism and arson against Tesla dealerships, charging stations and properties. 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the Justice Department is investigating the incidents as “domestic terrorism.”

Leading Democrats, however, have been largely silent on the issue, with few being willing to condemn the attacks as acts of terrorism.

THE LOUDEST SILENCE: TOP DEMOCRATS REMAIN MUM AMID VIOLENT ATTACKS ON TESLA

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who, in a 2023 CNN interview, accused Republicans who criticized her of engaging in “stochastic terrorism,” also refused to say whether Democrats’ anti-Musk rhetoric should be held responsible for the attacks. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who, in a 2023 CNN interview, accused Republicans who criticized her of engaging in “stochastic terrorism” — that is, incitement of violent political action — also refused to say whether Democrats’ anti-Musk rhetoric should be held responsible for the attacks.

Fox News Digital asked Ocasio-Cortez whether she sees a connection between language against Musk and the violent incidents across the nation.

Cortez began to answer, saying, “Yeah, I mean, again, I’ve seen Republicans call me ‘communist’ and that I ‘hate this country,’” before trailing off.

Meanwhile, Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., refused to label the attacks as even violent, saying, “While I have no opinion on what’s been going on, I actually haven’t been following that much, but let’s be precise about our language — ‘violence’ is against human beings.”

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: AOC REFUSES TO SAY WHETHER DEMOCRATS’ RHETORIC IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TESLA ATTACKS

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., refused to label the attacks as even violent, saying, “While I have no opinion on what’s been going on, I actually haven’t been following that much, but let’s be precise about our language — ‘violence’ is against human beings.” (Reuters/Michael A. McCoy)

Asked about Democrats’ rhetoric, Lee said it is important to “recognize the difference between the frustration of people that is maybe organic, but also the language that is coming from people who are in power.”

“Donald Trump is in power and he’s abusing that and it’s going to harm people and has already,” she said. “Because of the rhetoric from the administration, because of the rhetoric from the right, we’re seeing American citizens being picked up, we’re seeing a lot of profiling that’s happening, I think that that’s incredibly dangerous and again those are being perpetrated against people.”

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., also attempted to turn the question around, saying President Donald Trump “in effect… told people to resort to violence” at his rally on Jan. 6, 2021.

Hoyer said he discourages anyone from resorting to violence but advocated for peaceful ways of telling Trump and Musk “how angry we are.”

TESLA HYPOCRISY: DEMS CONTINUE INVESTING IN ELON MUSK COMPANY DESPITE PAINTING HIM AS VILLAIN

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during a hearing with the Subcommittee on Delivering On Government Efficiency in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 26. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Effectively, he [Musk] and Trump are both trying to profit from being president. And this is unheard of what Musk is doing,” said Hoyer.

“I’m opposed to all violence, beginning with the Jan. 6th insurrection,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who has been warned by Bondi to “tread lightly” after seeming to threaten Musk by calling for him to be “taken down,” refused to answer the question, while her security got into the face of the Fox News Digital reporter.

Republicans, in the meantime, hammered that the attacks are obvious examples of terrorism.

JASMINE CROCKETT SAYS SHE WAS HIRED AS A PUBLIC DEFENDER BECAUSE SHE WAS BLACK 

“I think it’s awful, they need to bust their a–,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. “Elon doesn’t even own a majority share of it anymore. All you’re doing is hurting Americans.” (Alex Wong)

“I think it’s awful, they need to bust their a–,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. “Elon doesn’t even own a majority share of it anymore. All you’re doing is hurting Americans.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Rep. Addison McDowell, R-N.C., pointed out that “when we boycotted Bud Light over their support over these radical issues, we didn’t just say, ‘We’re going to burn down Bud Light manufacturers.’ We just didn’t buy it.” 

“What you see these woke, radical liberals doing to a car they used to want championed, is lighting them on fire, destroying property, that’s not how adults behave,” McDowell said, adding, “they’re behaving like criminals.”

The Trump administration on Friday launched a new investigative unit to protect “female athletes, from the pernicious effects of gender ideology in school programs and activities,” further clamping down on transgender women in school sports and sending a warning signal to states defying the president’s executive orders.

The Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the Title IX Special Investigations Team (SIT) to handle cases, particularly targeting transgender women in sports, because “traditionally, our Office for Civil Rights [OCR] takes months, even years, to complete Title IX investigations,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Friday.

“OCR under this Administration has moved faster than it ever has, and the Title IX SIT will ensure even more rapid and consistent investigations,” McMahon said. “To all the entities that continue to allow men to compete in women’s sports and use women’s intimate facilities: there’s a new sheriff in town. We will not allow you to get away with denying women’s civil rights any longer.”

 CONCERNED PARENTS OF TRANS KIDS COMPARED TO ‘HATE GROUPS’ BY COLORADO DEM: WOULDN’T ‘ASK THE KKK’ FOR OPINION

The Education Department has canceled various grants and contracts since President Donald Trump took office. (Getty Images)

The team, drawn from both agencies, will implement a rapid process to handle the growing number of cases to hand over investigations to potential DOJ enforcement. McMahon said the Title IX unit “will benefit women and girls across this nation who have been subjected to discrimination and indignity in their educational activities.”

“Protecting women and women’s sports is a key priority for this Department of Justice,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday. “This collaborative effort with the Department of Education will enable our attorneys to take comprehensive action when women’s sports or spaces are threatened and use the full power of the law to remedy any violation of women’s civil rights.”

The unit comprises investigators and attorneys from the OCR, the ED Office of General Counsel, and the ED Office of Student Privacy and Protection, along with caseworkers and an FSA Enforcement investigator. The unit also includes attorneys from the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.

TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 20. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The investigative unit will enforce Title IX protections with President Donald Trump’s executive orders on “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” and “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism.”

The unit comes as Trump has been facing pushback from both lawmakers and judges for his gender-related orders.

Trump and Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills sparred in February over Trump’s order banning biological males from women’s sports. During a National Governors Association meeting, Trump accused Mills of defying federal orders by continuing to allow transgender women to compete in women’s sports. Following the confrontation, the Trump administration launched investigations into Maine’s education department.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also froze funds to certain educational programs in Maine due to the state’s rebellion. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins indicated the funding freeze could be lifted if Maine aligns with federal interpretations of Title IX.

BAN ON TAXPAYER-FUNDED SEX CHANGES FOR PRISONERS SPARKS DEM WALKOUT IN GEORGIA HOUSE VOTE

President Donald Trump told Maine Gov. Janet Mills that her state needs to comply with an executive order on transgender athletes in school sports during an event at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 21. (Reuters Photos | Pool)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump’s Title IX unit comes after the Biden administration updated Title IX regulations in 2021 and 2022 to expand protections for LGBTQ+ students, interpreting the law’s prohibition on sex discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation.

Under then-President Joe Biden’s interpretation, transgender students were allowed in women’s sports, bathrooms, changing room facilities and in other educational programs.

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to immediately make arrangements for the return of a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison. 

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said that Kilmar Abrego Garcia had been illegally deported to El Salvador and said he must be returned by Monday before midnight.

Xinis ruled that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s March 15th expulsion of Garcia violated the Administrative Procedures Act, since it occurred without a judicial proceeding.

The U.S. Justice Department said Friday that it plans to immediately appeal the judge’s order. 

KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA DID NOT HAVE HIS DAY IN COURT, SAYS REP GLENN IVEY

This undated photo shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (Murray Osorio PLLC via AP)

The Trump administration has acknowledged Garcia’s removal was an “administrative error,” but has also defended it, alleging that Garcia has ties to MS-13.  

“This individual is an illegal criminal who broke our nation’s immigration laws. He is a leader in the brutal MS-13 gang, and he is involved in human trafficking,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing on Tuesday. 

JOHN YOO URGES TRUMP ADMIN TO ‘WORK OUT A DEAL’ TO RETURN MISTAKENLY DEPORTED INDIVIDUALS

“And now MS-13 is a designated foreign terrorist organization. Foreign terrorists have no legal protections in the United States of America. And this administration is going to continue to deport foreign terrorists and illegal criminals from our nation’s interior,” she added. 

In this undated photo provided by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, a man identified by Jennifer Vasquez Sura as her husband, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is led by force by guards through the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador.  (U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland via AP)

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News after the ruling: “The American people should know who this individual is. He’s not some American father as the mainstream media will make you believe, he’s actually a member of MS-13, and was involved in trafficking. It’s unbelievable the framing of this. Whether this man is in El Salvador or in a U.S. detention center, he should be locked up.”

An immigration judge five years ago said Garcia, who came to the U.S. illegally in 2011 and asked for asylum, could not be deported to his home country, over concerns he would become a victim of local El Salvador gang members.

His request for asylum was denied, but he was given protection from deportation and ICE didn’t appeal the decision. 

Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, who is a U.S. citizen, has vigorously campaigned for his return. 

Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, who is a U.S. citizen, has vigorously campaigned for his return.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Garcia had been working as a sheet metal apprentice in Maryland and was arrested in an IKEA parking lot on March 12 while his 5-year-old son was in the car. 

His lawyers have argued the man had a Department of Homeland Security permit to work in the country, and strongly denied any gang affiliations. They also say that the government has given little evidence to back up its claim. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

There was no indication how the government would comply, since he is incarcerated in an El Salvador prison under that government’s custody.

Fox News’ Cameron Arcand and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

After breaking the Senate record for longest floor speech, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., gave an innocuous answer about whether he sees himself as the Democratic Party’s next leader.

With Democratic veterans like former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., no longer in leadership, no one person can fully claim the title of Democratic Party leader.

At age 55, Booker has been in the Senate for more than 10 years. After his record-breaking speech on the Senate floor this week, during which he bashed the Trump administration, Elon Musk and Republicans, some wonder whether Booker could be a contender for party leader.

“Some are saying the Democratic Party needs a national leader, are you it?” Fox News Digital asked.

BOOKER CALLED FILIBUSTER AN ‘ABUSE OF POWER’ YEARS BEFORE SETTING SENATE SPEECH RECORD

After breaking the Senate record for longest filibuster, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., gave an innocuous answer about whether he sees himself as the Democratic Party’s next leader. (Getty Images)

“I think that, as the great Ella Baker said, we are the leaders we’ve been looking for,” Booker answered.

“I think the Democratic Party needs everybody to realize it’s time for all of us to lead,” he added.

During his speech, Booker claimed that President Donald Trump, in 71 days, “has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy, and even our aspirations as a people for, from our highest offices, a sense of common decency.”

Booker said he felt inspired to make his marathon speech, which disrupted votes on the Senate floor for over 25 hours, because his constituents “were demanding more.”

BAN ON TAXPAYER-FUNDED SEX CHANGES FOR PRISONERS SPARKS DEM WALKOUT IN GEORGIA HOUSE VOTE

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks on the Senate floor on Tuesday. (Senate Television via AP)

“We’re in a moral moment in our country about what we are going to stand for,” he said. “So, I wanted to stand with our veterans, I wanted to stand with expecting moms in their healthcare, I want to stand for people who rely on Social Security and a lot of the other things that are happening I think are in the balance right now.”

The senator said that his days as a football player at Stanford prepared him to be able to stand and speak for so long.

“I learned a lot as an athlete — as most athletes will tell you, what you learn is that you can go further than you think you can,” said Booker. “You’ve got more in the tank when you think it’s all gone. And those lessons gave me a lot to draw on. And then even when everything is out of the tank and you physically have hit your wall, that your spirit can take over and you can do a little bit more.”

JASMINE CROCKETT SETS OFF SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER TOUTING BEING BLACK AS QUALIFICATION FOR PUBLIC DEFENDER JOB

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he felt inspired to make his marathon speech, which disrupted votes on the Senate floor for over 25 hours, because his constituents “were demanding more.” (Nicholas Ballasy)

Asked whether his speech, not technically a filibuster, had the impact he was hoping for, Booker responded: “I think this is not a single moment, or even 25 hours. I think it’s a longer journey.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“It was a good day,” he continued. “But as I learned playing college football, just because you had a good play, you get back to the huddle, and you get ready for the next one, and that’s what we need to do.”

FBI Director Kash Patel is tackling China’s influence on American farmlands head-on, as both a food supply and national security concern. 

Patel’s early focus on Chinese influence over American land — particularly farmland near sensitive sites — reflects a broader second-term push by the Trump administration to confront the Chinese Communist Party’s presence on U.S. soil. The effort has gained traction among Republican lawmakers and conservative allies, who say CCP-connected land ownership poses a direct threat to national security and critical infrastructure.

“FBI Director Kash Patel has made eradicating CCP interference and infiltration in the United States a relentless, uncompromising priority,” Patel advisor Erica Knight told Fox News Digital. 

“With his unmatched experience in counterterrorism and intelligence, Patel possesses a profound understanding of the grave threats our nation faces,” Knight said. “His expertise and unwavering resolve make him uniquely equipped to lead the bureau to crush CCP infiltration and safeguard America’s national security.”

US-CANADA BORDER EYED AS VULNERABILITY BY CHINA, RUSSIA, SAYS PATEL: ‘THE ENEMY ADAPTS’ 

FBI Director Kash Patel is taking China’s influence on American farmlands head-on, as a food supply and national security concern.  (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Patel recently told lawmakers that the “effective resolution” of the southern border crisis has prompted adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran to shift their focus to the U.S. northern border.

As the administration ramps up its second-term focus on China, President Donald Trump was asked aboard Air Force One on Thursday what the White House is doing about Chinese-owned farmland.

Trump said he is “looking at it all the time,” adding that he has “a very good relationship with China and with the president.”

“I have a lot of respect for President Xi,” Trump said. 

TOP FIVE TAKEDOWNS: KASH PATEL’S FBI HITS THE GROUND RUNNING WITH MAJOR EARLY VICTORIES

Trump emphasized that Chinese-owned farmland “has been an issue for years.”

In a February Fox News op-ed, Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Ric Grenell echoed growing concern on the right over Chinese-owned farmland, calling it part of a “not-so-silent takeover.”

With the administration stepping up its second-term focus on China, President Donald Trump was asked aboard Air Force One on Thursday how the White House is addressing Chinese-owned farmland. (Roy Liu/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“While conservative legislators and governors across the country are taking action to stop adversarial nations from buying U.S. farmland, we must recognize that there’s a much broader issue at play here — China’s end goal is not confined to land ownership,” Grenell wrote. 

MORE THAN HALF A MILLION LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL BACK PATEL AS FBI DIRECTOR

Capitol Hill lawmakers have already begun taking action. In early March, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., introduced the PASS Act in the Senate, which would bar entities from “covered countries” — including China — from purchasing agricultural land near military bases or other sensitive sites.

The legislation, which also has Democratic support, would allow the Department of Agriculture to submit cases to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. for review if the department suspects there is a national security concern. 

Patel has emphasized eradicating China’s influence on U.S. soil as a top priority for him as he heads the agency. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Likewise, Republican senators in January also announced the Not One More Inch or Acre Act, led by Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Katie Britt of Alabama. 

The legislation would require selling land owned or “influenced” by the Chinese Communist Party that is deemed to be a national security risk.

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

FIRST ON FOX: Former Ohio Republican State Senator Kevin Coughlin exclusively spoke to Fox News Digital about his recent announcement that he is challenging Dem. Rep. Emilia Sykes in one of the most closely watched House districts in next year’s midterms.

“The motivation is the same as it was in the last election,” Coughlin, who narrowly lost to Sykes in November by two points in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, told Fox News Digital. 

“I wanna make a difference for people. I think our country’s going in the wrong direction. I think we have some great opportunities here. And it’s very clear that with tight majorities in both the House and the Senate, we need reinforcements there to help push an America First agenda through and to try to secure our border, bring down costs, protect our communities and give taxpayers value for their dollar. The spirit is there, and the movement is there in DC. It’s harder to do when you’ve got close majorities. And so I want to go and contribute to that and help deliver for the people of Northeast Ohio.”

Coughlin told Fox News Digital that Sykes has not served the district well and that when he speaks to people in the district they tell him they are unsatisfied with her leadership.

LEAKED VIDEO EXPOSES DEM STAFFER ADMITTING ‘QUIET PART OUT LOUD’ IN FIERY TIRADE: ‘OPEN THE F—ING BORDER’

Kevin Coughlin is running to unseat Dem. Rep. Emilia Sykes (Fox News Digital/Getty)

“What they’re getting with our current member of Congress is somebody who’s just a partisan hack who’s doing everything her party tells her to do at the expense of what’s right for the families and the small businesses of our region and our district,” Coughlin said. “She’s repeatedly voted against extending the Trump tax cuts of 2017, which would end up being a huge tax increase on everyone. She has opposed efforts to reduce regulation and to root out waste and fraud in our government. She has voted to shut down our government and provide essential services to people who truly need them.”

Coughlin added that Democrats since Trump’s inauguration have become “a bunch of toddlers pounding on the floor” and that they “really just don’t have a message right now.”

“They’re flailing around not only for leadership, but for a voice and a message and you know the old adage when your adversary is drowning, don’t interrupt them,” Coughlin said. “I think the best thing for us to do as Republicans is to continue moving forward in the way they have so far, methodically move toward delivering on President Trump’s agenda, delivering on the promises that they were elected on and moving that forward to deliver for the people that they represent. And as long as we keep doing that, and I think that the spirit is there, as long as they keep doing it, I think we’ll be rewarded in the midterms.”

FORMER NAVY SEAL CLINT BRUCE ON RELATIONSHIP WITH OHIO STATE’S RYAN DAY, HELPING COLLEGE FOOTBALL STARS

Dem. Rep. Emilia Sykes narrowly defeated her Republican opponent in 2024. (AP Newsroom)

The Cook Political Report ranks the race in OH-13 as a “Democrat toss up” as Republicans head into the midterms with a slim majority in the House and facing the conventional wisdom that the party in power struggles in the first midterm after a new president takes office.

Coughlin told Fox News Digital he expects Republicans to do well in the midterms, particularly in Ohio, where Trump won by 11 points in November. 

“I was encouraged by results around the country this week with special elections in Florida and with the ballot issue on voter ID passing in Wisconsin,” Coughlin said. “It tells me that our issues are still winning, that the people still view and have the same concerns that we have, and so that’s a good thing.”

“I think with regard to my opponent, what I’ve seen this year is that she’s become even more partisan than she was before. She’s digging in and hugging the liberal left even harder than she did before. So, that means she’s casting a lot of votes that are very much out of step with her district, and I expect she’ll continue to do that. And frankly, Ohio is different from the rest of the country in some regards,” Coughlin said. “I think we’re a little bit insulated here from the traditional midterm effect of the president’s party not doing well in the elections. Statewide elections are going on next year, and if we stay true to form, we will have a strong, talented, dynamic, well-organized, well-funded slate of people running for statewide office, which lifts all boats with regard to Republican candidates in our state. So, I think it’s going to be a good year here in Ohio.”

A Sykes campaign spokesperson dismissed Coughlin’s attacks.

“Rep. Sykes is focused on how we can best bring costs down, put money in people’s pockets and protect earned benefits like social security and medicaid and will let others engage in unproductive name-calling,” the spokesperson said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The dome of the U.S. Capitol building is seen from a perch in Washington, D.C. (Fox News Digital)

The spokesperson also referred Fox News Digital to a quote from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), who called Coughlin a “corrupt, out of touch loser who’s only running so he can work with Elon Musk to dismantle Social Security and gut Medicaid to pay for billionaire tax breaks.”

“Congresswoman Sykes is a results oriented leader with an undeniable record of fighting for Northeast Ohioans – focusing on lowering costs, creating good paying jobs, and keeping our communities safe,” the DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton added.

“Emilia Sykes is nothing but a rubber stamp for the far Left, completely out of touch with the people of Ohio,” NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “From voting to shut down the government and raise taxes to supporting open borders, Sykes is too extreme for Ohio. That’s why she’ll be out of a job next November.” 

The Senate approved changes to the House’s budget resolution on Saturday after an hourslong series of amendment votes during which Democrats sought to put Republicans on record on issues like tariffs and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

It passed mostly along party lines in a 51 to 48 vote around 2:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., were the only two Republicans to join Democrats in opposing the measure.

The amended framework would raise the debt ceiling by up to $5 trillion within the reconciliation process, taking future leverage away from Senate Democrats. It would also make President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent by using what’s called a current policy baseline that Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., decides.

DEM SENATOR LOOKS TO HIJACK KEY TRUMP BUDGET PROCESS WITH TARIFF CHALLENGE

An amended version of the House-passed Trump budget was voted on at the end of a marathon vote series in the Senate. (Reuters)

The scoring tool essentially means the cost of making Trump’s tax cuts permanent would be factored at $0 because it extends current policy, rather than counting it as new dollars being added to the federal deficit.

Some conservatives have signaled they’re wary of using that method, however.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote series, “I have been assured that there is a commitment and other ways to pay for the eventual reconciliation bill.”

“Now, I am not saying that I think that it is better that we use current policy as baseline. It’s never been done before in a setting like this. I think it establishes a dangerous precedent. It might be within the rules to do so, but it doesn’t mean it’s wise to do so,” he said.

Some House conservatives have gone so far as to call it a “gimmick.”

Senate GOP leaders made clear they were in lock-step behind the framework, however.

“This resolution is the first step toward a final bill to make permanent the tax relief we implemented in 2017 and deliver a transformational investment in our border, national, and energy security – all accompanied by substantial savings measures and commonsense reforms to our government,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on Friday evening.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said, “The American people gave us a mission and a mandate: secure borders, lower taxes, affordable energy, peace through strength, and, of course, efficient, effective government. Senate Republicans’ bold budget blueprint delivers.”

REPUBLICANS CHARGE AHEAD ON TRUMP BUDGET, SETTING UP MARATHON SENATE VOTES

The Senate voted late into the night Friday as a number of amendments are proposed and voted on prior to the final budget bill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Budget reconciliation lowers the vote threshold in the Senate from 60 to 51, which lets Republicans approve certain priorities with no Democrat support. 

Washington’s Republican trifecta thus sees reconciliation as a key tool for delivering on Trump agenda items. 

The Senate’s Friday night “vote-a-rama” was triggered by the chamber agreeing to a motion to proceed to the budget resolution amendment on Thursday night. Nearly a day of debate followed before the vote series was initiated.

During this type of voting series, senators of both parties can introduce an unlimited number of amendments, and many get floor votes.

No amendments were adopted during the roughly six hours-long vote series.

Some notable measures, however, included an amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 over a period of five years, an amendment by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to limit many of Trump’s tariffs, and a bipartisan amendment aimed at blocking the reconciliation bill from making cuts to Medicaid.

TED CRUZ CLASHES WITH KEY DEMOCRAT OVER ‘SECOND PHASE OF LAWFARE’ THROUGH FEDERAL JUDGES’ ORDERS

The Senate “vote-a-rama” Friday deals with the House-passed budget bill as Republicans hope to get a bill to the president’s desk. (Fox News Digital/Trump-Vance Transition Team)

“Tonight, Senate Democrats gave Senate Republicans the chance to hit the kill switch on Donald Trump’s tariffs on DOGE, on the attacks against Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid,” Schumer said after the vote. “And at each opportunity, Republicans refused.”

Graham said in a statement on X after the vote, “Tonight, the Senate took one small step toward reconciliation and one giant leap toward making the tax cuts permanent, securing the border, providing much-needed help for the military and finally cutting wasteful Washington spending.”

The budget would address border funding for the Trump administration as well as extend the hallmark tax cuts Trump passed in 2017. 

Initially, there was stark disagreement between Republicans in the House and Senate on how to organize a budget reconciliation resolution. The House GOP leaders preferred one bill with both the border and taxes included, while those in the Senate wanted to have two separate resolutions for them. 

It’s still not clear that House conservatives will accept the Senate plan, despite its similarities to the lower chamber’s framework.

The Senate’s bid to permanently extend Trump’s tax cuts is likely to be one of the biggest points of contention. 

Republicans aren’t necessarily on the same page just yet about budget reconciliation. (Reuters)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The House Budget Committee’s Republican majority wrote on X just before the Senate kicked off its vote series, “Cutting taxes without cutting spending doesn’t reduce taxes, it merely shifts the tax burden to our children. We have a generational opportunity – and maybe our last – to get our fiscal house in order.”

After matching frameworks pass the House and Senate, the relevant congressional committees will begin filling it out with policy and spending changes under their jurisdictions.

Trump expressed support for the Senate framework earlier this week, saying at an unrelated event, “If we get this done, it’ll be the most incredible bill ever passed in the history of our Congress.”

A Rhode Island federal judge targeted for impeachment dealt the Trump administration a legal blow on Friday, ordering it to lift a freeze on federal funds.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to unfreeze federal funds to states after plaintiffs alleged the agency had failed to comply with an earlier court order.

The lawsuit was originally launched by 22 states and the District of Columbia, challenging the Trump administration’s decision to block funding for programs like the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and other environmental initiatives. 

LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

A Rhode Island federal judge, currently at the center of an impeachment debacle, dealt the Trump administration a legal blow on Friday, ordering the administration to unpause a federal funds freeze. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Plaintiffs in the suit, including the states of New York, California, Illinois and Rhode Island, argued that FEMA’s implementation of a manual review process for payment requests violated a previous preliminary injunction issued by McConnell. The states argued that the review “constitutes ‘a categorical pause or freeze of funding appropriate by Congress.'”

The defendants, which include President Donald Trump and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), responded that the review did not violate the order because “FEMA is relying on its own independent authorities to implement the process rather than the OMB Directive.”

McConnell concluded that the plaintiffs had “presented evidence that strongly suggests that FEMA is implementing this manual review process based, covertly, on the President’s January 20, 2025 executive order.” 

COURTROOM COMBAT: INSIDE THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY SYSTEM WHERE TRUMP’S AGENDA IS UNDER ASSAULT

“The Court reaffirms its preliminary injunction order,” McConnell wrote. 

McConnell had issued a restraining order in late January that enjoined the defendants from freezing federal funds. This came after OMB released a memo on Jan. 27 announcing the administration’s plans to temporarily pause federal grants and loans. The White House later rescinded the memo on Jan. 29. 

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., left, formally introduced his articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge John McConnell on March 24. (Getty Images)

However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the move didn’t equate a “recission of the federal funding freeze.” 

‘CORRUPT, DANGEROUS’: GOP REP MOVES TO IMPEACH JUDGE WHO BLOCKED TRUMP FEDERAL FUNDS FREEZE

After McConnell ordered the administration to comply with the restraining order, the government appealed to the First Circuit — which refused to stay the orders. 

McConnell also recently made headlines after becoming one of several federal judges hit with impeachment articles. 

“Judge McConnell’s actions are corrupt, dangerous, and worthy of impeachment,” Clyde told Fox News Digital. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde formally introduced his articles of impeachment against McConnell on March 24, after his initial announcement in February. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The articles, first shared with Fox News Digital, charged McConnell with abuse of power and conflicts of interest, stating he “knowingly politicized and weaponized his judicial position to advance his own political views and beliefs.”

“The American people overwhelmingly voted for President Trump in November, providing a clear mandate to make our federal government more efficient,” Clyde told Fox News Digital. “Yet Judge McConnell, who stands to benefit from his own injunction, is attempting to unilaterally obstruct the president’s agenda and defy the will of the American people. Judge McConnell’s actions are corrupt, dangerous, and worthy of impeachment.”

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

The Senate kicked off a marathon vote series on Friday night, which Republicans need to get through in order to approve their changes to the House’s plan for President Donald Trump’s budget. 

“Very soon, the Senate is going to be voting on a budget resolution that essentially accomplishes five objectives – but at least four. And one is to prevent a $4 trillion tax increase on the American people at the end of the year, number one,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a Senate floor speech before voting kicked off.

“Number two, it rebuilds our military by investing in our military readiness in a way that will enable us to deal with and deter the threats that America deals with in a very dangerous world. It will restore energy dominance for this, for our country, making energy more affordable to the American people.

“Obviously securing the border – and there are resources in there to make sure that over the course of the next four years of this administration, that they have what they need to ensure that our border is secure and that the American people are safe.”

DEM SENATOR LOOKS TO HIJACK KEY TRUMP BUDGET PROCESS WITH TARIFF CHALLENGE

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (Reuters)

The final point, Thune said, was “reducing spending.”

The seemingly endless amendment votes began after nearly a day of debate concluded. Republicans passed a key motion on Thursday to begin the process, which will end with a vote on their adjustments to the House GOP’s budget. 

During the “vote-a-rama,” senators of both parties are able to introduce an unlimited number of amendments, and many are expected to get floor votes. Democrats are planning to use the marathon of votes as an opportunity to force Republicans to go on record on Trump’s tariffs and the actions of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

REPUBLICANS CHARGE AHEAD ON TRUMP BUDGET, SETTING UP MARATHON SENATE VOTES

President Donald Trump holds a chart as he delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled “Make America Wealthy Again” at the White House in Washington on April 2, 2025. (Getty Images)

On Thursday, the Senate agreed on a motion to proceed by a vote of 52 to 48, along party lines. 

The only exception was Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who voted against it. He has notably criticized the budget amendment’s provision on the debt ceiling, which would raise it by up to $5 trillion. 

During the last such series in February, the Senate voted for about 10 hours, into the early morning. The budget they passed was the Senate GOP’s preferred strategy of having two budget reconciliation resolutions for the border and extending Trump’s tax cuts. 

TED CRUZ CLASHES WITH KEY DEMOCRAT OVER ‘SECOND PHASE OF LAWFARE’ THROUGH FEDERAL JUDGES’ ORDERS

Sen. Rand Paul talks with reporters after the senate luncheons in the U.S. Capitol on April 1, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

But the House’s plan to address both in one bill ultimately won out after getting Trump’s blessing. 

It’s unclear how long the voting will last, as it depends on how many amendments get votes and when Democrat and Republican leadership in the Senate come to a time agreement. 

GOP DEFECTORS HELP SENATE ADVANCE RESOLUTION TO CANCEL TRUMP TARIFFS DESPITE WHITE HOUSE VETO WARNING

Republicans aren’t necessarily on the same page just yet about budget reconciliation. (Reuters)

When the voting series ends, a final vote will take place to approve the Senate amendment to the House’s budget. If this passes, it will still need to return to the lower chamber before taking effect. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In addition to raising the debt ceiling, and in doing so taking leverage away from the Senate Democrats, the Senate budget amendment makes Trump’s tax cuts permanent by what’s known as a current policy baseline, determined by Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report

The U.S. General Services Administration has saved $1 million by converting decades-old information storage technology, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said Friday. 

In a post on X, DOGE said that the agency, which supplies office space, transportation and other basic services to federal agencies, saved money by converting 14,000 magnetic tapes to permanent modern digital records.

The move is part of the Elon Musk-led group’s mission to get rid of wasteful government spending. 

MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE  

The U.S. General Services Administration has saved $1 million by converting decades-old technology, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said Friday. (Getty)

Earlier this week, the group said The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a month for website changes before canceling the contract and having an internal staffer take over. 

While combing through loads and loads of data, DOGE discovered a previous contract by the VA for its website maintenance.

JD VANCE FIRES BACK AT CRITICS OF TRUMP TARIFFS, ADDRESSES ELON MUSK’S DOGE FUTURE

DOGE leader Elon Musk is pictured with the U.S. General Services Administration building in Washington D.C. The GSA on Friday is saving $1 million by upgrading its technology, DOGE said.  (AP/Getty)

“Good work by @DeptVetAffairs,” DOGE said in an X post on Wednesday. “VA was previously paying ~$380,000/month for minor website modifications. That contract has not been renewed, and the same work is now being executed by 1 internal VA software engineer spending ~10 hours/week.”

GAS said on Thursday it will save $4.5 million by “optimizing leases & reducing our footprint” with less unused office space. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Smart moves like this mean more efficiency & better spaces for agencies to deliver for the American people,” a GSA post on X states. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the GSA, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is slated to meet with Panama leaders next week amid President Donald Trump‘s continued efforts to regain control of the key strategic and military resource. 

The Trump administration has been outspoken about national security threats presented by alleged Chinese interference.

During a February visit to the country, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in an X post that “the United States cannot, and will not, allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area.” 

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed on Friday the secretary of defense will attend the 2025 Central American Security Conference, participating in discussions that will “drive ongoing efforts to strengthen the U.S.’s partnerships with Panama and other Central American nations,” according to a report from the Associated Press.

A cargo boat navigates on the Panama Canal next to the expansion project of the Panama Canal on the Pacific side in Panama City, November 17, 2015. (Reuters)

PANAMA DENIES STATE DEPT CLAIM THAT IT IS ELIMINATING FEES FOR US GOV VESSELS USING CANAL

The president, who has criticized the six-figure premiums imposed on U.S. ships traveling along the vital waterway, previously suggested repurchasing the canal.

It was built by the U.S. over the span of multiple decades, but was eventually handed over to Panama during the Carter administration.

The “Panama Canal Repurchase Act,” a bill that was recently introduced in Congress, would give Trump the authority to negotiate with appropriate Panamanian government officials to reacquire the Panama Canal.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on Feb. 13, 2025. (Reuters/Yves Herman)

CHINA, HONG KONG THREATEN TO THWART SALE OF PANAMA CANAL PORTS TO AMERICA’S BLACKROCK

Panama President José Raúl Mulino previously said China does not have influence over the canal and accused Trump of “lying” about potentially acquiring it, according to the AP.

BlackRock, Inc. later announced a $23 billion deal with Hong Kong-based CK Hutchinson to take ownership of the Panamanian ports of Cristobal and Balboa, along with 43 ports in 23 other countries, Fox News Digital previously reported.

Two cargo ships enter the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal in Panama City on Jan. 22. (Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images)

The canal could be used as leverage for China in U.S. tariff negotiations.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Hegseth will also visit Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to meet with military members and leadership at the 7th Special Forces Group, according to the AP.

Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Trump on Friday shared video of a recent airstrike on Houthi rebels, writing, “They will never sink our ships again.”

“These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis! They will never sink our ships again!”

The black and white aerial footage appeared to show a group assembling before a massive blast leaves nothing but a crater. 

The Trump administration has been conducting daily airstrikes on the Iranian-backed rebels for the last 20 days following renewed Houthi threats against Israeli vessels last month after Jerusalem cut off humanitarian aid headed for the Gaza Strip.

IRANIAN-BACKED HOUTHIS SHOOT DOWN THIRD US REAPER DRONE AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES DAILY STRIKES

Following the strike, all that was left was a crater.  (Donald Trump/Truth Social)

Late last month, the group took responsibility for attacks on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and several U.S. warships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have also shot down three U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones since March 3, sources previously told Fox News.  

The State Department put forward sanctions after the Houthis shot down the first Reaper in early March, and on Tuesday, the State Department announced sanctions on “financial facilitators, procurement operatives, and companies operating as part of a global illicit finance network supporting the Houthis.” 

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CBS’ “Face the Nation” late last month: “These guys are like al Qaeda or ISIS with advanced cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and some of the most sophisticated air defenses, all provided by Iran. Keeping the sea lanes open, keeping trade and commerce open, is a fundamental aspect of our national security.” 

AFTER DEBILITATING STRIKES, TRUMP TELLS HOUTHIS: STOP SHOOTING AT US AND ‘WE WILL STOP SHOOTING AT YOU’

Trump said that the Houthis had gathered to plan an attack before the strike. (Donald Trump/Truth Social )

On Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Houthis have been “decimated by the relentless strikes over the past two weeks.”

“Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us,” he continued. “We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation. The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.”

Trump told the Houthis earlier this week: “Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you.” (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The terrorist network, backed by Iran, began escalating its attacks on Western ships in the Red Sea following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. Notably, security experts have pointed out the Houthi attacks are not indiscriminate as they do not routinely target Chinese or Saudi Arabian vessels. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump also issued a message to Iran on Monday and warned if the attacks do not stop, Washington will come for Tehran next. 

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf, Liz Friden, Caitlin McFall and Landon Mion contributed to this report. 

While senators Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., cited economists’ projections that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will cost American families an extra $5,000 per year, GOP Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., insisted, “We don’t know,” suggesting those who claim they do are making fools of themselves. 

“I followed what all these economists are saying. Most of them make these late-night psychic hotlines look respectable,” Kennedy told Fox News Digital at the Capitol. “They don’t know any more than anybody else. We’re in uncharted waters here.”

According to Schumer and Luján, Americans can likely expect to see costs rise enough to equate to a $5,000 per year tax on American families.

STEPHEN MILLER SAYS AMERICANS HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW ‘BADLY’ WE’VE BEEN RIPPED OFF AS A COUNTRY

President Donald Trump holds a chart as he delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs during a “Make America Wealthy Again” event in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 2, 2025.  (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

“When the average American family sits down and tries to figure out how they’re going to pay for things, and they hear they may pay $5,000 more than they’ve had to pay before — and they may not be able to buy a new car, they may not be able to support that new drug that grandma needs, they may not be able to take that vacation they were planning for a year — they’re going to be outraged,” Schumer told reporters. 

“It’s a huge tax on American families. All – all – to help billionaires get a tax cut.”

Luján seconded the sentiment from Schumer, pointing to the economists that Kennedy blasted as less respectable than a “late-night psychic hotline.” 

TRUMP’S CHINA TARIFFS FACE LEGAL CHALLENGE FROM CONSERVATIVE GROUP CALLING THEM ‘UNLAWFUL’

“There’s no question that the American people are the ones that are going to be paying the brunt of this,” Luján argued. “The actuaries that have been putting out reports and other economists are suggesting that this is going to be a national sales tax on the American people of about 5,000 bucks year. That’s just not right.

“If the president would be open to using targeted tariffs as a tool — something that I’m open to and I think others are — that’s one thing,” Luján added. “But when he’s arbitrarily just going across the board and trying to slap on numbers … I’m very concerned for my constituents that are going to be paying out of pocket.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.; and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.  (Gettty Images; Fox News)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Kennedy argued such projections had no basis in fact.

“The truth is we don’t know. These economists don’t know,” Kennedy insisted. “These are uncharted waters. We’ve not had these kind of tariffs in a long time. It may be a net positive. President Trump implemented tariffs in his first term. Didn’t seem to hurt the economy. It could be a negative. All I’m saying is that in Washington, D.C., for every economist, there’s an equal and opposite economist, and they’re usually both wrong.”

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…

–Dem Jasmine Crockett silent as aide attempts to intimidate, block reporter’s question about violence

-Reporter’s Notebook: The Senate’s all-night session on the big, beautiful bill

–Biden green energy project goes down in flames

The Road to ‘Liberation Day’

For decades, President Donald Trump has remained a staunch advocate for tariffs — routinely declaring the word one of the most beautiful in the dictionary and regularly accusing foreign countries of ripping off the U.S. 

Following through on 2024 campaign promises and building upon policies his first administration introduced, Trump unveiled a series of historic tariffs at the White House’s Rose Garden Wednesday for a “Make America Wealthy Again” event as part of a day his administration dubbed “Liberation Day” for the U.S. 

While some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced concern over the policy, tariffs are an area where Trump’s views have remained incredibly consistent over the years, as he has routinely decried that other countries have treated the U.S. unfairly in trade deals…Read more

President Donald Trump signs two executive orders during a Make America Wealthy Again event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday April 2, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

White House

MONEY TALKS: Trump admin halting more than $500M in federal funding to Brown University over antisemitism response

‘DEEPLY CONCERNED’: Obama urges Americans to ‘possibly sacrifice’ in resisting Trump policies

TARIFF TANTRUM: Trump’s China tariffs face legal challenge from conservative group calling them ‘unlawful’

President Donald Trump will impose 20% tariffs on Chinese imports, citing the ongoing fentanyl crisis as a reason for the decision. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci / iStock)

World Stage

CALIFORNIA PLEADIN’: Newsom to ask world leaders to exempt California exports from retaliatory tariffs

‘ABSOLUTELY RIGHT’: Rubio, in Europe, says US has to ‘reset the global order of trade’ and Trump is ‘absolutely right to do it’

SECURITY RISK: Houthis shoot down third US reaper drone as Trump administration continues daily airstrikes

WARNING STRIKE: In warning to Turkey, Israel hits strategic targets in Syria amid rising tensions

Tensions are rising between Turkey and Israel over Syria. (Getty Images)

Capitol Hill

BUCKING TRUMP: One Republican senator voted against confirming Trump nominee Harmeet Dhillon

VOTE-A-RAMA: Republicans charge ahead on Trump budget, setting up marathon Senate votes

VOTED DOWN: 15 Democrats back Sanders’ failed resolutions to cancel military aid to Israel

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour event at Arizona State University, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Tempe, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

‘GOLDEN’ AGE: Democrat Rep. Jared Golden says his party’s moving in ‘wrong direction’ on trade

TACKLING TRUMP TARIFFS: Dem senator looks to hijack key Trump budget process with tariff challenge

Across America 

HAUGH OUT: National Security Agency Director Gen. Haugh fired, civilian deputy director reassigned

TO THE GOVERNOR’S DESK: Maryland bill creating commission to study, recommend slavery reparations heads to governor’s desk

GAME FACE: Illegal accused in jogger Rachel Morin’s murder set to face family, jury

‘THEY ARE TERRORISTS’: 3 alleged MS-13 gang members in Florida hit with federal murder charges

US Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a press conference about MS-13 gang activity at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office Research, Development and Training Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, April 4, 2025. ( Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP)

TRAVELERS BEWARE: Iowa student’s passport seizure in Dominican Republic raises red flags for Americans traveling: what to know

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

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will slash its workforce by at least 25% beginning Friday with layoffs as the Trump administration continues to shrink the size of the federal government. 

In addition to the layoffs, the agency said in a letter to employees that it is eliminating its Office of Civil Rights and Compliance, which is responsible for protecting taxpayers from discrimination, audits and investigations.

The remaining employees in the division will be transferred to other departments. 

“In a stark contrast to the previous administration’s wildly unpopular plan to hire thousands of additional IRS agents, President Trump is focused on saving tax dollars, eliminating bloat, axing useless DEI offices, and increasing the agency’s efficiency,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said to Fox News Digital.

TRUMP FLOATS GUTTING THE IRS, MOVING AGENTS TO THE BORDER ARMED WITH GUNS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will slash its workforce by at least 25% beginning Friday with layoffs amid efforts to shirk the federal workforce. (Getty Images)

“This action is being taken to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS in accordance with agency priorities and the Workforce Optimization Initiative outlined in a recent Executive Order,” the letter states, referring to President Donald Trump‘s executive order directing the Department of Government Efficiency to get rid of wasteful spending. 

The agency said it was approved to offer Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP). Information about those programs will be shared with employees at a later date, the message said. 

TRUMP VOWS TO DELIVER ON ‘NO TAX ON TIPS’ CAMPAIGN PROMISE DURING LAS VEGAS SPEECH: ‘100% YOURS’

The Treasury Department is weighing options on how to streamline the agency, Fox Digital learned.  (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This calendar year to date, approximately 5% of this office left through the Deferred Resignation Program and attrition,” the message said. “An additional 75% of the office will be reduced through a RIF (Reduction in Force).”

A Treasury Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the reductions are part of, and driven by, “process improvements and technological innovations that will allow the IRS to collect revenue and serve taxpayers more effectively.”

“The roll back of wasteful Biden-era hiring surges, and consolidation of critical support functions are vital to improve both efficiency and quality of service,” the spokesperson said. “The Secretary is committed to ensuring that efficiency is realized while providing the collections, privacy, and customer service the American people deserve.”

The layoffs were expected, as the agency announced in February its intention to slash nearly 7,000 probationary workers in Washington, D.C.

IRS data states that it has roughly 90,000 employees in total across the United States. (Ge)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Those employees have since been reinstated by a court order.

The IRS has roughly 90,000 employees in total across the United States, according to the latest IRS data. 

Former President Barack Obama sought to distance himself from the Democratic Party after leaving it in shambles following his departure from the White House, according to a new book. 

The book, “Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House,” published by William Morrow and Company, claims that Obama was never a Democratic Party loyalist. Instead, the authors allege, Obama curried favor from a group of “Black professionals” for his campaigns, unlike former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and former President Joe Biden. 

Additionally, Obama’s creation of Organizing for Action — a nonprofit that launched in 2012 following Obama’s re-election to advance his legislative priorities — fractured the Democratic Party, according to the book, authored by political journalists Jonathan Allen of NBC News and Amie Parnes of The Hill.  

“Though Organizing for Action never realized his vision, it competed with the party for power and money,” the book said. “He left the Democratic Party far weaker than he found it. Or, as one Black party operative put it, ‘Obama destroyed that s—.’” 

KAMALA HARRIS WAS ‘VERY ANNOYED’ WITH OBAMA AS SHE SOUGHT HIS ENDORSEMENT, BOOK REVEALS

Former President Barack Obama arrives to speak next to former first lady Michelle Obama during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago in 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The book also detailed how the Clintons, along with Biden and former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile and a few other party operatives, sought to “rebuild the party infrastructure” following Obama’s 2016 departure from the White House. This meant preventing far-left Democrats from seizing control of the party and ensuring party loyalists ran the show, according to the book. 

“By helping install party loyalists at the national and state committees over the course of years, these establishment Democrats kept progressive outsiders at bay. ‘You know who did that?’ said one Black Biden ally familiar with the maneuvering. ‘Bill and Hillary motherf—ing Clinton,’” the book related. 

“Fight,” released Tuesday, also revealed how Obama remained hesitant to back former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election to replace Biden, amid concerns about his mental fitness. The book claimed that Obama didn’t believe Harris had the capacity to beat now-President Donald Trump in the November 2024 race, frustrating Harris. 

The book stated that Obama didn’t believe that Harris could beat Trump in the 2024 election.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg)

Ultimately, Obama endorsed Harris five days after Biden announced he would not run for office again in the 2024 race — a delay that offended Harris and required some “mending” between the two Democrats, a source close to Obama said, Allen and Parnes wrote. 

A spokesperson for Obama’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Even so, Obama’s wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, appeared at the Democratic National Convention in August 2024 after Harris clinched the party’s nomination. 

TENSIONS ALLEGEDLY RISE BETWEEN BIDEN WHITE HOUSE AND HARRIS CAMPAIGN: ‘TOO MUCH IN THEIR FEELINGS’

Former first lady Michelle Obama, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris are seen at a campaign rally in October 2024.  (Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press)

“Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment,” Michelle Obama said at the convention. “She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency and she is one of the most dignified — a tribute to her mother, to my mother, and probably to your mother, too, the embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country.” 

Meanwhile, Democrat strategists predict that Barack Obama’s influence over the Democratic Party is waning, and some have suggested he is out of touch with the appeal of Trump. 

For example, political commentator and author Ben Burgess wrote an op-ed after Obama delivered a speech at the Obama Democracy Forum that part of the “problem” is Obama doesn’t understand why Trump won the 2024 election and that the American public should stop listening to the former president. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“​​Obama’s characteristic rhetorical virtues were on full display,” Burgess wrote in December 2024 for MSNBC, following Obama’s speech. “He was a constitutional law professor before he was a politician, and he still sounds like one. At the same time, he was a once-in-a-generation talent as a political communicator. He knows how to convey a complex set of ideas in a digestible and appealing way.” 

“But there was a massive gaping hole at the center of his speech,” the op-ed stated. “He still doesn’t understand why his eight years in power culminated in the rise of Trump.” 

“Fight” details how Trump secured the White House for a second term and the fallout of his victory for the Democratic Party. It is based on interviews Allen and Parnes conducted with more than 150 political insiders, according to the book’s description. 

Fox News’ Hanna Panreck and Emma Colton contributed to this report.