NationalWatch

Former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage of Maine is considering a 2026 run for Congress.

A source on Friday confirmed to Fox News the conservative firebrand is mulling a bid in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. The mostly rural district comprises roughly 80% of the state’s total land area and is the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River.

The seat is held by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a Marine veteran who served combat tours in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Golden is a moderate Democrat who is often at odds with his party’s leadership.

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR MAKES 2026 PREDICTION

Former Republican Gov. Paul LePage of Maine sat down for an interview with Fox News Digital during his 2022 gubernatorial campaign in Westbrook, Maine, July 13, 2022 (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

LePage, first elected governor in 2010 and re-elected four years later, was prevented by term limits from seeking a third straight term in 2018. 

The pugnacious LePage became known both inside Maine and across the country for stirring controversy due to his off-the-cuff remarks. He also often touted that “I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular.”

HOUSE DEMOCRATIC RE-ELECTION CHAIR REVEALS MIDTERMS BLUEPRINT

He made an unsuccessful comeback in 2022 against his successor, losing the gubernatorial election to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine speaks at a news conference Nov. 1, 2022, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

There’s speculation that Golden, who won re-election in November by a razor-thin margin, is considering a run for governor in 2026, when Mills is term-limited.

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Maine is one of just two states, along with Nebraska, that divides its electoral votes in the presidential election by congressional district. And Trump won the single electoral vote at stake in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District by carrying the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.

The GOP, when at full strength, will hold a razor-thin 220-215 majority in the House, which means the Democrats only need a three-seat gain in 2026 to win back the chamber for the first time in four years.

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And Republicans are also dealing with plenty of political history because the party in power traditionally faces electoral headwinds in the midterms.

We live in time.

We can both make time. Even double time. And we can also lose time.

But it’s Congress and Presidents who control time.

Politicians have the power to dictate time. Down to the hour and the minute of what time it is. That’s why we spring forward this weekend. And when you lose your hour of sleep, you know who to blame.

No. Not DOGE.

But Congress, of course.

This dates back more than two centuries.

TRUMP CALLS TO ‘ELIMINATE’ DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME: ‘VERY COSTLY TO OUR NATION’

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress the power to “fix the Standard of Weights and Measures.”

That’s listed right next to Congressional authority over bankruptcies and punishment for counterfeiters.

After all, we lose an hour this weekend like a thief in the night.

Daylight Saving Time first went into effect under the Johnson administration, following the passage of the Uniform Time Act of 1966. (Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)

Congress formally established Daylight Saving Time with the Uniform Time Act of 1966. It also established time zones in the 1880s to help the railroads coordinate. Before that, time hinged on whatever locals said it was. That led to 144 distinct local times in the U.S. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul even went by different clocks, despite only being separated by the Mississippi River.

So, lawmakers are kind of like “Time Lords” from Doctor Who. But while they have not waged the Last Great Time War, for some lawmakers, time has expired for the biannual time change.

“I haven’t had anybody come to me and say, ‘This is something that benefits our society.’ Why do we have it around anymore? Let’s get rid of the antiquated stuff that hold us back from advancement,” said Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga.

CENSURE RESOLUTIONS: WHEN TO DOUBLE DOWN, AND WHEN TO TURN THE PAGE

Florida lawmakers push especially hard to codify the time change in law. After all, Florida is the Sunshine State. Much of the state’s economy is based on what you can do outdoors. Sunbathe. Golf. Walk on the beach. Go to amusement parks.

“In tourism, it’s huge,” said Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla. “Instead of getting dark at 5:39, it gets dark at 6:30. It makes a big difference. A lot of times the weather’s nice (people) like to be outside eating.”

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., pushed time change legislation when he served as governor of the Sunshine State. He’s authored a bill which he believes will give all states more sunshine – by effectively freezing time.

Ending Daylight Saving Time has long been a cause célèbre for Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. (iStock | Getty Images)

“It will lock the clock. So stop going back and forth between Daylight Savings Time and Standard Time,” said Scott.

Former Sen. and now Secretary of State Marco Rubio, R-Fla., authored a bill to mandate Daylight Saving Time year-round several years ago. To everyone’s surprise, the Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent in 2022. But the bill then died in the House.

Congress approved the Standard Time Act to create the first version of Daylight Saving time in 1918 during World War I. Proponents of the legislation argued that there was “wasted light” at the beginning of the day. Shifting the clocks would reward Americans with “extra” hours of daylight in the evening.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOOK: SORTING IT OUT

“I used to think my state legislature had the foolishiest ideas in the world,” said Rep. Robert Thomas, D-Ky., of the measure at the time. “But it never tried to change the sun in its orbit.”

Farmers and residents of the west opposed the plan.

President Woodrow Wilson wanted to keep the time change. But Congress voted to repeal it. Wilson then vetoed the bill.

Congress approved the Standard Time Act, Daylight Saving Time’s first iteration, in 1918 under President Wilson. (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

What comes next is one of the most fascinating aspects of time legislation, Congress and the presidency. There have only been 112 successful overrides of a presidential veto in American history. One of them is on a piece of time legislation. Congress overrode Wilson’s veto and gave back the hour it picked up during World War I.

Presidents have tinkered with changing the time via executive order to maximize daylight during times of crisis.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt shifted the clocks during World War II. President Richard Nixon did the same during the OPEC oil shocks of the 1970s.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE SENATE TRYING TO ADVANCE TRUMP’S AGENDA

It was thought that President Trump may wade into the time waters. He’s berated the seasonal time changes for years now, dating back to his first term in office. Mr. Trump posted about the time switch on Truth Social as recently as mid-December.

“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” wrote the president.

But President Trump wasn’t inclined to turn back time when pressed about it by colleague Peter Doocy on Thursday.

It was originally thought that the second Trump administration might mean curtains for Daylight Saving Time – but the President doesn’t seem overly eager to take decisive action. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“It’s a 50/50 issue. And if something is a 50/50 issue, it’s hard to get excited about it. I assume people would like to have more light later. But some people want to have more light earlier because they don’t want to take their kids to school in the dark,” said Mr. Trump.

The problem is that most people abhor changing the clocks. But they worry about it getting dark way too early in the winter. Or the sun “rising” at absurd times in the summer.

It depends on where you live.

HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JEFFRIES DESCRIBES TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS AS ‘MOST DIVISIVE’ IN AMERICAN HISTORY

The country may harbor deep political divisions. But at least one lawmaker believes it’s time Americans rally around something.

“I’d love for us to not have to switch our clocks if that’s something that actually probably can unite Americans right now,” said Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J.

But at least once senior lawmaker hasn’t given the time of day to clock shifting efforts.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries laughed off a question about his stance on daylight savings. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“You have thoughts on daylight savings?” asked colleague Ryan Schmelz of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Jeffries chuckled.

“There’s a lot going on in the United States of America. I haven’t been able to give a thought to daylight savings,” replied Jeffries.

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Shakespeare wrote that “let every man be master of his time.” But that’s hard to do when Congress decides the time. Of course, the Bard also declared that “what is past is prologue.”

And that means that despite the legislative efforts, everyone will probably have to change the clocks again in October when we fall back.

Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump in September 2024, appeared in court as his team battled with the Justice Department over evidence. The defense team and the DOJ lobbed accusations back and forth over alleged withholding of evidence as they prepared for the Sept. 8, 2025, trial.

A major point of contention between the defense and the prosecution is the issue of firearm testing. The defense is calling for the firearm, which is in the DOJ’s position, to be tested. The defense’s reason for testing is that they believe the gun was too old to fire the distance the DOJ claims it would have. However, the prosecution maintains that firearm testing is unusual, and it could destroy evidence.

“As we told defense counsel, their request to inspect the firearm in this manner was highly unusual in the experience of the FBI, but nonetheless we made it happen,” the prosecution wrote in a court filing.

On Sept. 15, Ryan Routh allegedly hid in the bushes outside Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach with a rifle as Trump was playing. His son, Oran Routh, has pleaded guilty to a child porn charge. 

TRUMP SAYS HE’D BE WILLING TO RELEASE REPORTS ON ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS AGAINST HIM

The DOJ apparently has 90 gigabytes of bodycam footage from their search of Routh’s home in Hawaii. The search was carried out in September, weeks after the botched alleged assassination attempt. In addition to the footage, the prosecution says it has hundreds of law enforcement reports to sift through but is confident that they will turn it over in the next two weeks.

The prosecution says in a court filing it is submitting evidence as it becomes available, but that the defense has not submitted anything. The defense team maintained that they were not under any obligation to provide evidence to the DOJ. While they had ruled out using an insanity defense, Routh’s team refrained from offering any theories, saying that they needed to go over all the prosecution’s discovery.

A sketch depicting Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate then-President-elect Donald Trump in West Palm Beach last year appearing in a federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Lothar Speer)

SON OF ACCUSED ATTEMPTED TRUMP ASSASSIN HAS OUTBURST IN COURT AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO SERIOUS CHARGES

Now, Routh’s defense team is calling for a full list of evidence and information on where everything is located. The defense claims that when they went to try to see the firearm in question, some items that went with the gun were not in the evidence box. However, in its court filing the prosecution claims that any remaining physical evidence as at the FBI’s facility in Miramar, Fl., or is in transit on its way there.

Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley told “America Reports” that Routh’s defense team “has not been forthcoming” in the case. Additionally, Turley says that many of Routh’s actions after being caught negate a possible insanity plea.

A letter allegedly written by Trump assassination suspect Ryan Routh was revealed in a Department of Justice detention memo on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via REUTERS | Department of Justice)

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Routh is accused of waiting over 12 hours on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where he was hoping to assassinate then-candidate Trump while he was playing golf on Sept. 15, 2025. A Secret Service agent allegedly saw Routh before Trump came into range. Routh then allegedly targeted the agent before fleeing the scene. He was later arrested and indicted by a grand jury.

President Trump said he would be willing to release findings on the two assassination attempts made against him during the 2024 campaign. However, there are no firm details at this time.

Two people within the Department of Homeland Security have been accused of disclosing DHS operations amid the Trump administration’s mass-deportation plans, Secretary Kristi Noem said. 

In a video exclusively provided to Fox News, Noem is seen giving an update on the matter. 

“We have identified two leakers of information here at the Department of Homeland Security who have been telling individuals about our operations and putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy,” she said. “We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done.”

“We’re going to continue to do all that we can to keep America safe,” she added. 

ICE MAKES MAJOR MOVE ON DETAINING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN HEART OF BLUE STATE 

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday said two people within DHS have been identified as those disclosing information on operations that have plagued law enforcement amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans.  ((Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) | (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images) | (Fox News Digital))

The names of the two alleged leakers were not disclosed. 

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that they are expected to face charges. 

“We are preparing to refer these perpetrators to the DOJ for felony prosecutions,” she said. “These individuals face up to 10 years in federal prison. We will find and root out all leakers. They will face prison time, and we will get justice for the American people.”

Earlier this week, Noem said her agency wasn’t deterred by leaks after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid was leaked ahead of time. The leaks drew anger from ICE, with one official telling Fox they feared the result of an ICE agent being killed.

NEW HOUSE REPORT EXPOSES HOW CONTROVERSIAL ‘AMNESTY’ PROGRAM EXPLODED UNDER BIDEN

Immigration authorities detain an individual in New York City on Jan. 28. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images.)

Previous leaks to the news media have involved raids in Los Angeles and Aurora, Colorado.

Last month, Border czar Tom Homan said the administration was closing in on the individual responsible for the leak of the Aurora raid.

Noem had pointed the finger at the FBI.

“The FBI is so corrupt,” Noem wrote on X. “We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.”

In February, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared on “Fox Report,” where she discussed immigration enforcement and was asked about leaks originating within the government.

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“Well, you know, if anyone leaks anything, people don’t understand that it jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement, and if you leaked it, we will find out who you are, and we will come after you,” Bondi said. “It’s not going to stop our mission. It’s not going to stop the president’s mission to make America safe again.”

A major agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent a memo to hospitals and medical providers in the U.S. this week reminding them of “the dangerous chemical and surgical mutilation of children, including interventions that cause sterilization,” and vowed the agency would continue aligning its policies with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which provides health coverage to more than 100 million people through Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, sent a memo Wednesday that was obtained by Fox News Digital reiterating “the program requirements of hospitals to serve all patients, especially children, with dignity and adherence to the highest standard of care that is informed by robust evidence and the utmost scientific integrity.” The memo is effective immediately.

“Other developed nations have taken decisive actions to prohibit or significantly limit these mutilation practices to ensure that children are protected from harmful, unscientific medical interventions,” the memo adds. 

TRANS SURGERIES INCREASE RISK OF MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, SUICIDAL IDEATIONS: STUDY

A student leads a group of demonstrators in Knoxville, Tenn., in protest of the state’s 2022 transgender athlete ban.  (Saul Young/Knoxville News-Sentinel /USA Today)

The notice also said ” CMS may begin taking steps in the future to align policy, including CMS-regulated provider requirements and agreements, with the highest-quality medical evidence in the treatment of the nation’s children in order to protect children from harmful, often irreversible mutilation, including sterilization practices.

“In recent years, medical interventions for gender dysphoria in children have proliferated,” the memo adds. “Initiated with an underdeveloped body of evidence and now known to cause long-term and irreparable harm to some children, CMS may begin taking steps in the future to adjust its policies to reflect this reality and the lack of medical evidence in support of these harmful treatments.”

GENDER DYSPHORIA AND EATING DISORDERS HAVE SKYROCKETED SINCE PANDEMIC, REPORT REVEALS: ‘RIPPLE EFFECTS’

Dr. Kurt Miceli, the medical director at the conservative medical activist group Do No Harm, told Fox News Digital the memo “did a nice job” of highlighting medical data from other countries regarding “gender-affirming” care for kids. 

“And we really salute them for really looking at the data and being very clear that we need to protect children, really, from these irreversible harms that, unfortunately, we see from sex-change surgeries or hormonal therapies that are used,” Miceli said.

A transgender rights supporter takes part in a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments in a case on transgender health rights Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The notice comes as the Trump administration has been moving to weed out “radical gender ideology” across U.S. institutions and outlawed gender-transition treatments and surgeries for minors.

Many hospitals across the country are still conducting these procedures and ignoring Trump’s orders. 

NEWSOM CALLS BIOLOGICAL MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS ‘DEEPLY UNFAIR’ IN PODCAST WITH CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST

Lawsuits are already underway challenging Trump’s other gender-related executive orders, too, which include booting transgender troops out of the military and banning biological men from women’s sports. HHS is also undergoing sweeping staffing changes due to Elon Musk’s DOGE layoffs. 

The CMS memo said its alert “is informed by a growing body of evidence and protective policies across the world” and cited studies outlining the effects of gender-transition treatments for kids in England and Finland, as well as several from U.S. medical journals and the Mayo Clinic.

HHS memo reminds hospitals and providers about Trump’s policies forbidding child mutilation. (Getty Images)

Between 2016 and 2020, nearly 3,700 children between the ages of 12 and 18 underwent surgery, with more than 3,200 having breast or chest surgery and more than 400 undergoing genital surgery, resulting in permanent changes to their reproductive organs, the memo states. More than 120,000 children between 6 and 17, from 2016 to 2020, were diagnosed with gender dysphoria, with more than 17,000 starting treatments like puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. 

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“In several notable instances, research used to promote these harmful procedures on children contained obvious and significant methodological flaws or demonstrated outright scientific misconduct,” the memo stated.

A California Democrat said he was “politely chased down” by a flight attendant at an airport this week who told him his colleagues looked “heartless” for not standing for Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, the 13-year-old boy with cancer who was honored during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress. 

Rep. Ro Khanna said the interaction with the flight attendant, whom he identified as Jim Barrett, unfolded in Chicago. 

“Sir, I am a Democrat but the way the party behaved was embarrassing. Made us look heartless. I don’t care who is up there, you stand for the boy with cancer,” Khanna recalled Barrett as saying. “Be more rational and get your act together.” 

“I replied that a few of us did stand and clap and we must be the party that still believes in kindness, decency, and trying to bring people together,” he added on X. 

BOY HONORED BY TRUMP SAYS CANCER WON’T SLOW HIM DOWN UNTIL ‘GOD CALLS’ HIM HOME 

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said on X he was approached by a flight attendant who identified as a Democrat who took issue with the way his party responded to President Donald Trump honoring Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, right, this week during a speech to Congress. (William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images/Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Daniel stole the show during Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night when the president introduced him to the audience and officially swore him in as a member of the Secret Service. 

“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police,” Trump told the crowd. “His name is DJ Daniel [and he] is 13 years old, and he has always dreamed of becoming a police officer. But in 2018, D.J. was diagnosed with brain cancer. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago.” 

SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODES AFTER DEMOCRATS DO NOT STAND FOR 13-YEAR-OLD CANCER SURVIVOR 

Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel meets President Donald Trump in the White House a day after being named an honorary Secret Service agent. (Photos courtesy of the White House)

Daniel received a standing ovation from a majority of the crowd, although some Democrats were seen on camera sitting at various times while Trump was speaking about the 13-year-old. 

“Quite frankly, there were moments where I feel like anger at some of the actions that have happened over the past month-and-a-half prevented some of my colleagues from being able to stand up to support the little DJ Daniel,” Rep. Laura Gillen, a Democrat from New York, also told News12 Long Island this week. 

Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel waves as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Tuesday, March 4. (Alex Brandon/AP)

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“I stood up and applauded this little boy, who is getting over cancer, wants to be a police officer — and I was disappointed that I was not joined by any of my colleagues,” she added. 

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is estimated to have surged to more than 18 million after the Biden-era border crisis, according to a new research report by a hawkish immigration group, which also found an 11% increase in less than two years.

The report was produced by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which argues for lower levels of immigration overall. It estimates that, as of March 2025, there are approximately 18.6 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S.

That is 11% higher than an estimate the group published in June 2023, when it found that there were 16.8 million illegal immigrants. Overall, it estimates that the population has grown by 4.1 million or 28.2% since December 2020.

VANCE TAKES VICTORY LAP IN BORDER VISIT AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT NUMBERS PLUMMET 

“As of 2025, American population growth comes almost entirely from unsustainably high levels of immigration, both legal and illegal,” the report says.

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

FAIR estimates that there were around 11.7 million illegal immigrants in 2013.

The group includes, as an illegal immigrant, anyone who does not have legal status like a visa or permanent residency, and notably also includes those who may be in the country illegally but given a lawful presence, like Temporary Protected Status or humanitarian parole.

The Biden administration dramatically expanded the use of humanitarian parole as a way to curb skyrocketing illegal border crossings. It allowed migrants to cross the border after scheduling an appointment on the CBP One app for parole, and had parole programs where migrants could fly in having obtained travel authorization.

FAIR argues that even though they are described as having a “lawful presence,” they do not have legal status and therefore cannot be counted as being in the country legally.

TRUMP HONORS LIVES OF LAKEN RILEY, JOCELYN NUNGARAY WHILE CELEBRATING STRIDES ON SECURING BORDER

“Counting individuals in these situations as ‘legal immigrants’ or ‘lawful residents’ would be both incorrect and a biased mischaracterization of immigration law,” the group argues.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas led the department during the 2021-2024 border crisis. (Getty Images)

The report estimates the total number of illegal immigrants by using Census Data and compensating for what it argues is a history of undercounting those who arrive illegally, calculating an undercount of around 40%.

The report also concedes that “estimating the size, distribution, and characteristics of the illegal alien population is an inexact science.”

“In truth, we do not know exactly how many people cross the border illegally and evade immigration authorities, nor can anyone accurately quantify overstays or gotaways. We can only estimate these figures based on annual and monthly census data,” the report says.

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It argues that key factors driving the surge in numbers were Biden-era policies, including at the border, the release of migrants into the U.S. and what it claims was an “abuse” of parole authority.

The Trump administration, which took office in January, has reversed a number of Biden policies and has shut down the parole policies and the use of the CBP One app. It has also launched a mass deportation campaign in the interior, while also deploying the military to the border and declaring a national emergency.

The administration has since been touting a sharp drop in numbers at the border.

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In February, there were just 8,326 southern border encounters, down from 189,913 in February 2024. The administration has so far removed more than 55,000 illegal immigrants from the U.S.

“Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border and I deployed the U.S. military and Border Patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done. As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded, ever,” President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.

“They heard my words, and they chose not to come.”

FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. is continuing to share some defensive intelligence with Ukraine to protect against incoming Russian strikes, despite an announced pause in intel sharing that raised alarm bells, Fox News Digital has learned.

Three sources familiar with the decision confirmed that intelligence related to force protection and incoming threats would continue. Federal intelligence, the work of the CIA, FBI and human intelligence, has ceased, as has data that helps with offensive Ukrainian strikes against Russians. 

Another intelligence source said to expect the pause to be “very temporary in nature,” and that the sharing of all data could resume in the coming days. 

The intelligence pause had prompted confusion and alarm from Ukraine and its allies, its parameters weren’t entirely clear. But U.S. intelligence has been a lifeline for Ukraine’s forces: defense experts say that ceasing all data-sharing would be a bigger blow for Ukrainian forces than losing military aid from the U.S. 

TRUMP THREATENS SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA, DEMANDS PEACE AFTER MAJOR HITS IN UKRAINE

Russian strikes on Ukraine, like the aftermaths shown abovein Kharkiv on Friday, have ramped up in recent weeks.  (EUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

“Ukraine had one single advantage on Russia: information superiority. With that gone, Kyiv would be in trouble,” said Can Kasapoglu, a defense fellow at the Hudson Institute. 

“Europe does not have enough strategic enablers capacity to fill in the vacuum,” said Kasapoglu. 

The National Security Council declined to comment on what military intelligence was still being shared, as did the Pentagon. 

A pause in offensive military intelligence means “The selective sharing of intelligence creates a strategic imbalance, forcing Ukraine into a primarily defensive posture.” former military intelligence officer Matthew Shoemaker said. 

“Even if Ukraine would still receive intelligence for incoming threats, the lack of offensive intel limits their ability to preemptively neutralize potential threats. This puts Ukraine in a more reactive posture, potentially increasing their vulnerability to Russian attacks,” he continued.  

“It restricts their capacity to disrupt Russian supply lines, command centers, and staging areas behind enemy lines.”

But if intelligence sharing resumes quickly, it was likely a tactic to put pressure on Ukrainians at the negotiating table. “It suggests that it was more a signal to Ukrainian policymakers that the U.S. can turn off assistance at will.” 

A resident smokes near his apartment building damaged by Russian military strikes, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine Mar. 6, 2025 (REUTERS/Inna Varenytsia     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Ratcliffe said Wednesday that President Donald Trump had asked for the pause on intelligence sharing, but said it could be lifted as soon as Ukraine signaled it was ready for a ceasefire. 

“I think if we can nail down these negotiations and move toward these negotiations and, in fact, put some confidence-building measures on the table, then the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause,” Waltz said.

U.S. intelligence is believed to be used to track Russian movements and identify targets, as well as for operating U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and US Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACAMS).

France and the United Kingdom have said they would step in to fill the gaps where U.S. intelligence has ceased, but The U.K. said it would not share data that originated with the U.S. but is shared through the Five Eyes alliance. 

ZELENSKYY CONFIRMS UKRAINE WILL ATTEND US PEACE TALKS IN SAUDI ARABIA, 1 WEEK AFTER OVAL OFFICE CLASH

Trump threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with new sanctions on Friday.  (Contributor/Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

After a blow-up fight in the Oval Office last week between Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. officials have agreed to meet with a Ukrainian team in Saudi Arabia next week. 

Trump also teased possible new sanctions on Russia on Friday, his first public threat against the Kremlin since taking office. The president has grown increasingly frustrated with Russia ramping up its strikes on Ukraine at the same time he’s been pushing for a ceasefire. 

“Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

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But the president seemed optimistic about the prospects for peace on Thursday. 

“I think what’s going to happen is Ukraine wants to make a deal, because I don’t think they have a choice,” he said. “I also think that Russia wants to make a deal, because in a certain, different way, a different way that only I know, only I know, they have no choice either.”

President Donald Trump threatened to impose “large scale” sanctions against Russia after the country carried out a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said he was “strongly considering” sanctions and tariffs “until a ceasefire and final settlement agreement on peace is reached.”

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told reporters that Trump is ready to use carrots or sticks” to bring both Russia and Ukraine to the table. When asked by Fox News Channel Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich for more details on what could be sanctioned, Hassett simply said there are “a heck of a lot of things.”

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he was “strongly considering” imposing sanctions on Russia. (Truth Social)

In the overnight attack, Russia reportedly fired 67 missiles and 194 drones in an overnight attack that hit Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure, Reuters reported, citing Ukraine’s air force. According to reports, at least 10 people were injured in Russia’s attack, including a child.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are pictured in a three-split photo. (Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via REUTERS/Leah Millis/Alina Smutko)

ZELENSKYY CONFIRMS UKRAINE WILL ATTEND AMERICA-LED PEACE TALKS DAYS AFTER OVAL OFFICE CLASH

“Russia continues its energy terror,” Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on Facebook. “Again energy and gas infrastructure in various regions of Ukraine has come under massive missile and drone fire.”

Russia has attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure multiple times throughout the three-year war. In April 2024, Russia destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest power plants, and in December 2024, Russia pummeled Ukraine’s power grid.

President Trump also included a message to both Ukraine and Russia in his Truth Social post: “Get to the table right now, before it is too late.”

A view shows a site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 7, 2025.  (REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy)

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO VOWS DIPLOMACY ATTEMPTS WILL CONTINUE IN EFFORT TO END RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE

Friday’s attack seemed to be in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirming that his team would participate in peace talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia next week. While Zelenskyy himself will not be at the meeting, his team will sit with their American counterparts to discuss ending the war.

In his announcement of Ukraine’s participation in the talks, Zelenskyy said his country is “most interested in peace.” The issue of peace caused friction between Trump and Zelenskyy, after the president said his Ukrainian counterpart was “not ready for peace” following their Oval Office spat. 

Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov)

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“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week after the heated meeting.

However, things seemed to have smoothed over between the two leaders, with Trump reading a letter from Zelenskyy during his address to a joint session of Congress. Trump said he appreciated Zelenskyy’s letter and that he wants to see the “savage conflict” end.

Fox News Channel’s Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has been squandering money on thousands of unused software licenses, an audit found, according to DOGE.

For example, there were “11,020 Acrobat licenses with zero users,” DOGE noted in the post on X.

The list also included other examples.

TRUMP ORDERS CABINET SECRETARIES TO WORK WITH DOGE ON STAFFING, USE A ‘SCALPEL’ ON PERSONNEL DECISIONS

White House Senior Advisor to the President and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk departs the U.S. Capitol Building on March 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

DOGE’s “initial findings on paid software licenses” also included, “35,855 ServiceNow licenses on three products; only using 84,” “1,776 Cognos licenses; only using 325,” “800 WestLaw Classic licenses; only using 216” and “10,000 Java licenses; only using 400.”

“All are being fixed,” the tweet concluded.

Fox News Digital reached out to HUD and the White House on Friday, but did not receive comments by the time of publication.

“There are vast numbers of unused software licenses in every part of the government. Your tax dollars are being wasted,” Elon Musk wrote when commenting on the DOGE post.

DOGE INITIAL FINDINGS ON DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DEI SPENDING COULD SAVE $80M, AGENCY SAYS

DOGE has previously made similar announcements regarding the General Services Administration, Department of Labor, Small Business Administration, and Social Security Administration.

“Agencies often have more software licenses than employees, and the licenses are often idle (i.e. paid for, but not installed on any computer),” the DOGE X account noted in a tweet. 

“For example, at GSA, with 13,000 employees, there are,” the post listed, “37,000 WinZip licenses,” “19,000 training software subscriptions (and multiple parallel training software platforms),” “7,500 project management software seats for a division with 5,500 employees,” “3 different ticketing systems running in parallel.” 

The tweet concluded by noting, “Fixes are actively in work.”

The DOGE GSA X account swiftly replied, indicating that cuts were on the way: 

“Not for long…” a tweet read, with a scissor emoji added in an apparent signal that cuts were coming. “We will report back with progress shortly!”

INSIDE ELON MUSK’S HUDDLE WITH GOP SENATORS: DOGE HEAD TOUTS $4M SAVINGS PER DAY

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GSA Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator Stephen Ehikian replied, “Hope we didn’t make you wait too long…  within 3 hours of @DOGE post, @USGSA is taking immediate action to reduce $5.5M of IT spend & working to identify additional reductions across all categories—ensuring strong stewardship of your tax dollars.”

Several days later another DOGE post reported that GSA had made significant progress.

“Since this post, @USGSA took immediate action to reduce IT spend by deleting 114,163 unused software licenses & 15 underutilized / redundant software products — for a total annual savings of $9.6M,” DOGE noted.

A GSA spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “In support of the administration’s priorities, efficiency and good stewardship, GSA is currently undertaking a review of its contracts and resources, including IT resources, to ensure our staff can perform their mission in support of American taxpayers. GSA has taken immediate action to fully implement all current executive orders and is committed to taking swift action to implement any new executive orders.” 

A Colorado district attorney is arguing that those who are trying to dismiss the issue of Venezuelan gangs in the state have been taking an “ignorance-is-bliss approach to the law.”

“There were the two extreme positions. One was, ‘Hey, they’d taken over the city’… then you’d have the people on the far left in the mainstream media saying ‘there’s no such thing as a country of Venezuela. Venezuelans don’t exist. It’s all made up. It’s a figment of your imagination,’” Colorado’s 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler told Fox News Digital. 

“The truth is, Venezuelan gangs did take over the running of about 2 to 3 different apartment complexes… so to suggest that this isn’t an issue is fake. It is a giant issue. It is a growing issue. And this sort of ignorance is bliss approach to the law.”

The comments come as Colorado has recently entered the national spotlight as a result of the state’s sanctuary laws, which have limited local jurisdictions from being able to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

DENVER MAYOR GRILLED OVER AREA’S TREN DE ARAGUA PROBLEM AS GOP LAWMAKER SAYS POLICIES TO BLAME

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing with sanctuary city mayors at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Graeme Sloan for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The issue became even more controversial in the last few months after reports of the spread of the violent Venezuelan immigrant gang Tren de Aragua, which had taken over multiple apartment complexes in the Colorado city of Aurora.

The state was further highlighted in Wednesday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, when Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was grilled by lawmakers over his city’s lack of cooperation with federal authorities.

“The illegal immigrant gang Tren de Aragua targeted Denver to be their American HQ because of weak immigration laws,” Republican Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans told Fox News Digital after the hearing.

For his part, Brauchler argued that Johnston’s answers during the hearing were just an attempt to “deflect” the conversation from the overall issue.

“My sense of those answers, though, were intended to deflect from the underlying and key question here. And that is, can a city, should a state stick itself between illegal aliens and the federal law? And the answer is a very obvious and easy no,” he told Fox News Digital.

Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang have overtaken an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, charging rent in exchange for “protection,” previous reports say. (Edward Romero)

DENVER MAYOR SAYS HE’S PREPARED TO GO TO JAIL OVER OPPOSITION TO TRUMP DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Despite that “obvious answer,” Brauchler told Fox News Digital that Colorado’s Democratic-controlled government has doubled down on sanctuary policies.

“Starting in 2018, Colorado became awash in blue, and the legislature and the governorship have been controlled by the Democrats since then, and they have done everything they can to make Colorado a sanctuary state,” he said. “One of the laws that our state legislature passed fully embraced by Denver is to make our courthouses sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. They ban the enforcement of any immigration laws inside those courthouses.”

Brauchler said similar legislation is currently in the works, this time banning immigration enforcement on the way to and from the courthouse as well.

“Can you imagine any city or state creating barriers that say, ‘I’m sorry, local law enforcement, you can’t communicate with the FBI about a fugitive you can’t communicate with.’ Heck, the IRS about a tax cheat…. you can’t communicate with the DEA about known drug dealers? It is only with illegal immigrants that there seems to be this sense of creating these municipal and statewide barriers to law enforcement,” he said.

An Aurora Police Officer loads up a tear gas gun as investigators search for evidence in apartment buildings at 12th and Dallas in Aurora, Colorado on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. The dwellings were the scene of a reported home invasion overnight. (Fox News Digital)

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Nevertheless, Brauchler said he is committed to fighting back against the policies in order to make residents of the state safer.

“If you’re an illegal immigrant, and you’re here in this jurisdiction, get legal. If you can’t or won’t get legal, then be on your best behavior,” he said. “Because once you violate our laws, do not expect me to come to your rescue and figure out a way to keep you at a place that says you shouldn’t be here to begin with.”

As President Donald Trump advocates the idea of passing a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. — a member of the House Freedom Caucus who is pushing a Constitutional amendment to term limit federal lawmakers — told Fox News Digital during an interview on Thursday that while he’s not usually in favor of continuing resolutions, he supports passing one in this case.

Norman said “what’s different now” is the DOGE effort to find waste, fraud and abuse — the congressman, who noted that Elon Musk, under Trump’s direction, has been discovering “excess spending,” indicated that it will “take time” to sort the good from the bad in the federal government.

“We’ve never had that before,” he noted.

TRUMP ENDORSES ‘CLEAN’ CR AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., talks with reporters after a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Trump has been talking up the idea of a continuing resolution.

“Government funding runs out next week, and Democrats are threatening to shut down the Government – But I am working with the GREAT House Republicans on a Continuing Resolution to fund the Government until September to give us some needed time to work on our Agenda,” the president declared in the post. 

“Conservatives will love this Bill, because it sets us up to cut Taxes and Spending in Reconciliation, all while effectively FREEZING Spending this year, and allowing us to continue our work to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. VERY IMPORTANT – Let’s get this Bill done!”

REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP WAS PLAYING GOLF WHEN PRESIDENT-ELECT CALLED HIM TO SWITCH HOUSE SPEAKER VOTE TO JOHNSON

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., talks with reporters outside the Capitol Hill Club after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Norman said that he thinks during the next six months the “12 appropriation bills for the ’26 budget will be passed on time.”

The congressman, who has served in the House since mid-2017, is pushing a proposed Constitutional amendment that would term limit federal lawmakers, blocking them from lingering in the D.C. power bubble for decade after decade, as some politicians do now.

Dozens of House Republicans, and even a few Democrats, are backing the proposal, which Norman re-introduced this year. It previously fell short of clearing the House Judiciary Committee in 2023, with several Republicans voting against advancing it.

The proposal would limit politicians to three House terms and two Senate terms, though it stipulates that terms held prior to the ratification of the amendment would not be counted.

GOP REBELS HEAD TO WHITE HOUSE FOR MEETING TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and more than a dozen other GOP senators are pushing the proposed Constitutional amendment in the Senate. 

Norman, who indicated that working as a lawmaker in D.C. is not “rocket science,” suggested that people with business experience, who have made and lost money, are equipped for the role.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and critic of Russia, declared in a post on X that “real Republicans know that Putin’s Russia hates the West and freedom.”

“We also know that Ukraine wants democracy, free markets and rule of law. We stand with right vs evil. Reagan, Churchill, Eisenhower… that is our legacy. I won’t walk away from it,” he added.

The U.S. has provided significant aid to the Eastern European nation over the last few years since Moscow invaded its neighbor, sparking the Russia-Ukraine war.

SCOOP: GOP UKRAINE SUPPORTERS ALARMED AFTER EXPLOSIVE TRUMP, ZELENSKYY MEETING

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., listens during his news conference on his challenger Tony Vargas with Nebraska state legislators in his campaign office in Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Bacon asserted on CSPAN’s “Washington Journal” that it is in America’s “national security interest for Ukraine to win,” warning that a Russian victory would cause the U.S. to spend “a lot more money.”

The congressman has expressed support for helping to arm Ukraine.

TRUMP PAUSES AID TO UKRAINE AFTER FIERY MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY

The U.S. has “no troops in Ukraine and no one is advocating for that. We want to arm Ukraine so they can defeat this Putin invasion,” he said on X.

“What happens if Ukraine falls? Do you think it ends there? China is watching how we handle this too. I’m for helping Ukraine win,” he noted in another post. “They are fighting for their freedom just like we have in our history. I’m for a just peace, not surrender nor slavery,” Bacon declared in another tweet.

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO VOWS DIPLOMACY ATTEMPTS WILL CONTINUE IN EFFORT TO END RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE

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After someone on the platform asked Bacon approximately how much it would cost to oust Russia from Ukraine, the lawmaker replied, “Read Clausewitz. It’s changing the will of the adversary. Hard to measure. But being weak strengthens the adversaries’ will. It’s more about good vs evil and being on [the] right side of history.”

FIRST ON FOX: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem‘s legal team hit a South Dakota media outlet with a cease-and-desist letter demanding that it correct and end its knowingly “false and misleading” reporting that Noem allegedly racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars on a government-issued credit card when she served as governor, Fox News Digital has learned. 

“On behalf of former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem in her personal capacity, I write out of concern that your website continues to publish false and misleading information about my client that you have known to be false since at least July 2024,” an attorney representing Noem in her personal capacity said in a letter to the co-founders of a South Dakota outlet called The Dakota Scout. The letter was obtained by Fox News Digital on Thursday. 

“Specifically, your website repeatedly, and inaccurately, refers to all charges on credit cards used by the Office of the Governor of South Dakota as charges of my client—allowing a conclusion by multiple commenters on the site and other news outlets that my client violated the laws of South Dakota or stole taxpayer funds for her personal use,” it continued.  “We demand that The Dakota Scout immediately cease spreading these false, misleading, and inaccurate statements and take immediate and significant steps to correct past inaccuracies.” 

The Dakota Scout has for months reported that Noem racked up more than $650,000 in credit card transactions on a government-issued card during her gubernatorial career, which has now grown legs in the state as other outlets publish similar reports. 

However, receipts reviewed by Fox Digital, as well as outlined in the cease-and-desist letter, show that Noem used her government credit card about 30 times across her tenure as governor for a total of $2,056.72. 

Noem’s gubernatorial office did spend more than $650,000 via multiple credit cards for official purposes across her years in office, receipts show. 

Noem served as South Dakota governor from January 2019 to January 2025, when she was sworn-in as the nation’s eighth Department of Homeland Security chief. 

SENATE CONFIRMS KRISTI NOEM AS TRUMP’S DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House border czar Tom Homan speak with reporters at the White House on Jan. 29, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press )

The Dakota Scout is a local media outlet covering South Dakota politics and culture that is based out of Sioux Falls and was founded in 2022, according to its website. 

The outlet, which also has a weekly print edition, has extensively written about credit card expenditures under Noem’s gubernatorial tenure, including headlines, “Noem’s state credit card spending kept secret,” “AG Jackley releases state reimbursements amid scrutiny of Noem’s credit card usage,” “Gov. Kristi Noem credit card secrecy prompts lawsuit,” and “Kristi Noem’s credit card expenses: Search database to see 5 years of charges.”

“The monthly totals show that Noem spent nearly $650,000 from the time she took office in 2019 through April of this year,” a report from July stated, characterizing the expenses as solely made by Noem. 

“The Scout reported last summer that Noem had spent nearly $650,000 on the charge cards,” another article published in February reads. 

Then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is sworn in during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on her nomination to be Secretary of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The Dakota Scout obtained credit card expenditures for Noem and her office earlier in 2025 after filing an open records lawsuit against the state auditor in September 2025, the outlet detailed in various articles. The media organization has since launched a database of her office’s credit card transactions across five years.

After receiving the receipts for the expenses in February, the outlet noted in its coverage that both “Noem and her staff charged more than $650,000 to state-issued credit cards,” while recent headlines still focus on “Noem’s credit card usage” and “Kristi Noem’s credit card expenses.” 

“This is fake news,” Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for Noem in her personal capacity, told Fox News Digital of the outlet’s reports in recent months. “They’ve been told it’s fake news, and it’s been proven to them, but they’re still at it.” 

“They’re trying to raise their own profile by attacking Kristi Noem because she’s a major public figure from the state, and now that she’s the Secretary of Homeland Security, she’s an even bigger target,” he said. “She’s busy doing her job and won’t be distracted from securing the border and keeping Americans safe as an important part of President Trump’s Cabinet. These journalists are definitely bringing attention to themselves, but not in the way they imagined.” 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and a cease-and-desist letter. (Getty Images)

NOEM SHOWS OFF MUGSHOTS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS: ‘UNBELIEVABLE’

Noem’s then-gubernatorial office sent a letter in October 2024 to The Dakota Scout requesting a correction to its previous report characterizing Noem as personally spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. 

The letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, detailed that in 2019 Noem did not have a government-issued credit card, that she spent $55.44 on her card in 2020, $841.21 in 2021, $730.19 in 2022, $429.88 in 2023 and $0 in 2024. The grand total comes to $2,056.72 in expenses on Noem’s card specifically.   

Noem’s gubernatorial office told the outlet in the letter that the office of the state auditor initially provided the outlet with a spreadsheet of monthly official expenses “for several state employees, not just the governor,” which Noem’s office said led to the outlet’s “incorrect conclusion that ‘The monthly totals show that Noem spent nearly $650,000 from the time she took office in 2019 through April of this year.’” 

The outlet acknowledged that the governor’s office had requested a correction but brushed off the email, including writing “heh” in the response. 

“I have reviewed your letter. We do not comment on pending litigation. Heh,” read the email, which was sent by The Dakota Scout co-founder, Jonathan Ellis. 

“I’m certain you will have the opportunity to fully explain your reasoning when you are deposed,” the email, which was reviewed by Fox Digital, added. 

The cease-and-desist letter sent Thursday demanded that the outlet correct previous headlines and graphics or likely face a lawsuit. 

NOEM REVEALS MAJOR MILESTONE ON BORDER CROSSINGS AMID TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“Demand is hereby made that you immediately cease and desist reporting that my client spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on her government-issued credit cards and correct any headlines or graphics stating the same, and to notify your readers of these facts,” the letter reads. “Otherwise, we will consider all legal remedies, including a lawsuit seeking maximum compensatory and punitive damages, that we estimate at millions of dollars.” 

“We understand the benefit of transparency in government, but articles that are false, misleading, and deceptive do not provide transparency. Instead, such repeatedly false, misleading, and inaccurate reporting constitutes defamation,” the letter said. 

The total credit card expenses for the office included payments for Noem’s security detail, including when the detail would accompany her on the road. Noem rose to national prominence amid the pandemic in 2020, as she bucked COVID-19 mandates to the applause of conservatives nationwide and to the dismay of liberal voters and Democrat colleagues. 

Retired New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik told Fox News Digital on Thursday that “complaints about these expenditures are ludicrous,” citing that her high-profile on the national stage required that she have a security detail. 

GOV. KRISTI NOEM SAYS SOUTH DAKOTA IS DOING WELL BECAUSE IT HAS EMBRACED TRUMP’S POLICIES

“Kristi Noem was and is a high-profile public official who faces real security threats, including during the time when she was governor of South Dakota,” he said.  “A governor is never off-duty and requires the same level of protection regardless of whether they are in their home state or traveling out of state,” he said. “And the level of security they need would be assessed by the security experts providing the protection, not by the governor herself. It’s the same for all protectees — if you want to keep these people safe, it costs money.” 

Retired New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik told Fox News Digital on Thursday that “complaints about these expenditures are ludicrous.” (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

The former governor and current Trump admin official has previously faced threats, including in 2020 when her security detail was activated after a man was spotted brandishing a knife and a baton during a campaign tour promoting President Donald Trump’s re-election that year.

President Donald Trump attends a town hall, moderated by then-South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and Fairgrounds in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 14, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The majority of The Dakota Scout’s coverage on the expenses was authored by journalists Ellis and Austin Goss. 

Goss previously made national headlines in 2023 when he was arrested for impersonating Noem in what he said was a prank phone call. Goss was arrested in May 2023 after using a prank website to make it appear a phone call was made from Noem’s personal cellphone number. 

Goss used a prerecorded prank message called “Mafia Guy Got Vaccines” while calling the former chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party and impersonating Noem. 

TRUMP EXPECTED TO CHOOSE SOUTH DAKOTA GOV. KRISTI NOEM FOR HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY, SOURCE SAYS

Goss ultimately was fired by his then-employer, Dakota News Now, and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, multiple outlets reported at the time. 

He was initially charged with a misdemeanor count of making threatening, harassing or misleading contacts, which carried a maximum penalty of up to a year in prison. The journalist’s lawyer argued amid court proceedings that the call was just a “practical joke” between Goss and a friend. 

Following the plea, Goss sent an apology letter to Noem that underscored that he has “a great deal of respect for” the then-governor and that Noem was “the reason that I moved to South Dakota in the first place in 2020.” 

“I also apologize for the strain my mistake has understandably caused within your office,” Goss wrote in his letter to Noem, which was obtained by Fox News Digital. 

“Given my line of work, it has not always felt like it I am sure — but I care about you, your family, and your current and former staff. Many of the people you work with, or have worked with, are personal friends of mine and I deeply value their relationships both professionally and personally. I owe them a similar apology for what they had to endure as a consequence of my actions, and the trust that I breached in doing what I did,” he wrote. 

The South Dakota State Capitol is photographed in Pierre, South Dakota. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Goss has recently been floated as a potential candidate to run for state auditor in South Dakota, with the journalist telling a state political blog in February that he “views himself as a government watchdog.“

A source familiar with South Dakota politics told Fox News Digital that there is a “small group of people in” the Mount Rushmore State “who feel like they can get a seat at the grown-ups table if they attack Kristi Noem.”

“It’s ironic that they want to be like her, but they do that by attacking her and refusing to see what’s good for the whole team, which is a stupid and self-defeating strategy. It’s the same old problem we’ve seen before. Too many coyotes and not enough jackrabbits,” the source said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Goss, Ellis and Joe Sneve, the other co-founder of the media outlet, on Thursday, but did not immediately receive replies. 

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Fox Digital learned that Noem’s legal team plans to send similar cease-and-desist letters to other outlets characterizing the $650,000 in expenditures were made specifically by the former governor. 

With DOGE scrutinizing the federal workforce for cuts, one potential 2028 Democrat hopeful issued an executive order aiming to fill hundreds of vacancies in his own state government while also focusing on private-sector openings.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was joined by other dignitaries during a job fair at the state Farm Show complex in Harrisburg to sign the order calling for, among other things, federal bureaucrats to be considered for a plethora of job openings in Harrisburg’s civil service.

“The commonwealth recognizes that a workforce of dedicated and talented public servants is the backbone of a responsive government that can ensure the efficient and effective delivery of services for Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro said in his order. 

The executive order seeks to “capitalize on federal layoffs by accepting federal work experience as equivalent to state experience for the state’s top recruitment needs,” according to a separate statement from Shapiro.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (AP/File)

The statement added there will be an emphasis on veterans and military servicemembers also having direct access to recruiter-contacts, as well as publication of the 23 highest-priority, hardest-to-fill state jobs.

“It is imperative that the commonwealth attract and retain qualified employees who are drawn to a career in public service to fill its existing vacancies,” the order reads, citing an estimated 103,700 Pennsylvanians employed by the feds in 2024.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver added in a statement that the federal workforce is “one of the most professional and qualified in the world, and we know that many federal jobs have similar duties to jobs performed by Commonwealth employees.”

TOP BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN LAUNCHES COMPREHENSIVE DOGE EFFORT WITH A TWIST

“This executive order will help individuals with federal work experience find relevant job opportunities, continue their public service careers, and put their skills to work for the people of Pennsylvania,” Weaver said.

While Shapiro’s order aims to encourage qualified federal workers to relocate up I-83 to Harrisburg, a source familiar with his efforts noted that the governor remains committed to an all-encompassing strategy to attract top talent to Pennsylvania’s public and private sectors.

SHAPIRO, STITT SAY SLASHING ENERGY DEVELOPMENT RED-TAPE AND BEATING CHINA IN ‘AI ARMS RACE’ ARE TOP PRIORITIES

The day before he issued his order focused on state government jobs, Shapiro was in Pittsburgh meeting with private-sector leaders at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, seeking to boost economic growth in western Pennsylvania.

There, Shapiro spoke about his energy “lightning plan” to increase jobs while reducing costs, saying, “We haven’t done anything meaningful on energy generation since the [Ed] Rendell administration: It’s time for us to lead again.”

Shapiro also held a phone call with tech billionaire Elon Musk in October. The governor said neither of them discussed politics but instead investment in Pennsylvania.

In the past, a source familiar with the Shapiro administration’s work suggested he bore the mantle of increasing government efficiency before the Trump-Musk endeavor to cut federal government waste began, given his unofficial and oft-repeated slogan: “Get s–t done.”

Conservatives, however, swiftly criticized Shapiro’s order, with the state House minority leader suggesting any vacant government jobs first be deemed necessary to begin with.

“While President Trump is using his mandate to lead the federal government in an unprecedented effort to right-size itself in true responsibility to the taxpayers, finding ways to add to our bureaucracy here in Pennsylvania sends us in the wrong direction,” said state Rep. Jesse Topper, R-McConnellsburg.

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“When a job becomes vacant in Pennsylvania’s administrative apparatus, the question should first be asked if it is truly needed rather than how quickly it can be filled,” Topper continued, adding that the focus should be on “state-specific ways to get our fiscal house in order.”

Meanwhile, a potential 2026 Shapiro opponent said the governor’s order will “make living in Pennsylvania worse.”

“He’s already proposed an unsustainable, job-killing $51 billion budget, and yet that’s not enough for him,” said state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg.

“Now he wants to continue his spending spree with this grandstanding, desperately trying to draw attention to himself politically. Meanwhile, he doesn’t bat an eye as he destroys Pennsylvania’s economy and ruins the lives and livelihood of our families.”

Mastriano notably launched an effort last week to establish Pennsylvania’s own version of the federal Department of Government Efficiency.

EXCLUSIVE: The top lawmaker on the House Education and Workforce Committee is backing President Donald Trump as he readies to potentially abolish the federal Department of Education, but the lawmaker is skeptical Congress could offer support.

“I support him in the fact that we need to abolish the Department of Education, return education to the states, especially for K-12, and gain control of the higher-ed institutions and make them work,” Chair Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Whether we can abolish it or not is the question”

He pointed out that the Senate’s threshold for most legislation, which is 60, means Republicans could likely be forced to seek Democrat votes if a bill to abolish the department came to Congress.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CANCELS ANOTHER $350M IN ‘WOKE’ SPENDING FOR CONTRACTS, GRANTS

House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Tim Walberg said he backs President Donald Trump’s push to abolish the Department of Education but questions if Congress would back him up. (Getty Images)

“It takes votes. The president can do executive orders, but they’ll be limited in time and scope. The votes aren’t there, I would think, to totally abolish the department in the Senate, at the very least,” Walberg said.

However, the Michigan Republican signaled that Congress could still look at what kind of changes they could make.

“So what can we do to de-power, to reform, to replace in such a way that, for the time being, we’ll make the system work? I think that’s the question that we have,” he said.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAUNCHES ‘ENDDEI’ PORTAL FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS TO REPORT DISCRIMINATION

Linda McMahon is the new secretary of education. (REUTERS/Mike Segar/File)

Trump is expected to sign an executive order to abolish the Department of Education, something that’s been pushed by conservative Republicans for years.

It comes just after his new secretary of education, Linda McMahon, was confirmed by the Senate on Monday.

The department was created in its modern-day form in 1980 after then-President Jimmy Carter separated it from what’s now the Department of Health and Human Services.

House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled support for Trump’s push. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite/File)

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., signaled his openness to abolishing it in comments to reporters on Thursday.

“The more we push control of education down to parents and local school boards and authorities, the better off we are,” Johnson said.

Life for many residents in border communities improved following swift policy changes by the Trump administration, Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., says.

“They’re very happy with the results, and we knew that the numbers were going to be reflecting like they are,” the Republican told Fox News Digital in an interview, calling the change “drastic.”

Migrant encounters plummeted at the border in February with just over 8,300, which is the lowest month since officials started keeping track of the numbers, according to United States Customs and Border Protection data. 

GOP FIGHTS BACK AGAINST ‘TRUMP-PROOF’ SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS

Immigrants line up at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Lukeville, Arizona, on Dec. 7, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)

The reduction in the influx of people crossing is just one piece of the puzzle. More troops were sent down to the southern border upon President Donald Trump taking office; cartels and gangs like Tren de Aragua were designated as foreign terrorist groups; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement is conducting raids nationwide for illegal immigrants suspected of crimes.

“They’ve seen an immediate change in their daily lives on this for some people. They’re seeing the reports on TV for my community, they’re seeing it in person,” Ciscomani said about his constituents, which includes people on or near the border.

In his capacity as the Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Ciscomani is leading the freshman GOP class on an Arizona border trip this week, where they will visit ports of entry, strike up conversations with authorities on the ground and take a tour with the National Border Patrol Council. The group of lawmakers includes Reps. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah; Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D.; Jeff Hurd, R-Colo.; Tim Moore, R-N.C.; Derek Schmidt, R-Kan.; Dave Taylor, R-Ohio; Jeff Crank, R-Colo.; John McGuire, R-Va.; and Riley Moore, R-W.Va. 

NEW YORK CITY DENIED REQUEST FEMA RETURN $80M IN MIGRANT FUNDS

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks while standing with other Republican members of Congress in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

“When I first got to Washington a few years ago, I realized that a lot of people run on the issue of the border,” said Ciscomani. “They care about fixing it and addressing it, but a lot of members just haven’t had the opportunity to visit the border. And even if they have, they probably have gone to the area of Texas. And Arizona’s so unique in so many ways, right?”

The congressman added that there’s still work to be done to make sure the changes under the Trump administration are permanent to prevent another border crisis in the future, as there were millions of migrant encounters during former President Joe Biden’s tenure.

TEXAS REP. PRAISES TRUMP’S BORDER CRACKDOWN: ‘HIS LEADERSHIP HAS LED TO SUCCESS QUICKLY’

Officers from Homeland Security and the FBI conduct immigration enforcement in El Paso, Texas, on Jan. 30. (FBI)

Ciscomani, who is in a highly competitive district that includes much of the Tucson suburbs, touted his recent passage of the Agent Raul Gonzalez Office Safety Act in the House, which would make those convicted of fleeing authorities within 100 miles of the border face prison time and potentially be deported, depending on the individual’s immigration status. Some Democrats supported the legislation, whereas others said it was an overreach.

“For example, the asylum process, we have to increase the credible fear standard,” Ciscomani said. “Things like Remain in Mexico. I think something like that should be permanent. So we’ve got some ideas on this through reconciliation.”

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There has been room for bipartisan work to be done, including a bill that Ciscomani and Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., are working on to get image technicians at ports of entry in the hope of detecting illicit drugs faster and more thoroughly.

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…

-Migrants clone Border Patrol vehicles in bid to bypass Trump’s crackdown

-Trump blasts Rep. Al Green as ‘an embarrassment’ to Dem: He ‘should be forced to take an IQ test‘

-Trump’s plan to house migrants at Guantanamo Bay facing major hurdles

A Democratic Donnybrook

Democrats displayed their internal party divisions in the wake of President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress. 

Democrats who are a part of leadership or more aligned with the establishment are clashing with progressives, many of whom heckled Trump throughout his more than 90-minute speech on Tuesday. The party is facing pressure from grassroots organizations to take a more combative approach – in lieu of decorum – to the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal bureaucracy. 

While moderate Democrats are frustrated over the progressives’ disruptions, progressives complained about a lack of direction and clear strategy ahead of Trump’s first joint session address to Congress since he began his second term…Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 4: Democrats protest with signs (Medicaid, Musk) as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the Capitol building’s House chamber in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

White House

‘IMMINENT RISK’: Biden-nominated federal judge extends hold on Trump NIH research funding cuts

DISMISSING DELLINGER: Federal appeals court sides with Trump on firing head of watchdog agency

‘UNSIGHTLY’: Trump says DC Mayor Bowser ‘must clean up’ homeless encampments in the capital

TRUMP REFLECTS: Trump says he ‘felt very comfortable’ during address to Congress, touts positive coverage from ‘fake news’

President Donald Trump speaks as Vice President JD Vance, left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., listen at a  joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.  (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

‘REALITY ON OUR SIDE’: Trump guest shares special message to president after address to Congress

World Stage

‘HELL TO PAY’: After Trump threat, Hamas refuses to release more hostages without phase 2 ceasefire deal

STABLE CONDITION: Pope Francis had ‘good night,’ continues to rest during third week of hospital treatment for pneumonia

Capitol Hill

‘SHAMEFUL’: Speaker Johnson slams Dem Rep. Green’s ‘egregious behavior’ during Trump’s address

PAYING THE TAB: Republicans clear way for Trump to sell Nancy Pelosi Federal Building ‘at fair market value’

A federal building named after former Speaker Nancy Pelosi could be put up for sale under a proposed bill in Congress. (Google Maps, left, Brandon Bell/Getty Images, top right, Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images, bottom right. )

WHEELING AND DEALING: GOP lawmaker credits Trump’s business prowess for major investment in state: ‘Knows how to make deals’

‘BREAKING FEDERAL LAW’: GOP rep says she’ll refer sanctuary city mayors for criminal prosecution

‘BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS’: GOP fights back against ‘Trump-proof’ sanctuary jurisdictions

‘SELF OWNS’: Fetterman calls out Dems’ ‘unhinged petulance’ after Trump speech

Across America 

CHANGING THE GAME: ‘Star Trek shield’ technology gets $250M boost to knock drone swarms from the sky with high-powered microwave

FACE OF TERROR: Abbey Gate terror suspect’s mugshot revealed as he makes first federal court appearance

Muhammed Sharifullah, the alleged plotter of the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 American service members during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, was extradited to the United States on Wednesday.  (FBI Director Kash Patel)

‘UTTER DISGRACE’: Casey DeSantis calls out CDC for keeping COVID-19 vaccine on its recommended list for children

NEW HIRE: DNC hires new top exec with long history of pushing racial grievances, leftist ideology

GANG HEADQUARTERS: Denver mayor grilled over area’s Tren de Aragua problem as GOP lawmaker says policies to blame

‘CITY HALL IS IN CHAOS’: New York City Council speaker Adrienne Adams launches run for mayor: reports

OUTTA HERE: Dominican man sent home on ICE removal flight following warrant for human smuggling resulting in death

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

Democrats on social media were mocked by conservatives on Thursday over a viral video in which several of the elected officials pretended to be video game characters in a “choose your fighter parody.”

The video, posted by social media influencer Jessica Woo, featured Dem. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jasmine Crockett, Lauren Underwood, Katherine Clark, Judy Chu, and Susie Lee.

The congresswomen in the video could be seen jumping up and down in a fighting position as if they were video game characters, along with attributes describing their accolades and attributes. 

The video was widely mocked by conservatives on social media, with many pointing out the Democrats’ antics at President Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday.

HOUSE DEMS SUGGEST TRUMP IS TRYING TO BRING BACK SLAVERY IN RACIALLY CHARGED LIVESTREAM: ‘BACK TO THE FIELDS’

Conservatives widely mocked several House Democrats after a viral “Choose your fighter” TikTok video. (Getty)

“Democrats Not Be Cringe Challenge,” the White House rapid response social media account posted on X. “Level: Impossible.”

“It’s as if the party is trying to implode itself…,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted on X.

“There are just some people who don’t have anyone in their lives willing to tell them to stop,” conservative commentator Ryan James Girdusky posted on X. 

“Dear God,” American Majority CEO Ned Ryun posted on X. “As if they couldn’t get any lamer. . . Hold my beer and watch me release a stupid loser video and prove I’m even lamer than you thought!!”

“Trump Deranged Democrats release ‘choose your fighter skit’ after refusing to stand and clap for a child with cancer during President Trump’s address to congress,” GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X. “Democrats have sunk so low that I’m actually starting to feel sorry for them. Pitiful.”

POLLSTER WARNS DEMOCRATS’ ‘AMATEURISH’ ANTI-TRUMP ANTICS ARE ‘TANKING’ WITH AMERICANS

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Screenshot/CBS)

“My God, who is advising the Democrats,” former Trump campaign senior advisor Tim Murtaugh posted on X.

“I’ll take “Reasons why Democrats are not in the majority” for $1,000,” GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx posted on X.

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Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)

“Anyone that has any doubt that the GOP can keep the house in 2026 should rest assured,” communications strategist Erica Knight posted on X. “But at least they like American flags again.”

Fox News Digital reached out to all six House Democrats for comment. 

The State Department has revoked the visa of a student who participated in protesting in favor of Hamas, a move in line with President Donald Trump‘s call for canceling visas of students involved in the anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses.

The State Department confirmed the matter with Fox News, without identifying the student or what university they attended due to “legal constraints.”

“Yesterday evening, we revoked the first visa of an alien who was previously cited for criminal behavior in connection with Hamas-supporting disruptions,” the State Department said. “This individual was a university student. ICE will proceed with removing this person from the country.”

BARNARD STUDENT DEMANDS ACTION AFTER PRO-HAMAS PROTEST TURNS VIOLENT, CALLS OUT SCHOOL’S ‘PATHETIC’ RESPONSE

The NYPD cleared pro-Palestinian demonstrators from Barnard College after a group of student protesters occupied Milstein Library. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The State Department reviewed over 100,000 student visas and none were revoked during the Biden administration, despite all the anti-Israel protests and disruptions on college campuses. 

Trump has repeatedly called for foreign students attending American universities to have their visas revoked for supporting Hamas and other terror groups. 

Upon taking office in January, he signed an executive order to combat antisemitism. 

COLUMBIA PROFESSOR SLAMS UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP AS ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS WREAK HAVOC AT BARNARD

Mounted police work to contain anti-Israel demonstrators at the University of Texas at Austin on April 24, 2024. The Trump administration has revoked the visa of a foreign student who engaged in “Hamas-supporting disruptions.” (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” Trump is quoted in a fact sheet issued by the White House. “I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”

U.S. college campuses have been a hotbed for anti-Israel protests and disruptions, including vandalism, threats against Jewish students and violence against law enforcement. 

“The Biden Administration turned a blind eye to this coordinated assault on public order; it simply refused to protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans, especially students,” the fact sheet states. “According to a December 2024 U.S. House of Representatives Staff Report on anti-Semitism, ‘the failure of our federal government departments and agencies is astounding.'”

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On Thursday, Axios reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is launching an AI-fueled “Catch and Revoke” effort to cancel the visas of foreign students who appear to support designated terror groups.

“Those who support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, threaten our national security,” he wrote on X. “The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists. Violators of U.S. law — including international students — face visa denial or revocation, and deportation.”