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The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is facing federal fraud allegations less than a year after a staff mutiny triggered a leadership shakeup that has plagued the organization ever since.

The Justice Department has accused the self-styled civil rights nonprofit of using paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups and funneling money to extremist groups — claims the organization is now forcefully disputing.

Margaret Huang, who led SPLC, resigned last July after 92% of staff backed a no-confidence vote months earlier, according to the Las Vegas Sun. The center laid off about 80 employees — about 25% of its workforce — in June 2024, the outlet reported.

Huang said she stepped down because she could not both care for her parents and meet the demands of the job, while the SPLC said at the time she left after five years at the helm “to prioritize family life.”

PRO-POLICE GROUP ASKS DOJ TO PROBE SOROS-BACKED VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR USING BIDEN-ERA LAW ONCE AIMED AT COPS

The leadership rupture exposed deep tensions between staff and senior management at the Montgomery, Alabama-based group, which is known for civil rights litigation and racial justice advocacy.

Bryan Fair, a constitutional law professor at the University of Alabama and former chair of the SPLC board, stepped in as interim president and CEO following Huang’s departure.

Fair has since taken charge of the organization’s response to the Justice Department’s allegations. The group faces federal charges including wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering tied to its past use of paid informants.

“This use of informants was necessary because we are no stranger to threats of violence,” Fair said in a video message this week, pushing back on the allegations and framing the investigation as politically motivated.

“For 55 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has stood as a beacon of hope, fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to create a multiracial democracy where we can all live and thrive. We are therefore unsurprised to be the latest organization targeted by this administration.”

He added that the SPLC “frequently shared what we learned from informants with local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI.”

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP-ALIGNED LEGAL GROUP FILES FOIA REQUEST FOR DC CRIME DATA, CITING ALLEGED MANIPULATION

“We will vigorously defend ourselves, our staff and our work,” Fair said.

Huang’s high-profile departure marked the latest leadership turmoil at the SPLC.

The organization underwent a major upheaval in 2019 when it fired co-founder and chief trial counsel Morris Dees and removed him from its board, according to the SPLC, triggering a broader restructuring.

That overhaul led to Huang becoming the organization’s first permanent president and CEO under a new leadership model, according to the SPLC. Huang currently serves as a senior adviser at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of civil rights organizations.

Dees’ dismissal followed internal allegations of misconduct and workplace culture concerns, including claims of racial discrimination and harassment, according to multiple reports. He was not charged with any crime.

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Dees co-founded the SPLC in 1971 with civil rights attorney Joseph Levin Jr., while civil rights leader Julian Bond served as its first president.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the SPLC and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for comment.

The Minneapolis man who sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., with vinegar during a January town hall is changing his plea to guilty on federal charges stemming from the incident.

Anthony James Kazmierczak’s assault on Omar occurred weeks after Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent, which heightened tensions between federal officials and Democratic state leaders to an all-time high. Democratic leadership called for federal agents to leave Minnesota.

In March, Kazmierczak pleaded not guilty to one federal count of assaulting a United States officer, but an April court filing from his attorney, John Fossum, stated that Kazmierczak will change his plea to guilty after they have “reached a settlement” with federal prosecutors. Kazmierczak’s change-of-plea hearing is scheduled for May 7.

The exact details of the settlement are unknown. Fox News Digital reached out to Kazmierczak’s lawyer for comment.

JUDGE ORDERS ILHAN OMAR ATTACK SUSPECT TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY PENDING TRIAL

Video of the Jan. 27 town hall showed Kazmierczak rushing the stage as Omar spoke. She was calling for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to step down and for ICE agents to leave Minnesota.

He pulled out a syringe filled with apple cider vinegar and water and attempted to douse the congresswoman with the liquid before an officer stepped in.

“She’s not resigning,” Kazmierczak said in the video, referring to then Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Kazmierczak also pointed his finger at Omar, screaming, “you’re splitting Minnesotans apart.”

Omar was not injured and continued her town hall after Kazmierczak was arrested.

“I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong,” Omar wrote in a post on X at the time.

KRISTI NOEM, TRUMP RESPOND TO SHOCKING CROSS-DRESSING PHOTOS TIED TO HER HUSBAND

Since the incident, Kazmierczak has been held in custody. A magistrate judge ruled that the “exceedingly serious and dangerous circumstances” of the assault allegations make it impossible to ensure that public safety is not at risk if Kazmierczak is released on bail.

During the investigation, an FBI agent interviewed an associate of Kazmierczak, who claimed that Kazmierczak once said that “somebody should kill” Omar.

“Assaultive behavior and acts of intimidation directed at officers and employees of the United States will not be tolerated,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. “Persons who engage in this criminal conduct can expect a swift response from law enforcement and federal prosecutors

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Fox News Digital reached out to the United States Attorney’s Office District of Minnesota for comment.

EXCLUSIVE: A new Pentagon review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is set to declassify previously restricted materials from earlier investigations, reopening scrutiny of key decisions made during the Biden administration’s botched 2021 exit from the country. 

The review will include interview transcripts, internal documents and prior findings that officials say were overclassified, according to Pentagon adviser Stu Scheller.

“We plan to declassify all of the documents that we source in this investigation — all the interview transcripts, all the previous investigations that the Biden administration did that have been overclassified,” Scheller told Fox News Digital. “We’re going to declassify all of it so that everyone can make assessments for themselves.”

Unlike earlier reviews that cataloged failures but stopped short of pinning down individual responsibility, this Pentagon effort is examining a broader set of records and conducting extensive interviews with both senior military leaders and rank-and-file troops — a scope officials say could reopen unanswered questions about who made the key decisions during the 2021 withdrawal.

“There will be accountability,” Scheller said. 

GOLD STAR FATHER SAYS PRIOR AFGHANISTAN REVIEW SMELLED ‘LIKE A COVER-UP’ AS NEW LOOK EXAMINES MILLIONS OF DOCS

“We’ve talked to many people, all the key generals… and we also interviewed thousands of young service members,” Scheller told Fox News Digital of the report. “One of the things they said was that they didn’t feel like their experiences were validated.”

President Donald Trump has repeatedly blasted the previous Biden administration over the Abbey Gate tragedy that killed 13 U.S. service members, calling the 2021 withdrawal “a Biden disaster” and “the lowest point in the history of our country.” The administration in May 2025 ordered a new Pentagon review as part of what officials described as his push for accountability.

Scheller’s role in the review marks a striking reversal for a Marine officer who was previously punished after publicly criticizing the military’s handling of the withdrawal.

Then a lieutenant commanding an infantry training unit at Camp Lejeune, Scheller drew national attention in August 2021 after posting a viral video in uniform demanding accountability from senior leaders. He was relieved of command, placed in pretrial confinement and later pleaded guilty at a court-martial.

“I just felt like there wasn’t another voice that was going to advocate for the emperor’s not wearing clothes,” Scheller said. “I didn’t do it haphazardly.”

“God was with me on that one. I got through it. Here I am influencing the changes I originally pointed out.”

Previous investigations by Congress, the Pentagon and federal watchdogs identified a range of failures in planning and executing the withdrawal, including gaps in evacuation efforts, intelligence assessments and senior-level decision-making.

A Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee report found the State Department failed to develop a plan to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies despite mounting warnings that Kabul could fall, delaying evacuation efforts until the Taliban entered the capital.

The report also said U.S. officials were tracking credible threats of a suicide attack in the days leading up to the Abbey Gate bombing — including intelligence pointing to a potential ISIS-K attack at the airport — but operations at the gate continued.

Those conditions are now being reexamined as part of the Pentagon’s review, including how actions by Marines on the ground were recognized.

FORMER ARMY CAPTAIN WARNS DEMS’ ‘UNPATRIOTIC’ VIDEO TELLING TROOPS TO DEFY ORDERS COULD SPARK CHAOS

Scheller said his team focused early on the unit stationed at Abbey Gate, where several Marines had been nominated for higher awards that were later downgraded during the approval process.

“They had actually submitted awards that were downgraded. So we didn’t create these awards out of nothing,” Scheller said. “All seven of these awards were submitted and we had the formal paperwork from the original write-up.”

The upgrades affected Marines from Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, including cases where commendation medals were elevated to include valor devices and, in one instance, a Bronze Star was upgraded to reflect combat heroism.

The bombing at Abbey Gate killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghans, marking the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in years.

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The Biden administration has defended its handling of the withdrawal, arguing the decision ended America’s longest war and prevented further U.S. casualties, while accusing critics of politicizing the issue.

A spokesperson for former President Joe Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Department of Justice on Friday directed the Bureau of Prisons to expand death penalty protocols to include pentobarbital injections and firing squads as part of broader actions to strengthen the federal death penalty. 

“Today, the Department of Justice acted to restore its solemn duty to seek, obtain, and implement lawful capital sentences — clearing the way for the Department to carry out executions once death-sentenced inmates have exhausted their appeals,” the DOJ memo obtained by Fox News read.

“Among the actions taken are readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump Administration, expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases,” the memo read. 

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This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

During an event at the White House on Thursday, President Donald Trump highlighted a 2-year-old boy, Travis Smith, who was born deaf but can now hear after taking a “miracle cure.”

The child can now “hear his mom, Sierra, say, ‘I love you,'” the president said, inviting the mother to speak.

“Regeneron works miracles,” the woman said, referring to the company behind the treatment.

MICHAEL AND SUSAN DELL SURPASS $1 BILLION IN DONATIONS BACKING AI-DRIVEN HOSPITAL PROJECT

“He didn’t know his name. He couldn’t hear me tell him how much I love him. And now with Regeneron and this amazing surgery, he can listen to music. And he loves it. And he loves to dance,” she said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given accelerated approval for Regeneron’s Otarmeni gene therapy product, the company said in a statement.

PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY MAY BE COMING TO YOUR DOCTOR’S OFFICE AS QUESTIONS SWIRL

The company indicated that the treatment will be made available for free in the U.S.

“Regeneron will provide Otarmeni at no cost to clinically eligible individuals in the U.S. This may not necessarily reflect out-of-pocket costs for administration of this free therapy, which would be outside of the control of Regeneron; individuals should consult with their healthcare provider and/or insurance provider,” the company said.

Administering the treatment involves surgery, according to the company.

“The surgical procedure to administer Otarmeni uses an approach similar to cochlear implantation and allows use in young infants,” the statement said. “Otarmeni should be administered by a surgeon experienced in intracochlear surgery and trained in the Otarmeni administration process and should only be administered using the provided Administration Kit for use with Otarmeni.”

TRUMP ADMIN LOOSENS REGULATIONS ON STATE-LICENSED MEDICAL MARIJUANA

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Trump noted during the White House event that Regeneron has “agreed to offer their prescription medications at heavily discounted most favored nation prices.”

“With this announcement, 17 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, representing 80% of the branded drug market, have now agreed to sell their drugs to American patients at the lowest prices anywhere in the world,” he said.

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is stepping up its response to childhood lead exposure, launching new EPA public-education tools while pressing states to use previously awarded lead-mitigation funds that had gone unused, Fox News Digital learned. 

“There’s no safe level of lead exposure, and it’s well documented that children are more susceptible to the risks of lead. We’ve made a lot of progress over the decades in reducing childhood exposure to lead, but there’s still more work to do,” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. 

The EPA is revamping its website and launching a new story map tool aimed at making critical information on the risks of lead exposure easier for the public to access. The move comes as the agency shifts funding toward higher-impact efforts and steps up pressure on states to address contamination risks.

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Lead can be commonly found in paint, household dust, drinking water, air, and soil. The new tools will provide information to the public on current regulations for prevention.

“We’re also enforcing our rules when it comes to the lead renovation and painting rule. This comes up when you’ve got older homes, 1978 and older. Those are the ones that are more likely to have lead in the home, in the paint,” said Fotouhi. “When those homes are being renovated, it’s critical that folks are following our standards for ensuring the safety of any children that are occupying that home during that renovation.”

OBAMA-ERA GREENHOUSE GAS RULES GONE AS EPA’S ZELDIN SIGNS ‘SINGLE LARGEST DEREGULATORY ACTION’ IN HISTORY

The agency announced $3 billion in new funding for states to reduce lead in drinking water while also reallocating $1.1 billion in unused funding. Fotouhi explained to Fox News Digital that previous federal dollars to protect against lead poisoning and replace service lines sat unused in a handful of states. 

“We’ve really focused on is making sure that states that received lead funding in the past are putting that money to good use,” said Fotouhi. “We encountered a number of situations where states had received funding from EPA to replace lead service lines but had not taken and spent those funds to do that work.”

There are 4 million lead service lines carrying drinking water to homes, according to a 2025 EPA report.

The EPA’s broader push to prevent lead poisoning also included $26 million for states and territories last year to address lead in drinking water at schools and child-care facilities, underscoring the administration’s focus on children’s exposure risks.

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A committee of senior leaders was reestablished in 2025 across the agency’s program offices and 10 regions as part of EPA’s agency-wide effort to reduce children’s exposure to lead.

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“This is federal, this is precious federal grant funding. Designed specifically to reduce human health risk from lead exposure, and the states need to be doing their job here and putting that funding to good use,” said Fotouhi.

The administration has cast children’s health as a cross-agency priority, with HHS helping drive that push through the White House’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, which has focused in part on childhood chronic disease and environmental toxins.

Maine Democrat Graham Platner is vowing to pursue closer ties with China if elected to the Senate, arguing that the U.S. should be “far more cooperative” with the communist state on issues like climate change.

“I think our position towards China should be one of cooperation instead of one of opposition,” Platner said during a livestream in February, arguing it would be “absurd” to have an aggressive approach toward Beijing, citing its trade relationship with the United States.

“I am not a China hawk, not by any stretch of the imagination,” he continued. “I think we need to be figuring out how to integrate, or at least be far more cooperative, especially to fight challenges like climate change.”

Platner, a staunch progressive, is running to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in November’s midterm elections. His views on China appear to be well outside the political mainstream and place him to the left of many Democratic lawmakers, who see the country as the United States’ most formidable strategic competitor or a geopolitical threat.

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The Senate hopeful has also argued that fascism followed by climate change is the top two challenges facing the United States on the world stage.

“Before the rise of fascism, I would have said that the biggest challenge we have … globally is climate change,” Platner, an oyster farmer and combat veteran, said during the livestream. 

Platner referred to federal immigration officers as “armed thugs,” accusing them of murdering American citizens, an apparent reference to two fatal shootings during an immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis earlier this year.

He has previously advocated for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and dragging agents in front of Congress to testify about their work.

Platner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) sharply criticized Platner’s remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Graham Platner’s soft-on-communism radical ideology would lift up dictators, threaten America’s national security, and cost American lives,” RNC spokeswoman Kristen Cianci said in a statement. “He has no business in the Senate or any position of power.”

WARREN CONFRONTED ON CALLING CONTROVERSIAL SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER HER ‘KIND OF MAN’

Platner is facing Maine Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, in an increasingly nasty primary that has split factions of the Democratic Party. Leading progressives, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have endorsed him while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who leads the party’s establishment wing, is supporting Mills. 

Sanders and Warren have doubled down on their embrace of Platner despite the political newcomer’s bevy of controversial online posts and scrutiny over a Nazi-linked tattoo that he has had removed.

Platner called for deposing Schumer as Democratic leader, weakening the filibuster to ease the passage of left-wing legislation and adding seats to the Supreme Court to dilute the power of the conservative majority, in an interview with NBC News this week.

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The Sanders-backed oyster farmer has carved out a dominant lead in recent polling ahead of the June primary, despite Mills serving as the most senior-ranking Democrat in the state. 

Collins is running for a sixth Senate term in the blue-leaning state. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as a “toss-up.”

Democratic Party candidates for California governor said they would fight the Trump administration’s push to get California police officers to begin issuing English proficiency tests for big rig drivers in the state because it’s racist.

The warnings and fear expressed about implementing stricter regulations to ensure anyone with a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) can understand American road signs came from Democrats during the first California gubernatorial debate since Eric Swalwell was forced to jump out of the race amid sexual misconduct allegations. 

It also follows efforts by the Trump administration to push states to become stricter around handing out CDLs and a slew of news headlines and Homeland Security reports highlighting fatal tractor trailer crashes by illegal immigrants who struggle to sufficiently speak English.

“Racial profiling is illegal. And, in fact, picking on people based on the color of their skin in the state of California, is illegal,” Democrat megadonor and billionaire businessman Tom Steyer said when asked if he would support a policy enforcing police to issue road-side language proficiency tests to truck drivers.

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“Is that officer asking everyone he pulls over to explain those road signs? Or, is he asking only people who look like me? If he’s doing that, then he’s violating the law,” former Biden administration Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera said, slamming a police officer in a short local news clip played at the outset of the question showing an officer issuing a field test to determine if a commercial driver who spoke Spanish could understand road signs.

Meanwhile, Republican California gubernatorial hopeful Sheriff Chad Bianco slammed his Democratic opponents for pulling the race card. 

“Let’s stop with this whole racism thing, and racial profiling and all of this garbage. We have to get over this. You either violated the law or you didn’t. End of story,” Bianco said. “Consequences for bad behavior.”

The Department of Transportation announced in October that it would withhold $40 million from California, arguing the state has failed to comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards. 

The pulled funding came after an audit found that a pattern of states was issuing licenses illegally to foreigners, including through not ensuring drivers could speak sufficient English. In California alone, the audit claimed to have found, more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs reviewed were improperly issued.

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In August, a fatal crash with an 18-wheeler driven by an illegal immigrant was caused after an illegal U-turn was made by the foreign driver. Subsequent investigations revealed the driver lacked English proficiency. “This is a devastating tragedy made even worse by the fact that it was totally preventable,” White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital at the time. “Illegal aliens that have no legal right to be in our country certainly should not be granted commercial drivers’ licenses.”

In response to Bianco telling his Democrat colleagues to “stop with this whole racism thing,” Democratic candidate and former congresswoman from California Katie Porter said she was “stunned” he would say such a thing.

“I am stunned that Mr. Bianco would say to black and brown Californians and immigrants who are being terrorized and racially profiled that you have to ‘get over’ racism. It’s not something that you ‘get over, it’s something that you ‘fight.’ If he doesn’t understand the importance of that he has no business representing a state with the diversity of California,” Porter said when asked about whether she supported enforcing rules so that law enforcement will issue language proficiency tests to truck drivers.

Matt Mahan, the former mayor of San Jose, also said he would not support the policy, but he and Porter both suggested that the DMV could use some oversight.

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“No,” Mahan said when asked if he supported the policy to test truck drivers for language skills. “The right answer here, clearly, is to hold the DMV accountable for ensuring that every driver on our roadway meets the qualifications for the licenses they have. That is the appropriate entity to do this.”

When the moderator pressed Mahan for a clearer answer on whether he would support law enforcement checking truck drivers for language proficiency on the road, he dodged the question.

“It’s not about whether you speak English,” Mahan continued. “What the DMV is responsible for doing is not testing how good your English is, it’s whether or not you’re a safe driver who understands the rules.”

“Protecting Californians also includes enforcing traffic laws and we’ve seen sometimes a need for oversight in California,” Porter also said. “For example, we have seen that the Department of Motor Vehicles was not enforcing rules about DUI’s and drivers who have convictions for that.”

East Village residents who voted for New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani by a 40-point margin are now suing to stop a building in their neighborhood from becoming a temporary homeless shelter.

The lawsuit, filed with the New York City Supreme Court on Monday, shows hesitation even among Mamdani supporters about the cost of implementing some of his plans.

News of the lawsuit has prompted conservative mockery online, with figures like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, noting the irony of Mamdani’s supporters turning on the fruits of his administration.

“Oops,” Sen. Ted Cruz said in a post to X.

MAMDANI PRESSED ON PLEDGE TO BE TRUMP’S ‘WORST NIGHTMARE’ AND LANDLORD PUSHBACK ON RENT FREEZE PLAN

“No one is more ‘not in my backyard’ than white progressives. This community voted for Mamdani in a landslide but don’t want to live with the consequences,” Michael Henry, a former New York attorney general candidate, wrote on social media.

“Not shocked,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said in a post of his own.

Election District 45, the area that includes East Village, voted for Mamdani in a 70.1% victory over independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who garnered just 26.0% of the vote.

Even so, 10 residents joined the Village Organization for the Integrity of Community Engagement (VOICE) in their suit against the city after Mamdani announced plans earlier this year to turn a building at 8 East 3rd Street into a citywide intake shelter to house homeless adult men.

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The filing argues the city fast-tracked the process without proper environmental and legal safeguards.

“It challenges the city’s hastily made and legally invalid decision to locate a new citywide homeless adult male intake center at 8 East 3rd Street without following any of the legal requirements that must precede such a significant and consequential decision,” the filing reads.

To circumvent them, the complaint notes that Mamdani relied on an emergency declaration from 2022 — a power originally issued to handle an influx of asylum-seekers.

Mamdani announced the temporary housing project at 8 East 3rd Street as a way to accommodate the closure of Bellevue Shelter, a separate homeless intake site that the mayor’s office said had deteriorated too far for use.

“The Department of Social Services (DSS) and Department of Homeless Services (DHS) will immediately implement an operational plan to vacate 30th Street and relocate the critical functions to other sites. There are approximately 250 individuals in the shelter and the DSS is working to relocate these individuals by mid-March,” Mamdani’s office said in a press release.

NYC LANDLORDS FIRE BACK AT ‘RACIST’ MAMDANI AIDE’S CLAIM THAT TIES HOMEOWNERSHIP TO ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’

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The mayor’s office also detailed that a second accommodation site would be opened at 333 Bowery St., beginning on May 1, to house families without minor children.

The New York Supreme Court has not yet responded to requests for emergency relief that would pause the city’s plans.

A cohort of Senate Republicans joined Democrats to sink a late-night attempt to attach a version of voter ID and citizenship verification legislation to the GOP’s bill funding federal immigration enforcement.

Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., all voted against a modified version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act early Thursday morning.

Their defection came during the Senate’s marathon “vote-a-rama,” where lawmakers could force votes on any number of amendments, regardless of whether they mesh with the underlying budget blueprint.

The amendment’s 48-to-50 failure crystallized what several Republicans had warned for weeks before launching a quasi-floor takeover to debate the SAVE America Act last month — it didn’t have the support among the GOP to pass.

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It appears the proposal was doomed even if Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., launched an oral filibuster to advance the measure with a simple 50-vote majority.

Still, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pushed his version of the SAVE America Act after threatening to hold up the process until Thursday.

Kennedy acknowledged that his effort may not comport with the strict Senate rules that guide the reconciliation process, known as the Byrd Rule, but countered that critics of his move “can’t predict the future.”

“I respect everybody in this body, everybody,” Kennedy said on the Senate floor. “If you vote against this bill, I’m not going to say a word. And I’m sure as hell not going to go on social media and call you an ignorant slut. That’s not the way I roll, unless I’m pushed too far.”

SENATE GOP LAUNCHES ALL-NIGHT VOTE-A-RAMA TO FUND ICE, BORDER PATROL THROUGH END OF TRUMP’S TERM

Had Kennedy’s bid been successful, it could have instructed the Senate Rules Committee to craft legislation that would require voter ID to register and cast ballots in federal elections, limit voting to Election Day only and require that ballots be counted within 36 hours of an election.

It also would have set a $10 billion ceiling for the committee to use in crafting and implementing the legislation.

Notably, McConnell chairs the Senate Rules Committee and would have been tasked with creating the new legislation if Kennedy’s idea worked out.

Collins previously said she would support the SAVE America Act, but rejected this version of the legislation. Meanwhile, Murkowski and Tillis pushed back against the proposal ever since Republicans launched their floor takeover. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL IMMIGRATION FUNDING PLAN WITH $140 BILLION PRICE TAG AS DIVISIONS SIMMER

President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for passage of the SAVE America Act. Last month he vowed not to sign any other bills until it gets through, and said he wouldn’t approve of a “watered down version.”

Top Senate Rules Committee Democrat Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., charged that Kennedy’s amendment was a “solution in search of a problem.”

“We’ve already gone down this road for several weeks now to debate the so-called SAVE America Act,” Padilla said. “But I think, despite how you felt about the SAVE America Act, which certainly cannot pass the Senate, even my Republican colleagues would say the measure suggested by our colleague from Louisiana is an even more extreme version.”

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Kennedy’s failed attempt comes as debate over the SAVE America Act has taken a back seat in the Senate in recent weeks.

The GOP’s reconciliation gamble, reauthorizing the nation’s controversial spy powers, and the war in Iran have all dominated the Senate floor. Still, Republican leadership has no immediate plans to end its floor takeover.

West Virginia leaders renewed calls for like-minded Virginians to join their neighbors across the Allegheny Front after voters approved a Democratic Party-favored 10-1 congressional map on Tuesday.

West Virginia’s 55 counties seceded from then-Confederate Virginia in June 1863 to remain with the United States. Since then, there have been varied calls for those in the old Commonwealth who believe they’ve lost their political voice to discover redder pastures.

West Virginia state Sen. Chris Rose, R-Morgantown, announced his “VEXIT” movement — a portmanteau of Virginia and British conservatives’ “BREXIT” bid — is inviting “every true Virginian to take those country roads home to Best Virginia.”

Rose said it is west of Richmond where “your Appalachian heritage, values, and freedom are still honored and protected.”

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In a statement, Rose said he watched “the swamp score another victory” on Tuesday as a “YES” vote passed to redistrict Virginia in favor of Fairfax County and the Richmond-Petersburg metro area.

Posting an image of the “Appeal to Heaven” flag to social media as used by then-Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War, Rose invited disaffected Virginians to consider becoming Mountaineers.

Much of what is now West Virginia abhorred or did not utilize slavery, and abolitionist John Brown famously led a raid against the federal armory in Jefferson County in what became the easternmost point in the Mountain State, hoping to spur a slave revolt.

Brown was ultimately hanged for treason in Charles Town in 1859, while the 1863 secession passed in the then-capital of Wheeling. Today, the two Virginias’ differences are largely based on urban-vs.-rural geopolitical divides and issues such as gun control and taxation.

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When asked, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey told Fox News Digital he is onboard with the “VEXIT” idea in that regard, saying that Charleston will welcome people and businesses looking for a better environment.

“West Virginia is open for business and is ready to welcome those freedom loving neighbors who were disenfranchised by the radical left this week,” Morrisey said.

“While the commonwealth is attacking democracy, hiking taxes, and reinstating woke nonsense, our shining state in the mountains offers hope and opportunity.”

The effort follows the introduction of a bill in Charleston to formally invite a several-hundred-mile swath of western Virginia counties — from Big Stone Gap up through Luray — as well as rural counties in Maryland’s panhandle, long represented in Congress by Democrats from the D.C. suburbs, to secede to West Virginia.

That move would likely provide West Virginia an additional congressional seat, as Reps. Riley Moore’s and Carol Miller’s districts currently split the state generally crosswise.

TRUMP FACTOR: ELECTIONS IN THIS KEY STATE ARE SEEN AS A PARTIAL REFERENDUM ON THE PRESIDENT

Fox News Digital also reached out to current Sen. Jim Justice — who as governor championed similar ideas.

In 2020, Justice joined prominent Virginia preacher Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr. to push for “VEXIT” as the then-governor said Appalachian Virginia has more in common with West Virginia than denser parts of the commonwealth.

“If you’re not truly happy where you are, we stand with open arms to take you from Virginia or wherever you may be,” he said in Martinsburg, West Virginia, just a stone’s throw from Frederick County, Virginia.

Meanwhile, West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Charles Trump IV put forth a bill as a then-senator from Martinsburg arguing Frederick County should already be part of West Virginia.

The rural county at Virginia’s northern tip surrounds but does not include the otherwise bluer city of Winchester, and Trump said in his bill that counties formed from the original Frederick are part of the original West Virginia.

Hampshire County, which features the city of Romney, is considered West Virginia’s oldest county and was formed from greater Frederick to the east.

Trump’s bill requested that Frederick County voters consider joining West Virginia, citing an 1862 Virginia state law consenting to “Berkeley, Jefferson and Frederick” joining West Virginia. The other two form West Virginia’s eastern panhandle, but Frederick never acted and therefore still can.

Del. Gary Howell, R-Keyser, a proponent of the Trump-era effort told WVMetroNews that Virginians in the Shenandoah Valley and southwestward are culturally, demographically, and geographically similar to West Virginia.

“They share more with us than they do with Tidewater, Richmond and Northern Virginia. We look at it like, they’re coming home,” he said.

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The issue also arose during the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial race, when Republican Winsome Sears pledged to create a “second governor’s office” west of the Blue Ridge Mountains to serve constituents she said are geographically closer to five other capitals and are forgotten by their own.

Indeed, lawmakers and locals in far southwestern Virginia toward Wise and Cumberland Gap have often said “Virginia ends at Roanoke” as far as Richmond is concerned.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick repeatedly shut down questions about his past ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein during a budget hearing Thursday.

He refused to address discrepancies in his statements and insisted the setting was “not” the place to discuss them because he was appearing before the House Appropriations Committee to discuss the budget.

Lutnick deflected as Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., pressed him on why he claimed to have cut off contact with Epstein in 2005 despite evidence they remained in touch for years afterward, amid mounting calls for his removal from the Trump administration.

TRUMP COMMERCE SECRETARY HOWARD LUTNICK TO APPEAR FOR HOUSE EPSTEIN PROBE, COMER SAYS

The clash underscores intensifying scrutiny over Lutnick’s past relationship with Epstein and raises fresh questions about the consistency of his account, as lawmakers weigh oversight of the Commerce Department and demand greater transparency from senior officials tied to the late financier’s network.

During the hearing, Meng pointed to reports that Lutnick visited Epstein’s private island in 2012 and exchanged business emails as recently as 2018.

She asked why Lutnick had previously said he was never “in a room” with Epstein after 2005.

Lutnick did not answer her inquiries, instead saying he had agreed to address “any and all questions” in a separate session with lawmakers in the coming weeks. “Today I am here to testify about the budget,” he said, repeating that he had “nothing to hide.”

HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS BID TO CENSURE DEMOCRAT OVER EPSTEIN LINKS GOES DOWN IN FLAMES

The same pattern played out later in the hearing when Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., confronted Lutnick more forcefully, accusing him of lying about the extent of his relationship with Epstein and pressing him on past business ties.

“Why did you lie about your relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?” she pressed, urging the Commerce secretary to respond publicly rather than in a closed-door setting.

Lutnick again declined to engage, pointing to a future appearance before another committee and refusing to answer directly. Dean cut him off, saying, “Let the record reflect—you’re dodging the question. The cover-up continues,” before raising the possibility that President Donald Trump could remove him from his post.

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Lutnick has sought to downplay his past relationship with Epstein amid pressure from the public for the late sex offender’s associates to be revealed.

The two lived next door to each other in New York, but Lutnick told Congress he “barely had anything to do with that person.”

The Trump administration has so far dismissed calls for his resignation, even as questions about his past ties continue to mount, and Lutnick is expected to face more direct questioning from lawmakers in May.

House Republicans are sharply divided over a bipartisan immigration reform bill, with one GOP lawmaker calling on President Donald Trump to intervene. 

For months, GOP lawmakers have fiercely debated the Dignity Act, whose Republican sponsor, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, is pushing for the immigration proposal to be marked up in committee and receive a vote on the floor.

The Miami Republican has quickly run into opposition from a swath of conservatives in the GOP conference who have ripped the proposal as “mass amnesty” and a wholesale rejection of the president’s immigration enforcement agenda.

“The DIGNIDAD Act … is a betrayal of the values that we ran on last election cycle,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview, referring to the bill’s original Spanish name. “We ran on mass deportations. We said we’re going to do that, so we should.”

LATINO VOTERS ARE ‘NO LONGER SLEEPING,’ UNIVISION PRESIDENT WARNS GOP, DEMS

But Salazar, whose Latino-heavy district Trump narrowly won in 2024, is offering a starkly different approach. 

“Now that the border is secured … what are we going to do with those people who do not have a criminal record and have contributed to the economy,” Salazar said at a press conference Wednesday. “The economy still needs them.”

The immigration standoff highlights the fissures in the coalition that elected a Republican trifecta in 2024. The Miami Republican is one of Democrats’ top targets in November’s midterm elections.

Salazar, who first introduced the legislation several years ago, said she has been in conversation with the White House but did not specify whether she had talked directly with Trump. 

“It’s up to him, as an elected official, to determine when is the right timing,” Salazar said of Trump. “When does he want to do this within his presidency?”

“No other president has the political guts to do this, Republicans or Democrats, in the last 40 years.”

When reached for comment, a White House official told Fox News Digital the administration is happy to review legislation but is “focused on enforcing the current immigration laws and deporting the millions and millions of criminal illegal aliens that Joe Biden let in our country.”

Salazar’s Dignity Act does not provide a pathway to citizenship, but it would make millions of migrants who came into the United States prior to Biden’s presidency eligible for work without fear of deportation. 

The legislation would also increase funding for border security, require employers to use E-Verify to verify an individual’s legal status and create a pathway for DACA recipients to obtain permanent residency, among other provisions.

HOUSE DEMS CLASH OVER SCHUMER-TRUMP DEAL AS JEFFRIES BLASTS LACK OF ICE REFORMS

GOP supporters say the bill is attempting to appeal to the “mass middle” who want some legal protections for long-term migrants with no criminal records who are contributing to their communities, while also slamming the door shut on those who illegally entered the country beginning in 2021.

“I think, frankly, this is what America is looking for,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a Republican cosponsor of the bill, told Fox News Digital. “It covers a lot of concerns left and right.

“I think most people want some level of decency,” Bacon added. “You’ve been here for a while, you’ve got a family, you’re working, no criminal record.”

Conservative Republicans aren’t buying it. 

“It’s just amnesty. That’s all that is,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., an immigration hawk, told Fox News Digital. 

Gill said he remains vigorously opposed to the bill after meeting with Salazar for nearly an hour Wednesday to discuss the Dignity Act.

“This is one we’re just diametrically opposed to in irreconcilable ways,” the Texas Republican said, adding that he and Salazar agree on many other policy issues. “I do believe that it very clearly constitutes amnesty.”

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Despite no clear path forward, Salazar has vowed to continue engaging skeptics about the immigration reform legislation. 

She has also shot down the idea of using a discharge petition to team up with Democrats and force a vote on the House floor.

“I’m going to do it the hard way,” Salazar told Fox News Digital.

“I am sure we’re going to be able to get to a yes, and we’re going to be able to solve immigration within the Trump administration,” she added. “I have no doubt about that. Only God the Father knows the time. I’m just waiting.”

The Justice Department’s (DOJ) internal watchdog is investigating whether the agency properly handled the release of records tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein amid concerns it may have failed to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Deputy Inspector General William M. Blier announced Thursday that his office will audit “the DOJ’s identification, collection and production of responsive material,” focusing on whether the department fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law requiring the public release of certain Epstein-related records, including materials tied to his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

The audit centers on whether the DOJ withheld documents covered under the law, raising new questions about transparency in one of the most high-profile criminal cases in recent history.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November, followed mounting pressure on the DOJ to release additional information related to Epstein, including materials officials previously indicated were under review. The law requires the department to identify and disclose responsive records to the public.

PEDO ACT: LAWMAKER MOVES TO PROTECT EPSTEIN FILES, ACCUSES ‘CERTAIN FBI AGENTS’ OF TRYING TO DESTROY DOCS

“If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider addressing other issues that may arise during the course of the audit,” the inspector general said in a statement, adding that a public report will be issued at the conclusion of the review.

The DOJ did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The investigation comes amid broader scrutiny of the DOJ’s handling of Epstein-related disclosures and internal leadership changes at the department. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired earlier this month after public frustration over the pace and scope of document releases tied to the Epstein case.

‘SEPARATED FROM REALITY’: SENATE REPUBLICANS FUME AS DEMS USE EPSTEIN SAGA TO BLOCK TRUMP’S AGENDA

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, however, pushed back on suggestions that Bondi’s firing was linked to the Epstein files during an episode of “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

“I have never heard President Trump say that the attorney general was — that anything that happened to her — had anything to do with the Epstein files,” Blanche said.

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“What happened when the president signed the Transparency Act is the Department of Justice has now released all the files with respect to the Epstein saga. … Attorney General Bondi and I appeared in front of Congress voluntarily a couple weeks ago to answer any questions they had,” he told Fox News. 

“We have made every single congressman, senator available to come and see any document redacted, unredacted.”

Fox News Digital’s Nora Moriarty, Katelyn Caralle and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

As artificial intelligence grabs headlines and stirs debate, the latest Fox News Poll finds most voters see it as a threat to privacy and jobs, contributing to a largely negative impression overall.

The survey, released Thursday, finds voters think AI mostly hurts rather than helps key aspects of life, whether on a personal, national, or global scale.

Voters have negative views on AI by 50 points when it comes to privacy (63% hurts, 13% helps), by 35 points on U.S. job creation (56-21), by 15 points on the national economy (42-27), by 5 points on people’s daily lives (38-33), and by 4 points on their own personal lives (30-26).

FOX NEWS POLL: 56% DOUBT WHITE HOUSE’S COMPETENCE AT MANAGING GOVERNMENT

The only area where people think AI mainly helps rather than hurts is U.S. competitiveness with other countries: 38% think it helps while 32% view it as harmful.

Still, sizable minorities feel AI doesn’t make a difference in each category: 43% feel it makes no difference in their personal life, 30% in the economy, 29% global competitiveness, 28% people’s daily lives, 23% people’s privacy, and 21% job creation.

By double-digits, Democrats and independents are more likely to say AI hurts rather than helps in each area.

While the level of negativity varies, more voters under age 30 say AI hurts more than helps in every category listed. Voters age 65 and over also view AI technology as more hurtful except when it comes to global competitiveness, where they give it the benefit of the doubt.

Viewing the new technology as harmful leads to an overall negative opinion of AI, with 43% having a favorable opinion vs. 54% unfavorable.

Those who view it positively include voters in households with $100,000 or more income (54% favorable), Republicans (53%), Republicans who identify as MAGA (57%), and Catholics (52%).

Some of the biggest drivers of AI pessimism are independents (64% unfavorable), Democrats (61%), and women without a college degree (60%).

FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC GLOOM, TRUMP RATINGS SIGNAL TOUGH GOP MIDTERM PATH

One more thing…

When asked which political party would better handle artificial intelligence, voters are closely divided: 51% say the Democrats vs. 46% the Republicans.  The results are within the margin of error, indicating no clear advantage for either party.

Part of the Democrats’ edge comes from a majority of independents backing them over their GOP counterparts (54% to 46%) and more than 1 in 10 self-identified Republicans defecting as well (13% D, 84% R).

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted April 17-20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

As the war in Iran nears the two-month mark, a new Fox News Poll shows a modest uptick in support, though voters remain divided on key aspects of the conflict – especially over its long-term consequences and U.S. safety.

The survey, released Thursday, shows support for the current military action in Iran at 45%, up from 42% support last month.  A majority of 55% oppose it.

FOX NEWS POLL: 56% DOUBT WHITE HOUSE’S COMPETENCE AT MANAGING GOVERNMENT

Still, a slim majority thinks things are going well in Iran (51% well vs. 49% not well), a flip from March when voters said the action was not going well (47% vs. 52%).

FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC GLOOM, TRUMP RATINGS SIGNAL TOUGH GOP MIDTERM PATH

The bump in support for the war can be mostly attributed to non-MAGA Republicans (+11 points in support), Hispanic voters (+10), men over age 45 (+8), and independents (+5).

Looking at the likely effect on security, voters still narrowly say the action will make the U.S. less safe (36% safer, 39% less safe, 25% no difference). However, this gap has narrowed since March (33%, 44%, 23% respectively).

Voters are also not convinced the costs of the war are worth it. A 57% majority believes the action will not improve U.S. safety enough to justify the problems it has created, while 43% say the short-term problems will be worth it in the long run.

Although voters across the board express skepticism, partisan differences are stark. Roughly 3 in 10 Republicans, 7 in 10 independents, and 8 in 10 Democrats, think improved safety does not justify the challenges.

The most important objectives for voters are avoiding a prolonged conflict and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open (80% say it is extremely or very important for each). Majorities also think it’s extremely or very important to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program (72%), support the people of Iran (65%) and bring about changes to Iran’s government (55%).

The top objective for Democrats and independents is avoiding a prolonged conflict, while for Republicans it’s ending Iran’s nuclear program.

Six in 10 (59%) rate the performance of the U.S. military in the conflict as excellent (32%) or good (27%), about where sentiment was last month (58% excellent/good).

More than 5 in 10 independents (53%) and 8 in 10 Republicans (81%) rate the military positively, while just 4 in 10 Democrats agree (40%).

“One of the more remarkable statistics attesting to the country’s intense polarization is that when asked about the U.S. military’s performance in Iran, by 20 percentage points Democrats rate it negatively, and it’s difficult to proffer an explanation other than those who dislike President Trump are unwilling to say anything positive about anything he touches,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who works on Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson.

Among those who have served in the military, support for the current action in Iran has dipped slightly (down 4 points since March), but a majority still supports it (57%), thinks things are going well (65%), rates the military positively (78% excellent/good) and half think the military action will make the U.S. safer (50%).

Trump said Tuesday the U.S. will extend its ceasefire with Iran, a day before it was set to end and amid a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. This comes as peace talks in Pakistan involving Vice President JD Vance were delayed as Iran has not committed to participating yet. The survey was conducted April 17-20.

When asked to rate how tough Trump has been on Iran, more voters say he’s been too tough (40%), rather than not tough enough (28%) or about right (30%).

The 40% saying Trump is too tough is up from 18% in May 2019 (the last time the question was asked) – mainly driven by Democrats and independents thinking he’s too tough now.

When it comes to the president’s approach to China, however, results are reversed: 21% say he’s too tough, 40% not tough enough, and 38% about right.  

More broadly, Trump’s job performance on foreign policy is underwater by 20 points (40% approve, 60% disapprove).  He does slightly better on his handling of China (42%, 57%) but worse on Iran (37%, 63%).

His overall job rating sits at 42% approve and 58% disapprove, about where it was last month (41%-59%).

Some Cabinet officials are also facing headwinds in their job performance. Vance’s net approval rating is -11 points (44% approve – 55% disapprove) and down from -8 in December.

Sec. of State Rubio’s net approval rating is -12, down from -5, which is the steepest decline in the Cabinet (44% approve, 56% disapprove).

Sec. of War Hegseth’s rating ticked up 2 points to -17, but he remains the lowest rated of the three (41% approve, 58% disapprove).

Iran is not the only foreign policy issue where voters are divided. They are split on U.S. support of Israel, as 40% say it’s too supportive, another 40% about right, and 19% say not supportive enough.

At 40%, the share saying the U.S. is too supportive is the highest since 2023, up from 35% the last time the question was asked in September 2025.

Democrats under age 45 (+9 points saying too supportive since 2025) and Republicans under age 45 (+7), are increasingly more likely to feel the U.S. is too supportive of Israel.  Republicans ages 45+ have the highest share of those who think support is about right (70%) while Democrats ages 45+ say too supportive (57%).

The largest share of Protestants (45%), Catholics (44%), and White Catholics (48%) say support is about right.

On Ukraine, 39% of voters say the U.S. should be doing more to support them against Russia, 26% say less and 34% feel the U.S. is doing the right amount. This is close to where sentiment has been since last summer. 

One more thing…

Trump is a frequent poster on social media, and a majority of voters see these posts as instant reactions to current events (65%) rather than strategic efforts to accomplish goals (34%).

Still, the number viewing them as strategic is up 15 points since 2018, when only 19% said his tweeting had a broader purpose.  At that time, 28% of Republicans felt his tweeting was strategic compared to the 52% who feel that way about his social media posts today. That compares with smaller increases among independents (+13 points) and Democrats (+4).

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted April 17-20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to immediately block taxpayer funding for sex change treatment for minors, warning that billions of federal dollars could soon flow to providers like Planned Parenthood.

In a letter penned to Johnson on Thursday afternoon, Hawley emphasized that “time is of the essence,” noting a current federal ban on taxpayer payments to abortion and “trans-treatment” providers is set to expire July 4.

Hawley’s recent attempt to pass a similar ban in the Senate was rejected Wednesday night, putting the responsibility squarely on the House.

TEXAS LAWMAKER PROPOSES BILL TO BAN GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING ADULTS

“If the House fails to act immediately as part of reconciliation, billions of Federal dollars will go to Planned Parenthood and other medical ‘providers’ for hormones, puberty blockers, and irreversible treatments for minor children,” Hawley wrote, calling the prospect “unconscionable.”

Hawley warned that billions of dollars will potentially be diverted from Medicaid.

Citing a Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimate, the senator pointed out that Planned Parenthood alone received more than $1.5 billion in Medicare and Medicaid funds between 2019 and 2021.

Hawley also referenced a new study from Concerned Women for America, which found a more than 40% increase in sex change treatment and related services at Planned Parenthood clinics.

He argued that the organization is “positioned to supercharge its transgender agenda with taxpayer funding taken from the elderly and those in need,” demanding Johnson take action “without delay or hesitation.”

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Had it passed, the budget amendment presented by Hawley on Wednesday would have been added to the Congressional budget resolution for fiscal year 2026 and created a pathway to defund abortion providers — provided it did not increase the national debt.

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner has ordered an immediate halt to enforcement of a key Obama-era housing rule tied to gender identity, directing the agency to operate programs based on biological sex.

The directive stops any pending or future enforcement of HUD’s 2016 Equal Access Rule, which expanded gender identity as formally recognized in federally-funded housing programs and shelters.

The move marks a significant shift in how shelters and HUD-funded providers operate, particularly those serving women fleeing domestic violence, and implements President Donald Trump’s executive order to restore what the administration calls “biological truth” across the federal government.

“I am directing HUD staff to halt any pending or future enforcement actions related to HUD’s 2016 Equal Access Rule, which, in essence, tied housing programs, shelters and other facilities funded by HUD to far-left gender ideology,” Turner said.

TRUMP STOPPED BIDEN’S PLAN TO FORCE DEI ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES

“We, at this agency, are carrying out the mission laid out by President Trump on Jan. 20 … to restore biological truth to the federal government,” he added. 

“This means recognizing there are only two sexes: male and female. It means getting government out of the way of what the Lord established from the beginning when he created man in His own image.”

The 2016 rule allowed people to self-identify for gender when accessing certain housing services, limiting the ability of shelters to challenge that identification.

Critics of the rule argued it restricted the rights of shelters, particularly those serving women impacted by trauma, domestic abuse and violence, by requiring them to admit individuals based on gender identity rather than biological sex.

JUDGE FORCES CA HOSPITAL TO KEEP TRANS TREATMENTS FOR MINORS DESPITE TRUMP FUNDING THREAT

Turner framed the move as part of a broader overhaul of HUD policy and spending.

“Moreover, this is just the first of many examples of how, starting on day one, HUD is going back to work for the American people and being a good steward of taxpayer dollars,” he said. “There will be more where this came from.”

The Equal Access Rule was first introduced in 2012, prohibiting discrimination in HUD-funded programs based on sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status. A 2016 update expanded those protections by requiring programs to recognize gender identity as well.

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Turner’s order does not repeal the rule but halts enforcement tied to the 2016 expansion.

“As I have said before, we are going to take inventory of HUD’s programs and ensure every dollar that goes out the door is advancing HUD’s mission, which is to provide quality, affordable homes for communities across the country — urban, rural and tribal — and promote economic investment to build stronger communities and a brighter future for all Americans,” Turner said.

None of the Democratic candidates running to replace outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom gave him below a B-minus grade on combating homelessness, a moment that Republicans sharing the debate stage on Wednesday evening called a laughable evaluation of the state’s problem.

“My goodness, of course it’s an F,” Republican candidate Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, said.

“It shames our state, the situation with homelessness. We have about 10% of the U.S. population, around 50% of the country’s homeless.”

The moment forced the four Democratic candidates to weigh in on efforts to unwind a crisis that has only worsened in recent years despite billions in funding. It also highlighted a reluctance among Democrats to critique Newsom, who has yet to make an endorsement in the race. 

TRUMP BACKS HILTON AHEAD OF CALIFORNIA GOP VOTE, TESTING BIANCO’S GRIP ON PARTY ENDORSEMENT

“I’m a notoriously tough grader, but I would probably give him a B on homelessness,” Katie Porter, a former Democratic congresswoman, said.

“I don’t think this has been an easy problem to solve, but I do give him a lot of credit for calling attention to the problem.”

Tom Steyer, a billionaire businessman-turned candidate, put Newsom’s performance in the same ballpark.

NEWSOM STILL BACKING $114M ‘BRIDGE TO NOWHERE’ FOR MOUNTAIN LIONS AND BUTTERFLIES

“So, I’d give the governor a B-minus on this,” Steyer said.

But one other Democrat, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, made the case that the grade was too low, citing Newsom’s “effort.”

“I would say that the governor has made efforts. We’ve seen him come down to Los Angeles, actually go out and try to clean some of these streets. On effort, I would give him an A,” Becerra said.

California reported 161,400 people had experienced homelessness on any given night in 2024, according to the California State Senate Housing Committee.

The numbers are higher than when Newsom took office in January 2019.

That year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development put California’s homeless population at 108,400 — 32% less than levels in 2024.

The persistently high rates have thwarted billions in funding to bring the numbers down. California has spent roughly $20 billion on homeless initiatives from 2019 to 2025, according to the California Budget and Policy Center, a left-leaning think tank.

In a 2023 debate with Newsom on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis illustrated the acuteness of the homelessness problem by holding up a map of San Francisco, detailing over 270,000 reported instances of feces found on the streets of the city, which was dubbed the “poop map” on social media.

To Republican candidate Chad Bianco, Riverside County’s sheriff, it’s clear the problem has nothing to do with money.

“It is an absolute dismal failure, and anyone that says it’s not is fooling themselves — or trying to fool voters,” Bianco said.

CALIFORNIA SHERIFF USES ‘TO CATCH A PREDATOR’ PLAYBOOK TO SQUASH BLUE STATE CRIME

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“We are not dealing with homeless, so stop calling it homeless. It has nothing to do with homes. These people are suffering from drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness.”

California will hold its gubernatorial primary June 2. The top two candidates will advance to the general election Nov. 3, according to the California Secretary of State.

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries ripped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a Fox News Digital interview on Thursday, calling him a “lame duck” after the governor offered to pay for his trip to Florida amid a redistricting push.

Jeffries warned DeSantis he could put Republican seats at risk as the Sunshine State remains in the spotlight of a nationwide gerrymandering battle, with parties reshuffling congressional districts for partisan advantages.

“Ron DeSantis is putting his own congressional delegation in jeopardy, which probably shouldn’t be surprising because all of them, as I understand it, can’t stand the charismatically challenged lame duck governor of Florida,” Jeffries said.

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS SUE TO STOP NEWSOM, DEMOCRATS FROM PUSHING REDISTRICTING PLAN

DeSantis extended the invitation to Jeffries at a press conference in Kissimmee, Florida, on Wednesday following Jeffries’ “F around and find out” warning on redistricting.

“Please. Be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida to campaign,” DeSantis told the crowd. “I’ll put you up in the Florida governor’s mansion. We will take you fishing. We’ll do all this stuff. There’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries, Hakeem Jeffries, everywhere around this state.”

Jeffries warned DeSantis earlier this week not to follow Texas’s lead, where Republicans pushed a redistricting map to flip up to five Democratic-held seats.

“Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out,” Jeffries said. “If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummymander, the Florida Republicans are gonna find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans, who are on the run right now. Under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats. They’ll be fortunate if they get two or three. While in California, we are going to get all five.”

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE RUNS THROUGH VIRGINIA AS COURT OKS HIGH-STAKES REDISTRICTING VOTE

Multiple states have moved forward with similar redistricting efforts following a push initiated by President Donald Trump.

Jeffries added that the redistricting war is not over yet.

“The Republicans are dummymandering their way into the minority before a single voter casts a ballot because they started this war and we’re going to finish it.”

With the 2026 midterms approaching, both parties hope to win the House by leveraging gerrymandering.

President Trump urged Virginia voters this week to reject the “blatant partisan power grab” in Virginia before voters headed to the polls to vote on the congressional redistricting referendum, led by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

The referendum was passed on Tuesday night, securing Virginia Democrats a major win and increasing the party’s chances in the midterms.

FIRST ELECTION TEST FOR TRUMP’S TERM SURPRISINGLY CLOSE IN FL, GOP LOOKS TO INCREASE RAZOR-THIN HOUSE MAJORITY

DeSantis called a special session this week to focus on congressional maps that he says will “accurately reflect the population of our state.” Florida’s state constitution bans favoring parties in redistricting.

Eight Democratic-held districts are up for redrawing. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s seats, while Democrats hold eight.

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A redistricting plan has not been revealed.

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.