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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished, blasting the federal agency as “rogue” and “reckless” as questions mount over the city’s handling of illegal immigration following the fatal subway killing of an elderly veteran.

During a news conference announcing new street safety efforts, the mayor said he has spoken to President Donald Trump about immigration enforcement operations in the city, claiming ICE a “rogue agency.”

“We’re making clear that no one is above the law in this city, that everyone has to follow the rule of law,” Mamdani said. “I have made clear to the president, both in our private conversations and our public conversations, about the fact that I believe that ICE is a rogue agency.”

Mamdani added that he believes ICE is “reckless” and “delivers nothing toward the furthering of the cause of public safety.”

SHANGHAI SABOTAGE: INSIDE SINGHAM’S SECRET STRATEGY TO DEMONIZE AMERICA

“I’ve also been public about my belief that ICE is an entity that should be abolished, and that is critically important in our city, where we’ve seen too many New Yorkers living in fear of even going to what would otherwise be routine immigration check ins,” he said. “… What we’ve had in the interim is a federal entity that has been operating with a level of impunity, and that has to come to an end.”

The mayor went on to support protests against the Trump administration, endorsing the “No Kings NYC” protest planned for Saturday in Manhattan.

“I think that rallies are an incredibly effective way for New Yorkers to both organize together and make it clear what their vision is for the city, for the state, for this country,” Mamdani said. “I think that what we’ve seen is that there’s an attempt to make many in our city feel as if they are alone, when they believe that ICE has no place in our city, when they believe that every single New Yorker who lives in this city belongs in this city, and should be made to feel as if such.

DHS EXPOSES BACKGROUND OF NYC CITY COUNCIL EMPLOYEE AFTER MAMDANI FUMED OVER ARREST

“What these rallies are — are also an opportunity to realize that you are not in the minority when you have those beliefs. You are, in fact, one of a growing coalition of people who want to see a shred of decency, dignity and humanity come back to our city and our country’s politics.”

Reporters did not question Mamdani about the recent murder of 83-year-old Air Force veteran Richard Williams, who died after he was allegedly shoved onto New York City subway tracks by an illegal immigrant from Honduras. Mamdani has yet to publicly comment on the killing.

When asked if Honduran national Bairon Posada-Hernandez, 34, would be turned over to ICE, the mayor’s office referred Fox News to the Department of Corrections (DOC).

HOMAN SAYS NYC MAYOR MAMDANI ‘MADE IT CLEAR HE’S NOT GOING TO WORK WITH ICE’ ON IMMIGRATION

A DOC spokesperson said the agency processes ICE detainers “consistent with local law,” which limits cooperation.

Under city law, ICE is only notified if there is a detainer backed by a judicial warrant (I-200 or I-205), and the person has a qualifying recent conviction for a violent or serious crime.

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It is unclear if ICE will be notified or take custody of Posada-Hernandez, who has been deported from the U.S. four times, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS officials have asked New York City to cooperate, saying, “Posada-Hernandez is a serial criminal and four-time deported illegal alien who NEVER should have been able to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans. He is now facing murder charges. We are calling on New York sanctuary politicians to not release this murderer. Please join us in praying for Mr. Williams’ family, friends, and loved ones.”

President Donald Trump turned heads again this week for a viral Cabinet meeting tangent about a favorite custom White House Sharpie. He said the marker is an example of how he can get “better” results for less cost.

The president brought up the pen while criticizing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over a new headquarters, which he said costs the government $4 billion.

“If it was properly done and planned, you would have done that building for — I would have done it — for $25 million, and it would be better,” he said. 

He then reached for a marker on a table and said, “See this pen right here? This pen is an interesting example.”

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ENSURING TSA WORKERS ARE PAID DURING DHS SHUTDOWN

Trump said he was having issues with the old Oval Office pens, which he said were inlaid with gold and silver, running out of ink. He said he also felt “guilty” about wasting money by handing them out to as many as 40 people every time he signed an executive action. 

So, he decided to replace the expensive pens with customized White House Sharpies.

“It’s the same thing,” he told his Cabinet and members of the press. “This pen is very inexpensive, but it writes well; I like it.

“I came here, and they have thousand-dollar pens, and you hand pens out. You’re signing, and you’re handing them out. You’re handing them out with all these people. Sometimes, you have 30, 40 people, and they were a thousand dollars apiece,” he said. 

“Beautiful pen, ballpoint, a thousand. There was gold, silver. Gorgeous. But I’m handing it out to kids that don’t even know what they are. ‘What is this, Mommy?’ It’s kids, they’re getting a pen for a thousand dollars, and they have no idea what it is.”

He said he felt “guilty” because “I want to save money.”

“So, I’m saying this is crazy,” he explained. “And it had another problem. They didn’t write well.”

However, despite his preference for Sharpies, Trump said he couldn’t “have the pen the way it was.”

TRUMP FIRES BACK AT REPORTER WHO QUESTIONED HIM ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS

The president said he considered signing documents in a separate room, or “I could do like Biden did, you know, give it to somebody else to sign or an autopen.

“This is when I called the guy. I said, ‘I’d like to use your pen, but I can’t have a grey thing with a big ‘S’ on it saying ‘Sharpie’ as I’m signing a trillion-dollar airplane contract to buy brand-new fighter jets – brand new B-2 bombers, of which we just ordered plenty. I can’t do that with the press, use your pen, but I like the pen the best.”

According to Trump, a Sharpie representative then said, “Well, I could make it nicer.”

“I said, ‘What can you do?’ He said, ‘I’ll paint it black.’ I said, ‘That’s nice,’” Trump related.

TRUMP SPEAKS OUT ON IRAN’S EXECUTION OF 19-YEAR-OLD WRESTLER SALEH MOHAMMADI

The president said the representative even offered to paint the White House and Trump’s signature on it “in gold, almost real gold, not bad.”

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After relating the story, Trump noted, “By the way, this was not staged.”

“I just saw the pen sit there; I thought that this is an example of how $25 million spent by me at the Federal Reserve building would be a better job than the $4 billion that they’re spending.” 

President Donald Trump on Friday signaled a shift away from the war with Iran after apparent positive negotiations this week and the administration’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, saying “Cuba is next.”

While speaking in Florida at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute Summit at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach, Trump said even though he campaigned on peace through strength, sometimes force is necessary.

“And Cuba is next, by the way. But pretend I didn’t say that,” Trump said. “Please, please, please media, please disregard that statement. Thank you very much — Cuba’s next.”

TRUMP TOUTS ‘MASSIVE’ IRAN ‘PRESENT’ LINKED TO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS DEAL TALKS HEAT UP

He added that he thought NATO’s absence in negotiations with Iran was a “tremendous mistake.”

“They just weren’t there,” he said. “It’s going to make a lot of money for the United States because we spent hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds of protecting them. And we would have always been there for them. But now, based on their actions, I guess we don’t have to be, do we?”

TRUMP LASHES OUT AT ‘SICK’ IRANIAN LEADERS, CONFIRMS ESTIMATED TIMELINE FOR ENDING WAR

The president talked about the Strait of Hormuz, which he pressured NATO to help the U.S. reopen. 

“We’re negotiating [with Iran] now, and it would be great if we could do something, but they have to open it up,” he said. “They have to open up the Strait of Trump — I mean, Hormuz. … The fake news will say he accidentally said [that]. No, there’s no accidents with me.”

TRUMP THREATENS KEY IRANIAN GAS FIELD AFTER ISRAELI STRIKE

Previously, when asked about control of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the U.S. will “have control of anything we want.”

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The Iranian regime has imposed multimillion-dollar charges on some tankers transiting the critical global shipping choke point, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply flows.

Mainstream media outlets reportedly used the phrase “war crime” nearly three dozen times in the first three weeks of the Iran conflict, but 88% of that usage was directed toward the U.S. or Israel, according to an analysis released by a U.S.-based, Mideast-focused media watchdog.

CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis, and its research manager, David Litman, released a study Wednesday counting 32 uses of the term “war crime” from the BBC, CNN, NBC News, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

In his review, Litman asked readers to consider how the term “war crime” has been applied in reporting on the conflict, noting that simple internet searches return usages “almost exclusively” against the U.S. and Israel.

“CAMERA found 32 total applications of the phrase “war crime” during the first three weeks of the war (Feb. 28 – Mar. 21). Of those, 28 (88 percent) were directed solely toward the actions of the United States and/or Israel,” Litman wrote on CAMERA’s website. “Zero were directed solely toward the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Four (12 percent) were unattributed or directed at both sides.”

MEDIA UNDER FIRE: JOURNALISTS KEEP QUESTIONING IRAN WAR AS HEGSETH CALLS THEM ‘UNPATRIOTIC’ AND ‘ANTI-TRUMP’

CAMERA found nearly all references stemmed from an airstrike early in the conflict that allegedly destroyed a school in Minab, Iran. The Pentagon is continuing to investigate the incident, according to CAMERA.

“Several of the other allegations refer to the sinking of an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean in what can assuredly be classified as a lawful attack,” Litman wrote.

The analysis also contrasted that usage with events that have not been labeled as “war crimes” in CAMERA’s findings.

The group cited cluster bombs fired by Iran, many of which hit populated areas in Israel and elsewhere.

“While cluster munitions are not universally banned, using them to target populated areas almost certainly constitutes a war crime,” the analysis found.

CAMERA also pointed to Iranian strikes that hit energy and other key installations in nations not officially engaged in the conflict, such as Kuwait and Bahrain.

PETE HEGSETH CRITICIZES ‘FAKE NEWS’ COVERAGE OF IRAN STRIKES, SAYS ONLY TRAGEDIES MAKE FRONT PAGE

The analysis found that among the mainstream media sources examined, the term “war crime” was not applied to these strikes, and if Iran was cited in a war crimes discussion, it was paired with equal criticism of the West.

“This journalistic malpractice inverts reality,” Litman wrote.

George Mason law professor Adam Mossoff commented on the analysis, writing on X that “data analytics confirm huge bias in favor of pro-Islamic regime of Iran by BBC, CNN, NBC and NY Times.”

“These media orgs used ‘war crime’ 32 times in news reports in the first 3 weeks of the U.S./Israel-Iran war. Zero references solely to crimes by Islamic regime, and 88% media uses referred solely to U.S. or Israel.”

“Islamic regime uses cluster bombs against Israeli civilians, shoots missiles and suicide drones at civilian targets in numerous Arab countries not involved in war, fires missiles at holy sites in Old Jerusalem, [but] zero identification of these war crimes as standalone crimes by major Western media organizations. This is shameful.”

Fox News Digital reached out to communications officials at CNN, the BBC, The Washington Post, The New York Times and NBC News for comment but did not hear back by deadline.

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CAMERA was founded in Washington in 1982 by social worker Winifred Meiselman in response to The Washington Post’s coverage of Israel’s incursion into Lebanon and allegations of anti-Israel bias.

Early advisors included Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, former Sen. Rudy Boschwitz, R-Minn., and former Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., according to its website.

The White House pushed back hard Friday against a news report that Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had been hospitalized at least twice for stress-related issues with the Trump administration that left him visibly upset and strained. 

The pushback came after a Politico report said Lyons was hospitalized at least twice while carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. 

The stress has left Lyons unable to carry out key decisions, the report states, citing two current and two former administration officials who were unnamed. 

ICE ASSAULTS SPIKE 1,500% AS DEMS DRAW ‘HARD RED LINE’ TO UNMASK AGENTS IN DHS BATTLE

“He would be visibly upset and struggling to make the decisions that were needed to be made by the director,” one former unnamed official told the news website. 

“Trash reporting from a trash “reporter” pushing tabloid b——- in an attempt to divide and distract. Todd Lyons is an American Patriot,” the White House Rapid Response X account said in response to the story. 

The episodes were attributed to pressure from above for Lyons to ramp up deportations and from top advisor Stephen Miller, who allegedly yelled at Lyons during morning phone calls with administration officials, Politico reported. 

“This is b——- and more of the trash that Daniel Lippman has peddled over the years in the name of clicks and clout,” Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, wrote on X in response to the Politico reporter’s story. 

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Politico was given “on record” denials prior to the story being published. 

WHITE HOUSE BLASTS TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT AS A ‘BUFFOON’ AFTER JEFFRIES BRANDS STEPHEN MILLER A ‘HATEFUL BIGOT’

“Shame on Politico for publishing such inaccurate trash,” Jackson wrote on X. “Todd Lyons is an American patriot who has worked tirelessly to undo Biden’s disastrous immigration policies that wreaked havoc on American communities. 

“And the American people are deeply appreciative for his hard work making our country safer. Despite multiple on record denials and sources refuting their pathetic ‘reporting’ and *still* ran with this absurd article.”

The reported hospitalizations took place over several months. In one incident, Lyons was driven to a hospital by his security detail, and he was admitted overnight. 

In September, Lyons became distressed that ICE agents were unable to locate an illegal immigrant in Los Ángeles during a ride-along with top administration officials. 

One of his bodyguards took a portable defibrillator from a nearby government office to Lyons in case he needed medical intervention, the report said. 

After heated calls with Miller, Lyons expressed frustration that the White House was often mad at his agency, according to the current official and former official who heard such comments.

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“Todd, Stephen and the entire White House team have a great working relationship and coordinate closely to deliver on the president’s many promises,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. 

“Todd Lyons is an American patriot who has worked tirelessly to undo Biden’s disastrous immigration policies that wreaked havoc on American communities.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE and Politico. 

House Republicans’ gambit to end the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown survived a critical hurdle on Friday evening, teeing up a chamber-wide vote that will put the chamber on a collision course with the Senate. 

The House Rules Committee advanced a two-month DHS stopgap measure after House GOP leadership vigorously rejected a Senate-passed deal earlier on Friday with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., dubbing the funding bill a “joke.” President Donald Trump also criticized the Senate bill in an interview with Fox News.

The Senate deal provided full-year appropriations for DHS minus funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), halting roughly $5.5 billion for the agency. It also largely nixed funds for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), save for just over $11 billion for operations and support.

“The Senate’s proposal is nothing more than unconditional surrender masquerading as a solution, and the House will not bend itself into submission by acquiescing,” House Rules Committee Chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said Friday.

DHS SHUTDOWN BREAKTHROUGH COMES AT COST FOR REPUBLICANS AS FUNDING FIGHTS NEARS END

House Republicans are expected to have the votes to pass the 60-day CR in a chamber-wide vote, though Johnson will be able to spare just one GOP defection in a party-line scenario. A vote on final passage could occur as early as Friday evening.

House Democrats are expected to line up against the short-term funding patch, citing their opposition to funding Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts absent myriad reforms. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is also pinning the blame on House Republicans for prolonging the 42-day government shutdown.

“This could end and should end today,” Jeffries said Friday. “There is a bipartisan bill that has been sent over from the Senate that would reopen the non-controversial parts of the Department of Homeland Security, make sure TSA agents are paid and end the chaos at airports throughout the nation.”

Any CR from the House stands no chance of surviving in the Senate, given that Senate Democrats blocked numerous attempts by Republicans throughout the shutdown to pass short-term, two-week extensions.

Lawmakers in the upper chamber have also left Washington, D.C., with some going abroad on congressional delegations.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., immediately came out against Johnson’s plan and said that Democrats and Republicans reached unanimous agreement to advance the DHS funding bill while carving out immigration enforcement funding.

‘SHIP HAS SAILED’: THIS IS WHAT DEMS WON’T GET IN DHS DEAL AFTER SHUNNING GOP

“A 60-day CR that locks in the status-quo is dead on arrival in the Senate, and Republicans know it,” Schumer said.

And a GOP aide told Fox News Digital that “the easiest way to end this shutdown is for the House to pass the Senate-passed bill.”

“We know the Democrats are not going to support a CR, in fact the Senate tried to pass CRs for the last 40 days and Dems have blocked Every. Single. One,” they said.

When asked about its uncertain prospects in the Senate, House GOP leadership Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., told Fox News Digital that she hoped the upper chamber returned to Washington next week.

“I will tell you what can’t pass is what is what the Senate sent us at three in the morning,” McClain said. “We will not go back to the Biden administration, where we had wide open borders.”

Senate Republicans are already determined to front-load funding for ICE and CBP for the next several years in a new budget reconciliation bill, just as they did last year when Congress passed President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

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However, McClain insisted Friday that funding for ICE and Border Patrol must be handled through the appropriations process, rather than receiving additional money through another party-line megabill.

“Border deserves a guarantee. I’m not willing to roll the dice on ‘Oh, let’s try and do it in reconciliation.’ No. Let’s do what the American people sent us here in the ‘24 election to do, and that’s make sure our people are safe and our borders remain closed.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson chastised congressional Democrats Friday, saying Republicans will not be part of any effort to reopen America’s borders and stop the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants. 

Johnson held a two-hour conference call with House Republicans Friday, saying they were all “united” in the party’s position to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end the partial government shutdown that has injected chaos into air travel. 

“They have taken hostage the funding processes of government so that they can impose their radical agenda on the American people,” Johnson told reporters of Senate Democrats.  

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP EYES DHS DEAL FUNDING ICE PROBES, BUT NOT REMOVALS, AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS

“The Senate Democrats have foisted upon this appropriations process their radical, crazy agenda,” he added. “We call it crazy because that’s what it is. They want to reopen the borders, and they want to stop the deportation of dangerous criminal illegal aliens. We have to do these basic functions of government.”

On Friday, the Senate advanced a bill to fund much of DHS, except for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol.

“The only thing standing between ending this chaos or not are House Republicans,” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. “There’s a bipartisan bill that emerged from the Senate with uniform support, and it should be brought to the floor immediately so we can pay TSA agents, so we can end the chaos at airports across the country and stop inconveniencing millions of Americans.”

Democrats have refused to fully fund DHS unless Republicans agree to new restrictions on federal immigration authorities. 

JOHNSON TURNS UP HEAT ON SCHUMER AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON, AIRPORT DELAYS MOUNT

“This gambit that was done last night is a joke,” Johnson said of the bill. “It is unconscionable to me that the Democrats would force some sort of negotiation at three o’clock in the morning and try to hoist this upon the American people and then get on their jets and go home for their holiday and pretend and think that we’re going to go along with that.”

Lawmakers have come under increased pressure to strike a deal to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents after many have resigned and lines at airports across the country have swelled daily because of staffing issues. 

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pay TSA agents despite Congress having not appropriated the funds for it. 

Johnson said Republicans will put forward a continuing resolution for all agencies under DHS to keep operating at their current funding levels. 

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“The reason that we can’t accept this ridiculousness is because we’re not going to risk not funding the agencies that keep the American people safe,” he said. 

The shutdown began in February, weeks after federal agents shot and killed two people in separate incidents during immigration raids in Minnesota. Democrats have demanded changes to ICE and DHS and have refused to fund the agencies. 

U.S. officials and analysts are weighing whether seizing Iran’s main oil export hub could deal a crippling financial blow — but experts warn the high-risk move may not shut off Tehran’s revenue as quickly or completely as expected.

Analysts say U.S. planners face a high-stakes decision: whether seizing Kharg Island would actually disrupt Iran’s oil revenue or leave key export flows intact while exposing American forces to sustained attack. Options under discussion range from interdicting tankers at sea to striking export infrastructure from the air, approaches some argue could pressure Tehran’s finances without putting troops on the ground.

“There’s a big debate going on right now,” R.P. Newman, Marine veteran and counterterrorism analyst, told Fox News Digital. 

Kharg Island handles the vast majority of Iran’s crude oil exports, making it one of the most strategically significant energy nodes in the region and a central pressure point for any effort to economically squeeze Tehran.

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“We certainly have the ability, military wise, to take it,” said R.P. Newman, a Marine veteran and counter-terrorism analyst. 

Some analysts argue that taking Kharg could deliver an immediate economic shock, cutting off the regime’s primary source of oil revenue and potentially giving Washington leverage in broader negotiations. 

But such an operation would not be simple.

“It would take thousands to do that,” he said.

U.S. forces already have struck the island hitting more than 90 Iranian military targets, including missile and naval mine facilities, earlier in March while deliberately avoiding oil infrastructure, leaving export operations largely intact.

Retired Adm. Kevin Donegan, former commander of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, said the same objective could be achieved without putting U.S. forces on the island.

“You could achieve that desired outcome just by constraining the flow that comes out of Kharg after it gets outside the Gulf,” Donegan said.

“You could stop every ship that comes out,” he added.

Robbins said the U.S. could also disable Kharg’s export capability with air power rather than seizing it outright.

An influx of thousands of troops from Marine expeditionary units and the Army’s 82nd airborne division has raised speculation that a ground operation could be on the way. 

But Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday U.S. operations could wrap in “weeks, not months” and without ground troops. 

“We are ahead of schedule on most of (the objectives), and we can achieve them without any ground troops, without any,” Rubio told reporters during a trip to Paris for a meeting of G-7 foreign ministers.

Even if U.S. forces were able to seize the island, some analysts warn the economic impact would not be immediate.

“The desired full economic effect of taking Kharg Island is going to be a delayed effect if you don’t also seize underway tankers,” said Gregory Brew, analyst at the Eurasia Group, said. 

Any operation targeting Kharg would strike at one of Iran’s most critical economic assets.

“Sales of petroleum products have generally covered between 30 and 40% of the official state budget,” Brew said. “There’s no question the state budget will take a significant hit.”

But a loss of oil revenue would not necessarily cripple the regime’s core power structure.

“The IRGC has what is in effect a shadow budget,” Brew said. “If anything, its relative position may improve.”

That means that while the government’s official budget would shrink, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could retain a larger share of the country’s remaining resources through its independent revenue streams.

Even if Kharg were taken offline, Iran would retain other ways to keep exports flowing.

“Iran does have four other export facilities,” Brew said.

Its terminal at Jask, Iran, located outside the Strait of Hormuz, “can handle around one-fifth of the volume of oil that can be exported from Kharg.”

“Stopping completely would require interdicting that traffic as well,” Brew added. 

That means any effort to fully choke off Iran’s oil exports would likely extend beyond Kharg, requiring action against multiple export routes and facilities.

US MOVES AIRBORNE TROOPS, MARINES AS IRAN REJECTS CEASEFIRE, RAISING GROUND WAR POTENTIAL

Sustaining the island would prove difficult as well, putting U.S. forces on a sea-locked target within range of Iranian drones, rockets and missiles from the mainland.

“Any deployment to the island will be vulnerable to Iranian counterattack,” Brew said.

“They would be a very small force, very exposed,” said James Robbins, dean of the Institute of World Politics and a former adviser to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Beyond the initial assault, sustaining forces on the island would present additional challenges.

“Once the guys are on the ground, then you have to support them and that would be extremely hard,” Robbins said.

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Some analysts also question what a successful seizure would ultimately achieve.

“To what end would be the question,” Robbins said. “I don’t see an endgame to that, to seizing Kharg.”

President Donald Trump has publicly announced a reprieve on strikes on energy infrastructure until April 6, citing “progress” in negotiations with Iran. 

But Iranian officials have accused the president of “psychological warfare” and expressed skepticism. 

Iran already has begun preparing for a potential Kharg invasion, moving additional forces, bolstering air defenses and laying mines and other traps around the island, including along potential landing areas, sources familiar with the intelligence told CNN.

The Pentagon and the Iranian mission to the United Nations could not immediately be reached for comment. 

President Donald Trump announced a series of actions Friday aimed at assisting farmers and food suppliers to help cut costs amid rising energy prices, promising a new “golden age” for the agricultural industry. 

Trump shared guidance on farm equipment regulations in an effort to cut costs and increase government loan guarantees for agricultural products, including tractors, among other reforms. 

He said much farm equipment has become unaffordable for many farmers.

“Every day we’re looking for new ways to support our farmers, reduce your costs, and to help lower the price of food for the American family,” Trump said on the South Lawn of the White House. “We’re going to prove that the golden age of American agriculture is right here and right now.”

I’M AN AMERICAN FARMER — EMPTY USDA OFFICES MEANS FEWER FAMILY FARMS

The Biden administration crippled the farming industry, Trump said, with harsh restrictions and bad trade deals. 

To help them, Trump said his administration recently used tariff money to give farmers $12 billion in relief. 

“I’m also asking Congress to quickly pass the new farm bill,” he said. “And today, I’m promising to request additional farm relief for our great patriots in the next funding bill.”

AMERICA’S QUIETEST CROP IS SET TO TAKE CENTER STAGE IN TRUMP–XI TALKS

In addition, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) will alter guidelines around a system designed to limit diesel emissions that will save farmers billions of dollars, Trump said. 

He also announced new guidelines to limit Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) rules, which mandate that modern diesel engines use selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.

“It was a basic disaster,” Trump said. 

Trump also highlighted the EPA’s efforts to boost renewable fuels from agricultural products, while criticizing environmental activists. 

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“What they’ve done to you, and the country – what they’ve done to the country – is just incredible,” he said. “They are terrorists.”

Trump also announced new loan guarantees from the Small Business Administration (SBA) for small business in the agricultural industry, including food suppliers, farmers – including vegetable farmers, grain farmers and seed farmers – cattle, pig and poultry producers and grocery wholesalers.

A federal judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from banning AI firm Anthropic from Department of War use is igniting a debate over whether the ruling pushes courts into national security decision-making.

The ruling, issued late Thursday by U.S. District Judge Rita Lin, a Biden appointee to the Northern District of California, pauses the administration’s broader effort to bar the company while the case proceeds, though it does not explicitly require the Pentagon to use Anthropic. The judge also gave the government one week to appeal.

Under Secretary of War Emil Michael wrote on X that the ruling contained “dozens of factual errors” and was issued “during a time of conflict,” arguing it “seeks to upend the [president’s] role as Commander in Chief” and disrupt the department’s ability to conduct military operations.

Michael said the administration views Anthropic as still designated a supply chain risk pending appeal, signaling officials are disputing the scope and effect of the court’s injunction.

Lin said the Pentagon’s move to designate Anthropic as a national security risk was “likely both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.”

“Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the U.S. for expressing disagreement with the government,” Lin said.

A BRAVE MARINE COLONEL TOOK ON THE PENTAGON — AND PAID THE PRICE FOR IT

“Can a judge order the Department of War to use a vendor that is a security risk? No, but also yes? Judge Lin (Biden N.D. California) tries to stop President Trump/Secretary Hegseth from banning Anthropic. But acknowledges they can choose not to use it?” one X user Eric Wess wrote on the social media platform. 

Others described the ruling as “pure judicial activism” and accused the judge of interfering in a national security decision.

But supporters of the decision — including a bipartisan group of nearly 150 retired federal and state judges — say the administration overstepped, warning the Pentagon’s use of a “supply chain risk” designation appeared improperly applied and could chill free speech and legitimate business activity.

In a March 3 letter, the Pentagon had notified Anthropic it would be designated a supply chain risk to national security. That designation ordered that no contractor, supplier or partner doing business with the United States military may conduct commercial activity with Anthropic.

PALANTIR EXECUTIVE SAYS AI ENABLING RAPID BATTLEFIELD PLANNING AND HIGH-SPEED US STRIKE OPERATIONS

The legal fight follows a broader dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic over how the company’s AI system, Claude, can be used in military operations. Claude is the only commercial AI system approved for classified use. 

War Secretary Pete Hegseth had warned Anthropic it would face termination of its $200 million contract, awarded in July 2025, or be designated a supply chain risk if it did not allow its AI platform to be approved for all lawful uses. 

Anthropic insisted it would not allow Claude to be used for fully autonomous weapons or mass surveillance of Americans. 

Pentagon officials say such uses already are not permitted, emphasizing that humans remain in the loop for lethal decisions and that the military does not conduct domestic surveillance, but maintain that private companies cannot dictate how their systems are used in lawful operations.

Lin pointed to the breadth of the measures — including a government-wide ban and contractor restrictions — saying they did not appear “tailored to the stated national security concern” and instead “look(ed) like an attempt to cripple Anthropic.

Anthropic welcomed the decision, saying in a statement: “We’re grateful to the court for moving swiftly, and pleased they agree Anthropic is likely to succeed on the merits.”

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Hegseth described CEO Dario Amodei and Anthropic of a “master class in arrogance” and a “textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government” in a Feb. 27 post on X. 

OpenAI has emerged as a key alternative, securing a Pentagon deal to deploy its models on classified systems as tensions with Anthropic escalated. 

Still, Anthropic has not been fully displaced — its Claude system remains deeply embedded in military workflows, and replacing it would take time.

An FBI spokesperson told Fox News the agency is aware of “malicious actors” targeting FBI Director Patel’s personal email information and has taken “all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks.”

The FBI noted the information in question is “historical in nature” and does not involve government information.

The Handala Hack Team, an Iran-linked hacking group, has claimed responsibility.

The State Department’s “Rewards for Justice” program is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification of the Handala Hack Team — a group that has frequently targeted U.S. government officials. 

“Consistent with President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America, the FBI will continue to pursue the actors responsible, support victims, and share actionable intelligence in defense of networks,” the FBI spokesperson said. “We encourage anyone who experiences a cyber breach, or has information related to malicious cyber activity, to contact their local FBI field office.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger faced dueling controversies this week as her Republican predecessor publicly rebuked her over support for Democrats’ redistricting amendment, and an Angel Mom challenged her on immigration enforcement.

Virginia has been ground zero for Democrats’ left-wing agenda since the former Henrico County congresswoman took office in January, from reversing Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s cooperation pact with DHS to supporting legislative Democrats’ alleged “power grab” to draw out every Republican congressman in the Commonwealth except Rep. Morgan Griffith in the far southwest.

During a visit to Culpeper, a largely but increasingly less rural population center between Front Royal and Richmond, Spanberger was pressed on her relative silence on the case of Stephanie Minter, a Fredericksburg mother allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant convict at a Fairfax County bus stop last month.

As she was escorted to her car by security after an affordable housing event, local ABC reporter Nick Minock shouted a question about what her message would be to Minter’s family and others harmed by illegal immigrant felons.

POLICE WARNED PROSECUTORS 3 TIMES ABOUT VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BEFORE HE ALLEGEDLY KILLED VIRGINIA MOTHER

“My question would be why when there was a [unintelligible word] deportation order, ICE did not deport,” she said as she was hastened into the car.

“ICE had him in custody for 700 days governor and an immigration judge would not allow him be deported to Sierra Leone,” Minock attempted to respond as the car door shut.

Minock said Minter’s mother, Cheryl, who headlined a vigil for her daughter in front of Spanberger’s office at the Capitol earlier this week, told him that ICE had been doing what they were supposed to under current law and that “Spanberger needs to check her story because it’s inaccurate and misleading.”

That exchange came as Culpeper became the center of another case involving an illegal immigrant accused of heinous crimes, this time soliciting sexual imagery from children.

Angel David Rubio Marin was charged on March 16 with soliciting sexual content from children amid two previous charges of public masturbation, according to a statement from DHS obtained by Fox News Digital.

ANGEL MOM, GOP BLAME SPANBERGER AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WITH 30 ARRESTS CHARGED IN KILLING

Culpeper police arrested Rubio Marin, who, according to local authorities, was soliciting sexually explicit videos in exchange for “Roblox,” a popular gaming currency, from at least three children under the age of 10. He was previously arrested in Prince William County in 2024 for allegedly exposing himself in public but was released.

Meanwhile, Spanberger took more incoming from the typically mild-mannered Youngkin – who was term limited when he left office in January.

After releasing a short video calling on Virginia voters to “vote yes” on State Senate President L. Louise Lucas’ new map that draws about half of Virginia’s districts into the densely Democratic D.C. suburbs, Youngkin responded on X, calling her posturing a “blatant lie.”

“This is a lie. A blatant lie. Not to mention a complete reversal of your campaign promises,” Youngkin said, as Spanberger speaks out in the video to say the new map is “temporary” and is “directly in response to what other states decide to do and to a president who said he’s quote entitled to more republican seats before this year’s midterms.”

Spanberger previously publicly criticized the idea of mid-decennial redistricting while in Congress, which Youngkin was referring to.

“This unconstitutional power grab will permanently rig Virginia’s congressional maps and disenfranchise millions of Virginians. Virginia, vote no,” he said.

Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., whose Eastern Shore and Virginia Beach district is expected to be drawn partially into the liberal cities of Hampton Roads, similarly blasted Spanberger’s flip-flop highlighted by Youngkin.

“I have no plans to redistrict Virginia,” Kiggans quoted Spanberger, citing a report dated August 25.

“I am tired of the blatant lies to our face. The lack of truthfulness from this administration and the Democrat Party needs to wake up Virginians,” Kiggans said. “Don’t tell us one thing and then do another.”

“Whatever happened to affordability,” she said on Instagram.

Youngkin’s interjection was also met by supportive surprise from other recent Virginia Republican leaders, including former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

“Wow. Unusually strong language from Glenn Youngkin and of course, he’s correct on all points,” Cuccinelli said in a statement on social media.

TRUMP ADMIN ASKS SPANBERGER, VIRGINIA OFFICIALS NOT RELEASE ILLEGAL CHARGED WITH GROPING HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS

The Virginia Republican Party, currently chaired by James City County GOP Committeeman Jeff Ryer, added that “some things never change.”

“Abigail Spanberger shamefully deflects blame for Democrat sanctuary and soft-on-crime policies that keep dangerous criminals like Abdul Jalloh on Virginia streets,” Ryer said, in reference to the illegal immigrant accused of murdering Minter.

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“No sympathy for the victims. No accountability for how her own party allowed this tragedy to occur. Virginians deserve better.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has asserted that politicians — particularly those within her own party — should vow not to accept “AI money.”

“Politicians — especially Dems — should pledge not to take AI money. They are buying up influence ahead of the midterms, and Dems who take AI $ will lose authority and trust as the public bears the cost,” the progressive “Squad” member wrote in a Thursday post on X.

“Their money will end up being toxic anyway. People are catching on,” she added.

FETTERMAN SLAMS AI DATA CENTER MORATORIUM PROPOSAL AS ‘CHINA FIRST’

Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, a Democrat who is running for U.S. Congress, expressed his agreement, responding to Ocasio-Cortez’s post by writing, “Yes!!!!!!!!”

Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are pushing a proposal to impose a moratorium on the building and upgrading of artificial intelligence data centers in the U.S. until various regulations are implemented.

OMAR, SQUAD LASH OUT AT TRUMP IN RESPONSE TO IRAN STRIKE: ‘ILLEGAL REGIME CHANGE WAR’

“Our bills learn from our lack of regulation following the similar rise regarding the internet and demands a new approach to AI: One that protects the American people from Big Tech’s egregious overreach… one that centers prosperity for the many over exorbitant profits for the very few,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has rejected the idea of such a moratorium, labeling the notion “China First.”

“The emerging chassis of AI must be built by America. We can put appropriate guardrails in place without handing the win on AI to China. A moratorium is China First,” Fetterman declared in a post on X. 

FETTERMAN TELLS FAR-LEFT PROSECUTOR TO ‘LIGHTEN UP’ AFTER THREATENING TO ARREST ICE AGENTS OVER RAIDS

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Ocasio-Cortez said during the Wednesday press conference about the AI data center moratorium proposal, “Once these companies can be on the up-and-up — providing their own energy, building out and investing in the infrastructure, refusing to free ride off of the American people — then we can continue to develop and explore this technology.” 

When will the House vote on the Senate deal? Frankly, we do not know. Last night’s Senate measure was not pre-baked with the House. And we talked to dozens of House Republicans yesterday who did not want to just fund parts of DHS. They wanted to fund everything. 

We also don’t know the disposition of the president on this. When asked about a GOP proposal earlier this week to just fund parts of DHS and leave out ICE, President Donald Trump replied, “I’m pretty much not happy with it.”

DHS SHUTDOWN BREAKTHROUGH COMES AT COST FOR REPUBLICANS AS FUNDING FIGHTS NEARS END

And, if it is to pass the House, it’s about the math. Lawmakers will need a robust combination of Democrats and Republicans to approve this bill. Democrats failed to secure the bona fide reforms they wanted for ICE. So do liberals defect? This bipartisan parliamentary algebra will be exceedingly interesting.

In short, this was a jam job by the Senate. The Senate has left. Either the House takes the bill or leaves it.

In Congress, there are only so many exit ramps off the highway. The Senate saw one. There was the growing crisis at the airports. TSA workers were about to miss paychecks again. And that’s to say nothing of lawmakers — potentially being mired in Washington and missing their two-week-plus recess for Easter and Passover.

SCHUMER, DEMS BLOCK DHS FUNDING AGAIN AS TRUMP INTERVENES TO PAY TSA AGENTS

The House could expedite the bill and pass it quickly via “suspension of the rules.” But that requires a two-thirds vote. A slightly longer process is the conventional track with bringing a rule to the floor to manage debate on the bill. But eventual passage of the bill only needs a simple majority.

Also, no one really “won” this shutdown. There are rarely winners from a shutdown. Yes, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., may have scored some points from the liberal base by going to the mat over ICE following the Minnesota shootings. He needed to do that after caving and averting a government shutdown last March. That ignited a firestorm among liberals.

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Also, the charge last night for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was not to get support to pass the bill — but to secure guarantees from senators that they wouldn’t try to block it.

That’s partly why the Senate voted by voice vote. There is no specific record of any senator “voting” for the bill. The Senate ran a “hotline” last night, checking in with all 100 senators to make sure there were no objections to what Thune proposed doing. No one objected. And thus, the Senate passed the bill in the dead of night.

The Department of Justice on Thursday launched civil rights investigations into prison systems in California and Maine over policies allowing transgender inmates to be housed in women’s facilities, citing concerns about female inmates’ safety.

The probes will examine whether the states are engaged in a “pattern or practice” of violating inmates’ rights, part of a broader federal push targeting what officials call a growing national issue.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi said keeping “men out of women’s prisons [was] not only common sense – it’s a matter of safety and constitutional rights.”

The investigations focus on two California facilities and the Maine Correctional Center. Officials cited allegations of sexual assault, rape and a “pervasive climate of sexual intimidation.”

TRUMP ADMIN FINDS CALIFORNIA BAN ON NOTIFYING PARENTS OF GENDER TRANSITIONS VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW

The DOJ said the probes are being conducted under federal civil rights law and will examine potential violations of inmates’ constitutional protections.

In California, the policy stems from a 2020 law allowing inmates to be housed based on gender identity. The issue gained attention after a transgender inmate housed in a women’s prison was later charged with multiple counts of rape.

In Maine, officials are investigating allegations that a male inmate remained housed with women despite complaints of assault or harassment.

FBI LAUNCHES PROBES INTO 3 CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS FOR ALLEGED GENITAL MUTILATION OF MINORS

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the DOJ will not allow women in custody to face “unconstitutional risks of harm.”

“These investigations will uncover whether the dangerous national trend of housing men in women’s prisons has resulted in violations of women’s constitutional rights,” Dhillon said.

California officials say they are committed to inmate safety, while a spokesperson for Maine’s governor has called the probe politically motivated.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ and state officials for comment.

The investigations are ongoing and could lead to legal action if violations are found.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Democratic House candidate running in a battleground seat in southwestern Iowa linked faith to political violence while warning against religion in public life, according to unearthed audio reviewed by Fox News Digital.

“We have seen religion and political violence showing up more and more in our public spaces,” Democratic candidate Sarah Trone Garriott said in a 2023 speech at a Methodist church. “It’s something that is just very in our faces and something that we’re very concerned about, and something that feels very threatening right now at this time.” 

Trone Garriott, a state legislator and Lutheran minister, is running to defeat Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, in November’s midterm elections. Prior to launching a House bid, Trone Garriott fashioned herself as a fierce opponent of Christian nationalism — a term some conservatives have argued that critics use to paint some Christians as prone to violence and hostile toward democracy.

In the speech, Trone Garriott said it was “a good thing to talk about religion and politics together” and spoke positively about living out one’s faith in their community. However, she repeatedly voiced discomfort about seeing public Christian displays and suggested it was something to be rooted out.

AMERICA’S CHURCHES UNDER SIEGE AS VIOLENCE INCREASINGLY INVADES SACRED GROUND

An image of a woman holding a sign with the phrase “one nation under God, indivisible” found in the Pledge of Allegiance, according to Trone Garriott, was one of several “pretty uncomfortable ways that faith and political power have collided.” The Iowa Democrat also called attention to Christian displays at one of President Donald Trump’s rallies and during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“This is not a Christian nation. It’s a nation for all of us,” Trone Garriott told the church congregants. “Spaces and proceedings need to be for all people, and we need to work on reminding folks of that.”

As a state senator, Trone Garriott said she intentionally sought out opening prayers that were not from the “White American Christian variety,” but from atheist, secular and other non-Christian perspectives.

Trone Garriott also spoke critically of parental rights in education and private Christian schools. She charged that both stemmed from racist opposition to the integration of public schools when parents desired to create a “White enclave” for their children.

“So maybe some of these things sound familiar today,” Trone Garriott said in her remarks. “It’s nothing new.”

The Iowa Democrat then proceeded to tie White men to her criticism of legislation barring biological males from women’s sports or preventing children from reading sexually explicit material. She notably opposed a bill keeping men out of women’s sports while serving in the state Senate.

“It’s really couched in the language of there’s a threat against women and White men are responsible to protect women from threats,” Trone Garriott said. 

Trone Garriott’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

DEMOCRAT RISING STAR CALLED OUT FOR ‘CREEPY’ COMMENT ABOUT TRANSGENDER CHILDREN

Nunn, who is seeking a third term in November, slammed Trone Garriott’s comments in the resurfaced video in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“I was raised around Iowans who go to church every week and show up for their neighbors,” Nunn said. “Sarah Trone Garriott can’t walk into a church without delivering a lecture about how their faith is threatening and their schools are racist.”

“She’s made it clear that the values Iowa families live by every single day are the ones she’s running against,” he added.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), House Democrats’ campaign arm, said Trone Garriott is working to unify Iowans in the 3rd Congressional District and condemns political violence.

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“Sarah is a mom and minister who has served her community as a hospital chaplain and a parish pastor — public display of her faith has been a guiding force in Sarah’s life and continues to be to this day,” DCCC spokesperson Katie Smith said. “Sarah has always condemned political violence however it rears its ugly head and will always work to bring Iowans together.”

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest for the Republican-held seat as a “toss-up.”

In the wake of a deadly shooting in Chicago, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., criticized his own party’s reluctance to talk about violent acts carried out by illegal aliens with criminal histories and condemned calls from Pennsylvania figures to instead target Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Authorities are charging Jose Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan national, with the killing of a Loyola University student last week. Medina-Medina had already been arrested on unrelated charges months before but had been released.

“How many Democrats are talking about that case? I think probably none,” Fetterman said.

Fetterman said he was disappointed by calls from Philadelphia prosecutor Larry Krasner on Wednesday, who, less than a week after Medina-Medina’s shooting, had threatened to arrest ICE agents.

PRITZKER BREAKS SILENCE ON MIGRANT CHARGED IN STUDENT’S MURDER, BLAMES TRUMP FOR ‘POLITICIZING’ CASE

“Lighten up, Francis,” Fetterman said, quoting overstated threats made by the comically aggressive character “Psycho” in the 1981 movie, Stripes.

“[Krasner] is constantly — he says a lot of tough things but, you know, like, you gotta lighten up, Francis.’”

Fetterman’s comments come amid a string of illegal aliens who carried out deadly attacks after being released from captivity for unrelated crimes.

To the Pennsylvanian political maverick, the trend should be an easy one to condemn.

“If you’re here in the country illegally already, and you’re breaking the law, like — ya gotta go,” Fetterman said.

In recent weeks, the deaths of Sheridan Gorman in Chicago at the hands of Medina-Medina and Stephanie Minter in Virginia, stabbed to death by Sierra Leone native Abdul Jalloh, have intensified calls from Republicans for greater scrutiny of illegal aliens with violent track records.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) blasted the leniency afforded to both suspects ahead of their deadly attacks.

EX-ILLINOIS GOVERNOR ROD BLAGOJEVICH SAYS SHERIDAN GORMAN’S KILLING MAY HAVE BEEN A ‘GANG INITIATION’

“She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who RELEASED this illegal alien TWICE before he went on to commit this heinous murder,” a DHS spokesperson said of Gorman’s killer.

“We are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods.”

Similarly, DHS blasted Jalloh’s 30 releases before he stabbed Minter in the neck at a bus stop.

“We are calling on Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and Virginia’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this murderer and violent career criminal from their jail without notifying ICE,” DHS wrote.

Fetterman said the issue of repeat offenders has long-drawn his attention.

“From what I read, the individual that was accused of killing [Gorman]. He was arrested for shoplifting. That’s why I was the Democratic lead on Laken Riley,” Fetterman said, referring to the Laken Riley Act that Congress passed at the beginning of 2025.

CHICAGO MAYOR ASKED ABOUT CITY’S IMMIGRATION POLICIES AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY KILLED COLLEGE STUDENT

That bill requires detention for aliens convicted of bodily harm crimes like burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, among others, and empowers state attorneys general to sue the federal government for failure to do so.

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Fetterman believes the recent attacks underscore the need for vigilance in enforcing immigration law.

“It should remind everybody how important ICE is for our security,” Fetterman said.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is facing escalating backlash from within his own party, with one House Democrat saying this week she has more success working with a Republican senator and another calling for him to step down.

The criticism reflects growing friction between Fetterman and his progressive political base as he breaks with Democrats on key issues, including his support for Israel, backing of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and openness to voter ID. Once a darling of the political left who exchanged endorsements with socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Fetterman now finds himself a target of attacks from his own party.

“I have more success in working with the one on the R side of the aisle than I do with the D side of the aisle,” Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., said at a recent event, contrasting Fetterman with Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa.

DAVID MARCUS: CAN JOHN FETTERMAN SAVE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FROM ITSELF?

The remark drew jeers from the audience at the event, where Houlahan spoke in opposition to the SAVE America Act, GOP-led legislation that includes voter ID requirements and other changes to election rules.

Houlahan urged voters to call “the office of your choice in the Senate” to voice opposition to the bill, adding that requiring “some form of ID is not an unreasonable ask,” but that “this bill is not that.”

Fetterman did not respond to a request for comment but said in a March 17 statement that he would vote against beginning debate on the bill while underlining his support for Voter ID.

“Stop turning this into a Christmas list and attacking vote-by-mail,” he said.

Houlahan declined further comment.

Last week, Rep. Brendan Boyle of Northeast Philadelphia took intraparty tensions with Fetterman to the next level by demanding his ouster.

Boyle, who did not respond to a request for comment, lambasted Fetterman for helping Mullin get confirmed.

“Once again Senator Fetterman shows why he is Trump’s favorite Democrat,” Boyle said in a statement. “He needs to go.”

‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOST JOY BEHAR UNLOADS ON FETTERMAN FOR BACKING TRUMP’S DHS PICK

Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., a combat veteran and political moderate who has vocally opposed Mullin’s candidacy, echoed Boyle and blasted Fetterman for effectively getting the secretary confirmed.

“If you needed any more proof that Fetterman has completely abandoned his constituents, here it is. Pennsylvanians deserve a Senator that actually fights for them,” Ryan said in a statement.

Fetterman was not always a political maverick, having once been a progressive favorite praised for his blunt and unfiltered style. As lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, he championed the legalization of marijuana and pushed aggressively for criminal justice reforms supported by Democrats. He aligned with the democratic-socialist Sanders wing of the party and hung pride and weed flags from his balcony at the State Capitol.

In 2020, Harrisburg Republicans inserted language in a budget bill to ban flags other than the national, commonwealth and POW/MIA banners from being posted at the Capitol, to which Fetterman quipped, “it’s kind of flattering that they changed Pennsylvania law just for me.”

Now, Fetterman recently claimed his party is “governed by TDS” — Trump Derangement Syndrome — and that he will always refuse to label Republican opponents “fascist” or make references to the Third Reich.

Fetterman also told “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” that he has encountered his former 2022 Republican foe Dr. Mehmet Oz — the current federal Medicaid administrator — and that the two maintain a civil relationship with no ill will.

He also issued a statement defending his support for Mullin.

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“In January, I called on the president to fire [Kristi] Noem — and he did. I truly approached the confirmation of my colleague and friend, Senator Mullin, with an open mind,” Fetterman said.

“We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS. My ‘aye’ is rooted in a strong committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin for our nation’s security.”

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz says that the U.S. is “unquestionably winning the war” with Iran.

And the conservative firebrand and three-term senator from Texas tells Fox News Digital that, in his opinion, President Donald Trump‘s “decision to launch this military action is the most consequential decision” of his presidency.

“If you look at how our military has carried out this action, it has been an incredible success,” Cruz emphasized in an interview this week.

But many Americans don’t agree with the senator’s reading on the nearly month-long strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran.

MOST AMERICANS OPPOSE STRIKES ON IRAN, BUT BIG GAP BETWEEN DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS: POLLS

Several new national surveys released this week, including a new Fox News poll, indicate that most Americans give the military strikes a thumbs down. But the surveys point to a continued broad partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans over the ongoing fighting in the volatile Middle East.

HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE STRIKES AGAINST IRAN

The military attacks by the U.S. and Israel have resulted in the deaths of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials, and the decimation of the country’s military.

But Iran has retaliated with attacks against Israel and many of its other neighbors in the region.

And Iran has targeted energy facilities with missile and drone attacks in a number of Persian Gulf nations. It has also made the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable to commercial shipping, bringing to a halt roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply and in turn sending fuel prices skyrocketing in the U.S. and across the globe.

Asked about the ongoing operation, Cruz highlighted, “We’ve taken out virtually the entirety of their air defenses. We have taken out their short range and medium range ballistic missile launchers, their missiles, and their missile manufacturing capacity. Have taken out their drone launchers, their drones and their drone manufacturing capacity.”

ONLY ON FOX NEWS: PENCE SAYS TRUMP ‘TURNED A DEAF EAR’ TO ISOLATIONISTS IN GOP

“We have executed over 9000 military strikes. We have sunk 140 of their ships. That is the largest… sinking of naval ships since World War Two, and on top of that, we’ve taken out the Ayatollah and virtually the entirety of the top military leaders. That is a profound victory,” the senator emphasized.

Cruz noted that he “spent the entire day” with Trump on the eve of the launch of the strikes, as the president traveled to Texas.

“The day before he launched this military action, I was on Air Force One with him. He was flying down to Texas, and then he and I were one on one in the Beast, the Presidential limo, and we spent most of the day talking about, should he launch this military action, or should he negotiate further.”

Cruz recollected, “What I told him at the time is, I said, I don’t think there’s anything to negotiate. The Ayatollah is negotiating in bad faith and the regime was weaker than it ever has been.”

The senator highlighted that “the Ayatollah and the mullahs in Iran have been waging war against the United States for 47 years… Iran has been the number one state funder of terrorism in the world.”

According to the Fox News poll, a third of voters nationwide said the U.S. military action against Iran will make America safer, with 44% saying less safe and nearly one in four (23%) saying the strikes will make no difference.

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Cruz disagrees.

“The president decimating this regime has made America substantially safer, and that is his responsibility as commander in chief,” the senator stressed.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is returning next month to New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first primary in the race for the White House.

But that doesn’t mean the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential nominee is looking to make a comeback in 2028.

While a growing number of potential contenders for the next Democratic presidential nomination have made stops in New Hampshire, as well as in South Carolina and Nevada, two other key early primary states, Clinton said in an interview last month she would not run for president again and that the party had a “good bench.”

Instead, Clinton will headline the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s (NHDP) annual spring fundraising dinner. The state party announced the news Thursday and said the gala, the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, would be held April 25 in Nashua, New Hampshire.

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“Through decades of public service — as first lady, a U.S. senator, and secretary of state — Secretary Clinton has fought tirelessly for women’s rights and been a champion for economic security around the world,” longtime NHDP chair Ray Buckley said. “Her work to expand voting rights, strengthen child and family leave policies and combat global health crises has made a lasting impact both here and abroad.”

Buckley told Fox News Digital Clinton will salute retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen for her 40 years of public service. Shaheen was the first woman in the nation’s history elected both governor and senator.

A spokesperson for Clinton told Fox News Digital the former secretary is excited about returning to New Hampshire.

But not everyone’s happy with Clinton’s return to the key New England swing state.

HILLARY CLINTON COMES OUT SWINGING FOLLOWING EPSTEIN DEPOSITION

Responding to the news, a longtime progressive leader in New Hampshire, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital, “Although this may be a good invite to raise money for the party, it is another example of how completely tone-deaf the party is to the need for real change.

“As exemplary as Hillary Clinton’s conduct was with respect to the Epstein congressional subpoena, she’s yesterday’s news, hasn’t offered a new idea in decades and doesn’t serve the needs of building a new Democratic majority in New Hampshire.”

Clinton won the 2008 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary in her marathon battle against former President Barack Obama for the party’s nomination.

Eight years later, in her second White House bid, she lost the New Hampshire primary in a landslide to progressive champion Bernie Sanders, the senator from neighboring Vermont.

Since her loss to President Donald Trump in the 2016 general election, Clinton has returned twice to New Hampshire. She made a stop in Concord in December 2017 as part of her book tour. And she spoke at Dartmouth College in 2019.

While some on the left take issue with the optics of Clinton’s return to New Hampshire, both the former secretary of state and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have long been supporters of New Hampshire’s cherished position at the top of the primary calendar.

Lucas Meyer, a New Hampshire-based non-profit leader and former longtime president of the New Hampshire Young Democrats, noted that “a lot of New Hampshire Democrats have a lot of affection and love for Secretary Clinton and for her service to our country.”

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And Meyer, a former campaign strategist, emphasized the state party’s fundraising dinner that Clinton is headlining “is about funding the apparatus to run campaigns over the next year. Secretary Clinton has a pretty broad appeal, and since she’s not running, there’s a little more flexibility for her to raise money for the party and to attract donors to cut checks for the state.”