Donald Trump Poll News

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents busted a South Texas human smuggling ring, resulting in the arrests and sentencing of gangbangers who kidnapped a family and sexually assaulted a pregnant mother.

Rodolfo Daniel De Hoyos, 22, a human smuggler who goes by the nickname “Rufles,” was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison on Monday for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy. The sentencing was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas on Tuesday.

De Hoyos is the fifth of nine human smugglers arrested in Kinney County, Texas, as a result of an investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the cooperation of the Texas Department of Public Safety and several other law enforcement agencies. The investigation is part of the Trump administration’s Operation Take Back America.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, De Hoyos was involved in the kidnapping and attempted extortion of a family of illegal immigrants, consisting of a man, a pregnant woman and a seven-year-old child. The office said the smugglers sexually assaulted the pregnant woman and held the family for ransom. They obtained at least $1,000 from a relative and further threatened to kill the seven-year-old child and sell the unborn baby if additional payments were not made.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT’S TWO DECADES OF UNLAWFUL VOTES EXPOSE THE REAL ‘THREAT’ TO DEMOCRACY: EXPERTS

De Hoyos was first arrested in 2021 by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who observed him transporting three passengers wearing dirty clothing, hiking boots and camouflage backpacks. At the time, De Hoyos admitted the three passengers were illegal aliens and that he was being paid $1,500 to transport them to Del Rio. He was arrested again in August 2023 in relation to the kidnapping of the family.

Besides De Hoyos, four others have been sentenced. Texas man Juan Antonio Flores, 36, was sentenced to more than 17 years for his role in coordinating the smuggling trips. Two other co-conspirators, Tomas Estrada-Torres, 47, and Nelson Abilio Castro-Zelaya, received sentences of more than 12 years and 15 years, respectively.

Meanwhile, a 23-year-old Guatemalan national, Edwin Alfredo Barrientos-Mateo, nicknamed “Waches,” was sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection with the smuggling ring.

According to Simmons’ office, four other co-conspirators — Ambar Obregon, Pedro Ruiz Gonzalez, Armando Garcia-Martinez and Anthony Ballones Jr. — have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

EXCLUSIVE: ICE SAYS EL PASO DETENTION FACILITY WILL STAY OPEN UNDER NEW CONTRACTOR AFTER $1.2B DEAL SCRAPPED

Besides ICE HSI and the Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Border Patrol, the Eagle Pass Police Department, the Austin Police Department, the Houston Police Department, and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the investigation.

In a word of caution to would-be illegal aliens, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin Simmons said that “alien smuggling organizations care nothing about the hopes and dreams of those they smuggle.”

“When they look at an illegal alien, all they see is a dollar sign,” he went on, adding, “Do not trust them with your life because the only life they really care about is their own.”

This week, Simmons’ office also announced that 36-year-old Mexican national Pedro Luis Martinez-Jaquez was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for his leadership role in a conspiracy to transport hundreds of illegal aliens, resulting in at least one death.

Simmons called Martinez-Jaquez “one of the most prolific facilitators of alien smuggling in the last decade.” He said that over the course of an 18-month operation, Martinez-Jaquez made hundreds of thousands of dollars transporting illegal aliens into the U.S.

BORDER PATROL CHIEF BOVINO SAYS CHICAGO EFFORTS ‘VINDICATED’ AFTER COURT REVERSES ORDER RESTRICTING OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Both stings were the result of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative launched by the Trump administration last year to “achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations.”

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell moved quickly behind the scenes after the Justice Department opened a criminal probe into his statements to Congress, with his calendar showing a burst of outreach to U.S. lawmakers.

The entries don’t reveal what was discussed, but they show Powell made 13 calls to senators and House members shortly after he accused the DOJ of using subpoenas as a “pretext” to ramp up pressure on the central bank to cut rates. The rapid-fire calls ranged from 10 to 15 minutes each. 

The Fed releases Powell’s monthly schedule with about a two-month lag, which is why the scope of that outreach is only now coming into view.

TRUMP’S PICK TO LEAD THE FEDERAL RESERVE MEETS GOP SENATOR HOLDING UP HIS CONFIRMATION

Powell’s calendar lists calls with Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. Va.; Mark Warner, D-Va.; Bill Cassidy, R-La.; John Kennedy, R-La.; Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; James Lankford, R-Okla.; and Tim Scott, R-S.C., as well as Reps. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio; Maxine Waters, D-Calif.; Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Powell’s schedule also lists a breakfast meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Jan. 15, four days after the investigation was disclosed.

Working Capitol Hill has long been central to Powell’s playbook, with the Fed chair regularly logging more one-on-one time with lawmakers than any modern predecessor. 

DOJ’S CRIMINAL PROBE OF FED CHAIR POWELL SPARKS RARE GOP REVOLT ON CAPITOL HILL

Still, the week of Jan. 11 stood out even for Powell. The last time he reached more lawmakers in a single week was February 2025, ahead of his semiannual testimony, when he typically schedules a run of prehearing calls with key members.

This burst was different, though it followed Powell’s Jan. 11 disclosure that the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation tied to his congressional testimony on the Federal Reserve’s two historic main buildings on the National Mall.

Powell, in a rare video statement, called the probe “unprecedented” and described it as another salvo in what he described as President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on the central bank to cut rates. The unusually public response followed days of private consultations with advisors and stood out for a Fed chair known for a measured approach.

The investigation centers on Powell’s June 2025 testimony to lawmakers, an unusual development for a sitting Fed chair.

TRUMP VS THE FEDERAL RESERVE: HOW THE CLASH REACHED UNCHARTED TERRITORY

Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee, Powell said: “There’s no new marble. There are no special elevators. They’re old elevators that have been there. There are no new water features. There are no beehives, and there’s no roof garden terraces.”

Powell added that no one “wants to do a major renovation of a historic building during their term in office,” and said cost overruns were driven in part by unexpected construction challenges and inflation.

The renovation is estimated to cost $2.5 billion and is being funded by the central bank itself, not by taxpayers.

The Fed is self-financing and does not rely on congressional appropriations to cover its operating expenses, which include employee salaries, facilities maintenance and the current renovation. Its primary income comes from interest earned on government securities and fees charged to financial institutions.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump has repeatedly targeted the project, threatening legal action and mocking the renovation’s cost and design.

“They’re building a basement into the Potomac River. I could have told them. That’s very tough to do, and it doesn’t work, and it’s very expensive,” Trump said. “But they’re up to $4 billion, headed by this clown,” he added in November, referring to Powell.

Powell, a Trump nominee first tapped to lead the Fed in 2017, is expected to finish his term at the end of May. Trump has picked former Fed governor Kevin Warsh to replace Powell, but the nomination is effectively stuck after Sen. Thom Tillis vowed to block any Fed nominees while the DOJ probe remains open.

The Federal Reserve declined to comment on Powell’s calendar.

As the American military continues bombarding Iran amid the ongoing war against the Islamic Republic, U.S. Central Command shared video footage of strikes against aircraft sitting on the ground.

“The Iranian regime is losing air capability day by day,” CENTCOM wrote in a late Wednesday post on X.

“U.S. forces aren’t just defending against Iranian threats, we are methodically dismantling them,” the post added.

TRUMP SUDDENLY SEEMS ANXIOUS TO END THE WAR AS AMERICAN CASUALTIES MOUNT AND IRAN FINDS WAYS TO HIT BACK

No American fighter planes have been downed by Iran, according to CENTCOM. 

“An IRGC leader has claimed that a U.S. F-15 was shot down today south of Tehran. LIE,” CENTCOM indicated in a Wednesday post on X. 

“No U.S. fighter aircraft have been shot down by Iran. U.S. forces continue to exercise air superiority over vast swaths of Iran. TRUTH,” the post added.

DEMOCRATS THREATEN TO GRIND SENATE TO A HALT TO FORCE PUBLIC IRAN HEARINGS

The Wall Street Journal indicated in a report last week that while the U.S. and Israel are operating modern aircraft like the F-35, the age and weakness of Iranian aircraft mark a vulnerability that requires Iran to rely on the ballistic missile program targeted by American and Israeli strikes.

ISRAEL SAYS FIGHTER JET TOOK DOWN IRANIAN WARPLANE, THE FIRST SHOOTDOWN OF ITS KIND

Earlier this month CENTCOM reported that three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets had been downed in “an apparent friendly fire incident.”

“During active combat — that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” the March 2 press release. “Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The release noted that the six aircrew members safely ejected and were recovered.

While House Republicans gathered in South Florida to map out their strategy ahead of November’s midterm elections, one GOP lawmaker said she “jumped in to assist” with evacuation efforts overseas amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital that she traveled to the Middle East on Sunday after she learned a South Carolina family was trapped in the wake of the conflict.

“When your people are stranded in a war zone, the only answer worthy of the office, worthy of our state, worthy of our country, is to get them out,” Mace, who is running to be South Carolina’s next governor, said in a statement.

After the family made it safely back to South Carolina, Mace said she stayed in the region and partnered with Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa-based crisis response group led by military veterans, to evacuate more Americans. Tens of thousands of U.S. citizens have scrambled to leave the Middle East following widespread flight cancellations and airspace closures due to Iranian counterstrikes.

PRIVATE SECURITY FIRM HELPING AMERICANS EVACUATE THE MIDDLE EAST AMID WAR WITH IRAN

Mace said she worked with the State Department to charter a flight for the stranded Americans while the private nonprofit supplied logistics for the rescue mission. On Wednesday night, Mace and dozens of American families on the flight landed in Greece.

Mace said 155 Americans — including 11 infants — were evacuated from Israel as part of Grey Bull Rescue’s 808th mission. The group says it has rescued 591 Americans from the region since the outbreak of the conflict.

“They had the people but didn’t have the plane. I jumped in to assist,” Mace said. “Tonight I am grateful. And I will never forget what I saw. What I learned. And the Americans who volunteered and who are serving our nation patriotically tonight.”

“Congresswoman Mace was fully embedded with our team, not to watch, but to work to save lives,” Bryan Stern, founder and chairman of Grey Bull Rescue, told Fox News Digital. “While a core value of Grey Bull Rescue is to be absolutely apolitical we are always PROUD AMERICANS to see our elected officials fighting for their constituents.”

WNBA’S TIFFANY MITCHELL AND FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS STUCK IN ISRAEL AMID STRIKES

Grey Bull Rescue has been operating in the Middle East since 2023, during which the volunteer organization evacuated more than 300 Americans from Israel following the Oct. 7 attack.

The group recently helped Americans escape cartel violence in Mexico, following the killing of a notorious drug lord in February, and also facilitated the extraction of Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado from her home country in 2025.

Over 43,000 Americans have departed the Middle East since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, according to the State Department. Over 27,000 of those individuals received direct assistance from the U.S. government in evacuating the region, a department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Trump administration advised Americans in 14 countries across the Middle East to “depart now” on Feb. 2, following a rise in security threats. Some Americans initially stranded in the region have criticized the State Department for failing to clearly communicate and distributing insufficient evacuation guidance.

A four-time deported illegal immigrant from Honduras with 15 prior criminal charges shoved two victims onto the tracks at a New York City subway station this week, including an 83-year-old Air Force veteran who remains in critical condition, according to reports. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicated Wednesday evening that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer against Honduran national Bairon Posada-Herandez, 34, after he was arrested for allegedly shoving two men – unprovoked – onto the train tracks inside the NYC subway system. The older male, 83-year-old Air Force veteran and grandfather Richard Williams, is reportedly still fighting for his life at a New York City hospital.

Posada-Hernandez first entered the country in 2008, and was subsequently deported four separate times, the last time being in July 2020, before reentering later for a fifth time at an unknown location and date, Fox News Digital has learned.

At the time of the subway incident this week, Posada-Hernandez had a lengthy criminal history as well, including at least 15 prior charges for crimes such as aggravated assault, domestic violence, possession of a weapon, obstruction of police, simple assault and drug possession.

SPARKS FLY AS GOP SENATOR REACTS TO BIDEN ADVISOR’S ‘I DON’T KNOW’ ANSWER ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LAW

“Bairon Posada-Herandez is a serial criminal, and four-time deported illegal alien from Honduras who should never have been able to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans,” said DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “We are praying for the victims and their families. DHS is calling upon New York sanctuary politicians to commit to this ICE detainer and not release this heinous criminal back into New York communities.”    

Fox News Digital reached out to the New York City Department of Correction, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, and the New York Police Department (NYPD) to inquire about whether there were plans to honor ICE’s detainer against Posada-Hernandez. The Department of Corrections responded, but did not directly answer any of Fox News Digital’s questions, instead pointing Fox News Digital to the publicly available information located on its “Person in Custody Lookup” database. 

Questions about Posada-Hernandez’s charges and future court dates were also left unanswered.

ICE HOUSTON TOUTS OVER 400 ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILD SEX OFFENDERS ARRESTED DURING TRUMP’S FIRST YEAR BACK IN OFFICE 

According to NYC’s custody database, reviewed by Fox News Digital, Posada-Hernandez was given a $100,000 bail following his arrest on Wednesday for First Degree Assault, a Class B Felony. However, other public reports have indicated that he was charged with attempted murder. 

Cell-phone footage from the younger male victim involved in the Wednesday incident surfaced following the subway attack this week, which showed Posada-Hernandez walking calmly away after allegedly pushing him. 

A passerby could be seen in the video trying to help the younger victim after he was first pushed. Then, Posada-Hernandez proceeded to spontaneously shove the older Williams onto the tracks as well. The younger victim suffered minor injuries, but Williams is reportedly in critical condition in the hospital. 

While it is unclear when Posada-Herandez returned to the United States after his fourth deportation in July 2020, what is known is that, under President Joe Biden, 5% of the entire population of Honduras entered the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In February, DHS condemned New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for signing an Executive Order “turning New York City into a shield for violent criminal illegal aliens to reoffend and create more innocent victims,” which also came not long after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s legislative proposal barring local police departments from cooperating with ICE. 

As of February, there were more than 7,110 illegal aliens in New York custody with an active ICE detainer, per DHS.

This includes 148 criminal illegal aliens accused of homicide, 717 accused of assault, 134 accused of burglaries, 240 accused of burglaries or robberies, 235 accused of dangerous drug offenses, 152 accused of weapons offenses, and 260 accused sexual predators, according to DHS.

President Donald Trump hailed the swift prosecution of the military campaign against Iran, but acknowledged there are terrorist “sleeper cells” in the U.S. that have to be watched and dealt with.

Trump said during a press gaggle Wednesday that he has been briefed on terror alerts and threats, including reported plans to conduct a drone attack in California, but he warned that any terrorists present in the country now might be the result of former President Joe Biden’s “stupid open border.”

“A lot of people came in through Biden with his stupid open border, but we know where most of them are: We’ve got our eye on all of them, I think,” Trump said.

“They came in through the open-border policies of Sleepy Joe Biden, one of the worst — the worst president in the history of our country — and we’ve got our eyes on all of them,” the president added.

TOP IRANIAN CYBERCRIMINAL ON FBI MOST WANTED LIST REPORTEDLY KILLED IN US-ISRAELI STRIKE

“But the war itself is being prosecuted at a level that nobody has seen before,” Trump continued. “It’s pretty — it’s pretty amazing to watch.”

When asked about a leaked law enforcement bulletin put out about a possible Iran revenge plot in California where a potential offshore boat might launch a drone swarm, Trump replied, “It’s being investigated, but you have a lot of things happening, and all we can do is take them as they come.”

US DESTROYS 16 IRANIAN MINE BOATS AS STRAIT OF HORMUZ OIL SHOWDOWN ESCALATES

“The war itself is being prosecuted as well as anybody has ever seen, and this is other countries telling me too,” he continued. “Big countries, powerful countries, they said they’ve never seen anything like it. And they also agree with what I’m doing. They say it’s an evil country, and it’s been for 47 years that way.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The warning of a California drone swarm attack is not new, having originated in February, but law enforcement has re-upped the monitoring amid Iran threats to retaliate against Israel and the U.S.

Senate Republicans know that Trump-backed voter ID legislation is doomed to fail and are trying to find a way to pin the blame on Senate Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to bring the bill to the floor next week, but Republicans won’t take the route of launching into a talking filibuster, despite pressure from President Donald Trump and the GOP base to do so.

“We don’t have the votes either to proceed, get on a talking filibuster, nor to sustain one if we got on it,” Thune said. “But that is just a function of math, and there isn’t anything I can do about that. I mean, I understand the president’s got a passion to see this issue addressed, as we all do.”

TRUMP, THUNE CLASH ON VOTER ID ULTIMATUM AS GOP REMAINS DIVIDED ON PATH FORWARD

While the end result after an exhaustive marathon of debate would allow Republicans to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act at a simple-majority threshold, Thune has time and again warned that the votes aren’t there among Republicans to block Democratic amendments that could completely reshape the bill.

Still, Trump and a sphere of online conservative voices are demanding that the bill pass at any cost. Trump warned that if it does not, Republicans will fall flat in the upcoming midterm election cycle. 

“It will guarantee the midterms. If you don’t get it, big trouble,” Trump told House Republicans at their annual policy retreat earlier this week. 

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are nearly unified in their opposition to the bill, save for Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., which all but ensures its failure in the upper chamber.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reiterated his opposition to the SAVE America Act and charged that it was legislation geared toward “destroying” and “purging” voter rolls across the country.

“This is a bill that destroys the country,” Schumer said. “And it is not about showing ID when you show up to vote.”

THUNE GUARANTEES VOTER ID BILL TO HIT THE SENATE DESPITE SCHUMER, DEM OPPOSITION: ‘WE WILL HAVE A VOTE’

The other option for the GOP would be to nuke the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, which some argue Democrats would do anyway when they eventually regain control of the upper chamber.

There is not an appetite among Republicans to blow up the filibuster either.

“I suggest our first goal will be to try and pass it, but I understand how difficult that is, and I’m sympathetic with the position of not ending the filibuster,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital. “But short of that, our next goal ought to be to make sure the Democrats get blamed, because they’re the ones that are truly blocking this.”

A likely strategy that Republicans will turn to is in the spirit of the talking filibuster, just without the marathon of debate and amendment votes that process would yield.

SCHUMER, DEMS HOLD FIRM ON DHS FUNDING DESPITE NOEM’S BOMBSHELL OUSTING

Johnson, who, along with Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., met with Trump to push for the SAVE America Act, said that instead of a straight up-or-down vote on the bill, Republicans could flood the floor with amendments in a genuine bid to reshape the bill. Then would come a final vote at the end of the amendment flurry. 

Those add-ons to the bill would include tweaks that Trump has requested, like nixing mail-in ballots save for certain exceptions, banning men from women’s sports and halting transgender surgical procedures on minors.

“We’re getting the Democrats on record voting, ‘Oh, you want to keep mutilating children on the altar of transgenderism,’” Johnson said.

Another route to pass the bill could be through the budget reconciliation process, which Republicans used to ram Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” through Congress last year.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., has been the most vocal proponent of that tactic. But in order for the SAVE America Act to survive the reconciliation route, it would have to pass muster under the Byrd Rule, which requires that anything crammed into a reconciliation package have a budgetary effect.

Kennedy argued the best way to counter that is to lawyer up.

“It really comes down to what the [Senate] parliamentarian says, and I would get the best minds I could find to try to draft a provision that would survive Byrd,” Kennedy said. “When you argue or debate with the parliamentarian, you’ve got to be ready. You can’t just walk in there and pull it out of your orifices.”

President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed Texas Republican Brandon Herrera after his primary rival exited the race amid an ethics investigation into an admitted affair with a former staffer.

Herrera, a self-described Second Amendment activist and social media personality, was touted by Trump as a Republican who would promote the MAGA agenda in Texas’ 23rd District.

“Brandon is strongly supported by many Highly Respected MAGA Warriors in Texas, and Republicans in the U.S. House,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “As your next Congressman, he will work tirelessly to advance our MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN Agenda.”

“Brandon will fight hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Safeguard our Elections, Champion School Choice, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Brave Military, Veterans, and Law Enforcement, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump added.

MIKE JOHNSON ASKS EMBATTLED HOUSE REPUBLICAN TONY GONZALES TO DROP RE-ELECTION BID

Herrera thanked the president for his endorsement, which adds to backing from conservative lawmakers, including Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Mary Miller, R-Ill.

“Thank you President Trump,” he said in a post on X. “It’s now time to take the fight to the Democrats in November and continue working to deliver great wins for TX23 and the rest of the nation.”

Trump’s endorsement comes after Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, announced last week that he would not seek re-election, clearing the path for Herrera to claim the GOP nomination.

TRUMP ALLY CLAY FULLER ADVANCES IN GEORGIA FIGHT FOR MTG’S FORMER SEAT

Herrera narrowly edged Gonzales by a 43.33% to 41.73% margin in Texas’ GOP primary for the 23rd Congressional District earlier this month, forcing a runoff because neither candidate earned 50% of the vote.

Gonzales — who was initially backed by Trump — bowed out of the race amid a House Ethics investigation into an affair he admitted took place with a former staffer.

Gonzales, a married father of six, admitted to the affair during an appearance on a conservative talk radio show the day after advancing to the primary runoff.

“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” he said on “The Joe Pags Show” last week. “Since then, I’ve reconciled with my wife, Angel. I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Herrera previously called his opponent’s withdrawal from the race the “appropriate decision.”

He will face Katy Padilla Stout, a local attorney and the Democratic nominee, in November.

FIRST ON FOX: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rolled out a new platform, backed by artificial intelligence, that will streamline publicly accessible reporting of negative or unexpected health effects linked to medicines, vaccines, cosmetics, animal food and other consumer products.

The FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) began operation Tuesday and will consolidate outdated systems used to process millions of adverse event reports and produce results in real time for consumers to access online. 

“The FDA’s fragmented adverse event systems have wasted taxpayer dollars and created large blind spots in our post-market surveillance,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We’re addressing this critical issue by conducting a major modernization initiative on an accelerated timeline.” 

“Moving forward, the FDA will have a single, intuitive adverse event platform that will better equip us and any interested researcher to access key data and insights about the safety of products on the market,” Makary added.

DR. MAKARY, DR OZ: PEOPLE TALK ABOUT LOWERING HEALTHCARE COSTS, BUT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS DOING IT

Adverse event reports are critical to determining the safety and effectiveness of certain drugs and products after they are approved for clinical trials and reach the wider consumer market, though the agency says the reports have been undermined due to current inefficient infrastructure.

The general concept of AEMS is that consumers will be able to access the new website and search for FDA-approved cosmetics, drugs, vaccines, or foods that have adverse effect reports as they are reported by healthcare professionals, consumers, manufacturers, and user facilities for medical devices. 

The agency estimates that roughly 6 to 7 million adverse event reports per year are evaluated through a seven database system. The FDA says that the collective cost of utilizing the database is an estimated $37 million bill to taxpayers. AEMS is expected to save the FDA approximately $120 million over the next five years, according to the agency.

FDA CLEARS FIRST AT-HOME BRAIN DEVICE FOR DEPRESSION

The new website will be more accessible than the current quarterly report issued by the agency, and senior sources at the FDA told Fox News Digital they saw a 3,000% increase in users in a pilot program that launched last September.

“Consolidating the FDA’s adverse event systems and converting to real-time publication was challenging, but made possible by a highly aggressive schedule,” the FDA’s Chief AI Officer Jeremy Walsh told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The team executed with perfection and delivered the biggest technical transformation in agency history. This is the new FDA.”

The legacy systems that are currently in place include the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS),  Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), and Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS), which will be replaced with the new system effective immediately. 

In May, the AEMS will also replace the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE), Human Foods Complaint System (HFCS), and Center for Tobacco Products Adverse Event Reporting System (CTPAE).

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Each one of these systems will be integrated into the new AEMS, with artificial intelligence assisting for manual data entries and coding adverse events. 

Sources at the FDA told Fox News Digital that the next phase of the rollout will be implementing a front-end system that makes it easy for reports to be submitted. The agency estimates that 80% of reports are never entered due to the complexity of filing a report — potentially resulting in some untold side effects never being made public. 

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

EXCLUSIVE: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is hammering Democrats over the partial government shutdown as its effects begin to hit millions of travelers at airports across the country.

“This is expected to be one of the busiest spring travel seasons on record. Over 171 million travelers are estimated to fly in the coming weeks, and they expect the agencies responsible for keeping them safe to be fully operational,” Scalise told Fox News Digital.

“The longer Democrats hold the Department of Homeland Security hostage, the longer they’re forcing [Transportation Security Administration (TSA)] agents to work without pay and the worse the pain will be that Democrats inflict on regular Americans.”

It comes as TSA agents, whose agency operates under DHS, are set to miss their first full paychecks next week. And with Democrats continuing to withhold the department’s funding in protest of President Donald Trump’s handling of illegal immigration, the standoff still has no clear end in sight.

STEVE SCALISE RIPS DEMOCRATS FOR ‘PLAYING POLITICAL GAMES’ WITH DHS SHUTDOWN AMID IRAN THREAT

Scalise’s own hometown travel hub, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, is facing hours-long delays due to the ongoing shutdown.

The airport’s official X account warned travelers to arrive two to three hours before their scheduled departure time earlier this week due to a “shortage of TSA workers” at its security checkpoints owing to “impacts from the federal government’s partial shutdown.”

“The recent chaos at my airport in New Orleans, and airports across the country, is impossible to miss — wait times longer than three hours, lines stretching out to the parking lot,” Scalise said. “It’s ridiculous, shameful, and it never should have happened.”

Scalise said his office was in contact with airport staff about the issue, and that they are concerned about their own welfare as the shutdown continues.

“They’re worried about the impact the shutdown will have on TSA employees and the ability for the airport to get travelers through security and make their flights in a timely fashion,” he said. “This is the third time in six months that TSA agents are being forced to worry about missing a paycheck because Washington Democrats keep using them as leverage.”

The airport in New Orleans is not the only one battling staffing issues because of the shutdown.

TRUMP URGES CONGRESS TO PASS SAVE AMERICA ACT, FULLY FUND DHS AS TSA WORKERS GO WITHOUT PAY

George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas urged travelers to arrive earlier than planned due to fewer airport security lines being open due to personnel shortages. Nearby William P. Hobby Airport asked people to arrive three hours early for domestic flights and four hours early for international flights.

The partial shutdown is in its 25th day as Democrats continue to refuse the GOP’s compromise offers on funding DHS.

Unlike last year’s 43-day government shutdown, however, roughly 97% of the federal budget has been accounted for already. In other words, all agencies but DHS are funded through the remainder of the fiscal year.

But DHS is a wide-ranging department that oversees the TSA, U.S. Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Secret Service, and others.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In addition to travel delays hitting U.S. airports over TSA shortages, the shutdown’s effects have also come into sharper focus as national security threats grow in the U.S. over the Trump administration’s joint operation with Israel targeting Iran.

The House has now twice passed a bipartisan DHS funding bill, the product of bipartisan negotiations in the previous shutdown’s wake. But in the Senate, where Democrats are critical to advancing the legislation past the 60-vote filibuster threshold, progress has all but stalled.

A top Department of Justice official brushed off a lawsuit brought Tuesday by the Democratic National Committee over the administration’s work on election security, describing the suit as frivolous.

Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon mocked the legal challenge in an X post in response to Marc Elias, a prolific Democratic election lawyer, promoting it.

“Maybe we should all just file lawsuits demanding things we used to ask the tooth fairy for, shall we?” Dhillon said. “This is not how executive power works.”

Dhillon’s remarks came as her division and the Trump administration more broadly have ramped up their focus on election security, demanding voter roll data from states, launching investigations into past elections and pushing for passage of a voter ID bill. 

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP DOJ ACCESS TO OREGON VOTER ROLLS

Democrats have accused the administration of also hiding information about alleged federal deployments at polling places. They cited White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying earlier this year that she could not rule out potential federal deployments, while she added that it’s “not something I’ve ever heard the president consider.” 

The lawsuit, brought in Washington, D.C., seeks records from the DOJ, Department of Homeland Security and Department of War under the Freedom of Information Act about the possible deployments. DNC lawyers said their FOIA requests were triggered last year by “repeat threats to free and fair elections from President [Donald] Trump and his administration.”

The lawsuit was filed against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s intensifying focus on election security. The FBI has pursued expanded inquiries into the 2020 and 2024 elections in at least two battleground states, Georgia and Pennsylvania, and sought extensive voter registration records from state election officials, which critics have argued encroaches on states’ rights.

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, the Republican National Committee said of the lawsuit that Democrats did not support “commonsense safeguards like voter ID.”

LEAVITT FLIPS SCRIPT ON MEDIA FOR BALKING AT FULTON ELECTION PROBE AFTER YEARS OF PROMOTING RUSSIA CLAIMS

“We’re surprised the DNC actually has any money to file a lawsuit,” RNC election integrity spokeswoman Ally Triolo said, adding that the DOJ was “simply doing its job to fix the election chaos that Democrats across the country have created.”

Triolo said the DNC was filing “fake, nonsensical lawsuits and grasping at straws, leaving only one explanation: they want to cheat in our elections.”

The DOJ is able to send federal officials to monitor polling places to check that federal voting laws are being followed, but concerns have mounted that the federal government will go beyond that. DHS, for instance, has shut down rumors that it would send immigration authorities to polling places.

In its complaint, the DNC alleged that it has “yet to receive a substantive response to any of the FOIA requests at issue,” despite deadlines passing. The DNC lawyers claimed the departments have “violated their duties … to conduct a reasonable search for responsive records [and] to take reasonable steps to release all nonexempt information.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The lawsuit also referenced statements by Trump, including the president saying he “regretted not ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines” after the 2020 election.

The DNC asked the court to force departments to produce all the requested records, as well as to pay the organization back for legal fees.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC on Wednesday morning. 

Dr. Mehmet Oz rushed to help after a woman collapsed during President Donald Trump’s speech in Kentucky on Wednesday.

About halfway through Trump’s remarks at Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, an older woman behind the president’s riser appeared to need medical attention, prompting Trump to ask the crowd, “Do we have a doctor in the house? Take your time, please.”

A medical team quickly reached her, including Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Oz.

“First responders are incredible,” Trump said as he turned and watched emergency medical personnel take care of the woman.

DR. OZ REVEALS HOW HE IS BRINGING CHANGE TO DC AND HELPING THE MOST VULNERABLE AMERICANS

The president paused his remarks and asked if a song could be played in the meantime.

“Do you think the people backstage are listening to me?” Trump said, adding that if they could hear him, he suggested playing “Ave Maria.”

The song did not play, and Trump continued to watch as the woman received treatment.

DR. OZ WARNS WALZ TO ADDRESS ALLEGED SOMALI MEDICAID FRAUD OR LOSE FEDERAL FUNDING: ‘WE’LL STOP PAYING’

“Take your time,” he said. “She looks great.”

As first responders began escorting the woman away, Trump noticed Oz was among those helping her.

“It’s Dr. Oz! Can you believe it? Dr. Oz!” Trump said. “He’s a good doctor. Thank you, Oz.”

RFK JR: DR OZ SAYS TRUMP HAS ‘HIGHEST TESTOSTERONE LEVEL’ HE’S SEEN IN A MAN OLDER THAN 70

Trump resumed his remarks about seven minutes later, returning to criticism of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“We were talking about Gavin New-scum,” Trump said with a laugh. “Doesn’t seem like a very good subject right now. It made that young lady not feel so good.”

Wednesday’s event was not the first time Oz, a former heart surgeon, assisted during a medical episode while serving in the Trump administration.

In April, a young girl fainted near the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office while Trump was speaking during Oz’s swearing-in ceremony.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Oz quickly rushed over to assist the child, who was later confirmed to be a member of his family.

In November, a man collapsed in the Oval Office as Trump was giving a press conference, prompting Oz to once again step in to help.

A member of House GOP leadership is jumping into the open race for a Senate seat likely being vacated by Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., after he was tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., is officially launching his campaign for the Senate on Wednesday with support from at least four Republicans in the upper chamber.

“The American dream is under threat by the radical left and RINO Republicans who oppose President Trump’s America First agenda and want to turn the United States into a third-world country,” he says in his campaign debut video. 

“That’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate — to ensure President Trump has a loyal ally, a leader who stood by his side when RINOs turned their backs on him, who will fight against Democrat insanity, keep the southern border secure, deport dangerous illegal immigrants, stand with law enforcement, and deliver economic affordability.”

40+ HOUSE REPUBLICANS RALLY BEHIND MARKWAYNE MULLIN FOR DHS, CALL IT A ‘CRITICAL MOMENT’ FOR BORDER SECURITY

Hern, who grew up in poverty without indoor plumbing until his teenage years, found considerable wealth as a McDonald’s franchisee before coming to Congress in 2018.

He’s the first major Republican candidate to declare his intent to run for Mullin’s seat in November — and whoever wins the GOP primary in the deep-red Midwestern state is the likely favorite to win.

Mullin is expected to leave the Senate after being tapped by President Donald Trump to lead DHS following Kristi Noem’s firing. He’s facing a confirmation hearing later this month.

Traditionally, Senate vacancies are filled by the state’s governor to serve out the remainder of the previous senator’s term. That person is also usually the favorite to win the seat in the subsequent election cycle.

But in Oklahoma, the governor’s appointee must sign an affidavit swearing they will not run in the next election — which in this case is coming in November, with Mullin’s term ending at the end of 2026.

It’s not clear yet how crowded the GOP primary for Mullin’s open seat will get. Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., has previously said she is considering her own campaign but has not made any final decisions.

MULLIN PROMISES TO EARN DEM VOTES AS GOP COLLEAGUES POUNCE ON HIS SEAT

Hern, meanwhile, is already stacking his team with Trump operatives.

He’s recruited pollster Tony Fabrizio, who is closely aligned with the president, as his campaign’s senior advisor.

Fabrizio said in a statement that Hern is in a “strong position” to win the seat, citing his “record of support for President Trump’s agenda, the trust he has built with Oklahoma voters, and his experience in public service and in business.”

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s, R-S.D., first goal is to get Mullin’s seat quickly filled. He is set to meet with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a common practice when an appointment needs to be made, this week, a source familiar told Fox News Digital. 

It’s common practice for a governor to meet with the leader of the Senate to work on appointing a replacement, as is the case with Mullin, who is set to begin his confirmation process in the upper chamber next week. 

Further down the line, Thune has no preference as to who would replace Mullin, who is currently a member of his leadership team. 

“You know, obviously we want — we’re going to have to fill that seat for Markwayne here by the end of the month in the near term, and then the long-term issue will be decided by the voters of Oklahoma,” Thune said. “So whoever they decide to send us, we’ll be happy to receive.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Still, Hern has already snatched up the endorsement of a handful of senators, including Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

Trump has given a deadline of March 31 for Mullin to take over and for Noem to get out, and he is expected to easily pass through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Whether Mullin hits hurdles during a full confirmation vote remains an open question. 

Viral video shows former President Bill Clinton appearing to nudge former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toward a busy New York City intersection crosswalk Tuesday, prompting her to pull back and protest as the couple attempted to cross the street.

The Clintons were walking in New York City after attending an event and visiting their daughter, Chelsea Clinton, when the awkward encounter unfolded.

Video showed the former president smiling as he pushed his wife into an adjoining crosswalk, in an apparent jaywalking attempt.

Hillary Clinton pulled back and raised her hands in front of her to avoid being thrust into the street, saying, “No, no, no, no, no. Don’t do that. Don’t do that.”

HILLARY CLINTON COMES OUT SWINGING AFTER GOP GRILLED HER DURING MARATHON EPSTEIN DEPOSITION

“That’s not a good idea,” Bill Clinton replied with a grin.

Moments later, the crosswalk signal changed, and the pair — accompanied by what appeared to be a security detail — crossed the street without incident.

The appearance came days after the Clintons wrapped up their testimony in a probe related to the government’s handling of the case against disgraced late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

CLINTONS CAVE: COMER SAYS BILL AND HILLARY TO TESTIFY IN EPSTEIN PROBE

In an unprecedented deposition, the former president and first lady testified under subpoena to the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation.

Bill Clinton had publicly acknowledged a past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, including shared trips. However, the Clintons have not been accused of misconduct related to Epstein.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Investigators agreed to examine how Epstein cultivated ties with prominent individuals to help obscure his criminal activity, prompting former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump‘s inclusion in Epstein document releases.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

The Trump administration on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to allow it to terminate the protected legal status of hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants living in the U.S. 

It’s the latest effort by the administration to unwind Biden-era protections of hundreds of thousands of migrants living in the U.S. as part of the president’s hard-line immigration enforcement agenda. 

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the high court Wednesday to immediately intervene and overturn a lower court order that blocked the administration’s effort to immediately revoke the temporary protected status designation for some 350,000 Haitian migrants living in the U.S. 

A majority of judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit also blocked the Trump administration’s bid to end the program, citing the “substantial” and “well-documented harms” the migrants would likely face as a result, clearing the way for the administration to appeal the case to the high court. 

BIDEN-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TRUMP’S ‘THIRD COUNTRY’ DEPORTATION POLICY IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

In his filing Wednesday, Sauer urged the Supreme Court to review more broadly the issue of whether the Trump administration can revoke TPS protections for other migrants living in the U.S.

“Unless the court resolves the merits of these challenges — issues that have now been ventilated in courts nationwide — this unsustainable cycle will repeat again and again, spawning more competing rulings and competing views of what to make of this court’s interim orders,” Sauer said Wednesday. “This court should break that cycle.”

The TPS program in question allows individuals from certain countries to live and work in the U.S. legally if they cannot work safely in their home country due to a disaster, armed conflict or other “extraordinary and temporary conditions.” 

Haitians were first granted TPS status in 2010 after the devastating earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and left some 1.5 million in the country homeless. 

The protections were extended several times, including under the Biden administration in 2021 after the July assassination of Jovenel Moïse, Haiti’s last democratically elected president.

‘BLANKIES,’ ICE TACTICS AND LUXURY JETS: TOP MOMENTS FROM NOEM’S HOUSE TESTIMONY

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced in November that the U.S. would be ending TPS protections for Haitians in the U.S., prompting a group of individuals living in the U.S. with protected status to file suit. 

The Trump administration’s Supreme Court filing marks the second time this year the administration has asked the high court to immediately intervene and allow it to strip TPS protections for certain migrants. 

Lawyers for the Justice Department also asked the Supreme Court last month to allow it to revoke TPS designations for Syrian migrants in the U.S., though the high court has yet to rule on that request.

The appeal comes just weeks after U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes blocked the Department of Homeland Security from immediately revoking the TPS designations for Haitians in the U.S. 

FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING

Reyes described the administration’s effort to abruptly wind down the designation as “arbitrary and capricious” and accused DHS Secretary Kristi Noem of failing to consider the “overwhelming evidence of present danger” in Haiti, which she noted had prompted the Biden administration to extend TPS protections for Haitians in the first place. 

“The government cannot name a single concrete harm from maintaining the status quo,” Reyes said. “And so instead it argues that the court’s decision is ‘an improper intrusion by a federal court into the workings of a coordinate branch of the government.'” 

The appeal comes as the Trump administration has sought to wind down most TPS designations, arguing the programs have been extended for too long under Democratic presidents. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Trump officials have also taken aim at lower courts that have sought to block or pause their efforts to wind down TPS protections, accusing the lower court judges of exceeding their authority and unlawfully intruding on the executive branch’s authority on immigration policy.

After deliberating and assessing the global oil market situation in the face of Middle Eastern conflicts stemming from the United States’ attack on Iran, a cohort of 32 different developed nations agreed to make an “unprecedented” move to help address “oil market challenges.” 

The International Energy Agency (IEA) held an emergency meeting at its Paris headquarters Tuesday, with energy representatives from the cohort of G7 countries, to “assess market conditions,” which IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol says “have been significantly affected by the conflict in the Middle East.” 

Following that meeting on Thursday, the 32 member countries of the IEA unanimously agreed to collectively release the largest quantity of emergency oil reserves they ever have as a coalition, amounting to 400 million barrels.

“The oil market challenges we are facing are unprecedented in scale, therefore, I am very glad that IEA Member countries have responded with an emergency collective action of unprecedented size,” Birol said following the announcement about the release of the emergency oil reserves. “Oil markets are global, so the response to major disruptions needs to be global too.”

HOUSE GOP URGES TRUMP TO CHOKE OFF IRAN ALLY’S OIL PROFITS AS MIDDLE EAST TURMOIL SPIKES US GAS PRICES

President Donald Trump touted the IEA agreement during remarks in Kentucky Wednesday afternoon, saying the move “will substantially reduce oil prices.”

Before the outbreak of war with Iran, oil was trading in the range of $60 to $70 a barrel, but prices soared after the conflict began, with crude oil futures reaching upward of $115 a barrel on Monday – the highest level since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. However, some experts suggest that the market is correcting itself already from an initial scare that the conflict in the Middle East would have a major impact on oil prices.

“The market realized that maybe things aren’t that bad – the U.S. is having incredible military victories, President Trump is saying, ‘Hey, you know what, the war is probably not going to be going on that long.’ And even some signals that the world doesn’t have to just sit and stand and take it,” said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at the Price Futures Group and a FOX Business contributor. 

The members of the IEA hold emergency stockpiles of over 1.2 billion barrels, and a further 600 million barrels of oil industry stocks. This coordinated release of an unprecedented amount of oil will be the sixth in its roughly half-century history. Previous collective action was taken in 1991, 2005, 2011 and twice in 2022. 

TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY REVEALS WHAT LED TO BREAKDOWN IN IRAN TALKS BEFORE OPERATION EPIC FURY

The previous record for the largest collective action was the latest release of emergency oil stocks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In combination, the two actions, which took place in March and April 2022, respectively, amounted to a release of 182.7 million barrels, according to the IEA.

President Trump said repeatedly this week during remarks to the press that the war in Iran would be over shortly, but stopped short of providing an exact timeline. 

In his comments to the press Wednesday, President Trump quipped that “We don’t want to leave early, do we?” 

“We gotta finish the job, right? Over the past 11 days, our military has virtually destroyed Iran,” Trump said. “It’s a tough country.”

Iran’s ongoing retaliatory attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime choke point for oil transportation, has led to questions about what they will do to prices at the pump. Trump Cabinet official, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, scoffed this week at claims that the Trump administration was caught off guard by how much Trump’s military actions have impacted the oil market and responded to questions about the impact of attacks on the Strait of Hormuz.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“As you know better than anybody else, it’s a global market, so we could be producing more, or other countries could be producing more, but it all goes into one vat where we get the prices from,” said Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. “So if the Strait of Hormuz presents a challenge, how could you circumvent that challenge?”

In response, Burgum slammed Iran for “holding the entire world hostage economically by threatening to close the strait.”

“President Trump has made it very clear the consequences if they try to do that,” he continued. “There’s a lot of options between ourselves and our allies in the region, including our Arab friends in the region, to make sure that those straits remain open and energy keeps flowing through the global economy.”

Fox Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this report.

The Senate moved closer Wednesday to advancing a sweeping housing package aimed at boosting affordability, but a Trump-backed provision banning institutional investors from buying single-family homes is emerging as a flash point.

Lawmakers cleared another procedural hurdle for the bill Wednesday, setting up a likely final vote before they leave Washington Thursday.

The Housing for the 21st Century Act passed the House last month by a 390-9 bipartisan vote. The legislation includes a wide-ranging slate of measures designed to increase the supply of affordable housing.

HOUSE PASSES BIPARTISAN HOUSING BILL AS TRUMP ZEROES IN ON AFFORDABILITY CRISIS

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., its top Democrat, teamed up to advance and modify the bill in the Senate.

“When President [Donald] Trump and Elizabeth Warren and Senate Republicans can all come to the same place on a housing bill, it shows that if you put partisan politics aside and focus on the issues impacting the American people, you can get results,” Scott told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

In its original form, the legislation was primarily intended to help first-time homebuyers and lower-income Americans enter the housing market or gain access to more affordable housing options.

BIPARTISAN PLAN AIMS TO MAKE THE AMERICAN DREAM AFFORDABLE AGAIN FOR MILLIONS OF FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS

But the initial bill lacked a key policy Trump wanted — a ban on institutional investors, such as hedge funds or large corporations, buying single-family homes. Trump earlier this year signed an executive order banning the practice and urged Congress to codify it during his State of the Union address.

“I’m asking Congress to make that ban permanent because homes for people — really, that’s what we want,” Trump said. “We want homes for people, not for corporations.”

Scott and Warren added that provision to the bill. If passed, the package would also incorporate several policies from the ROAD to Housing Act, a separate Senate housing proposal that previously stalled.

The provision would prohibit large-scale investors from purchasing single-family homes and would require companies that exceed a certain ownership threshold to divest within seven years.

PRO-TRUMP GROUP UNLEASHES BLUEPRINT FOR CRUCIAL HOUSING INITIATIVE FEATURING TOP MAGA INFLUENCER

But the institutional investor ban is drawing concerns from some Senate Democrats and industry stakeholders who argue it could eliminate build-to-rent housing units.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said on the Senate floor that “there is a problem” with the bill. He argued the ban on corporations and hedge funds buying single-family homes was written in a way that would force “anybody who owns and rents out more than 350 units, single family or duplexes” to sell after a seven-year period.

“There’s literally no reason for this,” Schatz said. “And the problem is that it was written in such a way that it was trying to capture the hedge fund problem, but they wrote it wrong.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“And, so, the definition of institutional investor says, essentially, anyone who owns and operates more than 350 units to rent. That’s bananas.”

Several members of the housing and rental industry wrote in a letter to Scott and Warren that the seven-year clause would “effectively shut down build-to-rent development, leading to less supply and fewer options for renters.”

While California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom blames President Donald Trump’s actions in Iran for the price of gas, critics are calling him out for “insane” climate policies as the state’s prices at the pump soar significantly above the national average.

On Tuesday, Newsom, who is widely considered a top contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, took to X to slam “Trump’s war with Iran” over gas prices.  

Newsom wrote that “Americans will pay $1.5 BILLION MORE at the gas pump just this week because of Donald Trump’s war with Iran.” He added that California “will continue using the tools we’ve spent years developing to help fight price spikes and lessen the blow from Trump’s recklessness.”

In response, Steve Hilton, a Republican candidate for California governor, slammed Newsom, saying, “California has the highest gas taxes and fees in America.”

CALIFORNIA VOTER ID INITIATIVE CLEARS SIGNATURE THRESHOLD, SETTING UP NOVEMBER SHOWDOWN WITH NEWSOM

“Gavin Newsom is trying to shift blame,” said Hilton, “and he’s blaming these insane gas prices in California, $5.49, $5.69, heading to $6, on the war in Iran. It’s not the war in Iran, because in the rest of the country, they don’t have $5.49, they have $3 gas.”

“It’s entirely because of Gavin Newsom’s insane climate dogma that we have the highest gas taxes in the country,” he continued.

Hilton called on Newsom to end his national book tour and to immediately “suspend the gas tax.”

At approximately $5.33 per gallon, California has by far the highest average gas prices in the U.S., according to AAA. California gas prices significantly exceed those in the next two highest-priced states, Washington and Hawaii, which have average prices of $4.72 and $4.69 per gallon, respectively. Meanwhile, the national average in the U.S. is $3.57 per gallon.

California has the highest gas tax, at roughly 70 cents per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In a 2025 opinion piece on Fox News Digital, Hilton wrote that “California’s sky-high gas prices” are the “direct result of 15 years of one-party Democratic rule.”

He added that “Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and every other leading Democrat in the state have been cheerleaders for this ‘war on fossil fuels,’ endlessly bragging about ‘leading the world’ on climate change.”

SUPREME COURT BLOCKS CALIFORNIA BAN ON NOTIFYING STUDENTS’ PARENTS ABOUT GENDER TRANSITIONS

Hilton is not the only one criticizing Newsom’s oil and gas policies.

Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Los Angeles County GOP, called Newsom’s take “a textbook case of projection, pointing fingers at others while his own record is riddled with mismanagement and failure.” 

“Californians have seen the cost of gas be higher than the rest of the USA for reasons having nothing to do with President Trump. He has driven supply down by banishing producers while not fixing infrastructure with gas tax money as promised,” Hoge told Fox News Digital, adding, “We all know that Gavin Newsom has moved on to campaigning for president in spite of his atrocious record at home.”

On Wednesday, Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted on X that “California is KILLING their economy!” 

The secretary wrote that while Newsom “continues to close refineries & drive up gas prices for California,” the department approved over 6,000 drilling permits “to advance [Trump’s] American Energy Dominance Agenda & lower gas prices nationwide.” 

Chevron President Andy Walz also recently sounded the alarm, warning California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state regulators that newly proposed “cap-and-invest” amendments are a death knell for California’s remaining refineries.

‘UTTERLY UNAFFORDABLE’: STUDY REVEALS HOW DEEP BLUE CITY’S MINIMUM WAGE LAW IS RAVAGING KEY INDUSTRY

The California Air Resources Board is aiming to make companies cleaner by aggressively lowering the cap on how much total pollution is allowed in the state. Specifically, the board is proposing to pull 118.3 million allowances out of the state’s market between 2027 and 2030 and has more recently increased its carbon reduction target to 90% by 2045.

The energy giant warns the move will kill more than half a million jobs, threaten national security and spike gas prices by more than a dollar per gallon — all to fuel a state-run “shakedown” of the energy sector — in a letter addressed to Newsom and obtained by The California Globe.

“The proposed regulation will cripple the survivability of the state’s remaining refineries, which will result in California losing the entire industry to this misguided program,” Chevron President Andy Walz wrote.

“This regulation will increase transportation and aviation fuel prices for consumers. It will risk significant job losses, including many high-paying union jobs, while reducing funding for essential public services,” he continued, adding that “it will upend California’s fuels market and threaten critical energy and national security assets.”

In the same vein, Tim Stewart, a spokesperson for the U.S. Oil & Gas Association, told Fox News Digital that “California’s energy malaise is beginning to infect the other western states’ economies and unless there is a course change immediately, we will all feel the pain of decades of horribly bad California energy policy led by Governor Newsom.” 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“California’s gross mismanagement of its energy production and distribution economy is becoming a national security issue, and it now impacts all of us,” Stewart continued, adding that in addition to this, “agriculture, manufacturing, housing, the financial system is all impacted.” 

“It doesn’t have to be this way, and Governor Newsom knows it,” said Stewart. “He also knows that no matter how hard he tries – he can’t pin this on Trump or our industry. The public isn’t buying it anymore.”

Fox Business’ Kristen Altus contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is introducing a new bill to strip FDA approval from the popular abortion pill mifepristone. The new bill builds upon proposed legislation Hawley introduced last year that would ban mifepristone and allow women to sue manufacturers profiting off of what the lawmaker deems an “inherently dangerous” drug.

The Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act was introduced in the Senate Tuesday and would prohibit the use of mifepristone for ending pregnancies. 

“The science is clear: The chemical abortion drug is inherently dangerous to women and prone to abuse. Yet major companies like Danco Laboratories are making billions off it,” Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. “That’s why I am introducing new legislation to ban the use of mifepristone for abortion and empower women to sue its manufacturers. Congress must act now to protect the health and safety of women.”

If passed, the legislation would withdraw FDA approval for the drug and classify its distribution for abortion as a violation of federal law. In 2023, mifepristone was used in 63% of all abortions in the U.S., according to data from the Guttmacher Institute.

PRO-LIFE ORGANIZATION CALLS ON HHS AND FDA TO SUSPEND ABORTION PILL APPROVAL, TIGHTEN SAFETY RULES

The Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research organization formerly affiliated with Planned Parenthood, also estimates there were 1,038,100 clinician-provided abortions in 2024. However, that figure accounts only for states without abortion bans and does not include abortions performed outside the formal healthcare system or in states where abortion laws differ.

Hawley raised concerns about the abortion pill last May when he introduced a separate bill that would direct the FDA to create safeguards on mifepristone, allowing women who suffered complications the right to sue telehealth providers and pharmacies for damages. 

Research by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) in Washington, D.C., showed the rate of side effects when using mifepristone is 22 times higher than indications from the FDA-approved drug label.

PRO-LIFE GROUP URGES SENATE TO PRESS RFK JR. ON ABORTION PILL SAFETY, DEMAND SAFEGUARDS RETURN

The study revealed more than 1 in 10 women have reported experiencing “infection, hemorrhaging, or another serious or life-threatening adverse event.”

EPPC assessed 865,727 insurance claims between 2017 and 2023 for women who used the medication to terminate early pregnancy. The pill can be taken up to “70 days since the first day of their last menstrual period,” according to the FDA.

During the Biden administration, the FDA revised rules allowing mifepristone to be prescribed via telehealth, meaning patients would not have to physically go to the doctor to receive the abortion drug.

SOUTH CAROLINA GOP LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL TO CRIMINALIZE ABORTION AS MURDER

In 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected an Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine challenge that was brought to reverse the FDA’s approval and expansion for access to the drug. The ruling allowed mifepristone to remain available through telehealth and mail.

The Supreme Court’s rejection was based on the group’s inability to bring a lawsuit, saying Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine lacked the legal standing to challenge FDA approval. The merits of the abortion drug were never discussed or questioned in the ruling. 

Last May, Hawley sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, whom Hawley questioned during Makary’s Senate confirmation hearing last year.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“[D]uring your confirmation hearing, you pledged to me that you would ‘review the totality of the data and ongoing data’ to inform action on the drug,” Hawley’s letter to the FDA chief states. “I urge you to follow this new data and take all appropriate action to restore critical safeguards on the use of mifepristone.

“The health and safety of American women depend on it.”

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accountant testified behind closed doors that he was never aware of any payments the late financier and sex offender made to President Donald Trump, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Wednesday.

Richard Kahn, one of the executors of Epstein’s estate, is the latest person to be deposed in the committee’s investigation into how the federal government handled Epstein’s case.

“Mr. Kahn testified under oath that — because the Democrats asked this question — that he had never seen any type of transaction to Trump or anyone in his family,” Comer told reporters. “That makes the fifth witness now that’s testified under oath that they’ve never seen any involvement by Donald Trump or the family.”

NEW MEXICO DOJ ANNOUNCES SEARCH OF FORMER JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROPERTY ZORRO RANCH

Comer said Kahn did confirm, however, that five people paid money to Epstein: ex-Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner, hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin, businessman Steven Sinofsky, the Rothschilds and investor Leon Black. Epstein was known to have served as a financial advisor for each of them.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS DESCEND ON CLINTONS’ HOMETOWN FOR HIGH-STAKES EPSTEIN PROBE GRILLING

“What Kahn said is he was under the impression that Epstein made his money as a tax advisor and a financial planner. So, these were the five people that transferred significant sums of money to Epstein,” Comer said.

But when it comes to Trump, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., gave a slightly different account of what Kahn said behind closed doors.

He told reporters Kahn said a “person who was an accuser of Donald Trump was given a settlement by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.”

That does not necessarily mean that the alleged settlement was regarding Trump.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The president was known to be a friend of Epstein’s until the two had a falling out before the late pedophile’s first federal investigation. 

He has not been implicated in any wrongdoing related to his crimes.

Subramanyam said Kahn also testified that “there was another head of state that was mentioned as having financial transactions with Jeffrey Epstein,” though he did not elaborate on who that was.