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During the Shield of the Americas summit in Florida on Saturday, outgoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem thanked President Donald Trump for appointing her to a newly created role after she was ousted from overseeing the agency.

Noem, who is moving to the newly created position of special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, showed no ill feelings toward the president and said she was proud of her work at DHS, arguing the department had secured the border and eliminated public safety threats.

“I do want to thank the president for creating this and for giving me the honor and the opportunity to serve as a special envoy to this region, to the Western Hemisphere,” Noem said during the summit at Trump National Doral outside Miami. 

“This Shield of the Americas will be a powerful example to the rest of the world about what’s possible.”

Trump announced this week that Noem would shift into the new role after cutting short her tenure at DHS. 

Noem was removed as the nation’s immigration chief after a turbulent stretch marked by internal clashes and two contentious congressional hearings where even some Republicans pressed her over leadership missteps, including the ad campaign, which she claimed the president had signed off on.

Noem framed the initiative as an effort to expand border security cooperation beyond the United States.

“The way that we cooperate on our shared ideals of freedom and of democracy and safety and security will be a shining light to all of those who wish to be more like all of us,” she said.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR KRISTI NOEM? 2026 SENATE CHATTER GROWS AFTER DHS EXIT

Noem, who previously served in Congress and as South Dakota governor before leading DHS, defended her record overseeing immigration enforcement during the past year.

“In the last year, as secretary of Homeland Security, we have focused on securing our border,” she said. “We have transformed our country from one that was being invaded by enemies, millions of them that were coming in unvetted, that we didn’t know who was there and who wished to harm us.”

“We’ve secured that border,” she continued. “We’ve focused on removing public safety threats, and over 3 million people have been deported or removed from our country in the last year.”

Noem argued that stronger border enforcement has allowed the administration to pivot toward economic and diplomatic engagement with neighboring nations.

“Secure borders has changed everything for our country,” she said. “Now that America is secure and our borders are secure, we want to focus on our neighbors and to help our neighbors with their borders and challenges that they have so that they may have the security that we enjoy.”

Trump announced on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will replace her effective March 31, while Noem shifts to the newly created envoy role.

Members of Trump’s Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attended Saturday’s summit. 

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Leaders from other nations included Argentina’s Javier Milei, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele Ortez, Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Costa Rica’s Rodrigo Chaves Robles, Panama’s José Raúl Mulino Quintero, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Chile’s Jose Antonio Kast, the Dominican Republic’s Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, Ecuador’s Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín, Guyana’s Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Honduras’ Nasry “Tito” Asfura and Paraguay’s Santiago Peña.

Notably missing were the leaders of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, and Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

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SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave a two-word retort after Anthropic leader Dario Amodei claimed in an interview that he isn’t sure if his company’s AI models have gained consciousness.

“Anthropic CEO says Claude may or may not have gained consciousness, as the model has begun showing symptoms of anxiety,” read a post on X by cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket, to which Musk replied, “He’s projecting.” 

The comment from Musk, who is also the founder of xAI, comes as Anthropic is at odds with the Pentagon over its use in a separate matter.  

In an interview with The New York Times, Amodei, when asked about AI and consciousness, said, “We’ve taken a generally precautionary approach here,” and, “We don’t know if the models are conscious.”

“We are not even sure that we know what it would mean for a model to be conscious or whether a model can be conscious. But we’re open to the idea that it could be,” he continued. 

“We’re putting a lot of work into this field called interpretability, which is looking inside the brains of the models to try to understand what they’re thinking. And you find things that are evocative, where there are activations that light up in the models that we see as being associated with the concept of anxiety or something like that. When characters experience anxiety in the text, and then when the model itself is in a situation that a human might associate with anxiety, that same anxiety neuron shows up,” Amodei also told the Times. 

The interview comes as the Trump administration is moving federal agencies away from Anthropic after the tech company pushed back against the War Department’s usage of its tools.

The Pentagon has called for Anthropic to allow the Department of War to utilize the company’s artificial intelligence product for “all lawful purposes,” but Amodei has suggested the government could potentially use their product for “mass domestic surveillance” or “fully autonomous weapons,” and that the company would not be willing to allow such use cases.

PENTAGON’S AI BATTLE WILL HELP DECIDE WHO CONTROLS OUR MOST POWERFUL MILITARY TECH

President Donald Trump said last Friday, “The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY.” 

“Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again! There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels,” Trump added on Truth Social.

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth later wrote on X, “In conjunction with the President’s directive for the Federal Government to cease all use of Anthropic’s technology, I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security. Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic. Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of War its services for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service.” 

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report. 

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PALM BEACH, FLA – British opposition leader Nigel Farage is taking aim at his country’s prime minister for not supporting the U.S. in its military strikes against Iran.

“I think not to support America when it asks for support is a pretty extraordinary thing to have done.,” Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, said in an exclusive interview Saturday with Fox News Digital.

President Donald Trump has blasted Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially blocking the U.S. from using British military bases, specifically Diego Garcia — a strategic base located on an Indian Ocean island — for strikes against Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Starmer later permitted the use of the bases for “defensive strikes” after Trump’s complaints. 

Starmer hasn’t spoken to Trump since they connected on a call last weekend, after the U.S. and Israel launched their strikes on Iran. The British prime minister has made clear his country would not be joining the U.S. in attacking Iran, emphasizing he didn’t believe in “regime change from the skies.”

Trump, taking a jab at Starmer, said earlier this week, “This is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with.”

Farage criticized Starmer for not changing his stance, “even now, despite the fact that we’ve got an RAF base in Cyprus that’s been under attack, we’ve got allies of ours in the Gulf that are under attack.”

“I think there’s been less than wholehearted support has come for the Americans in this endeavor. And I think the British Prime Minister on the world stage, he’s upset the Americans,” Farage said. “He’s upset the Cypriots. He’s upset the Gulf states. And he’s pretty friendless at the moment.”

THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA: REPUBLICAN SENATORS WEIGH IN ON IRAN ATTACK

Farage, who seven years ago founded the populist Brexit Party, which later transformed into the Reform UK party, was interviewed ahead of an appearance at an annual economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent political group that pushes for fiscal responsibility.

Starmer has been feeling Trump’s wrath not only for their differences over the attack on Iran, but also over the British deal to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, the Indian Ocean archipelago where Diego Garcia is located, to Mauritius. Starmer has argued his lease-back deal is the only way to secure the British-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia.

Farage, who has been vocal in his opposition to the deal, told Fox News Digital that “outside of America itself,” Diego Garcia “is the most important base you’ve got in the whole world. Now it’s there as part of British sovereignty. We have a treaty between us that goes back to 1966 and Keir Starmer is on the verge of giving away the sovereignty of the Chagos islands and Diego Garcia to Mauritius.”

“If Trump initially had problems with the Brits over using the base, just think what it will be like with the heavily Chinese-influenced Mauritians. They already have said they believe that America should not have struck Iran, that it was against international law, then are calling for a ceasefire,” Farage said.

NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES, SAYS KEY ALLIES ‘ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL’

Farage, who said his opposition to the deal was a key factor in his weekend trip to the U.S., said, “I would just urge the president, this administration, stay firm. Tell the British government you will not accept giving away of sovereignty to Mauritius, and let’s ensure a future for Diego Garcia. I think it’s really important.”

Farage, who’s hoping to become Britain’s next prime minister, argued that Starmer’s relationship with Trump is beyond repair.

“I think the personal relationship between Keir Starmer and Donald Trump has gone. I mean, Trump can be forgiving, but, you know, that would take a long time. So I think that breakdown is there,” he said.

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But as for the longstanding bonds between the two countries, known as the ‘special relationship,’ Farage was more optimistic.

“The special relationship went through bad times in the past. We had a massive fallout 70 years ago over Suez, but we got back together again. I’m convinced it can, and it will, be mended,” he predicted.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the “hatred” between Russia and Ukraine is getting in the way of reaching a peace deal in that conflict, where the death toll is getting worse. 

Trump, speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Fla., told world leaders assembled there that, “The hatred between Putin and his counterpart is so great.” 

“It’s so great that, you know, Ukraine, Russia, you’d think there would be a little bit of camaraderie, [but] there’s not. And the hatred is so great. It’s very hard for them to get there. It’s very, very hard to get there. So we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “But we’ve been close a lot of times and one or the other would back out.” 

“But we’re losing, you know, they’re losing, you know, doesn’t really affect us very much because we’ve got an ocean separating. I’m doing it as a favor to Europe, and I’m doing it as a favor to life because they’re losing 25,000 souls,” Trump added. “Think of that every month. 25,000. Last month, 31,000.  Both sides, 31,000 people died, mostly soldiers.” 

UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY: RUSSIA TRYING ‘TO PLAY’ GAME WITH TRUMP, STALL PEACE TALKS 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox News in late February that Russia is trying “to play with the president of the United States” and stalling U.S.-brokered efforts to end the war. 

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to freeze the conflict along its current lines, proposing a ceasefire followed by negotiations. But he said he would not accept a Russian demand for Ukraine to surrender territory the Russian army has not been able to capture in four years of fighting. 

RUSSIA LOSING ‘MASSIVE’ 25,000 TROOPS MONTHLY IN UKRAINE AS WAR GRINDS ON, NATO CHIEF SAYS 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in January that Russia is losing between 20,000 and 25,000 troops each month in its war against Ukraine as fighting drags on into a fourth year. 

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Rutte told the Renew Europe Global Europe Forum in Brussels at the time that the staggering number of casualties reflects the intensity of Ukraine’s defense but warned that Russia remains NATO’s most significant long-term threat. 

Fox News’ Simon Owen, Greg Palkot and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report. 

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President Donald Trump declared Saturday that the U.S. is “taking out tremendous amounts of oil” from Venezuela while vowing to “take care” of Cuba’s regime following America’s focus on Iran. 

The president, speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Florida, prefaced his remarks by saying that since the January operation to capture former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, the administration has “been working closely with the new president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez,” and, “she’s doing a great job working with us.” 

“And we’re taking out tremendous amounts of oil. They’re making more money now than they’ve ever made, ever made. We have the big oil companies in. They are making more money, we’re getting some,” Trump said. “They’re getting a lot. They’re making more money now than they’ve ever made in the history of their country.” 

“And I’m pleased to say that this week we have formally recognized the Venezuelan government. We’ve actually legally recognized them. We have also just reached a historic gold deal that’s called the gold deal with Venezuela, to allow our two countries to work together to facilitate the sale of Venezuelan gold and other minerals,” Trump continued, describing a license issued by the Treasury Department Friday that prohibits people and companies from Iran, North Korea, Russia and Cuba from doing business with Minerven – Venezuela’s state-owned gold mining company – among other measures.

“As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we’re also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba. Cuba’s at the end of the line,” Trump also said. “They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time. And they used to get the money from Venezuela. They get the oil from Venezuela, but they don’t have any money from Venezuela. They don’t have any oil,” Trump added. 

Trump in January had declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups while moving to punish countries that supply the island nation with oil. 

MILLONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS

Trump said Saturday that Cuba is “negotiating with [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] and myself and some others. And I would think a deal would be made very easily with Cuba.”

“But Cuba is in its last moments of life as it was. It’ll have a great new life, but it’s in its last moments of life, the way it is,” the president added. 

The State Department described the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral as a gathering of the “strongest likeminded allies in our hemisphere to promote freedom, security, and prosperity in our region.” 

Trump said America’s “focus right now is on Iran,” but “many of you have come today, and they say, ‘I hope you can take care of Cuba because you’ve had problems with Cuba, right? You mentioned.”

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“I was surprised, but, four of you said, actually, ‘could you do us a favor? Take care of Cuba.’ I’ll take care of it, okay?” Trump said, garnering applause.  

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report. 

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PALM BEACH, FLA. – One week into the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, two Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee say the military operation has “degraded” Tehran’s ability to strike back.

But in exclusive interviews with Fox News Digital, Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Budd of North Carolina emphasized that the fighting will not lead to U.S. involvement in “forever wars” in the volatile Middle East.

“Our military is doing a great job,” Scott said. And pointing to Iran, he said, “They want to destroy America. We’ve got to stop them.”

Budd highlighted that “we have significantly degraded Iran’s ability to shoot back at us… their capacities are degraded. We’ve had great success.”

Budd and Scott were interviewed as they attended an economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent conservative group that pushes for fiscal responsibility.

President Donald Trump, who called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” said on Saturday that Tehran will be “hit very hard” and warned the U.S. is considering “areas and groups” not previously considered to target.

Over the past week, “Operation Epic Fury” has widened in scope as Iran has retaliated against a growing number of nations in the region. This week, the Republican-controlled House and Senate, in separate votes nearly entirely along party lines, rejected moves by Democrats to restrict the president’s ability to steer the fighting.

WHAT COULD COME NEXT IN THE ATTACKS ON IRAN

The president said on Thursday, in an interview with Axios, that he should be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial strikes against Iran a week ago.

And there are concerns among many on the right that the strikes against Iran could lead to prolonged American military involvement in the region, which Trump has repeatedly campaigned against during his three runs for the presidency.

“Trump doesn’t want to be in forever wars. Every time I’ve talked to him, he doesn’t want that,” Scott said. “But I think what we do want to make sure we don’t have another Ayatollah that wants to… chant Death to America and death to our allies and try to destroy us.”

Budd added that “we’re not up for forever wars. We want to get in, get this thing done, get out and have peace for our country and the rest of the region.”

The latest Fox News national poll indicated that American voters are divided on the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, even as a majority sees the country as a security risk. 

Sixty-one percent of those questioned viewed Iran as a danger to the U.S., according to the survey conducted Feb. 28-March 2. But that concern did not translate into majority support for the current U.S. military action, as 50% approved and 50% disapproved.

Support for the attacks was lower in national polling from other news organizations.

But the Fox News poll and the other surveys indicated widespread support among Republicans.

“Trump’s doing the right thing. He’s saving American lives by making sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon or ballistic missile. So he’s doing the right thing,” Scott emphasized.

Budd added, “I’m very excited [about] what President Trump’s done… The goal is American prosperity and American safety, and that’s what President Trump wants.”

Oil prices have shot up since the start of the fighting, instantly resulting in higher costs for gasoline across America. That’s a major concern for Republicans as they aim to keep control of the House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections.

“Hopefully it’s all going to be short term. Hopefully… the demolition of the Iranian military will happen quickly and actually will get lower oil prices,” Scott said.

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Budd acknowledged that “we are going to have some short-term disruptions.”

But the senator was optimistic that “very soon we’ll have gas prices much cheaper than ever before. We were already on that pathway. President Trump is all about stability. He’s all about the price of oil.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom ripped outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her controversial ad campaign and demanded the agency immediately release more than $500 million in stalled FEMA funding for Los Angeles wildfire recovery.

Newsom, in a statement, labeled Noem “Kosplay Barbie” and accused her of prioritizing a $220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign featuring herself over disaster relief for fire-ravaged communities.

“While Kristi Noem poured $220 million of taxpayer money into a political ad campaign featuring herself on horseback, more than $500 million in FEMA funding for LA fire recovery sat stalled on her desk,” Newsom said in a statement alongside a still photo of Noem riding a horse from the widely publicized ad.

“Families in Los Angeles shouldn’t have to wait while she and Donald Trump play politics. Release the funding now and redirect those dollars to help communities rebuild.”

The Los Angeles wildfires burned for weeks in early 2025, destroying thousands of homes across areas including Pacific Palisades and Altadena and causing tens of billions of dollars in estimated damage.

Newsom’s office said DHS under Noem required her personal sign-off on every department contract, grant or disaster award exceeding $100,000, including FEMA public assistance and hazard mitigation grants. The governor said the policy created a backlog of awards that had already been vetted, awaiting final approval.

According to Newsom’s office, more than $500 million tied to Los Angeles fire recovery remains stalled, along with roughly $94 million in hazard mitigation funding for the region. Those funds typically support rebuilding schools, repairing roads and strengthening infrastructure against future disasters.

KRISTI NOEM’S FIRING FAILS TO SWAY DEMOCRATS AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON

The delays are affecting rebuilding efforts in canyon and foothill neighborhoods, including areas above Pasadena and Altadena, where damaged park facilities, fenced-off trailheads and temporary road repairs remain in place while local agencies await federal reimbursement, his office said.

President Donald Trump cut short Noem’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security after weeks of internal turmoil and named her “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” a newly created role he described as part of a broader Western Hemisphere security initiative. The White House has not yet detailed the scope of the position.

Noem was removed as the nation’s immigration chief after a turbulent stretch marked by internal clashes and two contentious congressional hearings where even some Republicans pressed her over alleged leadership missteps, including the ad campaign, which she said the president had signed off on.

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Trump announced on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will replace her effective March 31, while Noem shifts to the newly created envoy role, which the president said he will detail this weekend.

Fox News’ Charles Creitz and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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Debate on Capitol Hill continues to rage over whether President Donald Trump started a “war” with the strikes he carried out against Iran last weekend, a key consideration for whether the president must look to Congress for authority to continue Operation Epic Fury.

Where Republicans see a narrowly-tailored attack designed to prevent a U.S. adversary from securing nuclear capabilities, Democrats see a conflict that could easily spill into a broader conflict.

“Congress is not supposed to be an after-the-fact spectator, the Constitution makes plain,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Fox News Digital.

“President Trump has not said, like in Venezuela, ‘this is a police operation,’ that it’s ‘an arrest,’” Kaine said, comparing the strikes to the January capture of Nicolás Maduro.

Democrats like Kaine have blasted Trump for dragging the U.S. into a conflict that, in their view, looks a lot like a war — something only Congress has the power to declare. It is that determination that makes them believe lawmakers should use the War Powers Act of 1973 to curb Trump’s powers in Iran.

That law prevents the president from continuing hostilities against a foreign power that extends past 60 days.

Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., see no reason to invoke the War Powers Act, given the scope of the current conflict.

A measure to kill a Democrat-led war powers resolution aimed at handcuffing Trump’s military operations in Iran passed on Wednesday in a 53-47 Senate vote.

“I mean, even if you disagree with this, I just don’t think you can dispute [that] they’re complying with the statute. The president has the authority under Article II to do what he has done so far,” Hawley said, referring to the Constitution’s military power granted to the country’s commander in chief.

Last Saturday, the U.S. conducted a series of strikes in collaboration with Israel, targeting the country’s military leadership and killing the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Trump administration has framed the attack as a necessary campaign to halt Iran’s work towards obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Although Hawley supports the administration’s work so far, he has a firm red line in mind for where the conflict would require Congressional say-so.

“Ground troops would be a different deal,” Hawley said. “But [Trump] just said, ‘We’re not going to do ground troops,’ so, I just say to my Democrat friends — I think they’re just looking for something to vote against the president on.”

REPUBLICANS HAND TRUMP THE WHEEL ON IRAN — BUT ONE RED LINE EMERGES

Democrats remain unconvinced.

Some Democrats noted that the language the administration has used suggests it views the conflict as something more than isolated strikes.

“The president and the secretary of state have called it a war. So have the generals. If we’re at war, Congress has to provide authorization,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said.

Other Democrats, like Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., attacked the administration’s stated reason for the attack.

“There was no imminent threat to the United States. There were threats to Israel, but in terms of an imminent threat, there was not one.  Consequently, this is the president’s war of choice,” Warner said.

NIKKI HALEY SLAMS DEMOCRATS WHO SAY IRANIAN REGIME ‘WAS NO THREAT TO AMERICA’: ‘ABSURD’

“You have to come before Congress,” Warner added.

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To Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the consideration should deal less with technicalities and more with consideration of the cost that could come with Trump’s attacks.

“The American people make the decision on going to war because it’s their sons and daughters that will lose their lives. I still think that’s the case, regardless of who the president might be,” Durbin said.

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President Donald Trump cut short Kristi Noem’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security after weeks of internal turmoil. Now headed to a new envoy post, the onetime conservative star faces a pressing question: Can she stage a political comeback?

Noem was fired as the nation’s immigration chief after a turbulent stretch marked by internal clashes and two contentious congressional hearings where even some Republicans pressed her over leadership missteps. Trump announced on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will replace her effective March 31, while Noem shifts to a newly created envoy role the president says he’ll detail this weekend.

An administration source told Fox News “it was time” to move on from Noem, citing internal feuding, staff mismanagement and controversies — including a $200 million ad campaign and fallout in Minnesota — that “overshadowed” Trump’s immigration agenda.

“Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” the source said. 

Trump said Noem will be named “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a newly created role he described as part of a broader Western Hemisphere security initiative. The White House has not yet detailed the scope of the position.

The reassignment comes as speculation grows in South Dakota over whether Noem could mount a primary challenge against Sen. Mike Rounds in 2026 — a move that would test whether her standing with Trump and GOP voters has truly eroded. 

Rounds, who is seeking a third term, secured Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” last year and is backed by Senate Republican leadership — a formidable barrier to any challenger. “He will never let you down,” Trump wrote in his endorsement, calling Rounds an “America First Patriot.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Rounds’ office for comment.

Noem would enter any race with statewide name recognition and a deep political network, having served eight years in Congress before winning two terms as governor.

But some Republican operatives question whether her abrupt exit from DHS weakened her standing within Trump’s inner circle at a critical political moment. One GOP strategist involved in Senate races, who acknowledged that Noem was once a MAGA rock star, described a potential Senate bid at this time as a “suicide mission.”

The clock is already ticking. South Dakota’s filing deadline is March 31 at 5 p.m. CT, and candidates must gather roughly 2,200 petition signatures in just over three weeks to qualify for a June 2 primary. 

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The speculation has drawn national attention. The Atlantic reported that pollsters in South Dakota were surveying a potential Rounds-Noem matchup, with one Republican source telling the magazine that the senator would “handily win” if challenged.

Rapid City’s ABC affiliate reported on the rumors of Noem’s ambitions in February, saying Republicans in her home state are watching to see if she would challenge Rounds.

Still, Noem has a fair share of powerful allies back home. Gov. Larry Rhoden, Noem’s successor in Pierre, commented Thursday that “Kristi is a dear friend and the toughest person I know.”

“When she shut down the border in record time, others were shocked, but I wasn’t. I knew what she was capable of.”

“She’ll deliver in her next role just as capably. I thank her for everything she’s done to keep South Dakota — and all America — strong, safe, and free,” Rhoden said.

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As governor, Rhoden worked with Noem’s DHS to make South Dakota one of the first states to enter a 287(g) agreement allowing state-level cooperation with ICE. Under the arrangement, the South Dakota Highway Patrol has been authorized to assist with immigration enforcement, and National Guard personnel have supported administrative functions — a record that could bolster her standing with conservative primary voters as speculation about her next move intensifies.

Fox News’ Peter Doocy contributed to this report.

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Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who has repeatedly tried to impeach President Trump  and has been thrown out of Trump’s State of the Union addresses multiple times, spoke on camera with Fox News Digital about the results of his recent primary election that resulted in a runoff.

Green cited $1.5 million in spending against his campaign by the crypto-industry as a major driver behind the closeness of his race. 

“They made it clear that I was a target, and they had a fake poll that showed that they were going to win by some large margin. I think, actually, they called a victory party last night assuming that it was over. Of course, I and others knew that it would be a runoff,” Green said the day after his primary this past week.

At the same time, Green also slammed his opponent, former Harris County Attorney-turned-Texas Congressman Christian Menefee, over his alleged lack of experience and failure to show up for votes early in his congressional career. Texas’s redistricting changes pitted the two incumbents against each other in the 18th Congressional District race they have been battling in. 

Green told Fox News Digital that he wanted to have a debate immediately with Menefee ahead of the runoff election. 

“I’m challenging Mr. Menefee to a debate. I think we should have a debate right away,” Green said. “But I also challenge him to come to work. In his first month in Congress, after having sworn that he was going to come here and represent the people and vote, you know, the 18th Congressional District has been about an absence of a vote, so having sworn to do this, within his first month he missed a week, an entire week without voting.”

DEM REP COMPARES HIMSELF TO MLK JR, ROSA PARKS AFTER GETTING BOOTED FROM SECOND STRAIGHT TRUMP ADDRESS

Green bragged that in 20 years he has made over 97% of his votes in Congress. He also alleged that Menefee was not present at a classified briefing on Iran.  

When asked if he was concerned his objections to Trump may be a factor that could cost him his race, the longtime Texas Democrat doubled down, saying he would do it “again and again and again.”

“If it cost me an election, I would do it,” Green continued. “I just think that this president is a racist. I hope you pick that up. Yeah, he’s a racist ad we have to challenge him. We shouldn’t have a racist in the White House.” 

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Kristi Noem will reportedly join President Donald Trump and 12 Latin American leaders at his resort in Florida for a “Shield of the Americas” summit Saturday after her ouster as the Secretary of Homeland Security and appointment by President Donald Trump to be special envoy for the new coalition of nations. 

On Thursday, Trump announced Noem would be exiting her role as Homeland Security secretary and would be appointed a Special Envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” a summit for which will be held at the president’s resort in Doral, Florida, on Saturday. The new coalition of 13 countries has been formed to advance strategies that will tackle mass illegal immigration, narco-terrorist gangs and cartels. 

“After years of neglect, President Trump established the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere. His efforts have been a tremendous success – our southern border is secure, Latin American countries are working with us to defeat the cartels, and illegitimate dictator Nicolas Maduro is facing justice for his crimes in the Southern District of New York – ushering in historic economic cooperation with Venezuela,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly ahead of the summit. 

“The President has successfully strengthened our relationships in our own backyard to make the entire region safer and more stable, and this weekend’s ‘Shield of the Americas’ Summit will encapsulate all of his work to Make America, and our partners, Strong Again,” she continued.

Members of Trump’s Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, will also be at the Saturday summit. 

The leaders from other nations who will be present are Argentina’s Javier Milei, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele Ortez, Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Costa Rica’s Rodrigo Chaves Robles, Panama’s José Raúl Mulino Quintero, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Chile’s Jose Antonio Kast, the Dominican Republic’s Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, Ecuador’s Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín, Guyana’s Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Honduras’ Nasry “Tito” Asfura, and Paraguay’s Santiago Peña.

‘IT WAS TIME’: DESPITE RARE CRITICISM, SOME HILL REPUBLICANS WELCOME KRISTI NOEM’S OUSTER

Noem confirmed Friday, speaking from Nashville, that she will be at the summit, according to the Associated Press. Noem reportedly added that the president will announce “a big agreement” detailing “how we’re going to go after cartels and drug trafficking in the entire Western Hemisphere.” 

On Friday, Hegseth led a strategic conference in Doral with representatives of 17 different Caribbean, Central American and South American countries throughout the Western Hemisphere. During the conference, they signed a joint security declaration, reaffirming their commitment to peace and sovereignty in the region. According to a source familiar with the plans for the summit, the president plans to celebrate this achievement with attendees.

“Secretary Noem helped usher in the most secure border in history, deported hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal aliens, and executed record-setting counter-drug operations against cartels. All of this great experience positions Noem well to ensure American preeminence in the entire Western Hemisphere in her new role as Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said. “This historic new security initiative, led by Secretary Noem, will advance cutting-edge strategies to defeat narco-terrorist cartels and stop illegal mass migration to make America and the entire Western Hemisphere safer.”

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On Thursday, Rubio said he looked forward to working with Noem as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, and echoed the comments from the White House about her experience.

“Kristi has achieved incredible results as Secretary of Homeland Security and will be a tremendous asset in our effort to promote security and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere,” Rubio said on X after Trump named Noem to her new post. 

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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., continued to argue that President Donald Trump’s attacks on Iran and former President Barack Obama’s strikes on Libya were “two completely different things” despite many shared similarities between the two incidents. 

Pelosi has condemned Trump’s strikes while defending President Barack Obama back in 2011.

“They’re not at all alike,” Pelosi said.

“What Obama did was limited military force. This is beyond that. It was limited military force,” she continued.

Since Trump began Operation Epic Fury last Saturday, targeting Iran’s military leadership alongside Israel, Pelosi and other Democrats have fiercely condemned the attack, arguing that the president should have sought congressional approval before carrying them out, citing the War Powers Act of 1983.

According to that law, a president must inform Congress within 48 hours if U.S. forces are introduced into hostilities and requires congressional authorization for engagements that go past 60 days.

Pelosi believes Trump’s attack on Iran will likely carry the U.S. past that mark, leading her to believe Trump has skirted the requirements imposed by Congress.

HOUSE VOTES TO LET TRUMP’S OPERATION EPIC FURY CONTINUE IN IRAN

“Do your homework. Read the law. We have lost people in war already,” Pelosi said. “We don’t even know if these people admit that is war going on now.”

“I just think if you read the law, you will see the difference.”

The War Powers Act does not use the loss of American servicemembers as a trigger for Congressional approval.

PELOSI’S WAR POWERS FLIP-FLOP EXPOSED IN RESURFACED OBAMA-ERA CLIP CONTRADICTS TRUMP CRITICISM ON IRAN

Her stance on Iran runs counter to her previous support for President Obama when he carried out strikes of his own on Libya in 2011.

Then, in partnership with other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, the U.S. bombed the forces of Al Gaddafi, the “Mad Dog of the Middle East” and the dictator of Libya.

In a parallel to the recent uprisings in Iran, protesters in Libya at the time had been met with brutal force by Gaddafi, who used the military to repress opposition in cities like Benghazi. Obama framed his attack as a way to protect Libya’s civilian population against its own government.

TRUMP SENDS OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS ON STRIKES AGAINST IRAN

“We struck regime forces approaching Benghazi to save that city and the people within it,” Obama said in remarks after the attacks,” according to a press release at the time.

Although Obama did not pursue congressional authorization, Pelosi said she believed Obama was well within his authority to carry out the strikes.

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“I’m satisfied that the president has the authority to go ahead,” Pelosi said of the Libya strikes. “I say that as one very protective of Congressional prerogative and consultation all along the way.”

“Yes,” Pelosi answered plainly when asked if she believed Obama could continue without congressional say-so.

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President Donald Trump said Friday that during a meeting with defense executives they had agreed to increase production of what he called “exquisite class” weapons by four times as his administration looks to accelerate weapons production while military operations against Iran continue.

“Expansion began three months prior to the meeting, and Plants and Production of many of these Weapons are already under way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the meeting. 

“We have a virtually unlimited supply of Medium and Upper Medium Grade Munitions, which we are using, as an example, in Iran, and recently used in Venezuela,” he said. “Regardless, however, we have also increased Orders at these levels.”

Trump said the meeting concluded with executives agreeing to come back to the White House in two months. 

The White House emphasized the session was scheduled weeks ago and was not convened in response to immediate battlefield shortages. Officials described the meeting as part of a broader effort to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and speed production of American-made weapons.

Companies in attendance Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX Corporation, Boeing, Honeywell, BAE Systems and L3Harris Technologies. 

“We support the President’s focus on speed and investment to deliver military capabilities. With our industry-leading levels of investment and decades of proven performance, we continue to grow production capacity and deliver mission-ready technologies for the nation’s warfighters,” Northrop Grumman said in a statement. 

The meeting comes as U.S. forces remain engaged in Operation Epic Fury, a campaign targeting Iranian military assets following coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes. Administration officials have maintained that U.S. readiness remains strong, even as the pace of missile defense operations has drawn scrutiny on Capitol Hill.

During the 2025 12-day Iran conflict, U.S. forces fired more than 150 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors — roughly a quarter of the global inventory — to shield Israel and U.S. assets from Iranian missile attacks, according to defense assessments. Patriot PAC-3 MSE missiles are currently produced at a rate of roughly 600 to 650 annually, with replenishment timelines measured in months or years rather than weeks.

PHYSICIST LAWMAKER WARNS IRAN COULD BUILD ‘HIROSHIMA-STYLE’ WEAPON, SAYS US LACKS URANIUM PLAN

U.S. and Israeli officials previously estimated that Iran had a large ballistic missile arsenal — roughly 2,000 to 3,000 missiles of various types at the outset of the conflict. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said Thursday Iran’s missile attacks have decreased 90% since the start of the conflict.

Defense planners have described missile defense inventories as part of a broader strategic balancing act. The same high-end systems used to protect U.S. bases and partners in the Middle East are also supplied to Ukraine and positioned in the Indo-Pacific, creating what some analysts characterize as a “zero-sum” competition for inventory across theaters.

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Lawmakers emerging from recent classified briefings have raised questions about sustainability if operations expand. 

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., warned the campaign could become a “math problem,” balancing incoming missile volumes against finite interceptor supplies and production capacity. 

Other members, including Republicans briefed on the operation, have said officials assured Congress U.S. forces remain in strong shape.

Current and former defense officials have drawn a distinction between offensive strike weapons — which can often be surged from prepositioned stocks — and defensive interceptors such as Patriot and THAAD systems, which require longer production timelines and cannot be rapidly manufactured at scale.

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The Department of Justice is turning to an appeals court for relief after a Biden-appointed federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting illegal immigrants to countries not designated in their paperwork, arguing the judge had already twice been overruled by the Supreme Court on the issue.

DOJ lawyers urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit to quickly pause the broad order issued by Judge Brian Murphy that blocked the so-called third-country deportations, arguing Murphy’s order threatened to derail sensitive diplomatic negotiations. The DOJ said the order could affect potentially “thousands” of removals, a prospect that threatens to interfere with the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation agenda.

“The Supreme Court twice stayed the district court’s sweeping nationwide, classwide preliminary injunction,” DOJ lawyers wrote Thursday, accusing Murphy of trying to “evade” the high court’s prior rulings by issuing a new order that was “doubly misguided.”

The lawyers argued Murphy’s order created an “unworkable scheme” that “materially impairs the ability of the government to enforce the immigration laws” and would cause “massive operational disruption” in an area that often requires “tight timing and sensitive diplomatic coordination.”

The high-stakes lawsuit stemmed from several immigrants with final removal orders suing in Massachusetts, alleging the Department of Homeland Security violated immigration laws by failing to provide enough notice for the immigrants to raise claims that they feared they could be tortured in the new country they were to be deported to.

The DOJ in its appeal defended its deportation policy, which allows third-country removals based on assurances the Trump administration receives from the countries. Citing court precedent, the department said the judicial branch is “not suited to second-guess such determinations” because they were a matter of foreign policy and fell strictly under the purview of the executive branch.

DOJ SAYS IT OWES DEPORTED VENEZUELANS NO DUE PROCESS, DARES COURTS TO INTERVENE

Murphy disagreed in his 81-page judgment, which the DOJ is now appealing, saying that the administration’s position that it did not need to give notice to the deportees “fails to satisfy due process for a raft of reasons, not least of which is that nobody really knows anything about these purported ‘assurances.'”

JUDGE ORDERS MIGRANT DEPORTED IN ‘ERROR’ FREE FROM ICE CUSTODY WITH CRIMINAL CASE LOOMING

“Whom do they cover? What do they cover? Why has the Government deemed them credible? How can anyone even know for certain that they exist? These are basic questions that the Constitution permits a person to ask before the Government takes away their last and only lifeline,” Murphy wrote.

The judge previously issued an injunction with the same findings.

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The Supreme Court stayed Murphy’s initial injunction last year without explanation in a 6-3 emergency ruling.

In a follow-up clarification, the justices found 7-2 that Murphy subsequently attempted to enforce the injunction against six detainees bound for South Sudan, which the seven justices — all six conservatives and Justice Elena Kagan — said would flout their earlier order barring him from enforcing it.

The case could once again be bound for the Supreme Court. DOJ lawyers asked the appeals court to intervene within one week and signaled that they would turn to the high court if needed.

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President Donald Trump’s move to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and tap Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as her replacement triggered a domino effect in Congress.

Before Mullin can take the helm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), he has to be confirmed. And once confirmed, someone will have to take his seat. Both caveats come with their own hurdles.

Senate Democrats may try to toss a wrench into the confirmation process and extract promises for reforms to the agency, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DHS has been closed for three weeks, and the shutdown will likely continue for at least a month.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has vowed to oppose Mullin and argued that changes need to be made regardless of who runs the agency.

“It’s a question of policy, not personnel,” Schumer said. “The Senate should not consider any DHS secretary nominee until DHS and ICE are reined in.”

Mullin has staunchly opposed Democrats’ demands to reopen the agency and whether he’ll budge to get their votes remains to be seen.

But he’s open to speaking with Schumer and his caucus and wants to earn their votes. Whether he can do that before Trump’s March 31 deadline is up in the air.

“The Department of Homeland Security is to keep everybody — regardless of whether you support me, if you don’t support me, regardless of what your thoughts are — I’m here to enforce the policies that Congress passed,” Mullin said.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO CONTINUE DHS SHUTDOWN DESPITE IRAN THREAT, NOEM’S OUSTER

Then there’s the race for succession. Mullin, who is currently near the end of his first term in the upper chamber, was in the midst of running for re-election. With his appointment by Trump, that seat is now wide open for Republicans hungry to reach the Senate.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, will choose who fills Mullin’s Senate seat in the short term. But it’ll be up to voters in the Sooner State to pick their next senator.

“I will be looking to appoint a strong, small-government conservative voice to support President Trump and protect Oklahomans’ way of life,” Stitt said on X.

And GOP hopefuls have already begun crowding the potential primary race for his seat within hours of Trump’s announcement.

Reps. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., and Kevin Hern, R-Okla., are already showing interest, Fox News Digital was told.

TRUMP’S NEW DHS PICK IS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION HAWK WHO’S ‘ALL ABOUT THE MISSION’: EXPERT

A source close to Bice told Fox News Digital that she was considering running for the likely open Senate seat first, which Bice followed with her own public statement on Thursday evening.

“President Trump has made an excellent choice. Markwayne is a great friend and a fierce advocate for the America First Agenda. I’m excited for him to take the helm at DHS,” she posted on X. “It’s the honor of a lifetime to stand side by side with President Trump for the people of Oklahoma. I’ve received encouragement from every corner of this great state to run for the U.S. Senate. And it’s something I’m carefully considering.”

Meanwhile, Fox News Digital was told that Hern — who currently serves in House leadership in the role of GOP Policy Committee chairman — already began calling players within the Republican orbit to get their support.

Multiple people familiar with Hern’s thinking told Fox News Digital that he intends to run.

Hern is also generating buzz among Senate Republicans. Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have all come out in support of him.

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Neither Hern nor Bice is interested in being appointed by Stitt, however, likely due to Oklahoma’s unusual laws dictating how Senate vacancies must be filled.

A mid-term vacancy is traditionally filled by the state’s governor, after which an election occurs at the next pre-scheduled race date. The governor’s appointee must sign an affidavit swearing they will not run in that election.

In this case, Mullin was up for re-election in November, so anyone seeking the office will have to run in a June primary and then be up for a full six-year term at the end of this year.

But that also means that Bice and Hern will both be able to run for Mullin’s current seat without risking the House GOP’s own razor-thin majority.

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Tehran’s strike campaign threatens to disrupt shadow shipping networks and sanctions-evasion routes, raising energy costs for Moscow and Beijing and potentially squeezing Russia’s war funding and China’s industrial and military supply chains.

As of Monday, the Iranian regime declared the crucial Strait of Hormuz — between Hormuz Island, Iran, and the Omani enclave of Khasab — closed, under threat of vessels being “torched.”

Oil tanker traffic immediately fell sharply as merchant seamen now fear missile strikes, but the conflict has also affected the so-called “shadow fleet” of unflagged or surreptitiously flagged oil tankers connected to economically isolated countries like Cuba, Iran and Russia.

The U.S. has already set up a quasi naval quarantine of oil imports to Cuba, while countries like Mexico have been warned against sending oil to malign regimes.

European partners have also taken action against “shadow fleet” vessels, tightening the vise on China and particularly Russia amid the new unrest.

Belgium’s army on Monday interdicted a shadow-fleet tanker called the MT Ethera as it transited the North Sea.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken told GCaptain News that the tanker was redirected to Zeebrugge by an escort and would be seized by Brussels.

“Operation Blue Intruder was carried out by a team of exceptionally brave service members. Excellent work,” he said, as the outlet also reported the ship was tied to a confidant of Khamenei.

The MT Ethera is reportedly linked to the son of senior political adviser Ali Shamkhani, whose family reportedly controls an entire fleet of tankers that may be used to facilitate Iranian and Russian oil trade.

RUSSIAN OIL TANKER ‘THE GRINCH’ INTERCEPTED AS US, ALLIES ESCALATE SANCTIONS CRACKDOWN

A consortium of Western powers also enforces the Ural Price Cap, which was dropped to about $44 per barrel last month. Named for the Ural Mountains, the price cap is meant to keep Russian oil below free-market rates.

This newly emboldened Western targeting of the so-called “gray market” of shadow-fleet oil indicates potential problems for nations that rely on it, such as China and Cuba.

China reportedly relies heavily on Iran for otherwise sanctioned oil, while Russia could see further belt-tightening that could adversely affect the cash flow needed to continue its war in Ukraine.

Additionally, CENTCOM this week posted a video of a U.S. strike on a drone-carrying Iranian ship, and Cmdr. Brad Cooper said more than 30 such Tehran-linked vessels have been sunk since the offensive began, according to Naval Today.

“In the last few hours alone, we struck an Iranian drone carrier roughly the size of a World War II-era aircraft carrier, and it is currently on fire,” Cooper told the outlet.

The reported obliteration of the Ayatollah and the next 48 successors, by President Donald Trump’s count, along with the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, leaves not only the shadow fleet but also its customer nations’ suppliers in shambles.

FIRES RAGE AT IRAN’S BANDAR ABBAS NAVAL HEADQUARTERS, STRAIT OF HORMUZ TRAFFIC STALLED

Just as OPEC rate hikes affect American energy prices, the deconstruction of the shadow fleet could also lead to inflation in China.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Treasury Department for more information on the effects of the shadow fleet, as it oversees the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

In the past few weeks, OFAC has sanctioned 30 people or entities tied to enabling illegal Iranian oil sales and/or benefiting its weapons production as part of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign.

“OFAC targeted additional vessels operating as part of Iran’s shadow fleet, which transport Iranian petroleum and petroleum products to foreign markets and serve as the regime’s primary source of revenue for financing domestic repression, terrorist proxies, and weapons programs,” the agency said in a statement.

“Iran exploits financial systems to sell illicit oil, launder the proceeds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies,” added Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

“Treasury will continue to put maximum pressure on Iran to target the regime’s weapons capabilities and support for terrorism, which it has prioritized over the lives of the Iranian people,” Bessent said.

GAS PRICES COULD JUMP AS MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS THREATEN GLOBAL OIL SUPPLY

OFAC then listed off a dozen ships they confirmed to be “shadow fleet” vessels under sanction.

“Instead of allocating this revenue for the benefit of the Iranian people, the regime ultimately siphons it off to fund regional terrorist proxies, weapons programs, and repressive security services, rather than the basic economic needs the Iranian people have repeatedly and courageously demanded,” the Treasury said.

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Ships flagged from Panama, Barbados, Palau, Comoros, Iran and Vanuatu were found by the U.S. to have transported millions of barrels of Iranian crude in recent years.

The Treasury Department, which oversees OFAC, did not respond to inquiries for this story.

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Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California argues that President Donald Trump‘s ouster of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is the latest sign of decline for the Republican president.

“Donald Trump is in retreat,” Newsom said Thursday evening in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the latest stop on his national book tour. “Today is a perfect example — the first firing of a high-profile Cabinet member.”

The firing of Noem, a one-time MAGA rock star and close ally of the president who was steering Trump’s centerpiece policy of mass deportations as part of the White House crackdown on illegal immigration, rocked the nation’s capital and the political world.

Trump’s move to remove Noem from the top spot at the Department of Homeland Security came amid mounting criticism of her performance not only from Democrats, but also among some Republicans and members of Trump’s political circle.

Newsom, a vocal Trump critic who is likely to seek the presidency in 2028, hours earlier took to social media after the news about Noem broke to write “BYE GIRL!”

At his New Hampshire stop, Newsom claimed that “the dark heart of the administration is not Kristi Noem, it’s Stephen Miller,” who is White House deputy chief of staff and a longtime top Trump advisor dating back to the president’s first White House run in 2016.

SOMETHING DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS AGREE UPON – FIRING NOEM

“It had Noem’s fingerprints all over it, but it was Stephen Miller’s handbook, and he needs to be next,” Newsom said, as he referred to the 2025 move by Trump to send National Guard troops to California in response to immigration protests.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for reaction to Newsom’s comments but had not received a response at the time this story published.

Newsom’s latest book tour stop came two days after Democrats’ turnout in Tuesday’s primaries in Texas surged to record levels, a promising sign for the party out of power ahead of this year’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its narrow majorities in the House and Senate.

“Donald Trump is the leader of the get out the vote for the Democratic Party,” Newsom emphasized, as he discussed this week’s primary elections.

NEWSOM PREDICTS TRUMP IS ‘TOAST,’ WILL DRAG GOP INTO MIDTERM WIPEOUT

Newsom’s stop in New Hampshire, the state that for a century has traditionally held the first presidential primary in the race for the White House, fueled further speculation about a 2028 run by the two-term governor of solidly blue California.

The tour also recently took Newsom to South Carolina, and he stopped in Nevada on Wednesday. Both states, along with New Hampshire, hold crucial early voting presidential primaries in the Democratic calendar and all three are vying for the top spot in the party’s 2028 nominating schedule.

Newsom’s book tour for his memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry,” has not been without controversy.

At a book event in Los Angeles recently, Newsom stirred controversy by comparing Israel to an “apartheid state.”

On Thursday, he explained that he was referring to a column by nationally known political commentator and author Tom Friedman, amid the ongoing U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. The weeklong strikes have resulted in the deaths of many of Iran’s top leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Newsom said, “Tom used that word apartheid as it relates to the direction that Israel leader Benjamin Netanyahu, a Trump ally, ‘is going, particularly on the annexation of the West Bank.’”

NEWSOM SUGGESTS ISRAEL IS AN ‘APARTHEID STATE,’ NETANYAHU INFLUENCED TRUMP’S ACTIONS IN IRAN

“I’m very angry about this war with all due respect, not because I’m angry the supreme leader is dead, quite the contrary. I’m not naive about the last 37 years of his reign, 47 years since the ’79 revolution,” the governor said.

But taking aim at Trump, Newsom added, “I’m also mindful that you have a president who still is inarticulate and incapable of giving us the rationale of, why, why? Now, what’s the end game?”

Newsom’s memoir chronicles his life from a childhood where he coped with dyslexia to his current role as California governor and a high profile national politician.

At a book tour event in March in Atlanta, Newsom’s remarks about his low SAT test scores and his difficulty reading speeches were pummeled by many on the right as being racially insensitive to Black people.

The governor pushed back, calling the criticism “MAGA-manufactured outrage.”

BUTTIGIEG, NEWSOM, AOC TOP THREE IN NEW 2028 POLL IN KEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY STATE

Newsom is the latest potential Democratic 2028 presidential contender to stop in New Hampshire.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who finished a close second to Sen. Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire’s 2020 Democratic presidential primary, made a three-day swing through the state in February.  

And Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who stopped in New Hampshire in autumn 2025, returns this weekend. Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another likely White House hopeful, also just returned to the Granite State.

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The most recent poll in the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination race in the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state, conducted in February by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, indicated Buttigieg at 20% support, with Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York at 15%.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ 2024 nominee, and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona each stood at 10%, with everyone sampled in the survey registering in single digits.

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Democrats may be celebrating Kristi Noem’s ouster from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but they are still digging their heels in against ending the agency’s weekslong shutdown.

“It’s not like Kristi Noem was the one who was involved in negotiating anything. She was a corrupt lackey. So, we were dealing with the White House before, and we’re going to continue to deal with the White House at this point,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters during a news conference Thursday.

That point has since been echoed by several other Democratic lawmakers despite Noem’s firing apparently being one of their key demands in exchange for allowing DHS to be fully funded through the remainder of this fiscal year.

Congressional Democrats have maintained a unified blockade of funding for the agency in pursuit of stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Democrats and the White House have been negotiating, but neither side has agreed to compromise terms.

And the shutdown is now guaranteed to drag on for another month, given that the House will be out for a week and the Senate is unable to advance any DHS funding legislation.

“I’m waiting for them to give us an offer, make us an offering as to what it is that you want us to vote on,” Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., said. “I want to see what the guardrails are before I vote on this funding. … I don’t want us to have masked individuals in my community. I want to see body cameras. I want you to identify yourself when you’re making an arrest.”

Many Democrats aren’t sure that Noem’s chosen replacement, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., would be the answer to the changes they want.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO CONTINUE DHS SHUTDOWN DESPITE IRAN THREAT, NOEM’S OUSTER

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., suggested to Fox News Digital that he was skeptical that any replacement for Noem would be more effective in the discussions given they still have to answer to Trump and his policies.

And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to block Mullin’s confirmation in a bid to extract Democrats’ long-sought reforms to ICE.

“The rot runs deep,” Schumer said. “If the president wants accountability, he must do more than fire one official — he must end the violence and rein in ICE.”

Republican leaders in the House and Senate both tried again to advance a DHS funding bill that was released as part of wider bipartisan government funding discussions earlier this year.

The bill passed the House with all but four Democrats voting “no,” even hours after Noem’s ouster.

In the Senate, news of Noem’s firing erupted as another push by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to pass a full-year funding bill began. Like their colleagues in the House, Senate Democrats were unfazed by the change and once more blocked the legislation.

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

When asked if he believed removing Noem from the equation would make a difference, Thune said, “It should.”

“The Democrats have been complaining about that forever,” Thune said. “And, so, this, to me, is a huge development, I would think, in the funding conversation, and hopefully they’ll get more earnest about coming to the table and trying to get a deal. I mean, we should find out soon enough.”

For now, Senate Democrats appear firmly entrenched in their position, even with their colleague Mullin taking the helm of the agency.

“No, I don’t think it makes any difference,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital. “They have got to put in the reforms that we need.”

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Mullin, who has staunchly opposed the stringent reforms Democrats seek for the agency, said he would meet with Schumer in a bid to earn his and every Senate Democrat’s vote during his forthcoming confirmation process.

“I’m not going to get into, you know, a tit-for-tat, but if they have real concerns, I’m going to listen to it. I’m going to see if it’s practical,” Mullin said. “But nothing’s going to prevent me from doing my job. I’m going to enforce the policies and the laws that Congress has passed, and we’re going to protect our homeland.”

But not all Democrats were pessimistic.

Asked by Fox News Digital whether Noem’s firing would help advance DHS funding talks, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said, “I think it allows us to reopen the negotiations.”

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Former President Joe Biden told mourners at Rev. Jesse Jackson’s memorial service Friday that he is “a h— of a lot smarter than most of you,” a pointed remark that stood out during his tribute to the late civil rights leader.

Biden made the comment while recounting how he was mocked as a child for his stutter and how speech impediments are often mistaken for a lack of intelligence.

“If I told you I had a cleft palate or clubfoot, none of you would have laughed,” Biden said. “But it’s OK to laugh at stuttering. … It’s the one place where people think you’re stupid.

“Oh, really? I’m a h— of a lot smarter than most of you,” he added, before quickly pivoting back to his broader point. “But all kidding aside, it makes you feel really small.”

Biden made the remark during a memorial service in Chicago that brought together prominent Democratic leaders and civil rights figures to honor Jackson’s decades-long political influence.

Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton attended the service along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Rev. Al Sharpton.

The event was held at the 10,000-seat House of Hope arena, where hundreds gathered to celebrate Jackson’s life and legacy.

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Jackson, who died at age 84, rose to prominence as a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement. He later founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and mounted two Democratic presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 that expanded Black voter participation and reshaped the party’s electoral coalition.

Throughout the service, speakers praised Jackson’s ability to build political alliances and elevate issues affecting marginalized communities.

Biden, who has frequently spoken about working to overcome his childhood stutter, framed his remarks around resilience and the lasting impact of being ridiculed as a young person.

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Later on in his remarks, Biden asserted that “the continent of Africa is going to be the largest continent in the world” to the assembled mourners.

“I remember telling Jesse that I knew I knew a guy, in South Africa,” former President Biden recalled. “I was going to go see name is Nelson Mandela. And, I’m Jesse saying, how are you going? You guys actually see him, by the way? You know, the continent of Africa is going to be the largest continent in the world in terms of population of the year 2050, the largest in the entire world. Watch, man. Watch.”

His “smarter than most of you” line was quickly added to a growing list of out-of-context gaffes for the former president, and social media users weighed in online.

Under one repost of the viral moment from user Libs of TikTok, one commenter wrote, “That’s a strange line to deliver at a memorial service.”

Another quipped, “Never ending comedy from this guy. So happy he’s back in public.”

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Outside of Biden’s remarks, the memorial largely focused on Jackson’s legacy as a civil rights leader who helped shape the modern Democratic Party and broaden political participation in the United States.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond, Bradford Betz, and Patrick McGovern contributed to this reporting.

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Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif, will retire at the end of his current term and is endorsing San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond to succeed him, he confirmed to Fox News on Friday. 

“Today I’m announcing my enthusiastic endorsement of Supervisor Jim Desmond for Congress — to represent California’s new 48th district,” Issa told Fox News. “Jim is not only a personal friend, he’s a true patriot, a Navy veteran, a successful businessman, and has a 20-year record of public service. He understands this community, was born and raised here, and will make a terrific Congressman.”

Issa’s seat is in California’s newly redrawn 48th District, which has been reshaped to favor Democrats under the state’s Prop 50.

“This decision has been on my mind for a while and I didn’t make it lightly,” Issa said.

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Issa added that after 25 years in Congress and 25 years in business, “It’s the right time for a new chapter and new challenges.”

Fox News’ William Melugin contributed to this report. 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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