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The Trump administration denied reports Saturday evening that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had temporarily instructed agents to limit arrests to illegal immigrants with criminal records.

The clarification comes as immigration enforcement remains a central pillar of President Donald Trump’s agenda. The administration has promised an aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration and expanded deportations, and officials said that effort has not been scaled back.

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Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, who spoke with Trump and nine ICE and Department of Homeland Security sources, reported that verbal guidance instructing field offices to prioritize the “worst first” was distributed nationwide earlier this week.

The guidance alarmed some ICE agents, who described it as shocking and frustrating, Melugin wrote on X.

Sources later said the confusion stemmed from internal conversations about prioritizing the most serious offenders and that the directive was the result of a “miscommunication,” rather than a formal change in policy.

“There is no change in immigration enforcement policy,” Melugin wrote on X.

New guidance was sent to ICE field offices Saturday evening to reaffirm that the administration’s enforcement policy had not changed, according to the sources.

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Trump told Fox News that ICE can still arrest and deport anyone who is in the country illegally.

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ICE agents will also continue arresting illegal immigrants without additional criminal histories, including “collaterals,” or individuals encountered during an operation targeting someone else.

The sources said the administration’s broader immigration enforcement agenda remains in place.

NEW YORK — Trump officials say Iran is miscalculating if it believes rising prices and the midterm elections will weaken President Donald Trump’s hand in negotiations to end the nearly seven-month conflict.

The administration is projecting confidence that mounting economic pressure will push Tehran toward a deal, even after three hours of talks this week ended without an announced breakthrough.

“The president holds all of the cards here,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Americans, meanwhile, are facing a mounting cost at home. The national average for regular gasoline reached $4.49 per gallon Friday, according to AAA, up from $3.16 a year ago. AAA said volatility in the Strait of Hormuz and high crude oil prices have driven the national average to its highest level ever recorded for this time of year.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged those costs Wednesday while arguing that allowing Iran to eventually obtain a nuclear weapon would carry a far greater price.

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“It comes at a price and at a cost, there’s no doubt about it,” Rubio told reporters. “But the cost of not doing something about it is substantially higher, especially for future generations.”

Trump himself laid out the stakes in stark terms during his address to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, presenting Tehran with a choice between reaching a deal that would allow Iran to rebuild or facing potentially devastating further U.S. action.

“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?” Trump said. “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”

But Trump predicted Tehran would ultimately choose a deal, arguing that Iranian leaders are waiting to see whether the November midterm elections weaken his position.

“They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election,” Trump said. “What they don’t realize is that I’m not running.”

“I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran,” Trump added. “It doesn’t even enter my mind.”

A U.S. official told Fox News Digital Friday that discussions through mediators remained “positive and constructive,” but said the administration was in no hurry to reach an agreement.

“The United States is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz, so we are not in a rush,” the official said, adding that nearly 40 million barrels of oil had transited the strait over the previous 48 hours. The official predicted oil and gas prices would fall back to pre-conflict levels as the U.S. continues to maintain control of the strait.

Trump said U.S. officials held a “very good” three-hour meeting with Iranian officials Tuesday as part of a renewed diplomatic push to end the conflict. But Rubio cautioned Wednesday against characterizing the talks as a “major breakthrough,” saying they were largely a continuation of previous conversations.

“I think it was significant that at least there was a conversation,” Rubio said.

Rubio also said the administration would make public any “good outcomes or things to announce jointly” stemming from its diplomatic engagements. No such announcement immediately followed the Iran meeting.

Iran has since put forward a proposal of its own. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran presented U.S. mediators with a seven-day plan this week that would restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz at the end of the seven days if certain conditions are met, followed by renewed negotiations toward a broader agreement.

The proposal draws from the memorandum of understanding Trump and Iran reached in June. A mediator told CBS News the latest discussions were positive but remained in their early stages.

The stakes in Hormuz remain high. Commercial traffic through the critical oil chokepoint has been sharply disrupted during the conflict, although U.S. officials say the amount of oil moving through the strait is increasing.

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“The diplomatic door is always open. The president is a deal maker,” Pigott said. “But he’s going to see the fundamental principle that they cannot have a nuclear weapon accomplished one way or another.”

Pigott pointed to growing oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz and the economic pressure Washington has imposed on Tehran as evidence that the balance remains in Trump’s favor.

“We are seeing oil move [through] the Strait of Hormuz, increasing every single day,” Pigott said. “We’re seeing the devastating effects on the Iranian regime from economic [actions]. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being denied to the regime through this blockade that we’re seeing.”

Rubio offered a similar assessment Wednesday when asked about Trump’s assertion that Iran may be waiting for the outcome of the midterm elections before making a deal.

“I think the Iranians misread our system,” Rubio said. “I think the Iranians are under this illusion that Democrats are going to win in November, and the president will no longer be able to do things against them.”

Rubio said Congress remains an important branch of government but argued Tehran misunderstands the limits of congressional power over sanctions and military action.

“The president has extraordinary powers. Every president does,” Rubio said. “He’s the commander in chief, both constitutional and otherwise, to be able to carry out those functions.”

“So I think that the Iranians are fundamentally misreading our political system,” Rubio continued.

The administration is also confronting threats to energy infrastructure elsewhere in the region. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have targeted Saudi Arabia as the conflict has expanded, adding another source of uncertainty for global energy markets.

Rubio said Wednesday that the restart of a Saudi pipeline following attacks was “critical for their economy” and “critical for the global economy.” He said energy infrastructure had been targeted by the Houthis as well as Shiite militias in Iraq that the U.S. says are backed by Iran.

“Every time you guys ask me a question about the Middle East, it goes back to someone who’s supported by Iran,” Rubio said.

Rubio said the U.S. would continue honoring its defense commitments to Saudi Arabia while declining to discuss what additional military options Trump could consider.

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“They are a strategic defense partner,” Rubio said. “The U.S. made commitments to them. We will live up to those commitments. We are living up to those commitments now.”

A Supreme Court battle over whether certain noncitizens with criminal records are entitled to bond hearings during lengthy deportation proceedings could become a public safety concern by making it harder for the federal government to keep some detainees behind bars, legal experts warn.

The Trump administration is asking the justices to take up Genalo v. D.C., a case involving a Dominican citizen with four criminal convictions who has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement while fighting removal.

The dispute centers on a Second Circuit precedent requiring a bond hearing when mandatory immigration detention becomes “unreasonably prolonged.” At that hearing, the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the detainee poses a flight risk or danger to the community.

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Chad Mizelle, chair of litigation at the America First Policy Institute and a former acting associate attorney general and Justice Department chief of staff, told Fox News Digital the implications extend beyond immigration law.

“We are talking about criminal aliens here,” Mizelle said. “Those are individuals who have been accused of or convicted of an aggravated felony. Accused or convicted of murder. Accused or convicted of child rape. Accused or convicted of grievous harm upon another human being.”

“So these are the worst of the worst individuals,” Mizelle continued. “Do we want those individuals walking the streets, re-committing, harming other individuals?”

Mizelle argued Congress imposed mandatory detention on certain noncitizens with criminal records to keep them detained during removal proceedings, while the Second Circuit’s prolonged-detention rule could incentivize some detainees to drag out their cases long enough to seek bond.

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The man at the center of the administration’s latest petition, identified in court papers as D.C., is a 62-year-old Dominican citizen who illegally entered the United States and has four criminal convictions, according to court records.

In 1997, D.C. was charged with multiple drug offenses, including selling and possessing a controlled substance. He failed to appear for trial, was convicted by a jury and sentenced in absentia to three to nine years in prison, but did not serve that sentence until 2024. In 2007, he was charged with possessing a forged instrument after presenting false identification to police and again failed to appear in court.

In 2016, D.C. faced several charges stemming from a domestic dispute, including second-degree strangulation, third-degree assault and acting in a manner to injure a child under 17. He pleaded guilty to criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and also resolved his earlier forged-instrument case with a guilty plea. Later that year, he pleaded guilty to criminal contempt.

D.C. was finally arrested on the outstanding warrant from his 1998 drug conviction in April 2024. After completing his state sentence in September 2025, ICE immediately detained him while his removal proceedings continued.

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The district court subsequently ordered that D.C. receive a bond hearing under binding Second Circuit precedent but denied his separate request for immediate release. The government is now asking the Supreme Court to take the case before the Second Circuit itself rules — an unusual procedure known as certiorari before judgment.

The administration turned to D.C.’s case after two other noncitizens at the center of the same legal fight saw their cases become moot.

One, Carol Williams Black, had been detained for roughly seven months. His case became moot after he received a final order of removal and permanently left the United States. Black was convicted of sexually abusing a child in 2000. The Supreme Court therefore granted review in June only as to the second detainee, G.M.

G.M., a lawful permanent resident from the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in May 2015 after being accused of attacking and robbing a man during a 2012 incident in New York City. He was sentenced to two years in prison and was released early on parole in December 2016 after serving 19 months. ICE arrested G.M. at his home on Oct. 5, 2020, and detained him for 21 months without a bond hearing while removal proceedings continued.

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The Supreme Court was scheduled to hear his case Oct. 13. But in late August, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul granted G.M. a full and unconditional pardon for the assault conviction that had formed the basis for his deportation proceedings and mandatory detention. Solicitor General John Sauer agreed the case was moot, and the Supreme Court dismissed it Sept. 11 without ruling on the merits.

The administration then identified D.C. as its replacement vehicle and asked the justices to hear the same constitutional questions this term.

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Carrie Severino, president of Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), said the dispute is likely to affect many similar immigration cases nationwide.

“This is not a question that’s only going to affect D.C., the criminal Dominican national at issue in this case,” Severino told Fox News Digital. “This is an issue that’s going to affect criminal aliens across the country.”

A victory by D.C. would impose new hurdles on the government, including additional hearings and use of resources, Severino said.

“As we know, immigration cases, skipping out on showing up for court dates is incredibly common,” she added. “This is not something that I think the court ought to be granting on a regular basis that they’d be letting people out on bond simply on their word that they’re going to be coming back when they know that they are likely to be removed.”

The case also raises questions about who must prove whether continued detention is necessary. The Second Circuit ruled that the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that a detainee should remain in custody.

“And so, if the Supreme Court winds up affirming what the Second Circuit held, that means it’s going to be harder for the government to be able to detain this particular population of criminal aliens or terrorism-linked aliens,” Florida State University law professor Michael Morley told Fox News Digital. “There are going to be situations where the government is not able to show that a particular person is either likely to flee or poses a risk of danger and this dangerousness by a heightened or clear and convincing standard.”

“It means that these criminal aliens who are already subject to removal proceedings are more likely to be released into the community while those underlying removal proceedings continue to make their way slowly through the adjudicative process,” Morley continued.

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The Supreme Court has not yet agreed to hear D.C.’s case.

A massive five- day ICE operation that netted 426 arrests across Indiana is fueling Hoosier Sen. Jim Banks’ push for Congress to cement President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown into law before a future administration can reverse course.

Banks hailed “Operation Safe Community: Indiana” in a Fox News Digital interview this week after federal immigration officers fanned out across his home state from Aug. 30 through Sept. 3, arresting 426 people with records involving sex crimes, assault, domestic violence, drug trafficking and weapons offenses, according to ICE.

“This is why Donald Trump was elected in 2024: for mass deportation,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “It was one of his key agenda items during the campaign. And in this case in Indiana, you see the direct result of it.”

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ICE also credited cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies in carrying out the operation, something Republicans have flagged as a key aspect to successful enforcement.

But Banks argued the operation also underscores a limitation of Trump’s crackdown: aggressive executive enforcement today does not guarantee that the same immigration policies survive the next administration.

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“It is important that we codify Trump border security measures and tough-on-immigration policies and make them the law of the land,” he said.

The busts build on the lawmaker’s seven-bill immigration package, previously reported by Fox News Digital, which targets issues including birthright citizenship, family-based immigration, H-1B visas, noncitizens’ CDLs and congressional authority over Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to limit judicial intervention.

“If this could happen in Indiana, it could happen anywhere,” he added, arguing that the opposition has made it tougher to achieve immigration goals after displacing ICE from the 2025 immigration appropriations legislation.

“They’ve made that one of their biggest priorities in this Congress to defund our federal law enforcement, to stop ICE from doing their job, to deport violent criminals who are here illegally,” he said.

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“So it is important that we codify Trump border security measures and tough-on-immigration policies and make them the law of the land so that the next time, God forbid, a Joe Biden ever gets elected back to the White House or someone that comes from that radical wing of the Democrat Party…”

Banks also directed his frustration at his own party, criticizing the Republican-led Senate for failing to advance separate election legislation that he says should be another priority.

Many on the right have pressed for passage of the SAVE Act, a bill requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

“That’s one of my biggest disappointments with this Republican Senate – we haven’t passed [it],” he said.

“I hope by the end of the year that we can find a way to pass it. I’m going to keep fighting for it, but at the end of the day, the Trump administration and the Department of Justice is doing a lot crack down on illegals voting in our elections.”

In a separate Indiana case, DHS arrested an illegal immigrant on Sept. 18 who had entered the U.S. during the Obama administration and later cast a federal ballot.

ICE Enforcement Division Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said the right to vote is the “cornerstone of democracy” in announcing the capture of Guatemalan national Helda Mendez-Merida for “poisoning our elections.”

“We cannot allow that sacred right [to vote] to be perverted,” she said.

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Banks said such incidents keep surfacing “because Joe Biden and Democrats flooded our country with tens of millions of illegals – they’re still here [and] mass deportation is important.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has repeatedly pushed back on criticism he is not working hard enough to pass the SAVE Act or advance the Trump agenda.

Thune previously told Fox News Digital that he is an original co-sponsor of a previous version of the bill and that the 50-vote threshold needed to pass provisions that qualify for the parliamentary maneuver known as reconciliation remains a sticking point.

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“I keep asking the question, am I the only one in this town that can count to 50? Because it seems like these questions recur and there are a lot of people out there who haven’t seemed to internalize the fact that there aren’t Democrats that are going to flip and vote for this,” Thune said.

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

Rapper Nicki Minaj urged young Americans to get involved in the upcoming midterm elections and “vote red” while doubling down on her support for President Donald Trump in an interview on Saturday.

The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star said on “My View with Lara Trump” that young voters shouldn’t assume their voices don’t matter as Americans prepare to head to the polls Nov. 3.

“Now is not the time to think that your voice will not be heard,” Minaj said. “Your voice will not only be heard, but your voice is very necessary right now for the country and for the world. We need you guys involved. We need you guys involved more than ever before. This is your country, this is your world. You are the ones that have to reap the benefits of whatever vote decisions we make now.”

Minaj encouraged young voters to become engaged in their communities and participate in elections beyond presidential contests.

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“Think about how much you want a say in what happens and realize that the only way to have that is by voting — not just voting for the president, but just voting in all of the local elections,” she said.

The music superstar then urged young voters to support Republican candidates in November.

“Please, and vote red now,” Minaj said.

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Minaj’s midterm message comes as she has become increasingly outspoken about her support for Trump.

The “Super Bass” and “Starships” singer also recently partnered with the Trump administration on the Small Business Administration’s Million Dollar Pitch Competition, serving as one of the celebrity judges.

Trump has praised Minaj, calling her a “fantastic person.”

During her interview with Lara Trump, Minaj described the president as “a very authentic person” and said his willingness to speak without appearing scripted appeals to her.

“He brings this candid, unedited vibe to the White House that we’ve never before seen,” Minaj said. “And it’s refreshing because for a very long time, people started feeling like we don’t know who we can trust.”

“When you see someone that goes off script, it’s like you come alive again, you feel alive,” she continued.

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The rapper said she would not shy away from defending Trump.

“I’ve made it my mission to be someone that supports him,” Minaj said.

Lara Trump noted that Minaj works in an industry where the president is frequently criticized and asked what had shaped her political views along with what she had seen from Democrats that discouraged her.

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“I think the Democrats have gotten way too caught up in pop culture, for lack of a better term,” Minaj said. “I think that they’ve allowed their relationships with artists to cause them to act like children and to be so petty and childish.”

Minaj also reflected on arriving in the U.S. and building her music career from very little.

“My fan base, they got to see me come from absolutely nothing. They really saw the struggle in real time,” she said.

“Overall, yes, it has been the American dream,” Minaj added. “That’s why I love this country.”

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Fox News Digital’s Nora Moriarty contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that 25,000 people were killed last month and another 32,000 the month before in the war between Ukraine and Russia

“Last month, 25,000 people died in the Ukraine-Russia war, okay? 25,000,” he told reporters on the White House lawn Saturday.

“The month before that, 32,000 people died … mostly soldiers, 97% soldiers. But whether they’re soldiers or civilians, think of it: 32,000. Two months ago, 33,000 people; this month, 25,000 people died. What a shame,” he added.

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Russia alone has lost as many as 450,000 soldiers since invading Ukraine in 2022, according to the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).

Trump also told reporters he wants to see an end to the war soon, revealing he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently.

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“I spoke to him a lot, and he’s going along and Putin’s going along. And someday, hopefully in the not too distant future, maybe before the heavy winter, they’ll make a deal,” he told reporters.

He claimed that he pushed Zelenskyy to try to make a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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“I agreed with Zelenskyy that we talked about a lot of different subjects, and many of those subjects, very strong agreement. But you know what I want him to do? Make a deal. I want him to settle with Putin, and I want Putin to settle with him.

Zelenskyy announced Friday that Trump had agreed to give approval to Ukraine to license and produce U.S. Patriot missile interceptors.

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“There are concrete agreements regarding Patriot licenses. At our meeting, President Trump stressed that he had made his final decision: Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Patriot missiles,'” Zelenskyy posted Friday.

President Trump had previously hesitated to grant Ukraine the licenses.

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Fox News Digital contacted the White House for comment.

Palm Beach County — home to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago — passed a one-year moratoriam on the planning and construction of data centers as commissioners seek to conduct a thorough review of data centers’ impacts on the environment, noise pollution, and electric bills.

The moratorium, passed on Thursday, comes just weeks after Trump said that communities that reject data centers would “end up being backwards and poor.” Among the wealthiest counties in the country, Palm Beach County includes the town of Palm Beach, home to 65 billionaires.

“If you want to go through poverty, crime and squalor, I would say don’t approve of data centers,” Trump said from the Oval Office on Sep. 4.

The Palm Beach County Commissioners’ 6-0 vote doesn’t put a permanent ban on data centers. Instead, it gives county leadership time to conduct environmental impact reviews before updating zoning rules for where data centers can be built.

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The moratorium applies to all new applications for data centers with an anticipated peak electrical load of at least 50 megawatts.

“Many communities want the economic benefits a data center brings, but we all fear the higher power bills, the negative environmental impact, disruptive noise, the depletion of water resources,” a Palm Beach County resident shared during Thursday’s meeting.

Trump has made expanding data centers and accelerating artificial intelligence a cornerstone of his agenda, arguing that the United States cannot afford to lose the AI race to China and warning that opposition to data centers only benefits Beijing.

Data centers are the physical backbone of artificial intelligence, housing thousands of powerful computers that store and process digital information while providing the computing power needed to train and run AI systems.

Palm Beach County has already approved in 2016 the construction of “Project Tango” — a proposed 202-acre AI data center, which is located 20 miles from Mar-a-Lago. The data center will also be built near an elementary school and homes.

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In July, commissioners voted 6-1 to reject a proposal to expand Project Tango by roughly 1.67 million square feet. But existing approvals for two 100,000-square-foot data center buildings remain in place.

Residents at the Thursday meeting said Project Tango was the driving factor behind the push to hit pause on data center project approvals, with several residents advocating for no data centers to be built.

“I think the best good neighbor data center is no data center,” resident Sergei Kelly said. “We have the Everglades to our South and to our West. The coast to our East. I don’t think data centers, especially large data centers they want to build desperately should be here at all.”

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Fox News Digital reached to the White House and Palm Beach County Commissioners for comment.

America’s AI race against China, which has become a major point of debate as midterms approach, is a race filled with “coordinated” propaganda, warned Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

In recent months, data centers and AI policy have been debated in Congress and at the kitchen tables of American families. But Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, told Fox News Digital that much of the new opposition to data centers is being manipulated by a well-funded and coordinated campaign.

“It’s the same reason we saw Middle Eastern countries paying for anti-fracking movements,” Cruz said. “Because if they can convince America, ‘Don’t develop your oil and gas, just buy it from us,’ well, that’s great for them and terrible for us. The same is true on data centers. If they can convince Americans, ‘You don’t want data centers here, you want to just rely on the Chinese for AI,’ that’s great for China, and it’s terrible for America.”

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Direct funding from the Chinese government into the U.S. on data center policies has not been revealed. However, in June, OpenAI announced it had banned ChatGPT accounts believed to have originated in China, and said that the accounts were generating social media comments and images alleging that data centers are raising electricity costs for Americans.

OpenAI said in a statement that it shut down “two clusters of ChatGPT accounts likely originating from China that [OpenAI] banned after they used our models in support of apparent covert influence operations that promoted narratives in an attempt to manipulate a legitimate debate about American AI and wider tech policies.”

Cruz called the effort to craft policy to ensure the U.S. wins the AI race is “the single most important economic question facing America today.”

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“If China wins, AI will be focused on espionage and propaganda and control and surveillance, because that’s the Chinese Communist Party,” Cruz said. “It will be their values. They will use AI to try to control you. If America wins, I want American values to be reflected in AI. I want free speech and individualism and free enterprise and privacy to be reflected in AI, not control and power.”

Cruz called opposition to AI advancement and data centers the “dominant position on the Democratic side.” The third-term Republican said the Democrats’ position is aligned with that of big industry players including Anthropic that he said want exemption from antitrust laws and to “get in bed with government” to control AI development.

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Cruz associated this position with leftist ideology and the emerging tech philosophy known as “effective altruism.”

“These folks from effective altruism are all hardcore leftists, and they want to use AI to push their leftist ideology,” Cruz said. “Part of what we’re seeing is a money grab, where there’s an old concept in economics called rent seeking, which is big companies typically go to government and say, ‘Give me a benefit, entrench me.’ We’re seeing the giant AI companies going to government saying, ‘Hey, why don’t you put us in charge of government and let’s set the rules so no one could compete with us.'”

Parker Thayer, an investigative researcher at Capital Research Center in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital last week that effective altruism is associated with what he called the “AI doomerism movement.”

Facebook co-founder and billionaire Democratic mega-donor Dustin Moskovitz and his wife Cari Tuna have been leading financial backers of organizations associated with the effective altruism movement. Moskovitz left Facebook in 2008.

The couple founded Coefficient Giving, formerly known as Open Philanthropy, and remains its “main funders,” according to the organization. Tuna serves as its president.

Coefficient Giving says its artificial intelligence work has expanded rapidly, with $168 million committed to AI safety, security and field-building in 2024 and $351 million in 2025. The organization says it is on track to commit more than $1 billion to AI policy advocacy in 2026.

In a 2021 grant application description, the organization said it seeks “to fund programs and events in a variety of areas of interest to Coefficient Giving — including effective altruism, global catastrophic risks, biosecurity, AI for epistemics, forecasting, and other areas.”

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In 2015, Coefficient Giving launched “Project Tailwind,” an initiative where the Moskovitz-funded organization issued a “call for founders to launch ambitious AI safety initiatives.”

The United States and China agreed to lower tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods traded between the two countries following a three-day summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington, D.C.

According to the White House, the $30 billion in reciprocal tariff reductions apply to “non-sensitive goods.”

U.S. exports including agricultural products, fish and seafood, logs and wood products, cosmetics and medical devices will receive favorable tariff treatment in China. Meanwhile, U.S. imports of Chinese-made small appliances, toys, holiday decorations and children’s car seats will also receive preferential treatment.

The agreement was reached through the U.S.-China Board of Trade, a body first proposed during Trump’s visit to China in May and formally established during Xi’s visit to Washington this week.

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U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC on Friday that “a lot more details” about the new trade agreement will be released on Monday.

Greer said the tariff terms were hammered out after weeks of negotiations. Neither country has released the final tariff rates or all the products that will receive favored status going forward.

This marks one of the most significant cooldowns in the trade war Trump launched against China in February 2025, when he levied a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, citing Beijing’s alleged role in the fentanyl crisis and illegal immigration. China hit back with levies on U.S. coal, liquefied natural gas, crude oil and cars.

BESSENT REVEALS EXTENSION TO BUSAN AGREEMENT WITH CHINA UNTIL JANUARY

At their peak, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods reached a staggering 145% in April 2025, shortly after Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs. China responded with tariffs of up to 125% on U.S. goods.

U.S. and Chinese negotiators met in Geneva in May 2025 and agreed to a 90-day truce that lowered U.S. tariffs to 30% and China’s to 10%. The agreement was extended for another 90 days in August.

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Trump and Xi reached another tentative agreement during talks in South Korea in October 2025. Under the deal, China agreed to crack down on fentanyl precursors, resume purchases of U.S. soybeans and ease restrictions on rare-earth exports, while the United States agreed to further ease tariffs.

The two countries will now use the Board of Trade to negotiate additional tariff reductions and other trade disputes, leaving open the possibility of broader agreements in the months ahead.

NEW YORK — Russia is trying to scare Europe into backing off its defense in the region, claims European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, who warns it will only lead to Moscow becoming more aggressive if it succeeds.

“Their goal is to intimidate us from not supporting Ukraine, from refraining to support them and pressuring Russia,” Kallas told Fox News Digital in an interview on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

“What is important for us is that we are not afraid,” she continued. “Because otherwise this kind of intimidation actually pays off, and then we will see more of it across the world.”

For Kallas, Russia’s attempts to intimidate its European neighbors carry a history that reaches well beyond the war in Ukraine.

Her mother, Kristi, was just six months old in 1949 when Soviet authorities deported her — along with her mother and her grandmother — to Siberia during Stalin’s mass deportations from the Baltic states. Kallas’ maternal grandfather was separately sent to a Siberian prison camp.

Kallas has recounted how her mother was transported east in a cattle car, with fellow deportees drying the infant’s diapers against their own bodies during the freezing journey. The family spent roughly a decade in Siberia before they were allowed to return to Soviet-occupied Estonia in 1959.

Kallas was born in Tallinn in 1977 and spent the first 14 years of her life under Soviet rule. Estonia restored its independence in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed.

FRONTLINE NATO ALLY SHARES SHOCKING TAKE ON RUSSIAN INVASION THREAT

Her family would go on to become deeply entwined with the new democratic Estonia. Her father, Siim Kallas, became the first president of the Bank of Estonia after gaining its independence, later serving as foreign minister and prime minister before moving to Brussels as a European commissioner.

Kaja Kallas followed her own path from lawyer to member of Estonia’s parliament and then the European Parliament.

In 2021, she became Estonia’s first female prime minister and three years later was chosen as the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. It was a historic moment — putting a politician who grew up under Soviet occupation at the center of Europe’s response to Russian aggression on the continent.

That history has made Kallas one of Europe’s most prominent voices on Moscow — even as officials in her native Estonia and elsewhere along NATO’s eastern flank now caution against interpreting Russia’s recent provocations as preparations for a conventional invasion.

Russia invaded Ukraine more than four-and-a-half years ago and shows no signs of backing off despite repeated promises that negotiations for an end of war are ongoing.

Asked whether she agreed with Estonian and other Baltic officials who say they do not currently see Russia preparing for such an attack, Kallas instead pointed to Moscow’s growing use of sabotage and the importance of deterrence.

“We see that Russia is actually increasing their sabotage acts in Europe,” Kallas said. “But of course how far they will go depends very much on us and whether we are investing enough in defense so that it acts as a deterrent.”

The debate comes as NATO countries confront a string of Russian aircraft and drone incursions, along with suspected sabotage and other hybrid activity across Europe. The incidents have fueled warnings in some European capitals that Moscow is probing the alliance for weaknesses, while officials closer to Russia have cautioned against equating those provocations with preparations for an invasion.

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Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Fox News Digital in a separate interview this week that his country’s intelligence services see no indication Russia is preparing for a full-scale attack on NATO.

“We have more and more this kind of panic in Europe that Russia will invade and will be full-scale aggressive against NATO and Europe and the Baltic states, Poland, but we don’t see it,” Tsahkna said. “Our intelligence, we see very, very deep into Russia, we don’t see any change.”

Kallas, however, argued that Moscow’s actions are designed to weaken Western support for Ukraine rather than simply test NATO’s defenses.

“Their goal is to intimidate us from not supporting Ukraine, from refraining to support them and pressuring Russia,” she said.

The pressure campaign comes as Washington continues its push for a negotiated end to the war. Kallas said Moscow has yet to demonstrate that it is serious about reaching one.

“They should start with stopping bombing the civilians,” she said, pointing to recent Russian attacks on Kyiv. “If they are serious about this, they should agree to a ceasefire, sit down at the negotiation table and talk to the Ukrainians.”

Kallas said Ukraine has already agreed to an unconditional ceasefire while “Russia is just playing games,” arguing that coordinated pressure from Washington and its European allies could change Moscow’s calculations.

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“If America, Europe, UK, other strong players are all acting together in the same way to put in the sanctions, then actually we could have the effect that Russia understands that this is serious and they will sit down and negotiate,” she said.

The Trump administration announced Friday that it was canceling $810 million in congressionally approved spending for programs serving illegal immigrants, diversity initiatives and other efforts the administration argued do not benefit American citizens.

To claw back the funds, President Donald Trump used a “pocket rescission,” a budget maneuver the executive branch contends is within its authority but that Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) say exceeds the president’s authority.

The vast majority of the cuts, some $567 million, were aimed at Health and Human Services programs that provided funding to non-government organizations supporting refugees, asylees and other non-citizens.

The White House is also seeking to rescind $25 million for education programs for migrant students, claiming they supported things such as “an LGBT youth summit” and “Therapy for Latinx workshops.”

TRUMP ADMIN AXES TIES TO DOZENS OF PROGRESSIVE GROUPS IN ‘DIRECT OPPOSITION’ TO MISSION: ‘DECISIVE ACTION’

Programs the administration labeled “Woke International Education” were also selected for $70 million in cuts. The White House said the funding supports bringing foreign students and faculty to the United States and, in some cases, has funded doctoral dissertations on “queer and trans community building in foreign countries.”

Other programs receiving the axe included a Justice Department office focused on reducing racial tensions, a business development initiative for minority entrepreneurs, Housing and Urban Development Department counseling services, and a series of Health and Human Services grants the administration described as “outright harmful and blatantly ideological.”

The White House’s announcement about the rescissions noted that several of the organizations are led by former officials in President Barack Obama’s administration.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who faces a tough re-election campaign, condemned Trump’s cuts and called it “the most recent attempt by this Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to undermine Congress’s Constitutional power of the purse.”

WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE MAP TRACKING BILLIONS IN SUSPECTED FRAUD

Under the most recent pocket rescission, the White House proposed canceling the funding near the end of the federal fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Collins argued that this was intentional on the part of the Trump administration, because if the money remains unspent until Sept. 30, it expires before Congress’ 45-day review period can be completed.

On top of that, the House of Representatives will be out of session through the November election, making it essentially impossible for Congress to respond.

“The independent Government Accountability Office has concluded that pocket rescissions are unlawful and not permitted by the Impoundment Control Act,” Collins said in a statement. “I will work with my colleagues to address these illegal actions.”

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The OMB under Trump has argued that the Impoundment Control Act does not explicitly forbid the president from rescinding funds near the end of a fiscal year, according to a summary from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). OMB Director Russ Vought has repeatedly said the same.

That same CRS summary said the GAO has likened pocket rescissions to a line-item veto, which would allow a president to strike portions of legislation without congressional approval — a power the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional.

A year ago, Trump issued the first pocket rescission in nearly 50 years, seeking to cancel $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid. The Supreme Court declined to block the move, citing the president’s authority over foreign affairs as it allowed litigation to continue.

The last pocket rescission took place under former President Jimmy Carter, who proposed it well before the 45-day congressional review deadline.

A bipartisan team of senators is proposing legislation that they say will broaden the pool of qualified judges available to serve on two powerful federal courts with nationwide jurisdiction.

Sens. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and Ashley Moody, R-Florida, introduced a bill on Tuesday that would remove the requirement that judges sitting on the Court of Federal Claims and the Federal Circuit live within 50 miles of Washington, D.C.

Both courts have nationwide jurisdiction, though their specialized dockets differ. The Court of Federal Claims primarily handles claims against the federal government, while the Federal Circuit hears appeals involving patents, trademarks, government contracts and other areas.

A decision from either court, for example, could affect Coons’ constituents in Delaware or Moody’s in Florida. The claims court hears arguments from entities seeking money or other relief from the federal government whereas the circuit court, which is a feeder for Supreme Court justices, reviews decisions from lower courts and agencies in relation to the federal government.

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“Americans deserve the best, most qualified judges, especially in areas like intellectual property law where expertise is key to understanding complex cases and fairly deciding the future of many entrepreneurs’ businesses,” Coons said of the legislation. “For too long, we have limited the pool of judges available to take on the toughest IP and federal contract cases to those willing to uproot their lives and move to Washington, D.C. No longer. This bipartisan bill ensures that courts of national jurisdiction can draw from a pool of national talent.”

Legal scholars who spoke with Fox News Digital saw merit in the senators’ proposal.

“It’s often difficult to recruit top-level talent from across the country to relocate to the District of Columbia for these judgeships,” Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow Zach Smith told Fox News Digital, noting that the Court of International Trade in New York City has a similarly broad geographic jurisdiction and lacks a residency requirement for judges.

“Many other circuit courts of appeal cover multiple states and often the judges on those courts sit throughout the states that that court covers and then they often come together to meet and hear cases and hear oral arguments in a specific location. This type of geographic dispersal it’s not an unusual arrangement.”

Thomas Berry, the director of the libertarian-aligned Cato Institute’s Center for Constitutional Studies largely agreed.

‘UNPRECEDENTED’: JUDGES REVEAL BEHIND-THE-SCENES COORDINATION ON TRUMP IMMIGRATION CASES

“These courts have jurisdiction based on the issue involved, so potentially if this meant that the judges were able not just to live elsewhere, but even hear oral arguments elsewhere, that could potentially be more convenient for some types of cases if they’re, say, involved parties on the opposite side of the country,” Berry told Fox News Digital.

Critics may argue that the proposed legislation could increase travel costs to taxpayers by requiring frequent travel for judges to and from D.C. Legal experts may also feel that the ability of judges to regularly meet face to face could lead to a loss of judicial collegiality.

Berry noted that some studies show that, during the Coronavirus pandemic, court decisions saw less dissents as judges spent less time in person with one another, but qualified possible concerns by stating that “all of the other regional courts of appeals have been basically working under such a system for over 100 years, and clearly it hasn’t gotten in the way from them doing the work that they’re meant to do.”

SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE PINPOINTS WHAT AMERICANS MISUNDERSTAND ABOUT HIM AND HIS COLLEAGUES

Neither expert felt that travel costs would be an issue in implementing this proposal.

“For a court that covers the entire country, we should be considering nominating judges from everywhere in America based on merit — not their proximity to the D.C. bubble,” Moody, herself a former Florida circuit judge and federal prosecutor, said of the legislation. “My Better Bench Act removes an outdated residency requirement to expand the pool of qualified Americans who can serve and allows our courts to be a better reflection of the nation as a whole.”

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The offices of Coons and Moody did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington this week, one day after signing a Greenland security agreement that, once in force, would bar non-NATO states such as China from establishing a military presence there, sharpening the Arctic-security backdrop to their face-to-face talks.

Xi’s three-day state visit unfolded against that backdrop, with Trump hosting a formal White House arrival ceremony, holding high-stakes talks, joining Xi for a tour of the National Archives and presiding over a state dinner attended by some of America’s most prominent technology executives.

A senior U.S. official told Fox News Digital that Trump and Xi discussed the economy, trade, “Super Intelligence” and cooperation on a range of shared priorities, though it remained unclear what concrete agreements emerged from behind closed doors.

TRUMP-XI REUNION COMES WITH UNFINISHED BUSINESS — AND A BIGGER BATTLE LOOMING

Trump has so far stopped short of announcing a concrete agreement from Xi’s Washington visit, a contrast to his May trip to Beijing.

Trump was already telling reporters before leaving China that the two countries had made “some fantastic trade deals,” even though the White House did not release its full economic deal package until two days after the summit.

Thursday’s state dinner drew 134 guests, including the two leaders and prominent technology figures such as Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Lisa Su of AMD, Tim Cook of Apple, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Sundar Pichai of Google.

Christine Balling, senior vice president for professional affiliations at The Institute of World Politics, told Fox News Digital that inviting America’s top AI tycoons to Thursday night’s state dinner was a strategic move to show Xi that the United States is the world’s top dog in the AI race.

‘RED CARPET FOR A DESPOT’: TRUMP’S LAVISH XI WELCOME COLLIDES WITH GOP ANTI-COMMUNISM MESSAGE

“I think the significance of the timing of this meeting, whether it’s intentional or not, shows that the Trump administration is taking The future of AI and the world very, very seriously,” she said. “I think that is the most significant takeaway. But the bottom line is, I think the most important images were those of all of the AI techs who were invited to that state dinner.”

Greenland has emerged as a backdrop to Trump’s two meetings with Xi this year. Negotiations over an expanded U.S. security role there began months before Trump traveled to Beijing in May, while Trump renewed his public pressure over Greenland during the summer as his administration continued negotiations aimed in part at limiting Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic.

Five days before Xi arrived in Washington, Trump announced a Greenland security agreement that was formally signed Sept. 22 and, once in force, would expand the U.S. military position while restricting Chinese military presence and certain sensitive investments in the territory.

China has had its eye on Greenland for years, especially as it looks to expand its role in the Arctic. Beijing has shown interest in Greenland’s infrastructure and natural resources, including its valuable rare earth and critical mineral deposits. U.S. officials have also pointed to past Chinese efforts involving a former U.S. naval base and airport projects as signs of Beijing’s broader ambitions in the region.

Balling is an expert in foreign policy, particularly in the Western hemisphere, and says Trump’s historic deal with Greenland struck a massive blow to China.

TRUMP DECLARES VICTORY IN HISTORIC DEAL WITH GREENLAND AS HE SECURES ‘PERMANENT’ US MILITARY RIGHTS

“Number one, that is a tremendous victory for the United States and frankly, the free world,” she said. “It means that the United States has the ability to establish two more bases at present. So we have a Space Force base … and now secured land, air, and sea rights across Greenland. We have the ability to screen out any other country who expresses interest in either establishing any sort of military presence and or investment.”

“That means that the United States and NATO allies are going to have first right of refusal when it comes to mining, and not only for rare elements, but also oil and gas and data centers.”

SECURITY EXPERT HAILS TRUMP’S GREENLAND PACT AS A ‘BIG DEAL’ ON PAR WITH ALASKA PURCHASE

China has long sought a larger Arctic role, declaring itself a “near-Arctic state” and promoting a “Polar Silk Road” encompassing commerce, research and resource development.

Balling argued that Beijing had reason to oppose the U.S.-Denmark-Greenland agreement because the United States remains heavily reliant on China for several critical-mineral supply chains.

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“I also have to say for all of those who were mocking the Trump administration and President Trump’s talk about buying or invading Greenland, they have an egg on their faces now,” she said. “I never for a moment thought that President Trump was serious about this. I think that what he was serious about, was exactly what was achieved in the agreement that was just signed.”

EXCLUSIVE: Black bishop and author Earl Walker Jackson blasted Democrats and the left over what he called the “deeply insulting” and “deeply offensive” claim that minorities and African Americans cannot get I.D.s to vote.

Debate erupted this week over voter I.D. requirements after Reuters reported that an investigation found 30,000 noncitizens were “erroneously” registered to vote in 11 states. Jackson, a nondenominational Christian leader and descendant of enslaved ancestors, said the findings underscored what he described as a growing problem of noncitizen voting that disenfranchises American citizens.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Jackson charged, “Why the Democrats are so committed to this can only be explained one way: they think it empowers people who shouldn’t vote to vote, and they believe those people are going to vote for them.”

“This is nothing but a power grab,” he posited, emphasizing that “every vote by a noncitizen does in fact cancel out the vote of an American citizen, or it amplifies it in a way that’s illegal or inappropriate.”

BOMBSHELL VOTING SCANDAL ADDS TO PATTERN OF NONCITIZEN VOTERS AS TRUMP WARNS OF THREAT TO ‘HEART’ OF DEMOCRACY

Reuters reported on Wednesday that more than 30,000 self-declared noncitizens were added to U.S. voter rolls since 2000.

The outlet attributed the erroneous registrations to “software glitches and clerical errors” and said its review suggested “inadvertent bureaucratic failures, ‌rather than organized efforts to register immigrants illegally.” Reuters said it was unable to determine how many noncitizens actually cast ballots.

The errors occurred in California, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

Don Palmer, the senior legal fellow for election integrity with the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that due to legal loopholes and loose reporting requirements, he believes the 30,000 number “is actually quite low.”

“I think it’s undercounting it. I think those are the identified non-citizens that have been accidentally or erroneously placed on the voter rolls through the mistake of the driver’s license agency. I think it’s much more because we don’t know in a lot of states, either they have not conducted the audits or they’re not using tools to find noncitizens that may have accidentally been placed on the rolls,” he said.

Palmer said “the answer really is that there needs to be more care taken to developing a system of verifying citizenship and you just don’t see that in most states.”

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“If they’re going to do voter registration, they need to make sure that there’s a verification in place for identity and for citizenship, just as if you come into an agency and you’re getting a driver’s license or identification card, you’ve got to show that I.D., you’ve got to make sure that your identity is confirmed, similarly, if you’re going to register someone to vote at the driver’s license agency, there needs to be a verification process or a documentation process to ensure that you are a citizen,” he said.

Meanwhile, after hearing the 30,000 figure, Jackson told Fox News Digital that “the sad reality is I’m not shocked.”

“I wonder if it’s more,” he said, adding, “We’ve been told, particularly by Democrats, that that’s not happening, that there’s nothing to see here, and yet we hear again and again documentation that it is happening.”

With this in mind, he decried efforts to resist more stringent voter eligibility verification and identification. He took particular issue with those equating voter I.D. requirements as anti-Black and a new form of Jim Crow.

“Forgive me for being personal about this for a moment, but I just find this deeply insulting and deeply offensive because the implication is that somehow if you are black, no matter how wealthy, educated, well-to-do, somehow getting an ID is a problem for you,” he said.

“But on the other hand, if you’re white, no matter how poor, no matter how uneducated, no matter what your circumstances are, somehow you can get an I.D., that’s not a problem, I mean, it’s preposterous.”

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He pointed to the hotel where he was staying as an example.

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“Look, I’m in a hotel right now … What was the first thing they asked me for when I walked up to the counter? May we see your I.D., please? Should I say, ‘Wait a minute, oh, you’re discriminating against me. You know Black people can’t get I.D.s; how dare you ask?’ he said. “I mean, it’s ridiculous.”

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“I don’t hate illegal aliens, I don’t want to see them harmed or hurt, but they don’t have a right to vote in our elections, and they shouldn’t be permitted to do so,” he concluded. “Anybody who wants to say, well, ‘You’re a bigot, you are a hater,’ I mean, they’re going to say that. But I think most Americans are people of goodwill and don’t feel that way at all; we’re simply trying to preserve the integrity of our electoral system.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris used yellow and pink flowers to explain how social media algorithms can repeatedly feed users similar content, arguing that the technology can influence what people see online.

Harris made the remarks during an appearance on “Off Air with Big Boy” after host Big Boy asked about AI, TikTok, Instagram and the role personalized algorithms could play in shaping how Americans consume information, including ahead of the midterm elections.

“There is a part of this that is about understanding that, you know, if you keep seeing the same thing over and over again, know that you are being targeted,” Harris said.

“Because you looked at it the first time, they’re just going to keep sending it to you, which means they’re trying to dumb people down with the assumption that people don’t have any interest beyond what they’ve already seen,” she continued.

CHRIS MURPHY CALLS FOR ‘REGULATING THE INTERNET’ SO PEOPLE WON’T FALL FOR A ‘DEMAGOGUE LIKE DONALD TRUMP’

Harris, who previously played a leading role in the Biden administration’s work on artificial intelligence, continued with a colorful example.

“The algorithm’s suggesting I have no more interest — because I’m looking at this yellow flower, I’m only interested in yellow flowers, as though my brain can’t handle the fact that there may be a pink flower that I might be interested in looking at,” Harris said.

“Part of it is understanding how the algorithm is manipulating us and figuring out how we’re going to psych it out a bit,” she added.

Harris’ explanation drew a mocking response from Fox News hosts, including Sean Hannity.

“What was that?” Hannity said while reacting to the soundbite.

HARRIS KEEPS 2028 DOOR OPEN AS SHE HITS MIDTERM CAMPAIGN TRAIL, WARNS ‘28 WON’T MATTER’ WITHOUT 2026

Hannity’s guest, Fox News host Jimmy Failla, joked that Harris thinks “AI is Allen Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers.”

Harris, the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee, has not said whether she will seek the White House again in 2028.

She has faced criticism in the past over her explanations of artificial intelligence, including remarks she made while serving as vice president in 2023.

“AI is kind of a fancy thing,” Harris said at the time. “First of all, it’s two letters. It means artificial intelligence, but ultimately what it is is it’s about machine learning.”

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Harris’ latest comments come after she called on President Donald Trump earlier this month to pursue an international agreement – including with China – aimed at limiting dangerous uses of AI and establishing global testing standards.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans are being given a new playbook on an issue that is all but certain to be the biggest political lightning rod of the November midterms.

Conservative group Club for Growth is sending a memo to Capitol Hill lawmakers on Friday arguing that Americans’ struggle with high living costs cannot be ignored — and that the fault lies with an expanding federal government.

“Americans are not asking whether the inflation rate has slowed; they are asking why the same basket of goods is permanently more expensive,” the information packets being distributed to Republican lawmakers read. “[G]overnment made core costs higher through deficit spending, subsidies, mandates, and restrictions on supply.”

It’s an argument that could be a lifeline for the GOP as it fights an uphill battle to keep control of the House and Senate. While Democrats attack Republicans for how Americans feel about prices today, Club for Growth’s memo is urging Republicans to point to the rapid federal expansion the Biden administration presided over during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The materials, a two-page memo for lawmakers and a more in-depth 76-page policy packet, also urge Republicans to push policies that Club for Growth says will actually lower those costs.

AMERICA’S BROKEN PERMITTING SYSTEM IS QUIETLY RAISING YOUR COST OF LIVING

The strategy would be a gamble, given the midterms are traditionally a referendum on how people feel about how they are doing under the party currently in power. But it gives Republicans a potential economic platform and a roadmap to pitch for lowering costs if they keep the majority for the next two years.

“The free-market answer is structural cost relief: spend less, build more, produce more energy, make healthcare compete, let workers earn, and let families choose,” the memo said.

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It urged Republicans to resist calling for subsidies for areas of the economy where prices are skyrocketing, arguing that handing out taxpayer money would only increase costs in the longer-term. An example the memo used is Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, which Republicans have long blamed for skyrocketing healthcare costs before the COVID-era subsidy expired at the beginning of this year.

“Subsidies and regulation function as a back door for government control and involvement in private industry,” the memo argued. “The only way to address the affordability crisis properly is to undo misguided government intervention and stop pretending more of the same will suddenly work.”

But it could put GOP lawmakers at odds with President Donald Trump and his promise to give each American adult $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms. Several GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital last week were hesitant to embrace the idea.

Among the solutions offered are reforming Social Security, which fiscal hawks have long warned will soon run out of cash if changes are not made to current age requirements and other guidelines.

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On high housing costs, the memo urges lawmakers to increase supply by targeting land use and building regulations rather than offering subsidies to make existing housing more affordable.

Energy costs, which were a flashpoint in the 2025 off-year elections as well, could be brought down by furthering the Trump administration’s goals to unleash U.S. energy sources rather than Democrats’ push for net-zero carbon emissions, the memo said.

A focus on nuclear energy policies could also help drive down energy costs, which will be at the forefront of most Americans’ minds during the November election.

And while Democrats have pushed free early childcare as a solution for struggling families, the Club for Growth memo is urging Republicans to find a more lasting solution in reforming regulations surrounding the industry.

“Health and safety training in specific areas, adherence to building, fire, and health codes, and comprehensive background checks, including fingerprinting, are reasonable,” the memo said. “However, strict and complex rules about work-child ratios, rigid staffing mandates, and regulations on facility specifications, including equipment requirements and zoning classifications, increase operating costs without demonstrable improvements in child wellbeing.”

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The election is less than 50 days away, and both sides are working overtime to prove they are best positioned to help ease rising costs.

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to revive a major immigration fight over whether criminal aliens can be held without bond throughout removal proceedings or are entitled to a hearing when their detention drags on.

Solicitor General John Sauer asked the Supreme Court on Monday to take up Genalo v. D.C., reviving a constitutional fight the justices had been set to hear this term in Genalo v. Black before New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pardon rendered that case moot.

At the center of the dispute is D.C., a Dominican national who is facing removal after a criminal history that includes drug trafficking and domestic violence charges. He had previously been removed from the United States on six occasions, according to ICE.

Federal law requires certain criminal aliens to remain in custody while their deportation cases play out. But the Second Circuit has ruled that if they are detained for too long, they are entitled to a bond hearing at which the government must make the case for keeping them in custody.

BLUE STATE GOVERNOR’S PARDON OF CONVICTED FELON TORPEDOS A MAJOR SUPREME COURT IMMIGRATION FIGHT

Other appeals courts have taken different approaches, leaving the Supreme Court with a nationwide split over what constitutional protections apply.

“So the rights of these criminal aliens who were being detained, whether or not they’re entitled to a bond hearing as of right now depends on which jurisdiction they happen to fall in,” Michael Morley, a Florida State University law professor, told Fox News Digital. “And so the government is asking the Supreme Court to set one uniform interpretation for the entire country.”

The Trump administration’s petition is procedurally unusual because Genalo v. D.C. is still pending before the Second Circuit. Sauer is asking the Supreme Court to intervene before the appeals court issues its decision.

“Rather than making the court go through those motions, you just hear this case now, hear this case directly, even before the Second Circuit has had the opportunity to rule,” Morley told Fox News Digital.

The legal dispute could also determine who carries the burden when a bond hearing is required.

Under the Second Circuit’s approach, the government must show that a detainee poses a flight risk or danger to the community. The administration argued that if the Constitution requires such hearings, the burden should instead fall on the detainee seeking release.

Lawyers supporting the administration argue that some detainees could delay their removal cases, then use the length of their detention to seek release on bond.

“The biggest issue that happens here is gamemanship,” Chad Mizelle, chair of litigation at the America First Policy Institute and a former acting associate attorney general, told Fox News Digital.

“A lot of times these aliens will file multiple applications for asylum, withholding removal. They’ll get new attorneys, switch out attorneys, ask for continuances, ask for delays,” Mizelle said. “So all of a sudden they’ve been in detention now, six, seven, eight months, completely of their own making.”

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Mizelle argued that if prolonged detention eventually gives a detainee the right to seek bond, it could create an incentive to stretch proceedings long enough to reach that point.

“They would switch out attorneys. They would make frivolous filings regarding asylum, regarding withholding of removal. They would ask for delays and continuances upon delays and continuances,” Mizelle said. “They’ll do everything they can to try to stretch this out, six months, seven months, eight months, file a habeas petition, say that they’re entitled to a bond hearing, and then if they are released, abscond.”

Carrie Severino, president of JCN, similarly described the additional litigation as “a foot dragging, sand in the gears exercise.”

“This is attempting to stall, attempting to run out the clock or just, you know, the question is whether there even is a clock,” Severino told Fox News Digital.

She pointed to cases such as Demore v. Kim, in which detainees themselves sought additional time during proceedings before later challenging the length of their detention.

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“So, it’s often a situation where people are playing both sides of it,” Severino said. “But they’re asking for more time on different things, but then at the same time complaining that the whole process is taking too long.”

However, Severino cautioned that she could not speak to the motivations of every detainee.

The Supreme Court has previously upheld mandatory detention during removal proceedings, but Morley said the high court has left open the constitutional question now at the center of the administration’s petition.

“This is a question that the [Supreme Court] itself went out of its way, you can say, to leave open for adjudication in a future case,” Morley said.

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The administration is now asking the justices not to wait for another one.

“You wanted to resolve this case. Here’s another case that presents the same exact question that lets you resolve the circuit split this term,” Morley said. “So basically, substitute this case for the moot case.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed once called for repealing a Michigan law that made it a felony for people who knew they had HIV to have sex without first informing their partner — a position he is standing by eight years later as he campaigns in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races

As he unsuccessfully ran for Michigan governor in 2018, El-Sayed repeatedly took aim at the law. The law carried a prison sentence of up to four years for people who knew they were HIV-positive and engaged in sexual penetration without first informing their partner of their HIV status.

“You should not be criminalized for a disease. That is absolutely wrong. It’s hateful. It’s discriminatory, and we can, as a state, do better. You can count on me for that,” El-Sayed said as he ran for governor.

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Fast-forward eight years and El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and a former health director for Detroit-anchored Wayne County, is battling former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the midterm race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The showdown in Michigan is a must hold for the Democrats as they try to win back control of the Senate from the GOP.

As he ran for the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nomination — a contest he lost to now-two-term Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — El-Sayed’s campaign website stated, “Repeal HIV/AIDS criminalization laws and the exclusion of transgender Michiganders from state Medicaid.”

When asked in 2018 if he supported the decriminalization of HIV through legislation that would create two levels of misdemeanors, El-Sayed said at the time, “One of the big things that we have to recognize about HIV is that no disease can be illegal. The continuing forward of these laws on the books stigmatize people with the disease.”

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Whitmer also supported changing the law, which dated to 1988, saying as she ran for governor, “It’s wrong to criminalize sickness, which is what this law has effectively done. It absolutely should be revisited.”

The law was reformed in early 2019, after passing a GOP-controlled legislature with broad bipartisan support. The revised statute limited the felony provisions to vaginal and anal intercourse involving an intent to transmit HIV or cases in which HIV was actually transmitted, reduced certain non-transmission offenses to misdemeanors and protected medically suppressed people from prosecution under the law’s reckless-disregard provision.

“Abdul supports the bipartisan reform bill that passed in 2019 through a Republican legislature that eliminated the discriminatory laws on the books,” campaign spokesperson Roxie Richner told Fox News Digital. “As a public health professional, Abdul has fought to support programs that stem the spread of diseases, including HIV.”

Richner added that “the Trump administration has completely exacerbated this crisis by defunding the organizations and programs that do frontline care to prevent transmission and exposure in the first place. In the US Senate, Abdul will fight back against Donald Trump and RFK Jr’s attempts to dismantle our public health infrastructure and ensure all Americans have access to the care they need.”

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El-Sayed also stands by his past comments on fighting discrimination aimed at those with HIV.

Last week, as he landed an endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign, a leading LGBTQ advocacy group, El-Sayed highlighted that if elected to the Senate, “I’ll fight to ensure every Michigander can live without discrimination and never have to wonder whether their rights will still be there tomorrow.”

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El-Sayed, who narrowly edged more moderate Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens in August in a contentious primary that further exposed the rift between the party’s left-wing and establishment factions, would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected.

He has made support for “Medicare for all” a major component of his campaign. El-Sayed has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has been a vocal critic of Israel during its war against Hamas, characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians.

EXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration is officially entering the artificial intelligence (AI) space with a new tool is says will provide much-needed relief for Americans interacting with the federal government, Fox News Digital has learned.

At an all-day event beginning Tuesday morning and featuring President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, officials will launch and showcase on stage America.gov, a new website designed to enhance “the citizen experience.”

Also attending are Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz and Joe Gebbia, Airbnb co-founder who now heads the National Design Studio (NDS) and who is the first-ever U.S. Chief Design Officer.

The event will be held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., and will also feature appearances from industry titans like Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp. NASA administrator Jared Isaacson is also a confirmed attendee.

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A White House official described the new AI tool as “a new front door for the federal government that will provide a one-stop shop for Americans looking for information and resources from the federal government that are currently spread over a maze of various agency websites.”

“Next week is really about the golden age of America, and really getting to showcase how it’s not just a statement, it’s actually being built,” Gebbia told Fox News Digital.

“What we’re really excited about is that one of the things that we’ve been building is the golden age of the citizen experience.”

Gebbia, who added that the day will mark a “new chapter of usability for the country,” said the new AI tool is built to solve a simple problem faced by Americans who have for decades dealt with clunky, often inefficient and overly complex government systems: “How do you make it easy to just access government?”

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“You can imagine all the things that people try to get done or want to get done in the federal government, [and] just having a brand-new way to access and actually get to the things that people are trying to get to in the federal government,” he said.

The day will include panel discussions with other senior administration officials and top industry leaders on artificial intelligence, energy dominance, health, space and agriculture.

“This is really an incredible collection of people that are working in service to the nation and really showcasing what the future of America is, where we’re headed,” said Gebbia.

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Gebbia says Americans shouldn’t have to accept that their interactions with the federal government are going to be negative or difficult to navigate.

“What if people didn’t say that? What if people have had a different sentiment? It’s entirely possible they can. It takes a president who cares about this, it takes an administration who wants to invest in it, and it takes the right talent to build it.”

“President Trump has those three things.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation for 100,000 young Americans to visit China over the next five years is raising concerns among critics who warn Beijing could use the exchange program to spread propaganda and influence a new generation of Americans.

Xi made the announcement Thursday during a White House arrival ceremony, as he visited Washington this week for talks with President Donald Trump on artificial intelligence, intellectual property, trade practices and rare-earth minerals.

Xi said China will invite 100,000 young Americans over the next five years for exchanges and study, building on existing programs that have included university visits, summer programs, youth forums and other educational and cultural exchanges.

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China created its Young Envoys Scholarship program, administered by the China Education Association for International Exchange, to carry out Xi’s earlier 2023 pledge to invite 50,000 young Americans for exchanges and study. Some trips are fully funded, while others require participants to cover expenses, with the stated goal of strengthening ties between Chinese and American youth.

While some supported the program, many critics slammed the idea over propaganda and safety concerns.

“This is clearly intended to indoctrinate young Americans in China,” Manhattan Institute fellow Daniel Di Martino posted to X. “But if some people should go, let the DSA members and let them see the Uyghur concentration camps and poor rural villages. Let them speak to the political prisoners. And let them visit and meet Hong Kongers.”

“100,000 more Timmy Walz’s. What could go wrong,” said one user, referencing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who taught English and U.S. history in Foshan in 1989 after graduating from Chadron State College.

“They’ll come back as Governor of Minnesota,” another user added.

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“No! They will brainwash them while over there,” said one person.

“I welcome Xi Jinping’s invitation for 100,000 American students to visit and study in China. As Co-Chair of the Congressional International Exchanges Caucus, I believe educational and cultural exchanges are an important way to build mutual understanding and expertise,” said Democratic California Rep. Ami Bera.

“But those exchanges depend on trust and the ability to study, speak, and engage without fear of harassment or arbitrary detention,” Bera continued. “Right now, American scholar Min Zin remains wrongfully detained in China, and Beijing continues to target scholars, human rights advocates, and diaspora communities whose work or speech it finds unwelcome.”

“I’m one of the Americans who spent years living and studying in China. I majored in Chinese literature in college. Sadly, I cannot recommend young Americans do the same thing today,” said Atlantic Council visiting fellow Isaac Stone Fish.

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Fish said that China has grown more repressive and less welcoming to foreigners.

“If tensions worsen between the United States and China, those students could effectively function as hostages,” Fish added.

“Are they coming back as Communists,” asked one user.

“To be honest, I’m not sure I WANT 100,000 impressionable American students sent off to some CCP-controlled propaganda tour,” said conservative commentator Nick Sortor.

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The Department of Education referred Fox News Digital to the White House when asked for comment.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

U.S. authorities have separately warned that American students abroad can become targets for foreign intelligence recruitment, citing past cases involving China.

Glenn Duffie Shriver, a Michigan student who studied abroad in Shanghai in 2002–2003, returned to China after graduating in 2004 and was recruited there by Chinese intelligence officers.

Shriver was paid to apply for positions with the State Department and CIA to access classified information for the Chinese.

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He was caught before obtaining a government position and pleaded guilty in 2010 to conspiring to provide national-defense information to Chinese intelligence officers. He was sentenced to four years in federal prison in 2011.