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The White House hit back at recent news reports detailing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s reported involvement in a second Signal group chat where he discussed military strikes on Yemen as a “nonstory” while also slamming recently fired Department of Defense staffers. 

“No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same nonstory, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital Monday morning. “Recently fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.” 

Kelly’s response followed Fox News Digital inquiring about media reports Sunday reporting that Hegseth was part of another Signal group chat that allegedly included his wife, personal attorney and brother where he discussed upcoming military strikes on Yemen. The chat was reportedly created by Hegseth, the New York Times reported Sunday, citing four people will knowledge of the chat.

Hegseth also brushed off the reporting on the Signal chat Monday, blaming it on “disgruntled employees” and “anonymous smears.”

PENTAGON’S WEEK OF POWER STRUGGLES: LEAK FALLOUT AND SHOUTING MATCHES HIT HEGSETH’S INNER CIRCLE

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has yet to respond to the post on X. (Franco Brana/AFP via Getty Images)

“This is why we’re fighting the fake news media,” he said when pressed on the chat by reporters at the White House Easter Egg roll. “This group right here is full of hoaxsters.”

Hegseth gestured to his wife and children and said he was there to enjoy the day with them. He added that he had spoken to Trump and planned to keep fighting all the way.

The Trump administration came under scrutiny from Democrats and other critics after the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed in an article published March 24 that he was added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Hegseth, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, discussing upcoming military strikes in Yemen. 

PENTAGON FIRES GREENLAND US BASE COMMANDER WHO ‘UNDERMINED’ JD VANCE AFTER PITUFFIK VISIT

Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. 

The Atlantic’s report characterized the Trump administration as texting “war plans” regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. 

The Trump administration has maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. The strikes on Houthi rebels unfolded on March 15. 

President Donald Trump speaks as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, April 17, 2025, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media in March that the White House considered the Signal group chat leak case “closed” while continuing to offer support to Waltz, whose office allegedly mistakenly added the journalist to the chat. 

THIRD TOP PENTAGON AIDE COLIN CARROLL ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE OVER LEAKS PROBE

“As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” Leavitt told the media in brief remarks during a gaggle outside of the White House’s press room March 31. “And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.” 

“There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,” she continued. “And we’re moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.” 

PENTAGON DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF IS SECOND HEGSETH ADVISOR REMOVED AMID DOD LEAK PROBE

Reports of a second Signal chat involving Hegseth follows highly publicized departures at the Pentagon last week following leaks. 

Top aides to Hegseth were placed on leave and escorted out of the building as the Pentagon probed unauthorized leaks: Senior Advisor Dan Caldwell, Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg.

U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stand, as U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) meets French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured), at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 24, 2025. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

On Friday evening, those three employees were fired, two defense officials confirmed to Fox News Digital, along with Chief of Staff Joe Kasper. 

Another press aide, John Ullyot, parted ways with the Pentagon because he did not want to be second-in-command of the communications shop. 

Officials denied that the three men were placed on leave because of their foreign policy views and said they saw no connection to their positions on Iran and Israel — even as reports surfaced that President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the Pentagon would not intervene if Israel attacked Iran.

Ullyot notably published a scathing opinion piece in Politco Sunday predicting Hegseth would not remain as secretary of defense. 

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“It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon,” he wrote. “From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership.”

“President Donald Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account,” he wrote. “Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared details of a March military airstrike against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in another Signal message chat that included his wife and brother, according to a report.

The New York Times first reported the revelation of a second Signal chat surrounding the military strike on Sunday. Those same attack plans had also been shared in another chat with top Trump administration leaders and only came to light last month because Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly added to the group.

The second chat had the same warplane launch times that were included in the first chat, operational details that, if shared before a strike, could have put pilots in danger, multiple former and current officials have said.

Four people with knowledge of the second chat told the paper that Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, his brother Phil and his personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, were included in the chat.

NSA MIKE WALTZ TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR SIGNAL CHAT LEAK

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with El Salvador’s Minister of National Defense Rene Merino Monroy at the Pentagon, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)

Jennifer Hegseth is not a Defense Department employee, though she has traveled with her husband overseas to meetings with foreign leaders. Phil Hegseth and Parlatore are both employed by the Pentagon. It is unclear why any of them would need to be informed of any upcoming military strikes.

The second chat included 13 people, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. They also confirmed the chat was dubbed “Defense ‘ Team Huddle.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell dismissed the reporting as “another old story—back from the dead.”

“The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda,” Parnell said. “This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article.”

AXED PENTAGON AIDES CLAIM THEIR CHARACTER WAS ‘SLANDERED,’ LITTLE DETAILS WERE SHARED ABOUT LEAK INVESTIGATION

Parnell claimed that The Times’ sources were people fired from the Pentagon last week who “appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President’s agenda.”

Parnell contended that there was no classified information in any Signal chat, a response that Hegseth previously asserted regarding the first chat.

The White House late Sunday similarly dismissed the report as a “non-story,” suggesting that disgruntled former Pentagon employees were spreading false claims.

“No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared,” said Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary. “Recently-fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.”

PENTAGON’S WEEK OF POWER STRUGGLES: LEAK FALLOUT AND SHOUTING MATCHES HIT HEGSETH’S INNER CIRCLE

Former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot, who announced he was resigning last week unrelated to the leaks, penned an op-ed published in Politico on Sunday that detailed what he called “the Month from Hell” inside the agency.

“President Donald Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account. Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer,” Ullyot wrote.

He wrote that “the building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership” after the defense secretary “followed horrible crisis-communications advice from his new public affairs team” regarding the first Signal chat.

Ullyot wrote that Trump “deserves better from his senior leadership.”

The first chat, set up by national security adviser Mike Waltz, included several Cabinet members. The contents of that chat, which The Atlantic published, shows that Hegseth listed weapons systems and a timeline for the attack on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen last month.

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The revelation of the second chat group brought fresh criticism against Hegseth and President Donald Trump’s wider administration after it failed to take action against the top national security officials who discussed plans for the military strike in Signal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s post-Easter work week is set to include ongoing Easter celebrations, including hosting the White House’s famed Easter Egg Roll, as well as continuing trade negotiations following the reciprocal tariff pause earlier this month.

Families, children and members of the Trump Cabinet will flock to the White House’s South Lawn on Monday, when first lady Melania Trump will host the annual Easter Egg Roll. 

“As families across the nation gather to celebrate Easter,” Melania Trump shared in a message on Good Friday. “I extend my gratitude to the dedicated East Wing Staff for their tireless effort in preparing the upcoming White House Easter Egg Roll.” 

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP SHARES GOOD FRIDAY MESSAGE AHEAD OF EASTER

President Donald Trump waves to guests after delivering remarks from the Truman Balcony with first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump during the 139th Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 17, 2017.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“This cherished tradition, rooted in history since 1878, brings joy, storytelling and laughter to America’s children,” she continued. 

TRUMP SHREDS BIDEN, ‘RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS’ IN EASTER MESSAGE

Basket with painted Easter eggs, surrounded by tulips and daffodils (iStock, courtesy of user kajakiki)

The event, in its 147th year, dates back to Rutherford B. Hayes’ presidency in 1878, according to the White House website. This year’s event will feature thousands of eggs donated by American farmers. 

The Trump administration is expected to meet with South Korean officials in Washington, D.C., this week as the nation looks to strike a tariff deal. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The Trump administration is expected to meet with South Korean officials in Washington, D.C., this week as the nation looks to strike a tariff deal with Trump after the country was hit with a 25% reciprocal tariff during Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement. 

“We’re working on the big 15 economies first, we had a fantastic meeting with Japan yesterday. I believe there have been calls with the EU already. And then we have, South Korea coming in next week. And I believe India is also, talking. That’s moving very quickly,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said of the negotiations last week. 

WHAT THE FINANCIAL MARKETS ARE SCREAMING ABOUT TRUMP’S TARIFFS

Trump put a 90-day pause on reciprocal, customized tariffs he had imposed on dozens of nations on April 9, which was an abrupt change of course after saying there would not be a pause to the tariffs, just negotiations. Simultaneously, the Trump administration upped the ante on its tariff on China to 125%. 

Now, the administration, including Trump, is diving into negotiations with foreign nations to strike deals that are beneficial to the U.S. and lower the country’s chronic trade deficit. 

South Korea confirmed on Sunday that officials would visit Washington, D.C., later this week. South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun are slated to meet specifically with Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Reuters reported. 

TRUMP SAYS THERE’S A ‘REAL CHANCE’ TARIFFS COULD REPLACE INCOME TAX

A lobster rears its claws after being caught off Spruce Head, Maine, Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Trump signed an executive order last week intended to bolster the U.S. fishing industry and “restore American seafood competitiveness” by prioritizing commercial fishing while cutting red tape that handcuffs where fishermen cast their nets. 

Trump previewed that an executive action related specifically to Maine’s lobster industry will land on his desk this week. 

MAINE LOBSTERMEN CATCH BIG COURT VICTORY AGAINST BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S ‘EGREGIOUS’ REGULATIONS

“I did it last time in Maine and they [the Biden administration] undid it. That’s why we have to stay president for a long time,” Trump said from the Oval Office last week, previewing his next executive action related to fishing will focus on Maine’s lobster industry. 

Under his first administration, Trump cut Obama-era regulations that prevented lobsterman from fishing in certain areas, including 5,000 square miles of federally protected waters off the coast of Cape Cod. 

President Donald Trump sits down with Fox News anchor Bret Baier for an interview. (Fox News/Special Report)

Trump has signed 130 executive orders since he took office on Jan. 20, dwarfing his predecessors’ EO counts by dozens of actions. 

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Trump’s 14th week back in the Oval comes just ahead of his 100th day as president on April 30. 

A $5 billion green energy project touted by the Biden administration and Democrats was rushed and relied on faulty science that could have resulted in severe negative environmental impacts, a new study found.

The Empire Wind Project, which was being developed by energy company “Equinor” and was slated to see the construction of 147 ocean wind turbines off the coasts of New York and New Jersey, was halted by the Trump Department of the Interior in a move announced this week.

The project was estimated to cost a total of $5 billion and was being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

On Wednesday, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said the project would remain halted pending “further review of information that suggests the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.”

COAL IS A ‘TRIPLE WIN’ AND TRUMP UNDERSTANDS THAT, DOUG BURGUM SAYS

A $5 billion green energy project touted by the Biden administration and Democrats was rushed and relied on faulty science that could have resulted in severe negative environmental impacts, a new study found. (Win McNamee/Getty Images John Moore/Getty Images)

A review by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) appears to back up the Trump administration’s concerns.

The agency found the Empire Wind approval process relied on rushed, outdated and incomplete scientific and environmental analysis, leading to project leaders making decisions not based on the best available information.

The NOAA said that “monitoring plans to assess project effects on fisheries and habitat resources were inadequate, and existing compensation mechanisms fell short due to flawed scientific methodologies.”

Ultimately, these deficiencies “limited the ability to avoid and minimize conflicts between development and marine resources at both stages.”

REPUBLICANS SEEK TO END TAXPAYER FUNDING OF ‘GREEN ENERGY BOONDOGGLES’ ON AGRICULTURAL LANDS

Wind turbines, of the Block Island Wind Farm, tower above the water on October 14, 2016 off the shores of Block Island, Rhode Island. (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images) (Don Emmert)

The result was that several sensitive habitats, spawning grounds, and important regional commercial and recreational fishing areas were included within the wind farm area.

“Critical areas that support commercial and recreational fisheries were not excluded from leasing, and proposals that emphasized maximum development scenarios further restricted opportunities to reduce impacts on fisheries and important habitats,” the NOAA’s study found.  

In total, approximately 139 acres of seabed would have been permanently altered by wind turbine generators and equipment and an additional 1,554 acres would have been altered by the installation of a submarine cable connecting the turbines to the land.

Additionally, the project did not account for new information about adverse construction impacts of other ocean wind farms, such as the catastrophic turbine blade failures that occurred in 2024 at another Biden wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, as well as problems with persistent fish kills associated with the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.

BIDEN ADMIN QUIETLY RELEASED STUDY SHOWING GREEN ENERGY RECEIVES FAR MORE SUBSIDIES THAN FOSSIL FUELS

A major part of a first-of-its-kind green energy project, which the Biden administration bragged about, is now lying in ruins and polluting some of America’s beautiful ocean and seashore in Nantucket, Massachusetts. 

Despite these concerns, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has vowed to fight the Trump administration’s decision to halt the project.

After Burgum announced the project was being halted, Hochul slammed the decision, saying, “Permits secured. Shovels in the ground. 1,000 union workers earning a paycheck. Now the federal government wants to kill Empire Wind 1, putting jobs, affordable energy, and our economic future at risk.” 

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Hochul pledged to “fight them every step of the way.”

A Thursday statement by Equinor said that Empire is complying with the government’s order to halt construction but noted it is “engaging with relevant authorities to clarify this matter and is considering its legal remedies, including appealing the order.”

President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to pull an additional $1 billion in federal funding from Harvard University amid his public battle with the institution, according to a report published Sunday.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the $1 billion is related to the elite Massachusetts Ivy League school’s health research funding, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The latest report comes just days after the White House asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status over its alleged failure to address antisemitism on campus. 

In March, the Justice Department began a “comprehensive review” of the school’s federal contracts and government-funded grants. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) canceled $2.7 million in DHS grants to the university.

HARVARD UNDER FIRE AS DHS SECRETARY CUTS $2.7M IN GRANTS, DEMANDS VISA RECORDS

President Donald Trump reportedly plans to pull $1 billion in health research funds from Harvard University. (Getty Images)

In a recent social media post, Trump claimed that Harvard had “lost its way” and didn’t deserve federal funding.

“Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and ‘birdbrains’ who are only capable of teaching FAILURE to students and so-called ‘future leaders,'” Trump wrote. “Look just to the recent past at their plagiarizing President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States Congress.

“Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds.”

Earlier last week, Fox News Digital spoke with students at Harvard about Trump’s recent measures – and got mixed results.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES PLAN TO CHOP DOWN MAGNOLIA TREE PURPORTEDLY PLANTED BY ANDREW JACKSON: ‘MUST COME TO AN END’

“In my personal opinion, it’s that Harvard kind of deserves everything that’s happened, everything that is coming to it,” Carter Stewart, a classics major and campus Republican, said. “I think Harvard is faced with a choice, and it seems like they’re making the wrong choice, which is to double down on these crazy ideas that most Americans don’t agree with and to pay the price for that.”

“So, I think it’s a good thing that Harvard’s being forced to put its money where its mouth is,” Stewart added.

Ryan Enos, a Harvard professor of government, offered a different take, and said that he supported the school’s defiance against the federal government.

“You shouldn’t have the government coming in and telling a private institution what it can do in its internal affairs like that,” Enos said. “People have a right to protest whatever they want. I think we need to be really careful not to conflate those two things, because otherwise we have a danger of doing things like shutting down free speech.”

A view of the statue of John Harvard on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Harvard for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

Fox News Digital’s Kaylee Holland and Albas Cubas-Fantauzzi contributed to this report.

As Easter serves as a reminder of renewal and hope for many in the Christian faith, the author of a series of new children’s books warns that the culture war and the fight for family values isn’t over.

Anthony DeStefano is a bestselling author renowned for his Christian-themed books for adults and children. His books often bring Biblical stories to life through vivid, animated storytelling. His latest, “From Bread and Wine to Saints Divine,” introduces children to the Eucharist—a central element of Catholic and Orthodox communion—in a way that’s simple and accessible. 

“If the electorate rejects wokeism, what other options does the left have? What’s their most effective strategy? It’s to go after the kids,” DeStefano told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. 

“It’s true that American voters have rejected the physical mutilation of children’s bodies through puberty blockers, sex hormones and irreversible gender transition surgeries,” DeStefano said. “But they also must recognize that the woke left, through the entertainment industry, is just as determined to mutilate the minds and souls of children through ideological propaganda. That’s a tough statement, but it’s true. Wokeness is not just about mutilating children’s bodies. It’s about mutilating children’s souls.”

POPE REMARKS ON ‘BLESSING’ THAT COMES WITH FRAILTY; SAYS ‘WAR APPEARS EVEN MORE ABSURD’ IN HIS CURRENT STATE

Children’s book author Anthony DeStefano meets with Pope John Paul II. (Anthony DeStefano)

DeStefano’s works have been published in 18 countries and translated into 12 languages. For him, the path to becoming a children’s book author wasn’t so clear-cut from the start.

A native New Yorker, he attended Manhattan’s prestigious Stuyvesant High School, known for its rigorous academics programs—and where he met his English teacher. That teacher, Frank McCourt, won the Pulitzer Prize for his memoir “Angela’s Ashes,” later adapted into a film.

McCourt’s influence on DeStefano was immediate. 

“He assigned us to write children’s books,” DeStefano recalled. “He wanted to force us to stop writing elaborately, as teenagers often do.”

“I had always wanted to be a doctor,” he said. “A surgeon, to be exact.” 

Yet, obstacles like organic chemistry and integral calculus led him to reassess his goals, he joked.

In his mid-to-late twenties, DeStefano’s life took a turn in another direction, though. He found a deep connection to the Catholic faith, influenced by the writings of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, which led him back to writing.

“I thought, ‘Ah, maybe, maybe there’s a way to combine both these great desires to be a writer and to be a doctor.’ Maybe what God really wants me to do is to be a healer of some kind, but to heal people, not with surgery, but through my writing,” he said.

CATHOLIC BISHOP AND ORTHODOX ARTIST DISCUSS MATERIALISM, SCIENTIFIC ARGUMENTS FOR CHRIST, REUNIFICATION

Children’s book author Anthony DeStefano meets with Pope Francis. (Anthony DeStefano)

“That’s the genesis of my whole writing career, and writing simply,” DeStefano said. “And then, of course, as I got older, and I recognized more and more that there was a culture war going on, I realized that children represented the front lines in that cultural war. And so I thought to myself, if I could write books that help instill timeless traditional values at an age when kids are still open, curious and impressionable, then I would be doing something meaningful to counterbalance the secular messages that bombard them from the legacy media and the entertainment world.”

In 2018, DeStefano deviated from writing children’s books and wrote “Inside the Atheist Mind: Unmasking the Religion of Those Who Say There Is No God,” which immediately drew criticism and negative reviews online. 

Of that experience, he said, “it was exhilarating,” adding that “if you’re attacked by the secular culture, then that means you’re doing your job.” For DeStefano, restoring “objective truth” of family values and faith to the current social landscape is one of the keys to reject “moral relativism” prevalent in the culture today.

CONCERNED PARENTS OF TRANS KIDS COMPARED TO ‘HATE GROUPS’ BY COLORADO DEM: WOULDN’T ‘ASK THE KKK’ FOR OPINION

The sun rises on Easter morning in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)

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“Now, Easter is the celebration of the resurrection, and that’s the ultimate proof that light conquers darkness,” he said. “The same power that rolled away the stone on Easter morning is available to us as we push back against the lies that are being fed to us.”

Americans are scrambling to obtain a state-issued REAL ID in order to travel by plane ahead of a federal deadline next month, which comes after states from coast to coast changed their laws surrounding driver’s licenses to permit illegal immigrants to drive. 

Americans will need to obtain a REAL ID, which is a federally-compliant driver’s license or other identification that meets higher standards than state-issued licenses, in order to easily travel by air, the Department of Homeland Security explains on its website. Only legal U.S. citizens or residents can obtain the identification card, while valid U.S. passports can also still be used instead of a REAL ID for domestic air travel. 

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to heighten security requirements for driver’s licenses in response to the attacks on 9/11. Though some states began complying with the law more than a decade ago, enforcement for all states had been repeatedly delayed due to the pandemic, DMV backlogs, as well as some states, such as South Carolina, initially refusing to comply. 

The move to officially enforce REAL IDs at the national level for domestic air travel comes after 19 states and Washington, D.C., put laws on the books allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. 

HOUSE REPUBLICAN’S BILL WOULD RIP FEDERAL FUNDS FROM STATES THAT GIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DRIVER’S LICENSES

REAL ID and TSA lines (Reuters/DC DMV)

The states, which stretch from New York and New Jersey to California and Washington state, changed their laws in order to allow illegal immigrants to drive freely to work, while also ensuring they meet driving skill requirements and could obtain car insurance to bolster road safety, various liberal lawmakers and immigrant advocacy groups said as they rallied support for the law changes.

“Expanding access to driver’s licenses is critical for the safety of New Jerseyans and a step toward building a stronger and fairer New Jersey for all,” New Jersey Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy, for example, said in 2019 after signing the Garden State’s legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. 

LEGAL IMMIGRANT OUTRAGED OVER MINNESOTA OFFERING DRIVER’S LICENSES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

 “Allowing residents the opportunity to obtain driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status will decrease the number of uninsured drivers and increase safety on our roads. I thank my partners in the Legislature for sending this important bill to my desk,” he added. 

A group of migrants rushes the border wall March 21, 2024, knocking down Texas National Guardsmen in the process. (James Breeden for New York Post/Mega)

Just a few months after New Jersey’s 2021 law change, the state issued 100,000 new permits, a 65% jump compared to the same three-month period in years prior, NJ Spotlight News reported at the time. 

BONDI ANNOUNCES NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST STATES ALLEGEDLY FAILING TO COMPLY WITH IMMIGRATION ACTIONS

New Jersey is among the states that have reported long wait times at DMVs as residents scramble to obtain a REAL ID to fly ahead of the May 7 deadline. 

The states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Washington state had a law on the books allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses since 1993, National Conference of State Legislatures data show, while most states, such as Illinois and California, began changing their laws starting in 2012. 

In Massachusetts in 2022, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, citing that local DMVs did not have the ability to verify the validity of foreign documents and that it would overall weaken the validity of state driver’s licenses. 

Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande are lined up for processing by Customs and Border Protection, Sept. 23, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

“I cannot sign this legislation because it requires the Registry of Motor Vehicles to issue state credentials to people without the ability to verify their identity. The Registry does not have the expertise or ability to verify the validity of many types of documents from other countries,” Baker said at the time. “Consequently, a standard Massachusetts driver’s license will no longer confirm that a person is who they say they are.” 

Massachusetts ultimately allowed illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses through a ballot initiative. 

Domestic air travelers who are in the nation illegally are required to present a valid and up-to-date photo ID to board a flight, and can show documents such as a driver’s license, a current foreign passport, a military ID or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Employment Authorization Card, and other forms of photo IDs, according to various immigrant advocacy groups. 

SANCTUARY STATE’S ‘GREEN LIGHT’ LAW IS RED FLAG FOR AMERICANS’ SAFETY, NATIONAL SECURITY: EXPERTS

The Trump administration, which has been on an illegal immigration deportation blitz, revealed in a memo last week that the REAL ID requirement will further crack down on illegal aliens moving freely around the country. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is recognized as President Donald Trump speaks during an event at the White House on April 2. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

A Department of Homeland Security memo exclusively obtained by Fox Digital last week outlined that part of the motivation for the Trump administration to enforce the REAL ID law is to prevent those in the country illegally from flying – unless they are looking to self-deport on an international flight.

“Under Biden, illegal aliens used non-compliant IDs from sanctuary cities to board flights, but REAL ID’s higher security standards make it nearly impossible to forge legitimate documents, ensuring only verified travelers can fly,” the memo states. 

“This closes the gaping vulnerabilities Biden’s policies created, preventing criminals and potential terrorists from exploiting our aviation system, as seen during 9/11 when fraudulent IDs enabled attacks,” the memo continues.

NEW JERSEY BILL TO LET ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS GET DRIVERS’ LICENSES ADVANCES TO GOVERNOR’S DESK

The agency emphasized that the measure prevents people in the country illegally from traveling within the U.S.

“DHS and TSA are clear, the only place an illegal alien should be flying is home. Under Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, illegal aliens will be barred from domestic flights, with one exception: illegal aliens self-deporting on international flights will be allowed to board without a REAL ID, encouraging their exit from the U.S.,” it states.

While many conservatives backed the REAL ID Act, both in 2005 and now, some have said it bolsters the oversight “Big Brother” holds over the country. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FLOOD DMVS IN NY AFTER NEW DRIVERS LICENSE LAW TAKES EFFECT

“Evidently, existing ID requirements for American citizens just aren’t adequate now, so Big Brother is forcing us through more hoops for the ‘right’ to travel within our own country,” former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin posted to X. 

“If you think REAL ID is about election integrity, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Someone has lied to you, or you’re engaged in wishful thinking. Please don’t shoot the messenger,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote on X last week. 

“REAL ID is a 2005 George Bush-era Patriot Act overreach that went completely unenforced until Trump got into office. Let me guess: he’s playing 4D chess and I should just go along with it?” Massie wrote in another post. 

TOP TRUMP AGENCY HYPES IMPORTANCE OF REAL ID ENFORCEMENT, CITING ONE KEY REASON

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (Reuters)

President Donald Trump, under his first administration, pushed back the REAL ID October 2020 deadline as the pandemic raged. The Biden administration’s DHS established the May 7, 2025, deadline in 2022. 

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, told Fox News Digital in a statement last week: “REAL IDs make identification harder to forge, thwarting criminals and terrorists. 81% of air travelers hold REAL ID-compliant or acceptable IDs. DHS will continue to collaborate with state, local, and airport authorities to inform the public, facilitate compliance, curb wait times and prevent fraud.”

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“DHS responds to official correspondence through official channels,” McLaughlin added.

Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump is “hopeful” Russia and Ukraine can make a deal this week after a temporary Easter ceasefire between the two countries ended.  

“Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week,” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune!”

The war between the two countries has raged for more than three years and has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people on both sides. 

PUTIN ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY EASTER CEASEFIRE IN UKRAINE WAR

President Trump says the U.S. should control Ukraine’s nuclear power plants in a security move as ceasefire negotiations commence. (Getty Images used to create Fox News Image)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of breaking their ceasefire agreement and said “the Russian army has violated Putin’s ceasefire more than two thousand times.”

“The total number of violations by the Russian army of Russia’s own ceasefire promise throughout the day reached 2,935. The highest number of shellings and assaults occurred in the Pokrovsk,” Zelenskyy wrote. 

“The Russian promise of complete silence did not spread in the Kursk direction either. In total, there were 96 Russian assaults on the front, 1,882 shelling of our positions, and in particular 812 with heavy weapons, Russian FPV drones were used more than 950 times.” — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine will remain a mirror-image and “will respond to silence with silence our strikes in defense of Russian strikes.” 

“Actions are always more eloquent than words,” Zelenskyy said. 

PUTIN CONSCRIPTS 160K MEN AS RUSSIA EYES UKRAINE OFFENSIVE

Local residents walk among the debris near a damaged house, a day after a Russian strike on a suburb of Odesa, southern Ukraine, on March 7, 2025. (OLEKSANDR GIMANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin ordered his forces to stop all military activity along the front line in the temporary Easter ceasefire until midnight, Moscow time, on Sunday.

Zelenskyy previously said that if the Easter ceasefire actually held up, he would propose extending it longer.

“That is what will reveal Russia’s true intentions – because 30 hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures,” he said. “Thirty days could give peace a chance.”

Zelenskyy added that “there is no trust in words coming from Moscow” after one of his military leaders reported that Russia had seemed to break their truce. 

“We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything. Ukraine’s Defense Forces will act rationally – responding in kind. Every Russian strike will be met with an appropriate response,” Zelenskyy said. 

ZELENSKYY SENSATIONALLY PREDICTS PUTIN ‘WILL DIE SOON’

President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., echoed Zelenskyy and said on “Face the Nation” on CBS that the likelihood of Russia upholding the deal is “entirely up to Vladimir Putin.”

“The man has never kept his word, ever, in any context, as far as I’m aware,” Fitzpatrick said. “So we have to know what we’re dealing with. Our government, I hope, knows who they’re dealing with Vladimir Putin. He’s not a man of his word. He’s not interested in peace. I hope he gets there.”

Fitzpatrick added that he felt like Secretary of State Marco Rubio is “doing a great job and understands Putin.”

“He understands the dynamic of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the history there. And I have full faith in his ability to barter a just and fair agreement,” Fitzpatrick explained. “But it’s important to remember, and this applies to all agreements where we facilitate as a nation, that it’s ultimately up to the nations to accept and abide by those conditions.” 

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“President Zelensky, the Ukrainian people desperately want peace. They’ve always wanted peace. They were a peaceful nation before Russia wrongfully invaded them, and they want to get it back. But it has got to be a just and lasting peace,” he said. 

The temporary ceasefire came after Trump on Thursday said an 80-page minerals deal will be signed with Ukraine in one week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later said it would likely be signed on April 26. 

Details on the agreement remain relatively unknown, though recent reporting by Bloomberg has suggested the U.S. has eased back its demands for repayment for its aid in Ukraine’s fight against Russia from $300 billion to $100 billion. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

Border czar Tom Homan defended sending “designated terrorists” to prisons like the one in El Salvador, saying that the “travesties” he’s seen during his decades-long career in border security justify the Trump administration’s move.

Homan appeared on ABC’s “This Week” in a pre-recorded interview that aired Sunday, where he was asked if he had any qualms about sending people to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) even if they have no criminal record. 

“If people wore my shoes for the last 40 years and seen the travesties I’ve seen, they would understand that the worst of the worst need to be sent to a prison like that because we got to protect American citizens,” Homan said. “We got to protect this country.”

Homan said his four decades of experience working in border security informed his belief.

APPEALS COURT DENIES DOJ BID TO BLOCK RETURN OF KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON

White House border czar Tom Homan talks with reporters at the White House, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“What you don’t know, what most readers don’t know, they haven’t seen and experienced what I’ve seen in my 40 years,” Homan told ABC’s Jonathan Karl. 

“I’ve talked to young girls, the youngest nine, that were raped by members of these gang cartels,” Homan continued. “I’ve held dead bodies throughout my career. I’ve talked to a hundred … angel moms and dads whose children were killed and brutally murdered by members of MS-13 who just didn’t kill them, they mutilated them, they tortured them.”

PHOTOS: GOP DELEGATION PROVIDES INSIDE LOOK AT CONTROVERSIAL EL SALVADOR PRISON HOUSING US DEPORTEES

The Trump administration’s plan of sending the “worst of the worst” migrant gang members to CECOT has caused national controversy, with some outraged Democrats accusing Trump of “kidnapping” people for deportation.

A prisoner is moved at the Terrorist Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

One Democrat, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, flew to El Salvador last week to meet with deported illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia. 

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Trump officials say Abrego Garcia was correctly removed and contend he’s a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, though Democrats argue that he was deported without due process, regardless of being an alleged gang member.

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

Justice Samuel Alito wrote a fiery dissent against a recent Supreme Court move to halt President Donald Trump’s deportations of Venezuelan criminals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

The decision, which was issued early Saturday morning, effectively blocks the deportations of Venezuelan migrants under the 18th century law. In a decision that was also signed off on by conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, the court advised the White House not to remove Venezuelans held in Texas’ Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.”

Alito disapproved of the timing of the decision, which he described as being “literally in the middle of the night.”

“[T]he Court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party, within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order,” Alito wrote.

ACLU APPEALS TO SUPREME COURT TO STOP VENEZUELAN DEPORTATIONS; BOASBERG HOLDS EMERGENCY HEARING FRIDAY NIGHT

Justice Samuel Alito issued a strongly-worded dissent against the recent SCOTUS decision to halt certain deportations. (Getty Images)

The justice, who has served on the court since 2006, was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas in his dissent.

“I refused to join the Court’s order because we had no good reason to think that, under the circumstances, issuing an order at midnight was necessary or appropriate,” Alito continued.

“Both the Executive and the Judiciary have an obligation to follow the law. The Executive must proceed under the terms of our order in Trump v. J. G. G., 604 U. S. ___ (2025) (per curiam), and this Court should follow established procedures.”

DEMOCRAT SENATOR VAN HOLLEN MEETS, SHAKES HANDS WITH ABREGO GARCIA

A Venezuelan migrant repatriated from the US walks upon arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, on April 4, 2025.  (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

Later on Saturday, counsel representing the Trump administration filed an opposition to the order. The lawyers said that the federal government gave advance notice to detainees before their deportations, allowing enough time to file habeas claims.

“The government has agreed not to remove, pursuant the AEA, those AEA detainees who do file habeas claims (including the putative class representatives),” the filing states. 

“This Court should dissolve its current administrative stay and allow the lower courts to address the relevant legal and factual questions in the first instance — including the development of a proper factual record.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) previously filed an emergency appeal arguing that federal immigration authorities appeared to have resumed the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The Supreme Court previously allowed the White House to continue the deportations in a limited capacity, as long as due process was provided.

President Donald Trump waves with Vice President JD Vance as they depart after welcoming the 2025 College Football National Champions, the Ohio State University football team, during an event on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows the deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, has only been invoked a few times in U.S. history, most recently being during World War II.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and Alexandra Koch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Democratic National Committee social media post appeared to snub the party’s most recent occupant of the Oval Office, former President Joe Biden.

“Happy Easter!” reads a post on the DNC’s official X account, which included photos of former Presidents Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton.

But the post did not include a photo of Biden, the party’s most recent president.

TRUMP SHREDS BIDEN, ‘RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS’ IN EASTER MESSAGE

President Joe Biden speaks on the Truman Balcony of the White House during the Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Biden finished his only term earlier this year, relinquishing the office to Republican President Donald Trump. While Biden was lawfully able to serve another term, he ended his re-election bid over the summer to clear the way for former Vice President Kamala Harris after concerns mounted about his advanced age.

That decision evidently weighed on him during his final weeks in office, with Biden telling reporters in late December and early January that he believed he could have beaten Trump had he continued his campaign.

President Joe Biden addresses guests during the White House Easter Egg Roll on April 1, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HOSTS EASTER DINNER WITH ‘WORSHIP AND PRAYERS’

Instead, Trump beat Harris convincingly in the Electoral College on his way to winning the popular vote for the first time in his three bids for president.

For his part, Trump did not forget Biden on Easter, taking to social media to lament how “Sleepy Joe Biden purposefully allowed Millions of CRIMINALS to enter our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, through an Open Borders Policy that will go down in history as the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated upon America.”

President Joe Biden and the Easter Bunny wave at the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House on April 10, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

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“He was, by far, our WORST and most Incompetent President, a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing – But to him, and to the person that ran and manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy Easter,” Trump added.

The DNC did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Three Department of Defense aides who were dumped from the Pentagon this week amid concerns about unauthorized leaks have raised questions about their abrupt, public departures.

In a joint statement from senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll posted to X, the military veterans questioned the action against them, noting they were given few details about the investigation.

After being placed on leave and escorted from the building this week, the employees said they were “incredibly disappointed” by the manner in which their service at the Defense Department ended. 

“Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door,” the aides wrote. “All three of us served our country honorably in uniform – for two of us, this included deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, based on our collective service, we understand the importance of information security and worked every day to protect it.”

PENTAGON’S WEEK OF POWER STRUGGLES: LEAK FALLOUT AND SHOUTING MATCHES HIT HEGSETH’S INNER CIRCLE

Former Pentagon aides Dan Caldwell, left, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll. (Concerned Veterans for America, DOD )

The statement came after chief of staff Joe Kasper confirmed to Fox News Digital Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll were ultimately fired on Friday night.

Caldwell advised on the Europe portfolio, while Selnick focused on operations, administration and personnel matters, Fox News Digital previously reported. Carroll attended to acquisitions.

Though reports surfaced about President Donald Trump telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the Pentagon would not intervene if Israel attacked Iran, officials discounted claims that the employees were booted based on their views on foreign policy.

Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll expressed in the statement that they still had not been told what they were being investigated for, if there was still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of “leaks” to begin with.

PENTAGON FIRES GREENLAND US BASE COMMANDER WHO ‘UNDERMINED’ JD VANCE AFTER PITUFFIK VISIT

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has yet to respond to the post on X. (Franco Brana/AFP via Getty Images)

Experts claim they are not entitled to an explanation until the investigation has concluded, as it is typical security protocol to limit potential suspects’ authorization and access.

Even if the investigation ends in their favor, as civilian political appointees, they can be fired at-will. If it goes the opposite way, they could lose their security clearances or face criminal charges.

“While this experience has been unconscionable, we remain supportive of the Trump-Vance Administration’s mission to make the Pentagon great again and achieve peace through strength,” the employees wrote on X. “We hope in the future to support those efforts in different capacities.”

TRUMP, HEGSETH REVEAL WHOPPING FIGURE THEY WANT FOR THE NEXT PENTAGON BUDGET

A view of the Department of Defense at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on March 14, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

At least one of the former employees is consulting with legal counsel, Fox News Digital previously reported.

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The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump wished all Americans a happy Easter in two separate messages on Sunday, with one directed at “Radical Left Lunatics” he claims are trying to derail his administration’s plans on illegal immigration and border security.

Trump posted the first Easter message on his Truth Social platform on Sunday morning.

“Melania and I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Easter! Whether you are heading out to Church or, watching Service from home, may this day be full of Peace and Joy for all who celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. HE IS RISEN!!” Trump wrote.

Just six minutes later, Trump posted a second message addressing those he called “Radical Left Lunatics” in a very different tone.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HOSTS EASTER DINNER WITH ‘WORSHIP AND PRAYERS’

“Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country,” the post read.

The president’s post continued: “Happy Easter also to the WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten!”

Trump went on to call out “Sleepy Joe Biden,” claiming the former president purposefully allowed millions of criminals into the U.S. through “an Open Borders Policy” that Trump called “the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated upon America.”

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP SHARES GOOD FRIDAY MESSAGE AHEAD OF EASTER

Trump called Biden America’s “WORST and most Incompetent President” before concluding his Easter message with mentions of the Biden autopen controversy and the 2020 presidential election.

President Donald Trump speaks as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“… and to the person that ran and manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy Easter!!!” Trump’s post read.

Trump has faced pushback in recent weeks over his administration’s plans to deport violent criminal illegal aliens under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling early Saturday morning blocking, at least for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under the act.

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The high court previously said that the Trump administration could conduct deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, as long as the suspected illegal immigrants are given due process to challenge their removal from the U.S.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, took social media heat after arguing that President Donald Trump is worse than an alleged member of the notorious MS-13 gang.

“She got a bad case of [Trump Derangement Syndrome],” one social media user said of Crockett Saturday, adding that the lawmaker “knows we Texans are coming for her seat in Congress in 2026.”

The comment comes after Crockett’s interview with MSNBC host Katie Phang on Saturday, where the Democratic lawmaker said Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant who was recently deported, was “a lot less criminal” than Trump.

ASMINE CROCKETT TEARS UP AS CANCELED MSNBC HOST THANKS HER FOR ‘CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY’

Rep. Jasmine Crockett speaks during a House committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 12, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)

“I mean, we know that they admitted that they were wrong. Now they’re trying to double back and say, ‘Well, he’s this terrible person and all this kind of stuff.’ But here’s the reality. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a lot less criminal than the person that’s sitting in the White House, because last time I checked, he doesn’t have any criminal convictions,” Crockett said of the deported Garcia.

The interview also featured Crockett tearing up after Phang offered her praise for her “continuing support for democracy” on what was likely Crockett’s last appearance on the recently canceled show.

But the interview wasn’t well-received by many users on X, with one user calling the whole segment a “clown show.”

Rep. Jasmine Crockett makes an appearance on MSNBC. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

JASMINE CROCKETT INSISTS IT’S ‘NOT A CRIME’ TO ILLEGALLY CROSS THE BORDER

“She is a complete lunatic,” another user said.

“What clowns,” added another. “This is so cringe.”

For her part, Phang also appeared to get choked up during the interview while promising Crockett that she hasn’t “seen the last of me.”

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett speaks at the Shahbaz Center in New York on the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X on Feb. 21, 2025. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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“You can’t have me crying at the beginning of a show. Jasmine. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, you’re not… You haven’t seen the last of me. Thank you for being here and getting us started today. I always appreciate you,” Phang said.

Crockett’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., recorded a confrontation with a voter over when the conservative lawmaker was going to hold her next town hall, with the exchange ending in several expletives and insults from both sides.

“Some unhinged lunatic, wearing daisy dukes, at a makeup store, got in my face today. Dems are nuts. So I went off – and I won’t be backing down,” Mace said in a post on X Saturday along with a video of the confrontation.

The video, which is just under two minutes, appears to start shortly after the exchange between Mace and the voter started, with Mace explaining that she does town halls “every year” while accusing the voter of “harassing” her.

EXCLUSIVE: NANCY MACE TARGETED BY PENNSYLVANIA MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATENING TRUMP

Republican South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace speaks during a visit to the Richland County GOP meeting. (Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“I’ve already done one, I’ll do plenty more,” Mace tells the man. “You’re always invited.”

“It’s a simple question,” the man responds.

The conversation then turns when Mace informs the man that she “voted for gay marriage twice,” a point that seemingly offended the voter.

Rep. Nancy Mace walks to the House Chambers of the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 14, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

FLORIDA CHARGES TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER, TERRORISM 

*WARNING: Graphic language*

“What does that have to do with me,” he asks. “Do you think everything about me has to do with gay marriage?”

“I do, absolutely,” Mace responds.

The conversation then quickly turns confrontational, with Mace calling the man “crazy.”

“You people on the left are absolutely f—ing crazy,” Mace tells that man. “Get out of my face.”

Rep. Nancy Mace (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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“You’re insane,” the man responds. “You’re going to be voted out so fast this year.”

Afterwards, Mace posted the exchange to social media.

“I hold the line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Try me,” she said in the post.

Mace’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Pope Francis and Vice President JD Vance met briefly on Easter Sunday at the Casa Santa Marta, the Holy See Press Office confirmed.

“I know you have not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance told the Pope in a video shared by Vatican Media. “Thank you for seeing me.”

Francis, 88, who is still recovering from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia, received Vance in one of the reception rooms of the Vatican hotel where he lives. The pontiff offered the Catholic vice president three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance’s three young children, who did not attend, as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries.

Vance’s motorcade was on Vatican territory for 17 minutes, the Associated Press reported. 

POPE FRANCIS VISITS ROME PRISON DURING HOLY WEEK

Pope Francis appears on the central lodge of St. Peter’s Basilica to bestow the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sunday, April 20, 2025.

Francis and Vance have tangled sharply over migration and the Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants en masse.

“A cordial conversation took place,” a media release said. “During which the common commitment to protect the right to religious freedom and freedom of conscience was renewed.”

“There was also an exchange of views on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention focused on migrants, refugees and those in prison,” it continued. 

POPE FRANCIS MAKES APPEARANCE AFTER PALM SUNDAY MASS AT THE VATICAN

Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)

Francis, who has greatly cut back his workload to recover, delegated the celebration of Easter Mass to another cardinal. Francis has made caring for migrants a hallmark of his papacy.

Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, the AP reports. Following his meeting with Francis, he joined his family for Easter Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four pontifical basilicas in Rome. The Vances visited the tomb of the apostle St. Paul, who is said to be located there.

Vice President JD Vance and his family arrives at Basilica Papale di San Paolo Fuori le Mura (Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls) to attend Easter mass, in Rome, Italy, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/Pool Photo)

Vance met Saturday with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The Trump administration on Saturday released the rap sheets and photos of alleged Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members detained in Texas who the administration is trying to deport.

The suspects of the violent Venezuelan gang were going to be deported using the recently reinstated Alien Enemies Act of 1798 before the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled Saturday morning against deportations under the 18th century law.

In a decision in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union, the administration was barred from removing Venezuelans held in Texas’ Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.”

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the majority opinion. 

5 ALLEGED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS CHARGED IN RETAIL THEFTS, INCLUDING 1 SEEN SOBBING IN POLICE INTERVIEW

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem toured the El Salvador prison holding hundreds of alleged members of Tren de Aragua deported from the U.S. (Credit: Pool)

SCOTUS previously ruled the president could conduct deportations under the Alien Enemies Act as long as suspected illegal aliens were afforded due process to challenge their removal from the U.S.

“These are some of the TdA gang members detained in Texas that we are trying to deport,” a senior Trump official told Fox News.

TdA, designated a foreign terrorist organization Feb. 20 by the Department of State, has thousands of members, many of whom the White House says have unlawfully infiltrated the U.S. and are “undertaking hostile actions against the United States.”

Photos released by the administration of suspected TdA members who made the list show various tattoos, weapons, jewelry and money.

Officials also noted each suspected member’s prior criminal convictions and current charges.

Here are some of the Bluebonnet Detention Center inmates the White House claims are Venezuelan citizens and confirmed TdA members who would have been deported:

Henry Jose Romero-Gonzalez, a citizen of Venezuela, is allegedly a TdA gang member with pending criminal charges. (White House)

Henry Jose Romero-Gonzalez

Romero-Gonzalez has pending criminal charges for three counts of assault, crimes against a person and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to officials.

Photos appear to show Romero-Gonzalez in a sports car with an expensive watch and a large amount of cash, various tattoos. In one photo, Romero-Gonzalez is holding a gun while wearing a reflective work vest.

SUPREME COURT BLOCKS NEW DEPORTATIONS OF VENEZUELANS IN TEXAS UNDER 18TH CENTURY ALIEN ENEMIES ACT

Alessandro Benedikt Parades-Worwa, is allegedly a TdA gang member who faces criminal charges for aggravated assault with a weapon and pointing and presenting guns at a person. (White House)

Alessandro Benedikt Parades-Worwa

Parades-Worwa is facing criminal charges for aggravated assault with a weapon and pointing and presenting guns at a person, according to the Trump administration.

Photos appear to show a number of Parades-Worwa’s tattoos.

Cristian Andres Andrade-Vargas is allegedly a TdA gang member charged with larceny and possessing dangerous drugs. (White House)

Cristian Andres Andrade-Vargas

Andrade-Vargas is facing criminal charges for larceny and dangerous drugs, according to officials.

Photos appear to show various tattoos, including one above Andrade-Vargas’ left eyebrow.

JUSTICE KAGAN DENIES EMERGENCY APPEAL TO HALT DEPORTATION OF MEXICAN NATIONALS CLAIMING ASYLUM FROM CARTEL

Norge Yunaifer Rosales-Ceballos is allegedly a TdA gang member convicted of criminal flight to avoid prosecution. (White House)

Norge Yunaifer Rosales-Ceballos

Rosales-Ceballos was convicted of criminal flight to avoid prosecution.

He has also been charged with alien smuggling and resisting an officer.

A photo appears to show a large tattoo on Rosales-Ceballos’ neck behind his right ear.

Felix Josue Rendon-Garcia is allegedly a TdA gang member who has been charged with drug possession and possession of dangerous drugs. (White House)

Felix Josue Rendon-Garcia

Rendon-Garcia is facing criminal charges for drug possession and possession of dangerous drugs, according to the Trump administration.

Photos appear to show one of Rendon-Garcia’s tattoos with a date below it.

Darrin Moises Daza-Segura is allegedly a TdA gang member convicted of criminal burglary and larceny. (White House)

Darrin Moises Daza-Segura

Daza-Segura was convicted of criminal burglary and larceny, according to officials.

Photos appear to show various tattoos, including “VIDA” on Daza-Segura’s knuckles.

Ronny Javier Rodriguez-Tovar is allegedly a TdA gang member with multiple convictions and pending criminal charges. (White House)

Ronny Javier Rodriguez-Tovar

Rodriguez-Tovar has multiple criminal convictions including hit-and-run, battery, possession of stolen property, driving under the influence and shoplifting, according to the Trump administration.

He also has pending charges for battery, resisting an officer, simple assault and driving under the influence.

Photos appear to show an electronic device with “T.D.A.” and “Venezuela” written on it.

Howard Emis Omana is allegedly a TdA gang member who is charged with aggravated assault with a weapon. (White House)

Howard Emis Omana

Omana is facing criminal charges for aggravated assault with a weapon, according to officials.

Photos appear to show social media posts of Omana holding a gun and throwing up alleged gang signs.

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Angel Ignacio Cardenas-Bravo is allegedly a TdA gang member facing numerous criminal charges. (White House)

Angel Ignacio Cardenas-Bravo

Cardenas-Bravo is facing criminal charges for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, child neglect with great bodily harm, resisting an officer with violence, domestic violence battery, carrying a concealed gun and possession of a gun during the commission of a felony, according to the Trump administration.

FIRST ON FOX— Pro-life activist Mark Houck, who sued the Justice Department over his arrest and prosecution under the Biden administration, said his family has been blocked from settling their lawsuit by an “activist” federal judge. 

Houck filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department last year, seeking restitution for what he called “a faulty investigation” and “excessive force” after a SWAT team of around 25 people arrested him in front of his children.

Now, Houck is appealing the judge’s decision to the Third District Court and calling on the Trump administration to follow through on ending the weaponization of the DOJ against pro-lifers such as him once and for all. He discusses the case with his wife and 40 Days for Life founder Shawn Carney in a new video shared with Fox News Digital. 

“You live in fear of it happening again, not only to yourselves but to others, and you want to know that this administration, which rode this message to the White House, is willing to step in,” Houck said in the video, adding, “and they’re doing it for other organizations, they’re doing it in the DOGE, they’re doing it with all the things, they’re cleaning house.” 

PRO-LIFE JOURNALIST ASSAULTED ON STREET ASSIGNS BLAME TO DEMOCRATIC RHETORIC

Mark Houck (right) and his wife, Ryan, sit down for an interview with 40 Days for Life founder Shawn Carney. (40 Days for Life)

In an interview with Fox News Digital, 40 Days for Life President Shawn Carney said: “I just think, Democratic or Republican, we’re tired of activist judges on both sides of the political aisle.” 

“Nobody likes it – and just, this guy’s a victim,” Carney said, adding that the Justice Department “needs to fix this.”

News of the appeal, which is slated to be filed by 40 Days for Life on behalf of Houck, was shared exclusively with Fox News Digital. The group has already filed a Notice to Appeal to the courts. 

At issue are the settlement negotiations that 40 Days for Life entered into with the Justice Department in early 2025, following Trump’s inauguration.

U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond, a Bush appointee, abruptly issued a motion to dismiss the case last month, effectively ending the negotiations that had been playing out between Houck and the Trump-led Justice Department.

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(Shawn Carney of 40 Days for Life spoke to Fox News Digital about Mark Houck’s appeal.)

It appears that the motion to dismiss the case had originally been filed by the Biden-led Justice Department, which charged Houck in 2021 for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE Act. 

In the video, Carney and Houck discussed the judge’s decision as well as changes in the law enforcement community more broadly, and what they hope to be new priorities of the second Trump administration.

Houck said his family is disappointed by the judge’s actions and added that “it reflects poorly against the Trump administration.”

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Carney lamented the dismissal of their lawsuit by Diamond, whom he called an “activist” judge and accused of political bias. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that the Trump administration would make it right. 

PENNSYLVANIA JURY ACQUITS PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST MARK HOUCK ON CHARGES OF OBSTRUCTING ABORTION CLINIC ACCESS

Family photo of Mark Houck, a pro-life activist arrested by the FBI, with his children.  (Thomas More Society)

“We are appealing the decision of the judge to continue the lawsuit against the DOJ,” Carney said. “And of course, if we could get back on track with that, the idea is that then we would be able to settle with DOJ, since they want to settle.”

“We have a very strong appeal,” he said of their yet-to-be-filed brief. “We’re very confident about the appeal.”

The FBI and Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment. 

Houck, a longtime volunteer with 40 Days for Life, was arrested in 2021 for his actions outside a Planned Parenthood clinic, which prosecutors said violated the so-called Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act.

He was acquitted by a Philadelphia jury, but could have faced up to eleven years in prison if convicted.

Both his high-profile arrest at home, and the lengthy prison sentence he could have faced if convicted, prompted outrage from pro-life groups, including 40 Days for Life, where Houck has volunteered since 2007. 

SUPREME COURT FREEZES ORDER TO RETURN MAN FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON

Pro-life crowd cheers over Supreme Court decision. (Joshua Comins/Fox News)

In 2023, after Houck’s acquittal, 40 Days for Life joined Houck in suing the Justice Department over the ordeal, accusing law enforcement personnel of conducting a “faulty investigation” against him, and accusing law enforcement of using “excessive force” in the FBI raid of his family home.

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Carney has weighed in on the topic before, saying in a post on X this year that 40 Days for Life was “targeted constantly by the Biden DOJ.” 

“With 1,000,000 peaceful volunteers we will always fight for free speech for pro-life and pro-abortion Americans alike. God bless Trump and Vance for backing us up,” said Carney. 

FIRST ON FOX: The White House is launching a new “Road to Independence” video lecture series leading up to America’s 250th birthday, and the Trump administration has planned a year of festivities to commemorate it. 

The series, launched the same day as the first engagement of the Revolutionary War in 1775, will commemorate important moments in American history ahead of the Trump administration’s commencement of a full year of festivities that will launch on Memorial Day in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. 

The videos are being produced in a partnership between the Department of Education and Hillsdale College, whose president appeared in an introductory video launching the series. 

“President Trump wishes to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year with an open heart,” Hillsdale President Larry P. Arnn said in his introductory video. “One of the things we must do to commemorate anything — commemorate just means to remember together — first we have to know the thing. We can’t remember it very well if we don’t know it very well. So, part of the purpose of this series of lectures is to remember.”

AHEAD OF TRUMP SPEECH TO CONGRESS, FLASHBACK TO 2017 ADDRESS ASKING ‘WHAT WILL AMERICA LOOK LIKE’ AT 250

Fireworks above the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol building during the Independence Day fireworks display in Arlington, Va., July 4, 2024. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The “Road to Independence” video series will culminate with the start of the Trump administration’s year-long festivities honoring America’s 250th birthday. 

In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a White House task force to lead the planning and execution of this “extraordinary celebration.” The White House plans to engage with the entire federal government, state and local governments, the private sector, nonprofits and educational institutions.

Arnn’s introductory message, launching the video series on Saturday, was also paired with the video series’ first episode commemorating the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Additional episodes, which will be shared on the White House website, will be released regularly to commemorate significant events related to America’s founding.

TRUMP TO CREATE TASK FORCE TO PLAN ‘EXTRAORDINARY CELEBRATION’ FOR 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICA’S INDEPENDENCE  

The Battle of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, was the first military engagement leading to America’s independence from Great Britain and the eventual signing of the Declaration of Independence. The 10-minute video shares the story of this pivotal moment in history from the perspective of Hillsdale College history professor Wilfred M. McClay

In addition to the two videos in the series, the White House is also commemorating the start of America’s fight for independence this weekend with a reading of the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, which will be posted across social media. The poem commemorates the midnight ride of Paul Revere on April 18, 1775, when he rode his horse through the night to warn Massachusetts colonists of advancing British troops.   

“President Trump signed an executive order to create the America 250 task force because he feels strongly about honoring our nation’s heritage ahead of this monumental anniversary,” Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “The ‘Road to Independence’ video series will bring the incredible story of our country to the public as we prepare to celebrate America together in July 2026.”

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HOSTS EASTER DINNER WITH ‘WORSHIP AND PRAYERS’

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump watch a flyover as they attend the Salute to America event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., July 4, 2020. (Chris Kleponis/Polaris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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During President Trump’s first term, he held a unique “Salute To America” event on the Fourth of July in 2019, which was different from typical Independence Day celebrations put on by past presidents. The event included a prominent display of military hardware with tanks parked near the National Mall and military flyovers by an array of aircraft. It also included an address on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial from the president and the typical fireworks display.

Vice President JD Vance met with the Vatican’s No. 2 official Saturday in Rome, and the pair had an “exchange of opinions” on international issues, including migrants and deportations under the Trump administration.

“There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees and prisoners,” a statement from the Vatican said after the meeting. 

“Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged.”

Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, its foreign minister.

VP VANCE SHARES SPECIAL MESSAGE TO AILING POPE FRANCIS AMID BREATHING CRISIS

Vice President JD Vance and his family met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s ecretary of state Saturday.  (Vatican Media via AP, HO)

He and Parolin “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace,” Vance’s office said. 

Pope Francis has cut back his official meetings since a bout with double pneumonia. 

The Vatican has clashed with the Trump administration over its deportation push, but the Holy See affirmed its good relations with the United States after the meeting. 

The vice president’s Vatican meeting Saturday is part of an official trip to Italy and India. 

Vance with his family at a Good Friday service in Rome Friday.  (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Vance, with second lady Usha Vance and their two young children, arrived in Rome Friday, and he met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. 

“I’m grateful every day for this job, but particularly today, where my official duties have brought me to Rome on Good Friday,” the 40-year-old wrote on his X account Friday. “I had a great meeting with Prime Minister Meloni and her team, and will head to church soon with my family in this beautiful city. I wish all Christians all over the world, but particularly those back home in the US, a blessed Good Friday. He died so that we might live.”

JD VANCE SOUNDS OFF ON DEPORTATION, ‘RATIFICATION OF BIDEN’S ILLEGAL MIGRANT INVASION’ VIA ‘FAKE LEGAL PROCESS’

Vance and his family leaving Rome’s Botanic Gardens Saturday.  (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

The meeting came a day after President Trump met with Meloni at the White House to discuss a trade deal. 

U.S. Bishop Robert Barron, who, along with being bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, is also an online evangelist and founder of Word on Fire Ministries, told Fox News Digital he “was pleased to hear that Vice President JD Vance met with Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher at the Vatican.

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“American Catholics will appreciate that our Catholic Vice President was received with such a warm welcome. I’m sure that among the many topics they addressed were immigration and the war in the Ukraine, both of which are top of mind for both the Holy See and the United States. 

“The Vice President, as a Catholic, shares a common faith with his Vatican interlocutors, but also a common language in Catholic social teaching, which brings to bear into political and cultural realities moral and theological principles, insights and recommendations.” 

The vice president is expected to leave Italy for India, the second leg of his trip, on Monday, where he’ll meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.