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President Donald Trump ramped up steep tariffs against Chinese imports to the U.S. this week while alleviating them for other countries during trade negotiations this week. He also signed a series of executive orders aimed at repealing Biden-era restrictions. 

The Trump administration announced Wednesday it would lower reciprocal tariffs on other countries, while also revealing that the administration would immediately hike tariffs on Chinese goods to 145%. In response, China has raised its tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%. 

Trump disclosed historic tariffs in a ceremony at the White House’s Rose Garden for a “Make America Wealthy Again” event on April 2, asserting that these new duties would generate new jobs for U.S. workers.

HOW WE GOT TO LIBERATION DAY: A LOOK AT TRUMP’S PAST COMMENTS ON TARIFFS

The tariff plan established a baseline tax of 10% on all imports to the U.S., along with customized tariffs for countries that place higher tariffs on U.S. goods. The baseline tariffs of 10% took effect Saturday, while the others took effect Wednesday at midnight.

But Trump announced in a post on Truth Social Wednesday that reciprocal tariffs announced last week would remain paused for 90 days, during which period the countries would only face the baseline 10% tariff. 

“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform on Wednesday. 

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said that the tariffs suggest that China is at odds with the rest of the world. 

“China is the most imbalanced economy in the history of the modern world,” Bessent told reporters Wednesday. “They are the biggest source of the U.S. trade problems, and indeed they are the problem for the rest of the world.” 

Here’s what also happened this week: 

Shipbuilding, water pressure executive orders

Trump also signed an executive order this week aimed at reinvigorating the shipbuilding industry in the U.S., amid concerns that China is outpacing the U.S. in production. 

China is responsible for more than 50% of global shipbuilding, compared to just 0.1% from the U.S., according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

The executive order requires agencies to craft a Maritime Action Plan and instructs the United States Trade Representative to provide a list of recommendations to deal with China’s “anticompetitive actions within the shipbuilding industry,” among other things. 

TRUMP ENDS BIDEN-ERA WATER REGULATIONS TO ‘MAKE AMERICA’S SHOWERS GREAT AGAIN’

Trump also signed an executive order to reverse Obama- and Biden-era conservation measures that limited water pressure in showers in an attempt to “make showers great again.” Former President Barack Obama initially imposed the water pressure restrictions, and Trump sought to ease some of them during his first term. 

However, former President Joe Biden reinstated the measure, which limited multi-nozzle shower heads from releasing more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute. 

“I like to take a nice shower, take care of my beautiful hair,” Trump said Wednesday. “I have to stand in the shower for 15 minutes until it gets wet. Comes out drip, drip, drip. It’s ridiculous.”

Gearing up for talks with Iran 

The Trump administration also unveiled plans this week for upcoming talks to negotiate with Iran on Saturday. While Trump has reiterated that these discussions will be “direct” nuclear talks, Iran has pushed back on that description and characterized them as “indirect” negotiations instead. 

Middle East envoy Stever Witkoff will travel to Oman on Saturday and is slated to potentially meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. However, Iran has maintained that the discussions will be held through a third party instead. 

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“The ultimate objective is to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt told reporters Friday. “The president believes in diplomacy, direct talks, talking directly in the same room in order to achieve that goal. But he’s made it very clear to the Iranians, and his national security team will, as well, that all options are on the table and Iran has a choice to make. You can agree to President Trump’s demand, or there will be all hell to pay. And that’s how the president feels. He feels very strongly about it.”

Fox News’ Bonny Chu, Danielle Wallace, and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited employees at the FDA on Friday and reportedly told them that “the Deep State is real.” The visit was his first appearance with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and was reportedly meant to welcome the new chief.

“President Trump always talks about the Deep State, and the media, you know, disparages him and says that he’s paranoid,” Kennedy said according to Politico, which reported it obtained an audio recording and transcript of the secretary’s remarks. “But the Deep State is real. And it’s not, you know, just George Soros and Bill Gates and a bunch of nefarious individuals sitting together in a room and plotting the, you know, the destruction of humanity.”

According to multiple reports, Kennedy pointed the finger at “institutional pressures.”

RFK JR. PLANS TO DIRECT CDC TO STOP RECOMMENDING FLUORIDE IN WATER

Kennedy also reportedly said the FDA had become a “sock puppet” of the industries it was meant to regulate. NBC News reported that Kennedy said that this was the case with “every agency,” not just the FDA.

One area where Kennedy said he has seen this within the FDA is its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) system, which he says acts as a “loophole” for food companies. In March, Kennedy directed the FDA to reevaluate its policies on food companies obtaining approval before adding new ingredients to their products. He believes that “eliminating this loophole” will not only provide consumers with more transparency, but will be key in improving Americans’ health.

‘HEALTHY SNACK TIME’ WITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS LAUNCHED BY SECRETARIES ROLLINS, RFK JR.

The HHS secretary has not hidden his disdain for the FDA, especially as he spoke throughout the 2024 election cycle about what changes he believes are crucial to improving Americans’ health. About a week and a half before the election, Kennedy — who had already endorsed now-President Donald Trump — issued clear warnings on social media to those who “work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system.”

He told them to preserve their records and to “pack your bags.”

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Kennedy recently embarked on a MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) tour in which he visited Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. According to HHS, Kennedy was set to speak on state laws banning ultra-processed foods and food dyes from school lunches, among other regulations.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment on the reports outside working hours but did not receive a response for publication. 

Longtime Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan says that as soon as Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t seek re-election in the key Great Lakes battleground state in next year’s midterms, “my phone started to ring and it hasn’t stopped ringing.”

Huizenga, who was first elected to the House in 2010 and represents Michigan’s 4th Congressional District, which covers parts of the southwestern part of the state, highlighted that he’s getting “encouragement” to seek the Senate from “grassroots folks,” as well as donors.

“I have been very flattered and honored to have this kind of support emerging,” he said.

The Senate seat in Michigan is a top target for the GOP in the 2026 midterm elections to flip from blue to red, as the party aims to expand its current 53-47 majority in the chamber. And the emerging showdown is expected to be one of the most expensive and bruising battles of the cycle.

2026 ELECTIONS: THIS SENATOR IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR NEXT YEAR

Huizenga, who is now the vice chair of the House Financial Services Committee, pointed to “the connections that I’ve got and have built up over the last now going into my eighth term here” when asked about fundraising.

“It’s donors in Michigan. It’s donors nationally,” he touted. “I’ve got a network of folks that have been very, very helpful in the past, and they’re very interested in helping me out again.”

WILL THIS BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN END THE GOP’S 20-YEAR LOSING STREAK IN HIS STATE?

But Huizenga isn’t the only Republican making noise about a Senate run.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers announced at the end of January that he was “strongly considering” a second straight Republican run.

And Rogers, a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress, is likely to announce his campaign on Monday.

Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats’ nominee, in last November’s election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point.

Asked if a campaign launch by Rogers would affect his decision-making process, Huizenga said “quite honestly, no.”

“I think the question that everyone needs to answer is, who can win? Who can win the state of Michigan, and Michigan politics has shifted, and that’s the reality,” he said.

A LIKELY BRUISING SENATE BATTLE IN BATTLEGROUND MICHIGAN HEATS UP AS THIS CANDIDATE ENTERS THE RACE

Michigan was once part of the Democratic Party’s blue wall states that helped boost the party’s candidates in presidential elections. But President Donald Trump narrowly carried Michigan in his 2016 and 2024 White House victories.

“What we don’t know is whether that Trump coalition of union households, Hispanics, the Arab American population and African Americans, especially males, that came out and supported Donald Trump, along with those independents and Republicans, whether that coalition is going to be held,” Huizenga said.

And Huizenga pointed to his double-digit re-election margin last year in a competitive House District (his seat is one of 35 House seats Democrats are targeting in next year’s midterms). Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer narrowly won the district in her 2022 re-election victory, and Trump carried the district by six points last November.

WHY PETE BUTTIGIEG SAID NO TO RUNNING FOR THE SENATE NEXT YEAR

An endorsement by Trump, whose sway over the GOP is stronger than ever, is expected to play a significant role in the Republican Senate primary in Michigan.

And while Trump has yet to weigh in on the race, Rogers earlier this year hired veteran Republican strategist and 2024 Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita as a senior advisor.

Asked about his relationship with Trump, Huizenga called it “very good” and claimed that “there is one elected official that has spoken at all three of his last rallies [in Michigan], in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and that’s me.”

As for his timetable, Huizenga said: “I’m still going to do my evaluation here, and need to kind of push through on the fundraising and need to make sure that I’m able to get the support that I really need to have to be able to do this kind of run.”

“We’re still more than a year out from the filing deadline, and so there’s a lot of runway here, and so I’m not in a huge hurry,” he added. “It needs to be done soon. But it would seem to me, sometime this summer or right after Labor Day, is more than enough time to make sure that we got the right candidate.”

THIS CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR IS MULLING 2026 STATEWIDE RUN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND

And in what appeared to be a comment directed at Rogers, Huizenga added that “it’s better to have the right person at the right time, rather than somebody early on.”

Besides Rogers and Huizenga, business executive, conservative commentator and 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon has said she’s seriously mulling another run for governor, or for the Senate, in 2026.

And Republican businessman and auto dealership executive Kevin Rinke, who ran for governor in 2022, is also thought to be considering another statewide run next year.

Earlier this month, Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow launched a campaign for the Democratic Senate nomination.

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Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet and Haley Stevens are considering a run, as is Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. 

Last month, Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who later served as Transportation Secretary in former President Joe Biden’s administration, ruled out a campaign after seriously considering a bid.

At least 26 Americans held hostage abroad have been freed since President Donald Trump entered the Oval Office in January. Those who gained their freedom include a ballerina, a teacher and a mechanic, among others.

Ryan Corbett and William McKenty

On Jan. 21, 2025, just one day after Trump’s second term began, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty were released from Taliban captivity in Afghanistan. While Corbett and McKenty were freed under Trump, the deal that secured their release was completed by the Biden administration.

Corbett and his family moved to Afghanistan in 2010, where they lived in Kabul and Jalalabad. According to a website set up by his family, Corbett did work for NGOs, which focused on education, birth and life-saving skills. He also started a project in 2017, Bloom Afghanistan, with the goal of strengthening the country’s private sector. In 2021, the Corbett family evacuated as the Taliban took control of the country. Corbett returned to Afghanistan a year later and was captured by the Taliban, which his family suspects was because of his “value as political leverage.”

There aren’t many details on McKenty or exactly why he was in Afghanistan. According to the BBC, his family asked for privacy.

2 AMERICANS RELEASED IN EXCHANGE FOR TALIBAN PRISONER

Anastasia Nuhfer

Anastasia Nuhfer, who was detained in Belarus during the Biden administration, gained her freedom Jan. 26, 2025. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Nuhfer’s release, he did not give details on when she was detained or why. However, according to The Associated Press, a former high-ranking Belarusian official said the arrest was linked to 2020 protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. 

Six unnamed American citizens

Special envoy Ric Grenell secured the release of six Americans after meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Grenell posted a photo of himself and the men on a plane and said that they “couldn’t stop thanking” Trump when speaking to him on the phone. The men were not identified.

TRUMP ENVOY RICHARD GRENELL SECURES FREEDOM FOR 6 AMERICANS FOLLOWING MEETING WITH MADURO IN VENEZUELA

Keith Siegel

After spending 484 days as a hostage in Gaza, Keith Siegel was released as part of a ceasefire deal Feb. 1, 2025. Siegel was taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. His wife, Aviva, was also taken hostage but was released in November 2023. 

On April 8, Siegel, who has credited Trump with saving his life, thanked the president during an NRCC event in Washington, D.C.

“President Trump, I am here, and I am alive. President Trump, you saved my life,” Siegel said. He also asked Trump to continue working to secure the freedom of the 59 remaining hostages in Gaza.

Marc Fogel

American schoolteacher Marc Fogel was released from Russian captivity Feb. 11, 2025, more than three years after he was detained. Fogel was carrying less than one ounce of medical marijuana, according to his family’s website, which he used for severe pain. The Fogel family criticized former President Joe Biden’s handling of Marc’s case, especially in light of his work to release WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was also arrested for having marijuana. 

On July 13, 2024, Fogel’s mother, Malphine, attended a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Marc’s hometown. She spoke with Trump, who promised to bring her son home.

Trump invited Marc and Malphine to attend his address to a joint session of Congress in March 2025.

Unnamed American

On Feb. 12, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that an American “unjustly detained in Belarus” had been released. The statement did not include details or identifying information about the hostage. In a press release, Rubio affirmed the administration’s commitment to releasing Americans held hostage across the globe.

Sagui Dekel-Chen

On Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli American Sagui Dekel-Chen was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists from his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was shot in the shoulder during the massacre and endured torture while in captivity.

Dekel-Chen spent almost 500 days as a hostage in Gaza and gained his freedom in February 2025. While he was in captivity, his wife gave birth to their third child. He only learned about his daughter’s birth after being released.

10 unnamed Americans

On March 13, 2025, 10 unidentified Americans, including veterans and military contractors, were released from captivity in Kuwait. According to The Associated Press, the American citizens were detained on drug charges.

George Glezmann

Delta Airlines mechanic George Glezmann spent more than two years as a hostage in Gaza after being detained by the Taliban in December 2022. According to senators John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats from Georgia, Glezmann went to “Afghanistan for a five-day trip to explore the cultural landscape and rich history of the country.” The two senators advocated for Glezmann’s release, which eventually occurred March 20, 2025.

TALIBAN FREES AMERICAN HOSTAGE GEORGE GLEZMANN FOLLOWING NEGOTIATIONS WITH US, QATAR

Faye Hall

The Taliban released Faye Hall in March 2025, though it is unclear when she was detained. CBS News reported that Hall was arrested on charges of using a drone without authorization.

The Trump administration posted a video of Hall thanking the president for her release. In the video, Hall said she had “never been so proud to be an American citizen.”

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Ksenia Karelina

Russian American ballet dancer Ksenia Karelina was released from detention April 10, 2025, after being wrongfully detained for over a year. Karelina was arrested and sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony after donating approximately $50 to a Ukrainian charity.

“Mr. Trump, I’m so, so grateful for you bringing me home,” a teary-eyed Karelina said upon her arrival in the U.S. “I never felt more blessed to be American.”

Christopher Guly contributed to this report.

California has a $6.2 billion budget deficit for Medicaid services, and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest budget proposal projects the state will spend a staggering $8.4 billion to cover Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid, for illegal immigrants in 2024-2025. 

Two new reports by the Bureau of Economic Analysis found the U.S. economy has become increasingly reliant on government handouts. Entitlements are growing faster than tax receipts and wages. Private wages grew by $67 billion in early 2025, while government payments to recipients surged by $162 billion.

In North Carolina and California, growth in Medicaid benefits was the leading contributor to increased personal income. Coverage for undocumented immigrants under California’s $6.2 billion budget gap for Medi-Cal is contributing to the surge in personal income. 

Fox News Digital asked lawmakers on Capitol Hill if taxpayers should have to pick up the Medicaid tab for illegal immigrants. Popular progressive senators Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; Michael Bennett, D-Colo.; and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., refused to say whether illegal immigrants are entitled to Medicaid benefits funded by U.S. taxpayers. 

NEWSOM ASKS FOR NEARLY ANOTHER $3B FOR STATE HEALTH PROGRAM OVERWHELMED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who was tapped by moderate Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to replace Vice President JD Vance in the Senate this year, told Fox News Digital it should be illegal for Americans to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants. 

NEWSOM CONCEDES SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE COSTS FOR ILLEGALS ARE ‘PARTIAL’ CONTRIBUTOR TO MEDICAID PROBLEM

“That cost should be transferred back to the state of California if that’s the decision that they made. If people are here illegally, the taxpayers of this country should not be footing the bill for their healthcare when we can barely pay our own bills here in this country and people are going without. So, this is an astonishing thing that California would decide to do. Clearly, the leaders of that state are tone deaf because that’s not what the American public wants,” Husted said.  

Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., who serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and on Small Business, said she doesn’t support any federal funding for federal programs for illegal immigrants.

“We need to see those numbers,” Salazar said. “I’m not in favor of any undocumented migrants in the United States using any type of federal funding or federal programs, because if you are not documented, you cannot be using any of the government or the federal government services. 

“But I need to know what are the numbers. I do believe that in construction, hospitality and agriculture, the illegals, the undocumented are giving a lot to the economy.”

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a fiscal conservative who serves on economic and commerce committees, said programs like Medicaid are solely for U.S. citizens. 

“They’re certainly not there for illegal aliens. And this is costing the American people a lot of money. So, yeah, that is a problem, and it’s one we need to fix,” Lee said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he has questions about the policy and wants to know more about the substance of Medicaid benefits for undocumented immigrants and “whether it applies in emergency situations where somebody’s life may be at stake.” 

Another Northeast Democrat, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said he is more concerned “we’re not taking away Medicaid from people with disabilities, seniors that need long-term care” before discussions begin on expanding resources. 

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said it could “threaten the benefits for disabled children.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., a Trump loyalist, said California made a “conscious decision” to allow taxpayers to pick up the tab on healthcare for illegal immigrants. 

“They fully realize and appreciate that the federal government does not have one single penny to spend until the taxpayer sends that penny into the treasury,” Blackburn said.  

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said California needs to realize the impact its policies have on other states. 

“A lot of people in Wyoming are living paycheck to paycheck. They’re struggling to pay for things they used to be able to take for granted, like food and gasoline. And it’s absolutely wrong that one state can expand its benefits to illegals, and my state has to pay for it,” Lummis said. 

“Cost increases to the Medicaid program are driven by multiple factors, including expansion, increased enrollment for all populations and pharmacy costs,” a spokesperson for Newsom said when reached by Fox News Digital for comment. 

Newsom’s office emphasized that Medi-Cal covers approximately 15 million Californians, which accounts for more than one-third of the state’s population. Program costs have more than doubled in the past decade, according to the governor’s office. 

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Given Medi-Cal’s size, Newsom’s office said even a 1-2% increase in drug prices or hospital visits could mean billions of dollars in additional costs for the program, and states across the country and political spectrum are facing their own rising Medicaid expenses, specifically Pennsylvania and Indiana. 

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, literally tore up a list of 70 orders former President Joe Biden enacted that he said stymied the Last Frontier’s energy capabilities, and spoke Thursday about a bright future for the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Sullivan described the Trump administration’s openness to building an 800-mile LNG pipeline to power the U.S. and trade with Asia.

The pipeline would run from Prudhoe Bay – on the Arctic Ocean – to the Kenai Peninsula near Homer. Currently, essentially the only way to transport liquefied natural gas on the North Slope is via the AK-11 Dalton Highway of “Ice Road Trucker” fame, which is considered very inefficient and dangerous.

“This is a huge project, very geostrategically important — and, of course, it’s important to Alaskans to get us the gas we need… but also to get our allies: [South] Korea, Japan, Taiwan, energy that they need.”

AK CAN BE ‘CURE TO THE NATION’S ILLS’ WITH HELP FROM TRUMP ADMIN: GOV DUNLEAVY

Sullivan said Japan is still buying oil and gas from Russia – while a source familiar with the pipeline plans noted an Alaska-to-Asia trade route does not include any diplomatic or geographic pinch points like those that exist in the Mideast and elsewhere.

“Korea and Taiwan are getting their LNG from Qatar. None of that makes sense. Alaska is really close – We were the first place anywhere in the world to start exporting LNG in the late 1960s,” he said. “We did that to Japan for over 50 years.”

In his Joint Address to Congress, President Donald Trump flagged the pipeline plan, saying he is working on a “gigantic” project in Alaska.

Amid tariff and trade news, Sullivan said building the pipeline and supplying both North America and Asia with LNG obtained through the U.S.’ environmentally conscious means could reduce the West-to-East trade deficit by up to $10 billion per year.

Plus, the pipeline itself could “revitalize” the domestic steel industry and employ thousands of Americans.

He also sought to dispel a “fallacy” often touted on the left, that Native communities in and around the LNG territory are opposed to such development.

“Most of the media gets it wrong,” he said.

“The Alaska Native people … want this resource development done. This is how you help them with regard, not only to their economy, but their health, their pride, right? The best social program in the world is a good job.”

IN THE ONLY US STATE BORDERING RUSSIA, GOV SAYS DEFENSES ARE STRONG

Instead, he said, the Biden administration fought Juneau’s efforts to expand its energy production at every turn.

“Eight times [the Biden Interior Department] told [Natives visiting Washington] to go pound sand. They would never meet with them to develop their resources.”

When it comes to politicians in other states allegedly trying to dictate energy policy in Alaska, whether on environmental or other grounds, Sullivan quipped, “we don’t appreciate the lower 48 radical environmentalists coming up telling us what to do. And I really don’t appreciate what my Senate colleagues who try to do that, too.”

“You may have seen I gave a speech last week on the Senate floor ripping the hell out of one of them just because he needed it, right.”

As for talks with Trump, he said Secretaries Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick and Doug Burgum have been very open and supportive.

Procuring financing is the next major battle, along with reciprocal trade agreements with target countries.

“Then you can finance these projects and start to build them. We’re talking about laying pipe as early as the end of this year or the beginning of next year. And think about the jobs that would come with that.”

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Turning to Biden, Sullivan held up a sheet listing 70 executive orders and actions the administration took to “shut [Alaska] down.”

“The left-wing media never cries about the jobs that were killed by Biden: Good union jobs; 70 EOs. The good news is this is now history,” he said, ripping up the list of orders and presenting instead a singular Trump order seeking to advance Alaska’s comprehensive LNG project.

The project is the only West Coast venture to secure federal permits and $26 million in loan guarantees. It would utilize more than 500,000 tons of steel and 5 million cubic yards of concrete.

In remarks to Fox News Digital, Energy Department spokesman Ben Dietderich said Alaskan LNG “has massive potential.”

“Accessing over 100 trillion cubic feet of North Slope natural gas will provide enormous energy security to the United States and its allies, thousands of high-paying jobs, and is estimated to reduce the United States trade deficit by $10 billion annually,” Dietderich said.

“While the previous administration openly discouraged investment in American LNG, President Trump and Secretary Wright are committed to expanding American energy at home and abroad.”

“Potential large scale investments and partnerships in U.S. LNG projects, including Alaska LNG, were discussed in the Secretary’s meetings with UAE officials yesterday and the Secretary intends to also raise these in Saudi Arabia in the coming days as well.”

President Donald Trump is heading to get his annual physical on Friday after declaring earlier this week that he’s “never felt better.” 

The 78-year-old announced the medical appointment on his Truth Social account, writing, “I am pleased to report that my long-scheduled Annual Physical Examination will be done at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Friday of this week.”

“I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Trump added.

The president left the White House midday Friday and arrived at the facility in Bethesda, Maryland, around 12:43 p.m. local time. Trump’s physical comes less than a year after he survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania while on the campaign trail.

TRUMP DEMANDS DO-OR-DIE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN – WHO HAS THE LEVERAGE? 

At the time, Trump released a letter from his former physician Ronny Jackson, who wrote that “it is an absolute miracle he wasn’t killed.” 

“The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear,” Jackson added. 

Months later, in November, Florida neurosurgeon Dr. Brett Osborn told Fox News Digital that Trump remained in good health. 

TRUMP THREATENS TARIFFS AND SANCTIONS ON MEXICO FOR ‘STEALING’ WATER FROM TEXAS FARMERS 

“The fact that he attended 120 events in seven months, often multiple rallies in a single day in different states, is proof-positive that Trump has a tremendous amount of stamina, mentally and physically,” Osborn noted. 

But Democrats have disputed Trump’s health in the past, and members of the medical community have demanded Trump release his medical records. In an open letter from Oct. 13, over 230 doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals asked for a record release. 

The physical on Friday will be the first one of Trump’s second term in office. 

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In 2020, during his first administration, Trump was treated for COVID-19 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 

Fox News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in Congress are launching a probe into a Biden-era green energy grant program that sent billions in funding to climate groups tied to Democrats and former President Joe Biden’s allies.

GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters to the eight nonprofits awarded grants from the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), seeking answers to ensure the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) followed proper ethics and conflict of interest protocols in distributing the funds.

In February, the Trump administration’s EPA announced it would take steps to get the money back, citing concerns over a lack of oversight related to how the money was being disbursed. In the announcement, new EPA administrator Lee Zeldin cited comments from a former Biden EPA political appointee, who described disbursements made through GGRF as akin to “tossing gold bars off the Titanic,” because Biden officials were allegedly trying to get money out the door before Trump took over. 

EPA ADMINISTRATOR ROLLS BACK 31 BIDEN-ERA REGULATIONS

It was also revealed that $2 billion from GGRF went to a Stacy Abrams-linked group, Power Forward Communities, which had not been established until after the Biden administration announced the GGRF application process. Meanwhile, during Power Forward’s first few months of operations — prior to receiving the funding — the group reported just $100 in revenue.

Climate United, another group that received the most money from the GGRF, roughly $7 billion, currently staffs a former Biden climate advisor who worked during the last two years of the former president’s term. The same group is also run by a CEO with ties to the Obama administration and a board member who was among those invited to Biden’s signing ceremony for his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure bill in 2021.  

Several GGRF grant recipients have ties to Democrats and Biden advisors, and some were reportedly founded shortly before or after the Biden administration announced the program. Meanwhile, these groups, according to Zeldin, had sole discretion on how to use the funds.

COMER PROBES NGOS THAT RECEIVED $20B IN BIDEN EPA GRANTS DESPITE ALMOST NO REVENUE: ‘SHADY DEAL’

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., alongside fellow committee members Reps. Gary Palmer of Alabama and Morgan Griffith of Virginia, both Republicans, said in a joint statement that their investigation into the GGRF recipients will be “key” to understanding whether these funds were allocated “fairly and impartially to qualified applicants,” while also helping to determine the manner in which the money has been used. 

“The Committee has had concerns about the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program since its creation—including concerns about the program’s unusual structure, a potential lack of due diligence in selecting award recipients, and the recipients’ ability to manage the large influx of federal dollars they received from the EPA,” the lawmakers said in their statement. 

“A recent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing that examined these concerns coupled with the speed with which money was pushed out the door by the Biden Administration’s EPA heightened the Committee’s concerns and raised additional questions about certain Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund recipients.”

LEE ZELDIN STANDS FIRM ON EFFORTS TO CLAW BACK BIDEN-ERA EPA FUNDING: ‘I’M NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE’

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Several of the groups that were recipients of GGRF money sued the Trump administration in March over its attempts to rake back the funds. 

Subsequently, Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order preventing the EPA from freezing $14 billion in GGRF funds awarded to three of the climate groups.

The Associate Press contributed to this report.

Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds will not seek re-election in 2026 after nearly 10 years serving in the state’s highest office, teeing up what may be a competitive Republican gubernatorial primary in 2026. 

In a video announcement released on Friday, Reynolds thanked Iowans for their support throughout her political career and said she will not campaign for another term as governor to focus on her family.

“Today, I want to share a personal decision with you; one that was not made lightly, but comes with a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude. After a lot of thought, prayer, and conversations with my family, I have decided that I will not seek re-election in 2026,” she said. 

Reynolds began her political career in the Clarke County treasurer’s office, before winning election as a state senator and later as the state’s lieutenant governor.

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She has served as governor since 2017, when then-Gov. Terry Branstad was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as ambassador to China during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. Reynolds was elected to a full term as governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

“This wasn’t an easy decision, because I love this state and I love serving you,” Reynolds said in a video posted on social media. “But, when my term ends, I will have had the privilege of serving as your governor for almost 10 years.”

Reynolds said the work isn’t over yet and is committed to “working hard for you every single day until my term ends,” referring to her time as governor as the “greatest honor of my life.”

“This public service has been an incredible journey — one I wouldn’t trade for anything, but as Iowans know, family is everything,” she said. “Through the years, my parents and my husband Kevin, our daughters, and our grandchildren have stood by my side, supporting me through every challenge and every victory. Now, it’s time for me to be there for them.”

IOWA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL REMOVING TRANSGENDER PROTECTIONS FROM CIVIL RIGHTS CODE

Seasoned Iowa-based Republican strategist Jimmy Centers, who served in the Reynolds administration, said “her governorship is historic” for more than being the first female elected Iowa governor.

“It’s more than just her agenda; it’s about what she accomplished as governor. She was bold. She went out and sold her vision and she got it passed,” Centers told Fox News.

Nicole Schlinger, a longtime Iowa and Washington D.C.-based conservative strategist who is well-connected with evangelical groups, said that Reynolds “has been a transformation governor.”

But Schlinger told Fox News that “Kim Reynolds has put a lot of things in her life on hold for the state of Iowa and if you’re going to decide what you’re doing for re-election in 2026, now is the time you’re going to be making that decision.”

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) praised Reynolds for “her bold vision and conservative leadership” and said she “delivered transformational results for Iowa.”

Iowa, which was once a key general election battleground state, has turned red over the past decade, and RGA communications director Courtney Alexander said “we are confident that Iowa will continue to remain in Republican control.” 

But the rival Democratic Governors Association (DGA), pointing to Trump’s sweeping and controversial agenda during his first three months back in the White House, said that “even former RGA Chair Governor Kim Reynolds knows she can’t defend her party’s destruction of the economy and extreme, unpopular agenda for the next two years.”

DGA communications director Sam Newton argued that “in addition to leaving behind a failed record of corruption, gutting public education, and banning abortion, Gov. Reynolds has thrown the wide-open GOP field for governor into complete chaos. We look forward to holding Iowa Republicans accountable as this competitive race ramps up.”

Following Reynolds’ announcement, there was instant speculation that Iowa attorney general Brenna Bird, who was a top surrogate for now-President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign and who spoke at last summer’s Republican National Convention, may make a bid to succeed the governor.

Bird, in a statement posted to social media, praised Reynolds but added that she and her husband will “consider what this decision means for our future.”

“I appreciate the calls of encouragement I’ve already received. I am committed to continuing my work on behalf of Iowans and to support President Trump,” she added.

Among the Republicans who may also have an interest in potentially running in 2026 to succeed Reynolds in the governor’s office in Des Moines are longtime state agriculture secretary Mike Naig; state House Speaker Pat Grassley, the grandson of longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; and all four members of Iowa’s all-GOP congressional delegation — Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Randy Feenstra (IA-04).

Two other names that are mentioned are Matt Whitaker, who ran statewide twice in Iowa but who is known nationally for serving as U.S. attorney general for a couple of months during the first Trump administration and who is currently serving as U.S. representative to NATO; and state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, son of longtime Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann.

RED STATE MOVES TO DEFUND COUNTY AFTER LEADER VOWS TO ‘INTERFERE AND INTERRUPT’ ICE DEPORTATIONS

Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, who has worked in Iowa politics for decades, noted that the Republicans have a “deep bench.”

When it comes to the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, speculation centers on Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, who is currently the only Democratic statewide officeholder in the Hawkeye State. 

Reynolds, pointing to Iowa’s shift to the right in recent election cycles, said the GOP “will remain in great hands” as the next generation of Iowa Republicans build on her legacy. 

Reynolds saw her national profile rise in recent years, through her previous tenure as RGA chair and by welcoming Republican presidential candidates to Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, which remain the lead-off contest in the race for the White House on the GOP calendar.

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In the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Reynolds’ endorsement was coveted by the crowded GOP primary field. Reynolds ultimately endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and joined him repeatedly on the campaign trail in the lead-up to the caucuses. 

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee grilled whistleblower Dr. Eithan Haim this week over his criticism of transgender medical treatments, months after the Biden Justice Department dropped criminal charges against him.

During a Wednesday hearing titled “Ending Lawfare Against Whistleblowers Who Protect Children,” Haim defended his decision to leak documents to the media, revealing that Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston performed transgender medical procedures on minors through May 2023.

“I wouldn’t want this to be done to anyone, not even liberals, even if they’re the craziest communists ever,” Haim said during the hearing. “There’s no one in this country who should be falsely accused and the entire power of the federal government be brought down on them.” 

DOCTOR TARGETED BY BIDEN DOJ FOR EXPOSING TRANS MEDICINE FOR MINORS INVITED TO TRUMP CONGRESSIONAL ADDRESS

At one point during the hearing, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., questioned Haim’s lawyer, Mark Lytle, about the precedent behind Haim’s case, drawing a comparison to a hypothetical scenario involving vaccination records for measles. 

“If I’m in Texas, and there’s a law requiring children to get measles vaccines, and I learn that another doctor’s patients aren’t vaccinated, does that give me the right to access their medical records and release them to the media or an ideological group?” Raskin asked.

“Dr. Haim didn’t break into any systems,” Lytle responded. “He was authorized to see these records by Texas Children’s Hospital, and the prosecutor knew that.”

“Was he authorized to release the information?” Raskin asked.

“He was because he was a whistleblower, and he was reporting wrongdoing,” Lytle said.

HOUSE JUDICIARY CALLS ON BIDEN DOJ PROSECUTOR TO TESTIFY IN DR ETHAN HAIM CASE

Raskin asked Lytle to explain why Haim “did not follow Texas State law and go to the Department of Social Services or another medical authority or law enforcement authority” and instead “went to an ideological organization in the media.”

Lytle responded that Haim went to the Texas Attorney General’s office as well as the media, adding, “Congress favors going to the media for whistleblowers.”

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., asked Haim whether the charges against him were “a case of the administration using weaponizing law enforcement to intimidate you and other dissenters.”

“There has to be a certain standard with our justice system, where people can’t just bring these charges and power through the courts and send these people to prison, because that’s what was going to happen to me,” Haim said.

Cline also asked Lytle whether the federal government treats whistleblowers differently depending on who’s in office.

TRUMP ADMIN WARNS STATES TO COMPLY WITH HOUSING PRISONERS BY THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX OR FACE FUNDING CUTOFF

“This case is an example of that,” Lytle said. “It’s extremely rare for anyone to be charged with criminal HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] violations, let alone the maximum 10-year charge. It’s really outrageous, and the fact that he was charged in this way shows that the prosecutor was out to get him. He was biased.”

Later in the hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., further pressed Haim about releasing the medical records, asking whether children and their families should worry about their private information being released. 

“When children are being mutilated and sterilized,” Haim said, adding that personal information, like the names of the patients, was not included. 

Haim, a surgeon formerly affiliated with Texas Children’s Hospital, was indicted on federal charges last year for allegedly accessing and sharing private medical records of minors receiving transgender medical procedures. 

Haim’s whistleblower report occurred during a transitional period in Texas’ policies regarding transgender treatments for minors. In March 2022, Texas Children’s Hospital announced it would stop such services to children following Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to investigate such treatments as potential child abuse. The hospital later resumed these services after determining compliance with existing laws. In June 2024, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Senate Bill 14, which prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender minors in the state, with the law taking effect on Sept. 1, 2024.

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DOJ prosecutors claimed Haim obtained these records under false pretenses, violating the HIPAA and providing them to the media to harm the hospital’s reputation. Facing up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Haim pleaded not guilty, arguing that no personally identifiable information was disclosed and that he was blowing the whistle on “child abuse” in the hospital. 

In January, the DOJ dismissed the case “with prejudice,” preventing future prosecution on the same grounds. Four days later, President Donald Trump signed the “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” executive order, suspending federal funds for gender-transition procedures for minors, including coverage under Medicaid.

After finding $382 million in fraudulent unemployment payments since 2020, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) identified California, New York and Massachusetts as the primary culprits. 

The three Democrat-led states accounted for $305 million in improper claim payments, DOGE said Thursday.

The group added that California also accounted for 68% of the benefits that were dispensed under former President Joe Biden to parolees identified by federal authorities as being on the government’s terrorist watchlist, or who had criminal records.

California, New York and Massachusetts all have a Democratic trifecta — meaning Democrats control the state House, Senate and the governor’s office. They also have a Democratic triplex, which includes party control of the Attorney General, Secretary of State and governorship.

MUSK SAYS DOGE SET TO TOP $150B IN FRAUD SAVINGS IN FY 2026

“There’s a reason for the mass exodus from Democrat-run states that have mismanaged their economies and driven residents to the nearest Republican-led state,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. “High taxes, poor stewardship of taxpayer dollars and progressive policies continue to yield negative results, which is why Americans overwhelmingly support the work of DOGE.” 

Earlier this week, DOGE reported that since 2020, hundreds of millions in fraudulent unemployment benefits went to tens of thousands of recipients listed as over 115 years old, between ages 1 and 5, or even with birthdates that haven’t occurred yet.

“This is another incredible discovery by the DOGE team, finding nearly $400 million in fraudulent unemployment payments. The Labor Department is committed to recovering Americans’ stolen tax dollars. We will catch these thieves and keep working to root out egregious fraud,” said Labor Department Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Additionally, DOGE also found this week that it was “routine” under the Biden administration to admit immigrants into the country with minimal screening and, as a result, led to more than 6,000 people — either with criminal records, or flagged on the FBI’s terror watchlist — entering the country. 

DOGE ENDS 108 ‘WASTEFUL’ CONTRACTS, INCLUDING FOR AN ‘EXECUTIVE TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM’

Furthermore, DOGE found, hundreds of these people were able to collect public benefits — including approximately $42,000 through the government’s unemployment insurance program. These people also collected money from federal student loan programs, food stamp programs and IRS tax refunds. 

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The Trump administration ended parole for everyone identified as having a criminal record, or being on the FBI’s terror watchlist.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. 

President Trump said on Friday that the first physical examination of his second term went well, and overall he feels he’s in “very good shape.”

The president told reporters on board Air Force One while en route to his home in West Palm Beach Friday evening that the yearly presidential physical at Walter Reed Medical Center showed he has a “good heart, a good soul,” and “overall, I think I’m in very – I felt I was in very good shape.” 

He also took a cognitive test.

“I don’t know what to tell you other than I got every answer right,” the president told reporters.

PENNSYLVANIA MAN CHARGED WITH THREATENING TRUMP, ICE AGENTS, OTHER OFFICIALS

He added, “I think it’s a pretty well-known test. Got it all right. I’ve taken the cognitive test, I think, four times and gotten nothing wrong. That’s what the American people want. Biden refused, Kamala refused.” 

He also said that doctors gave him “a little bit” of advice on lifestyle changes that could improve his health without going into detail. 

Biden’s yearly presidential exam at Walter Reed last year didn’t include a cognitive test. 

The former president’s mental abilities became a concern during the presidential election last year after he struggled in a June debate against Trump, which led to former Vice President Kamala Harris taking over as the Democratic nominee. 

Trump said he expected the report from the exam to be released by Sunday. 

The president was at Walter Reed for five hours undergoing “every test you can imagine.”

TRUMP THREATENS TARIFFS AND SANCTIONS ON MEXICO FOR ‘STEALING’ WATER FROM TEXAS FARMERS

“I was there for a long time,” Trump said. “I think I did very well.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that a readout of the exam would be released “as soon as we possibly can.”

The White House earlier this week promised to release the full results of Trump’s examination. 

“I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Trump wrote on Truth Social before the exam earlier this week. 

The exam was also his first presidential physical since his ear was grazed by a bullet during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. 

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Both Biden and Trump’s health have come under increased scrutiny as they are the two oldest U.S. presidents to ever serve, and Trump became the oldest president to be sworn into office in January. 

A federal judge has upheld a Trump administration policy that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out enforcement operations at churches and other places of worship despite lawsuits against it from faith-based groups.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, appointed by Trump during his first term, denied a request from more than two dozen Christian and Jewish organizations to block the policy. The groups said it infringes on religious freedoms and is causing drops in attendance, especially among immigrants worried about being detained by ICE.

The court found little evidence that ICE is targeting churches or that the change in policy is solely to blame for fewer people attending services. Friedrich noted that only a few enforcement actions have actually taken place at or near religious sites.

MARYLAND IMMIGRANT WRONGLY DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR MUST RETURN TO US, SUPREME COURT RULES

“That evidence suggests that congregants are staying home to avoid encountering ICE in their own neighborhoods, not because churches or synagogues are locations of elevated risk,” Friedrich wrote in her opinion.

The policy at the center of the lawsuit took effect Jan. 20, Trump’s first day back in office. 

On that day, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded an Obama-era guideline that had discouraged ICE agents from making arrests in “sensitive locations,” including schools, hospitals and places of worship. Under the new rule, ICE officers no longer need special approval to act at these locations as long as they apply “common sense” and “discretion.”

Religious leaders said that change went against more than three decades of precedent, which aimed to protect immigrants and other vulnerable populations from being targeted at sacred or essential community spaces.

TRUMP THREATENS TO CUT ALL FEDERAL FUNDING TO SANCTUARY CITIES: ‘DISGRACING OUR COUNTRY’

The judge, however, said bringing back the old policy might not change attendance numbers, since broader immigration enforcement actions could still keep people away.

Other legal challenges to immigration enforcement in sensitive locations are also making their way through the courts.

A federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked operations at religious sites for some groups, including Quakers. But a judge in Colorado ruled in the administration’s favor in a similar case involving enforcement at schools.

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Friedrich’s decision means the current policy will remain in place as the lawsuit proceeds. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A Maryland federal judge on Friday told the Trump administration to comply with a Supreme Court order “in good faith” regarding the ordered return of an alleged MS-13 gang member erroneously deported to El Salvador. 

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident, was deported to El Salvador last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member. His attorneys have maintained that he does not have any ties to the violent gang. 

In a Friday hearing, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to provide daily updates as they comply with Thursday’s Supreme Court order upholding her previous order to return Abrego Garcia to U.S. soil. 

FEDERAL JUDGE HAMMERS DOJ ON WHEREABOUTS OF ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER FOLLOWING SCOTUS ORDER

“I hope you will, in good faith, comply and we’ll take it from there,” Xinis said Friday. “I want daily updates until this matter is resolved.”

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign and Xinis made clear during the hearing that they did not agree on their understanding of the high court’s order. 

On Thursday, the Supreme Court wrote that Xinis’ order “properly requires the government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.”

The high court also said the “intended scope of the term ‘effectuate’” in Xinis’ order is “unclear, and may exceed the District Court’s authority.”

“For its part, the Government should be prepared to share what it can concerning the steps it has taken and the prospect of further steps,” the Court wrote. 

“It’s going to be very difficult for the parties and for the trial court to understand what the scope is of the Supreme Court’s order once the trial court takes the issue back up,” defense attorney Phil Holloway told Fox News Digital. 

MARYLAND IMMIGRANT WRONGLY DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR MUST RETURN TO US, SUPREME COURT RULES

Holloway said that the ambiguity in the high court’s order could lead to the case ending up in the justices’ hands again for further clarification. 

“The government is going to say that they are operating in good faith to comply with an order from the Supreme Court that is murky, and they’re trying their best to comply with it,” he said. “At the same time, the president’s trying to exercise his executive authority under Article II, which also the Supreme Court said the lower court must recognize.”

Holloway said the government can take various routes as it moves forward, including seeking a reprieve from Xinis’ order and arguing that it is “unduly burdensome, and it hinders the president’s executive authority.”

“I think they may wind up trying to get him out of that prison and sending him to a different location,” Holloway said. “But I think they’re going to fight pretty hard on whether they actually have to bring him back to U.S. soil.“

DOJ ASKS TO DISMISS VIRGINIA CASE AGAINST SALVADORAN ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER SET TO BE DEPORTED

Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University and a Fox News contributor, said that the extent of the district court’s power to order the government to comply with the Supreme Court’s order is also in question. 

“It’s entirely unclear what, if anything, the court can do beyond other than nudge the administration in this direction,” he said. 

Heritage Foundation Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky specifically pointed to the Supreme Court noting that the district court must give “[d]ue regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs.” 

“So while the government has to act in good faith to use diplomatic efforts to negotiate Garcia’s return and keep the district court informed of its efforts, the district court cannot give the government direct orders on how to accomplish this foreign policy task or penalize the government if it is not successful,” von Spakovsky said.

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“The assumption is that if the court determines that the administration is acting in bad faith, it could take some other action,” Turley noted. “The question is, how do you make that determination?” 

Turley said the district court could hold the government in contempt if it determines the administration acted in bad faith. However, enforcement may be challenging, given Abrego Garcia is overseas and the president’s Article II authority over foreign affairs.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is turning up the pressure on Mexico over a growing water crisis that’s threatening South Texas farmers, announcing Friday that high-level talks with Mexican officials may finally lead to a breakthrough.

“Just finished a productive call with our great deputy Secretary of State, Chris Landau, and my counterpart in Mexico to tackle the urgent crisis arising from Mexico’s failure to deliver water to American farmers, as obligated by treaty,” Rollins posted on X. 

“We’re moving fast — stay tuned for updates.”

Rollins didn’t hold back, adding, “American agriculture has been asking for this relief for years and didn’t get it. What’s changed now is an American President willing to do what’s necessary to make it happen.”

TRUMP THREATENS TARIFFS AND SANCTIONS ON MEXICO FOR ‘STEALING’ WATER FROM TEXAS FARMERS

During an interview Friday on AgriTalk radio, Rollins revealed just how quickly things are moving. She said that shortly after President Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social Thursday night about Mexico “stealing our farmers’ water,” she was contacted by officials in Mexico to schedule talks.

“Let me give you an example. Last night, that Truth Social came out, as I mentioned, on the Mexican water and on how Mexico has been stealing our farmers’ water, and it’s not going to go on anymore,” Rollins said.

“Whether it’s tariffs or sanctions, we are going to stand up for our citrus growers and others that rely on that Mexican water. And I’m telling you, last night, within two hours after that Truth Social going up, the people from Mexico were calling to set up a call with me this morning.”

Her message comes as frustration builds over Mexico falling short on its water deliveries under the 1944 Water Treaty. 

MEXICO TO DUMP MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF SEWAGE INTO TIJUANA RIVER, US CONTINUES TO BE A DUMPING GROUND: OFFICIAL

The treaty requires Mexico to send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. every five years from tributaries that feed the Rio Grande. Trump says Mexico is more than 1.3 million acre-feet behind, hitting South Texas farmers hard, especially during the ongoing drought conditions.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House Thursday, Rollins said the administration is in regular contact with governors and agriculture leaders.

After speaking with “ten governors” earlier that morning, Rollins said the team is focused on supporting farmers, especially those growing wheat and sorghum. 

“We believe that these changes will, in short order, create unlimited and unprecedented prosperity for these farmers,” she said.

President Trump also addressed the water issue Thursday on Truth Social, blasting Mexico for failing to meet its obligations and warning of consequences if it doesn’t step up. 

“This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly,” he wrote. “Last year, the only Sugar Mill in Texas CLOSED, because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas Farmers.

“We will keep escalating consequences, including tariffs and, maybe even sanctions, until Mexico honors the Treaty. That ends now!”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, backed the administration’s stance, calling the water shortfall a “man-made crisis” and vowing to keep up the pressure. 

“Texas farmers are in crisis because of Mexico’s noncompliance,” Cruz wrote on X. “I will work with the Trump administration to pressure Mexico into complying and to get water to Texas farmers.”

The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs denied Mexico’s request for a special water delivery to Tijuana last month.

“Mexico’s continued shortfalls in its water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are decimating American agriculture,” the agency posted. “Today, for the first time, the U.S. will deny Mexico’s non-treaty request.”

It’s not the first time the U.S. and Mexico have clashed over the 1944 treaty, but officials say the current drought, one of the worst in nearly 30 years, is making matters worse. 

Rollins thanked her Mexican counterpart, Agriculture Secretary Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula, for his “swift and focused attention,” but made it clear that time is running out.

Secretary Rollins joined RFD-TV Friday morning to weigh in on the negotiations.

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“Well, there will be, without giving, you know, too much information that’s still confidential, we immediately began moving out and setting up discussions,” Rollins said. 

“Of course, this is not necessarily USDA, although I’ll be partnering with Secretary Rubio over at State and also talking to some other counterparts today, but hopefully we’ll have a resolution very, very quickly. And we’ll get some water moving, perhaps.”

The USDA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff was in Russia on Friday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after peace talks with Ukraine stalled out in recent weeks, “frustrating” President Donald Trump.

“This is another step in the negotiating process towards a ceasefire,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said of the meeting. “I think the president has been quite clear that he’s been continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict, and he wants to see this fighting, and he wants the war to end.”

Russian media broadcast images of Putin and Witkoff meeting at the presidential library in St. Petersburg. 

Leavitt said the U.S. had “leverage” over Ukraine and Russia to pressure them to agree to peace.

TRUMP ENVOY DOESN’T BELIEVE PUTIN WANTS TO TAKE OVER EUROPE

“We believe we have leverage in negotiating a deal… And we’re going to use that leverage. And the president is determined to see this through,” Leavitt said.

Trump has demanded that both sides agree to an immediate 30-day ceasefire while they hash out a longer peace deal. Ukraine has agreed to this, while Russia has not. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Ukraine had found two Chinese men fighting on behalf of Russia within their borders, a development that would suggest Russia is receiving direct manpower aid from both North Korea and China. 

Zelenskyy said at least 155 Chinese citizens were fighting for Russia as he accused Putin of “prolonging the war” — a claim the Kremlin denied Thursday, stating that China takes a “balanced position” to the war and that “Zelenskyy is wrong.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for further comment.   

Ahead of Witkoff’s meeting with Russian officials, Trump ramped up pressure on Putin, writing on Truth Social: “Russia has to get moving. Too many people are DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – a war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!”

Trump said on March 31 that he was “pissed off” with the Russian leader and threatened to put “secondary tariffs” on Russia’s oil exports, its financial lifeline for the war effort. That could mean sanctioning countries that buy Russian oil or cracking down on its “shadow fleet” of tankers carrying oil across the globe in disguise.

Trump has previously aired out complaints about Zelenskyy, too, calling him a “dictator without elections.” A public White House meeting last month erupted into a near-shouting match where Zelenskyy abruptly left the premises. 

RUSSIAN AMERICAN BALLERINA KSENIA KARELINA HAS MESSAGE FOR TRUMP AFTER RELEASE FROM RUSSIA

Ukraine agreed to both the unconditional ceasefire and a more tailored maritime ceasefire, but Russia has made a fresh round of demands, including the lifting of some sanctions. 

“We are making progress. We hope that we are getting relatively close to getting a deal between Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday. 

The U.S. and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange deal that saw the return of ballerina and U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina to the U.S. on Friday. Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the start of the war in 2022 for donating $51 to a Ukrainian charity. 

On Thursday, U.S. and Russian officials met in Istanbul to discuss reopening operations at each other’s embassies. 

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The St. Petersburg gathering is Witkoff’s third meeting with Putin this year. Over the weekend he will head to Oman to negotiate with Iran in nuclear talks.

Ahead of Friday’s meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was “no need to expect breakthroughs” and the “process of normalizing relations is ongoing.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: One day after the House passed its version of the “big, beautiful” budget bill demanded by President Donald Trump, Senate Republican leaders were bullish on the prospects of a deal coming together when lawmakers return from Passover/Easter break.

“Republicans have a bold agenda. The sooner we pass it, the sooner we can reverse the damage that Democrats have done over the last four years,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital, as Senate leaders made a high-dollar budget cut promise earlier in the week.

“The American people need certainty that they aren’t going to face the Democrats’ $4 trillion tax increase,” said the lawmaker, whose role is to “whip” or tally Republicans’ planned votes ahead of them being cast on the floor.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota remains under pressure to deliver on $1.5 trillion in budget cuts he pledged to secure some of the votes from waffling House conservatives. The Senate version of the bill that passed earlier this month only called for $4 billion in spending cuts – a massive discrepancy from the House’s version.

AK SEN LITERALLY SHREDS BIDEN’S ENERGY ORDERS

In exchange for their votes, Thune and Barrasso must coax Senate GOP moderates and members with concerns over potential Medicaid or entitlement cuts that they won’t be part of the sizable slice.

Additionally, the debt ceiling is projected to be hit during the summertime, which Republicans will have to reckon with financially as well. A failure to adjust for that ceiling could result in default.

TRUMP’S BIG, BEAUTIFUL TAX AGENDA SCORES MAJOR VICTORY

However, Thune was equally optimistic as Barrasso about pushing through Trump’s agenda, saying the upper chamber’s agenda will be “packed” overall.

“More nominations to confirm. More burdensome Biden regulations to repeal. A tax bill – and border, energy, and national security bill – to continue drafting,” he said.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Thune said committee leaders were working through the holiday on varying legislation planned to come for votes soon after they return.

“And, of course, appropriations season is almost upon us. And I remain committed to considering as many appropriations bills as possible under regular order,” he said.

Regular order refers to matriculating bills through the committee process, which Thune previously said promotes bipartisanship and trust between lawmakers and the parties.

The practices of governing by long-term continuing resolutions, or CRs, are considered antithetical to regular order.

Barrasso said the American people need to know that Republicans will stand firm on investing in domestic energy and border security in their post-Easter return.

“Our goal is to get this bill passed and sent to the president’s desk as quickly as possible. We’ll work towards that every day until it’s done.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., for comment on Democrats’ short-term plans but did not receive a response.

Thursday’s House bill passed generally along party lines, after fiscal conservatives largely balked at the financial figures.

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The number of GOP holdouts was eventually whittled down to two – Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana – who voted with the Democrats, albeit for ideologically opposing reasons.

“Our first big, beautiful reconciliation package here involves a number of commitments. And one of those is that we are committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people, while also preserving our essential programs,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

A Pennsylvania man has been charged with making threats against President Donald Trump, other U.S. officials and U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officials, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Shawn Monper, 32, lives in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the president was shot during a campaign rally last July. 

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“I want to applaud the outstanding and courageous investigative work of the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department, who thankfully identified and apprehended this individual before he could carry out his threats against President Trump’s life and the lives of other innocent Americans,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Rest assured that whenever and wherever threats of assassination or mass violence occur, this Department of Justice will find, arrest, and prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law and seek the maximum appropriate punishment.”

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

The Biden administration engaged in a “cover-up” by failing to disclose details about the health of former President Joe Biden, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

“I can tell you there was certainly a lack of transparency from the former president, from the entire former administration,” Leavitt told reporters on Friday. “And frankly, a lot of people in this room, when it came to the health in the competence of the former President of the United States, Joe Biden — there was one of the greatest cover-ups and, frankly, political scandals this nation has ever seen. It’s been unraveled in some recent books that are being written by journalists who engaged in that cover-up in scandal, which is quite ironic.” 

A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

BIDEN AIDES ‘SCRIPTED’ EVERYTHING, ALLOWED HIS FACULTIES TO ‘ATROPHY,’ NEW BOOK CLAIMS

New books out have detailed Biden’s mental and physical well-being during his time in the White House. 

“Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” published Tuesday and authored by Chris Whipple, a former producer for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” claims that the White House kept Biden from socializing with those who previously worked alongside him — a tactic that backfired and contributed to his declining mental agility. 

EX-BIDEN AIDE SAYS FORMER PRESIDENT WAS ‘FATIGUED, BEFUDDLED, AND DISENGAGED’ PRIOR TO JUNE DEBATE: BOOK

Leavitt’s remarks come as President Donald Trump is receiving an annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday. The White House says it will provide a readout of the appointment. 

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“But this president is clearly committed to transparency,” Leavitt said. “You in this room see him and hear from him on a daily basis. You in this room know from covering him. It’s hard to keep up with him. He is a machine working around the clock every single day. And the physician, after today’s physical, will provide an update on the report in the effort of transparency.”

FIRST ON FOX: A conservative nonprofit is warning Tennessee lawmakers about a hospital group it says is quietly pushing radical DEI policies — even as some of those lawmakers have taken the group’s donations.

As institutions begin aligning their policies with President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Consumer’s Research Group, a nonprofit conservative consumer agency, sent a letter to several Tennessee Republican lawmakers urging them to cut ties with the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA).

“Tennessee representatives who accept DEI Dollars from woke institutions like the Tennessee Hospital Association are putting themselves directly at odds with President Trump,” executive director Will Hild told Fox News Digital. “The President was clear: organizations continuing to push discriminatory DEI policies should be investigated.”

RED STATES GET IN LINE WITH TRUMP’S DEI BAN IN SCHOOLS AS COMPLIANCE DEADLINE NEARS

The letter, sent to Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, both Republicans, comes after the group launched a campaign last month titled “What Is Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hiding?” after finding that the university had been not just deleting some of its references to DEI commitments and resources, but also hiding them behind password-protected web pages. 

The letter was also cc’d to state House Majority Leader William Lamberth, state Sens. Shane Reeves, Jack Johnson, Ed Jackson, Becky Massey, Ferrell Haile and state Reps. Gary Hicks, Sabi “Doc” Kumar and Ryan Williams.

Public documents indicate the lawmakers received financial backing from the THA, which the association found still promotes DEI and “‘health equity’ through its Council on Inclusion and Health Equity.”

“Our campaign asking what is Vanderbilt University Medical Center hiding exposed the health system’s frantic and futile attempts to cover its widespread DEI tracks – essentially waving a great big red flag asking to be investigated,” Hild added.

TRUMP ADMIN WARNS STATES TO COMPLY WITH HOUSING PRISONERS BY THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX OR FACE FUNDING CUTOFF

From 2020 through 2024, the Tennessee Hospital Association’s political action committee (PAC) made $707,950 in contributions to candidates and PACs in the state, which includes both the House and Senate Republican caucuses. 

“This is why Consumers’ Research has significant concerns that your acceptance of THA’s DEI Dollars signals an organizational effort to prevent state investigations into hospitals, like VUMC, that have faced criticism for prioritizing equity over healthcare and providing irreversible gender transition procedures to minors,” the letter to lawmakers on Friday states.

“This should be alarming to you and your constituents who rely on hospitals to provide exceptional care to patients, free of a political agenda.”

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DOLED OUT OVER $200M TO UNIVERSITIES TO INJECT DEI INTO COUNSELING COURSES: REPORT

In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, VUMC spokesperson John Howser said that in light of Trump’s recent executive actions mandating an end to DEI programs, particularly in educational institutions, VUMC “is undertaking a thorough review” of its programs to figure out “where revisions may be required to remain in compliance, including updating information on websites and other public platforms.”

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Trump signed the “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” order in January to eradicate all DEI programs within federal agencies and among federal contractors. It revoked previous directives that had promoted affirmative action and required contractors to implement DEI initiatives, arguing that these programs led to “preferential treatment.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to VUMC, the Tennessee Hospital Association and Tennessee Republican lawmakers who received financial donations from them.

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