Donald Trump Poll News

An accused MS-13 leader will remain in federal custody after a judge found probable cause to support the government’s case against him.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter of the Eastern District of Virginia made the ruling Tuesday during a detention hearing for Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, a 24-year-old Salvadoran national arrested last week in suburban Virginia.

The FBI announced Santos’s arrest on March 27 in Woodbridge, just south of Washington, D.C. He has been charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

TOP MS-13 LEADER ARRESTED IN VIRGINIA

Alleged top leader of MS-13 was arrested in Virginia on Thursday, March 27, 2025. (The Ingraham Angle)

Santos’ hearing comes shortly after court documents revealed the Trump administration had sent a Salvadoran man with protected legal status to El Salvador by mistake. 

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was removed from Maryland when the administration sent three planeloads of Salvadoran and Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” on March 15 for alleged gang affiliations.

Vice President JD Vance referenced the court documents in a social media post in response to critics, writing, “you apparently didn’t read he was a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here.” 

MASSACHUSETTS JUDGE CHARGES ICE AGENT WITH CONTEMPT OF COURT

Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove were all present during Santos’ arrest at a nearby tactical operations center.  (POOL)

Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove were all present during Santos’ arrest at a nearby tactical operations center. 

“They executed a clean, safe operation, and the bad guy’s in custody. And thanks to the FBI, we got one of the worst of the worst of the MS-13 off the streets this morning. Virginia and the country is a lot safer today,” Bondi told Fox News after the fact. 

Authorities found a 9mm handgun, three additional firearms, ammunition and two suppressors in Villatoro’s bedroom, according to court documents.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Donald Trump applauded the leadership on the operation, writing on social media, “Great job by Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Tom HOMAN, and Kristi N, on the capture of MS13 leader – A big deal!”

Patel echoed Trump’s sentiment, saying, “This is what can happen when you put good cops in good places to take on bad guys. And America should be watching this. And we are proud to be here standing with these brave warriors.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Santos’ attorney for comment. 

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

Fox News’ David Spunt, Jake Gibson, and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

A normally sleepy procedural vote ended in drama for the House of Representatives after a rebellion by Republicans against their own party forced planned chamber proceedings for the week to grind to a halt.

It puts the future in question for two key bills backed by the Trump administration that were slated to get a vote this week.

A mechanism known as a “rule vote,” which traditionally falls along party lines and is not an expression of support or opposition to specific legislation, failed on Tuesday when nine Republicans joined Democrats in an extraordinary rebuke of GOP leaders.

Speaker Mike Johnson is battling a GOP mutiny that has temporarily stalled President Trump’s agenda in Congress. (Getty Images)

WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS?

It comes amid a weekslong battle over the ability to vote remotely for new parents in Congress.

It’s an embarrassing setback for House Republican leadership, who put on a full court press for bills that would have limited district judges’ ability to levy nationwide injunctions and would have mandated proof of citizenship to register to vote, respectively.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has been leading a bipartisan push for legislation that would allow new parents in the House to vote remotely for 12 weeks surrounding their child’s birth.

She attempted to force the bill onto the floor via a mechanism called a “discharge petition,” which would effectively end-run leaders to hold a House-wide vote on legislation, provided the petition gets support from a simple majority of the House.

Lawmakers rarely, if ever, lead discharge petitions against their own party. But Luna’s was poised for success with support from Democrats and some fellow Republicans. 

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

House GOP leaders attempted to block it, however, by inserting language in an unrelated “rules” package on Monday night that would have effectively prevented Luna’s bill from getting a vote.

‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO

That sparked a backlash among Republicans who either supported Luna’s efforts or opposed leaders’ attempts to change previously agreed-upon House rules – and in most cases, a combination of both.

Meanwhile, a source familiar with the House Rules Committee told Fox News Digital that some Republicans on that panel were frustrated at being kept in the dark by House leaders until the final moments before their committee vote on Tuesday morning. All Republicans on the committee voted for the rule, however.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., supported Luna’s effort. (Alex Wong)

Reps. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., Greg Steube, R-Fla., Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., were among those who voted to kill the rule.

Democrats broke out into applause after the legislation failed.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

It’s not immediately clear what House GOP leaders will do next – they could call an emergency session of the House Rules Committee to consider modified language that does not target discharge petitions.

One House Republican, however, suggested lawmakers could be sent home for the week. 

“Lots of torn up feelings. Might be better to press pause for a couple of days,” that GOP lawmaker said.

U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced on Monday that her department will return over $1 billion in unused COVID-era funding back to the taxpayer amid the Trump administration’s push for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.

In a press release, the Labor Department said $1.4 billion of unspent COVID funding will be “returned to taxpayers through the U.S. Department of Treasury’s General Fund” and added that “action” is “being taken to recover the remaining $2.9 billion.”

 “The roughly $4.3 billion was intended for states to use for temporary unemployment insurance during the pandemic,” the press release states. “Instead, several states continued spending millions of dollars despite no longer meeting necessary requirements, which was uncovered in a 2023 audit conducted by the department’s Office of Inspector General.”

The department explained in the press release that the funding originated from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in March 2020 and that the program was meant to provide expanded unemployment insurance for Americans who were not able to work during the pandemic.

EXPERT TURNS TABLES ON DEM CRITICS AFTER MUSK ACCUSES SOCIAL SECURITY OF BEING ‘PONZI SCHEME’ 

The Labor Department is returning over $1 billion in funds to taxpayers. (Getty Images)

The program was closed in 2021, the department said, but the 2023 audit “found four states were allowed to access the funding ‘despite not meeting program requirements,’ totaling over $100 million in spending.”

“There’s no reason leftover COVID unemployment funds should still be collecting dust,” DeRemer told Fox News Digital in a statement. “I promised to look out for Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars, and we are delivering at the Department of Labor.”

“Any money still sitting around for pandemic-era unemployment funds is a clear misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars,” Chavez-DeRemer said in the press release, adding that she is “rooting out waste to ensure American Workers always come First.”

LABOR SECRETARY CHAVEZ-DEREMER’S FIRST MEMO CALLS ON STAFF TO COMPLY WITH TRUMP POLICIES: ‘LET’S GET TO WORK’

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Labor Department, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Feb. 19, 2025. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said in a statement, “It’s unacceptable that billions of dollars went unchecked in a program that ended several years ago.

“In a huge win for the American taxpayer, we’ve clawed back these unused funds and will keep working to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The announcement comes after DeRemer said in her first memo to the department after taking over last month that she plans to comply with Trump’s executive orders and work with DOGE to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, our focus remains on promoting job creation, enhancing workforce development, and ensuring safe working conditions, wages, and pensions so that every American has the opportunity to succeed,” DeRemer said to employees in the memo. “I challenge each of you to actively engage with your teams to identify innovative solutions that can help us achieve our goals.” 

Chavez-DeRemer said that the Labor Department must align with the priorities of the Trump administration and “must focus on practicing fiscal responsibility, reducing unnecessary spending, and optimizing our resources to ensure that taxpayer dollars are utilized effectively.” 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report

A U.S. appeals court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s request to pause a lower court ruling that temporarily blocked its ban on transgender military service members – a near-term blow as the administration signals it may take the case to the Supreme Court.

The three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration’s request for an administrative stay, which would have allowed it to enforce the ban while a lower court weighs the case.

Instead, the appellate court decision leaves in place, for now, a preliminary injunction handed down late last month by U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle. That decision blocked the Trump administration from identifying and removing transgender service members for the near-term while the case proceeds in lower court.

“The Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s executive actions, including the Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness Executive Order, and will continue to do so,” a spokesperson for the Justice Department told Fox News Digital. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE

The Trump administration has attempted to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. armed forces, although the move is currently held up in court. (Getty Images)

The Trump administration filed its appeal to the 9th Circuit last week, seeking to overturn Judge Settle’s preliminary injunction. 

In court filings, the government argued that the transgender military policy “furthers the government’s important interests in military readiness, unit cohesion, good order and discipline, and avoiding disproportionate costs.”

However, the policy has already faced a wave of early legal challenges.

Settle, who is based in Tacoma, Washington, is not the only federal judge to block the Trump administration’s transgender military ban this year. Last month, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes also temporarily blocked Trump’s ban, citing what she described as a lack of evidence to support the administration’s stated rationale for the policy.

Reyes vehemently contested the government’s assertion that being transgender is “not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.” 

JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, prior to her confirmation to the U.S. District Court. (Sarah Silbiger/Reuters)

Reyes noted in a scathing, 79-page ruling that transgender service members have provided a combined total of “over 130 years of military service,” have been deployed around the globe, including currently in an active combat zone, and together have earned more than 80 commendations and medals for their service. 

The three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit broke with Reyes’s order, however – agreeing to grant the Trump administration an administrative stay.

Still, the judges stressed that the stay “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits” of the case. The panel also said they reserve the right to reconsider the administrative stay if the military is found to have taken adverse action against passenger service members. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

President Donald Trump ordered the ban in question shortly after taking office in a January executive order. The order states that the “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” – which plaintiffs have vigorously contested. 

The case is one of many that will likely be kicked up to the Supreme Court.

FIRST ON FOX: A resolution to impeach U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg is still gaining support despite House GOP leaders’ hesitation to move on such a measure.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, introduced an article of impeachment against Boasberg last month after he issued an emergency order temporarily halting the Trump administration’s deportation flights under the Alien Enemies Act.

Reps. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., signed onto the bill as co-sponsors last week, Fox News Digital was told, despite House GOP leaders signaling around the same time that they have little appetite to pursue that route.

The resolution now has 22 total co-sponsors – suggesting the effort is still alive and well among conservatives in the House Republican conference.

WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS?

Rep. Brandon Gill, left, has filed an impeachment resolution against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, inset. (Getty Images)

President Donald Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to deport suspected Tren De Aragua gang members to a detention facility in El Salvador. 

Boasberg’s standoff with the Trump administration, which includes accusations the White House ignored his initial order that the administration has denied, has sent shock waves through Capitol Hill. 

Republicans see it as one of the most egregious examples of “rogue judges” blocking Trump’s agenda. 

Trump himself singled out Boasberg and called for his impeachment over the legal showdown.

‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO

House Speaker Mike Johnson talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

More than a dozen injunctions have been levied against various Trump policies, with targets ranging from birthright citizenship reform to the Department of Government Efficiency.

However, House GOP leaders are hesitant to support impeachment as a method to target Boasberg and other judges – believing it to be a less effective route to accountability.

Several rank-and-file Republican lawmakers suggested to Fox News Digital last month that they would not support such a move, giving it long odds of success in the House.

Gill’s resolution accused Boasberg of abusing his power.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

He could still force a House-wide vote on the measure by reintroducing it as a “privileged resolution,” giving leaders two legislative days to hold at least one procedural vote.

As of last week, however, Gill told Fox News Digital he had no plans to do so.

It comes as House Republicans coalesce around legislation by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to limit district judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions. That bill is expected to get a vote on Wednesday afternoon.

President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of Jason Galanis, a convicted ex-business associate of Hunter Biden, whom Trump officials described as the “fall guy” for the former first son’s business dealings. 

Galanis was sentenced in 2017 to 189 months, or 14 years, in prison, after pleading guilty to securities fraud based on bonds issued by a company affiliated with a Native American tribe in South Dakota. 

The funds were reportedly supposed to be used for certain projects, but were instead used for his personal finances. 

HUNTER BIDEN: A LOOK AT HOW THE SAGA SPANNING OVER SIX YEARS UNFOLDED

A Trump administration official told Fox News Digital that Galanis served eight years and eight months of his sentence and had an “unblemished record while in prison.” The official also said Galanis was sexually assaulted by a security guard while in prison. 

Jason Galanis worked with Hunter Biden’s partner, Devon Archer, before pleading guilty to fraud. (Facebook Profile)

The Trump official told Fox News Digital that Galanis “basically was the fall guy for Hunter Biden and Devon Archer.” The official noted Galanis was “extremely cooperative” during the 2024 House impeachment inquiry into the Biden family. 

“After serving eight years and eight months in prison on good behavior, the administration felt it was time for him to regain his liberty and go on into his private life,” the official told Fox News Digital. 

Congressional investigators interviewed Galanis while he was in prison to gather information on the Biden family’s business dealings and any “access” to then-Vice President Joe Biden. 

Galanis testified that Joe Biden was considering joining the board of a joint venture created by Hunter Biden and his business associates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party after he left the vice presidency.

JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY CONSIDERED JOINING BOARD OF CCP-LINKED COMPANY, WITNESS TESTIFIES FROM PRISON

Galanis said Joe Biden’s involvement would have brought “political access in the United States and around the world.” 

Galanis testified that he worked with Archer and Hunter Biden between 2012 and 2015. Their business together, he said, included the acquisition of Burnham & Co, a division of Drexel Burnham Lambert, combined with “other businesses in insurance and wealth management.” Galanis testified the three “owned and acquired with total audited assets of over $17 billion.”

Hunter Biden talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Dec. 13, 2023. (Jose Luis Magana/The Associated Press)

“Our objective was to build a diversified private equity platform, which would be anchored by a globally known Wall Street brand together with a globally known political name,” Galanis testified. “Our goal — that is, Hunter Biden, Devon Archer and me — was to make billions, not millions.” 

Galanis testified that “the entire value-add of Hunter Biden to our business was his family name and his access to his father, Vice President Joe Biden.

EXCLUSIVE: BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ ‘DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT

“Because of this access, I agreed to contribute equity ownership to them — Hunter and Devon — for no out-of-pocket cost from them in exchange for their ‘relationship capital,’” he told investigators.

Hunter Biden served as vice chairman of the Burnham group “and brought strategic relationships to the venture, including from Kazakhstan, Russia and China.”

Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Archer was tied to the scheme that put Galanis in prison and was convicted in 2018 for defrauding the Native American tribal entity and various investment advisory clients of tens of millions of dollars in connection with the issuance of bonds by the tribal entity and the subsequent sale of those bonds through fraudulent and deceptive means. 

The president pardoned Archer in March. 

TRUMP PARDONS FORMER HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE DEVON ARCHER

“Many people have asked me to do this. They think he was treated very unfairly. And I looked at the records, studied the records. And he was a victim of a crime, as far as I’m concerned. So we’re going to undo that. … Congratulations, Devon,” Trump said ahead of signing the pardon. 

Archer thanked Trump ahead of officially receiving the pardon Tuesday, arguing he was “the victim of a convoluted lawfare effort.”

“I want to extend my deepest thanks to President Trump,” Archer said in a comment to the New York Post regarding the pardon. “I am grateful to the president for recognizing that I was the victim of a convoluted lawfare effort intended to destroy and silence me.

“Like so many people, my life was devastated by the Biden family’s selfish disregard for the truth and for the peace of mind and happiness of others. The Bidens talk about justice, but they don’t mean it,” he said. “I am grateful that the American people are now well aware of this reality.”

Galanis and Archer testified as part of the House impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden. The House of Representatives found, after months of investigating, that Biden had engaged in “impeachable conduct.” In their nearly 300-page report, House lawmakers said he had “abused his office” and “defrauded the United States to enrich his family.”  

BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE

Republicans said there is “overwhelming evidence” that Biden had participated in a “conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family.” They alleged that the Biden family and their business associates had received tens of millions of dollars from foreign interests by “leading those interests to believe that such payments would provide them access to and influence with President Biden.” 

Before leaving office, President Biden announced a blanket pardon that applied to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” President Joe Biden said. “There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”

Biden added, “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.” 

Two key bills backed by President Donald Trump are expected to get a vote this week as Republican lawmakers continue their first 100-day sprint of trying to enact the White House’s agenda.

The No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA Act) by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., would limit district court judges’ ability to issue orders blocking Trump policies nationwide. Additionally, the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is aimed at requiring proof of citizenship in the voting registration process.

It signifies Trump’s continued dominance over congressional Republicans’ agenda, at a time when Democrats are struggling to coalesce around a singular message or leader.

MIGRANT INFLUENCER MOCKS US TAXPAYERS WHO ‘WORK LIKE SLAVES’ WHILE WAVING CASH IN LATEST VIDEOS

House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, shakes hands with then-President-elect Donald Trump onstage at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The former legislation is a response to Trump’s ongoing standoff with judges paralyzing his agenda, while the latter is a bill that the president and his allies have long pushed for.

The bills advanced through the House Rules Committee on Tuesday in an expected party-line vote.

An original plan to have the bills voted through the panel on Monday night was upended after House GOP leaders attempted to insert language into the joint “rule” that would have killed an unrelated bid by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., to install remote voting for new parents in the House.

It led to a brief hold-up on Tuesday morning before the language blocking Luna was ultimately included in the measure.

The Rules Committee acts as the final gatekeeper to legislation before it’s considered House-wide.  The next step will be a procedural “rule” vote expected on Tuesday afternoon. If passed, that will set up lawmakers to debate both bills before voting sometime this week.

Issa’s bill is coming for a House-wide vote on Wednesday afternoon as Trump is pushing his congressional allies to fight back against what Republicans view as “activist judges” trying to block their agenda.

Rep. Darrell Issa attends the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Two people familiar with discussions said earlier this month that Capitol Hill aides were told Trump “likes” the bill. Meanwhile, Roy’s bill has been pushed by both Trump and various conservative groups since before the 2024 election.

Democrats have argued that if passed, it would disenfranchise women by making it harder for married women who have changed their last names to vote. Republicans say it is a necessary crackdown to prevent illegal immigrants from voting in federal elections, which is already against the law.

The SAVE Act passed the House with five Democrats voting in favor of the bill in July last year, but was never taken up by the Senate, then controlled by now-Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

PROPOSED BILL IN CONGRESS TO COMBAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SQUATTING WOULD MAKE PRACTICE A DEPORTABLE OFFENSE

Rep. Chip Roy is seen outside the U.S. Capitol after the last votes before the August recess on July 25, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

House GOP leaders called on lawmakers on both sides to support this bill this week, however. It’s expected to come for a House-wide vote on Thursday morning.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“American citizens — and only American citizens — should decide American elections,” House GOP leaders said in a joint statement. 

“This legislation cements into law President Trump’s executive action to secure our voter registration process and protect the voices of American voters. We urge all our colleagues in the House to join us in doing what the overwhelming majority of people in this country rightfully demand and deserve.”

The Democratic base has howled for weeks at congressional Democrats to “fight” and stand up to President Donald Trump.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., tried to address that with his overnight speech, railing against Trump and Elon Musk.

What you are also seeing is a proxy battle for the eventual fight to succeed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Schumer isn’t going to be ousted anytime soon, but moves like this by Booker are ways that senators with high aspirations make a mark and win the support of their colleagues.

BOOKER DELIVERING MARATHON SENATE SPEECH AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN, ELON MUSK: ‘INFLICTED SO MUCH HARM’

Sen. Cory Booker speaks at a rally in support of USAid on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla)

Late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., gave a similar stemwinder of a speech when he was the whip. That won Reid plaudits from his Democratic colleagues.

Booker began speaking around 7 p.m. ET Monday. The question is whether this constitutes a “filibuster” or is just a really long speech. From a parliamentary standpoint, a long speech does not necessarily constitute a filibuster.

A filibuster is used to block or delay something on the floor, and it may not require a speech at all. The filibuster is sometimes misconstrued, thanks to Hollywood and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”

Technically, Booker is not delaying anything. The Senate had no pending debate or vote to get to right away. So, he’s actually not filibustering; he’s just making a long-winded speech.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO GO TO WAR WITH ‘ROGUE JUDGES’ BLOCKING TRUMP’S AGENDA: HERE’S THEIR PLAN

Sen. Cory Booker listens as U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 22, 2022 in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Senate voted last night to overcome a filibuster on the nomination of Matt Whitaker to become Ambassador to NATO. By rule, opponents have up to 30 hours to burn before the Senate must vote to confirm him. The Senate was expected to confirm Whitaker today, but that vote was not on the books yet. So, technically Booker had until 1 a.m.-ish Wednesday to speak. By rule, the Senate would automatically vote on confirming Whitaker. That’s why this wasn’t TECHNICALLY a filibuster. 

The Senate allows for virtually unlimited debate, so Booker is taking advantage of that prerogative. 

If Booker wants to maintain the floor, he must remain standing at all times. Otherwise, he could lose control of the floor. 

Note that Booker did not speak the entire time. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has given Booker a periodic time out. Murphy himself gave an all-night speech about guns in 2016. He is also someone to watch as a potential, eventual successor to Schumer. 

Sen. Chris Murphy speaks during a press conference following the Democrats’ weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 21, 2025 in Washington. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

In order to keep the floor, Booker has occasionally yielded to Murphy “for a question.” Yielding “for a question” allows a senator to keep control of the floor. Murphy has then enjoined Booker by also giving rather lengthy speeches – so long that there is an interrogative at the end. 

In Senate terms, this is akin to calling in a relief pitcher from the bullpen for a batter or two. Kind of like a double switch. In baseball, a manager occasionally pulls a pitcher, brings someone in from the bullpen and puts the original pitcher in a fielder’s position – then returns them to the mound after a batter. That keeps the original pitcher in the game. 

Thus, Booker remains “in the game.”

Late Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., holds the record for the longest filibuster: 24 hours and 18 minutes on a piece of civil rights legislation in 1957. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

However, Thurmond’s filibuster was “wind assisted.” There was no television or social media. Most reporters didn’t realize he had been on the floor all night until the next day. He left the floor to use the restroom. Get a sandwich. Allowed Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, D-Texas, to pass bills by unanimous consent and swear-in a new senator. 

But because watchful eyes weren’t on the Senate, no one called Thurmond on it.

Vice President JD Vance responded to comments asking him about the Trump administration admitting to sending a Salvadoran man with protected legal status to the megaprison in El Salvador by mistake.

“It’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize,” Vance wrote on X in response to a question about the error from “Pod Save America” host Jon Favreau.

The administration’s attorneys acknowledged in a court filing on Monday that it sent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador by mistake, which was first reported by The Atlantic. However, the administration also claimed that U.S. courts lack jurisdiction to order his return from the prison where he is behind bars.

Abrego Garcia was removed from Maryland when the administration sent three planeloads of Salvadoran and Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” on March 15 for alleged gang affiliations.

FEDERAL JUDGE POSTPONES DHS’S ATTEMPT TO END TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR VENEZUELANS

The Trump administration’s attorneys acknowledged in a court filing Monday that it removed Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man with protected legal status, and sent him to El Salvador by mistake. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Attorneys for several removed Venezuelan migrants have emphasized that the administration has falsely labeled several of the removed migrants as gang members based on their tattoos, though administration officials have repeatedly stated those sent to the prison are the “worst of the worst.”

Certain tattoos flagged as gang-affiliated, which could lead to a migrant’s removal, include art of things like a crown or NBA legend Michael Jordan’s famous “Jumpman” logo rather than only symbols of a notable gang in El Salvador or Venezuela.

The administration maintains that those tattoos have gang affiliations.

DHS’ KRISTI NOEM SAYS TRUMP ADMIN WILL RESUME CONSTRUCTION OF 7 MILES OF SOUTHERN BORDER 

The administration has been accused of falsely labeling several of the removed migrants as gang members based on their tattoos. (Getty Images)

While responding to Favreau, who served as an aide to former President Barack Obama, Vance said “you apparently didn’t read he was a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here” – referencing the court filing.

“My further comment is that it’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize,” the vice president added.

The court filing states that Abrego Garcia was denied bond in 2019 over an informant’s allegation that he was a member of MS-13, but he has not been convicted.

Vice President JD Vance said “it’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize.” (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Court filings also show Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. in 2011 at the age of 16 after fleeing gang threats in El Salvador, The Atlantic reported. 

Eight years later, a judge granted him a form of protected status known as “withholding of removal” after finding that he would likely be a target of Salvadoran gangs if deported to his native country.

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

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke out against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on the Senate floor throughout the night after beginning his marathon speech at 7 p.m. Monday.

The senator was still speaking on the floor at 6 a.m. Tuesday, 11 hours after he had begun.

Booker received some support from other Senate Democrats, whom he allowed to speak at times, during his hourslong show of opposition against the Trump administration.

DEM SENATOR SAYS PARTY BRAND IS ‘REALLY PROBLEMATIC’ AND LED TO THE LOSS OF TRUST OF WORKING-CLASS VOTERS

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., leaves the Senate Democrats’ lunch meeting in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Booker said toward the beginning of his speech that Trump, in 71 days, “has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy, and even our aspirations as a people for, from our highest offices, a sense of common decency.”

DEM SENATOR BEHIND SOCIAL MEDIA FAIL RESPONDS TO ELON MUSK’S OFFER

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who said he planned to join Booker “for the entirety of his speech,” noted that he was “returning the favor” as Booker joined him when he “launched a filibuster to demand action on gun violence nine years ago.”

Murphy was among the Democrats who provided Booker with some relief by speaking at times to punctuate the marathon session.

In the social media video, Murphy described his colleague’s effort as “extraordinary.”

JEN PSAKI CALLS OUT THE ‘WORST’ MEDIA TRAINING ADVICE GIVEN TO DEMOCRATS

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Booker said in a video before he began his demonstration that he plans to continue speaking as long as he is “physically able.”

President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the U.S.’s top military officer is set to take the hot seat before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. 

Lt. Gen. Daniel “Razin” Caine was plucked to replace Gen. C.Q. Brown, who Trump relieved of his role as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last month. It will be Caine’s first highly publicized remarks since the shakeup. After testifying before the committee, he will have to pass a committee vote and then a full Senate vote. 

If confirmed, Caine would serve as a go-to adviser for both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. 

TRUMP NOMINATES AIR FORCE LT. GEN. DAN ‘RAZIN’ CAINE FOR JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN

President Donald Trump nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last month. (U.S. Air Force)

Caine first caught the eye of the president years ago, when he was among a group of military leaders who met with Trump in December 2018 at the Al Asad Airbase in Iraq. 

Trump was visiting to deliver a Christmas message and hear from commanders on the ground. There, Caine told Trump they could defeat ISIS quickly with a surge of resources and a lifting of restrictions on engagement – a different message than the president was getting back in Washington. 

“We’re only hitting them from a temporary base in Syria,” Trump said Caine told him. “But if you gave us permission, we could hit them from the back, from the side, from all over – from the base that you’re right on, right now, sir. They won’t know what the hell hit them.” 

Trump had plucked the retired Air Force general from relative obscurity after accusing Brown of pushing a “woke” agenda at the Pentagon. Brown had been behind a 2022 memo laying out diversity goals for the Air Force. 

Caine does not meet the position’s prerequisites, such as being a combatant commander or service chief, and will require a waiver to be confirmed to the position. 

VANCE VISITS CAPITOL HILL TO URGE SENATORS TO CONFIRM ELBRIDGE COLBY FOR PENTAGON NO. 3 POST

Air Force Brig. Gen. Daniel Caine, second from left, deputy commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, walks through Mosul, Iraq, with residents and Iraqi Security Forces, June 26, 2018. (Army Spc. Keisha Brown/DOD )

Caine’s reputation as an aggressive fighter pilot earned him the nickname “Razin Caine.” 

Caine, who flew F-16s, also spent time as the top military liaison to the CIA, an Air National Guard officer and regional airline founder in Texas. He was a White House fellow at the Agriculture Department and a counterterrorism specialist on the White House’s Homeland Security Council.

From 2018-19, he was the deputy commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, which has been fighting the Islamic State since 2014. Little is publicly known about his role in that operation. The role of airstrikes, however, grew during that time, including clandestine ones, and Trump designated airstrike approval to commanders rather than the White House. 

Critics viewed Caine as an unconventional pick who lacked the experience for the job – he had already retired from the military and held the rank of three-star general, not four.

President Donald Trump relieved Gen. C.Q. Brown, a former President Joe Biden holdover whose term was not yet up, from the Joint Chiefs chairman job last month. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

If confirmed, he would be tasked with providing the president with military advice at a time when Trump has toyed with bombing Iran and the Pentagon is shoring up its capabilities to ensure America is capable of winning a hypothetical war with China. 

The Pentagon is also in the midst of a major modernization push to integrate AI across its systems and will soon take up the monumental task of putting a “Golden Dome” over the U.S. homeland. It is currently trying to whittle down its civilian workforce by more than 50,000 people and identify waste in the agency with the largest budget. 

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is resigning from the House Freedom Caucus, she announced in a letter to fellow conservatives on Monday.

It’s the latest escalation in her fight against House GOP leaders and a small group of members on the right flank of their conference over the issue of proxy voting. Luna has teamed up with Democrats and several other Republicans on a mechanism aimed at forcing consideration of legislation that allows new parents in the House to vote remotely for 12 weeks around their baby’s birth.

“I have consistently supported each of you, even in moments of disagreement, honoring the mutual respect that has guided our caucus,” Luna wrote. “That respect, however, was shattered last week.”

EXPERT TURNS TABLES ON DEM CRITICS AFTER MUSK ACCUSES SOCIAL SECURITY OF BEING ‘PONZI SCHEME’

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., resigned from the House Freedom Caucus (Getty Images)

The focus of her anger is a brief incident from earlier this month when a group of House conservatives held up a chamber-wide vote on unrelated legislation to press GOP leaders to kill Luna’s measure – known as a “discharge petition.”

A discharge petition allows lawmakers to force a bill onto the House floor, despite objections from leadership, provided the mechanism gets signatures from a majority of the chamber.

“Acting within the House conference rules – rules we all agreed to – I sought to bring a vote to the floor on a measure that would allow new mothers in Congress (fewer than 14 in our nation’s history) and fathers, if they choose, to vote by proxy,” Luna continued. 

 “This was a modest, family-centered proposal. Yet, a small group among us threatened the Speaker, vowing to halt floor proceedings indefinitely – regardless of the legislation at stake, including President Trump’s agenda – unless he altered the rules to block my discharge petition.”

She praised House Freedom Caucus chair Andy Harris’ conduct (Getty Images)

She shared praise for House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., whose conduct she called “gentlemanly,” but added, “With a heavy heart, I am resigning from the Freedom Caucus.”

“I cannot remain part of a caucus where a select few operate outside its guidelines, misuse its name, broker backroom deals that undermine its core values and where the lines of compromise and transaction are blurred, disparage me to the press, and encourage misrepresentation of me to the American people,” Luna wrote.

She will be the first House Freedom Caucus member to leave the group, which does not advertise its membership, in the 119th Congress.

The most recent departures before Luna include Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Randy Weber, R-Texas, who were both pushed out, and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who left during the shakeup.

APPEALS COURT RULES DOGE CAN CONTINUE OPERATING AT USAID IN ANOTHER WIN FOR TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he believed proxy voting was “unconstitutional” in remarks after House Republicans’ weekly closed-door meeting on Tuesday.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We addressed this in conference this morning. A couple of our, a handful of our colleagues, have gotten behind the effort, and, look, I’m a father. I’m pro-family,” the speaker said. “Here’s the problem. If you create a proxy vote opportunity just for young parents, mothers and, the fathers in those situations, then where is the limiting principle?”

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, one of Luna’s now-former House Freedom Caucus colleagues, wrote on X of the issue, “Respectfully to my friend – this (unconstitutional) rule would ultimately NOT be limited to moms. Cancer patients, dads, & worst of all, people who lazily abuse it (eg, voting from boats). She leaves out her discharge allows no amendments! We should show up to work/vote.”

President Trump stirs up controversy, by design, on just about everything.

And when the media, including me, cover this flood-the-zone approach, Trumpian allies rip the resulting stories and segments as reflecting an unhealthy negative obsession with the president.

Memo to the pro-Trump zealots who go online and declare I hate the president, that’s objectively ridiculous. He was pleased with the two interviews I did with him during the campaign, and I was just over at the White House for a meeting with his team. But have your fun.

HOW DONALD TRUMP DOMINATES THE NEWS, BOTH POSITIVELY AND NEGATIVELY

You know how Trump has been kidding around about running for a third term? Well, he told Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” he’s “not joking,” in an off-camera but on-the-record interview in which she had to describe his remarks. Sure it violates the 22nd Amendment, but there are workarounds, he said, adopting her suggestion that JD Vance could run in 2028 and then turn over the presidency to him. 

This is classic Trump – it’s a joke until it’s not. I happen to think he’s trolling the press and won’t do it – he’d be 82 – but with the Democrats in such sorry shape, who really knows?

Now he undoubtedly called Welker because the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was a guest (insisting, by the way, that he does too know national security adviser Michael Waltz), and made other news. Trump said he is “pissed” at Russia for dragging its feet on a Ukraine peace deal, and IF he concludes that he may hit the Kremlin with more sanctions. This is noteworthy because he almost never criticizes Vladimir Putin – and sanctions won’t do much because of our minimal trade with Russia – but notice there’s no Trump sound bite to be replayed.

President Trump recently told Kristen Welker of “Meet the Press” that he’s “not joking” about seeking a potential third term, despite glaring constitutional barriers to doing so. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo/File Photo)

Also, on American cars costing more because of his tariff war, the president said “I couldn’t care less if they raised prices because people are going to start buying American-made cars.” Imagine if Joe Biden had said that. He’d already have been impeached, with many cutting off the sound bite after the first eight words.

Meanwhile, the market plummeted again yesterday over uncertainty over the tariffs that are about to take effect, and is on track for a horrible quarter.

On his vow to take control of Greenland, Welker quoted Trump as saying “I never take military force off the table, but I think there’s a good possibility we could do it without military force.” That’s a relief.

TRUMP TEASES RUNNING FOR A THIRD TERM: ‘NOT JOKING’

I talk and write about most of the major Trump controversies – there are always ones I can’t get to because of the fire-hose approach – which is of course as he likes it. Negative coverage helps him as much as positive coverage, as I’ve been saying for the more than three decades I’ve known him, because it means he’s driving the news agenda.

I mean, the guy will talk about anything. When Kid Rock insisted on bringing Bill Maher to have dinner with Trump, the president said he’d do it as a favor to Kid but:

“The problem is, no matter how much he likes your Favorite President, ME, he will publicly proclaim what a terrible guy I am, etc…Who knows, though, maybe I’ll be proven wrong? It might be fun or, it might not, but you will be the first to know!”

I wonder if the president’s aware of how Maher beats up on the left. 

Bill Maher is set to dine with Trump after being goaded into doing so by Kid Rock. Trump, naturally, used the news as an opportunity to rib on Maher for his historically left-of-center rhetoric. (Getty Images)

Maher’s response to critics: 

“If two guys who’ve been at each other for so long — I mean, it’s kind of a Nixon to China thing. There was nobody who was harder on Trump…It will probably accomplish very little, but you gotta try, man, you gotta try.”

COMEDIAN BILL MAHER ACCEPTS TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE INVITATION, SPARKS DEBATE

Trump has launched a series of harsh attacks against major institutions, the latest being some of the world’s biggest law firms. Skadden, Arps has agreed to provide $100 million in free services to the White House. Paul, Weiss has agreed to $40 million in pro bono work.

The alternative: Getting hit with an executive order which would bar the firms from reviewing classified documents, and therefore unable to help corporate clients. And sometimes that’s because a single prosecutor who investigated Trump works or worked there.

Three other large law firms have sued the administration and won an initial round in court.

As for academia, Columbia University has been acting conciliatory in hopes of regaining $400 million in frozen federal funds because of its failure to crack down on anti-Semitism. Unable to work it out, the school’s interim president has resigned, with longtime television journalist Claire Shipman taking over on a temporary basis. Columbia is obviously a test case.

And then there are Trump’s lawsuits against CBS, NBC and the Des Moines Register. Remember, ABC paid Trump $16 million to settle a suit about George Stephanopoulos’ comments about sexual assault.

JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA

The New York Times says: 

“An Ivy League university. Distinguished law firms with Fortune 500 clients. The highest levels of government in the nation’s largest city.

“As President Trump seeks to extract concessions from elite institutions and punish his perceived enemies, some of New York’s most powerful people are suddenly confronting excruciating decisions.

“The hard choices they face seem almost to be pulled from the pages of a college ethics textbook.”

Recent deals by Trump are forcing major institutions between a rock and a hard place. ( Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Politico co-founder John Harris, with his staff, conjured up a great phrase on the reaction to these aggressive moves by Trump: the “Great Grovel.”

“One after another, a parade of the wealthiest and most elite institutions in American life since last November have found themselves confronted by unprecedented demands from President Donald Trump and his team of retribution-seekers.

“One after another, these establishment pillars have met these demands with the same response: capitulation and compliance.” 

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

Two themes are consistent: “The first is an effort — far more organized and disciplined than any precedent from Trump’s first term — to bring institutions who have earned the president’s ire to heel.” Even more surprising: “The swiftness with which supposedly powerful and supposedly independent institutions have responded — with something akin to the trembling acquiescence of a child surrendering his lunch money to a big kid on the morning walk to school.”

And there’s more: “Trump’s actions have illuminated more vividly than ever just how many wealthy private institutions have their finances and policies enmeshed with the federal government — though it is hardly a new phenomenon. What is different is the willingness of Trump and his lieutenants to use this leverage so unabashedly. Along the way, he has revealed the institutions to be more vulnerable to intimidation than their leaders themselves may have recognized.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Whether or not you agree with Donald Trump, there’s no question that he has changed the boundaries of what’s deemed acceptable, probably forever.

Footnote: Pew Research has a fascinating study about how heavily people are consuming news about Trump, and why, with both Republicans and Democrats paying lots of attention, sometimes for different reasons.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

-Republican AGs urge Trump to crack down on obscure ‘loophole’ cartels use to flood U.S. with fentanyl

-Where Trump stands 10 weeks into his second tour of duty in the White House

-House Republicans brush off Stefanik’s Trump admin upheaval amid high-stakes Florida race

Case closed 

The White House considers the Signal group chat leak case “closed,” Trump administration press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media Monday while reiterating President Donald Trump’s support of national security advisor Mike Waltz.

“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 Monday afternoon. “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.”…Read more

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to the media on March 31 on tariffs and provides update on Signal group chat leak.  (Getty Images)

White House

UNLIKELY ALLY: Trump and his tariffs find unlikely ally in auto union boss, who blasted Dems and ‘corporate greed’

FOR THE RECORD: Trump admin breaking modern presidential staffing records, hiring ‘thousands of America First warriors’

ECONOMICS 101: Trump privatizing student loan system would spur higher-ed reform, lower costs

‘LIBERATION DAY’: Trump’s 11th week in office set to focus on tariffs as president touts ‘Liberation Day’

U.S. President Donald Trump waits to greet Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, March 17, 2017. Trumps first meeting with  (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

World Stage

‘DEGRADED THE AUTONOMY’: US sanctions 6 Beijing, Hong Kong authorities for ‘undermining’ the island region’s autonomy

ILLEGAL ALIENS EXPELLED: El Salvador accepts more alleged Tren de Aragua gang members from Trump admin

Keivis Jesus Arrechedera Vasquez, a Venezuelan national accused of being a Tren de Aragua leader, was transferred Sunday, March 30, 2025, to El Salvador by the Trump administration. (Fox News/Nayib Bukele/X)

‘SHAM CHARITY’: Iran-born Yale scholar fired over allegations of working with terrorist-tied ‘sham charity’

Capitol Hill

DIVIDED LOYALTIES: Massie and several GOP colleagues push proposal to require dual citizenship disclosure by political candidates

‘JUST SAY NO’: Conservative backlash erupts after Trump’s Graham endorsement: ‘I am not with Trump at all with this one’

MIDTERMS WATCH: Who are the most vulnerable Senate Republicans in 2026?

Across America 

FIRST ON FOX: New research reveals how EV, emissions mandates are inflating costs for gas-powered cars, utilities

TOP 5 TAKEDOWNS: Top  5 wins for FBI since Kash Patel took office

Attorney General Pam Bondi, left, FBI Director Kash Patel, center, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, center right, are seen on Wednesday, March 5, awaiting Muhammed Sharifullah’s arrival to the U.S. following his arrest overseas. (Justice Department)

GRAD SCHOOL GRANDSTANDING: Tim Walz’s daughter ditches grad school, backs anti-Israel protesters

‘I AM OPTIMISTIC’: Another red state expected to cut income taxes

PUMP THE BREAKS: NYC Dem calls on NYPD to investigate car buyers ‘aggressively’ test driving Teslas on city streets

NO SAFE HAVEN: Texas claims border islands used by Mexican cartels, asks Trump admin to secure and defend

OIL SLICK: $3B LA lawsuit could ‘destroy’ gulf energy industry, critics warn, as state’s position questioned

STOPPING THE SLIDE: Hegseth says he’s signing memo on combat arms standards for men and women

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium Feb. 13, 2025. (Reuters/Yves Herman)

‘TRUMP DESERVES PRAISE’: Oliver Stone to testify at JFK files House hearing

‘SUPER IMPORTANT’: Elon Musk hands out million-dollar checks in ‘super important’ Wisconsin judicial race

‘BIN LADEN’: Dems ridicule bill aimed at abolishing TSA, suggest ‘Bin Laden’ and ‘the Ayatollah’ would support it

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

President Donald Trump said he would “love” to run against former President Barack Obama in a hypothetical third-term run for the presidency that he has floated in recent days. 

“I know it’s hypothetical right now, but if you were allowed for some reason to run for a third term, is there a thought that the Democrats could try to run Barack Obama against you?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Trump on Monday evening from the Oval Office. 

“I’d love that,” Trump responded. “I’d love that …. That would be a good one. I’d like that. And no, people are asking me to run, and there’s a whole story about running for a third term. I don’t know, I never looked into it. They do say there’s a way you can do it, but I don’t know about that.”

Trump said that he has not looked into the potential legal avenues of running for a third presidency, saying he has nearly four years left of his term and is focused on doing a “fantastic job.”

TRUMP TEASES RUNNING FOR A THIRD TERM: ‘NOT JOKING’

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified in 1951, prevents presidents from serving more than two terms. The amendment was ratified after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected as president for four terms. 

LAWMAKER UNVEILS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO GIVE TRUMP THIRD TERM

Former U.S. President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 20, 2024.  (REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer)

Roosevelt died during his fourth term and Vice President Harry Truman assumed the presidency. FDR is the only president in the nation’s history who has been elected and served more than two terms, which was largely due to the political and economic climate at home and abroad, with his presidency unfolding amid the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. 

TRUMP UNLOADS ON JUDGE BOASBERG, ‘RADICAL LEFT JUDGES’ FOR HALTING DEPORTATIONS OF VIOLENT ILLEGAL ALIENS

U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt at his desk in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C., 1934. (History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Trump teased he might run for a third term in an interview with NBC News on Sunday, saying he is “not joking” about making another run for the Oval Office and enjoys working. 

‘PEOPLE LOVE THE JOB THIS PRESIDENT IS DOING’: KAROLINE LEAVITT RESPONDS TO BUZZ ABOUT POTENTIAL TRUMP THIRD TERM

“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said when asked about how he could go about running for a third term. NBC News floated a possible method during the interview where Vice President JD Vance could run for the presidency, win and pass the torch to Trump. The president said such a scenario is one of the methods he could use to serve a third term. 

Former President Obama chuckling during a conversation with President-elect Donald Trump at the funeral service for former President Jimmy Carter on Thursday. (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“It is far too early to think about it,” he added of another potential run. 

The Department of Education recently announced a “comprehensive review” of federal contracts and government-funded grants at Harvard University, which is part of an investigation to eliminate antisemitism on campuses.

The efforts, on behalf of the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, are being launched in accordance with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Its primary goal is to “eliminat[e] anti-Semitic [sic] harassment on college campuses,” which has proliferated amid the Israel-Hamas war and pro-Palestinian protests at universities.

In a press release on Monday, the Department of Education said that over $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard, its affiliates and the federal government will be reviewed, plus nearly $9 billion worth of grants.

“The review also includes the more than $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard University and its affiliates to ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities,” the agency described.

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

The Trump administration is reviewing federal contracts and grants with Harvard University, according to the Department of Education. (Getty Images)

“Any institution found to be in violation of federal compliance standards may face administrative actions, including contract termination.”

In a statement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said that Harvard’s reputation was “in serious jeopardy” over the prevalence of antisemitism on campus.

“Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations — the pinnacle aspiration for students all over the world to work hard and earn admission to the storied institution,” McMahon’s statement read. “Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic [sic] discrimination — all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry — has put its reputation in serious jeopardy.”

TRUMP NOMINATES SUSAN MONAREZ TO BECOME THE NEXT CDC DIRECTOR, SAYS AMERICANS ‘LOST CONFIDENCE’ IN AGENCY

Linda McMahon said Harvard’s reputation was “in serious jeopardy.” (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus.”

In a statement on Monday evening, Harvard President Alan M. Garber responded to the news and called antisemitism “one of the most insidious forms of bigotry” and insisted that if the funding is stopped, “it will halt life-saving research and imperil important scientific research and innovation.”

“I have experienced antisemitism directly, even while serving as president, and I know how damaging it can be to a student who has come to learn and make friends at a college or university,” the Harvard official said.

“For the past fifteen months, we have devoted considerable effort to addressing antisemitism… We will continue to combat antisemitism and to foster a campus culture that includes and supports every member of our community.”

Harvard faculty and staff hold signs from inside Harvard Yard during a press conference by faculty supporters of the Harvard Out of Palestine coalition outside Harvard Yard on May 10, 2024. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The latest move comes nearly a month after the Trump administration announced it would rescind more than $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University.

“Since Oct. 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and antisemitic harassment on their campuses — only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them,” McMahon said at the time. “Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard for additional comment.

The Department of Homeland Security will no longer participate in naturalization ceremonies in state, county, and city venues in localities that have adopted sanctuary policies, which limit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Leadership at U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) told employees at every field office in a Monday email that the agency will no longer participate in such events. 

“USCIS will not participate with these state/local entities for administrative ceremonies and instead will host the ceremonies at our offices, privately-owned venues, or other federally owned/operated spaces,” the directive states. “If an entity located in a sanctuary city requests to host a ceremony, we request that you politely decline the invitation.”

BLUE STATE SANCTUARY LAWS ENABLED ILLEGAL ‘ABOLISH ICE’ ACTIVIST TO EVADE CAPTURE, SAYS LOCAL DA

Immigrants take the oath of allegiance to the United States during a naturalization ceremony on February 01, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. Thirty-five people became American citizens at the event held by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the Federal Building in Newark.  (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

For example, if the city of Los Angeles wanted to host a naturalization ceremony at a library, museum or school, USCIS would not participate, meaning the event couldn’t be held. 

The ceremonies are the final step towards becoming a U.S. citizen, and is where the Oath of Allegiance is taken. 

A senior DHS official told Fox News that sanctuary policies put the public and law enforcement at risk. 

“Sanctuary policies are an insult to our Constitution, they endanger all levels of law enforcement, and they leave law-abiding American citizens around the country at the mercy of violent and dangerous criminal aliens,” the officials said. “America still welcomes those who come here legally and complete the naturalization process, USCIS will simply do those at locations where the rule of law is still respected.” 

The change won’t affect someone’s chance of becoming a naturalized American citizen, USCIS said. 

BLUE STATE LEADER SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT ‘PERFECT STORM’ OF DEM IMMIGRATION POLICIES DECIMATING PUBLIC SAFETY

ICE arrests 81 illegal aliens as part of joint federal law enforcement operation in Kentucky, of which 25 are also charged with felony criminal offenses. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

The Trump administration has targeted sanctuary cities as it presses ahead with its mass deportation efforts. 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforces U.S. immigration laws nationwide but seeks state and local help, often requesting assistance from local police and sheriffs to alert them to those ordered to be deported.

The agency often asks local authorities to hold criminal illegal immigrants until federal officers take custody of the suspects. However, some jurisdictions ignore the requests and release the illegal immigrants back onto the streets. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Trump administration has suggested cutting federal funding to cities that adopt sanctuary policies, in an effort to wield the money as a tool against jurisdictions that get in the way of deportation efforts. 

President Donald Trump‘s administration told several Planned Parenthood affiliates on Monday that it was withholding funding due to possible violations of civil rights laws, according to reports.

Politico reported that tens of millions of dollars were being withheld from Planned Parenthood clinics that provide low-income Americans services like contraception, STI testing and other health services.

On Monday, nine state affiliates of Planned Parenthood that receive money from the federal government through Title X, a family planning program, got notices saying their funding was being “temporarily withheld.”

The publication said that the letter, which was provided by Planned Parenthood, pointed toward “possible violations” of Trump’s executive orders – like the banning of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs – and federal civil rights laws.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD APPEARS TO SCRUB INSTAGRAM AS FEARS OF DOGE CUTS LOOM

Planned Parenthood signage is displayed outside of a health care clinic in Inglewood, California on May 16, 2023.  (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Another policy by Trump that the family planning program allegedly violated had to do with “taxpayer subsidization of open borders.”

The Planned Parenthood chapters that received the letters were mostly in GOP-controlled states, the publication noted. The administration also pointed to evidence of violations by citing the mission statement from the clinic, as well as other documents that stress a “commitment to black communities.”

The deputy director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Public Affairs, Amy Margolis, reportedly argued that those materials “paint a picture of Planned Parenthood” suggesting it is “engaged, across its affiliates, in widespread practices across hiring, operations, and patient treatment that unavoidably employ race in a negative manner.”

FEDS GAVE $700M TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD DURING YEAR OF RECORD ABORTIONS

President Donald Trump’s administration withheld millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood affiliates for allegedly violating civil rights laws and executive orders banning DEI initiatives. (Evan Vucci/AP)

The letter also accuses Planned Parenthood of encouraging illegal aliens to receive care.

Planned Parenthood has 10 days to respond to the letter and provide evidence it plans to comply with the president’s executive orders. Once provided, the administration will determine whether to suspend or terminate the grants.

Planned Parenthood and HHS did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the matter.

In a social media post, Planned Parenthood wrote, “When we say, ‘Care no matter what,’ we mean it. Planned Parenthood health centers’ doors are open to everyone. Period. We’ve fought to protect your care for decades and won’t stop now.”

In another post, Planned Parenthood directed its supporters to its website to submit a letter to Congress regarding the funding.

NEW REPORT EXPOSES BOTCHED PROCEDURES, POOR CONDITIONS AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD ABORTION CLINICS

The US Department of Health and Human Services building is shown in Washington, DC, 21 July 2007. (SAUL LOEB/AFP)

“The Trump admin withholding Title X funds further strips health care from people across this country,” the post read. “We know what happens when Title X funding is taken away: cancer goes undetected, birth control access is severely reduced, and the STI crisis worsens. People will suffer.”

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon reportedly told Politico that payments to 16 Title X providers were being withheld, including nine Planned Parenthood affiliates.

The reasoning behind the withholding, Nixon explained, is “to ensure these entities are in full compliance with Federal law and applicable grant terms, and to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

He further noted that out of Title X’s over $200 million budget, $27.5 million was frozen and under review.

A U.S. District judge in San Francisco, California, on Monday granted a motion to postpone the Trump administration’s attempt to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals, which was granted under a program implemented by the Biden administration.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced actions three days after being sworn into her role to strip nearly 350,000 Venezuelan nationals of their protection under the TPS program, which allows them to live and work temporarily in the U.S.

By stripping the Venezuelans of their TPS status, the court said Noem is subjecting them to “possible imminent deportation” back to their country, which the State Department has categorized as a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” country because of the “high risk of wrongful detentions, terrorism, kidnapping, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, [and] poor health infrastructure.”

The action would reverse the Biden administration’s efforts to extend temporary protections of Venezuelan nations that have been in place since 2021.

TRUMP ADMIN PULLING LEGAL STATUS FOR MORE THAN 530K MIGRANTS

A group of Venezuelan migrants cross the U.S. southern border and encounter Border Patrol. (Fox News)

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of the San Francisco Federal Court granted a postponement of Noem’s order on Monday, saying, “The Court finds that the Secretary’s action threatens to: inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted, cost the United States billions in economic activity, and injure public health and safety in communities throughout the United States.”

Chen also said the government has failed to identify “any real countervailing harm” in continuing TPS for Venezuelan beneficiaries.

“Plaintiffs have also shown they will likely succeed in demonstrating that the actions taken by the Secretary are unauthorized by law, arbitrary and capricious, and motivated by unconstitutional animus,” Chen wrote. “For these reasons, the Court grants Plaintiffs’ request to postpone the challenged actions pending final adjudication of the merits of this case.”

DHS’ KRISTI NOEM SAYS TRUMP ADMIN WILL RESUME CONSTRUCTION OF 7 MILES OF SOUTHERN BORDER

Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS for comment on the decision.

The National TPS Alliance – an organization representing individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the U.S. – and individuals from Venezuela who have TPS challenged the Trump administration’s decision to terminate TPS for Venezuelans in the U.S., argue that Noem’s action was unlawful and motivated by racial bias.

Venezuelan migrants were allowed to fly directly to the U.S. after applying from abroad under a policy started during the Biden administration that was designed to open legal migration pathways, but President Donald Trump suspended the program when he returned to office in January.

JUDGE GIVES MAHMOUD KHALIL LEGAL TEAM MORE TIME TO REVIEW IMMIGRATION CASE

Venezuelan migrants walk following their arrival on a flight after being deported from the United States, in Caracas, Venezuela, March 24, 2025.  (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

The Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela program, CHNV, allowed migrants and their immediate family members to fly into the U.S. if they had American sponsors. They could then remain in the country for two years under a temporary immigration status known as parole. The program first applied to Venezuelans before it was expanded to additional countries.

Trump’s efforts to remove legal and illegal migrants from the U.S. since taking office in January as part of his immigration agenda have faced numerous legal obstacles.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Trump administration is also reportedly dismantling internal watchdogs for DHS, including its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which investigated allegations of abuse and discrimination within immigration enforcement, according to Bloomberg News.

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

President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would continue to search for Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared in Syria in 2012. 

Tice, who previously served as a captain in the Marine Corps and was a student at Georgetown University Law Center, started working as an independent journalist for McClatchy, The Washington Post and other outlets in Syria in May 2012 before jihadist militants seized him near Damascus. 

Trump said that although there has been “virtually no sign” of Tice, his administration would continue to try to secure Tice’s release. 

“Until we find out something definitive, one way or the other, we’ll never stop looking,” Trump told reporters Monday. “But we have been, and the response – it’s just a lot of dead ends. It’s been done for a long time. The problem is, there’s never been a sighting.”

AUSTIN TICE: FBI RENEWS PUSH TO FIND KIDNAPPED AMERICAN JOURNALIST IN SYRIA

Freelance journalist Austin Tice went missing in Syria in 2012 and has not been heard from since. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Trump’s comments come after Tice’s mother, Debra, told reporters at the National Press Club in December that they’d received information suggesting that her son was still alive. 

“We have from a significant source that has been vetted all over our government: Austin Tice is alive,” his mother Debra Tice said Dec. 6. She later met with former President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, at the White House to discuss her son’s wrongful detainment. 

Meanwhile, rebels also overthrew Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime in December, prompting the FBI to issue a statement reiterating its push from April 2018 for more information that could lead to Tice’s release. 

“Given recent events in Syria, the FBI is renewing our call for information that could lead to the safe location, recovery, and return of Austin Bennett Tice, who was detained in Damascus in August 2012,” the FBI said in a statement in December. 

AUSTIN TICE: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN JOURNALIST MISSING IN SYRIA

Debra Tice, mother of Austin Tice, speaks during a news conference updating the media about her eldest son’s condition as the family continues to push for his release, on Dec. 6, 2024, at the National Press Club in Washington.  (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

“The FBI and our government partners remain committed to bringing Austin home to his family, and we are still offering a reward of up to $1 million for information that leads to Austin’s safe return,” the FBI said. 

Both Trump’s first administration and Biden’s administration have launched efforts to advance the release of Tice. Biden urged the Syrian government to release Tice in 2020, and said the U.S. knew “with certainty” that the Syrian regime was holding him hostage. Syria has publicly denied it has detained Tice. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

There were 46 American nationals known to be held captive in 16 different countries in 2024, according to the nonprofit Foley Foundation, which advocates for U.S. hostages and was named after James Foley, a U.S. journalist kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012 and killed by ISIS in 2014. That number is now likely closer to the low 30s after the recent releases of hostages in January and February through efforts by the Trump administration. 

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and Stephany Price contributed to this report.