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While the U.S. military has been conducting strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, President Donald Trump and his White House have been engaging in a battle of their own, defending leaked texts detailing war plans about those very strikes in Yemen. 

This week, the Trump administration has fielded a litany of questions and criticism after the Atlantic published a story detailing how administration officials used a Signal group chat to discuss strikes in Yemen, and accidentally added a journalist to the group.  

The group chats included White House leaders, including Vice President JD Vance and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, as well as other administration officials including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Additionally, the chat included Atlantic editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. 

While the White House said that classified information was not shared via the encrypted messaging service, the Atlantic published the full exchange of messages Wednesday. The messages included certain attack details, including specific aircraft and times of the strikes. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained Wednesday no classified information was shared. 

TRUMP ADMIN DECLARES THE ATLANTIC’S SIGNAL ARTICLE A ‘HOAX’ AFTER IT DROPS ‘WAR PLANS’ RHETORIC

Some lawmakers are calling for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to resign.  (Ben Curtis/The Associated Press)

“We have said all along that no classified material was sent on this messaging thread,” Leavitt told reporters. “There were no locations, no sources or methods revealed, and there were certainly no war plans discussed.”

Meanwhile, the episode has prompted backlash from lawmakers. Senate Armed Service Committee leaders Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., said they are requesting an inspector general investigation into the use of the Signal app and as a classified briefing with a top administration official on the matter. 

Additionally, several lawmakers including Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., from the House Intelligence Committee have called for Hegseth’s resignation.

Here’s what also happened this week: 

Trump pardons Devon Archer

Trump issued a pardon Tuesday for Devon Archer, former first son Hunter Biden’s prior business associate, who was convicted in 2018 for defrauding a Native American tribe in a plot to issue and sell fraudulent tribal bonds.

Archer faced a sentence of more than a year in prison, but his conviction was overturned before later being reinstated in 2020. His appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected, and so his prison sentence was up in the air prior to the pardon. 

“Many people have asked me to do this,” Trump said Tuesday ahead of signing the pardon. “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.” 

Declassification of Crossfire Hurricane Russia investigation docs

Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing the FBI to immediately declassify files concerning the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, the agency probe launched in 2016 that sought information on whether Trump campaign members colluded with Russia during the presidential race. 

After signing the order, Trump said that now the media can review previously withheld files pertaining to the investigation — although he cast doubt on whether many journalists would do so.

TRUMP ORDERS FBI TO DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS FROM ‘CROSSFIRE HURRICANE’ RUSSIA INVESTIGATION 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday calling for the declassification of the FBI’s Russia investigation.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“You probably won’t bother because you’re not going to like what you see,” Trump said. “But this was total weaponization. It’s a disgrace. It should have never happened in this country. But now you’ll be able to see for yourselves. All declassified.”

The FBI on July 31, 2016, opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether Trump, then a presidential candidate, or members of his campaign were colluding or coordinating with Russia to influence the 2016 election. That investigation was referred to inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.”

The extensive probe yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Vance visits Greenland

Vance and second lady Usha Vance, along with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, visited Pituffik Space Base in Greenland Friday, the Department of Defense’s northernmost military installation. The base is home to the Space Force’s 821st Space Base Group to conduct missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations.

The Trump administration is seeking to acquire Greenland for national security purposes, and has accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland. 

VANCE’S ‘AMERICA FIRST’ APPROACH GOES GLOBAL, TAKES HARDLINE MESSAGE TO GREENLAND 

Vice President JD Vance arrives to board Air Force Two after touring the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base on March 28, 2025, in Pituffik, Greenland.  (Jim Watson – Pool / Getty Images)

But leaders in Denmark and Greenland remain unequivocally opposed to Greenland becoming part of the U.S., although Greenland’s prime minister has called for independence from Copenhagen. 

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Meanwhile, Denmark has come under scrutiny for its treatment of indigenous people from Greenland. A group of indigenous women from Greenland sued the Danish government in May 2024 and accused Danish health officials of fitting them with intrauterine devices without their knowledge between the 1960s and 1970s. 

Denmark and Greenland launched an investigation into the matter in 2022, and the report is expected for release this year.

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Emma Colton and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

Utah became the first state to prohibit LGBTQ+ pride flags from being flown at government buildings and schools in a move that also bans political flags such as those with President Donald Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, announced he was allowing the ban on unsanctioned flag displays to become law without his signature. Although he continues to have serious concerns about the policy, the governor chose not to reject the proposal because the Republican-controlled legislature would likely have overridden his veto.

The ban will go into effect on May 7, when state or local government buildings will be fined $500 a day for displaying any flag other than the American flag, the Utah state flag, military flags or a handful of others approved by lawmakers.

FORMER GOP REP. MIA LOVE DEAD AT 49 AFTER BATTLE WITH CANCER, FAMILY SAYS

Utah became the first state to prohibit LGBTQ+ pride flags from being flown at government buildings and schools. (AP)

Political flags supporting a candidate or party, including MAGA flags, will be prohibited under the law.

The new law could put the state and its largest city, Salt Lake City, at odds. City buildings in the city typically honor Pride Month each June by displaying flags that celebrate its LGBTQ+ population.

Local leaders in Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County have illuminated the city and county buildings with rainbow lights each night since the bill was sent to Cox’s desk in protest of the legislation.

LGBT AMERICANS REACH RECORD NUMBER, MORE LIKELY TO BE DEMS, GEN Z: GALLUP POLL

Political flags supporting a candidate or party, including MAGA flags, will be prohibited under the law. (Getty Images)

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s office said their attorneys are reviewing the law, but the city does not yet have details on what it will do when the law takes effect.

The bill’s sponsors, Rep. Trevor Lee and Sen. Dan McCay, both of whom are Republicans, said the measure aims to encourage “political neutrality” from teachers and other government employees.

Opponents argue that the law seeks to root out LGBTQ+ expression and remove authority away from cities and towns that do not align politically with the legislature’s GOP majority.

Cox said in a letter to legislative leaders explaining his decision that he agreed with the “underlying intent” of the bill to make classrooms politically neutral but believed it went too far in restricting local governments. The governor also highlighted that the law, since it narrowly focuses on flags, does not ban other political displays such as posters or lighting.

Gov. Spencer Cox said he chose not to reject the proposal because the Republican-controlled legislature would likely have overridden his veto. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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“To our LGBTQ community, I know that recent legislation has been difficult,” Cox said.

“Politics can be a bit of a blood sport at times and I know we’ve had our disagreements,” the governor continued. “I want you to know that I love and appreciate you and I am grateful that you are part of our state. I know these words may ring hollow to many of you, but please know that I mean them sincerely.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump has insisted the U.S. needs to “get” Greenland, “one way or another.” But it’s not the first time U.S. leaders have had their eyes on the icy, sprawling island.

Located in the middle of contested waters between the U.S., Russia and Western Europe, Greenland is situated at a point that could protect the North Atlantic passage from Russian ships and submarines. It was a key military vantage point during the Cold War, and President Harry Truman offered to buy Greenland from the Danes in 1946. 

The island is also a transfer point for communication cables that cross the Atlantic. European officials claim Russian “ghost ships” have been destroying such cables by dropping their anchors and dragging them across the ocean floor.

Greater control over the island would not only offer the U.S. the shortest ship route to Europe but also the opportunity to bolster its ballistic missile early warning system and place radar on the ocean floor to track the movements of Russian and Chinese ships.

US ACCUSES DENMARK OF TREATING GREENLANDERS AS ‘SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS’ DURING VANCE VISIT TO ARCTIC BASE

From left: Former homeland security advisor Julia Nesheiwat; second lady Usha Vance; national security advisor Mike Waltz; Vice President JD Vance; Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah; and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright pose as they tour the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on Friday. (Jim Watson/Pool via Reuters)

The island rests on top of lucrative supplies of critical and rare earth minerals, such as cobalt, nickel, uranium and iron — materials that are essential to electric vehicles, medical equipment, electronics, batteries and advanced defense systems. 

The U.S. was once a top producer of rare earth minerals, but has been knocked off by China. China currently dominates the global supply chain with access to 60% of the world’s supply, but Greenland could be a “game changer,” according to national security attorney Irina Tsukerman.

“Their total resources of these rare earths could be greater than what China has,” she told Fox News Digital.

Vice President JD Vance, second lady Usha Vance, national security advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, along with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, visited Greenland on Friday. 

“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” the vice president remarked on the trip. 

“You underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you’ve underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, all-beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change and because it hasn’t changed, this is why President Trump’s policy in Greenland is what it is.”

TRUMP SAYS ‘WE NEED GREENLAND FOR INTERNATIONAL SAFETY AND SECURITY’ AHEAD OF VANCE TRIP

Infographic with map showing Greenland, the U.S. and Denmark. (Guillermo Rivas Pachecovalentina Breschiclara Morineau/AFP via Getty Images)

Greenland is estimated to have the world’s eighth-largest reserve of rare earths, just behind the U.S. But its minerals have proven difficult to access — 80% of the island’s surface is covered in thick sheets of ice. The island also has lots of red tape: strict environmental and social impact requirements mean the permitting process takes time. 

The nation’s economy is currently built on fishing and welfare: Denmark offers around $700 million each year, nearly half of Greenland’s budget. 

The U.S. has dangled “billions” in investment to mine minerals in Greenland as part of an effort to reduce its reliance on China, though China has already had a limited involvement in mining projects there. 

“China is more concerned about access to the Arctic than those minerals,” said Tsukerman. 

Some 80% of Greenland is covered in ice, rendering its rare earths difficult to access. (Reuters/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo)

“China has focused its mineral efforts on Africa, where it is indeed far ahead of the U.S. Russia has been focused on the Arctic,” she continued. “There’s been growing talks about increasing NATO presence in the area to deter Russian and Chinese vessels from entering.”

There’s oil and gas, too, but in 2021 Greenland passed a ban on all future oil and gas exploration and extraction. 

As the ice caps continue to melt, the waters around Greenland are becoming more and more navigable — meaning ships traveling from Asia and Europe can sail polar routes and avoid heading south to the Panama and Suez canals. 

U.S. and Danish defenses on the island have become outdated, just as Russia is refurbishing its own Arctic ports. Greenland once hosted dozens of U.S. bases and outposts, but today hosts just one: Pituffik Space Force Base. Once home to around 10,000 U.S. troops, just around 200 are deployed there now. 

“We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it,” Trump said in an interview on Wednesday.

The territory largely opposes the idea of joining the U.S. 

In response to Trump’s threats to take Greenland, Denmark announced a $2 billion investment in defense on the island in January. 

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Denmark’s defense intelligence service has determined Greenland to be “a priority for Russia, and it will demonstrate its power through aggressive and threatening behavior, which will carry along with it a greater risk of escalation than ever before in the Arctic.”

“We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen admitted recently. “Now we are planning a stronger presence.”

Transgender inmates who were moved from a women’s prison to an all-male facility, after President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating inmates live in facilities corresponding to their biological sex, are now being sent back to the women’s prison after a judge issued a preliminary injunction.

“This is the latest example of an activist judge attempting to seize power at the expense of the American people who overwhelmingly voted to elect President Trump,” a Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement Friday. “The Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s executive actions, including the Defending Women Executive Order, and will continue to do so.”

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington issued the injunction last week after the two inmates, identified in court documents as Rachel and Ellen Doe, were added as plaintiffs to a lawsuit against Trump’s executive order with nearly a dozen other inmates.

TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington issued a preliminary injunction allowing biologically male trans women inmates to be sent back to a federal women’s prison. (Getty Images/US District Court of Columbia)

“The fact that they have already been transferred and, allegedly, have been abused at their new facilities can only strengthen their claims of irreparable harm,” Lamberth, a Reagan-appointed U.S. district court judge, wrote in the injunction.

The court documents also allege that since being transferred to a male prison, “they have been unable to access bras and women’s underwear” while being subjected to “sexual harassment” at the new facilities.

The Bureau of Prisons did not respond when reached for comment Friday.

FEDERAL JUDGE HALTS PLANNED MOVE OF TRANS INMATES TO FACILITIES FOR THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX

President Donald Trump’s move to place federal inmates in prisons corresponding to their biological sex has run into court challenges. (Getty Images)

The original lawsuit the two new inmates were added to alleged that “the inmates, all of whom are transgender women, “will not be safe” if transferred to men’s facilities, the lawsuit states, and the inmates will be at risk of “sexual harassment, assault, and rape.”

This injunction adds to a lengthy list of legal battles the Trump DOJ faces regarding the president’s executive orders. The first lawsuit against Trump’s “two sexes” executive order came from a transgender inmate receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatments just days after Trump signed the order in January.

That inmate, anonymously identified as Maria Moe, is being represented by advocacy groups GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Once Trump signed the executive order, Moe was transferred to a men’s prison facility, and BOP records changed the sex from “female” to “male,” the complaint says.

TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB

Issues regarding transgender minors and transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports are other areas of contention in the courts and state capitols. (Rick Bowmer)

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At least 15 trans prisoners are now protected by orders blocking or reversing the transfers, the Associated Press reported.

Lamberth has not yet ruled on a lawsuit filed this month by three other inmates—a transgender woman in a men’s prison and two transgender men in women’s prisons—who are challenging the executive order’s ban on transgender medical treatments in prisons.

President Donald Trump stressed the need to acquire Greenland as part of the U.S. for international security purposes Friday, as Vice President JD Vance conducted a trip there with second lady Usha Vance. 

Although the Danish territory has said it is seeking independence from Copenhagen and isn’t interested in becoming part of the U.S., Trump has repeatedly offered, dating back to his first administration, a desire to secure Greenland for the U.S. as Russian and Chinese presence grows in the Arctic. 

“If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that,” Trump told reporters Friday. “We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody to take care of that situation. And we’re not talking about peace for the United States, we’re talking about world peace, we’re talking about international security.” 

VANCE SOLIDIFIES DOMINANCE DRIVING EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY AHEAD OF GREENLAND TRIP 

President Donald Trump stressed the need to acquire Greenland as part of the U.S. for international security purposes.  (Pool via AP )

The Vances, along with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, arrived in Greenland on Friday to visit Pituffik Space Base, the Department of Defense’s northernmost military installation. The base is home to the Space Force’s 821st Space Base Group to conduct missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations.

Despite the Trump administration’s push to secure Greenland, leaders in Denmark and Greenland remain staunchly against the president’s wishes, even as Greenland’s prime minister has called for independence from Copenhagen. 

But the Trump administration has pointed out that Denmark has faced backlash for its treatment of indigenous people from Greenland. A group of indigenous women from Greenland sued the Danish government in May 2024 and accused Danish health officials of fitting them with intrauterine devices without their knowledge between the 1960s and 1970s.

TRUMP REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ODDS OF ACQUIRING GREENLAND: ‘I THINK IT’LL HAPPEN’ 

Vice President JD Vance, left, and Second Lady Usha Vance board Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews March 28, 2025, en route to Greenland. 

Both Denmark and Greenland initiated an investigation into the matter in 2022, and the report is expected for release this year.

A senior White House official said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Denmark’s treatment of the people of Greenland will receive ample attention during Vance’s visit. 

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“Unfortunately, Danish leaders have spent decades mistreating the Greenlandic people, treating them like second-class citizens and allowing infrastructure on the island to fall into disrepair. Expect the Vice President to emphasize these points as well,” the official said Thursday. 

Greenland is rich in natural resources, including oil and natural gas, and both Russia and China have bolstered their presence in the region in recent years.

Facing a razor-thin Republican majority in the House, President Donald Trump says he pulled GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to serve as United Nations ambassador because he doesn’t “want to take any chances.”

The president made his comments Friday as he answered questions at the White House, one day after announcing in a social media post that he was pulling the nomination of Stefanik, a Republican from New York and top Trump ally in the House, due to concerns about passing his agenda through the chamber.

“I said, ‘Elise, would you do me a favor? We cannot take a chance. We have a slim margin,’” Trump told reporters.

WHAT STEFANIK TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT HER ‘TEAM PLAYER’ DECISION TO STAY IN CONGRESS

Rep. Elise Stefanik with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, in New Hampshire during the 2024 GOP primary campaign. (Getty Images)

Trump’s move comes amid concerns by the White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill over next week’s special congressional elections in Florida.

Voters in two congressional districts in Florida will head to the polls on Tuesday, as Republicans aim to keep control of both solidly red seats and give themselves slightly more breathing room in the House.

The elections are in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, which Trump carried by 37 and 30 points in last year’s presidential election. 

‘SHOW OF FORCE’ – TRUMP ALLY KICKING OFF CAMPAIGN IN RACE TO SUCCEED FLORIDA GOV. DESANTIS

But the Democratic candidates have vastly outraised the Republican nominees, and polling in recent days suggested that the race in the 6th District was within the margin of error.

The GOP currently holds a 218-213 majority in the House, with two vacant seats where Republicans stepped down and two where Democratic lawmakers died in March.

President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, on Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Pool via AP) (Pool via AP )

“When it comes to Florida, you have two races, and they seem to be good,” Trump said. 

But pointing to the massive fundraising advantage by the Democrat candidates over the GOP contenders, Trump raised concerns, saying “You never know what happens in a case like that.”

Jimmy Patronis, the Florida Chief Financial Officer, is favored over Democrat Gay Valimont in a multi-candidate field in the race to fill the vacant seat in the 1st CD, which is located in the far northwestern corner of Florida in the Panhandle region.

Republican Matt Gaetz, who won re-election in the district in last November’s elections, resigned from office weeks later after Trump selected him to be his nominee for attorney general in his second administration.

Gaetz later withdrew himself from cabinet consideration amid controversy.

But it’s the race in the 6th CD, which is located on Florida’s Atlantic coast from Daytona Beach to just south of Saint Augustine and inland to the outskirts of Ocala, that is really raising concerns among some in the GOP.

The race is to succeed Republican Michael Waltz, who stepped down from the seat on Jan. 20 after Trump named him his national security adviser.

DEMOCRATS FAR FROM THRILLED ON POSSIBLE BIDEN POLITICAL REEMERGENCE

Republican state Sen. Randy Fine is facing off against teacher Josh Weil, a Democrat, in a multi-candidate field.

Florida state Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican from South Brevard County, who is running in Tuesday’s special House election in the state’s 6th Congressional District. (AP)

Weil grabbed plenty of national attention in recent weeks by topping Fine in the campaign cash battle by roughly a ten-to-one margin.

The cash discrepancy in the 6th CD race spurred GOP-aligned outside groups to make last-minute contributions in support of Fine in the closing days of the campaign, with conservative super PACs launching ads spotlighting Trump’s support of Fine.

“I would have preferred if our candidate had raised money at a faster rate and gotten on TV quicker,” Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told reporters earlier this week.

But Hudson added that Fine is “doing what he needs to do. He’s on TV now.”

And he emphasized, “We’re going to win the seat. I’m not concerned at all.”

Trump, pointing to Fine, on Friday acknowledged that “our candidate doesn’t have that kind of money.”

There’s been criticism of Fine by some fellow Republicans. Former top Trump political adviser and conservative host Steve Bannon warned that Fine “isn’t winning.”

And two-term Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters last week that the GOP would underperform in the race, arguing that “it’s a reflection of the candidate running in that race.”

But it’s worth pointing out the contentious history between DeSantis and Fine, who was the first Florida Republican to flip his endorsement from DeSantis to Trump during the 2024 Republican presidential nomination battle.

In the 1st District, where there is less concern by Republicans about losing the seat, Valimont topped Patronis in fundraising by roughly a five-to-one margin.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who is the Republican nominee in Tuesday’s special congressional election in the state’s 1st Congressional District. (Tiffany Tompkins/Bradenton Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, speaking to Fox News Digital at his 2026 gubernatorial campaign kick in Bonita Springs, predicted “it would be difficult” for the GOP House majority if the party lost one of Tuesday’s elections.

But he added, “I’m not looking forward to that. I think we’re going to win both those seats on Tuesday. I think Republican voters in those districts are going to turn out because, at the end of the day, the choice is clear.”

While the races in the two Republican-dominated districts are far from ideal for the Democrats to try and flip, the elections are the first opportunity for voters and donors to try and make a difference since Trump’s return to power in the White House.

And Democrats say the surge in fundraising for their candidates is a sign their party is motivated amid voters’ frustrations with the sweeping and controversial moves made by Trump in his opening weeks back in office.

“The American people are not buying what the Republicans are selling,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries told reporters earlier this week.

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Jeffries and other Democrats aren’t predicting victory.

But Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House, highlighted that “these districts are so Republican, there would ordinarily be no reason to believe that the races will be close, but what I can say, almost guaranteed, is that the Democratic candidate in both of these Florida special elections will significantly overperform.”

House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., listens as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on Nov. 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Stefanik represents New York’s 21st Congressional Distirct, a large, mostly rural, district in the northernmost reaches of the state that includes most of the Adirondack Mountains and the Thousand Islands region. She cruised to re-election last November by 24 points.

“We don’t want to take any chances. We don’t want to experiment,” Trump said as he pointed to what would have been a special election later this year to fill Stefanik’s seat if she had resigned if confirmed as U.N. ambassador. “She polls like I do. I won her district by a lot of points. She also does very well there.”

“She’s very popular. She’s going to win. And somebody else will probably win, too, because we did very well there. I did very well there. But the word ‘probably’ is no good,” the president added as he emphasized he didn’t want to take any chances.”

Trump said he had asked Stefanik, “Would you mind staying in Congress?’  ‘Cause we don’t want to take any chances. It’s as simple as that. It’s basic politics. It’s politics 101.”

“I really appreciate her doing it,” Trump added. “She’s doing me a big favor . . . because she was all set to go to the United Nations.”

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Stefanik has already stepped down and has been replaced in her House GOP leadership role as chair of the House Republican Conference.

“I spoke to Mike Johnson, they’re going to put her in a high leadership position,” Trump said, as he referred to the House Speaker.

The Interior Department announced Thursday that in the first three months of 2025, the federal government brought in nearly $40 million in revenue from oil and gas lease sales on public land.

The development proves the worth of President Donald Trump’s vision to unleash American energy dominance, a top official said.

“This quarter’s lease sales demonstrate Interior’s unwavering commitment to fostering American Energy Dominance, and we are grateful to those who produce energy on federal lands,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement.

A pumpjack as seen on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, in Tatum, New Mexico. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)

“By building on the commonsense, pro-growth policies of the Trump administration, we’re ensuring public lands are being used to their fullest potential to support national security, economic strength and livelihood of the American people.” 

AZ SENATE LEADER URGES BURGUM TO END BIDEN-OBAMA LAND GRABS OF URANIUM SITES

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which falls under Burgum’s auspices, leased 34 land parcels for fossil fuel development since January.

Those 25,038 acres brought in $39,007,609 in total receipts.

The revenues will be divided between the feds and each particular state where the leases were sold.

RFK JR BACKS WV PUSH FOR SNAP WAIVERS, WORK MANDATES UNDER ‘MAHA’

An oil pumpjack operates in the drive-thru area of a McDonald’s in Bradford, Pennsylvania. (Reuters)

States receiving the windfalls include Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nevada.

The Interior Department said in a statement that the sales were in concert with Trump’s Executive Order 14154: “Unleashing American Energy.” 

Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oil field in Midland, Texas. (Reuters/Nick Oxford)

The department assured that the various parcels will be developed in alignment with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 – an environmental quality and impact law spearheaded by former Sen. Scoop Jackson, D-Wash.

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The leases have a one-decade lifespan and “as long thereafter as there is production of oil and gas in paying quantities.”

The feds will are also entitled to a 16.67% royalty.

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…

-State Department will absorb remaining USAID programming as independent agency is dismantled

-Trump administration asks Supreme Court to review El Salvador deportation flight case

-Vance’s ‘America First’ approach goes global, takes hardline message to Greenland

South Carolina Firing Squad

A second South Carolina death row inmate has chosen execution by firing squad. 

Mikal Mahdi, 41, will be put to death on April 11 after pleading guilty to murder for killing a police officer in 2004.  

“Faced with barbaric and inhumane choices, Mikal Mahdi has chosen the lesser of three evils,” one of his lawyers, David Weiss, said in a statement. “Mikal chose the firing squad instead of being burned and mutilated in the electric chair, or suffering a lingering death on the lethal injection gurney.”…Read more

Mikal Mahdi, 41, is set to be executed on April 11 at 6 p.m. at a prison in Columbia.  (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

White House

‘WE AGREE ON MANY THINGS’: Trump holds ‘extremely productive call’ with Canadian prime minister

‘DUMB AND DANGEROUS’: Hillary Clinton blasts Trump administration ‘stupidity’ in blistering NY Times essay

Donald Trump listens as Hillary Clinton answers a question from the audience during their presidential town hall debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, Oct. 9, 2016. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking /File Photo )

World Stage

ICE COLD DIPLOMACY: US accuses Denmark of treating Greenlanders as ‘second-class citizens’ during Vance visit to Arctic base

VLAD AIN’T MAD: Putin says Trump plans for Greenland ‘has nothing to do’ with Russia

Capitol Hill

TO THE FRONT: House Judiciary calls on Biden DOJ prosecutor to testify in Dr. Eithan Haim case

CORRALLING THE COURTS: Josh Hawley believes his bill can stop ‘resistance’ judges from ‘provoking a crisis’

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asks questions at a committee hearing on data security regarding Twitter.   (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Across America 

IT’S A ‘SNAP’: RFK Jr. backs WV push for SNAP waivers, work mandates under ‘MAHA’

‘ACTIVIST JUDGE’: Two trans inmates ordered back to women’s prisons in Reagan-appointed judge’s injunction

TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY:Trans activists set ‘survival skills’ focus amid Trump’s executive orders for Trans Day of Visibility weekend

‘ONLY PRIORITY’: HUD chief puts illegal aliens living in govt-funded housing on notice: Americans are ‘our only priority’

Eric Scott Turner, US secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. The Conservative Political Action Conference launched in 1974 brings together conservative organizations, elected leaders, and activists. Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images

‘UNPRECEDENTED’: IRS sharing info with ICE would put illegal immigrants between ‘rock and a hard place’: expert

‘YOU BREAK HIS NECK’: Dem candidate caught on camera applauding notorious antisemite’s violent rhetoric: ‘You break his neck’

CAMPAIGN KICKOFF: Trump ally Donalds kicking off campaign in race to succeed Florida Gov. DeSantis

PARTY ON FIRE: Democratic Party insiders dismayed after DNC meeting goes off the rails in ‘Titanic’- style anti-Trump forum

GOLDEN TICKET: Newsom-backed San Francisco speed camera program fines certain drivers more than others

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

Federal law enforcement’s hands are tied now that the statute of limitations for prosecuting fraud in COVID-era unemployment programs has expired.

While Congress extended the statute of limitations for pandemic-era business relief fraud in 2022, the window to prosecute fraud in individual relief programs closed Thursday.

“There’s huge amounts of fraud that law enforcement officials are still trying to track down,” said Andrew Moylan, a public finance policy expert at private philanthropy group Arnold Ventures.

“Every day that goes by from today, we lose the ability to prosecute fraud day by day. That’s a huge problem, and this should be something that’s an easy fix for Congress.”

HUSBAND OF FORMER ‘SQUAD’ REP. CORI BUSH CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD LINKED TO RELIEF FUNDS: DOJ

Despite opposition from 127 House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the House passed a bipartisan bill earlier this month to extend the statute of limitations for pandemic unemployment fraud from five to 10 years. The move mirrored what lawmakers did for the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury and Disaster Loans program in 2022.

PPP loan concept (istock)

However, the Senate has yet to take up a companion bill needed to cement the extension, leading House lawmakers to call on their colleagues on Capitol Hill to make it a priority. 

“We can’t afford to let these fraudsters get away with the largest heist of tax dollars in American history,” Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, said Wednesday. “Not only do we have an obligation to taxpayers to recover as much of this money as possible — up to $135 billion — we also need to send a message that we will never falter in going after criminals who take advantage of our support for those in need. … There is no time to waste.”

‘DOGE’ SENATOR SEEKS TO ENSURE FEDS CAN CONTINUE PURSUING COVID FRAUDSTERS, DEBTORS, AS IG SOUNDS ALARM

According to estimates from the Government Accountability Office, as much as $135 billion in pandemic unemployment insurance programs was lost to fraud during the pandemic. So far, only $5 billion, or less than 4%, has been recovered. 

Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, talks during a hearing about making Trump’s tax cuts permanent.  (House Ways & Means)

Between the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor, there are more than 2,500 uncharged criminal matters or ongoing field investigations related to COVID-era criminal unemployment fraud, according to a fact sheet released by Smith.

Unless the statute of limitations is extended by Congress, federal law enforcement will be unable to prosecute these cases.

Moylan noted the majority of unemployment fraud during COVID stemmed from “loopholes” so big “you could drive a truck through” them in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. 

THIS LEVEL OF FRAUD CAN ONLY EXIST WHEN GOVERNMENT IS WASTING THAT MUCH MONEY, SAYS VIVEK RAMASWAMY

“They didn’t have strict enough paperwork requirements, and, so, basically anybody could apply for it and just attest that they were engaged in self-employed activity … and claim significant amounts of unemployment benefits in the process,” Moylan said. He also pointed out how people were applying for financial assistance under the names of dead people or prison inmates.

“In California, about a billion dollars worth of fraud was facilitated by making claims on behalf of prisoners in prisons in California,” he said.

House lawmakers are calling on their Senate colleagues to follow their lead and pass a bill extending the statute of limitations for prosecuting pandemic-era unemployment fraud, which has resulted in hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars being lost to criminal activities. (Reuters/Fox News Digital)

This month, GOP lawmakers, including Smith, called on their Senate colleagues to take up the House’s legislation to extend the statute of limitations related to pandemic unemployment fraud.

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When asked why he thought the Senate had not yet taken up a bill to extend the statute of limitations for pandemic unemployment fraud, Moylan posited that it was “an attention span thing.”

“This hasn’t been top of mind the way that nominations have been in the first part of the year for the Senate, or budget resolution, or now tax conversations, or, you know, whatever the scandal of the day may be,” Moylan said.

“Those are the things that seem to dominate proceedings in the Senate. We now are in a situation where, if they don’t act soon, we’re going to lose the ability to prosecute more fraud in this program.”

EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump’s executive order against paper straws that was signed in February is already beginning to “use all levers available” to cut back on them.

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a domestic policy council report outlining that the White House wants the Food and Drug Administration to look into the PFAS risk of paper straws and “consider restricting their use.” It is also pivoting away from using straws in federal government cafeterias, stopping the purchasing of them in federal contracts across a variety of agencies, and having the United States Department of Agriculture “not promote the development or manufacturing of paper straws in the future.”

“Paper straws are a laughable supposition. They are bad for the environment, they are unhygienic, they are expensive, they contain dangerous forever chemicals, and—as with most things advanced by the previous Administration—they do not work,” the president wrote in a letter included in the report.

SENATE CONFIRMS DR MARTY MAKARY AS TRUMP’S FDA CHIEF

Carbonated soft drink pop soda bottles with plastic straws.  (iStock)

“This is not rocket science—water and other drinks dissolve paper, rendering these straws useless for their sole purpose. A product of a fictitious yet frequently cited statistic, they are inefficient and wasteful. It is ludicrous that anyone saw fit to enforce their use and that these useless implements have infiltrated our marketplaces as much as they have. Among the many things that my Administration is having to roll back, this is among the most absurd,” Trump continued.

The Executive Order came just months after the Biden administration announced plans in July to phase out single-use plastic in the federal government.

HHS AXES MORE THAN $300M IN GENDER, DEI-RELATED HEALTH GRANTS TO CALIFORNIA ALONE

President Donald Trump signs an executive order  (Getty Images)

“The Trump Administration has undone this weaponization of government and will use all available levers to bring back common sense, end the use of paper straws, and restore functional utensils for the American people,” the report’s conclusion states, arguing not only that research does not back up the widespread use of paper straws, but also that it may “pose safety risks to children and people with disabilities.”

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Blue states such as California and New York currently have laws in place limiting the use of single-use plastic straws in full-service restaurants, unless customers request them.

‘BACK TO PLASTIC!’: TRUMP VOWS EXECUTIVE ORDER ENDING ‘RIDICULOUS’ PUSH FOR PAPER STRAWS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum” at Fox News Channel Studios.  ((Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images))

Democratic states have also touted the use of paper straws as a more environmentally friendly alternative. Trump has criticized them for years, writing in a 2019 social media post that “liberal paper straws don’t work.”

Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump announced Friday he had nominated former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich to become the next U.S. ambassador to Serbia.

“Mark is a proud Veteran of the Army National Guard, and previously served as Attorney General for the Great State of Arizona,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

“As the son of refugees who fled communism, Mark will be a strong advocate for Freedom, and always put AMERICA FIRST. Congratulations Mark!”

TRUMP NOMINATES GEORGIA STATE SEN. BRANDON BEACH FOR US TREASURER

Mark Brnovich was nominated to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Serbia. (Fox News)

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Brnovich served as attorney general of Arizona from 2015 to 2023.

He is married to Susan Brnovich, a U.S. District Court judge in Arizona.

A federal appeals court on Friday granted the Trump administration’s motion to extend a stay allowing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to continue operating at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Last week, a federal judge in Maryland ruled efforts to halt USAID functions were likely unconstitutional, ordering its reinstatement.

A federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday issued a stay, temporarily blocking the judge’s order that prohibited DOGE from working with USAID. It also barred biopharmaceutical executive Jeremy Levin from leading the agency.

Friday’s decision extends the stay until the appeal is resolved.

DOGE protestors outside the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., March 11, 2025.  (Peter Pinedo/Fox News Digital)

‘HYSTERIA’: WHITE HOUSE SHUTS DOWN CONCERNS OVER USAID DOCUMENT PURGE

A group of 26 unidentified current and former USAID employees or contractors alleged the Trump administration unlawfully canceled government contracts, placed USAID personnel on administrative leave, reduced the force of employees and contractors, closed the headquarters and took down the website, violating the U.S. Constitution’s appointments clause because Elon Musk acted as DOGE administrator without being properly appointed. 

They also claimed dismantling USAID infringed on Congress’ responsibilities, according to court documents.

‘FIRED ME ILLEGALLY’: EMOTIONAL EX-USAID EMPLOYEES LEAVE BUILDING WITH BELONGINGS AFTER MASS LAYOFFS

The Trump administration fought the claims, alleging Musk acts as a senior advisor to the president, and actions at USAID were carried out by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as USAID’s acting administrator, who then designated Peter Marocco as deputy administrator. 

USAID subsequently, and in accordance with President Donald Trump’s executive order, established an internal DOGE team led by Lewin, according to court documents.

An American flag and USAID flag fly outside the USAID building in Washington, D.C.  (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)

Actions the employees and contractors alleged were unconstitutional were within both agency discretion and the president’s authority to direct foreign policy, the administration argued.

The district court granted the employees and contractors’ requested preliminary injunction, blocking DOGE from operating at USAID, finding the administration “likely” violated the Constitution, and the pause was in the public interest. 

It later clarified Lewin, who led the USAID DOGE team prior to the injunction, could no longer do his job as chief operating officer at USAID and declined to grant any modifications. 

Former employees of USAID leave the headquarters building in Washington, D.C. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

The Trump administration appealed the district court’s preliminary injunction and the denial of its motion for clarification or modification. It also filed an emergency motion to stay the injunction pending the appeal.

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U.S. Court of Appeals Circuit judges Arthur Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. and Judge Paul V. Niemeyer found Friday that Musk and DOGE “made a strong showing that they are likely to succeed on the merits of the appeal, that they will be irreparably injured absent the stay,” according to court documents.

Further, Quattlebaum and Niemeyer found the stay “favors the public interest.”

The ruling marked the third temporary win Friday for the Trump administration at the federal appeals court level.

A D.C. federal appeals court on Friday handed the Trump administration a temporary victory, overturning district court rulings that ordered the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) Gwynne Wilcox and the Merit Systems Protection Board’s Cathy Harris to be reinstated.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox to be reinstated after her dismissal by President Donald Trump earlier this year. 

Friday’s ruling halts both reinstatements while the case proceeds.

President Trump and Cathy Harris (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images; U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, right. )

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TRUMP’S FIRING OF HEAD OF SPECIAL COUNSEL WAS UNLAWFUL, WILL MAINTAIN HIS JOB

Wilcox filed a lawsuit Feb. 5 in D.C. federal court, claiming her Jan. 27 firing violated the congressional statute outlining NLRB appointments and removals. 

Trump told Wilcox in a letter she was being fired because the NLRB had not “been operating in a manner consistent with the objectives of [his] administration.”

He also cited multiple recent board decisions, claiming Wilcox was “unduly disfavoring the interests of employers.”

On Feb. 10, Wilcox requested a summary judgment on an expedited basis, and, after a hearing on March 5, the district court ruled she could remain a member of the NLRB.

President Trump fired National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox, left, who told U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, right, that the president does not have the legal authority to do so. (NLRB; AP Photo; U.S. District Court)

In a similar suit, Harris, a Democrat who led the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), argued Trump did not have the authority to terminate her Feb. 10 and that he did not provide a reason for the firing.

However, unlike Wilcox, she did not receive a letter from the president, according to court documents.

She sued Feb. 11, and a district court later granted her a temporary restraining order, reinstating her to the MSPB.

The E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C. (David Ake/Getty Images)

Howell previously said the case seemed to go beyond his purview, stating, “I realize for both sides this court is merely a speedbump to get to the Supreme Court.”

Concurring opinions by D.C. Circuit Court judges Justin R. Walker and Karen LeCraft Henderson noted the Supreme Court’s precedent that Congress cannot restrict the president’s removal authority over agencies that “wield substantial executive power” weighed heavily in the case.

The NLRB and MSPB are executive branch agencies.

LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

A dissenting opinion by D.C. Circuit Court Judge Patricia A. Millett claimed the two opinions granting the stay “rewrite controlling Supreme Court precedent and ignore the binding rulings of this court, all in favor of putting this court in direct conflict with at least two other circuits.”

The stay decision also marks the first time in history a court of appeals or the Supreme Court allowed the firing of members of multi-member adjudicatory boards “statutorily protected by the very type of removal restriction the Supreme Court has twice unanimously upheld,” Millet said.

A federal appeals court on Friday handed the Trump administration a temporary victory. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

She called the idea of making a decision Friday “striking,” claiming the decision will leave “hundreds of unresolved legal claims that the Political Branches jointly and deliberately channeled to these expert adjudicatory entities.”

Millet added the majority decisions’ rationale “openly calls into question the constitutionality of dozens of federal statutes conditioning the removal of officials on multi-member decision-making bodies — everything from the Federal Reserve Board and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to the National Transportation Safety Board and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.”

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“That would be an extraordinary decision for a lower federal court to make under any circumstances,” she wrote in the dissenting opinion. “I cannot join a decision that uses a hurried and preliminary first-look ruling by this court to announce a revolution in the law that the Supreme Court has expressly avoided, and to trap in legal limbo millions of employees and employers whom the law says must go to these boards for the resolution of their employment disputes.”

Fox News Digital’s Jake Gibson contributed to this report.

BONITA SPRINGS, FL. – EXCLUSIVE – Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, as he kicked off his 2026 campaign for Florida governor, touted that “this is going to take off.”

Donalds’ prediction came in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of his rally in front of a hometown crowd, his first campaign event in his 2026 bid.

The conservative lawmaker, who has represented Florida’s 19th Congressional District in the southwest part of the state for four years, is currently the only major Republican  to date to jump into the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Donalds, a staunch supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, announced his candidacy during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” late last month, days after landing the president’s endorsement.

“We’re going to campaign hard and we’re going to take this to every part of Florida,” Donalds pledged in his interview.

FIRST ON FOX: LEADING CONSERVATIVE GROUP BACKS DONALDS IN FLORIDA

The crowd at Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial campaign kickoff, ahead of the candidate’s arrival on the podium, in Bonita Springs, Florida on March 28, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

And pointing to the support from Trump, whose immense grip over the GOP is stronger than ever, he emphasized “having his endorsement, it’s a great thing to have, I’m glad I have it.”

“And when he makes these choices, they tend to turn out well for his candidates,” Donalds noted.

WHAT BYRON DONALDS TOLD FOX NEWS’ LARA TRUMP 

The campaign event, in Bonita Springs, comes as Florida first lady Casey DeSantis has acknowledged she is considering a 2026 Republican gubernatorial run of her own, to succeed her husband in Tallahassee.

DeSantis has repeatedly touted his wife’s accomplishments as Florida first lady and framed her as a worthy successor.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis, celebrate his victory over Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Charlie Crist during an election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center on Nov. 8, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

Additionally, Casey DeSantis, late last month, stoked speculation when asked by reporters if she would run.

“To quote the late Yogi Berra,” DeSantis said as she reiterated a famous line from the late baseball legend. “If you see a fork in the road, take it.”

The governor then quipped to reporters that “you guys can read into that what you will.”

RON AND CASEY DESANTIS TEE OFF WITH TRUMP AS FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S RACE HEATS UP

When asked this month at the National Review Institute’s Ideas Summit in National Harbor, Maryland, if she might launch a campaign, Casey DeSantis said “we’ll see.”

Sources last month confirmed to Fox News that the governor has been reaching out to donors on behalf of his wife.

Casey DeSantis, Florida’s first lady, during a campaign event for her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, in Atlantic, Iowa, on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Asked about a possible face-off with Casey DeSantis, Donalds said “races take on a shape of their own, so we’ll see what actually happens.”

“My mission is going to be focused on our future and the things that are necessary for Florida to go and to thrive and be prosperous for everybody. So that’s going to be my mission. We’ll see how the race shapes up,” he added.

And Donalds said he aims to convey to voters that “I have a vision for their future and I think that when they hear it, they’re going to choose me.”

The next campaign cash filing deadline in the Florida governor’s race comes at midnight Monday, and a source in the congressman’s political orbit predicted to Fox News that Donalds would “easily eclipse” the $1 million DeSantis raised in his first month as a gubernatorial candidate in his successful 2018 campaign to succeed Scott as governor.

“I think he’s going to show a really strong fundraising number,” added another Florida-based Republican strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely.

Demonstrators protest outside of Republican Rep. Byron Donalds 2026 Florida gubernatorial campaign kickoff, in Bonita Springs, Florida on March 28, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Outside of the rally, which was held at a restaurant and music venue in downtown Bonita Springs, dozens of demonstrators protested Donalds and the Trump administration’s sweeping and controversial agenda.

TRUMP REVEALS WHY HE PULLED THE STEFANIK AMBASSADOR NOMINATION: ‘CANT’ TAKE A CHANCE’

Donalds’ rally was held amid concerns by the White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill over next week’s special congressional elections in Florida.

Voters in two congressional districts in Florida will head to the polls on Tuesday, as Republicans aim to keep control of both solidly red seats and give themselves slightly more breathing room in the House.

The elections are in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, which Trump carried by 37 and 30 points in last year’s presidential election. 

But the Democratic candidates have vastly outraised the Republican nominees, and polling in recent days suggested that the race in the 6th District was within the margin of error.

The GOP currently holds a 218-213 majority in the House, with two vacant seats where Republicans stepped down and two where Democratic lawmakers died in March.

“When it comes to Florida, you have two races, and they seem to be good,” Trump told reporters on Friday.

But pointing to the massive fundraising advantage by the Democrat candidates over the GOP contenders, Trump raised concerns, saying “You never know what happens in a case like that.”

Donalds, in his Fox News Digital interview, predicted “it would be difficult” for the GOP House majority if the party lost one of Tuesday’s elections.

But he added, “I’m not looking forward to that. I think we’re going to win both those seats on Tuesday. I think Republican voters in those districts are going to turn out because, at the end of the day, the choice is clear.”

Jimmy Patronis, the Florida Chief Financial Officer, is favored over Democrat Gay Valimont in a multi-candidate field in the race to fill the vacant seat in the 1st CD, which is located in the far northwestern corner of Florida in the Panhandle region.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who is the Republican nominee in Tuesday’s special congressional election in the state’s 1st Congressional District. (Tiffany Tompkins/Bradenton Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Republican Matt Gaetz, who won re-election in the district in last November’s elections, resigned from office weeks later after Trump selected him to be his nominee for attorney general in his second administration.

Gaetz later withdrew himself from cabinet consideration amid controversy.

But it’s the race in the 6th CD, which is located on Florida’s Atlantic coast from Daytona Beach to just south of Saint Augustine and inland to the outskirts of Ocala, that is really raising concerns among some in the GOP.

The race is to succeed Republican Michael Waltz, who stepped down from the seat on Jan. 20 after Trump named him his national security adviser.

Republican state Sen. Randy Fine is facing off against teacher Josh Weil, a Democrat, in a multi-candidate field.

Florida state Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican from South Brevard County, who is running in Tuesday’s special House election in the state’s 6th Congressional District. (AP)

Weil grabbed plenty of national attention in recent weeks by topping Fine in the campaign cash battle by roughly a ten-to-one margin.

The cash discrepancy in the 6th CD race spurred GOP-aligned outside groups to make last-minute contributions in support of Fine in the closing days of the campaign, with conservative super PACs launching ads spotlighting Trump’s support of Fine.

“I would have preferred if our candidate had raised money at a faster rate and gotten on TV quicker,” Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told reporters earlier this week.

But Hudson added that Fine is “doing what he needs to do. He’s on TV now.”

And he emphasized, “We’re going to win the seat. I’m not concerned at all.”

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Trump, pointing to Fine, on Friday acknowledged that “our candidate doesn’t have that kind of money.”

In the 1st District, where there is less concern by Republicans about losing the seat, Valimont topped Patronis in fundraising by roughly a five-to-one margin.

One senator’s pooch is digging up “bipawtisan” goodwill on Capitol Hill this week.

Babydog Justice, famous sidekick to West Virginia Republican Sen. Jim Justice, visited the Senate Thursday, and senators across the political spectrum couldn’t hold back their appreciation.

Rolled along in her soft-sided wagon, the English bulldog canine ambassador is a welcome sight in the Senate chambers.

SENATOR-ELECT JIM JUSTICE’S TEAM CLARIFIES REPORT CLAIMING FAMOUS POOCH BABYDOG BANNED FROM SENATE FLOOR

Babydog took to X to share a post meeting four senators who work with her famous dad, saying, “Loved getting some bipawtisan pets by the Senate floor today!”

Babydog Justice brought “bipawtisan” agreement to the Senate Thursday, charming senators on both sides of the political spectrum, including senators Jon Husted, R-Ohio, left, and Corey Booker, D-N.J. (@SenJonHusted and @BabydogJustice via X)

Babydog was photographed with Republican and Democratic senators alike, including Democrats Ruben Gallego of Arizona and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

One eager commentator wrote, “The real senate majority leader.”

BABYDOG GOES TO WASHINGTON: WEST VIRGINIA’S JUSTICE FLIPS SENATE SEAT RED

Sen. Jon Hustsed, R-Ohio, also posted a photo of the lovable pooch, writing, “Just another day at work for Ohio’s four-footed neighbor, Baby Dog.”

“Babydog is happy to be pet by anyone that comes along – she shows no political bias, especially if treats are involved,” Justice told Fox News Digital. 

Babydog Justice was the top dog Thursday with senators John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. (@BabydogJustice via X)

“She loves coming with me over to the Senate floor, where senators can walk off and immediately come to visit with her. I think if Babydog moderated spending discussions going on around here, we might get more across the finish line. There is no doubt in my mind that both sides of the aisle agree Babydog as Senator No. 101 is the most popular member in Congress.”

Babydog sparked headlines nationally last year at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where she took the Fiserv Forum stage with Justice, who was West Virginia’s governor at the time.

“I know that a lot of you want to meet my little buddy. So, if Babydog could come on out here,” Justice said before the crowd erupted in cheers.

Mississippi Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith posted this photo to X with the caption, “Almost Heaven….our Washington DC staff is living the dream with a visit from @BabydogJustice today!” (@SenHydeSmith via X)

The 5-year-old pooch was a fixture on the campaign trail with Justice and has shown no signs of ending her support for her dad now that he’s in the Senate.

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Her official X account bio says, “My favorite things are @JimJustice_WV, Wendy’s nuggets, riding shotgun in dad’s Suburban, and napping.”

Justice successfully flipped his seat for the GOP after longtime Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced he would not seek re-election last year.

Justice received 68.8% of the vote after gaining a key endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday said a “shadow government” is needed to provide Americans with the truth about the Trump administration’s actions. 

Speaking at a town hall in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Walz accused the Trump administration of attacking voting rights, which he argued could be remedied through a new form of government.

TIM WALZ SAYS HE WAS JOKING WHEN HE MOCKED TESLA’S FALLING STOCK 

Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota and Democratic vice-presidential nominee, watches as US Vice President Kamala Harris, not pictured, speaks at Howard University in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. ( Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“We see one of the first things they do is try and restrict the vote,” Walz said of the Trump administration. “This is one of the things, though, that this is going to take power industry to — I don’t know what the answer is on this, but I’m kind of — I’ve been saying this: I think we need a shadow government, so when all these things come up every single day, we’ve got an alternate press conference telling the truth about what things are happening, tell them what’s going on.”

The remark prompted criticism from Republicans. 

TIM WALZ CHEERS TESLA SOCK TUMBLE, BUT MINNESOTA STATE EMPLOYEES’ PENSION OWNS OVER 1M SHARES

President Donald Trump and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. On Friday Walz called for a “shadow government” to provide Americans with the truth about the Trump administration’s actions.  (Getty Images)

“Unhinged loser @Gov TimWalz wants to form a ‘shadow government’ in protest of requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and banning foreign nationals from interfering in elections,” President Donald Trump’s social media team said on X. 

“Pls keep this up sir,” U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said. 

The term “shadow government,” mirrors a similar term used in the United Kingdom, where a component of the government creates a group of opposition leaders who mirror the actions of the cabinet in power. 

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That group “shadows” the other cabinet by scrutinizing their actions and offering alternative solutions.

In another part of his remarks, Walz admitted to getting dunked on by his 18-year-old son, Gus. “I was having one of those dad talks with him,” Walz said. “I was giving Gus my wisdom on what he had done wrong, you know, because I know these things, right, I’m a dad? And in the middle of it, he gives me the old, ‘Says the guy who got his a** kicked by Donald Trump.’”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump promised that ‘bad things’ would happen to Iran if the regime does not come to the table for nuclear negotiations. 

“My big preference is that we work it out with Iran, but if we don’t work it out, bad things are gonna happen to Iran,” the president said Friday. 

Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, just shy of the 90% weapons-grade. Experts say it could have a nuclear weapon within weeks if it were to take the final steps to building one. 

In response to U.S. sanctions threats, Iran showed off a sprawling underground tunnel system replete with missiles, launchers, engines and other advanced weapons. 

WALTZ TELLS IRAN TO GIVE UP NUCLEAR PROGRAM OR ‘THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES’

U.S. President Donald Trump promised that ‘bad things’ would happen to Iran if it won’t engage in nuclear talks. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

A video released this week by state media shows two Iranian military leaders, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri and IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, riding in a vehicle through long, weapons-packed tunnels that Tehran has dubbed “Missile City.” 

The 85-second clip, which has not been independently verified, is set to menacing music and suggests that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps stands ready to respond to threats of an attack from the U.S. and Israel. 

“Iran’s ballistic missile force remains the largest in the Middle East,” said Behnam Taleblu, fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “This is all part of the regime’s deterrent strategy to cement the idea of any conflict with Tehran being a costly and protracted one.” 

Trump warned Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to engage in nuclear talks, or “bad things” would happen.  (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency))

The move comes as U.S. is bolstering its forces in the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently sent a second aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy’s USS Carl Vinson, to join the USS Harry S. Truman‘s carrier strike group, whose deployment was also extended. 

The U.S. also recently deployed two B-2 stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, a warning to Iran and Yemen’s Houthi militia. The planes are capable of carrying 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs and are now situated within range of Iran. 

Weeks ago, Trump wrote a letter to Iran urging the regime to engage in talks on its nuclear program. 

Kamal Kharazi, the top foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Thursday that the regime would engage in “indirect” talks, according to local news reports.

IRAN’S LEADER WARNS US COULD RECEIVE ‘SEVERE SLAPS’ FOLLOWING TRUMP’S THREATS TO HOUTHIS

The U.S. also recently deployed two B-2 stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, a warning to Iran and Yemen’s Houthi militia. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“The Islamic Republic has not closed all the doors and is willing to begin indirect negotiations with the United States.” 

“Our policy is to not negotiate directly while there is maximum pressure policy and threats of military strikes,” foreign minister Abbas Aragchi explained. “But indirect negotiations can take place as they have in the past.”

If talks falter, the U.S. and Israel have floated the possibility of targeted strikes on underground nuclear facilities. 

In recent weeks, the Trump administration launched a series of offensive attacks on the Houthis in Yemen to send a message to Tehran, which supports them. 

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“Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. 

“Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control,” he continued. “They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, “Intelligence.'” 

A D.C. federal judge on Friday extended a restraining order against the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law the Trump administration enacted to deport Venezuelan nationals who are Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members in the U.S. illegally.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled the extension will run through April 12.

Also on Friday, in a separate ruling, a federal judge in Boston blocked the deportation of migrants to countries where they have no existing relationship without a chance to go into court to contest that move.

Last week, Boasberg issued a temporary restraining blocked the president from using the act to deport Venezuelan nationals, stating he needed more time to consider the merits of the case.

WASHINGTON, DC- Judge James E. Boasberg, chief judge of the Federal District Court in DC, stands for a portrait at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, DC on March 16, 2023. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Washington Post via Getty)

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In a bench ruling, he ordered all planes carrying Venezuelan nationals or other deportees under the Alien Enemies Act be returned.

The administration later filed an emergency request for the U.S. appeals court to intervene. 

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Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee sent a letter Thursday to Tina Ansari, the lead federal prosecutor in a case brought by the Biden Department of Justice, against Dr. Eithan Haim for leaking records that revealed Texas Children’s Hospital was performing medical procedures on minors.

Ansari indicted Haim on federal charges after he exposed the Texas medical system for performing transgender medical procedures on minors.

Ansari was removed from the criminal case, which has since been dismissed by the Trump Justice Department, after information showed that her family was involved extensively in business dealings with the Texas medical hospital system.

Dr. Eithan Haim was indicted for exposing Texas Children’s Hospital’s transgender procedures on minors. The case was dismissed due to the prosecutor’s ties to Texas’ medical system. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images | Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital obtained the letter to Ansari, which reads, “You were the lead prosecutor on Dr. Haim’s case. You allegedly were removed from the case for failing to report an enormous conflict of interest stemming from the substantial financial and political ties to your close family members.” 

“This lack of candor and apparent conflict of interest raises further concerns around DOJ’s weaponization against Dr. Haim for blowing the whistle on [Texas Children’s Hospital]. Your testimony will inform the Committee’s legislative reforms aimed at enhancing civil liberties, protecting minors, combatting conflicts of interest, and preventing and prohibiting the weaponization of DOJ to prosecute individuals for holding disfavored viewpoints.”

A source familiar with the hearing told Fox News Digital that Haim and his attorney, Mark Lytle, are expected to testify alongside Ansari.

Dr. Eithan Haim, left, and his defense attorney, Ryan Patrick, speak to the media after appearing for an arraignment hearing on Monday, June 17, 2024 in Houston. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

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Marcella Burke, Haim’s attorney at the time President Donald Trump’s Justice Department dismissed the case, told Fox News Digital in January, “The case has been dismissed with prejudice so that the federal government can never again come after him for blowing the whistle on the secret pediatric transgender program at Texas Children’s Hospital.”

During the case, Haim’s lawyers argued that the leaked files contained redacted patient information despite DOJ prosecutors claiming that the records contained the names of children who had been receiving puberty-blocking devices, among other gender transition procedures. 

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The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects patients’ private medical history and information, does include exceptions for the relevant release of records if there are public health concerns or instances of patient harm. 

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Haim faced up to 10 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of up to $250,000 if he would have been found guilty in the Biden DOJ-driven indictment. 

FIRST ON FOX: The State Department is absorbing the remaining operations and programs U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) runs, upending its function as an independent agency, according to an internal USAID memo obtained by Fox News Digital.  

While USAID historically has functioned as an independent agency that works to deliver aid to impoverished countries and development assistance, President Donald Trump appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to serve as acting administrator of the organization in February amid concerns that USAID did not advance U.S. core interests. 

Now, the State Department is poised to officially take on USAID programs as part of a merger that aims to streamline operations to deliver foreign assistance, the memo said. It also will result in cuts for thousands of USAID employees. 

“By bringing USAID’s core life-saving and strategic aid programs under the umbrella of the State Department, this Administration will significantly enhance the efficiency, accountability, uniformity, and strategic impact of foreign assistance programs — and ensure that our nation and President to speaks with one voice in foreign affairs,” Jeremy Lewin, who is performing the duties of USAID Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming & Chief Operating Officer, said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. 

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An American flag and USAID flag fly outside the USAID building in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 1, 2025.  (Annabelle Gordon/Reuters)

As a result, the State Department is moving to “retire” USAID as an independent operation and is moving forward with plans for a reduction in force, according to the memo. Altogether, more than 4,650 USAID personnel will be cut from USAID, according to a State Department senior official. Personnel will start to receive notices Friday regarding their status at USAID with separation dates either on July 1 or Sept. 2. 

Between those three months, the State Department will take on responsibility for USAID programming, and will assess staffing requirements to proceed with an independent hiring process. Eligible USAID employees may apply for those positions as remaining USAID personnel move to shut down or transfer USAID operations to the State Department. 

“A separate process will be established for hiring personnel into available roles at the State Department,” the USAID memo said. “While the details are still being finalized, we are committed to sharing additional information as soon as it becomes available, likely in April or May.” 

The announcement comes as the Trump administration has moved to shutter USAID amid widespread government cuts stemming from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is leading. 

USAID has come under scrutiny amid DOGE’s cuts for wasteful spending that didn’t align with the Trump administration, including funding a $1.5 million program aimed to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities and a $70,000 program for a “DEI musical” in Ireland.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced March 11 that the vast majority of USAID programs would be canceled.  (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/Reuters)

Rubio said March 11 that the State Department had concluded a six-week review and would cancel more than 80% of USAID programs. That translates to an elimination of roughly 5,200 of USAID’s 6,200 programs. 

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“Foreign assistance done right can advance our national interests, protect our borders, and strengthen our partnerships with key allies,” Rubio said in a statement to Fox News Digital Friday. “Unfortunately, USAID strayed from its original mission long ago. As a result, the gains were too few and the costs were too high.” 

“We are reorienting our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States and our citizens,” Rubio said. “We are continuing essential lifesaving programs and making strategic investments that strengthen our partners and our own country.”