Donald Trump Poll News

FIRST ON FOX: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is expected to privately meet with Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, two people familiar with the plans told Fox News Digital.

The timing or reason for the meeting is not immediately clear, but it comes as Republicans in Congress map out how to respond to what they see as “activist” judges blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The committee is currently scheduled to mark up several pieces of legislation, unrelated to the judicial standoff, on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. ET. Johnson is scheduled to hold his weekly press conference at that time.

It comes as the Trump administration has faced more than a dozen injunctions from various district court judges across the country on a range of policy decisions.

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

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 7, 2025.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., announced on X Monday that lawmakers would be voting on a bill next week led by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to limit U.S. district court judges’ ability to hand down nationwide injunctions.

Fox News Digital was told last week that Trump himself expressed interest in the bill.

Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is expected to hold a hearing on the issue of activist judges early next week.

Several conservative lawmakers have also introduced or threatened resolutions to impeach specific judges blocking Trump’s agenda.

Johnson has been known to meet with various factions of the House GOP when trying to push key pieces of legislation, particularly when there are differing opinions on what to do, to ensure all lawmakers who want to express a viewpoint are heard.

But House GOP leaders have also been privately wary of getting behind any of the calls for impeachment, worried it would not be the most effective approach.

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

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 7, 2025.  (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo/File Photo)

Trump, however, has previously signaled interest in impeaching U.S. district court Judge James Boasberg after he issued an emergency order blocking the administration’s deportation of suspected Tren de Aragua gang members under the Alien Enemies Act.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, introduced a resolution to impeach Boasberg for “abuse of power” last week. The legislation gained three new supporters on Monday and now has 19 total co-sponsors.

Some House Republicans expressed hesitation at the idea when asked by Fox News Digital on Monday night, however.

“We shouldn’t lower the standard for impeachment, but we should – we meaning Congress – should provide a remedy for district court judges who totally overreach,” Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., said.

Another House Republican who declined to be named said they were “totally opposed” to impeachment.

“That’s what the appeals process is for,” they said.

Freshman GOP Rep. Brandon Gill introduced a bill to impeach US District Court Judge James Boasberg (Getty Images)

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., contended that the impeachment resolutions sent a necessary message. 

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“The reason I sponsored Gill’s efforts is just – if we don’t say anything, the judges are going to be like, ‘Oh, we can do whatever we want.’ So they need to know that we are watching and that there’s a group of us that, if that’s what it takes, we would support that,” Stutzman said.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said Issa’s bill was a “start” but said the House Freedom Caucus would have discussions about whether the group wanted to push for impeachment.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office and the House Judiciary Committee for comment but did not immediately hear back.

President Donald Trump has revoked former U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ Secret Service protection, starting Monday.

The Secret Service confirmed to Fox News Digital that, per an executive memorandum from the president, the protective detail for Mayorkas was discontinued.

No other details were provided, to ensure the integrity of the Secret Service’s operations.

The former secretary’s security protection was revoked a week after Trump announced he was revoking Secret Service protection for former President Biden’s adult children.

TRUMP REVOKES SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION FOR ADULT BIDEN CHILDREN HUNTER AND ASHLEY

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, during a briefing at the White House in Washington. Louisiana is suing Mayorkas and various federal agencies after an illegal Chinese immigrant allegedly exposed hundreds to a rare TB strain while in detention.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, saying Hunter Biden received Secret Service protection for an “extended period of time.”

“There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous!” Trump wrote. “Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection.”

WHO IS SEAN CURRAN? HEAD OF TRUMP’S PERSONAL DETAIL TO BE NOMINATED FOR SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, arrives to the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 6, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware. The trial for Hunter Biden’s felony gun charges continues today with additional witnesses.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Also losing protection was Ashley Biden, Hunter’s sister. Trump noted that 13 agents were assigned to Ashley’s security detail.

“We are aware of the President’s decision to terminate protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden,” the Secret Service told Fox News Digital. “The Secret Service will comply and is actively working with the protective details and the White House to ensure compliance as soon as possible.”

SECRET SERVICE STRUGGLE TO PROTECT PRESIDENTS WON’T SEE ‘IMMEDIATE’ END EVEN WITH MORE MANPOWER: RETIRED AGENT

Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, PA on Saturday, July 13, 2024.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Former presidents and their spouses receive life-long Secret Service protection under federal law, but the protection afforded to their immediate families over the age of 16 ends when they leave office, though both Trump and Biden extended the details for their children for six months before leaving office, the Associated Press reported. 

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Biden allowed Baron Trump to keep his Secret Service protection after his 16th birthday. 

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

A portrait of President Donald Trump that he claimed was “purposefully distorted” will be taken down from the Colorado Capitol, officials said Monday. 

In a statement, House Democrats said the oil painting, painted by artist Sarah Boardman during Trump’s first term, would be taken down at the request of Republican leaders in the state Legislature in Denver, the Associated Press reported.

“If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that’s up to them,” the Democrats said.

SENATOR REVEALS WHY EVERYONE ‘LOVES’ TRUMP AFTER ROARING NCAA STANDING OVATION

President Trump’s portrait joins the wall of former presidents inside the Colorado state Capitol. (Screenshot/KCNC, KMGH feed)

The portrait was unveiled in 2019. State Republicans raised more than $11,000 through a GoFundMe account to commission the painting.

Trump criticized the painting in a Truth Social post on Sunday. 

“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” he wrote. 

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED DURING TRUMP’S NINTH WEEK IN OFFICE

President Donald Trump’s portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver.  (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

“The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one [of] me is truly the worst, Trump added. “She must have lost her talent as she got older.”

Trump said he was requesting the portrait’s removal on behalf of angry Coloradans who have complained about it.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois.  (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one, but many people from Colorado have called and written to complain,” he wrote. “In fact, they are actually angry about it!”

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Trump called on Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to have the painting taken down. 

“Jared should be ashamed of himself!” he wrote. 

President Donald Trump has named Susan Monarez as his nominee for the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calling the candidate “a dedicated public servant.”

Monarez, who is currently acting director of the CDC, replaces Trump’s original nominee for the role, Dr. David Weldon. The Trump administration never gave an official reason why Weldon’s nomination was withdrawn earlier this month, but a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that it would have been a “futile effort.”

“It became clear that the votes weren’t there in the Senate for him to get confirmed,” the source explained. “This would have been a futile effort.”

In a Truth Social post published on Monday, Trump wrote that Monarez “brings decades of experience championing Innovation, Transparency, and strong Public Health Systems.”

DOJ INSISTS EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS DID NOT VIOLATE COURT ORDER

President Trump has nominated Dr. Susan Monarez to lead the CDC. (Getty Images | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

“She has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, and PostDoctoral training in Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine,” the president wrote. “Dr. Monarez understands the importance of protecting our children, our communities, and our future.”

Trump also claimed that Americans have “lost confidence” in the CDC, citing “political bias and disastrous mismanagement,” as reasons why.

IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES HIT JUDGE WHO ORDERED TRUMP TO STOP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

Dr. Susan Monarez is currently the acting director of the CDC. (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

“Dr. Monarez will work closely with our GREAT Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr,” the president continued. “Together, they will prioritize Accountability, High Standards, and Disease Prevention to finally address the Chronic Disease Epidemic and, MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!”

According to Monarez’s CDC biography, she previously worked at the White House in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and on the National Security Council.

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Trump claimed that Americans have “lost confidence” in the CDC in his Mar. 24 announcement. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“[She led] efforts to enhance the nation’s biomedical innovation capabilities, including combating antimicrobial resistance, expanding the use of wearables to promote patient health, ensuring personal health data privacy, and improving pandemic preparedness,” the biography states. “She has also held leadership positions at the Department of Homeland Security and has led numerous international cooperative initiatives to promote bilateral and multilateral health innovation research and development.”

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.

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…

-US moves to extradite 3 alleged Tren de Aragua members to Chile

-Democrats on possible Biden political reemergence: ‘his time has passed’

-New report sounds the alarm on ‘staggering’ amount of foreign money being poured into U.S. universities

House takes on Judges 

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a hearing early next week looking into the issue of “activist judges,” three people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital.

It comes as the Trump administration has faced more than a dozen injunctions from various district court judges across the country on a range of policy decisions. The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments in one of those cases Monday after President Donald Trump called for the impeachment of U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also confirmed on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” that he intended to hold hearings on “activist judges” opposing the administration. He said he expects a House-wide vote next week on a bill by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to block district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions…Read more

White House

‘NONSENSICAL’ SPENDING: From ‘food justice’ to ‘useless surveys,’ Trump’s cabinet reveals ‘nonsensical’ contracts it has canceled

FREE SPEECH: Biden admin’s ‘vast censorship enterprise’ with help of NGOs slated for key hearing, lawmaker says

CANDID CLOONEY: George Clooney says he dropped support for Biden after seeing him up close, condemns Democratic ‘cowardice’

World Stage

‘A HARMLESS VISIT’: Greenland PM slams upcoming visit from Usha Vance as ‘very aggressive’ provocation

IMPEACHMENT OVERTURNED: South Korean PM Han Duck-soo reinstated as acting president after impeachment overturned

South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo speaks during a briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, on March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool)

‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ DISCUSSION: US peace talks with Ukraine, Russia get underway in Saudi Arabia

Capitol Hill

BUDGET BRAWL: Battle of the chambers: House and Senate tensions boil over as Trump budget hangs in limbo

RED AND BLUE: Trump-district Democrat warns party brand ‘in trouble’ ahead of 2026 midterms

Rep. Tom Suozzi is warning the Democratic Party brand is in “trouble” but signaled confidence ahead of the 2026 midterms. (Getty Images)

Across America 

‘PROFOUND IMPACT’: Clean air mandates exacerbating dearth in gas tax revenues used for roads, bridges, infrastructure

‘DISRUPTIVE’: Bush-era education secretary wary about FAFSA disruptions as department faces dismantling

DEI DIES: Youngkin efforts lead slew of VA colleges to nix DEI, as Hokie alums reportedly push back’

‘CLEARLY A PATTERN’: Maine Dems push for tampons in boys’ bathrooms amid ongoing debate over trans sports participation

‘ABSOLUTELY EGREGIOUS’: Boston releasing serious criminal illegals on very low bail

‘DEEPLY HONORED’: Top GOP governor makes key endorsement in border state gubernatorial race: ‘Deeply honored’

NOT FINISHED?: RFK Jr.’s former running mate rules out 2026 CA governor run, hints at activism

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

MAP QUEST: Supreme Court hears pivotal Louisiana election map case ahead of 2026 midterms

LEARNING NOTHING: Columbia faculty hold ’emergency vigil,’ urge students to wear masks, skip class

THE SHOW MUST GO ON: Judge blocks enforcement of Texas A&M system’s drag show ban, allowing ‘Draggieland’ event on campus this week

TESLA TERROR: FBI tells Tesla owners to be vigilant as authorities pinpoint their focus to stop violence: former agent

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

A U.S. appeals court judge said Monday that Nazis received better treatment than the Venezuelan nationals who were deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration last weekend during a hearing over President Donald Trump’s use of an 18th-century wartime authority to remove certain foreigners from U.S. soil.

The back-and-forth comes as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard arguments from the Trump administration in its emergency appeal of a lower court ruling, which temporarily blocked its use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. 

During the hearing Monday, Judge Patricia Millett grilled Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign over the timing of the deportations, which sent at least 261 migrants to El Salvador, including more than 100 Venezuelan nationals who were subject to removal “solely on the basis” of the law temporarily blocked by the court.

“The point here was that there were planeloads of people,” Millett told him. “There were no procedures in place to notify people.”

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

President Donald Trump and U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg (Getty Images)

“Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemy Act than has happened here,” she said, noting, “They had hearing boards before people were removed.”

Millett pressed Ensign over whether the individuals deported under the law had any time to seek relief or challenge their status as a member of the gang in the form of a habeas petition before they were deported.

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

Stills from the White House/CBP’s video showing deportations alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (Getty/White House)

The government’s position was not immediately clear, though Ensign noted they disagreed with the contention that Nazis got better treatment. 

Congress passed the Alien Enemies Act immigration law in 1798, and it has since been used only several times in U.S. history, most recently during World War II.

Salvadoran police officers escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua recently deported by the U.S. government to be imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, March 16, 2025.  (Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via Reuters)

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It was not immediately clear when the appeals court plans to issue its ruling. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates. 

A bipartisan pair of Florida lawmakers is teaming up to establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a separate Cabinet-level agency in an effort to “cut red tape, improve government efficiency, and save lives.”

Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Byron Donalds, R-Fla., introduced the FEMA Independence Act on Monday, which aims to detach the agency from the “bureaucratic labyrinth” of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and return it to its core mission of providing emergency aid.

“As the first Emergency Management Director ever elected to Congress, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disaster events. As these emergencies continue to grow larger and more widespread, the American people deserve a federal response that is efficient and fast,” Moskowitz said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “To achieve that, FEMA should be reformed.”

The bill would also require that a director be appointed to lead the agency upon confirmation by the Senate.

TRUMP’S FEMA FACES RECKONING AS MORE STAFF FIRED IN ‘POLITICAL BIAS’ SCANDAL: GOP LAWMAKER

Florida Reps. Byron Donalds, left, and Jared Moskowitz are introducing legislation to detach FEMA from DHS. (Getty Images)

The director would be required to have “a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security” and no less than five years of executive leadership and management experience in the public and private sectors, according to the bill text.

Moskowitz highlighted how FEMA sits under the “umbrella” of DHS with about 20 other agencies, saying, “The set-up simply doesn’t work.” 

“By removing FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and restoring its status as an independent, cabinet-level agency, my bipartisan bill will help cut red tape, improve government efficiency, and save lives,” Moskowitz said. “It will also help refocus FEMA on its original mission: as an agency tasked with responding before, during, and after disaster events.”

NEW YORK CITY DENIED REQUEST FEMA RETURN $80M IN MIGRANT FUNDS

Donalds, in a statement shared with Fox, said, “FEMA has become overly bureaucratic, overly politicized, overly inefficient, and substantial change is needed to best serve the American people.” 

“When disaster strikes, quick and effective action must be the standard – not the exception,” the Republican congressman wrote. “It is imperative that FEMA is removed from the bureaucratic labyrinth of DHS and instead is designated to report directly to the President of the United States.”

The bill comes two months after President Donald Trump launched a review council as part of an initiative to begin “fundamentally reforming and overhauling” the agency.

“Despite obligating nearly $30 billion in disaster aid each of the past three years, FEMA has managed to leave vulnerable Americans without the resources or support they need when they need it most,” Trump’s order reads. “There are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA. Indeed, at least one former FEMA responder has stated that FEMA managers directed her to avoid homes of individuals supporting the campaign of Donald J. Trump for President.”

President Donald Trump (Getty Images/File)

FEMA’s use of resources has also come under scrutiny in the past few weeks after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, revealed that the agency, under former President Joe Biden, allocated $59 million to New York City to pay for “luxury hotels” for illegal immigrants.

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Moskowitz said FEMA should be reworked rather than abolished.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s Cabinet outlined billions of dollars in contracts it says it has canceled since he took office, including a “$300,000 contract educating on food justice for queer and transgender farmers in San Francisco” and $830 million on surveys described as looking like “anyone’s child in junior high could have put together.” 

The contracts, which Trump said represented “fraud,” are being canceled as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are trying to eliminate wasteful spending by the federal government. 

“Even at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we canceled a $300,000 contract educating on food justice for queer and transgender farmers in San Francisco. A similar contract we canceled in New York, again educating transgender and queer farmers on food justice and food equality. I’m not even sure what that means, but apparently the last administration wanted to put out taxpayer dollars towards that,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Trump. 

“We canceled a $600,000 contract out of Louisiana that was studying the menstrual cycles of transgender men. We canceled another contract out of a university in the middle of the country that focused on getting more diversity, equity and inclusion into our pest management industry,” she continued. “Again, these are nonsensical, it makes zero sense to use taxpayer dollars to fund these. I know these are just a few examples of the hundreds and hundreds we have found.” 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BLOCKS DOGE FROM PERSONAL DATA, IN ANOTHER INJUNCTION AGAINST TRUMP 

Elon Musk listens during a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump in the White House on Monday, March 24, in Washington.  (AP/Pool)

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Trump that “There is a federal consulting group which was a group inside of Interior, but it was managing contracts for many different agencies that flowed through here” and “one of those contracts was to do surveys of individuals, $830 million for surveys.” 

“And so part of the question was ‘hey could we actually see the surveys?’ and then the surveys came back and it was, the survey was like 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper with ten questions that anyone’s child in junior high could have put together, or AI could have done for free,” Burgum said during the Cabinet meeting. “$830 million, so that is one that we stopped and that contract was going out after you were inaugurated, sir.” 

“It’s fraud,” Trump responded. “But we’ve had many fraudulent contracts that were caught by the work that Elon and his people are doing and working with our people. It’s been brought to light. The fraud, not just waste and abuse. The fraud has been incredible.” 

REPUBLICAN SENATORS URGED TO ‘GO ON OFFENSE’ ON DOGE GOALS, HIGHLIGHT WORK WITH TRUMP, MUSK   

President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attend a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Monday. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)

An X account linked to the White House said Burgum announced $830 million in savings by “cutting contracts for useless surveys.” 

“The EPA has now canceled over $22 billion worth of contracts – $2 billion going to this NGO that Stacey Abrams was tied to. They received only $100 in 2023 and then the Biden administration gave them $2 billion,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin also said. “The director of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund saw his former employer get $5 billion dollars. So $20 billion went to just eight NGOs.” 

Members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet detailed contracts they have canceled since he took office. (AP)

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“The partnership with DOGE and Elon Musk has been incredible at EPA. Their team is very talented, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them and of course this mandate from President Trump to make sure that we identify every last penny, whether we are saving $50,000, five million dollars or $22 billion dollars we will not rest until every last penny is saved. Thank you, Mr. President for the opportunity to do this for the American public,” Zeldin added. 

EXCLUSIVE: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is endorsing Karrin Taylor Robson in the Arizona 2026 gubernatorial Republican primary. 

Robson is seeking to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in what’s expected to be one of the most competitive races in the country.

“I am proud to join President Trump in endorsing Karrin Taylor Robson for Governor. Karrin is the conservative outsider and business leader Arizona needs. I know she will join me in partnering with the Trump Administration to secure our borders, create a strong economy, and say NO to the Woke Agenda. Join me in supporting Karrin today!” Sanders said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital.

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS CAN’T WAIT FOR TRUMP TO UNLEASH PROSPERITY IN THE STATES

Karrin Taylor Robson and Kari Lake (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Sanders was a press secretary for President Donald Trump during his first term, and then followed in her father Mike Huckabee’s footsteps and became governor in 2023, succeeding Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

“I am deeply honored to have Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ support. Her leadership in Arkansas and her dedication to President Trump’s America First agenda is an example for every Governor in the country to follow. I’m thrilled she’s joining President Trump in supporting my campaign to deliver results for Arizona by defeating radical Katie Hobbs, locking down our border, and building a stronger, safer state,” Robson said in response to the endorsement.

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS ON TARIFF THREAT: TRUMP IS TIRED OF AMERICA GETTING RIPPED OFF

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Pittsburgh on Nov. 4, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

At Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in December, Trump said he planned on backing her campaign if she jumped in. 

“Are you running for governor? I think so, Karrin, ’cause if you do you’re gonna have my support, OK?” Trump said during his speech.

In 2022, she mounted a primary bid for the governor’s office and narrowly lost to Republican Kari Lake, who serves as a senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Lake and Robson had a bitter primary battle in 2022, but Robson ultimately endorsed both Trump and Lake in their 2024 general election bids.

‘I WILL NOT REST’: BORDER STATE GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN WEEKS AFTER TRUMP BACKED HER

Former President Trump speaks during a Turning Point Action campaign rally in Las Vegas on Oct. 24, 2024. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Andy Biggs, who also supports Trump, threw his hat into the ring, and he’s racked up the endorsements of fellow Republican Arizona Reps. Eli Crane and Paul Gosar, as well as Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert. Critics of Robson believe that Biggs will have a better shot of winning over the Republican base and hope that the president will have a change of heart.

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Meanwhile, there’s a long way until the primary, which is scheduled for Aug. 4, 2026. It’s unclear if any other major contenders will enter the race on either side. Cook Political Report ranks the general election race as a toss-up. Other statewide offices, including secretary of state and attorney general, will be up for grabs as well in the battleground state that Trump won in 2024.

Former President Joe Biden may want to be back in the political arena to try and help the Democratic Party emerge from the wilderness.

However, it does not appear that many Democrats are overly receptive to the offer from the 82-year-old former president, whom many blame for last November’s stinging election setbacks, when the party lost control of the White House and Senate and fell short in winning back the House majority from the GOP.

“As far as Biden’s position within the current state of the Democratic Party, I think his time is over. I think his time has passed. The train has sort of moved on,” a Democrat strategist who asked for anonymity to speak more freely told Fox News.

Biden met last month with Ken Martin, the newly elected chair of the Democratic National Committee, to offer his help, a source with knowledge confirmed to Fox News last week. Word of the meeting and Biden’s offer to help fundraise or campaign for the party was first reported by NBC News.

POLL POSITION: DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S NUMBERS PLUNGE TO ALL-TIME LOWS

Then-President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House as he gives his farewell address on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP)

The offer of assistance by the former president comes as recent polling indicates the Democratic Party brand is in desperate need of repair. 

The party’s favorable rating sank to all-time lows in separate national polls conducted this month by CNN and NBC News. Those numbers followed a record low for Democrats in a Quinnipiac University survey in the field in February.

Additionally, the latest Fox News National poll, which was released last week, indicated Congressional Democrats’ approval rating at 30%, near an all-time low.

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While some Democrats praise Biden for his past accomplishments, including during his single term in the White House, many say it is time to move on as the party aims to rebound.

“President Biden did a lot of remarkably great things for this country,” longtime Democratic consultant John MacNeil told Fox News. “I’m sure there is still some love left for him.”

Then-President Joe Biden speaks at the State Department during the closing days of his presidency on Jan. 13, 2025. (AP)

However, MacNeil, who was part of the leadership of Unite the Country, a pro-Biden super PAC that helped boost the then-former vice president to victory in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, pointed to the 2024 election and noted that Biden “is unfortunately and unfairly the guy who’s going to get pegged for the loses.”

Joe Caiazzo, a veteran Democratic strategist who served on the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns of Sen. Bernie Sanders, told Fox News that “there is an appetite for a message anchored in economic populism wrapped in a desire for broad system change. Following November’s results, it is more than fair to say that folks are looking towards the future.”

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL SAYS ABOUT CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS 

Others, who asked to remain anonymous, were more blunt.

A longtime Democratic Party bundler and fundraiser argued that “Biden was never a very good fundraiser. Never. He always had difficulty raising money and really didn’t like doing it.”

There is still plenty of anger directed at Biden, who dropped his 2024 re-election bid last July, a couple of weeks after a disastrous debate performance against then-former President Donald Trump reignited serious questions and deep concerns over Biden’s physical and mental stamina to handle another four years in the White House.

Biden was succeeded at the top of the Democrats’ 2024 ticket by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, with less than four months until Election Day.

A national Democrat strategist who was close to the 2024 Biden campaign told Fox News that “it defies belief that the man who cost the Democratic Party the White House, the Senate and the House, believes that he is going to be the Democratic Party savior, but this is also the same person who tried to convince America that he wasn’t too old to continue as President of the United States.”

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One en route to New Jersey on Friday, Mar. 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

One person who appears enthusiastic about the potential prospect of Biden re-entering the political arena is Trump, who has repeatedly blasted the former president in speeches, interviews and on social media in the two months since returning to power.

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“I hope so,” Trump told reporters on Friday when asked about the possibility of a more visible political role for his predecessor.

Several European countries have updated their travel advisories for transgender travelers seeking to enter the U.S. amid President Donald Trump’s “two-sexes” executive order and the administration’s immigration crackdown.

Finland, Denmark, the U.K. and Germany are all urging cautionary planning for transgender people when traveling to the U.S.

“When applying for an ESTA or visa to the United States, there are two gender designations to choose from: male or female,” the Danish travel advisory said on its website.

JUDICIAL HALT OF DEPORTATION FLIGHTS PUTS US FOREIGN POLICY AT RISK, CAREER STATE DEPT OFFICIAL CLAIMS

Travelers at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on Oct. 16, 2024. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is the system that screens passengers before they travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program.

“If you have the gender designation X in your passport, or you have changed your gender, it is recommended that you contact the U.S. Embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed,” the website reads.

Finland also updated its website in recent weeks.

“If the gender listed on the applicant’s passport does not match the gender assigned at birth, the US authorities may deny the application for a travel permit or visa,” Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its website.

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED DURING TRUMP’S NINTH WEEK IN OFFICE

Denmark, Finland and Germany issued travel advisory warnings to their trans travelers going to the U.S. or seeking a U.S. visa. (Getty Images)

The new advisory does not explicitly mention the Trump administration, but it comes as the U.S. State Department aligned its policies with President Trump’s goals of only having “male” or “female” on American passports.

According to an advisory on its website, Germany issued a warning for transgender travelers to exercise caution when traveling to some countries, but it did not explicitly state the U.S. or mention President Trump.

“For example, transgender travelers may encounter difficulties entering certain countries if they present a passport with a name and photo that no longer corresponds to their gender identity,” their information for LGBTQ travelers states.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS FEDERAL JUDGE IT MIGHT INVOKE STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE

Venezuelan migrants flown from Guantánamo Bay via Honduras walk up a ladder after arriving at a deportation flight at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, La Guaira State, Venezuela, on Feb. 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

So far, seven transgender Americans have sued the Trump administration over the policy, which the American Civil Liberties Union filed on their behalf in February. 

Trump signed the executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” in one of his first actions in January. It reiterates that the administration recognizes there are only two sexes, male and female, defined strictly by biological characteristics determined at conception. It mandates that federal agencies enforce this binary understanding of sex across the federal government, including in healthcare, education and military service.

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Trump has also faced judicial pushback for his nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration as he carries out his mass deportation program targeting anyone living in the country unauthorized. 

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

FIRST ON FOX: Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde is formally introducing his articles of impeachment against a Rhode Island judge who previously ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze federal funds. 

The articles, first shared with Fox News Digital, charge Chief U.S. District Judge John James McConnell Jr. with abuse of power and conflicts of interest, stating he “knowingly politicized and weaponized his judicial position to advance his own political views and beliefs.”  

If McConnell is found guilty of such charges, the articles read, he should be removed from office. 

SCOOP: IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES HIT JUDGE WHO ORDERED TRUMP TO STOP TREN DE ARAGUA DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde is formally introducing his articles of impeachment against a Rhode Island judge who previously ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze federal funds. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

McConnell is currently overseeing a lawsuit brought by 22 states and the District of Columbia that challenges the Trump administration’s move to withhold federal grant funds. After McConnell ordered the administration to comply with a restraining order, the government appealed to the First Circuit – which refused to stay the orders. 

“The American people overwhelmingly voted for President Trump in November, providing a clear mandate to make our federal government more efficient,” Clyde told Fox News Digital. “Yet Judge McConnell, who stands to benefit from his own injunction, is attempting to unilaterally obstruct the president’s agenda and defy the will of the American people. Judge McConnell’s actions are corrupt, dangerous, and worthy of impeachment.”

COURT ORDER HALTING DEPORTATION FLIGHTS ‘UNCONSTITUTIONALLY IMPEDES’ EXECUTIVE BRANCH, TRUMP ALLIES ARGUE

Judge John James McConnell, inset, is presiding over a suit launched against the Trump administration by 22 states and the District of Columbia challenging the administration’s actions to hold up funds for grants. (Getty)

Clyde announced plans to draft impeachment articles in early February, after McConnell ordered the Trump administration to reinstate paused federal grants and loans. The articles formalize the charges. 

McConnell has also come under fire from Trump supporters and conservatives in recent weeks after a 2021 video resurfaced in which he warned that courts must “stand and enforce the rule of law … against arbitrary and capricious actions by what could be a tyrant or could be whatnot.” 

The articles cite that video, claiming McConnell “has allowed his personal, political opinions to influence his decisions and rulings,” and that he has demonstrated a “bias that would warp his decision” in the federal freeze case. 

In a statement, Clyde said “judicial activism” is “the Left’s latest form of lawfare.”

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: IMPEACHAPALOOZA IS HERE TO STAY

Rep. Andrew Clyde’s impeachment articles come just days after fellow GOP Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, left, filed his own articles against U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, inset.  (Getty Images)

“Congress bears the responsibility and the constitutional authority to hold activist judges accountable through impeachment,” he continued. “I applaud the work of my colleagues to hold other rogue judges accountable, and I hope we see swift action on this critical matter in the House very soon.”

When contacted, the court declined to comment. 

Clyde’s impeachment resolution follows a similar move by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who earlier filed articles of impeachment against U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg. The Washington, D.C.-based federal judge is overseeing a separate case challenging President Donald Trump’s use of an 18th-century wartime law to deport Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador who were linked to the violent gang Tren de Aragua. 

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Gill accuses Boasberg of abusing his power by pausing the deportation order under the 1789 law. 

The mounting criticism of lower court judges who have ruled against the Trump administration prompted U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue an unusual statement in response this month.

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: The Senate Republican campaign committee is calling on GOP senators to showcase the mission of President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk to “eliminate wasteful spending” by the federal government.

In a memo shared first with Fox News on Monday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is urging senators to spotlight that Trump’s recently created Department of Government Efficiency, better known by its acronym DOGE, is pushing to “streamline federal operations, eliminate wasteful spending, and reduce the size of the bloated federal bureaucracy.”

The memo points to recent national surveys, including the latest Fox News poll, that indicate majority support by Americans to tackle federal waste and fraud and downsize the government.

WHAT AMERICANS SAY ABOUT DOGE IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL 

President Donald Trump listens as White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, speaks next to a Tesla Cyber Truck and a Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025, in Washington, DC.   (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

But those same surveys also point to the public’s dissatisfaction with how DOGE is carrying out its mission, including major cuts to the federal government workforce. And the polls indicate that Americans hold an unfavorable view of Musk, the world’s richest person and the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, whom Trump picked to steer DOGE.

WHAT RATE THE JOB TRUMP’S DOING TWO MONTHS INTO HIS SECOND TOUR OF DUTY IN THE WHITE HOUSE

DOGE has swept through federal agencies during the first two months of the Trump administration, rooting out what the White House argues was billions in wasteful federal spending. Additionally, it has taken a meat cleaver to the federal workforce, resulting in a massive downsizing of employees. The moves by DOGE grabbed tons of national attention and have triggered a slew of lawsuits in response.

The Democratic National Committee as well as congressional Democrats have repeatedly targeted both DOGE and Musk.

Elon Musk met with members of the Senate DOGE caucus at the White House. (Getty Images)

“Trump’s Firing Spree Devastates Veterans, Children with Disabilities – and His Own Supporters,” the subject line of a recent DNC email to supporters claimed.

But the NRSC, pointing to the polls which indicate the popularity of the DOGE mission, calls on GOP senators to “drive the message that President Trump and Senate Republicans are undoing the Biden-Harris spending that drove inflation and higher costs of living.”

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING

The NRSC also emphasizes that senators and their communications staff should highlight the “overall popularity of cutting wasteful spending” and offer “numerous examples of egregious waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government.”

The NRSC also calls on senators and their staff to “work with Musk, the DOGE team, and Cabinet secretaries to identify any mistakes, request quick action, and communicate as one team.”

President Donald Trump (right) meets with Elon Musk, who is accompanied by one of his children, in the Oval Office at the White House. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

And Senate Republican communications staff are urged to “make suggestions about potential cuts publicly and privately. Be a leader on cuts your Senator is passionate about through regional and new media.”

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Looking ahead to next year’s midterm elections, when the GOP aims to expand its 53-47 majority in the chamber, the NRSC emphasizes that “Senate Republicans have one job: lock arms with the White House, amplify this fight, and ride this wave to victory in 2026.”

And the NRSC warns that “the alternative – fracture, waffling, silence – cedes trust, voters, and the narrative to Democrats.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants President Donald Trump to tap Sunshine State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director.

DeSantis contends that the public health official could do more for the state at the CDC than he can now.

“Overhauling the CDC would be beneficial to FL. Joe could do more for FL as CDC Director than as FL Surgeon General,” the governor said in a post on X. 

DESANTIS PROPOSES SOLUTION AS TRUMP’S AGENDA IS STYMIED BY JUDGES

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, is pushing Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo for CDC director. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images | Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

DeSantis agreed with someone who suggested that Ladapo “as CDC Director is the right pick, the transformative pick, the history making pick, the pick that would save the Republic.”

“Dr. Joe Ladapo is all of those things and has the courage and determination to do what’s right when it’s not easy,” the governor declared in a tweet. “Lapado as CDC Director means that MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] is not just an empty slogan.”

President Donald Trump announced that he was tapping former U.S. Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon for the role last year, but earlier this month, the White House pulled his nomination, so the president now needs to tap someone else for the post.

“Twelve hours before my scheduled confirmation hearing in The Senate, I received a phone call from an assistant at the White House informing me that my nomination to be Director of CDC was being withdrawn because there were not enough votes to get me confirmed,” Weldon said in a statement that has been posted online by the New York Times and Washington Post. 

DESANTIS SAYS FLORIDA RETURNED $878M IN TAXPAYER FUNDS TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AFTER MEETING WITH MUSK, DOGE

“I then spoke to HHS Secretary Bobbie Kennedy who was very upset. He was told the same thing and that he had been looking forward to working with me at CDC. He said I was the perfect person for the job.”

Last year, DeSantis floated Ladapo for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services before Trump announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for that role.

DESANTIS FLOATS FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL DR. JOSEPH LADAPO AS CANDIDATE FOR TRUMP’S HHS SECRETARY

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo delivers remarks during a bill-signing ceremony with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on April 8, 2024, in Sanford, Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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“Retweet if you’d like to see this man — Dr. Joseph Ladapo — serve as the Secretary of HHS in the new Trump administration,” DeSantis tweeted in November, sharing Ladapo’s photo in the post.

The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments Monday on whether a lower court can properly address the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Venezuelan nationals via a 1798 wartime law. 

The administration asked for a stay pending appeal shortly after an initial March 15 order was issued, calling it a “massive, unauthorized imposition on the Executive’s authority to remove dangerous aliens who pose threats to the American people.”

The Trump administration had attempted to invoke a 1798 wartime authority to deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), for a period of 14 days. 

COURT ORDER HALTING DEPORTATION FLIGHTS ‘UNCONSTITUTIONALLY IMPEDES’ EXECUTIVE BRANCH, TRUMP ALLIES ARGUE

The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments Monday on whether a lower court can properly address the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Venezuelan nationals via 1798 wartime law. (Getty Images)

Last week, Obama-appointed, D.C.-based Judge James Boasberg issued an order to immediately halt any planned deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. A plane carrying hundreds of U.S. migrants, including Venezuelan nationals removed under the law, arrived in El Salvador hours later despite the order.

Boasberg held a Monday evening fact-finding hearing, where he ordered the Trump administration to submit more information on the flights, including information on how planes departed the U.S. that were carrying any people who were deported “solely on the basis” of that proclamation, how many individuals were on each plane, where the planes landed and what time each plane took off from the U.S., and from where.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS FEDERAL JUDGE IT MIGHT INVOKE STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE

Boasberg imposed a Tuesday noon deadline to submit the information and also ordered the parties to appear in court again on Friday. 

In a reply brief submitted to the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday, the government said “the district court is continuing to attempt to pry sensitive information from the Government. All of the district court’s orders should be stayed, and the Executive Branch’s standing as a coequal branch of Government should be respected.”

Judge James Boasberg issued an order to immediately halt any planned deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. (Getty)

The Trump administration called the additional requests “intrusive inquiries that could hamper negotiations in the future.”

The government repeatedly failed to comply with the order to submit additional information, citing national security issues. Boasberg then said the government could submit the information under seal by Thursday. 

JUDICIAL HALT OF DEPORTATION FLIGHTS PUTS US FOREIGN POLICY AT RISK, CAREER STATE DEPT OFFICIAL CLAIMS

In a Thursday evening order, Boasberg slammed the administration after it missed his deadline, saying it “again evaded its obligations” to submit the requested information. 

Boasberg wrote in his order that the government had, instead, sent a six-paragraph declaration from a regional ICE office director in Harlingen, Texas, which notified the court that Cabinet secretaries are “actively considering whether to invoke the state secrets [act] privileges over the other facts requested by the Court’s order.”

Judges Karen Henderson, Patricia Millett and Justin Walker will preside over the Monday oral arguments. (David Ake/Getty Images)

Boasberg called the submission “woefully insufficient.”

Judges Karen Henderson, Patricia Millett and Justin Walker will preside over the Monday oral arguments. Two of the three judges were nominated by Republican presidents, with Henderson appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and Walker by Trump in 2020. 

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Millett was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013.

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch and David Spunt contributed to this report. 

Members of Hollywood took shots at President Donald Trump on Sunday while gathered in Washington, D.C., for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to honor television host and comedian Conan O’Brien, weeks after Trump unveiled sweeping changes to the structure of the Kennedy Center. 

Trump, who removed the Kennedy Center’s leadership in February, is now serving as the Kennedy Center Board Chair. New members on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees include second lady Usha Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino. 

Comedian Sarah Silverman took aim at Trump several times on Sunday at the Mark Twain event, specifically citing a 2016 appearance of hers on Conan on TBS where she dressed up as Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

“They wrote a bit where Conan interviews Hitler, who comes on because he’s embarrassed that he’s being compared to Donald Trump,” Silverman said. 

“I am actually not an obvious choice for Hitler. I mean, I am an obvious choice for Hitler,” said Silverman, who is Jewish. “Not an obvious choice to play Hitler. But they chose me, and it’s this way of thinking that makes Conan great again. I just really miss the days when you were America’s only orange a–hole.” 

‘HAMILTON’ STAR PUT ON NOTICE BY TRUMP’S KENNEDY CENTER PRESIDENT AFTER ANTI-GOP ‘PUBLICITY STUNT’

Conan O’Brien takes part in an interview after arriving at the 25th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Conan O’Brien on Sunday at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. 

Silverman also recalled when she took a sideways photo of O’Brien’s mouth, and placed the image on her phone between her legs during an appearance on Conan in 2012, prompting TBS to censor the image because of its resemblance to female genitalia. She then instructed the audience to look under their seat, where they would find a copy of the image of O’Brien’s pursed lips. 

“You can go ahead and leave those photos on your seat when you go – the guy who took over loves grabbing pussy,” Silverman said, a reference to the leaked Access Hollywood tape where Trump bragged about kissing and groping women due to his fame. 

The tape, originally filmed in 2005, leaked ahead of the 2016 election.

Silverman wasn’t the only comedian to poke fun at Washington at the ceremony. John Mulaney also directly referenced Trump’s Kennedy Center shake-up, joking that the president would rename the building after Roy Cohn, Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s chief counsel who supported the Wisconsin senator investigating suspected communists. Cohn also had ties to Trump, and served as an attorney for Trump in the 1970s and 1980s. 

“It’s an honor to be here at the Kennedy Center, or as it will be known next week, the Roy Cohn Pavilion for Big, Strong Men Who Love Cats,” Mulaney said. 

Comedian Will Ferrell, who previously won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2011, also took a jab at Trump’s executive order on Thursday to upend the Department of Education. 

“I don’t have time for this. You know what I’m supposed to be doing right now?” Ferrell said. “Do you have any idea? I’m supposed to be shutting down the Department of Education.” 

Comedian Nikki Glaser, who hosted the Golden Globes in January, told reporters on the red carpet it would be “insane” to not address Trump’s shake-up at the event, while also remembering that the purpose of the night was to celebrate O’Brien. 

KENNEDY CENTER SHAKE-UP WILL USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE OF THE ARTS’ UNDER TRUMP, RIC GRENELL PREVIEWS

Nikki Glaser takes part in an interview after arriving at the 25th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Conan O’Brien on Sunday. 

“I think it’s insane not to address the elephant in the room. And it’s like, it’s insane comedically, to not do that, because it’s, it’s right there,” Glaser said. 

Glaser said the current political atmosphere provides comedians with an opportunity to seize a “rebellious moment.” 

“It’s an easy laugh to just say anything about it, but also you get to say something and have a little bit of a rebellious moment, which is always a fun thing to work in,” Glaser told reporters on the red carpet. “But I’m not going to make a meal of it…that’s not what it’s about.” 

Glaser also told reporters she previously didn’t want to discuss politics because she didn’t want to alienate any audience members, and while she is more inclined to do so now, she’s concerned about death threats and being doxxed. 

O’Brien also addressed the Kennedy Center’s shake-up, and thanked the Kennedy Center’s former president Deborah Rutter and chairman David Rubenstein, as well as other staff members “who are worried about what the future might bring.” 

“Thanks to my people who invited me here a few months ago: Deborah Rutter and David Rubenstein,” O’Brien said. 

O’Brien also paid homage to author Mark Twain, whom the award is named after, claiming that “Twain was a patriot in the best sense of the world.” 

KENNEDY CENTER SHAKE-UP WILL USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE OF THE ARTS’ UNDER TRUMP, RIC GRENELL PREVIEWS

Comedian Conan O’Brien, center, and his wife, Liza Powel O’Brien, look out on the crowd at the start of the 25th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Conan O’Brien. 

“He loved America, but knew it was deeply flawed,” O’Brien said. “Twain wrote, patriotism is supporting your country all of the time and your government when it deserves it.” 

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O’Brien, who hosted the Oscars this month and is slated to host the event next year as well, told reporters on the red carpet that his material for next year’s awards will depend on current events, and that ideas for content are always changing leading up to such events. 

“I could no more tell you what next year’s Oscars would be now than I could three months out of it, you know, nine months from now,” O’Brien said. 

Other comedians who’ve won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor include Ferrell, Tina Fey, Dave Chappelle, Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Sandler and Kevin Hart. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

Democrats have pushed back after Elon Musk claimed that social security operates like a “Ponzi scheme” as he continues to argue for cuts to the federal bureaucracy, but one expert tells Fox News Digital that Musk is on track with his criticism of the agency.

“Musk’s statement about Social Security being the world’s biggest Ponzi scheme does have validity,” James Agresti, president of the nonprofit research institute Just Facts, told Fox News Digital in response to pushback from Elon Musk’s claim, which included a “false” rating from Politifact. 

“A Ponzi scheme operates by taking money from new investors to pay current investors. That’s the definition given by the SEC, and contrary to popular belief, that’s exactly how Social Security operates.”

Agresti explained to Fox News Digital that Social Security, believed to be a target of Musk’s efforts at DOGE, “doesn’t take our money and save it for us, as many people believe, and then give it to us when we’re older” like many Americans might believe. 

EXPERT REVEALS MASSIVE LEVELS OF WASTE DOGE CAN SLASH FROM ENTITLEMENTS, PET PROJECTS: ‘A LOT OF FAT’

Just Facts President James Agresti spoke to Fox News Digital about opportunities to cut Social Security. (Fox News/Getty)

“What it does is, it transfers money when we are young and working and paying into Social Security taxes,” Agresti said. “That money, the vast bulk of it, goes immediately out the door to people who are currently receiving benefits. Now there is a trust fund, but in 90 years of operation, that trust fund currently has enough money to fund two years of program operations.”

The trust fund only being able to last for two years is not a result of the fund being “looted,” Agresti explained, but rather it was put in place to “put surpluses in it” from money that Social Security collects in taxes that it doesn’t pay out immediately and pays interest on. 

“The interest that’s been paid on that has been higher than the rate of inflation,” Agresti said. “So, the problem isn’t that the trust fund has been looted. The problem is that Social Security operates like a Ponzi scheme.”

DOGE’S PLANS TO OFFLOAD GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS SUPPORTED BY FORMER GSA OFFICIAL

Social Security card (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

One of the top Social Security criticisms from Republicans, including President Trump, has been a concern that individuals who are dead or listed with an age well over 100 years old are on the rolls and receiving benefits.

Agresti told Fox News Digital that there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about that issue.

“What’s unclear to me at this moment is whether or not the people who are on the books are actually receiving checks,” Agresti said. 

“Back during the Obama administration, there was a stimulus, and the Obama administration sent out stimulus checks via Social Security numbers to 80,000 people who were dead, and about 70,000 of them, the Social Security Administration knew they were dead. So I don’t know if they’ve remedied that situation since then, but clearly the system is not keeping up with the pace of current data, and that provides an opportunity for fraud.”

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump meets with India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in the Oval Office of the White House, on Thursday, Feb. 13. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Democrats have also made the case that Musk is attempting to strip away benefits that senior citizens have rightfully earned. Agresti told Fox News Digital that is not what is happening.

“There’s been a lot of misinformation about that as of late,” Agresti said. “You know, when DOGE came in and suggested that the Social Security Administration cut, I think it was about 10,000 workers, Democrats erupted that this is going to weaken Social Security. But the fact of the matter is that Social Security pays those workers who are for administrative overhead from the Social Security trust fund. So, by cutting out the money that they’re paying them, you actually strengthen the program financially.”

Agresti told Fox News Digital that the current administrative overhead for Social Security is $6.7 billion per year, which is enough to pay more than 300,000 retirees the average old age benefit.

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Questions have emerged from critics in recent years as to whether Social Security, in its current form, is even capable of remaining solvent to pay benefits to Americans who have paid in over the past few decades.

Agresti told Fox News Digital that the program will “become insolvent” as soon as 2035 if changes are not made. 

“To give you a feel of how disconnected Social Security is from a fully funded pension plan, if to keep the program solvent and put it on the same firm financial footing as a real pension plan, it would require an extra $272,000 in additional payroll taxes from every person paying payroll taxes right now,” Agresti told Fox News Digital. 

“I’ll give you another way in which more numbers prove this point. If you retired in 1980, it took about three years of receiving Social Security benefits to get back the value of your payroll taxes plus interest. If you retired in 2000, it took 17 years. If you retired in 2020. it will take 22 years, assuming the program has enough money to pay those benefits, which it won’t without another increase in taxes on another generation of Americans.”

While officially nonpartisan, battle lines have been drawn in what is expected to be a nationally watched, mega-moneyed Wisconsin Supreme Court election in one week, with potential nationwide implications.

Republicans are warning that the judge considered Democrats’ choice in the race, Dane County’s Susan Crawford, is primed to support efforts that could “draw out” two U.S. House Republicans in future redistricting maps and support what critics warned will be “legislating from the bench.”

Meanwhile, Wisconsin Democrats are pushing back on criticisms after Hungarian-American financier George Soros poured $1 million into WisDems coffers in February – leading to a similarly large transfer to Crawford’s campaign, according to the AP.

Former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel – the Republicans’ choice, who is now a Waukesha County judge – called Crawford “Soros’ ideal investment” – as Democrats returned fire at Schimel’s support from similarly deep-pocketed Elon Musk.

LIBERAL JUDGE RECRUITS SANCTUARY SHERIFFS WHO DEFIED ICE FOR AD TOUTING CRIME RECORD IN PIVOTAL RACE

Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel are facing off in a pivotal Supreme Court race that will have significant political consequences.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker – whose family owns Hyatt Hotels – dumped $500,000 into the state party, and other six-figure pitches came from Lynde Uihlein – a Schlitz Beer heiress – LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and the mother of a Google co-founder.

Joe Ricketts – co-owner of the Chicago Cubs and father of Nebraska’s GOP governor – was listed as a top donor to Wisconsin Republicans ahead of the election – as well as Liz Uihlein, a cousin-by-marriage of Lynde Uihlein and president of Uline shipping supply company. Donald Trump Jr. held an event for Schimel earlier this week.

Republicans are branding Crawford as “dangerously liberal,” citing support from Soros, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as well as activist groups who support gender-transition surgeries for minors and allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports.

A source familiar with the race also warned of Crawford’s candidacy as part of an ongoing “radical” shift in Wisconsin – both with liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz’ similarly contentious election in 2023 and Gov. Tony Evers’ move to replace “mother” in the state budget dozens of times with “inseminated person.”

BRETT FAVRE HAS ONE-WORD RESPONSE TO WISCONSIN GOV’S PROPOSAL THAT WOULD REPLACE WORD ‘MOTHER’ IN STATE LAW

Republicans also accuse Crawford of signaling a willingness to “legislate from the bench,” citing his past role in challenging the state’s voter ID law and his appearance at a January event hosted by a liberal donor group aiming to unseat Reps. Bryan Steil of Janesville and Derrick Van Orden of Prairie du Chien.

In January, Wisconsin Republicans also claimed that Crawford would seek “selling two of Wisconsin seats” after a New York Times report cited donors hoping that Crawford’s win would lead to Steil’s and Van Orden’s ouster.

On Jan. 29, the Wisconsin Republican Party accused Crawford of “selling two of Wisconsin’s seats” in Congress because of her participation in an event with Democratic donors organized by the liberal group Focus for Democracy. The email invitation to the Jan. 13 event billed it as a “chance to put two more House seats in play for 2026.”

They also said Schimel would preserve former Gov. Scott Walker’s sweeping Act 10 public-sector union reforms that led to massive protests a decade ago.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Schimel criticized Crawford for purportedly “getting caught on a Zoom call with national billionaire liberal donors offering up how if she gets elected on the Supreme Court, they can turn two Republican congressional seats into Democrat congressional seats and therefore take away part of the majority for President Trump.”

“Media in Wisconsin has paid somewhat of attention to it – but it certainly caught the attention of a lot of national media and a lot of national donors on her side because of such an obscene promise,” Schimel said.

Schimel also discussed allegations regarding the transgender sports issue and education.

“I’m a judicial conservative,” he said. “I follow the law. I don’t try to legislate from the bench or make law as a judge. This is the problem with judicial activists. And yes, we should expect that we’re going to see those kinds of activities from this court if liberals have a majority.”

Schimel added that his career is his best credit for the role, quipping that for 35 years his “only client has been the people of Wisconsin.”

Asked, as a judge, about national controversies involving judicial activism – including the immigration order situation between President Donald Trump and Obama-appointed Judge James Boasberg – Schimel said that nationwide injunctions have long been a sticky situation.

“I’m hoping that the U.S. Supreme Court is going to soon take up this question whether a district judge really has the authority to issue a nationwide injunction against the president or legislative act,” he said, noting that as attorney general he was subject to similar volleys of litigation.

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Schimel warned that if he loses on April 1, the next election for a Supreme Court seat is 2028.

“All told, the liberals will have five years of unchecked power, and we won’t recognize the state by the time we have a chance to take the court back again.”

Fox News Digital also extended an interview invitation to Crawford and WisDems and received a statement from a campaign official in response:

“Judge Crawford has spent her career upholding the law, protecting our freedoms, and defending the Constitution,” said Crawford spokesman Derek Honeyman.

“She’ll be fair and impartial on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.”

Honeyman said that Schimel and his allies are “desperate to mislead voters” and have been caught “manipulating” Crawford’s likeness in their campaign ads.

“Brad Schimel has a disturbing record of letting domestic abusers walk without jail time and even gave a sweet plea deal to a man caught with child pornography after taking thousands in campaign contributions from the man’s lawyer,” he said.

“Brad Schimel is too corrupt for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.”

Crawford’s campaign’s latest ad targeted Schimel over allegations that he had let thousands of rape kits sit untested for years, and accused Musk of trying to “buy” him a seat on the high bench.

An ongoing tally eventually led to 6,800 untested rape kits being catalogued, and Schimel said in a statement to PBS that his office “found those survivors; got their consent to test those kids” and eventually tested at least 4,000.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., recently held a “Fighting Oligarchy” event in Kenosha, where he also assailed Musk’s support for Schimel.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., got up during a pre-taped ABC “This Week” interview that aired Sunday, and accused Jonathan Karl of asking a “nonsense” question about whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., should run for Senate.

Right after calling Ocasio-Cortez “extraordinary,” Sanders would not answer a question about whether he would like to see her in the Senate. Speculation has ramped up about AOC challenging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a primary after Schumer supported a government funding bill to avoid a partial shutdown.

“Right now, we have, as I said, just a whole lot of people in the Congress. OK, Jonathan. Thanks,” Sanders said as he got up from his seat.

Karl told the senator that he had one more question for him. 

SCHUMER DISMISSES POSSIBLE AOC PRIMARY CHALLENGE, SAYS HE’S FOCUSED ON BRINGING TRUMP’S NUMBERS DOWN

Bernie Sanders refused to answer Jonathan Karl’s question about whether AOC should join the Senate. (Getty Images)

“Well, I ask you – you know, you want to do nonsense, do nonsense. No, I don’t want to talk about inside the Beltway stuff. I got 32,000 people,” Sanders said, referencing the crowd that gathered Friday in Denver for an event with AOC.

Karl convinced Sanders to come back and sit down.

SEN. SANDERS TARGETS TRUMP, MUSK AND DEMOCRATS IN WIDE-RANGING INTERVIEW AHEAD OF RALLY WITH AOC

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during a rally on March 21, 2025, at Civic Center Park in Denver. (Chet Strange/Getty Images)

“Well, fine. But I don’t want to talk about this. What was the last question?” Sanders asked.

Karl then asked about Sanders’ future in politics.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greet the crowd during a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour event at Arizona State University, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Tempe. (Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo)

“Right now, I am very proud that the people of the state of Vermont sent me back to the Senate with 63% of the vote,” Sander said. “Right now I’m Vermont’s senator. That’s what I do, and I’m very happy to do it. I am 83 years of age, so. And I’m tired.”

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Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union” whether he would encourage Ocasio-Cortez to challenge Schumer.

“She’s perfectly capable of making the decision,” he said. “She’s got so many options. She’s got an incredible future. You know, it’s really her decision. But, you know, all I can say is there’s real anger. And there would be a lot of support for her if she decided to do it.”