Donald Trump Poll News

The House GOP campaign committee is taking aim at more than two dozen Democrats in the chamber as it aims to expand its very fragile majority in next year’s midterm elections.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Monday released its initial target list for the 2026 midterms, which included 26 Democrats from coast to coast.

Republicans currently control the House, when the chamber is at full strength, with a 220-215 majority. 

While the party in power, which clearly is the Republicans, traditionally faces serious political headwinds in the midterm elections, the NRCC chair is optimistic.

FIRST ON FOX: HOUSE REPUBLICANS TAKE AIM AT DEMOCRATS OVER THIS KEY VOTE

Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, speaks at the Republican National Convention, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., emphasized in an interview on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” that 13 of the 26 House Democrats they are targeting are in districts that “were carried by President Donald Trump in the last election.”

Hudson characterized the upcoming midterms as an “opportunity election for House Republicans.”

And Hudson, who is steering the House GOP’s campaign arm for a second straight cycle, added, “We are bullish. Republicans are on offense thanks to Donald Trump.”

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR MAKES PREDICTION ABOUT 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS

The Democrats on the NRCC’s target list include Reps. Josh Harder (9th District), Adam Gray (13th), George Whitesides (27th), Derek Tran (45th), and Dave Min (47th) of California; Darren Soto (9th) and Jared Moskowitz (23rd) of Florida; Frank Mrvan (1st) of Indiana, Jared Golden (2nd) of Maine; Kristen McDonald Rivet (8th) of Michigan; Don Davis (1st) of North Carolina; Chris Pappas (1st) of New Hampshire; Nellie Pou (9th) of New Jersey; and Gabe Vasquez (2nd) of New Mexico.

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Also on the list are Dina Titus (1st), Susie Lee (3rd) and Steven Horsford (4th) of Nevada; Tom Suozzi (3rd), Laura Gillen (4th) and Josh Riley (9th) of New York; Marcy Kaptur (9th) and Emilia Sykes (13th) of Ohio; Henry Cuellar (28th) and Vicente Gonzalez (34th) of Texas; Eugene Vindman (7th) of Virginia; and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (3rd) of New Mexico.

The rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) recently released a list of what it considers its most vulnerable incumbents – known as Frontliners. 

Reps. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, John Mannion of New York and Janelle Bynum of Oregon all made the DCCC list, but were not included on the NRCC list.

Rep. Richard Hudson is interviewed by Fox News Digital, on Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington D.C. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Meanwhile, Moskowitz, Pappas and Soto weren’t listed as Frontliners, but were included on the NRCC list. 

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The DCCC, responding, pointed to their performance in last November’s elections when the Democrats took a small bite out of the GOP’s House majority.

“House Democrats overperformed across the country in 2024, powered by our battle-tested candidates who won despite the NRCC’s false bravado and these Frontliners will win again in the midterms,” DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital. “The truth is House Republicans are running scared and refusing to hold town halls because they don’t want to get yelled at for their failure to lower prices, bungling the economy, and cutting Medicaid in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires like Elon Musk.”

Americans like the idea of downsizing the federal government but are far from thrilled with how billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are carrying out cuts to the federal bureaucracy, according to new national polling.

President Donald Trump, after winning back the White House in last November’s election, created DOGE with marching orders to overhaul and downsize the federal government.

Trump named Musk, the world’s richest person and the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, to steer the organization.

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.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS ON ELON MUSK

Elon Musk, who steers President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, which is cutting government fraud and slashing the federal workforce, wields a chainsaw during an appearance at CPAC on Feb. 20, 2025 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Jose Luis Magana)

American voters, by a 46%-40% margin in an NBC News poll conducted March 7-11 and released on Sunday, said creating DOGE was a good idea rather than a bad idea. 

However, when asked about their feelings towards DOGE, 47% of respondents held negative views, with 41% saying they saw DOGE in a positive light.

It is a similar story in a Reuters/IPSOS survey conducted March 11-12.

By a 59%-39% margin, Americans questioned in the poll said they supported downsizing the federal government.

NEW POLLS SPELL TROUBLE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

However, 59% opposed the firing of tens of thousands of federal workers, with 38% supporting the moves by the Trump administration, and by a 50%-38% margin, they said Trump and Musk had gone too far in cutting federal spending.

Trump has repeatedly praised Musk for his efforts with DOGE, including during a primetime address earlier this month to a joint-session of Congress.

During an interview a week ago on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Trump called Musk a “real patriot” whose efforts have “opened a lot of eyes.”

Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., left, and President Donald Trump in a Tesla Model S vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Photographer: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

However, Americans do not hold such rosy views of Musk, according to the surveys. Only 39% of those questioned in the NBC News poll had a positive view of Musk, with 51% holding a negative view.

He was underwater at 38% favorable and 59% unfavorable in the Reuters/Ipsos survey.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLS SHOW

According to a Quinnipiac University national poll conducted March 6-10, 60% disapproved of the way Musk and DOGE are dealing with workers employed by the federal government, with only 36% approving.

The survey’s release noted that “54% of voters think Elon Musk and DOGE are hurting the country, while 40% think they are helping the country.”

President Donald Trump, right, is joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his son, X Musk, during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A CNN poll conducted March 6-9 indicated that more than six in 10 thought the cuts by DOGE would go too far and that important federal programs would be shut down, with 37% saying the cuts wouldn’t go far enough in eliminating fraud and waste in the government.

It appears Trump is well aware of the negative reviews for Musk and DOGE.

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Two weeks ago, Trump told the Cabinet secretaries that they, rather than Musk, would be in charge of department downsizing at their agencies.

In a social media post, Trump said they would use a “scalpel” rather than a “hatchet” in making government staffing cuts.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. Supreme Court may need to decide if a Clinton-appointed judge can require the administration to reinstate thousands of probationary workers fired as the administration moves to shrink the federal workforce.

“It’s a judge that’s putting himself in the position of the president of the United States, who was elected by close to 80 million votes,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on a flight back to Washington Sunday night. “That’s a very dangerous thing for our country. And I would suspect that we’re going to have to get a decision from the Supreme Court.”

U.S. District Judge William Alsup, issued the order last week during a federal court hearing in San Francisco on a lawsuit brought by labor unions and other organizations challenging the mass firings ordered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

SECOND JUDGE REQUIRES TRUMP ADMIN TO REHIRE PROBATIONARY WORKERS LET GO IN MASS FIRINGS

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters upon arrival in West Palm Beach, Florida, Feb. 16, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

“And that’s a very dangerous decision for our country, because these are people in many cases, they don’t show up for work. Nobody even knows if they exist. And a judge wants us to pay them, even if they don’t know they exist and if they exist,” Trump said. “And I don’t think that’s going to be happening. But we’ll have to say you have to speak to the lawyers about that.”

Shortly after Alsup’s order, a second judge – appointed by former President Barack Obama – also issued a ruling ordering the Trump administration to rehire the fired workers. In Baltimore, U.S. District Judge James Bredar, ruled the firings should cease for two weeks while the federal workforce returns to its previous regulations, arguing the Trump administration ignored procedures for mass layoffs. 

JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMIN TO REINSTATE PROBATIONARY WORKERS FIRED AT 6 AGENCIES

Protesters rally outside the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building, headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, on Feb. 5, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Trump, calling the order “absolutely ridiculous,” ordered the mass layoffs across six government agencies: the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury. The Trump administration has already filed an appeal to the order, arguing that states have no standing to influence the federal government’s relationship with its employees. Trump’s attorneys contend the layoffs were performance-related, not subject to the regulations governing large-scale reductions. 

Probationary workers – employees who are still within their initial trial period of employment – have been the target of the layoffs since they’re typically new to the job and lack certain civil protection benefits offered to government employees. Several lawsuits have already been filed over the mass firings.

BLUE STATE OFFERS TO HIRE FEDERAL WORKERS FIRED BY DOGE 

President Donald Trump and the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. (AP/Getty Images)

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The Trump administration’s lawyers find themselves busy as more than 100 lawsuits have been filed against Trump’s orders since he took office in January. Trump has already filed an emergency petition last week in the high court asking justices to allow parts of his executive order restricting birthright citizenship to take effect while other legal battles in the states play out.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — U.S. military personnel sent by President Donald Trump to the southern border to assist in security operations have had a profound impact on the number of illegal crossing attempts, a veteran border agent tells Fox News Digital.

“It’s a force multiplier,” San Diego Sector acting Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey Stalnaker said of the military assistance at the border in an interview with Fox News Digital. “It assists us to accomplish our mission.”

At the San Diego border sector, traditionally one of the busiest crossing areas of the U.S. border with Mexico, hundreds of service members from the Army, Marines, and Navy have been deployed to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents over the last several weeks.

BORDER AREA BUSTLING UNDER BIDEN NOW QUIET UNDER TRUMP, SAYS VETERANS GROUP: ‘AMAZING DIFFERENCE’

U.S. Marines with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, affix concertina wire to engineer stakes on the barrier along the southern border near San Ysidro, Calif., Mar. 2, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is working together with the Department of Homeland Security to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border with additional military forces. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Dominic Atlas)

The deployments, which were ordered just days after President Trump took office, have helped put an almost sudden stop to the record-setting illegal crossings seen in recent years. 

The number of southern border apprehensions in February hit lows not seen since the year 2000, according to CBP data, while CBP agent encounters with illegal migrants have also fallen sharply, with the agency recording just 30,000 encounters in February, compared to the over 130,000 recorded during the same time period in 2023 and 2024.

According to Stalnaker, the military forces currently assisting at the border have had a lot to do with the recent success.

“It’s not just walls and c-wire, it’s also our weather roads. It gives us access, quick access, to be able to move our agents … to be able to respond to an event, a law enforcement event,” he said.

The nearly 500 Marines operating at the border as part of Task Force Sapper have helped CBP by reinforcing existing border barriers with additional protection, including the welding of razor wire that has been strategically placed to slow down any potential crossings and give CBP agents time to react.

U.S. Marines with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, affix concertina wire to engineer stakes, with the assistance of vertical mast boom lifts, on the barrier along the southern border near San Ysidro, Calif., Mar. 2, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is working together with the Department of Homeland Security to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border with additional military forces. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Dominic Atlas)

CALIF POLITICIAN PATCHES GAPING BORDER HOLE WITH 400 FEET OF RAZOR WIRE USING HER OWN CASH

“We are the engineers that are conducting the construction down on the southern border in order to reinforce the existing primary and secondary barrier that exists in the San Diego sector,” Lt. Col Tyrone Barrion, the commanding officer of Task Force Sapper, told Fox News Digital, noting that the Marines’ efforts have created an “obstacle that disrupts any type of activity that tries to cross over the top or through the barrier.”

“That allows more reaction time for border patrol,” he added.

Barrion said that the Marines plan on continuing their efforts from the Pacific coastline of San Diego until about 20 miles inland, where they will then tackle a break in the existing barrier caused by the area’s rough terrain.

Joining the Marines are multiple companies of Army engineers and military police officers based out of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, who have fanned out across the landscape to help with surveillance and detection. While the soldiers don’t intervene to stop illegal crossings themselves, a CBP spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the troops have become the eyes and ears of agents, taking some tasks off their plate and allowing them to quickly and accurately respond to potential crossings.

Army soldiers out of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, man U.S. Customs and Border Protection surveillance equipment. (Michael Lee: Fox News Digital)

On Otay Mountain, which lies southeast of San Diego and overlooks the border near the Mexican city of Tijuana, Army soldiers perched high above a popular crossing valley helped operate a CBP surveillance station that can detect the potential movements of illegal crossings for miles in the surrounding area. While CBP agents are trained and typically tasked with operating the equipment, the help of Army soldiers has allowed CBP to make more efficient use of their limited resources.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection surveillance equipment currently being manned by Army soldiers out of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. (Michael Lee: Fox News Digital)

Facing limited manning, the CBP spokesperson said that the troops at the border have allowed agents to focus their attention on responding to crossers and making apprehensions, all done with the assistance of troops who are in constant contact with their CBP counterparts.

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Those Army forces have contributed to the drastic turnaround at the once-busy border sector.

“They’re a great partner,” Stalnaker said. “We enjoy having them out here.”

A group of Minnesota Republican lawmakers plan to propose legislation requiring the state to include “Trump derangement syndrome” under its definition of mental illness.

Five GOP lawmakers are set to introduce the bill in the state’s Senate on Monday and refer it to the Health and Human Services committee, according to Fox 9. The bill aims to specifically add “Trump derangement syndrome” to the state’s definition of mental illness.

“Trump derangement syndrome” is defined as “acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump,” according to the bill.

BILL MAHER SAYS TRUMP DOESN’T HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON REGARDING FREE SPEECH AFTER MAHMOUND KHALIL ARREST

A group of Minnesota Republican senators plan to propose a bill to define “Trump derangement syndrome” as a mental illness. (Carl Court – Pool/Getty Images)

“Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump’s behavior,” the proposal reads.

With a split state legislature, the bill is unlikely to be approved.

Mental illness is defined as a disorder or other issue that is included in a diagnostic codes list. “Trump derangement syndrome” is not recognized as a mental illness anywhere.

The bill is unlikely to be approved in a split legislature. (AP/Ben Curtis)

President Donald Trump and his supporters have used the term “Trump derangement syndrome” to criticize political opponents who they believe have a biased obsession against the president and his policies.

While the “derangement syndrome” as a political phrase has been made popular in recent years to mock critics of Trump, the term was actually coined in 2003 by the late political commentator Charles Krauthammer to describe critics of then-President George W. Bush.

DEMOCRATS LASH OUT AT SCHUMER FOR ‘BETRAYAL’ OF SIDING WITH TRUMP

The bill defines “Trump derangement syndrome” as “acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump.” (Getty Images)

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The Minnesota proposal features the same phrasing Krauthammer used to describe “Bush derangement syndrome,” which was defined as “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency—nay—the very existence of George W. Bush.”

President Donald Trump said he will likely be speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday while speaking with reporters on Air Force One Sunday night.

The president was returning to Washington, D.C., from Florida when he told the reporters of the upcoming discussion.

“We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday,” Trump said, sharing that the possibility of divvying up land, power plants and other assets has been discussed in an attempt to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump said he will likely be speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday while speaking with reporters on Air Force One. (JIM WATSON,EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)

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

EXCLUSIVE: Former General Services Administration (GSA) head Emily Murphy, who served all of President Donald Trump’s first term, told Fox News Digital that the GSA will “rightsize its portfolio” by selling or leasing unused government buildings – saving money to help the government run more efficiently. 

“I think that there’s an incredible opportunity right now for GSA to save the government substantial amounts of money by rightsizing its portfolio,” Murphy told Fox News Digital about Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) working with GSA to identify “vacant or underutilized federal spaces” as part of the Trump administration’s plan to cut wasteful spending.

“Right now, GSA is losing money,” Murphy said. “The federal buildings that they own have over $370 billion in deferred maintenance. That’s a liability that is just growing and growing and growing because the buildings haven’t been maintained. So getting rid of owned space that hasn’t been maintained and that isn’t occupied, first of all, takes that off the government’s books, gets rid of that liability. But it also creates opportunities in communities. Having a building that’s unoccupied isn’t good for a city. It isn’t good for the state. It isn’t good for anyone.”

Murphy said those empty buildings are often in ideal downtown, “heavy utilization areas” that can be a real asset to building up the community and returning funds to the Treasury Department. 

TOP FEDERAL AGENCY TAKES DOGE’S MISSION TO HEART WITH ALL-HANDS MEMO TO EVERY EMPLOYEE: ‘REDUCTION IN FORCE’

Former GSA Administrator Emily Murphy told Fox News Digital that she is embracing Elon Musk’s DOGE plans to offload “vacant or underutilized federal spaces” as part of the Trump administration’s plan to cut wasteful spending. (Fox News Digital/Getty)

“GSA has to rightsize its lease portfolio. Otherwise, it’s going to be paying rent on buildings it’s not occupying, and it doesn’t have the funding necessary to do that,” Murphy said.

The GSA’s cost-cutting efforts have already resulted in 794 lease terminations with a total of over $500 million of lease obligations being canceled, a source familiar with the GSA’s actions told Fox News Digital.

DOGE AND AGENCIES CANCEL 200,000 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CREDIT CARDS

Murphy said terminating leases and selling unused office space will benefit the government twofold. First, it can shore up money to fund government agencies in the short term. Second, it will reduce long-term financial obligations. 

“No taxpayer should want the government to be paying for space it doesn’t use,” Murphy said. “It’s billions of dollars a year [that] go out in rent and real estate payments from the federal government. This is a substantial amount of money, and it’s a real chance for GSA to do a great job for the American people and reduce the long-term financial obligations of the government and, frankly, free up money for agencies in the short term as well.”

Elon Musk speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Murphy told Fox that GSA exists to “cut down on waste” and during her tenure, they managed to return about $21.6 billion in savings. She embraced DOGE’s efforts to cut wasteful spending and increase government efficiency, telling Fox News Digital those issues should have bipartisan support. 

“Prioritizing efficiency and minimizing waste in our government really should be a bipartisan issue. Government contracting, government real estate doesn’t have a Republican side or a Democratic side of the coin,” Murphy said. “What DOGE is doing right now is just pushing forward and trying to make sure that taxpayers can have confidence that every dollar being spent is really in their best interest.

Murphy explained that GSA was created to manage the federal government’s portfolio of properties and procurement and welcomed the renewed focus on efficiency. 

GSA has produced the most savings across federal agencies, according to the official DOGE website. (AP/Getty)

“GSA is essentially the government’s management arm. It handles the real property, the procurement, many of the shared services the government has, the vehicles in the government’s fleet. It runs a lot of the back office functions of the government. It was created about 75 years ago to specifically take on that challenge, so that agencies didn’t have to all be doing the same repetitive tasks again and again,” Murphy said.

Stephen Ehikian was sworn in as acting administrator and deputy administrator of the GSA on Inauguration Day. 

“Under the Trump-Vance administration, I will return the GSA to its core purpose of making government work smarter and faster,” said Ehikian. “Moving forward, GSA will be laser-focused on driving an efficient government and enabling our sister agencies to provide better service to taxpayers at lower costs.”

GSA has produced the most savings across federal agencies, according to the official DOGE website. A webpage titled “Non-core property list (Coming Soon)” on the GSA’s website outlines the agency’s ongoing effort to save on government buildings. 

The General Services building in Washington, D.C. (Getty)

“We are identifying buildings and facilities that are not core to government operations, or non-core properties, for disposal. Selling ensures that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces. Disposing of these assets helps eliminate costly maintenance and allows us to reinvest in high-quality work environments that support agency missions,” it says on GSA’s website. 

The Associated Press reported that dozens of federal office and building leases will be terminated by June 20, with hundreds more expected in the coming months. AP also reported last week that GSA published a list of more than 440 federal properties the government was planning to offload. The list was then revised to include only 320 buildings before the webpage was ultimately updated to its current “coming soon” language. 

Musk has lamented about unused office buildings on his personal X account and DOGE’s official account. 

“Still *way* too many leases on unused buildings,” Musk posted on Feb. 25.

“Agreed! Today, lease cancellations on vacant/underutilized buildings are up from ~257 to ~440, with annual rent savings increasing from ~$100M to ~$171M. Still plenty of available office space for the current workforce,” DOGE replied to Musk the following day. 

“Today, the Federal Government exceeded $100M in annual rent savings through cancellations of 250+ vacant/underutilized leases totaling 3M+ square feet.  With ~7,250 current leases, there is plenty of available office space for the current workforce,” DOGE announced in a post on Feb. 25. 

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“Crazy that the government was just renting and paying for upkeep services of hundreds of empty buildings!” Musk replied. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she is skipping the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner slated for April 26. 

Leavitt made the announcement during a podcast appearance with Sean Spicer, who served as President Donald Trump’s White House press secretary for the first six months of 2017. 

“I will not be in attendance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and that’s breaking news for ‘The Sean Spicer Show,’” Leavitt said. 

Leavitt said the WHCA “has truly become a monetized monopoly over the White House and the coverage of the president of the United States in America.” 

TRUMP WATCHES STRIKE ON IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS IN YEMEN IN NEW WHITE HOUSE PICS AS LARGE-SCALE OP CONTINUES

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“This is a group of journalists who’ve been covering the White House for decades,” she said on the podcast published Friday. “They started this organization because the presidents at the time were not doing enough press conferences. I don’t think we have that problem anymore under this president, so the priorities of the media have shifted, especially with this new digital age.” 

Leavitt said the WHCA has been an “exclusive group of journalists who cover this White House, they have not really welcomed other people, new media, independent journalists, with open arms, and so we thought it was time to expand the coverage and determine who gets to be part of that 13-person press pool, who gets to ask the president of the United States questions in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One.” 

“Since we have started this new process of determining the daily rotation, so many new voices and outlets who have never been part of this small and privileged group of journalists have been able to access those very unique and privileged spaces and cover this presidency and that’s very important,” Leavitt added, revealing that the White House has received more than 15,000 applications for the new media seat in the press briefing room. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the WHCA “has truly become a monetized monopoly over the White House and the coverage of the president of the United States in America.” (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

KAROLINE LEAVITT SHUTS DOWN AP REPORTER AFTER ‘INSULTING’ QUESTION ON TARIFFS

In late February, the White House said it would decide which journalists would be a part of the 13-member pool covering Trump in limited spaces, such as the Oval Office or Air Force One, breaking from the century-old tradition of the WHCA independently selecting which news outlets go where the president does when the full press corp cannot be accommodated. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt welcomes Vivian Sleeth, a 9-year-old from Rockledge, Florida, fighting a cancerous brain tumor, and her mother Brittany Sleeth to the White House, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Eugene Daniels, the president of WHCA’s board and a Politico correspondent, said the decision “tears at the independence of a free press in the United States,” but the White House championed the move as modernizing the press pool to expand past solely legacy media. The Trump administration said the three traditional wire services – the Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters – would no longer have a permanent spot in the pool and would instead rotate a single spot in the 13-member group. 

The White House later barred the AP from the press pool for ignoring Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The ban was temporarily upheld in federal court, though U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden warned that case law did not favor the White House and scheduled another hearing for March 20. 

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Trump did not attend the WHCA annual dinner during his first term. Last month, the association tapped comedian Amber Ruffin, a writer for the “Late Show with Seth Meyers,” to headline this year’s dinner. Ruffin told CNN’s Jake Tapper that “no one wants” Trump to show up, though the president “should” go to the event traditionally attended by the president and the first lady. 

The early moves in the next White House race, at least among the Democrats, have begun.

Pete Buttigieg on Thursday ruled out a run for an open Democrat-held Senate seat in his adopted home state of Michigan.

And the announcement by the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, who served four years as transportation secretary in former President Biden’s administration, appears to clear the path for a potential 2028 White House bid by Buttigieg.

“While my own plans don’t include running for office in 2026, I remain intensely focused on consolidating, communicating and supporting a vision” that is an alternative to the “cruel chaos” of President Donald Trump’s administration, Buttigieg said.

THESE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks during a news conference in Long Beach, Calif., July 18, 2024.  (Tim Rue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A source familiar with Buttigieg’s thinking told Fox News the former transportation secretary is in a strong possible position to run for president in 2028 and that running for either senator or Michigan governor “in 2026 would have taken that off the table.”

NEWSOM MAKES MAJOR HEADLINES IN INAUGURAL EDITION OF HIS NEW PODCAST

Across the country, term-limited California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has long been suspected of harboring national ambitions, is grabbing lots of attention and millions of YouTube hits, thanks to a new and high-profile podcast series.

The first two guests of the podcast were MAGA world superstars Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon.

Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk (right) was a guest on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (left) inaugural edition of his “This is Gavin Newsom” podcast. (Gavin Newsom on X.)

But that didn’t sit well with two-term Gov. Andy Beshear, the Democrat in red state Kentucky who is also seen as a potential 2028 contender.

“I think that Gov. Newsom bringing on different voices is great,” Beshear told reporters this past week. “We shouldn’t be afraid to talk and to debate just about anyone. But Steve Bannon espouses hatred and anger, and, even at some points, violence. And I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform — ever, anywhere.”

Meanwhile, Democrat JB Pritzker, the billionaire two-term governor of blue state Illinois and one of his party’s leaders in opposing President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda, will head to New Hampshire next month to headline the state party’s annual fundraising gala, sparking plenty of 2028 speculation.

DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR’S TRIP TO THIS KEY STATE SPARKING 2028 SPECULATION

Trips to New Hampshire, which, for over a century, has held the first primary in the race for the White House, are seen as an early indicator of a politician’s interest in running for the presidency in the next election.

Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois is interviewed by Fox News Digital at the Democratic National Convention Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (Paul Steinhauser)

But there’s more. 

There is plenty of focus on former Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee last summer after he dropped out of the race amid mounting questions over his physical and mental stamina. 

KAMALA HARRIS REVEALS TIMETABLE FOR MAJOR POLITICAL DECISION

Harris, who lost November’s White House race to Trump, is considering a 2026 bid to succeed Newsom in her home state of California. But a run for governor in 2026 would likely derail a 2028 White House bid.

A source in the former vice president’s political orbit recently confirmed to Fox News Digital that Harris has told allies she will decide by the end of the summer whether to launch a gubernatorial campaign. 

And Harris earlier this month made a stop in Nevada, an early voting state on the Democrats’ primary calendar.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, arrives to speak during a campaign rally at the Wisconsin State Fair Expo in West Allis, Wis., Nov. 1, 2024.  (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Harris’ 2024 running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is not ruling out a White House run of his own in 2028. Walz on Friday kicked off a high-profile town hall tour of red congressional districts. His first stop was in Iowa, the state that, through the 2020 cycle, kicked off the Democrats’ presidential nominating calendar.

Three other prominent Democrats considered potential 2028 contenders — governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Beshear — addressed the House Democrats’ annual policy retreat Thursday.

VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT,’ BUT HERE ARE THE OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO MAY ALSO RUN IN 2028 

Even Rahm Emanuel, the former congressman from Illinois, White House chief of staff in President Obama’s administration and Chicago mayor who most recently served as U.S. ambassador to Japan, is potentially mulling a 2028 run. Emanuel this week was the topic of a feature report by Politico.

While 2028 seems like a very long way away, the early moves in the next White House race begin early for the party out of power.

Gov. Tim Walz at the DNC in Chicago in August 2024.  (Getty Images)

That was the case for the Republicans in the 2024 cycle. 

Iowa continues to kick off the GOP’s presidential nominating schedule, and the first stop there during the 2024 cycle by a potential White House contender was in March 2021, just weeks after Biden assumed the presidency.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who eventually decided not to run for president, grabbed plenty of attention as he spoke to the Westside Conservative Club in suburban Des Moines that year.

“There’s no sense in waiting,” New Hampshire-based political strategist Lucas Meyer told Fox News. “If anyone is serious about running for president, they would probably be well served in getting after it now.”

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Meyer, a former president of the New Hampshire Young Democrats who chairs the advocacy group 603 Forward, called it a “wide-open field” for Democrats.

“The crowd of leadership at the top of the Democratic Party isn’t very deep at the moment,” he observed. “There’s oxygen there for someone.”

The White House criticized a federal judge’s attempt to halt the Trump administration’s recent deportation flights, a move that was deemed “too late” by the Central American leader who accepted the deportations over the weekend.

On Friday, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing. The act had only been successfully invoked three times in U.S. history: during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg recently ordered an immediate stop to the deportations in order to determine whether Trump’s invocation of the 1798 act was legal – but a Trump administration official told Fox News that the planes carrying the migrants had already left U.S. airspace when the judge issued his order.

In a statement to Fox News on Sunday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Trump administration “did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order.”

EL SALVADOR AGREES TO ACCEPT US DEPORTEES OF ANY NATIONALITY FOLLOWING MEETING WITH RUBIO

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized a federal judge’s attempt to halt the Trump administration’s recent deportation flights. (@nayibbukele via X | Getty Images)

“The order, which had no lawful basis, was issued after terrorist [Tren de Aragua] aliens had already been removed from U.S. territory,” Leavitt said. “The written order and the Administration’s actions do not conflict.”

“Moreover, as the Supreme Court has repeatedly made clear – federal courts generally have no jurisdiction over the President’s conduct of foreign affairs, his authorities under the Alien Enemies Act, and his core Article II powers to remove foreign alien terrorists from U.S. soil and repel a declared invasion,” Leavitt added. “A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrier full of foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from U.S. soil.”

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA

Salvadorean president Nayib Bukele posted dramatic video showing hundreds of alleged criminal migrants arriving in Central America. (@nayibbukele via X)

On Sunday, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele responded to Boasberg’s order by joking, “Oopsie… too late,” in an X post. He also shared footage of heavily-armed Salvadorean authorities escorting the alleged gang members off the planes, shaving their heads and rounding them up in their prison cells.

A total of 261 illegal aliens were deported from the U.S. to El Salvador yesterday – 137 of which were through the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, 101 others were Venezuelans removed via Title 8 and another 21 were Salvadoran MS-13 gang members. Two others were MS-13 ringleaders and “special cases” for El Salvador.

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El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and President Donald Trump worked together on the deportation flights. (Getty Images)

A senior Trump administration official confirmed the numbers to Fox News on Sunday, explaining that the migrants’ alleged crimes included kidnapping, sexual abuse of a child, aggravated assault, prostitution, robbery and aggravated assault of a police officer. 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

The president of El Salvador announced his country has accepted hundreds of Venezuelan gang members who were illegally living in the United States, as a U.S. judge moved to block deportations of illegal immigrants under a wartime law invoked by President Donald Trump. 

“Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable),” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted to X on Sunday morning, accompanied by video footage of planes on a tarmac. 

“On this occasion, the U.S. has also sent us 23 MS-13 members wanted by Salvadoran justice, including two ringleaders. One of them is a member of the criminal organization’s highest structure,” he added. 

Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan-connected gang that has infiltrated communities in states such as Colorado and Texas, while MS-13 is a Los Angeles-founded gang with ties to El Salvador that has deep roots in California and other states such as Maryland. The State Department designated both gangs as foreign terrorist organizations last month. 

EL SALVADOR AGREES TO ACCEPT US DEPORTEES OF ANY NATIONALITY FOLLOWING MEETING WITH RUBIO

Secretary of State Marco Rubio celebrated the Salvadoran president as “the strongest security leader in our region” and “a great friend of the U.S.” for accepting the criminal illegal aliens. 

President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele casts his vote in a ballot box during the elections on March 3, 2024, in San Salvador. (Aphotografia/Getty Images)

“We have sent 2 dangerous top MS-13 leaders plus 21 of its most wanted back to face justice in El Salvador. Also, as promised by @POTUS, we sent over 250 alien enemy members of Tren de Aragua which El Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good jails at a fair price that will also save our taxpayer dollars. President @nayibbukele is not only the strongest security leader in our region, he’s also a great friend of the U.S. Thank you!” Rubio posted to X. 

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA

The deportations of the gang members come as U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to halt its deportations of illegal immigrants under a wartime powers act that President Donald Trump invoked on Friday to target Tren de Aragua members in the U.S. 

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, and has been invoked three times before, including, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.

President Donald Trump arrives for his inauguration at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025. (Melina Mara – Pool/Getty Images)

Boasberg ordered on Saturday that the Trump administration is barred from using the wartime powers act to deport the illegal aliens. He added that he heard “flights are actively departing” and ordered them to return. 

The planes of the violent gang members, however, arrived in El Salvador this weekend, with Bukele responding to news of Boasberg’s order, “Oopsie… too late,” accompanied by a laughing emoji. 

Bukele offered to take illegal immigrants of any nationality facing deportation in the U.S. back in February, offering to book the illegal aliens in his country’s notorious prison system. 

“We can send them, and he will put them in his jails,” Rubio told reporters back in February of Bukele’s offer “And, he’s also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even though they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents.”

TRUMP CONGRATULATES BITCOINERS — EL SALVADOR’S NAYIB BUKELE TAKES VICTORY LAP WITH BITCOIN OVER 100K

El Salvador’s CECOT prison is known as the nation’s most notorious prison. The prison, which can hold 40,000 inmates, was built to house gang members in a country that held one of the highest murder rates in the world before the violence dropped in recent history. Prisoners at CECOT are blocked from receiving visitors, can only attend hearings virtually, while the prison itself blocks any cell signal to ensure gang members cannot contact criminals still on the street, various media reports have detailed. 

President Nayib Bukele speaks during the inauguration of a new Vijosa Laboratories plant on Nov. 20, 2023, in La Libertad, El Salvador. (Alex Peña/Getty Images)

EL SALVADOR PRESIDENT RIPS FBI TRUMP RAID, QUESTIONS WHAT US GOV’T WOULD SAY IF HIS POLICE TARGETED CANDIDATES

“The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us. Over time, these actions, combined with the production already being generated by more than 40,000 inmates engaged in various workshops and labor under the Zero Idleness program, will help make our prison system self-sustainable. As of today, it costs $200 million per year,” Bukele added on X on Sunday. 

Trump is pictured next to Tren de Aragua gang members (Edward Romero/Getty Images)

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“As always, we continue advancing in the fight against organized crime. But this time, we are also helping our allies, making our prison system self-sustainable, and obtaining vital intelligence to make our country an even safer place. All in a single action. May God bless El Salvador, and may God bless the United States.”

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump trolled former President Joe Biden in a social media post on Sunday, highlighting the controversy surrounding his alleged “autopen signatures” during his presidency.

On Truth Social, Trump posted three images side-by-side – his official portrait from his first term, a picture of Biden’s autopen and then finally his official portrait for his second term.

Trump then pinned the post. 

“The person who was the real President during the Biden years was the person who controlled the Autopen!” Trump wrote in another post on his account. 

BIDEN’S ‘AUTOPEN SIGNATURE’ APPEARS ON MOST OFFICIAL DOCS, RAISING CONCERNS OVER WHO CONTROLLED THE WH: REPORT

Trump spoke about the autopen signature issue while speaking from the Oval Office on Friday about NATO spending.

President Donald Trump has signed many executive orders on camera. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“The man was grossly incompetent. All you have to do is take a look, he signs by autopen. Who was signing all this stuff by autopen? Who would think to sign important documents by autopen?” Trump asked reporters. 

“These are major documents you’re signing, you’re proud to sign, yet you have your signature on something and in 300 years, they say ‘oh look.’ Can you imagine everything was signing by autopen? Almost everything. Nobody has ever heard of such a thing. It should have never happened,” Trump continued. 

The post sparked a firestorm on social media with many backing Trump as Democrats have faced backlash over accusations that they dismissed Biden’s health concerns and engaged in a cover-up throughout the end of his term.

“President Trump JUST POSTED the AUTOPEN that ran the White House from 2021-2025 next to his portraits,” one X user commented.

LIES ABOUT BIDEN’S AGE, HEALTH DURING HIS PRESIDENCY IS A ‘SCANDAL OF EPIC PROPORTIONS,’ SCOTT JENNINGS SAYS

“Biden was an illegitimate president. Who controlled the auto pen?” another X used commented.

Vice President JD Vance also shared the image on X without any comment.

“Corrupt establishment was running the country from 2021-2025. Who controlled the auto pen for Biden?” Missouri Lieutenant Governor David Wasinger commented, sharing Vance’s post. 

Elon Musk also chimed in on the photo, posting on X, with two emojis – a bullseye and laughing face. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s team about Trump’s post featuring the autopen image, but did not receive a response.

In a new report published by an arm of the Heritage Foundation, it was revealed that the majority of official documents signed by Biden allegedly used the same autopen signature, reinvigorating concerns over the former president’s mental acuity and if he “actually ordered the signature of relevant legal documents.” 

“WHOEVER CONTROLLED THE AUTOPEN CONTROLLED THE PRESIDENCY,” the Oversight Project, which is an initiative within the conservative Heritage Foundation that investigates the government to bolster transparency, posted to X on Thursday. 

CHUCK SCHUMER CONFRONTED WITH OLD CLIP OF HIMSELF DECLARING BIDEN’S DECLINE ‘RIGHT-WING PROPAGANDA’

President Joe Biden signs an Executive Order reversing the Trump era ban on transgender individuals serving in military, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“We gathered every document we could find with Biden’s signature over the course of his presidency. All used the same autopen signature except for the announcement that the former President was dropping out of the race last year. Here is the autopen signature,” the group claimed on X, accompanied by photo examples. 

The Oversight Project posted three examples showing Biden’s signature, including two executive orders and the president’s announcement he was bowing out of the 2024 presidential race. The signature on the two executive orders, one of which was signed in 2022 and the other in 2024, showed the same signature that included what appeared to be a line, followed by “R. Biden Jr.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment on the Oversight Project’s findings on the autopen investigation, but did not immediately receive a reply.

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Fox News Digital also examined the signatures on President Donald Trump’s executive orders, which are often signed in public or in front of the media, during his first administration and second administration and found the signatures were also the same. 

The Oversight Project continued in its findings that investigators should determine “who controlled the autopen” during the Biden administration. 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

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

President Donald Trump thanked El Salvador on Sunday after the country’s president shared dramatic video of hundreds of alleged migrant criminals landing in Central America after being deported from the U.S.

Trump, who recently invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows the deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, thanked Nayib Bukele on social media.

“Thank you to El Salvador and, in particular, President Bukele, for your understanding of this horrible situation, which was allowed to happen to the United States because of incompetent Democrat leadership,” Trump wrote. “We will not forget!”

Trump also referred to the apprehended migrants as “the monsters sent into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats.”

EL SALVADOR AGREES TO ACCEPT US DEPORTEES OF ANY NATIONALITY FOLLOWING MEETING WITH RUBIO

Salvadorean president Nayib Bukele posted footage showing hundreds of alleged criminal migrants arriving in Central America. (@nayibbukele via X)

A senior Trump administration official confirmed to Fox News that a total of 261 illegal aliens were deported to El Salvador yesterday – 137 were via the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, 101 were Venezuelans removed via Title 8, 21 were Salvadoran MS-13 gang members and two were MS-13 ringleaders and “special cases” for El Salvador, according to the official.

The rap sheets for those removed included kidnapping, sexual abuse of a child, aggravated assault, prostitution, robbery and aggravated assault of a police officer. 

A Trump administration official also confirmed to Fox News that the planes carrying the migrants were already outside of U.S. airspace when a federal judge ordered the planes to return. 

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered an immediate stop to Trump’s efforts to deport the alleged gang members so he could have more time to consider if Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act was illegal.

“We did not defy a court order. The order came too late, and illegals were already in international airspace,” the official said, as first reported by Axios.

In an X post, Bukele said the migrants arrived in El Salvador and were transferred to a “terrorism confinement center,” where they will stay for at least a year.

The intense video showed heavily-armed Salvadorean authorities surrounding the alleged gang members, forcing their heads down and transporting them into facilities one by one.

The video also depicted the suspects getting their hair shaven and walking with their hands behind their necks as they were rounded up into their prison cells. 

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA

The video also showed the suspects getting their hair shaven and walking with their hands behind their necks. (@nayibbukele via X)

“Over time, these actions, combined with the production already being generated by more than 40,000 inmates engaged in various workshops and labor under the Zero Idleness program, will help make our prison system self-sustainable,” Bukele wrote. “As of today, it costs $200 million per year.”

He also said that the apprehension of the MS-13 members “will help us finalize intelligence gathering and go after the last remnants of MS-13, including its former and new members, money, weapons, drugs, hideouts, collaborators, and sponsors.”

“As always, we continue advancing in the fight against organized crime,” he added. “But this time, we are also helping our allies, making our prison system self-sustainable, and obtaining vital intelligence to make our country an even safer place. All in a single action.”

“May God bless El Salvador, and may God bless the United States.”

Bukele’s post was also warmly received by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who thanked the Salvadorean leader for his “assistance and friendship.”

The video depicts suspected members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13. (@nayibbukele via X)

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“President @nayibbukele is not only the strongest security leader in our region, he’s also a great friend of the U.S.,” Rubio said in an X post. “Thank you!”

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto and Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Sunday that President Donald Trump will likely speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week. 

In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Witkoff was asked when a deal to end the war in Ukraine could be anticipated. 

“The president uses the timeframe weeks, and I don’t disagree with him. I am really hopeful that we’re going to see some real progress here,” Witkoff said. “Nobody expected progress this fast. This is a highly, very complicated situation, and yet we’re bridging the gap between two sides. So, lots of things that remain to be discussed, but I think the two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week.” 

‘WE HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS CLOSE TO PEACE’ SINCE RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE, LEAVITT TELLS REPORTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump will likely speak this week, according to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. (Getty Images)

Trump’s special envoy met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, days after U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia agreed to the terms of a potential ceasefire with Russia. 

Witkoff said he met with Putin for between three and four hours and had a “positive” and “solution-based” discussion. 

“Before this visit, there was another visit, and before that visit, the two sides were miles apart,” Witkoff told CNN host Jake Tapper. “The two sides are, today, a lot closer. We had some really positive results coming out of the Saudi Arabia discussion led by our national security advisor, Mike Waltz, and our secretary of state, Marco Rubio.” 

“I describe my conversation with President Putin as equally positive,” Witkoff said. “The two sides have… we’ve narrowed the differences between them, and now we’re sitting at the table. I was with the president all day yesterday, I’ll be with him today, we’re sitting with him, discussing how to narrow it even further.”  

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff speaks to members of the media outside the White House on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

TRUMP ‘HOPES’ PUTIN AGREES TO CEASEFIRE AS MOSCOW SIGNALS NO TRUCE YET

It was the second time Witkoff had met with Putin in the last month. The first sit-down in mid-February resulted in the Russians releasing U.S. prisoner Marc Fogel. 

Witkoff said he briefed Trump, Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles and Waltz from the U.S. embassy within five to 10 minutes of meeting with Putin last week. 

Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security advisor Mike Waltz in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP, File)

“President Trump has been involved in every aspect and dimension of these discussions,” Witkoff said. “The president is getting updates in real time on everything that’s happening, and he’s involved in every important decision here. I expect that there will be a call with both presidents this week, and we’re also continuing to engage and have conversations with the Ukrainians. We’re advising them on everything we’re thinking about.” 

“The four regions are of critical importance here,” Witkoff said of the terms of the deal. “And we’re in discussions with Ukraine, we’re in discussions with all these stakeholder European countries, so that includes France, Britain, Norway, Finland… the whole host.… And we’re in discussions with the Russians too about those regions. We’re also in discussion with all other elements that would be encompassed in a ceasefire.” 

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 Witkoff flew to Moscow last week from Doha, Qatar, where he mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a potential extension of their ceasefire agreement. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Donald Trump’s airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, arguing that the U.S. is “doing the world a favor” by targeting the militant group.

“We’re doing the entire world a favor by getting rid of these guys and their ability to strike global shipping. That’s the mission here, and it will continue until that’s carried out,” Rubio said during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

The comments come after Trump announced on social media Saturday that he had ordered “decisive and powerful” airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, arguing that that terrorist group has “waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.”

HOUTHIS POST CRYPTIC VIDEO OF AMERICAN FLAG-DRAPED COFFINS

Secretary of State Marco Rubio (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“It has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden,” Trump said in the post. “The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times…. These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.”

“To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!”

The strikes come in response to the Houthis’ continued disruption of transit in the Red Sea, something Rubio said Sunday would come to an end with the strikes.

“President Trump is taking action against the Houthis to defend U.S. shipping assets and deter terrorist threats,” the White House posted on X on March 15, 2025. (The White House)

TRUMP ANNOUNCES ‘DECISIVE AND POWERFUL’ AIRSTRIKES AGAINST HOUTHI TERRORISTS IN YEMEN

“This is not a message,” Rubio said. “This is an effort to deny them the ability to continue to constrict and control shipping.”

Rubio noted that the militant group, which is backed by Iran, had “struck or attacked 174 Naval vessels of the United States” over the last year, a time period that also saw the group launch 145 attacks on commercial shipping vessels.

“So we basically have a band of pirates, you know, with guided precision anti-ship weaponry and exacting a toll system in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world,” Rubio said. “That’s just not sustainable.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears in a photo shared by the White House on March 15, 2025. (The White House)

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The secretary of state said the strikes would continue until the Houthis “no longer have the capability” to continue to carry out such attacks.

“We’re not going to have people sitting around with the missiles attacking the U.S. Navy,” Rubio said. “It’s not going to happen. Not under President Trump.”

Former Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., has died at age 87, according to her family.

Lowey, who represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives for 32 years and was the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee, died Saturday after a long battle with metastatic breast cancer, according to a report from the New York Post.

“Nita’s family was central to her life as she was to all of ours,” the longtime lawmaker’s family said in a statement. “We will miss her more than words can say and take great comfort in knowing that she lived a full and purposeful life.”

NITA LOWEY, LONGTIME DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER AND HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS CHAIRWOMAN, TO RETIRE

Rep. Nita Lowey makes a few remarks at the All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development Launch at Ronald Reagan Building on Nov. 18, 2011, in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/WireImage)

The New York lawmaker was born Nita Sue Menikoff in the Bronx in 1937, later graduating from Bronx High School of Science before going on to receive a degree from Mount Holyoke College in 1959, the Post report noted.

She married attorney Stephen Lowey in 1961, and was first elected to Congress in 1988 to represent New York’s 17th Congressional District.

A longtime ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Clinton family, Lowey became chair of the House Appropriations Committee in 2019. She frequently clashed with President Donald Trump during his first term in office in her time as chair, telling Lohud in 2019 that the president was an “embarrassment.”

Rep. Nita Lowey speaks during hearings on President Donald Trump’s first budget on Capitol Hill on March 28, 2017. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

DEMOCRATS LASH OUT AT SCHUMER FOR ‘BETRAYAL’ OF SIDING WITH TRUMP

“The president is an embarrassment and as a member of the Congress and as the leader of the Appropriations Committee, we have the responsibility to serve the people,” she said at the time.

Lowey announced her retirement that same year, with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., telling the New York Post that the longtime lawmaker was a “principled, passionate and powerful public servant.”

Rep. Nita Lowey listens as Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, Jan. 28, 2020. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg)

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“Over the course of her historic career, Congresswoman Lowey courageously served her constituents and stood up for New Yorkers while shattering multiple glass ceilings along the way,” Jeffries said Sunday, adding that Lowey was a “mentor and friend.”

Lowey is survived by her husband, three children and eight grandchildren.

The acting administrator of DOGE detailed that Elon Musk is not an employee of the United States DOGE Service and does not report to the acting DOGE chief, a court filing shedding additional light on the internal workings of the office shows. 

“Elon Musk does not work at USDS. I do not report to him, and he does not report to me. To my knowledge, he is a Senior Advisor to the White House,” Amy Gleason, the acting administrator of DOGE, wrote in a declaration included in a court filing on Friday. 

Musk has been the public face of DOGE for months, as President Donald Trump celebrates the billions of dollars in savings his administration has secured through DOGE’s work to gut the federal government of overspending, mismanagement and fraud. Musk, however, “has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself” and is working as a senior advisor to the president, a White House official said in a separate court filing in February.

The White House identified Gleason as the official acting chief of DOGE last month. Gleason, a little-known government employee who also worked in the first Trump administration, provided a declaration in a court filing involving a lawsuit against DOGE last week that further explains how the government office operates. 

WHO IS DOGE’S NEWLY IDENTIFIED ADMINISTRATOR AMY GLEASON? ‘WORLD-CLASS TALENT’

Elon Musk speaks during an event in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 11. (AP Images)

“In my role at USDS, I oversee all of USDS’s employees and detailees to USDS from other agencies,” Gleason wrote in her declaration. “I report to the White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles.”

Gleason previously worked for the United States Digital Service, which was founded in 2014 by former President Barack Obama as a technology office within the Executive Office of the President. Trump signed an executive order in January that renamed the office to the United States DOGE Service, establishing DOGE. 

MEET THE FAR-LEFT GROUPS FUNDING ANTI-DOGE PROTESTS AT GOP OFFICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

In addition to overseeing USDS, Gleason also oversees the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization – an office established by Trump in January that sits under the USDS umbrella and will expire on July 4, 2026. 

The White House announced this week that Amy Gleason is serving as DOGE administrator. (Amy Gleason LinkedIn/Getty)

Gleason explained in her declaration that under Trump’s executive order establishing DOGE, agency chiefs were charged with creating their own DOGE teams to find and eliminate overspending. Gleason said the respective agency DOGE teams are comprised of agency employees or detailees who do not report to her.  

WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS WHO WAS APPOINTED AS ACTING ADMINISTRATOR OF DOGE

President Donald Trump signs executive orders on stage at a presidential inauguration event in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2025.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“Every member of an agency’s DOGE Team is an employee of the agency or a detailee to the agency. The DOGE Team members – whether employees of the agency or detailed to the agency – thus report to the agency heads or their designees, not to me or anyone else at USDS,” she wrote. 

“In some instances, members of agency DOGE Teams are detailees from USDS to the agency. Where USDS detailees are assigned to an agency DOGE Team and acting in their capacity as a detailee to the DOGE Team, they are supervised by personnel of the agency to which they are detailed,” she added. 

Gleason has been described by former colleagues as “world-class talent” who frequently works long hours and is apolitical. 

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

DOGE has saved an estimated $115 billion in government spending in the form of workforce reductions, contract cancellations, regulatory savings and other initiatives, according to its website. Trump has touted DOGE’s work repeatedly in public remarks, including rattling off a list of government grants that were axed since his inauguration during his first address to a joint session of Congress earlier this month. 

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

“Forty-five million dollars for diversity, equity and inclusion scholarships in Burma,” Trump said as he provided examples of federal waste on March 4 after thanking Musk and DOGE for its work. “Forty million to improve the social and economic inclusion of sedentary migrants. Nobody knows what that is. Eight million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of. Sixty million dollars for indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombian empowerment in Central America. Sixty million. Eight million for making mice transgender.”

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Democrats and federal employees have railed against DOGE since the investigations and mass terminations at various agencies got underway following Trump’s inauguration, including staging protests outside federal buildings in Washington, D.C., and specifically protesting Musk for his involvement with DOGE. 

Houthi rebels in Yemen posted an animation online that depicted American flag-draped coffins floating near destroyed Navy ships.

“These terrorists really cannot tell the difference between delusions and reality,” Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), said in a post on X along with the Houthi animation.

The animation starts out with somber music and depicts a coffin draped in an American flag floating in water, then slowly zooms out to reveal dozens of similar flag-draped coffins floating away from destroyed warships.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES ‘DECISIVE AND POWERFUL’ AIRSTRIKES AGAINST HOUTHI TERRORISTS IN YEMEN

An animation released by Houthi terrorists depicting American flag-draped coffins floating near destroyed warships. (Screenshot – X)

The animation comes after President Donald Trump ordered “decisive and powerful” airstrikes against Houthi terrorists in Yemen on Saturday, arguing on Truth Social that the group has “waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.”

“It has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden,” Trump said in the post. “The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times…. These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.”

“To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” 

The White House on Sunday released photos of Trump watching the strikes on the Iran-backed terrorist group along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security advisor Mike Waltz.

President Trump is taking action against the Houthis to defend U.S. shipping assets and deter terrorist threats, the White House posted on X on March 15, 2025. (The White House)

TRUMP WATCHES STRIKE ON IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS IN YEMEN IN NEW WHITE HOUSE PICS AS LARGE-SCALE OP CONTINUES

“President Trump is taking action against the Houthis to defend US shipping assets and deter terrorist threats,” the White House wrote in a post on X. “For too long American economic & national threats have been under assault by the Houthis. Not under this presidency.”

U.S. Central Command said in a statement Saturday that it “initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation.”

The Houthi-run Health Ministry in Yemen told the Associated Press that the strikes killed at least 31 people. (The White House)

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Meanwhile, the Houthi-run Health Ministry in Yemen told the Associated Press that the strikes killed at least 31 people.

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Several prominent Democrats have taken aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., over his decision to side with Republicans and vote for a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open.

“I believe that’s a tremendous mistake,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told CNN’s Jake Tapper Thursday in response to Schumer’s decision. “It is almost unthinkable why Senate Democrats would vote to hand the few pieces of leverage that we have away for free when we’ve been sent here to protect Social Security, protect Medicaid and protect Medicare.”

The progressive lawmaker was just one of several prominent Democratic figures to lash out at Schumer, who opted to vote in favor of a House-approved government funding bill that averted a government shutdown.

Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., were the only other Democrats in the Senate to vote in favor of the bill, while Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the only Republican senator to vote against the legislation, which passed 54 to 46.

PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNS CONTINUING RESOLUTION, OFFICIALLY AVERTING A SHUTDOWN

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (Getty Images)

Schumer, the most prominent of the trio of Democrats to support the bill, is now facing heat for that decision, including from some longtime allies.

“Let’s be clear: neither is a good option for the American people. But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said of the decision.

Anne Caprara, the chief of staff for Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Prtizker, appeared to pile on, arguing on social media that Democrats should unify around resisting President Donald Trump.

“The fight going on in the Democratic Party right now is not between hard left, left and moderate. It’s between those who want to fight and those who want to cave,” Caprara said in the post. “Misread this at your own peril.”

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., refused repeated questions about whether he had confidence in Schumer at a Friday press conference urging Senate Democrats to vote against the continuing resolution.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

SHUTDOWN AVERTED AFTER SCHUMER CAVES AND BACKS TRUMP SPENDING BILL

“We do not want to shut down the government. But we are not afraid of a government funding showdown,” Jeffries said.

Democratic allies on television also lashed out at the Schumer decision, with CNN political commentator Van Jones arguing that the Democratic Party had to do more to push back against Trump.

“We want some alpha energy. And that’s not what we’re seeing. This party is tired of watching Donald Trump and Elon Musk run over this party, run over this country, run over the Constitution,” Jones said during a Friday appearance on the network. “And if you only have one opportunity to take a stand, and you don’t take it, it’s very difficult.”

Van Jones (New York Times Events YouTube channel)

Meanwhile, MSNBC political commentator Symone Sanders said she was “p—ed” that Schumer “folded like a paper napkin” and threatened to change her party registration to independent.

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Nevertheless, some Democrats tempered their criticism of the longtime Democratic leader, noting that the party was put in a no-win situation.

“We’re stuck with two bad choices presented by a unified Republican front,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who voted against the bill, said, according to a report in WTTW. “These are tough, tough calls.”

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

President Donald Trump ordered the dismantling of news agency Voice of America, the U.S.’s state-funded media outlet that Trump has railed against for promoting biased media reports. 

“Voice of America has been out of step with America for years. It serves as the Voice for Radical America and has pushed divisive propaganda for years now,” a senior White House official told Fox News Digital. 

Trump signed an executive order on Friday that commands the dismantling of seven government offices, including the United States Agency for Global Media, which is the parent company of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 

“The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law,” the EO reads. 

MUSK AND DOGE HAVE ANOTHER PERFECT TARGET: MORE TAXPAYER-FUNDED, ANTI-AMERICAN MEDIA

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk after looking at Tesla vehicles on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Kari Lake, whom Trump named as the VOA’s next chief in December, is currently serving as senior advisor at the U.S. Agency for Global Media and told employees to “check your email” for more information on their employment futures. 

“The President has issued an Executive Order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy. It affects USAGM and its outlets VOA and OCB. If you are an employee of the agency please check your email immediately for more information,” Lake, who is also a former news anchor and Republican Arizona political candidate, posted to X. OCB refers to the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which is a Spanish language, government-funded radio and TV broadcaster that operates Radio and TV Martí in Miami, Florida. 

Employees received an email on Saturday detailing that their employment was terminated, the Wall Street Journal reported, though it is unclear how many employees were affected. 

WHITE HOUSE SAYS FEDERALLY FUNDED NEWS SERVICE ‘SPENDS YOUR MONEY TO PROMOTE FOREIGN PROPAGANDA’

Former President Donald Trump invites Senate candidate Kari Lake on stage during a campaign rally on Oct. 13, 2024, in Prescott Valley, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

The seven government agencies targeted in the order include: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; the U.S. Agency for Global Media; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and the Minority Business Development Agency.

Voice of America has come under scrutiny for promoting biased content, including for allegedly “sanitizing” Hamas when the outlet neglected to note in an article in January that residents in Gaza cheered the terrorist group when it brought out coffins holding the remains of Israeli hostages, including children. 

TRUMP ANNOUNCES MORE NOMINATIONS, INCLUDING KARI LAKE AS DIRECTOR OF VOICE OF AMERICA BROADCAST

“Let’s get the facts straight: Hamas paraded the dead bodies of innocent Israelis, including two children, in front of cheering crowds. American taxpayers should not be paying the salaries of Hamas apologists who spout terrorist propaganda,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., told National Review at the time of VOA’s coverage. 

Sigange outside of the Voice of America headquarters in Washington, D.C., on March 15, 2025. (Getty Images)

Just days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, VOA told its employees to “avoid calling Hamas and its members terrorists, except in quotes,” National Review reported that year. 

TAXPAYER-FUNDED VOICE OF AMERICA UNDER FIRE FOR SHARING CAMPAIGN-LIKE BIDEN VIDEO

The government-funded news outlet has also come under fire for other stories across the years, including running an article in 2020 that asked, “What Is ‘White Privilege’ and Whom Does It Help?” It was also criticized over publishing a story and video that was compared to a Biden campaign video in 2020, and downplaying the Hunter Biden laptop controversy that rocked the 2020 presidential campaign in its waning days. 

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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“I have monitored the agency’s bureaucracy along with many of its reporters and concluded that it has essentially become a hubris-filled rogue operation often reflecting a leftist bias aligned with partisan national media,” a former VOA employee wrote in an op-ed last year calling for the outlet’s dismantling. “It has sought to avoid accountability for violations of journalistic standards and mismanagement.”