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Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing a new Democratic challenger in his bid to replace Eric Adams as New York City Mayor, according to reports. 

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, 64, will officially launch her campaign with a rally over the weekend, per reporting from FOX 5 NYC. 

With the Democratic primary just four months away, Adams is expected to immediately petition to secure ballot access. 

In a statement to media outlets, Adams said New Yorkers couldn’t afford to live in the city, that City Hall was “in chaos,” and alleged that President Donald Trump was “corrupting our city’s independence.” 

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, AN EX-COP, HAS ‘UPPER HAND’ OVER OTHER SANCTUARY CITY MAYORS: BLUE LIVES MATTER FOUNDER

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams launches run to replace incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, challenging the front-runner, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

“It’s time to stand up. I never planned to run for Mayor, but I’m not giving up on New York City,” Adams said in the statement, first shared with Politico. 

NYC GIVES MIGRANTS MORE WAYS TO OBTAIN CITY ID MAKING IT EASIER FOR THEM TO GET BENEFITS, HOUSING: REPORT

First elected to the city council in 2017, Adams went on to become the first Black council speaker five years later. 

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams during rally on the steps of New York City Hall before convening the entire Council to vote and override Mayor Adams’ veto of the “How Many Stops Act” on Jan. 30, 2024.  (New York Daily News for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

Adams is the latest high-profile figure to throw her hat in the ring, challenging the front-runner, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to replace embattled NYC Mayor Eric Adams. 

Cuomo resigned in 2021 after a report released by the state attorney general concluded that he had sexually harassed nearly a dozen women.

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams speaks during a press conference before a New York City Council meeting at City Hall in Manhattan, New York, in December 2023. (Shawn Inglima for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

Cuomo has apologized for having “offended” the women with remarks he said were intended to be collegial, and admitted that he had sometimes been “too familiar” with people, but he denied touching anyone inappropriately and said the investigation of his conduct was flawed and politically motivated.

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The race comes after Mayor Eric Adams was indicted in September on federal corruption charges. He is now dealing with a tempest of criticism after Trump’s newly installed Justice Department leaders asked a court to drop the case, so Adams could assist with the federal government’s immigration crackdown.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Speaker Adams’ office for comment. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Hamas in a Truth Social post Wednesday, calling for the terrorist group to release all hostages immediately.

The post came after Trump met with several former Hamas hostages who traveled to Washington, D.C., this week. The group included Eli Sharabi, Doron Steinbrecher, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Omer Shem Tov, Iair Horn and Noa Argamani, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

“‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose,” the president’s post began. “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.

“Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!”

KAROLINE LEAVITT EXPLAINS US EFFORTS TO NEGOTIATE WITH HAMAS TO FREE AMERICAN HOSTAGES

Trump added that he is “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job,” and that “not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.

“I have just met with your former Hostages whose lives you have destroyed,” Trump added. “This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance.”

“Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., an unflinching supporter of Israel, offered his approval of Trump’s post.

“Free all the hostages or start killing Hamas members again. I fully agree with @POTUS,” Fetterman posted on X. 

ISRAEL AGREES TO TRUMP ENVOY’S TEMPORARY GAZA CEASEFIRE EXTENSION PROPOSAL AS FIRST PHASE EXPIRES: REPORTS

President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Feb. 18. (Pool via AP )

Trump’s post came hours after the White House was challenged by Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy on its decision to negotiate with the Palestinian terrorist group.

“If the U.S. has a long-standing policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists, then why is the U.S. now negotiating directly and for the first time ever with Hamas?” Doocy asked.

“Well, when it comes to the negotiations that you’re referring to, first of all, the special envoy who’s engaged in these negotiations does have the authority to talk to anyone,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded.

Leavitt added that Israel was “consulted on this matter,” and that Trump believes in putting forth “good-faith effort[s] to do what’s right for the American people.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House Feb. 4.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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“These are ongoing talks and discussions. I’m not going to detail them here,” she continued. “There are American lives at stake.”

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

Elon Musk met with a small group of House Republicans on Wednesday evening where he discussed avenues for cost savings in a quest to find as much as $1 trillion in government waste, people familiar with the discussion told Fox News Digital.

“The executive DOGE team is confident, they think they can get $1 trillion,” one lawmaker familiar with the meeting told Fox News Digital. “Now, we’ll see, right? And the thing is, he acknowledged that we’re going to make mistakes, but we’re going to correct them very quickly.”

The GOP lawmaker said some concerns were raised about whether other government offices like the Treasury Department “have the bandwidth to do” what Musk is detailing. “And he says, ‘We’re gonna help them,'” the lawmaker said.

Multiple sources said Musk met with the House DOGE subcommittee led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for about 45 minutes before a wider meeting with the House GOP Conference.

DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY

Elon Musk spoke with House Republicans on Wednesday night

Several people said Musk pointed to areas where the government could be made more efficient, including an audit of how many dead people were de-listed off some federal benefits like Social Security but still had taxpayer dollars going into their accounts for unemployment or other programs.

“A lot of this is cross-referencing databases, making sure they’re talking to each other,” Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, a member of the subcommittee, told Fox News Digital.

Two lawmakers present for the meeting also said the idea of a congressional rescissions package was floated as another way to claw back excessive government spending, as Republicans and Democrats battle over giving President Donald Trump leeway to spend less money than Congress appropriates.

Rescissions authority is granted to Congress to allow for the cancelation of some planned government spending. 

MUSK TELLS CABINET THAT DOGE EMAIL WAS ‘PULSE CHECK’ FOR WORKERS, WARNS US WILL ‘GO BANKRUPT’ WITHOUT ACTION

It’s also among the special cases where the Senate only needs 51 votes to pass a bill, rather than 60 – meaning Senate Republicans can pass it without Democratic support.

Greene confirmed the sit-down to reporters but did not mention talk of congressional spending authority.

“We had a very lengthy meeting, just my DOGE committee with Elon Musk and his team, and learned a lot of valuable information. The collaboration is going to be fantastic and it needs to happen,” Greene said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene leads the House DOGE subcommittee (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Also present at both of Musk’s House meetings was his adviser Steve Davis, people told Fox News Digital.

After the smaller-scale meeting, Musk had a wider discussion with House Republicans where he spoke for roughly 15 minutes and then took questions.

“What we were doing was getting a deeper insight into what Elon Musk is doing and kind of being able to strategize with him, how we can coordinate what we’re doing,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who is also on the DOGE subcommittee, told reporters.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital that “systematically there were no checks in order to make sure the taxpayer dollars were spent correctly.”

He said Musk did not discuss other fiscal battles ongoing in Congress, and that Musk “was just trying to outline what they are finding in a very short period of time and how little accountability exists in the operating system of our government.”

“It made me laugh and it made me sick all at the same time,” Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital. “The level of waste and what they are finding is mindblowing.”

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said Musk was “just getting started.”

“He just says, ‘I’m investigating and finding things that you really can’t argue with.’ He said he’s making mistakes, he’ll correct them, but his mission is to uncover where our tax money is. Let the chips fall where they may,” Norman said.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden said he raised concerns about veterans and farmers. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

It comes as some House Republicans have faced contentious town halls or demonstrations related to Musk and DOGE in their home districts. GOP lawmakers previously shared frustrations with Fox News Digital that they were often left somewhat in the dark on Musk’s work. 

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., told reporters he aired similar concerns in the closed-door meeting. Musk was receptive to those issue, he added.

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“I spoke to Elon specifically about this. There are our veterans and our farmers. So there’s a lot of angst going right now because people don’t understand what’s going on,” Van Orden said. “And I expressed very clearly the concerns of our veterans community. And Mr. Musk was explicitly clear that we will make sure that we have no degradation of the benefits for our veterans that they have earned.”

The back-to-back House meetings for Musk came after he spoke with Senate Republicans in a similar closed-door setting.

President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order, possibly Thursday, aimed at abolishing the Department of Education, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The newspaper cited several people briefed on the matter and reviewed a draft of the order. 

It directs newly sworn Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” based on “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CANCELS ANOTHER $350M IN ‘WOKE’ SPENDING FOR CONTRACTS, GRANTS

Trump has tapped Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education. (Reuters)

“The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars—and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support—has failed our children, our teachers, and our families,” the draft order reads. 

Shortly after taking her position, McMahon said she would “send education back to the states.” 

Trump has long talked about dismantling the Department of Education, saying it has failed America’s students. 

“It’s a big con job,” the president said in November. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.”

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAUNCHES ‘ENDDEI’ PORTAL FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS TO REPORT DISCRIMINATION

McMahon was confirmed by the Senate on Monday to serve as the next Secretary of Education. (Getty Images)

In a letter to Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), McMahon said that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plan to abolish the department. 

With around 4,500 employees, the department is the smallest cabinet-level agency, the Wall Street Journal reported. It is currently offering an incentive of up to $25,000 to the majority of its staff to resign or retire by Monday evening ahead of rumored work force reductions.

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“President Trump believes that the bureaucracy in Washington should be abolished so that we can return education to the states, where it belongs. I wholeheartedly support and agree with this mission,” McMahon wrote.

Under McMahon, the department will work from three base convictions, according to her letter: that parents are the primary decision makers in their children’s education, that taxpayer-funded education should refocus on “meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history—not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology,” and that post-secondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs.

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report. 

The acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) told congressional lawmakers Wednesday his staff was preparing potential criminal referrals against those who misused taxpayer dollars intended for foreign development programs.

The New York Times said Peter Marocco made his remarks while speaking with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a closed-door meeting.

An internal review is in its early stages, but members of Marocco’s team believe they’ve uncovered a pattern of illegal activity at the agency, which serves as the main component used by the United States to deliver foreign aid. 

TRUMP TEMPORARILY THWARTED IN DOGE MISSION TO END USAID

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

Marocco has been tasked by President Donald Trump with dismantling USAID and told lawmakers he was looking at contracts and grants awarded by the agency. 

Much of the money given by USAID is supposed to promote stability and economic growth and supply humanitarian assistance in fragile regions. 

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court denied the Trump administration’s request to block a lower court’s order for the administration to make nearly $2 billion in USAID payments, delivering a near-term reprieve to international aid groups and contractors seeking payment for previously completed projects.

HERE’S WHY DOZENS OF LAWSUITS SEEKING TO QUASH TRUMP’S EARLY ACTIONS AS PRESIDENT ARE FAILING

Peter Marocco and President Donald Trump  (Getty Images)

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., the chairman of the foreign affairs panel, told the Times USAID is structured in such a way that makes accountability difficult. 

“Mr. Marocco was very clear in exposing the waste that goes on out there and in pointing out the way that many of these programs in state and USAID were designed to not be accountable,” he said. 

USAID was one of the first targets by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is charged with rooting out wasteful spending. 

Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and ally Elon Musk on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Fox News Digital has reached out to USAID for comment. 

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

Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican, said during a House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary cities that President Donald Trump has “ripped the curtains from the rods,” revealing the impact of the Biden administration’s illegal immigration policy and sanctuary policies across America.

Testifying during the hearing were New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, all of whom are Democrats and oversee cities with sanctuary city policies.

Higgins said that “Americans are fed up with this betrayal of oath” and that mayors will be “held accountable” for upholding sanctuary policies that ban or limit law enforcement from cooperating with ICE to deport dangerous criminal illegal immigrants.

Higgins pointed to the case of Welsey Hayes, a young Louisiana husband and father, who he said was killed by an illegal immigrant in Texas, leaving behind his wife, Olivia Hayes, and daughter, Anne Marie.

BOSTON’S MAYOR WU OFFERS CONDOLENCES TO FAMILY OF SUSPECT SHOT AFTER ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO STAB PEOPLE

Higgins pointed to the case of Welsey Hayes, a young Louisiana husband and father, who he said was killed by an illegal immigrant in Texas, leaving behind his wife, Olivia Hayes, and daughter, Anne Marie. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images and House Oversight Committee livestream)

“The policies of these mayors and our previous president have consequences, real-life consequences,” said Higgins. “I have a family here today, Mr. Chairman, who lost their beautiful loved one.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“This young man was killed by an illegal immigrant in Texas that never should have been in our country,” he continued. “He’ll never be here to raise his daughter, Anne Marie, and to love and cherish and honor and uphold his beautiful wife, Olivia.”

Raising his voice, Higgins took aim at the mayors, saying: “You mayors, you have a responsibility not just to your communities and citizens you’re sworn to serve but by extension to the entire republic.”

CHICAGO ALDERMAN SAYS MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON CAN’T DEFEND SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES

Tren de Aragua (TdA) members arrested in Texas (Tren de Aragua (TdA) members arrested in Texas)

“All you want to talk to the children, separation of children,” he said. “If you commit a felony in America, you get arrested and prosecuted and convicted and incarcerated. You can expect to be separated from your children. But let me say there’s a sunset to that separation, because when you do your time, you’ll be released. You can return to your family. This young man will never return to his family, and he should have never been removed from his family if we had a president and heads of our municipalities that were willing to uphold the federal law that exists.”

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“Three months ago we were at the tail end of four years of millions and millions of illegals coming into our country, [it] was out of control. The only thing that has happened since then is we had an election in November, and now we’re not pulling the curtain back, we have ripped the curtain from the rods. We have revealed to America just how fast we could have secured our border if you had an executive that was willing to enforce the law,” he said. “America is moving into a new era of enforcement of our own laws. Welcome to it.” 

Democrat Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico went off in a curse-laden tirade against the Trump administration and Republicans during a House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary cities, calling the hearing “absolute bulls–t.”

Testifying at the hearing were mayors Eric Adams of New York City, Michelle Wu of Boston, Brandon Johnson of Chicago and Mike Johnston of Denver, all of whom are Democrats and lead cities with migrant “sanctuary” policies.

These laws ban or restrict law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities to deport illegal immigrants, including those with criminal charges.

Stansbury, who represents a heavily blue border state, came to the defense of the sanctuary mayors and bashed Republicans for what she said was an attempt to intimidate local elected officials.

‘SANCTUARY’ CITY MAYOR CONFRONTED AFTER GANG MEMBER ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTS FEDERAL OFFICERS

“I always think that we should sage this room after these hearings because we hear a lot of crazy stuff in here,” she began. “Our mayors are sitting here, enduring this ridiculous, ridiculous hearing as they’ve been threatened in front of the American people.”

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“I want to reject the fundamental premise of this hearing,” she went on. “Because what this entire effort is about is intimidating state and local officials, attacking law-abiding immigrant families and spending millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars both in the administration and in Congress to make ads that are complete smoke and mirrors, trying to say that Donald Trump has somehow secured America’s safety.”

“Its total bulls–t, absolute bulls–t,” she yelled. “They are not making America safer again, and what they are doing is terrorizing immigrant families. That is what they are doing.”

TOM HOMAN: MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR SHOULD BE ‘BRINGING HELL’ TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RAPISTS WITH ME

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 26: U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) speaks during a hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee in the U.S. Capitol on February 26, 2025, in Washington, DC.   (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Stansbury also asserted that President Donald Trump “failed to execute on the most basic thing that he said he would do, which was to pass immigration reform when he got into office.”

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Throwing up her hands and looking around the room, Stansbury said: “Here we are Donald Trump, where’s your immigration bill? Oh wait, you don’t have one, that’s right. Because none of this is actually about making America safer.”

Stansbury also caught the spotlight Tuesday night when she was spotted standing on the House floor shortly before Trump’s joint address to Congress, holding a sign reading: “This is not normal.”

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…

-Elon Musk PAC thanks Trump for ‘saving the American Dream’ in new million-dollar ad

–Dem Rep. Al Green, booted from Trump’s address to Congress, doubles down on impeachment

-Conservatives erupt with praise on social media after Trump’s speech to Congress: ‘Run through a wall’

Supremes Deny Trump Request on Foreign Aid Freeze

The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s request to block a lower court’s order for the administration to pay nearly $2 billion in foreign aid money, delivering a near-term reprieve to international aid groups and contractors seeking payment for previously completed projects.

In a 5-4 ruling, the justices said that the Feb. 26 deadline imposed by a lower court for the Trump administration to pay the funds had already expired and directed the case back to the district court to clarify any additional details on payment.

“Given that the deadline in the challenged order has now passed, and in light of the ongoing preliminary injunction proceedings, the District Court should clarify what obligations the Government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order, with due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines,” the Court said…Read more

Employees and supporters gather to protest outside of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters on February 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. Elon Musk, tech billionaire and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said in a social media post that he and U.S. President Donald Trump will shut down the foreign assistance agency.  (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

White House

‘WE NEED GREENLAND’: Trump says America would welcome Greenland during joint address to Congress

GREEN TO GOLD: Trump touts $5 million ‘gold card’ as new path to citizenship

‘WORST PRESIDENT’: 6 times Trump bashed Biden in address to Congress

THUMBS UP: Snap polls reveal how speech watchers reacted to Trump’s address to Congress

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. Vice President JD Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) applaud behind him. (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

‘INAPPROPRIATE’: Trump earns largely positive speech reaction, but ejected Dem’s behavior widely deemed inappropriate: CNN poll

‘MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY’: Trump NIH appointee defends president’s research funding cuts, lays out new vision for future

World Stage

CONFESSED: ISIS-K member confessed to scouting Abbey Gate attack route, training Moscow attackers: affidavit

‘READY TO FIGHT’: China, reacting to Trump tariffs, promises to ‘fight till the end’ in trade war ‘or any other type of war’

Flags of the U.S and China sit in a room where U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with China’s Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Beijing, China.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

‘FEEL THE PAIN’: Canadian premier threatens to cut off energy to US in response to Trump tariffs: ‘They need to feel the pain’

MONEY TALKS: Columbia battles radical activists, limits entry to former Israeli leader’s visit as Trump weighs pulling $5B

Capitol Hill

‘THEY ARE AFRAID OF THIS’: After Trump speech, AOC tells Democrats to organize in GOP districts against Medicaid cuts

BAD SIGN: ‘Squad’ member delivers real-time whiteboard responses to Trump: ‘No king!’

‘OLIGARCHIC SOCIETY’: Bernie Sanders seethes US has become ‘oligarchic society’ following Trump speech

Sen. Bernie Sanders delivered a response speech to President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.  (Joe Maher/Getty Images For Fane)

TRUMP CARD: GOP rebels head to White House for meeting to avoid government shutdown

‘MOST DIVISIVE’: House Minority Leader Jeffries describes Trump’s address to Congress as ‘most divisive’ in American history

GRASS IS GREENER: Dueling Al Green censure efforts stir frustrations within GOP as Republicans demand consequences

STANDING O: Independents and Republicans went wild for Trump’s declaration that ‘America is back’

WILL HE RUN?: Buttigieg says he’s ‘looking at’ possible Senate run in battleground state

‘TREMENDOUS LOSS’: Texas Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner dead at 70

‘DEFIANT’: Resolution punishing Al Green circulates House after Dem is thrown out of Trump speech

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, left, shouts as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.  (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)

NOT MOVING THE DIAL: Democrats unimpressed by Trump’s gesture to family of young girl killed by illegal migrants

‘SHERLOCK HOLMES’ NOT NEEDED: Inside Elon Musk’s Huddle with GOP senators: Don’t need to be ‘Sherlock Holmes’ to find waste

‘COMPLICATED QUESTION’: Democrats refuse to define ‘woman’ when pressed on Capitol Hill

Across America 

‘ATROCIOUS’ ALLEGATIONS: Andrew and Tristan Tate face Florida criminal probe days after US homecoming

‘BIG IMPACT’: Red state sheriff credits Trump’s border policies for already helping his small county

Fox News Digital spoke with Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and Meade County Sheriff Pat West, his guest for President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress.  (Fox News Digital)

DC ‘EVOLUTION’: DC Black Lives Matter Plaza to get new look, replace street mural as part of ‘evolution’

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

A resolution to reprimand Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, survived a procedural hurdle late Wednesday afternoon, teeing the measure up for a House-wide vote.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., introduced a censure resolution against the Texas Democrat earlier in the day amid widespread GOP anger at Democrats who protested President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday.

Democrats pushed for a vote to table the resolution, which would have effectively killed it. But it failed to pass, and a vote on the measure itself is expected sometime this week.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CONCLUDES REMARKS AFTER DECLARING ‘AMERICA’S MOMENTUM IS BACK’

House Speaker Mike Johnson asked Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, to leave the chamber after disrupting President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on March 4, 2025.  (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS/Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital was told that Newhouse had been in contact with House GOP leadership about his resolution since Trump’s speech ended last night.

There had been multiple resolutions circulating among House Republicans to censure Green for interrupting Trump’s speech, but Newhouse’s appears to be the measure with House GOP leaders’ blessing.

“I believe it is the first one out of the gate,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, told reporters on Wednesday morning. “I think [Green’s protest is] unprecedented. Certainly in the modern era. It wasn’t an excited utterance. It was a, you know, planned, prolonged protest.”

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.  (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The 77-year-old Democrat was removed from Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday night after repeatedly disrupting the beginning of the president’s speech.

He shouted, “You have no mandate,” at Trump as he touted Republican victories in the House, Senate and White House.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had Green removed by the U.S. Sergeant-At-Arms.

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS

Rep. Dan Newhouse introduced the resolution. (Tom Williams)

Green remained defiant when he stopped to speak with the White House press pool on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol after being thrown out of the second floor House chamber, where Trump was speaking.

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“I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn’t say to anyone, don’t punish me. I’ve said I’ll accept the punishment,” Green said, according to the White House press pool report. “But it’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.”

In addition to Newhouse’s resolution, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, has his own measure with more than 30 House GOP co-sponsors.

The House Freedom Caucus is backing a third censure resolution being led by Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz. 

The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Wednesday said several grants for transgender experiments on animals have been canceled, and a pilot program to audit federal agencies with unused credit cards has expanded amid “a lot of shady expenditures happening,” said DOGE leader Elon Musk.

The cost-cutting group said the National Institutes of Health (NIH) canceled seven grants, some of which included $532,000 to “use a mouse model to investigate the effects of cross-sex testosterone treatment” and another $33,000 to test “feminizing hormone therapy in the male rat.”

DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY

Elon Musk is celebrating a new poll that found most voters agree there should be a government agency dedicated to efficiency and that DOGE is helping to make major spending cuts.  (Getty Images)

In a statement, the agency said it remains committed to “advancing biomedical research under NIH’s priorities and promoting radical transparency in alignment with the @POTUS agenda.” 

“Our work is driven by accountability to all Americans as we push forward in science and public health,” it wrote on X. 

In recent weeks, Republicans have railed against taxpayer funds being used for transgender animal studies.

During a Feb. 6 House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing titled: “Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer Funded Animal Cruelty,” Justin Goodman of the White Coat Waste Project (WCW) watchdog group said the federal government spent millions on “transgender animal testing.”

MUSK TELLS CABINET THAT DOGE EMAIL WAS ‘PULSE CHECK’ FOR WORKERS, WARNS US WILL ‘GO BANKRUPT’ WITHOUT ACTION

Under President Donald Trump, the Elon Musk-led DOGE has slashed billions in what it deems wasteful government spending.  (Reuters | iStock | Getty)

“In a lot of these cases, they involve mice, rats, monkeys, who are being surgically mutilated and subjected to hormone therapies to mimic female to male or male to female gender transitions, gender-affirming hormone therapies, and then looking at the biological, psychological and physiological effects of the gender transitions, looking at the effects of taking vaccines after you’ve transitioned these animals from male to female or female to male, looking at the size of their genitals changing after you’ve put them on estrogen or testosterone therapies to transition them,” Goodman said at the hearing.

In addition to the canceled grants, DOGE said a pilot program to audit federal agencies for unused and unneeded credit cards has expanded to 16 more agencies.

After two weeks, 146,000 credit cards were deactivated.

“As a reminder, at the start of the audit, there were ~4.6M active cards/accounts, so still more work to do,” a DOGE post on X states. 

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Musk said many of the limits on government-issued credit cards are up to $10,000. 

“There are still almost twice as many credit/purchasing cards as people in the government, and the limits are $10,000! A lot of shady expenditures happening,” he said.

President Donald Trump repeatedly returned to the subject of illegal immigration during his Tuesday night address to a joint session of Congress, touting his success at the southern border and taking aim at the policies of the Biden administration.

Here were the top five moments of the night:

DEMOCRATS UNIMPRESSED BY TRUMP’S GESTURE TO FAMILY OF YOUNG GIRL KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS 

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

“They heard my words”

Trump took credit for a sharp drop in encounters at the southern border. In February, there were just 8,326 southern border encounters, down from 189,913 in February 2024. The administration has so far removed more than 55,000 illegal immigrants from the U.S.

“Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border, and I deployed the U.S. military and border patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done. As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded ever,” he said.

“They heard my words, and they chose not to come, much easier that way,” he said.

TRUMP HONORS LIVES OF LAKEN RILEY, JOCELYN NUNGARAY WHILE CELEBRATING STRIDES ON SECURING BORDER

Trump renames sanctuary after Jocelyn Nungaray

Trump used the address to announce that a wildlife sanctuary would be renamed in honor of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl sexually assaulted and murdered at the hands of Venezuelan illegal migrants last year.

“One thing I have learned about Jocelyn is that she loved animals so much. She loved nature. Across Galveston Bay, from where Jocelyn lived in Houston, you will find a magnificent National Wildlife Refuge, a pristine, peaceful, 34,000-acre sanctuary for all of God’s creatures on the edge of the Gulf of America,” Trump said.

He then showed an executive order renaming the refuge in honor of Jocelyn, whose mother Alexis was in the audience for the address.

“Alexis, moments ago, I formally renamed that refuge in loving memory of your beautiful daughter, Jocelyn,” he said.

Trump honors ‘beautiful’ Laken Riley

Trump also paid tribute to Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant last year. 

Trump noted that the killer “was arrested while trespassing across Biden’s open southern border.”

“And then set loose into the United States under the heartless policies of that failed administration. It was indeed a failed administration. He had then been arrested and released in a Democrat-run sanctuary city, a disaster, before ending the life of this beautiful young angel. With us this evening are Laken’s beloved mother, Alison, and her sister Lauren,” he said.

Trump declared during his speech that the U.S. “will never, ever forget our beautiful Laken Riley” through legislation he signed into law, the Laken Riley Act.

Trump dings Biden, Dem hopes for border bill

Trump took aim at Democrats who had spent much of 2024 arguing that the solution to the crisis at the southern border was sweeping legislation. He again pointed to the low numbers he is overseeing.

“Since taking office, my administration has launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history. And we quickly achieved the lowest numbers of illegal border crossing ever recorded. … The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation. We must have legislation to secure the border,” he said.

But it turned out that all we really needed was a new president,” he said.

A U.S. Border Patrol officer deploys on the Rio Grande on a patrol of the US-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, on January 24, 2025.  (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump touts gold card, like a ‘green card, but better and more sophisticated’

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Trump used the address to tout his idea for a “gold card” visa, which would allow foreign nationals to buy a path to U.S. citizenship for $5 million.

“We will allow the most successful job-creating people from all over the world to buy a path to U.S. citizenship. It’s like the green card, but better and more sophisticated,” he said.

He contrasted it with the deportation push his administration launched.

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“So while we take out the criminals, killers, traffickers and child predators who are allowed to enter our country under the open border policy of these people, the Democrats, the Biden administration, the open-border, insane policies that you’ve allowed to destroy our country, we will now bring in brilliant, hard-working, job creating people. They’re going to pay a lot of money, and we’re going to reduce our debt with that money,” he said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Democrats for acting like “children” at President Donald Trump’s Tuesday address to a joint session of Congress. 

“The behavior of Democrats last night was completely disgraceful and demonstrated how severely out of touch they are with the American public,” Leavitt told reporters Wednesday at a White House press briefing. “It was the most shameful moment in the history of presidential addresses and that beautiful chamber and what was supposed to be a unifying moment for our country.” 

Democrats started to boo Trump when he started his speech, prompting Republicans to respond in turn by chanting “USA.” Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, became particularly rowdy during the address, and started to shout and wave his cane at Trump. Green’s disruption prompted Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., to direct the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove Green from the address.

RESOLUTION PUNISHING AL GREEN CIRCULATES HOUSE AFTER DEM IS THROWN OUT OF TRUMP SPEECH 

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed from the chamber as President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)

Additionally, Leavitt called out Democrats for failing to stand for “everyday Americans” who attended Trump’s address, including DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old boy who survived cancer. Trump honored Daniel on Tuesday and officially swore him in as a member of the Secret Service and received a standing ovation from most in the crowd, although not all Democrats joined in celebrating Daniel. 

Additionally, Leavitt claimed that Democrats ignored the mothers of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray, who were both brutally murdered by illegal immigrants. 

“Last night was a very clarifying moment for our country,” Leavitt said. “The Democrats expose themselves as the party of insanity and hate the party that wants to put America last. They’ve allowed their Trump derangement syndrome to stop them from celebrating America and our people, and we will not allow them to forget that.” 

Trump told members of Congress Tuesday that his administration would work to take “America’s destiny into our own hands” and promised that “this will be our greatest era” where he would fight to forge the most free civilization.

TRUMP PROMISES ‘THIS WILL BE OUR GREATEST ERA’ IN JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, left, shouts as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump also vowed to cut down inflation costs and would “wage a war” on drug cartels. As a result, he urged lawmakers Tuesday to beef up funding for border security to foot the bill for deportations as his administration has “launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history.” 

Meanwhile, Republicans are working to penalize Democrats for their Tuesday behavior. For example, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, is spearheading an effort to file a censure resolution against Green for having “willfully disrupted the joint session, remained defiant,” and “brought disrepute to the United States Congress,” according to a draft text viewed by Fox News Digital. 

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However, Green is prepared to face the consequences of his behavior. 

“I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me,”  Green said Tuesday, according to the White House press pool report. “I didn’t say to anyone, don’t punish me. I’ve said I’ll accept the punishment.” 

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has terminated the lease at the Obama Presidential Library site, although it is unlikely to impact operations there since it is due to shutter later this year and move to a new location.

The library is located at the Hoffman Estates in the northwest of Chicago and is separate to the sprawling 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center near Jackson Park in the southside of Chicago which is under construction and is expected to be completed next year.

The site at the Hoffman Estates is run by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), as are all presidential libraries, while the Obama Presidential Center is a private venture being overseen by the Obama Foundation. 

DOGE has ended the lease at the Obama Presidential Library site. (Alex Wong/Getty Images, left, and Andrew Harnik/Getty Images, right.)

OBAMA CENTER SUBCONTRACTOR FILES $40M DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST ENGINEERING FIRM FOR OVERRUNS

DOGE this week updated its list of nearly 750 federal lease terminations, totaling around 9.6 million square feet in size, which included the Hoffman Estates site. The agency, which has been tasked by President Donald Trump to cut wasteful federal spending, said the terminations will save the taxpayer $468 million in lease savings.

The DOGE website did not provide a timetable for the closures, although a NARA spokesperson told Fox News Digital the Hoffman Estates library was scheduled to close in late Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 and move to College Park in Maryland. The government’s FY 2025 runs through Sept. 30, 2025.

There are about 25 million unclassified paper documents at the Hoffman Estate building, according to NARA’s estimate, and they are currently being digitized and will be available in digital format at the Obama Presidential Center when it opens. Under the 1978 Presidential Records Act, NARA gets custody of all presidential records and artifacts when a president leaves office.

The lease for the Obama Presidential Library at Hoffman Estates has been terminated. (Google Maps)

CHICAGO SOUTH SIDE RESIDENTS SAY THEY’RE BEING DISPLACED BY OBAMA CENTER: CAUSING ‘HARM TO BLACK FAMILIES’

Currently at the Hoffman Estates are also 35,000 physical artifacts, including gifts given to the Obamas. The library, a converted former furniture showroom, also houses former President Barack Obama’s silver BlackBerry, the draft of Obama’s first inaugural speech he wrote on a paper pad, a signed Pittsburgh Steelers football, a jeweled sword from Saudi Arabia and dresses worn by former first lady Michelle Obama.

Those artifacts will also be sent to Maryland and occasionally lent to the Obama Presidential Center, the Chicago Tribune reports.

NARA began leasing the building in 2016, paying $1.4 million each year in rent, according to the Chicago Tribune, citing the General Services Administration, which runs the government’s real estate portfolio.

The Obama Presidential Library is separate to the Obama Presidential Center, right, which is under construction.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images, left, Fox News, right.)

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The building is owned by Hoffman Estates Medical Development LLC, who bought it in 2011 and transformed it into a fortified, climate-controlled facility.

The Obama Presidential Library is expected to open some time next year and has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. It was initially expected to cost $350 million but that figure ballooned to $830 million in 2021. It is unclear what the total costs will be. 

It will consist of a 235-foot tower museum, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, conference facilities, a gymnasium and a regulation-sized NBA court. It will also house the nonprofit Obama Foundation, which is overseeing the center’s development.

A majority of speech viewers (69%) had a very or somewhat positive reaction to President Donald Trump’s Tuesday address before a joint session of Congress, according to a CNN poll by SSRS.

While 44% indicated that they had a “Very positive” reaction to the speech, 25% felt “Somewhat positive,” 16% had a “Very negative” reaction and 15% had a “Somewhat negative” reaction to the address.

“A total of 431 adults nationwide were surveyed via text message,” according to a document about the poll. “Among the entire sample, 21% described themselves as Democrats, 44% described themselves as Republicans, and 35% described themselves as independents or members of another party,” the document notes. “The margin of sampling error for total respondents is +/-5.3 at the 95% confidence level.”

TRUMP SAYS AMERICA WOULD WELCOME GREENLAND DURING JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the Capitol building’s House chamber in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who was removed from the event for being disruptive, did not fare well in the court of public opinion.

A whopping 80% found Green’s behavior to be inappropriate, while just 20% felt it was appropriate, according to the poll.

CONSERVATIVES ERUPT WITH PRAISE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER TRUMP’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS: ‘RUN THROUGH A WALL’

Trump’s address on Tuesday came less than two months into his second term in office. 

However, while he is still chipping away at the early days of his new term, the president is a well-known figure who has been on the political scene for years. 

TRUMP DECLARES ‘AMERICA IS BACK’ IN SPEECH BEFORE CONGRESS

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He is now the second U.S. president to serve non-consecutive terms — the first was Grover Cleveland in the 19th century.

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday is heading to the southern border, a day after President Donald Trump touted a sharp drop in border crossings amid a ramping up of border security and interior arrests of illegal immigrants.

Vance is touring the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, and will be joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Eagle Pass was one of the hotspots for border crossings at the height of the historic Biden-era border crisis.

Trump had centered his 2024 campaign on a promise to crack down on illegal immigration, and he deployed a slew of measures early on. On Day One, he signed executive orders to declare a national emergency at the border and deploy the military. He also ordered the resumption of border wall construction and the end of Biden parole policies.

TRUMP HONORS LIVES OF LAKEN RILEY, JOCELYN NUNGARAY WHILE CELEBRATING STRIDES ON SECURING BORDER

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

The Pentagon quickly deployed troops and opened up Guantánamo Bay to flights of migrants. The Department of Homeland Security has taken limits off of interior enforcement and expanded the use of expedited removal, while the State Department secured additional cooperation with countries to return migrants.

The administration has launched a massive interior enforcement operation, where daily arrests have regularly hit 1,000+ a day, although officials have indicated they want to see numbers go even higher.

NOEM SAYS DHS WILL ‘NOT BE DETERRED’ AFTER ICE HIT BY NEW LEAKS AHEAD OF VIRGINIA RAID

The administration has pointed to figures showing sharp increases in interior arrests compared to the Biden era and a sharp drop in encounters at the border.

In February, there were just 8,326 southern border encounters, down from 189,913 in February 2024. The administration has so far removed more than 55,000 illegal immigrants from the U.S.

Trump touted those numbers in a speech to Congress on Tuesday night.

Army Maj. Gen. Henry S. Dixon, left, Joint Task Force North commander, discusses southern border operations with Marines assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, near San Ysidro, California, Jan. 28, 2025.  (Department of Defense )

“Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border and I deployed the US military and border patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done. As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded, ever,” he said.

“They heard my words, and they chose not to come.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

He also mocked the claim by Democrats and the Biden administration that legislation was needed to fix the crisis.

“But it turned out that all we really needed was a new president,” he said.

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Meanwhile, a Border Patrol source told Fox News that there were just 271 total encounters for the entire southern border on Tuesday, and just 14 in the Del Rio Sector where Vance is visiting.

Fox News’ Brooke Taylor and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: A resolution by Rep. Troy Nehls, R-TX, is being circulated among Republican lawmakers on Wednesday to punish the House Democrat who was thrown out of President Donald Trump’s speech for protesting.

Nehls is leading the censure resolution against Rep. Al Green, R-TX, and is expected to make it public sometime today, a source with knowledge of the document told Fox News Digital.

It accuses Green of having “willfully disrupted the joint session, remained defiant,” and “brought disrepute to the United States Congress,” according to a draft text viewed by Fox News Digital.

The 77-year-old Democrat was removed from Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday night after repeatedly disrupting the beginning of the president’s speech.

‘SHE’S REALLY THIS DUMB’: HOUSE DEM RIPPED AFTER CALLING TRUMP ‘ENEMY OF THE UNITED STATES’

House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, asked Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, to leave the chamber after disrupting President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS/Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

He shouted, “You have no mandate,” at Trump as he touted Republican victories in the House, Senate and White House.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, had Green removed by the U.S. Sergeant-At-Arms.

Green remained defiant when he stopped to speak with the White House press pool on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol after being thrown out of the second floor House chamber, where Trump was speaking.

“I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn’t say to anyone, don’t punish me. I’ve said I’ll accept the punishment,” Green said, according to the White House press pool report.

“But it’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.”

Rep. Troy Nehls is leading the resolution. (Nathan Posner)

Republicans, meanwhile, responded to Green and other Democratic attempts to disrupt the speech with fury.

The House Freedom Caucus announced on Wednesday morning that it would be filing its own censure resolution against Green.

“What they’ve shown is ridiculous to the American people,” House GOP Policy Committee Chair Kevin Hern, R-OK, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday night. “I can’t see how any American would think that’s right.”

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-GA, told Fox News Digital, “The Democrats’ behavior last night was disappointing. There must be consequences for Rep. Al Green’s outburst, which displayed a clear lack of decorum and respect for the Office of the Presidency.”

STATE TROOPERS, NYPD DESCEND ON AOC’S ‘RED LIGHT’ NEIGHBORHOOD TO CLAMP DOWN ON RAMPANT PROSTITUTION, CRIME

The Freedom Caucus, led by Rep. Andy Harris, is planning on filing its own resolution against Rep. Al Green. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg)

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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-LA, told Fox News Digital that leadership would be “looking at” whether to punish Green.

Johnson signaled to reporters on Tuesday night that such a move would have his support.

Fox News Digital reached out to Green’s office for a response but did not immediately hear back.

ALT 1 – SIDING WITH USAID GROUPS : The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s request to block a lower court’s order for the administration to pay nearly $2 billion in foreign aid money, delivering a near-term reprieve to international aid groups and contractors seeking payment for previously completed projects.

In a one-paragraph ruling, the Court noted that the Feb. 26 deadline imposed by the lower court had already expired, so that court must now present new instructions.

“Given that the deadline in the challenged order has now passed, and in light of the ongoing preliminary injunction proceedings, the District Court should clarify what obligations the Government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order, with due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines,” the Court said.

Chief Justice John Roberts had agreed last Wednesday to pause a lower court’s decision requiring the Trump administration to pay by 11:59 p.m. all outstanding invoices to foreign aid groups, an amount totaling roughly $1.9 billion – a timeline the Justice Department had argued was “impossible” to comply with.   

Roberts did not give a reason for agreeing to pause the order issued by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, a Biden appointee, though the chief justice had widely been expected to refer the matter to the full court for review. 

Importantly, the pause prevented foreign aid groups from filing a motion of civil contempt against the Trump administration— a legal maneuver that employees from the affected groups said in interviews this week could have expedited their process to claw back the unpaid debt.

TRUMP TEMPORARILY THWARTED IN DOGE MISSION TO END USAID

Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s actions, including dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

At issue is how quickly the Trump administration needs to pay the nearly $2 billion owed to aid groups and contractors for completed projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), at a time when the administration has issued a blanket freeze on all foreign spending in the name of government “efficiency” and eliminating waste.

In a new court filing Monday, Acting U.S. Solicitor General Sarah Harris said that while the plaintiffs’ claims were likely “legitimate,” the time U.S. District Judge Amir Ali gave them to pay the outstanding invoices was “not logistically or technically feasible.”

Harris also argued Monday that the order could be a violation of executive branch authorities granted by the Constitution to an elected president.

Ordering the Trump administration to make payments on a timeline of the lower court’s choosing, and “without regard to whether the requests are legitimate, or even due yet,” Harris said, “intrudes on the president’s foreign affairs powers” and executive branch oversight when it comes to distributing foreign aid.

HERE’S WHY DOZENS OF LAWSUITS SEEKING TO QUASH TRUMP’S EARLY ACTIONS AS PRESIDENT ARE FAILING

Volunteers at the Zanzalima Camp for Internally Displaced People unload 50 kilogram saks of Wheat flour that were a part of an aid delivery from USAID in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. USAID started delivering food aid to the camp in September 2021. (J. Countess/Getty Images)

Plaintiffs, for their part, rejected that notion in full. They argued in their own Supreme Court filing that the lower court judge had ordered the Trump administration to begin making the owed foreign aid payments more than two weeks ago – a deadline they said the government simply failed to meet, or to even take steps to meet – indicating that the administration had no plans to make good on fulfilling that request.

The Trump administration “never took steps towards compliance” with Judge Ali’s order requiring the administration to unfreeze the federal funds to pay the $1.9 billion in owed project payments, attorneys for plaintiffs argued in their own Supreme Court filing. 

They also rejected the administration’s assertion in court last week that it would need “multiple weeks” to restart the payment system.

Rather, they said, the Trump administration had moved too quickly to dismantle the systems required to send payments to foreign aid groups in the first place— and to purge the many USAID staffers who could have facilitated a smoother, faster repayment process.

“All of these invoices have already been approved by the front-line managers at USAID, and it’s really these payment bottlenecks that the government has itself created” that have caused the problems with repayment, one individual with knowledge of the USAID payments and contractors affected told Fox News Digital in an interview.

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

Employees and supporters gather to protest outside of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters on February 03, 2025.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The high court challenge comes as many of the foreign aid groups who sued the administration earlier this year have already been stripped of the bulk of their funding. This aligns with President Donald Trump’s stated plans to cut some 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts, and to slash an additional $60 billion in foreign aid spending.

The White House has not yet released a list of which contracts and grants were scheduled for elimination or those to be continued. But critics have argued that the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. investment and presence around the world risks economic harm, reputational damage, and new security risks, both at home and abroad.

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Scott Greytak, a director at the group U.S. Transparency International, said in a statement that cutting such a large amount of U.S. foreign aid carries significant economic and security risks. The elimination of U.S. funding for certain projects, especially in countries with higher risks for corruption, could “open the door for increased cross-border corruption, fraud, and other crimes,” he said. 

This could create new obstacles for U.S. businesses seeking to open or expand into foreign markets, said Greytak, whose group has active chapters in more than 100 countries globally, and could serve “as an invitation for U.S. competitors, especially China, to fill the vacuum created by the absence of U.S. engagement.”

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

Reactions from conservatives on social media poured in after President Donald Trump spoke for about two hours in his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

After Trump’s speech lasted 1 hour and 39 minutes, conservatives took to social media to praise the president and criticize the Democratic response, including Democratic Rep. Al Green’s removal from the room for interrupting Trump’s address. 

“Peak Trump,” former Trump campaign senior adviser Tim Murtaugh posted on X. “That’s what that was.”

“Who else feels like they could run through a wall for America after that,” Trump administration senior advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media Kari Lake posted on X. 

‘HE’S BACK’: TRUMP’S JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TO BE BLANKETED WITH 6-FIGURE AD BUY TOUTING TAX PLAN

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on March 4. 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The President took a victory lap tonight — and he deserves to,” Trump Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on X. “He’s completely right that the first month of his Presidency was more consequential than most four-year Presidencies.”

“But don’t miss the important thing: this wasn’t a look back. It was a look forward. What the President did tonight was extend the promise he’s made from day one: that America will come first. He’s done it — he’s lived it — and he’s going to keep doing it.”

TRUMP SET TO CONTINUE UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF ACTIONS, ADDRESS CONGRESS IN 7TH WEEK BACK IN OFFICE

Sen. Elizabeth Warren. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Lost count around 90 standing ovations tonight,” GOP Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X. “The best President in American history.”

“This is a fabulous speech!” Conservative commentator Mark Levin posted on X.

“After four years of weakness, strength is back in the White House and President Trump is already delivering on his promise of a safe and prosperous nation for the American people,” GOP Rep. Derek Schmidt said in a statement after Trump’s speech.

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Rep. Al Green (D-TX) shouts out as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

Many Republicans praised the speech while at the same time pointing out the Democrats who refused to stand at various points, including moments that were seemingly nonpartisan, including for a 13-year-old cancer survivor named DJ Daniel who dreamed of being a police officer. 

“An inspiring, emotional address from @realDonaldTrump!!” GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno posted on X. “But crazed partisan Dems refused to applaud even a brave young man like DJ. Appalling!”

“Democrats refused to stand or clap for a little boy fighting cancer,” conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok posted on X. “Truly sick people.”

“Most people watching that speech will be at a loss of what they were supposed to disagree with, and wonder why Democrats were so glum and disagreeable,” National Review’s Rich Lowry posted on X.

The speech was panned by many Democrats, including members of Congress who jeered Trump for most of the night, and several Democrats walked out before it was done.

“In just half an hour, he spewed ignorance on everything from diversity, immigration and trans kids to DOGE cuts and the cost of eggs. I heard enough, so I left. His words do nothing to help the people in my district—there’s real work to be done,” Dem. Rep. LaMonica McIver said in a release.

Democrat Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said the U.S. has become an “oligarchic society” while responding to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint Congress Tuesday evening. 

“The Trump administration is not hiding it,” Sanders said in a streamed response to Trump’s address Tuesday. “The Trump administration is a government of the billionaire class by the billionaire class, and for the billionaire class. Notwithstanding some of their rhetoric, this is a government that could care less about ordinary Americans and the working families of our country. My friends, we are no longer moving toward oligarchy. We are living in an oligarchic society.”  

Trump’s speech late Tuesday evening marked the first time he addressed a joint session of Congress since his return to the Oval Office in January. Trump celebrated his administration’s breakneck pace of executive orders, securing the nation’s southern border, as well as his tariff plan during his speech. 

“To my fellow citizens, America is back,” Trump declared at the start of his speech after thanking the members of Congress and first lady Melania Trump. 

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS SAYS TRUMP’S SPEECH WAS ‘NOT MUCH,’ SAYS HIS SPEECH WILL ‘BE BETTER’

Sen. Bernie Sanders delivered a response speech to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.  (Joe Maher/Getty Images For Fane)

“Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden Age of America,” he said. “From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years. And we are just getting started.” 

Sanders argued in his response speech that Trump delivered a handful of “lies.”

EX-MSNBC HOST KNOCKS NY TIMES FOR NOT REPRESENTING ‘THE LEFT,’ CALLS FOR PRO-BERNIE SANDERS VOICES IN MEDIA

“Trump has claimed that millions of undocumented people voted and do vote in American elections — a lie,” Sanders said. “Trump has claimed that climate change is a hoax originating in China — a lie. Trump has claimed that Ukraine started the horrific war with Russia — a lie. And tonight, just tonight, Trump claimed that millions of dead people between the ages of 100 and 360, we’re collecting Social Security checks. And that is an outrageous lie intended to lay the groundwork for cuts to Social Security and dismantling the most successful and popular government program in history.” 

Vice President JD Vance, from left, President Donald Trump, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Vermont senator also railed against the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by Elon Musk, and its work going through various federal agencies to stamp out overspending, fraud and mismanagement. 

BERNIE SANDERS REJECTS JAMES CARVILLE’S CALLS FOR DEMOCRATS TO ‘PLAY DEAD’

“For the past several weeks, he and his good friend Elon Musk, who was up there in the audience tonight, have been throwing hundreds of thousands of federal employees off their jobs,” Sanders said. “Now, I know some of you are saying, ‘well, that’s too bad, you know, but that’s the federal government.'”

Elon Musk gestures on the day of President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress, in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 4, 2025.  (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

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“But I want you to think about this,” he added. “Think about it for a moment. If Musk and his friends can arbitrarily throw federal workers out on the street today, what do you think that Musk and his fellow billionaires will be doing tomorrow, when artificial intelligence and robotics explode in this country? Do you think they’ll give a damn about you and your families? No, they will treat you exactly the way they’re treating federal employees today/” 

President Donald Trump continued pushing the idea of America acquiring Greenland on Tuesday night, devoting a small portion of his speech to the topic while delivering remarks before a joint session of Congress.

Trump declared that the U.S. would welcome the people of Greenland if they decided to join America.

“And I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland. We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America,” Trump declared. 

TRUMP PROMISES ‘THIS WILL BE OUR GREATEST ERA’ IN JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

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

He said that the U.S. needs the island “for national security and even international security.”

Trump promised that such a union would bring both security and prosperity to Greenland.

“We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before,” he said.

TRUMP PROMISES ‘THIS WILL BE OUR GREATEST ERA’ IN JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

While Trump has previously advocated the idea, it was notable that he chose to wade into the issue during his address on Tuesday.

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump declared in a December Truth Social post.

In a January post, Trump declared, “Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” 

FETTERMAN OPEN TO POTENTIAL GREENLAND ACQUISITION, DECLARES SUPPORT FOR LAKEN RILEY ACT

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According to the official website of Denmark, “Greenland has its own extensive local government, but it is also part of the Realm of Denmark.”