Donald Trump Poll News

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is facing backlash after saying that creating life is “the least” of what a woman’s reproductive system does. 

On the latest episode of the podcast “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson,” the former first lady and her brother were joined by OB/GYN Dr. Sharon Malone, whose husband, Eric Holder, served as Attorney General under former President Barack Obama. During the discussion, the former first lady lamented that women’s reproductive health “has been reduced to the question of choice.” 

“I attempted to make the argument on the campaign trail this past election was that there’s just so much more at stake and because so many men have no idea about what women go through,” Obama said. She went on to claim that the lack of research on women’s health shapes male leaders’ perceptions of the issue of abortion.

MICHELLE OBAMA AND ERIC HOLDER’S WIFE BONDED OVER BEING ‘RELUCTANT SPOUSES’ TO FAMOUS MEN

“Women’s reproductive health is about our life. It’s about this whole complicated reproductive system that the least of what it does is produce life,” Obama added, “It’s a very important thing that it does, but you only produce life if the machine that’s producing it — if you want to whittle us down to a machine — is functioning in a healthy, streamlined kind of way.”

In the same episode, the former first lady seemed to scold Republican men by saying that the men who “sit on their hands” over abortion are choosing to “trade out women’s health for a tax break or whatever it is.” Obama also criticized Republican women, suggesting they voted for President Donald Trump because of their husbands.

“There are a lot of men who have big chairs at their tables, there are a lot of women who vote the way their man is going to vote, it happened in this election.”

MICHELLE OBAMA URGES PARENTS NOT TO TRY TO BE FRIENDS WITH THEIR CHILDREN

The “Becoming” author’s remarks drew criticism from pro-life activists, including Danielle D’Souza Gill, the wife of Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas. The couple announced the birth of their second child earlier in May. 

“Motherhood is the most beautiful and powerful gift God gave women. Creating life isn’t a side effect, it’s a miracle. Don’t let the Left cheapen it,” D’Souza Gill wrote in a post on X.

Isabel Brown, a content creator and author, also slammed the former first lady as a “supposed feminist icon.”

“I am SO sick [and] tired of celebrities [and] elitists attempting to convince you that your miraculous superpower ability to GROW LIFE from nothing is somehow demeaning [and] ‘lesser than’ for women,” Brown wrote.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

At the time of this writing, Obama’s podcast is ranked 51 on Apple Podcasts and doesn’t appear on the list of the top 100 podcasts on Spotify. However, it is ranked 91 on the list of 100 trending podcasts on Spotify. The entire episode with Malone is available on YouTube, where it currently has just under 41,150 views so far.

Two Democrats who’ve spent decades in Congress this week became the latest in their party to face primary challenges from much younger opponents.

Longtime Democratic Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election next year for a 24th two-year term in Congress.

If he does, he will face a primary challenger who is making Hoyer’s age — the congressman turns 86 next month and would be 89 at the end of his next term — a centerpiece of his campaign.

Meanwhile, 78-year-old Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts—first elected to Congress nearly half a century ago—announced last October that he would seek another six-year term in the Senate. He is now facing a primary challenger who has criticized what he calls the senator’s “absence” in pushing back against President Donald Trump.

DEMOCRATS’ VICE CHAIR IGNITES CIVIL WAR, TARGETING ‘ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL’ INCUMBENTS IN PRIMARIES

Harry Jarin, 35, a volunteer firefighter and emergency services consultant, said Thursday in a new video announcing his candidacy, “If you live here in southern Maryland, I want to ask you a tough question. Do you really think that Steny Hoyer, at 89-years-old, is the best person to represent us?” 

“Here’s the bottom line: You don’t put out a fire by sending in the same people who let it spread. Send in a firefighter,” Jarin said. “Maryland deserves a new generation of leadership, and I’m ready to take up the fight.”

And in an interview with Fox News Digital, Jarin said: “I think we’re facing a really serious constitutional crisis… Congress has really declined as an institution over the last three or four years. Congress has surrendered a lot of its legislative power under the Constitution over to the executive branch. I think that’s been very corrosive to our political system.”

Asked about his motivation to primary challenge Hoyer, Jarin said, “It’s not just about getting someone younger and fresher in. It’s getting someone in who understands the need to revitalize Congress as an institution.”

Fox News reached out to Hoyer’s office for a response, but a spokesperson declined to respond.

Hoyer, who first won his seat in Congress in a 1981 special election, from 2003 to 2023, was the second-ranking House Democrat behind Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. He served as House Majority Leader from 2007-2011 and from 2019-2023, when the Democrats controlled the chamber.

Along with Pelosi, Hoyer stepped down from his longtime leadership position at the end of 2022 but remained in Congress.  

DEMOCRATS PREDICT HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL PAY PRICE FOR PASSING TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“I think all of us have been around for some time and pretty much have a feel for the timing of decisions. And I think all three of us felt that this was the time,” Hoyer told CNN at the time, as he referred to the moves by the top three House Democrats — Pelosi, Hoyer and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. — to step down from their leadership roles.

Hoyer has long been a major backer of the Democrats’ top issues, and during his second tenure as House majority leader, he played a crucial role in the passage of then-President Joe Biden’s so-called American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

He represents Maryland’s Democrat-dominated 5th Congressional District, which covers a region known as Southern Maryland, and includes the suburbs south and east of Washington, D.C., a sliver of suburban Baltimore and Annapolis, as well as rural areas farther south. 

Hoyer, who suffered a minor stroke last year, is the latest high-ranking House Democrat to face a primary challenge from a younger opponent.

Pelosi and Reps. Brad Sherman of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois have drawn primary challenges, with Schakowsky later announcing that she will no longer run for re-election.

Jarin told Fox News that when he spoke with voters in the district about Hoyer, they had concerns about the incumbent’s age.

“The main reaction I got when I asked people about Steny Hoyer was first and foremost his age,” Jarin said. “The idea that he would be close to 90 years old at the end of the next term is just a little bit nuts for people. I think people are starting to process how extreme a situation that is.”

The primary challenges come as Democrats are still trying to regroup following last November’s election setbacks, when the party lost control of the White House and their Senate majority, and came up short in their bid to win back the House.

The party’s base is angry and energized to push back against the sweeping and controversial moves by Trump in the four months since he returned to the White House.

Additionally, while much of that anger and energy is directed at fighting the White House and congressional Republicans, some of it is targeted at Democrats whom many in the party’s base feel aren’t vocal enough in their efforts to stymie Trump.

Concurrently, other longtime and older House Democrats in safe blue districts are facing the possibility of primary challenges.

This, after newly elected Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg last month pledged to spend millions of dollars through his outside political group to back primary challenges against what he called “asleep at the wheel” House Democrats — lawmakers he argued have failed to effectively push back against Trump.

The move by the 25-year-old Hogg, a survivor of the horrific shooting seven years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, to spend money against fellow Democrats ignited a firestorm within the party.

Jarin said that “we have reached out to David Hogg. We’ve been in communication.”

But Hogg told The Washington Post last month that he wouldn’t support primary challenges against Hoyer, Pelosi or Clyburn.

As for his ability to raise money for his campaign, Jarin said, “I do come from a political family.”

He noted that his husband was a major donor and bundler for former President Joe Biden’s successful 2020 campaign and also served as a DNC finance director, and that his uncle had “been a big bundler for Democratic causes for a long time.”

“I think a lot of donors realize that this is a problem but may not be able to say it out loud for fear of repercussions,” he argued.

Jarin said that he’s received “some pushback from donors for concerns of prioritizing more marginal districts” instead of pouring resources into swing seats as the party aims to win back the House majority in 2026.

“My message to them has been that putting extremely elderly politicians like Steny Hoyer back into office for a 24th term sends a message to voters across the country that Democrats are just the party of status quo and clearly that message has not been working,” he said.

In Massachusetts, first-time candidate Alex Rikleen — a father, former teacher and fantasy sports writer, this week launched a primary challenge against Markey.

While Rikleen didn’t spotlight the senator’s age, he did argue that “Markey, like many other Democrats, has stood silently by as [Senate Democratic Leader] Chuck Schumer surrenders Democrats’ leverage” in battling Trump.

Rikleen said that he is “stepping forward to challenge an incumbent because Democrats have shown us that they are not going to change course on their own…in this perilous moment, I believe we need dramatic action now and we are not getting it from our current Democratic leaders.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

And while he said that “Sen. Markey has been a fantastic leader on progressive policy throughout my lifetime and he is better than most at standing up for others. In a normal political environment, I’d proudly continue voting for him,” he argued that “this is not a normal moment. Better than most is not good enough.”

But Markey has been very visible this year, as he attended protests and rallies across Massachusetts. And last month he traveled to Louisiana to urge the Trump administration to release Rumeysa Ozturk, a student at Massachusetts’ Tufts University who was handcuffed while walking on a street by masked Department of Homeland Security agents and detained at an ICE facility.

And Markey took to social media on Thursday to once again defend Harvard University in its battle with the Trump administration, pledging that “Massachusetts will not be bullied.” 

Elon Musk showed up to the Oval Office on Friday to bid farewell to his official role in the Trump administration, but it wasn’t just the mark he made with DOGE that raised eyebrows.

It was the black one under his right eye. 

Social media lit up during the livestreamed event as eagle-eyed viewers noticed what appeared to be a fresh bruise under Musk’s eye, prompting speculation about everything from a gym mishap to a political dust-up. 

The assembled press couldn’t resist asking the obvious: “What happened to your eye?”

DOGE STAFFING SHAKEUP AS ELON MUSK HANGS UP HIS HAT, WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS

“Well, I wasn’t anywhere near France,” Musk quipped, poking fun at headlines regarding French President Emmanuel Macron, who was caught on camera being shoved by his wife last week. “I didn’t know the first lady of France isn’t a lieutenant.”

Then came the real story.

“No, I just was horsing around with little X,” Musk said, referring to his five-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii. “And I said, ‘Go ahead, punch me in the face.’ And he did. Turns out even a 5-year-old punching you in the face… actually does this.”

President Donald Trump jumped in immediately. “That was X that did that?”

FLASHBACK: TOP FIVE WILDEST MOMENTS FROM ELON MUSK’S DOGE TENURE AS IT COMES TO AN END

“Yeah,” Musk replied.

“X could do it, if you knew X,” Trump said with a grin.

The whole exchange, captured during Musk’s Oval Office farewell event, quickly became the moment of the day, a lighthearted pause in a sendoff marking the end of Musk’s 130-day stint as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk didn’t let the black eye distract from his message.

“This is not the end of DOGE,” he told reporters. “Only the beginning.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

According to a May 26 update on DOGE’s official site, the department racked up over $175 billion in savings during Musk’s tenure, mostly through asset sales, canceled contracts, and cracking down on fraud. That translates to an estimated $1,087 saved per taxpayer.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

President Donald Trump put Russian President Vladimir Putin on notice, and issued some harsh words to China and their ongoing trade negotiations during his 19th week in office. 

“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday morning.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia and former Russian president, responded in kind and issued his own words of caution to the U.S. 

“Regarding Trump’s words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!” Medvedev wrote.

WHITE HOUSE REVEALS POSSIBLE PENALTIES ON PUTIN AMID PEACE PUSH: ‘WHATEVER IT TAKES’

Trump’s remarks come as Russia has ramped up its attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks, and as the U.S. has sought to distance itself from the conflict between the two countries. Meanwhile, Trump said on Wednesday that time is limited for Putin to get serious about coming to the negotiating table and engage in peace talks. Otherwise, the U.S. might adopt a different approach, he said. 

“We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently, but it will take about a week and a half to two weeks,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Here’s what also happened this week:

Tariffs, tariffs, tariffs

Trump accused China of violating an initial trade agreement that Washington and Beijing were hashing out in May. Following those negotiations, both countries agreed that the U.S. would cut down its tariffs against Chinese imports from 145% to 30%, and China would reduce its tariffs against U.S. imports from 125% to 10%.

But Trump said that China hasn’t followed the terms of the agreement, without disclosing specifics. 

“The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump said in a social media post Friday. “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”

‘NO REASON’ FOR NEW NUKES: TRUMP FLOATS DISARMAMENT TALKS WITH CHINA, RUSSIA

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said after Trump’s post in an interview with CNBC that China had failed to remove its non-tariff barriers, as outlined in the deal. 

“The United States did exactly what it was supposed to do, and the Chinese are slow-rolling their compliance which is completely unacceptable and has to be addressed,” Greer said on Friday. 

Meanwhile, China pressed the U.S. to reverse course and urged the U.S. to address its own mistakes. 

“China once again urges the US to immediately correct its erroneous actions, cease discriminatory restrictions against China and jointly uphold the consensus reached at the high-level talks in Geneva,” Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a Friday statement.

Golden Dome access for Canada? 

Canada also could receive protection from Trump’s so-called Golden Dome — if it becomes part of the U.S. Trump has long pushed for Canada to become the 51st state, along with expressing interest in acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal. 

TRUMP CLAIMS CANADA ‘CONSIDERING’ OFFER OF FREE GOLDEN DOME IN EXCHANGE TO BECOME 51ST STATE

“I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State,” Trump said in a Tuesday social media post. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump has long touted setting up a Golden Dome, a defense shield initiative for the U.S. akin to the one Israel has protecting itself.

“This is the Trump Train, next stop: Ronald Reagan National Airport,” could be the conductor’s call on Washington, D.C.’s commuter rail system if one Florida GOP congressman has his way.

Rep. Greg Steube drafted “The Make Autorail Great Again (MAGA) Act,” which would withhold $150 million in federal funding from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) until it is renamed “WMAGA” – or the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access, in honor of President Donald Trump.

It would also require the METRO rail system – six color-coded lines encompassing about 130 miles of track – to be renamed the “Trump Train.”

DUFFY SLAMS MTA OVER FACT-CHECK OF ANTI-ISRAEL MOBS’ GRAND CENTRAL TAKEOVER

Steube called upon a 1966 District of Columbia law granting congressional “consent” for the interstate compact and ensuing establishment of WMATA.

“WMATA has received billions in federal assistance over the years and continues to face operational, safety, and fiscal challenges,” Steube said in a statement.

“In the spirit of DOGE, this bill demands accountability by conditioning federal funding on reforms that signal a cultural shift away from bureaucratic stagnation toward public-facing excellence and patriotism.”

The day-to-day operations of WMATA and the METRO, including fares and routings, are controlled by its board – not Congress. It also receives funding and recommendations from the three state/district stakeholders.

DOT SAVES TAXPAYERS OVER $60M BY TERMINATING TEXAS HIGH-SPEED-RAIL CONTRACT

WMATA’s board consists of two members from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, plus two appointed by the federal government.

Steube called WMATA a “struggling institution” in need of a “fresh identity,” particularly ahead of global events scheduled in the region, including the 2027 NFL Draft and FIFA World Cup matches.

Fox News Digital reached out to WMATA as well as Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., for comment.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Several METRO stations already sport political names, though they often coincide with nearby sites – including for former President Ronald Reagan, ex-Secretary of State John Dulles, Pierre L’Enfant and Pierre DuPont.

A move to rename the entire METRO system in honor of a dignitary, however, has never been tried previously.

President Donald Trump said that he thinks Joe Biden didn’t really agree with many of his administration’s lax border security policies, instead suggesting that those surrounding the former president took advantage of his declining faculties and utilized an autopen feature in the White House to pass radical directives pertaining to the border.

The comments came during a press conference from the Oval Office on Friday, during which Trump signaled that investigators are zeroing in on exactly who authorized officials in the White House to sign important documents for Biden using the autopen. 

“I think the autopen is going to become one of the great scandals of all time, because you have somebody operating it, or a number of people operating,” Trump told reporters. “I knew Joe Biden, Joe Biden wasn’t in favor of opening up borders, letting 21 million people into this from prisons and mental institutions and gang members. He wasn’t into that at all. And, you know who signed these? Who signed these orders, proclamations and all of the different things that he signed that said our country so far back?”

WATCHDOG FINDS ‘NO EVIDENCE’ BIDEN KNEW OF CRUCIAL CLIMATE EOS, DEMANDS ANSWERS ON WHO SIGNED AUTOPEN

House Republicans, led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, launched an investigation earlier this month aimed at determining whether Biden, who was in declining health during the final months of his presidency, was mentally fit to authorize the use of the autopen. Comer said this week he was “open” to dragging Biden before the House to answer questions about the matter if need be.   

“I understand he signed almost everything with an auto-pen. It’s a very dangerous thing. It really means you’re not president,” Trump added in his comments to reporters Friday.

Trump pointed to Biden’s legacy as a “sort of a moderate person,” to explain his reasoning why he thinks Biden was not in favor of all of his administration’s open border policies, adding that “he wasn’t a person that would allow a murderers to come into our country.”

REP. JAMES COMER SPOTLIGHTS BIDEN ADMIN’S ‘RECORD OF DISHONESTY’ AHEAD OF AUTOPEN PROBE

“I don’t believe it was Joe Biden, I really don’t,” Trump reiterated. “He wasn’t a person that was in favor of transgender for anybody that wanted it, to take kids out of families, etc., etc.”

A new book, an audio transcript of Biden’s special counsel testimony, and a shocking cancer diagnosis have all renewed focus on how Biden’s cognitive decline may have been worse than the public knew.

Last week, Comer sent out letters to five of the former president’s closest confidants, including his former doctor in the White House, seeking further answers about Biden’s cognitive health while in office. All five have made contact with the Oversight Committee, but Comer has threatened subpoena power if they refuse to testify.  

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Look, I would love to ask Joe Biden a lot of questions, but right now, we’re starting with the staffers who were operating the autopen,” Comer said, according to the New York Post. “We’re going to bring the physician, Dr. O’Connor, in, because he definitely was not telling the truth about Joe Biden’s health.”

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino made headlines this week when he revealed the bureau was “closing in” on suspects involved in planting two pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a sign that the bureau may soon solve the nagging, four-year mystery.

“The second we got in, I put a team on it and I said, ‘I want answers on this,’” Bongino told “Fox & Friends.” “And I’m pretty confident that we’re closing in on some suspects.”

Law enforcement discovered the two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committees’ headquarters around the same time that thousands of rioters a few blocks away began to descend on the Capitol in protest of the 2020 election results.

A faction of President Donald Trump‘s base has since raised questions about the timing of the pipe bomb incident and security failures surrounding it and speculated that the Biden administration was not forthright to the public about the facts of the case. Prior to being sworn in, Bongino was a leading voice perpetuating that notion.

FBI ‘CLOSING IN’ ON SUSPECTS IN CASE OF DC PIPE BOMBS PLACED ON EVE OF JAN 6

A former Secret Service agent and podcast host, Bongino told listeners of his popular right-wing show that the FBI lied about the pipe bomb incident because the bureau did not want people to know it was an “inside job.” 

Now as deputy director, Bongino is facing pressure from supporters and critics alike to release new details about the case.

What do we know about the suspect?

Video footage released by the FBI shows an unidentified person placing the pipe bombs near the two headquarters more than 16 hours before law enforcement found them.

The suspect is seen wearing a gray hoodie, Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers, a face mask, glasses, and gloves.

FBI REOPENING INVESTIGATION INTO COCAINE FOUND AT BIDEN WHITE HOUSE

Prior to the administration change in January, the FBI also unveiled a minor last-minute detail that the suspect’s height was about 5-foot-7.

Who found the pipe bombs?

A woman who is a Capitol Hill resident alerted a security guard that she spotted the first pipe bomb in an alley behind the RNC headquarters while she was out retrieving her laundry around 1 p.m.

Security footage showed her running from the area of the washer and dryer and notifying the guard. That set off a furious search that led officers at the DNC headquarters to discover a second pipe bomb there.

Were the pipe bombs active?

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general report published last year revealed the two explosive devices were “viable” and “could have detonated, causing innocent bystanders to be seriously injured or killed.”

FBI RELEASES VIDEO SHOWING JANUARY 2021 PIPE BOMB SUSPECT PLANTING DEVICE OUTSIDE DNC, RNC OFFICES IN DC

The bombs included one-hour timers. An FBI official said they did not believe the timers could have detonated the bombs since the time had already elapsed when the bombs were found, according to the DHS report.

That report and an investigative report released by House Republicans revealed that then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at one point came within feet of the pipe bomb by the DNC.

What leads has the FBI received?

The FBI has said it has received more than 600 tips, and it continues to offer a $500,000 reward for any successful leads.

The House Republicans’ report noted the FBI initially investigated a person who searched on the internet for “pipe bomb DC” and a person who had recently purchased the Nike shoes seen in the surveillance footage.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The report noted, however, that the pace of the FBI’s inquiry dropped off after about a month as a result of leads drying up.

President Donald Trump fired the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Kim Sajet, for being a “strong supporter” of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Trump announced the termination in a post on Truth Social on Friday afternoon.

“Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am hereby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery,” the president wrote. “She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

A White House official told Fox News Digital that Sajet had donated $3,982 to Democrats, including presidential campaigns for former President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Sajet also reportedly donated to other Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris.

DEMS ERUPT AFTER REPORT OF TRUMP FIRING LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS: ‘A DISGRACE’

The White House also pointed to the gallery’s photo of Trump, which was curated by Sajet. The caption of the photo reads, “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials. After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump mounted a historic comeback in the 2024 election. He is the only president aside from Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) to have won a nonconsecutive second term.”

The White House official also said it was ironic that Sajet said, “We try very much not to editorialise. I don’t want by reading the label to get a sense of what the curator’s opinion is about that person. I want someone reading the label to understand that it’s based on historical fact.”

The National Portrait Gallery did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

WHITE HOUSE VOWS TO IMPLEMENT ‘SYSTEM OF MERIT’ IN US, DISMANTLE DEI ‘STRANGULATION’

According to the National Portrait Gallery website, Sajet was the first woman to serve as the director of the National Portrait Gallery, and she spent time in the role looking for ways to put her experience and creativity at the center of learning and civic awareness.

Prior to taking the position, Sajet was the president and CEO of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and held other positions at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Her biography notes that she was born in Nigeria, was raised in Australia and is a citizen of the Netherlands. She came to the U.S. with her family in 1997.

DEFUNDING DEI: HERE’S HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS UNDONE BIDEN’S VERY PRIZED PROGRAMS

While speaking at the Richardson Symposium: Racial Masquerade in American Art and Culture, at the National Portrait Museum on Nov. 4, Sajet told a crowd that she was asked what she spent most of her time on, to which she answered, “identity politics.”

“America has never been able to separate a person’s appearance from their potential,” she said. “Our history is filled, and continues to be, with examples of hatred, discrimination, fear, and alienation.”

She then talked about a moment on Dec. 7, 1972, when she “suddenly felt” the world was going to come together and do away with “petty differences” while thinking holistically about what it meant to be a human.

That was the day astronaut Jack Schmidt of Apollo 17 snapped a picture of the earth and coined it the “Blue Marble.”

“Well, that utopian vision feels very, very far away today in the terrifying wake of the most uncivil, mistrustful, racially insensitive, sexually exploitative, factually untruthful, digitally manipulated, secretive and inflammatory election of the modern era,” she said.

“The National Portrait Gallery, as I’ve mentioned, is all about identity politics, whether it is to defend the label text that says President Eisenhower was cautious on civil rights or explaining why only 25% of women were historically considered cool or standing firm or not, allowing Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, to be removed from the Smithsonian or even outlining why we show the portrait of Sylvia Rivera, the transgender activist in the galleries,” Sajet later said during the same speech.

Hours after taking the Oath of Office on Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate all DEI programs from the federal government.

A day later, the president directed the Office of Personnel Management to notify heads of agencies and departments to close all DEI offices and place those government workers in those offices on paid leave. 

Earlier this month, Trump fired Shira Perlmutter, who was in charge of the U.S. Copyright Office, which came just days after terminating the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden. The termination was part of the administration’s ongoing purge of government officials who are perceived to be opposed to Trump and his agenda.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Both women were notified of their termination by email, The Associated Press previously reported.

Hayden tapped Perlmutter to lead the Copyright Office in October 2020.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

With Elon Musk leaving his role at the White House as head of the Department of Government Efficiency and President Donald Trump saying DOGE’s work will continue, the question now in Washington is who will take the reins to become Musk’s successor.

Musk, who has led Trump’s waste-cutting task force from Inauguration Day until now, announced his departure in an X post this week, saying: “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,”

Musk said the DOGE mission “will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”

So, who will take Musk’s place? Right now, no one.

A senior White House official previously told Fox News Digital that “the DOGE employees at their respective agency or department will be reporting to and executing the agenda of the president through the leadership of each agency or department head.”

‘AMERICAN HERO’ OR ‘FAILURE’: ELON MUSK’S DOGE DEPARTURE DIVIDES CAPITOL HILL

The official said DOGE is now part of the “DNA” of the federal government, and that it will keep operating as it already has. 

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that “the DOGE leaders are each and every member of the president’s cabinet and the president himself, who is wholeheartedly committed to cutting waste, fraud and abuse from our government.”

These statements cast doubt on whether any singular individual will succeed Musk as the DOGE chief. However, if Trump finds a DOGE successor necessary and decides to shift gears, who could fill Musk’s shoes?  

Amy Gleason

While Musk was never an official federal employee, Amy Gleason, a little-known government employee who also worked in the first Trump administration, has been serving as the official acting chief of the United States DOGE Service (USDS) since February.

DOGE STAFFING SHAKEUP AS ELON MUSK HANGS UP HIS HAT, WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS

If the president decides to steer clear of any public-facing DOGE chief, it seems likely that he will keep Gleason on as a more behind-the-scenes DOGE leader at USDS.

Gleason, 53, is a career official who was recognized by the Obama administration as a “champion of change” for her work with several nonprofits researching and raising awareness about a rare autoimmune disorder known as Juvenile Myositis. Gleason previously worked in the first Trump administration in what was then called the U.S. Digital Service before leaving to work at Russell Street Ventures, which was founded by Brad Smith, another DOGE leader.

Keeping Gleason on as DOGE chief would allow the president to keep the agency’s efforts alive while following the structure of each cabinet head leading their own waste-cutting programs.

Russell Vought

As director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought has already been a central figure in DOGE’s waste-cutting efforts.

STATE DEPT SAYS DOGE’S CHANGES WILL BE PERMANENT AMID MUSK’S DEPARTURE

The Wall Street Journal reported that Vought already has plans to continue Musk’s efforts, even in his current role as OMB head. Vought is a close ally of Trump and a much more subdued personality than Musk, making him appear as a likely pick to take over DOGE. 

However, Vought does come with his own political baggage, with many on the left labeling him a “Christian nationalist” and criticizing his role as a co-author of Project 2025. Still, he was successfully confirmed by the Senate in his current role as OMB director.

Vivek Ramaswamy

A one-time GOP presidential candidate-turned key Trump ally, Vivek Ramaswamy, has been widely reported as a top contender to replace Musk at the helm of DOGE. Ramaswamy co-led DOGE alongside Musk for a short period at the start of Trump’s second term. However, he stepped down from his DOGE leadership role in February to begin his run for Ohio governor.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Though Ramaswamy shares Musk’s and Trump’s vision for cutting government waste, it would seem unlikely he would rejoin the DOGE team any time soon with his eyes on winning the keys to the Ohio governor’s mansion in 2026.

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrapped up his time as the public face of DOGE in a press conference with President Donald Trump on Monday, leaving behind a total estimated $175 billion in government cost-cutting over the past few months. 

The $175 billion in savings from slashing government contracts, selling assets, identifying improper payments, and other cost-cutting measures amounts to $1,086.96 per each individual taxpayer, according to the DOGE website. 

The cuts took place all across the government, highlighted by a complete dismantling of USAID, where 83% of the agency’s programs and 5,200 contracts were canceled following the conclusion of a six-week review by DOGE.

Trump discussed some of the other more significant cuts in the Friday press conference.

FLASHBACK: TOP FIVE WILDEST MOMENTS FROM ELON MUSK’S DOGE TENURE AS IT COMES TO AN END

“$20 million for Arab Sesame Street in the Middle East,” Trump said. “Nobody knows what that’s all about. Nobody’s been able to find it. $8 million for making mice transgenders. So they spent $8 million in making mice transgender. And those are better than many others. I could sit here all day and read things just like that.”

While some outlets, including The New York Times and BBC News, have disputed DOGE’s $175 billion estimate and argued the true number is smaller, Musk told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that the savings will continue to build, and he is confident the total cuts will amount to $1 trillion in the coming years. 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR DOGE AFTER ELON MUSK’S DEPARTURE? ‘ONLY JUST BEGUN’

“The DOGE influence will only grow stronger,” Musk said. “I liken it to a sort of person of Buddhism. It’s like a way of life so it is permeating throughout the government. And I’m confident that over time, we’ll see $1 trillion of savings, and a reduction in $1 trillion of waste, fraud reduction.”

Additionally, Musk said that the DOGE cuts would soon hit the $200 billion threshold for fiscal year 25-26.

From the start, DOGE was hit with not only a tsunami of negative press and outraged Democratic lawmakers, but also a series of lawsuits, which bogged it down in protracted legal battles as Musk struggled to reach his original estimates of $1-2 trillion in cuts. 

This, coupled with the reality of most of the major end cuts requiring congressional approval to carry out, relegated DOGE’s impact on cutting around the edges of the big programs and agencies it likely would have liked to eliminate entirely.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Musk was asked on Friday what the biggest “roadblock” was for him at DOGE.

“It’s mostly just a lot of hard work,” Musk responded. “It’s really not any one person or Congress. It’s going through really millions of line items and saying just each one of them makes sense or does not make sense.”

“Obviously, at times when you cut expenses, those who are receiving the money, whether they receive, whether they’re receiving that money legitimately or not. They do complain, and you’re not going to hear someone confessing that they received money inappropriately. Never. They’re going to always say that they received money appropriately for a report. Of course, naturally, that’s what you’d expect.”

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump offered his marital advice to French President Emmanuel Macron, after video footage was released of Macron’s wife, Brigitte, pushing the French leader in the face. 

“Make sure the door remains closed. That is not good,” Trump told reporters Friday. “No, I spoke to him, and he’s fine, they’re fine. Two really good people I know very well. And, I don’t know what that was all about, but, I know him very well, and they’re fine.” 

MACRON DISMISSES VIRAL MOMENT WITH WIFE AS ‘JOKING AROUND’ AFTER DISINFORMATION CLAIMS BACKFIRE

Trump’s comments come after video footage from the Associated Press emerged where Macron and his wife exited a plane upon landing in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sunday as part of a southeast Asia tour. The video depicts Macron at the door of the plane, and a woman’s hands appearing to shove him in the face. 

The couple, who have been married since 2007, were subsequently photographed departing the aircraft together. 

Meanwhile, Macron’s office later said the couple was engaging in a playful moment at the time of the incident. 

EMMANUEL MACRON’S WIFE SEEN SHOVING HIM IN THE FACE IN VIRAL CLIP AS FRANCE’S FIRST COUPLE ARRIVES IN VIETNAM

“It was a moment where the President and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around. It’s a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists,” Macron’s office said in a statement Tuesday. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The French leader met his now wife, Brigitte, while still a student in high school and she was a married teacher.

Macron visited Trump at the White House in February. He was the first European leader to visit the White House after Trump’s inauguration for his second term. 

FRANCE’S MACRON MEETS WITH TRUMP AT THE WHITE HOUSE

A government employee in Virginia accused of attempting to share classified information with a foreign country was held pending a detention hearing, and could face up to life in prison, or even death, depending on the details of the case brought against him, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Virginia-based Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick ordered that 28-year-old Nathan Laatsch be held pending a detention hearing scheduled for June 4.

Laatsch allegedly attempted to transmit classified national defense information or documents to a foreign government.

Depending on the details of the case, Laatsch faces “any term or years, or life…or even death,” according to DOJ prosecutor Gordon Kromberg.

US IT SPECIALIST ARRESTED AFTER ATTEMPTING TO SHARE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENT: DOJ

Laatsch, an IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) since 2019, appeared in court on Friday wearing street clothes, which were presumably the same clothes he wore when he was arrested the day before.

He was arrested after the FBI received a tip in March that someone was willing to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government.

Laatsch was a civilian employee in the DIA’s Insider Threat Division and held a top-secret security clearance, according to the DOJ. 

FORMER US ARMY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST SENTENCED FOR SELLING SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS TO CHINESE NATIONAL

An email to the FBI said that the person — later identified as Laatsch — didn’t “agree or align with the values” of the Trump administration and would be willing to share classified information that he could access, including “completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation.”

Laatsch communicated with an FBI agent, whom he believed to be a foreign government official, multiple times and would confirm that he was ready to share classified information that he transcribed onto a notepad at his desk, the DOJ said. He allegedly exfiltrated the information from his workspace multiple times over a three-day period in preparation.

The FBI set up an operation at a northern Virginia park where Laatsch was to deposit classified information “for the foreign government to retrieve,” according to the DOJ. He was observed by the FBI on or around May 1 depositing an item at the specified location.

PENTAGON LEAKER JACK TEIXEIRA RECEIVES 15 YEARS FOR SECRETS LEAK

Once he left, the DOJ said FBI agents retrieved a thumb drive from the area found to contain a message from Laatsch and multiple typed documents with information portion-marked for Secret or Top-Secret levels. His message allegedly indicated that he was sharing “a decent sample size” of classified information to demonstrate the types of things he has access to.

On May 7, after Laatsch learned that the thumb drive had been retrieved, he allegedly sent a message to the undercover agent appearing to say that he was seeking something in exchange for providing the information.

The following day, he specified that he was interested in “citizenship for your country” because he didn’t expect things in America “to improve in the long term,” the DOJ said. He also allegedly said he was “not opposed to other compensation,” but not in a place where he needed “material compensation.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Laatsch was told on May 14 by the FBI agent that the “foreign government” was ready for additional classified information. Between May 15 and May 27, he transcribed more information and began to remove it from the building by folding the notes and hiding them in his clothing.

On Thursday, Laatsch arrived at a prearranged location in northern Virginia to drop the information off to the “foreign country.” He was arrested once the FBI received the documents.

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

SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA – Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said that the Biden administration “strangled” the state of Alaska with restrictions and red tape that was beyond levels imposed on North Korea, Iran and Venezuela combined. 

“Alaska, a state that has had more sanctions, more restrictions on production of oil and gas in Alaska than everything we did to Iran and Venezuela and North Korea if they produced any combined. You know, the last administration just strangled Alaska. This awesome state of immense natural resources,” Wright said from the Reagan National Economic Forum in Simi Valley, California. 

Wright joined the inaugural Reagan National Economic Forum on Friday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to celebrate President Donald Trump‘s executive orders “unleashing American energy” and how the administration is tackling regulations that have prevented the growth of coal and nuclear energy in recent history. Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo moderated the energy-focused panel. 

He pointed to the Gulf of America and Alaska as two key areas for American energy growth, most notably in the Last Frontier State. 

US FEDERAL AGENCIES TO ‘UNLEASH’ COAL ENERGY AFTER BIDEN ‘STIFLED’ IT: ‘MINE, BABY, MINE’

“Alaska has been this great resource. It boomed and then it’s been strangled. The idea is we export oil from the north slope of Alaska, comes by pipeline to southern Alaska, and then exported,” he said. “We want to build a pipeline from the north slope of Alaska that brings natural gas, not just oil. And then an oil, a natural gas export terminal on the southern coast of Alaska that in six days can sail to Tokyo or Taiwan or Korea. And then down to our allies in East Asia. So they’re getting energy from us. But it would be awesome and great from a geopolitical stance to have a very short supply chain between a huge industrial American facility and our allies in East Asia.”

CHRIS WRIGHT CONFIRMED TO SERVE AS TRUMP’S SECRETARY OF ENERGY

Wright added that the Gulf of America is a key area of the country to build massive export terminals, where American energy can be exported to foreign nations. 

“The export terminals today are almost entirely on the Gulf of America, on the Texas and Louisiana coast. And they’re there because you can build things there. The natural gas comes from Pennsylvania, Ohio or North Dakota or Texas or Oklahoma. The gas comes from all over. But that’s where you can build these giant facilities to export it,” he said. 

TRUMP LAUNCHES ‘DECISIVE COUNTERSTRIKE’ ON DEM STATES THAT ‘WEAPONIZED’ COURTS AGAINST COAL: EXPERTS

Wright added that America was recently the largest importer of oil in the world, but has since become the largest exporter.

“We were, not long ago, the largest importer of oil in the world and the largest importer of natural gas in the world. Today, we’re the largest exporter of natural gas and a net exporter of oil,” he continued. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Who’s the biggest importer of oil in the world and the biggest importer of natural gas in the world? Both China. We have an incredible energy system advantage over China. But we should use it not just to the benefit of our country, but to bring security and tight alliances with our allies as well.”

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saved over $5 million a year after discovering several agencies paid for far more software than they were actually using.

For example, the IRS was paying for 3,000 licenses for software but only used 25. Once DOGE discovered the waste, it cut the remaining 99% of the licenses.

“Agencies often have more software licenses than employees, and the licenses are often idle (i.e. paid for, but not installed on any computer),” DOGE wrote in a post on X. “These audits have been continuously run since first posted in February.”

The Department of Labor slashed 68% of unused “project planning” software licenses, DOGE noted, and the Securities and Exchange Commission cut 78% of the remote desktop software programs it was paying for after finding the commission was only using 22% of the programs.

TOP 5 MOST OUTRAGEOUS WAYS THE GOVERNMENT HAS WASTED YOUR TAXES, AS UNCOVERED BY ELON MUSK’S DOGE

According to DOGE, the three changes saved over $5 million a year.

DOGE raised a red flag in February that agencies were paying for more software licenses than employees when it shared a post about the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

With 13,000 employees, GSA was paying for 37,000 licenses for WinZip, a program used to archive and compress files.

DOGE’S GREATEST HITS: LOOK BACK AT THE DEPARTMENT’S MOST HIGH-PROFILE CUTS DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS

The agency also pays for 19,000 training software subscriptions, 7,500 project management software seats for a division with only 5,500 employees and three different ticketing systems.

The most recent post comes as billionaire Elon Musk steps down as the face of DOGE.

While DOGE was tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the budget, its efforts led to roughly $175 billion in savings due to asset sales, contract cancellations, fraud payment cuts and other ways to eliminate costs, according to an update on DOGE’s website. 

MUSK SAYS DOGE SET TO TOP $150B IN FRAUD SAVINGS IN FY 2026

The savings translate to about $1,087 in per taxpayer, the website notes.

Musk told reporters in the Oval Office Friday the savings will continue to build, and he is confident total cuts will amount to $1 trillion in the coming years.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The DOGE influence will only grow stronger,” Musk said. “I liken it to a sort of person of Buddhism. It’s like a way of life, so it is permeating throughout the government. And I’m confident that, over time, we’ll see $1 trillion of savings, and a reduction in $1 trillion of waste, fraud reduction.”

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

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is firing back at accusations she directed staffers to create so-called “burner” accounts to boost her image online, telling Fox News Digital the claims are from “bitter exes” and lack any real proof.

“When a story relies on ‘anonymous former staffers,’ it’s journalist-speak for ‘We didn’t have anything real, so we called the bitter exes,’” Mace said, responding to a recent article published by Wired magazine.

The article cited former aides and consultants, including a deposition from political consultant Wesley Donehue, to allege Mace used burner accounts and even automated bots to amplify her political messaging. 

EXCLUSIVE: NANCY MACE UNLOADS AFTER ARREST OF TRANS ACTIVIST WHO ALLEGEDLY THREATENED TO ‘ASSASSINATE’ HER

But Mace, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, isn’t buying it.

“Unlike some folks, I don’t need a burner phone to tell the truth,” she said. “I say what I mean, I mean what I say, and I post it from my real account, with my name on it. Accountability starts there.”

At a time when anonymous sources dominate headlines, Mace is leaning into her reputation for saying the quiet part out loud.

“I’ll keep telling the uncomfortable truth,” she added. “And if it makes you squirm, good. That means you’re finally paying attention.”

NANCY MACE TORCHES CLEMSON UNIVERSITY OVER 15-GENDER MENU: ‘NOT ON MY WATCH’

Mace has built her brand on fighting for survivors of sexual assault, including her own, and advocating for policies that protect women and parental rights. She has taken public stands on legislation to preserve Title IX protections for biological women and expand access to resources for survivors of violence.

Earlier this month, she called out a transgender activist accused of threatening to “assassinate” her, saying, “You don’t have to agree with me, but threatening a mother and congresswoman with violence isn’t protest, it’s criminal.”

In the interview, Mace pointed to her real-world experience in tech, a rarity in Congress, as a major asset in crafting meaningful policy.

“Well, for starters, I actually understand the intricacies of technology, which already puts me ahead of most of Washington,” Mace said, referring to her background as a self-taught computer coder. “We’re writing policy focused on protecting your data, cracking down on cyber threats, and pushing back against Big Tech censorship.”

Her hands-on experience, she said, helps her spot both software flaws and political spin. 

“It turns out writing code teaches you to spot bugs in software and in political BS,” Mace said.

When asked how she keeps her office’s online work grounded in conservative principles like accountability and leadership, Mace didn’t miss a beat.

“I lead with facts, I speak for the people who sent me here and I don’t hide behind consultants or filtered statements,” she said. “Being accountable means saying the hard stuff, standing your ground and not running from a fight, even if it makes the media clutch their pearls.”

As for the viral video online showing what appeared to be a stack of burner phones, Mace had a laugh at the spectacle.

“About as many burner phones as Wired has credible sources for ‘burner-gate,’” she quipped.

She even poked fun at claims on social media with a tongue-in-cheek AI-generated image of herself holding two Bernese Mountain dogs outside the Capitol, captioned it, “It’s true. I have multiple berners!”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Mace made it clear she sees this controversy as more smoke than fire, one she believes won’t distract her from the work of legislating and representing her district.

Mace is the first woman to graduate from South Carolina’s Citadel and the first woman elected to represent Charleston in Congress.

Hunter Biden was seen out and about with his family in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday amid Republicans’ investigation into an alleged “conspiracy” related to his father’s cognitive decline as president. 

The embattled son of the former president toured Cape Town with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, and son, Beau Biden Jr., driving a rented Toyota sedan, a big change from the black Chevy Suburbans he was used to traveling in before President Donald Trump yanked his Secret Service detail. 

In March, Trump terminated Hunter Biden’s Secret Service detail after former President Joe Biden extended his son’s detail indefinitely. Typically, children of former presidents only enjoy Secret Service protection if they are 16 or younger.

Trump’s move to remove Hunter Biden’s detail came as the former president’s son was once again vacationing in South Africa.

FBI REOPENING INVESTIGATION INTO COCAINE FOUND AT BIDEN WHITE HOUSE

Hunter Biden and his family were seen on the Sea Point Main Road, a main thoroughfare in a wealthy part of Cape Town, paying for parking and stopping into the local butcher. Based on the images, it is apparent Hunter no longer has the luxury of a Secret Service detail.

The new pictures also mark the first time Hunter Biden has been seen publicly since his father’s public cancer announcement.

JAKE TAPPER UNLOADS ON HUNTER BIDEN AS ‘DEMONSTRABLY UNETHICAL, SLEAZY AND PRONE TO HORRIBLE DECISIONS’

Republicans are launching a new investigation into the alleged “conspiracy” behind former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. 

Senstors Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced plans to hold a Senate Judiciary hearing June 18 to look into the alleged cover-up of the 82-year-old former president’s mental decline while in office by the media and those closest to him.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The lawmakers are still gathering witnesses for the probe, which would be the first full congressional committee hearing on the subject.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued seven detainers for removal against illegal immigrants who allegedly committed two burglaries in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona, last week.

The suspects are allegedly part of a South American Theft Group that committed two burglaries in the Phoenix area cities May 23, and they were arrested by the Scottsdale Police Department at the short-term rental the group was staying in.  

“Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, criminal illegal aliens are being held accountable for victimizing Americans,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

7 MEMBERS OF SOUTH AMERICAN THEFT GROUP ARRESTED FOR PHOENIX BURGLARIES

“ICE is working alongside partner law enforcement agencies throughout the country to ensure that South American Theft Groups — like the one allegedly responsible for burglaries in California, Oregon, Washington  and Arizona — are dismantled and deported once and for all. We will not allow criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American communities,” McLaughlin added.

The suspects are Nicolas Rojas Leon, 23, Joan Sebastian Orozco-Vargas, 26, Andres David Sanchez-Novoa, 38, Natalia Isabella Ortiz-Daza, 26, Martha Juliana Echiverri-Guzman, 28, Lady Johanna Gueito, 32, and Angie Paola Herandez-Manrique, 25.

According to DHS, the group operates out of California but is originally from Colombia.

GUN-TOTING NOEM JOINS ICE AGENTS TO GO AFTER CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS IN ARIZONA

Scottsdale Police were informed by Burbank Police in California about the SATG organization May 20 after it allegedly committed other burglaries in California, Oregon and Washington. Golden State authorities shared information, like vehicle descriptions, to help them find the suspects. A French Bulldog was stolen in one of the California break-ins, and it will be returned, according to police.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

The police department was alerted to the group May 20 by the Burbank Police Department in California. 

It was warned about a SATG group from Colombia that had allegedly committed burglaries in California, Oregon and Washington and how it could be making its way to Arizona next.

Each suspect was ordered held in the Maricopa County Jail pending “numerous criminal charges” on $150,000 cash-only bonds. 

TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBER ARRESTED IN NYC WAS ‘TRYING TO BUY GRENADES,’ NOEM SAYS

South American Theft Groups have been prevalent throughout communities in California, Arizona, Colorado and nationwide, particularly in affluent areas.

Although this group originated in Colombia, SATGs, like those from Chile, have triggered bipartisan calls for visa waiver program reform. 

A string of “dinner-time burglaries” in recent years in the Grand Canyon State has ties to SATGs, Arizona’s Family reported in March 2024.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

When Fox News Digital reached out to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, it noted comments County Attorney Rachel Mitchell made at a press conference earlier this week before ICE formally announced the detainers.

“Obviously that’s a federal issue,” Mitchell said when asked about the possibility of suspects being deported. “But my understanding is that there is an ICE file stop on each of the individuals.”

Scottsdale police said they do not comment on ICE-related matters and deferred to the county attorney’s office. There are no sanctuary jurisdictions listed by the DHS in Arizona.

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

A federal appeals court paused a lower ruling blocking President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, siding with the administration Thursday in a legal fight over the White House’s use of an emergency law to enact punishing import taxes. 

The back-and-forth injected more volatility into markets this week after several weeks of relative calm, and court observers and economists told Fox News Digital they do not expect the dust to settle any time soon. 

Here’s what to know as this litigation continues to play out.

TRUMP DENOUNCES COURT’S ‘POLITICAL’ TARIFF DECISION, CALLS ON SUPREME COURT TO ACT QUICKLY

What’s happening now?

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit temporarily stayed a lower court ruling Thursday that blocked two of Trump’s sweeping tariffs from taking force.

The ruling paused a decision by the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) allowing Trump to continue to enact the 10% baseline tariff and the so-called “reciprocal tariffs” that he announced April 2 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.

It came one day after the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled unanimously to block the tariffs.

Members of the three-judge panel who were appointed by Trump, former President Barack Obama and former President Ronald Reagan, ruled unanimously that Trump had overstepped his authority under IEEPA. They noted that, as commander in chief, Trump does not have “unbounded authority” to impose tariffs under the emergency law. 

Now, lawyers for the Trump administration and the plaintiffs are tasked with complying with a fast schedule with deadlines in both courts. Plaintiffs have until 5 p.m. Monday to file their response to the Court of International Trade, according to Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel and director of litigation of the Liberty Justice Center, which represents five small businesses that sued the administration. 

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit gave plaintiffs until Thursday to file a response to the stay and the Trump administration until June 9 to file a reply, Schwab told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

The goal is to move expeditiously, and lawyers for the plaintiffs told Fox News they plan to file briefs to both courts before the deadlines to mitigate harm to their clients.

“Hopefully,” Schwab said, the quick action will allow the courts to issue rulings “more quickly than they otherwise would.”

What’s at stake?

The Trump administration praised the stay as a victory.

The appellate court stay on the CIT ruling “is a positive development for America’s industries and workers,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.

“The Trump administration remains committed to addressing our country’s national emergencies of drug trafficking and historic trade deficits with every legal authority conferred to the president in the Constitution and by Congress.”

But some economists warned that continuing to pursue the steep tariffs could backfire. 

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS 5 TRUMP TARIFF EXECUTIVE ORDERS

The bottom line for the Trump administration “is that they need to get back to a place [where] they are using these huge reciprocal tariffs and all of that as a negotiating tactic,” William Cline, an economist and senior fellow emeritus at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said in an interview. 

Cline noted that this had been the framework laid out earlier by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who had embraced the tariffs as more of an opening salvo for future trade talks, including between the U.S. and China. 

“I think the thing to keep in mind there is that Trump and Vance have this view that tariffs are beautiful because they will restore America’s Rust Belt jobs and that they’ll collect money while they’re doing it, which will contribute to fiscal growth,” said Cline, the former deputy managing director and chief economist of the Institute of International Finance.

“Those are both fantasies.”

‘AMERICAN HERO’ OR ‘FAILURE’: ELON MUSK’S DOGE DEPARTURE DIVIDES CAPITOL HILL

What happens now?

Plaintiffs and the Trump administration wait. But whether that wait is a good or bad thing depends on who is asked.

Economists noted that the longer the court process takes, the more uncertainty is injected into markets. This could slow economic growth and hurt consumers. 

For the U.S. small business owners that have sued Trump over the tariffs, it could risk potentially irreparable harm.

“Some of the harm has already taken place. And the longer it goes on, the worse it is,” said Schwab. 

The White House said it will take its tariff fight to the Supreme Court if necessary. But it’s unclear if the high court would choose to take up the case.

The challenge comes at a time when Trump’s relationship with the judiciary has come under increasing strain, which could make the high court wary to take on such a politically charged case. 

Lawyers for the plaintiffs described the case as “very likely” to be appealed to the Supreme Court, but it’s unclear whether it will move to review it.

“It’s possible that because the case is before the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, which essentially applies to the country, unlike specific appellate courts, which have certain districts, that the Supreme Court might be OK with whatever the Federal Circuit decides and then not take the case,” Schwab said. 

For now, the burden of proof shifts to the government, which must convince the court it will suffer “irreparable harm” if the injunction remains in place, a high legal standard the Trump administration must meet.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Beyond that, Schwab said, the court will weigh a balancing test. If both sides claim irreparable harm, the justices will ask, “Who is irreparably harmed more?

“And I think it’s fair to say that our clients are going to be more irreparably harmed than the United States federal government. Because our clients might not exist, and the United States federal government is certainly going to exist.”

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…

• Biden’s first public remarks since cancer diagnosis honor Gold Star families
• US intel’s take on TdA gang misses mark on ties to Maduro regime, ex-Venezuela army officer says
•  Army unveils the MV-75, tiltrotor aircraft to replace iconic assault chopper

SCOTUS Hands Trump a Win on Deportation Plans

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a lower court order that blocked the Trump administration from deporting roughly 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The decision is a near-term victory for President Donald Trump as he moves to crack down on border security and immigration priorities in his second term. 

The order stays, for now, a lower court ruling that halted Trump’s plans to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for some migrants living in the U.S., which allows individuals to live and work in the U.S. legally if they cannot work safely in their home country due to a disaster, armed conflict or other “extraordinary and temporary conditions.” 

The stay, like many emergency orders handed down by the high court, was unsigned, and did not provide an explanation for the justices’ thinking…READ MORE

White House

OUT AND ABOUT: Obamas seen together for first time in six months as analyst sees ‘no love lost’ amid divorce murmurs

IMPOSTER AT LARGE: Alleged attempt to impersonate White House chief of staff under federal investigation

‘SCRIPTED’ PRESIDENT: New book exposes Biden’s ‘scripted’ Cabinet meetings amid alleged cognitive decline cover-up

CAMPUS SPIES: Spy surge sparks Trump visa crackdown on Chinese students

FULL ‘MAGA’ AHEAD: All aboard the WMAGA? Florida congressman wants to rename DC transit for Trump

DOGE

MISSION OVER: Elon Musk’s official role at Trump’s DOGE ends, but his political impact lingers ahead of midterms

DOGE’S BARK AND BITE: The budget cuts Musk couldn’t complete and what’s next for DOGE

ELON EXODUS: Elon Musk’s DOGE departure divides Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill

OLD GUARD CHALLENGED: Two longtime House Democrats face primary challenges from younger opponents

MIDNIGHT MANEUVERS: Inside the late-night drama that led to Trump’s tax bill passing by one vote

SANCTUARY SHOWDOWN: Top congressional committees launch probe into Nashville mayor accused of blocking ICE

Across America 

AFTER THE FALL: Since Floyd riots culled monuments 5 years ago, leaders in ex-Confederate capital lament ‘s—t didn’t change’

FEWER, FASTER, GONE: CBP ends use of temporary migrant processing sites as apprehensions plummet

‘UGLY’ INDICTMENT: Wisconsin judge claims ‘absolute immunity,’ calls DOJ indictment an ‘ugly innovation’

‘PARTY LEFT ME’: Kentucky Senate Democrat switches to GOP in major blow to Dem gov Andy Beshear

CAMPUS CLASH: Harvard DHS lawsuit revives Supreme Court conflict of interest questions

OFF THE STREETS: ICE agents in Boston arrest migrant murderer, child rapists as Fox News rides along

SANCTUARY SHOWDOWN: Dem county executive dings Trump admin over sanctuary jurisdiction designation

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

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The United States should stockpile guns, ammunition and drones instead of bitcoin, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Friday at the inaugural Reagan National Economic Forum in California. 

“We shouldn’t be stockpiling bitcoins,” Dimon said when asked about how industrial policy is entwined with national security policies during a panel. “We should stockpiling guns, bullets, tanks, planes, drones, you know, rare earths. We know we need to do it. It’s not a mystery.” 

Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that operates outside of banking or government authority.  President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March establishing a Bitcoin reserve, which he described as “a virtual Fort Knox for digital gold.” 

“We should be stockpiling bullets,” he continued. “Like, you know, the military guys tell you that, you know, if there’s a war in the South China Sea, we have missiles for seven days. Okay, come on. I mean, we can’t say that with a straight face and think that’s okay. So we know what to do. We just got to now go about doing it. Get the people together, roll up our sleeves, you know, have the debates.” 

ELON MUSK SAYS US NEEDS MANY HYPERSONIC MISSILES, LONG-RANGE DRONES: ‘ANYTHING MANNED WILL DIE VERY FAST’

Dimon joined a fireside chat during the Reagan National Economic Forum in Simi Valley, California, at the Reagan Presidential Library Friday for a sweeping discussion on the economy and how the world’s “tectonic plates are shifting” in geopolitics in the form of wars, proxy terrorists and the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons. 

Dimon underscored during his address that he does not view China as America’s top adversary, and instead pointed his attention to the “enemy within” that could lead to the U.S.’ status as the world’s leader crater. 

PALANTIR’S CEO WARNS THE US IS FACING A ‘LEGITIMATION CRISIS’ AS DEFENSE EXPERTS MEET AT REAGAN FORUM

“I’m not as worried about China,” Dimon said. “China is a potential adversary. They’re doing a lot of things well, they have a lot of problems. But what I really worry about is us. Can we get our own act together, our own values, our own capability, our own management?”

“I always get asked this question: Are we going to be the reserve currency?” he said. “No. You know, if we are not the preeminent military and the preeminent economy in 40 years, we will not be the reserve currency. That’s a fact. Just read history.” 

He referred to the U.S. government as a “Leviathan” that is too weak to carry out policies, while simultaneously imposing “things on the American public that they’re getting sick of.” 

Dimon argued that instead, the U.S. needs to celebrate its long-held values.

TRUMP, GOP COULD REPRISE RONALD REAGAN’S ‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’ DEFENSE STRATEGY IN 2025

“Celebrate our virtues: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise, equal opportunity, family, God, country,” he said. “You know, and you can acknowledge the flaws that we have, which are extraordinary — what we did the Black population for years. Don’t denigrate the great things of this country, because those are two different things.”

“We don’t talk that much to each other — deal with our policies — this is the enemy within,” he continued. “We’ve got to fix our permitting our regulations our immigration our taxation, which I, I think they’re on their way. We have to fix our inner city schools, our health care system.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Reagan National Economic forum kicked off Friday, and includes panels featuring Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, lawmakers such as Sens. Mike Rounds and Bill Cassidy, and leaders from the private sector, such as the CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton, Horacio Rozanski. The bipartisan event works to promote “President Reagan‘s enduring belief in the power of the free market and individual opportunity to drive national prosperity,” according to forum organizers.