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As Easter serves as a reminder of renewal and hope for many in the Christian faith, the author of a series of new children’s books warns that the culture war and the fight for family values isn’t over.

Anthony DeStefano is a bestselling author renowned for his Christian-themed books for adults and children. His books often bring Biblical stories to life through vivid, animated storytelling. His latest, “From Bread and Wine to Saints Divine,” introduces children to the Eucharist—a central element of Catholic and Orthodox communion—in a way that’s simple and accessible. 

“If the electorate rejects wokeism, what other options does the left have? What’s their most effective strategy? It’s to go after the kids,” DeStefano told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. 

“It’s true that American voters have rejected the physical mutilation of children’s bodies through puberty blockers, sex hormones and irreversible gender transition surgeries,” DeStefano said. “But they also must recognize that the woke left, through the entertainment industry, is just as determined to mutilate the minds and souls of children through ideological propaganda. That’s a tough statement, but it’s true. Wokeness is not just about mutilating children’s bodies. It’s about mutilating children’s souls.”

POPE REMARKS ON ‘BLESSING’ THAT COMES WITH FRAILTY; SAYS ‘WAR APPEARS EVEN MORE ABSURD’ IN HIS CURRENT STATE

Children’s book author Anthony DeStefano meets with Pope John Paul II. (Anthony DeStefano)

DeStefano’s works have been published in 18 countries and translated into 12 languages. For him, the path to becoming a children’s book author wasn’t so clear-cut from the start.

A native New Yorker, he attended Manhattan’s prestigious Stuyvesant High School, known for its rigorous academics programs—and where he met his English teacher. That teacher, Frank McCourt, won the Pulitzer Prize for his memoir “Angela’s Ashes,” later adapted into a film.

McCourt’s influence on DeStefano was immediate. 

“He assigned us to write children’s books,” DeStefano recalled. “He wanted to force us to stop writing elaborately, as teenagers often do.”

“I had always wanted to be a doctor,” he said. “A surgeon, to be exact.” 

Yet, obstacles like organic chemistry and integral calculus led him to reassess his goals, he joked.

In his mid-to-late twenties, DeStefano’s life took a turn in another direction, though. He found a deep connection to the Catholic faith, influenced by the writings of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, which led him back to writing.

“I thought, ‘Ah, maybe, maybe there’s a way to combine both these great desires to be a writer and to be a doctor.’ Maybe what God really wants me to do is to be a healer of some kind, but to heal people, not with surgery, but through my writing,” he said.

CATHOLIC BISHOP AND ORTHODOX ARTIST DISCUSS MATERIALISM, SCIENTIFIC ARGUMENTS FOR CHRIST, REUNIFICATION

Children’s book author Anthony DeStefano meets with Pope Francis. (Anthony DeStefano)

“That’s the genesis of my whole writing career, and writing simply,” DeStefano said. “And then, of course, as I got older, and I recognized more and more that there was a culture war going on, I realized that children represented the front lines in that cultural war. And so I thought to myself, if I could write books that help instill timeless traditional values at an age when kids are still open, curious and impressionable, then I would be doing something meaningful to counterbalance the secular messages that bombard them from the legacy media and the entertainment world.”

In 2018, DeStefano deviated from writing children’s books and wrote “Inside the Atheist Mind: Unmasking the Religion of Those Who Say There Is No God,” which immediately drew criticism and negative reviews online. 

Of that experience, he said, “it was exhilarating,” adding that “if you’re attacked by the secular culture, then that means you’re doing your job.” For DeStefano, restoring “objective truth” of family values and faith to the current social landscape is one of the keys to reject “moral relativism” prevalent in the culture today.

CONCERNED PARENTS OF TRANS KIDS COMPARED TO ‘HATE GROUPS’ BY COLORADO DEM: WOULDN’T ‘ASK THE KKK’ FOR OPINION

The sun rises on Easter morning in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)

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“Now, Easter is the celebration of the resurrection, and that’s the ultimate proof that light conquers darkness,” he said. “The same power that rolled away the stone on Easter morning is available to us as we push back against the lies that are being fed to us.”

Americans are scrambling to obtain a state-issued REAL ID in order to travel by plane ahead of a federal deadline next month, which comes after states from coast to coast changed their laws surrounding driver’s licenses to permit illegal immigrants to drive. 

Americans will need to obtain a REAL ID, which is a federally-compliant driver’s license or other identification that meets higher standards than state-issued licenses, in order to easily travel by air, the Department of Homeland Security explains on its website. Only legal U.S. citizens or residents can obtain the identification card, while valid U.S. passports can also still be used instead of a REAL ID for domestic air travel. 

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to heighten security requirements for driver’s licenses in response to the attacks on 9/11. Though some states began complying with the law more than a decade ago, enforcement for all states had been repeatedly delayed due to the pandemic, DMV backlogs, as well as some states, such as South Carolina, initially refusing to comply. 

The move to officially enforce REAL IDs at the national level for domestic air travel comes after 19 states and Washington, D.C., put laws on the books allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. 

HOUSE REPUBLICAN’S BILL WOULD RIP FEDERAL FUNDS FROM STATES THAT GIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DRIVER’S LICENSES

REAL ID and TSA lines (Reuters/DC DMV)

The states, which stretch from New York and New Jersey to California and Washington state, changed their laws in order to allow illegal immigrants to drive freely to work, while also ensuring they meet driving skill requirements and could obtain car insurance to bolster road safety, various liberal lawmakers and immigrant advocacy groups said as they rallied support for the law changes.

“Expanding access to driver’s licenses is critical for the safety of New Jerseyans and a step toward building a stronger and fairer New Jersey for all,” New Jersey Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy, for example, said in 2019 after signing the Garden State’s legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. 

LEGAL IMMIGRANT OUTRAGED OVER MINNESOTA OFFERING DRIVER’S LICENSES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

 “Allowing residents the opportunity to obtain driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status will decrease the number of uninsured drivers and increase safety on our roads. I thank my partners in the Legislature for sending this important bill to my desk,” he added. 

A group of migrants rushes the border wall March 21, 2024, knocking down Texas National Guardsmen in the process. (James Breeden for New York Post/Mega)

Just a few months after New Jersey’s 2021 law change, the state issued 100,000 new permits, a 65% jump compared to the same three-month period in years prior, NJ Spotlight News reported at the time. 

BONDI ANNOUNCES NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST STATES ALLEGEDLY FAILING TO COMPLY WITH IMMIGRATION ACTIONS

New Jersey is among the states that have reported long wait times at DMVs as residents scramble to obtain a REAL ID to fly ahead of the May 7 deadline. 

The states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Washington state had a law on the books allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses since 1993, National Conference of State Legislatures data show, while most states, such as Illinois and California, began changing their laws starting in 2012. 

In Massachusetts in 2022, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, citing that local DMVs did not have the ability to verify the validity of foreign documents and that it would overall weaken the validity of state driver’s licenses. 

Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande are lined up for processing by Customs and Border Protection, Sept. 23, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

“I cannot sign this legislation because it requires the Registry of Motor Vehicles to issue state credentials to people without the ability to verify their identity. The Registry does not have the expertise or ability to verify the validity of many types of documents from other countries,” Baker said at the time. “Consequently, a standard Massachusetts driver’s license will no longer confirm that a person is who they say they are.” 

Massachusetts ultimately allowed illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses through a ballot initiative. 

Domestic air travelers who are in the nation illegally are required to present a valid and up-to-date photo ID to board a flight, and can show documents such as a driver’s license, a current foreign passport, a military ID or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Employment Authorization Card, and other forms of photo IDs, according to various immigrant advocacy groups. 

SANCTUARY STATE’S ‘GREEN LIGHT’ LAW IS RED FLAG FOR AMERICANS’ SAFETY, NATIONAL SECURITY: EXPERTS

The Trump administration, which has been on an illegal immigration deportation blitz, revealed in a memo last week that the REAL ID requirement will further crack down on illegal aliens moving freely around the country. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is recognized as President Donald Trump speaks during an event at the White House on April 2. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

A Department of Homeland Security memo exclusively obtained by Fox Digital last week outlined that part of the motivation for the Trump administration to enforce the REAL ID law is to prevent those in the country illegally from flying – unless they are looking to self-deport on an international flight.

“Under Biden, illegal aliens used non-compliant IDs from sanctuary cities to board flights, but REAL ID’s higher security standards make it nearly impossible to forge legitimate documents, ensuring only verified travelers can fly,” the memo states. 

“This closes the gaping vulnerabilities Biden’s policies created, preventing criminals and potential terrorists from exploiting our aviation system, as seen during 9/11 when fraudulent IDs enabled attacks,” the memo continues.

NEW JERSEY BILL TO LET ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS GET DRIVERS’ LICENSES ADVANCES TO GOVERNOR’S DESK

The agency emphasized that the measure prevents people in the country illegally from traveling within the U.S.

“DHS and TSA are clear, the only place an illegal alien should be flying is home. Under Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, illegal aliens will be barred from domestic flights, with one exception: illegal aliens self-deporting on international flights will be allowed to board without a REAL ID, encouraging their exit from the U.S.,” it states.

While many conservatives backed the REAL ID Act, both in 2005 and now, some have said it bolsters the oversight “Big Brother” holds over the country. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FLOOD DMVS IN NY AFTER NEW DRIVERS LICENSE LAW TAKES EFFECT

“Evidently, existing ID requirements for American citizens just aren’t adequate now, so Big Brother is forcing us through more hoops for the ‘right’ to travel within our own country,” former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin posted to X. 

“If you think REAL ID is about election integrity, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Someone has lied to you, or you’re engaged in wishful thinking. Please don’t shoot the messenger,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote on X last week. 

“REAL ID is a 2005 George Bush-era Patriot Act overreach that went completely unenforced until Trump got into office. Let me guess: he’s playing 4D chess and I should just go along with it?” Massie wrote in another post. 

TOP TRUMP AGENCY HYPES IMPORTANCE OF REAL ID ENFORCEMENT, CITING ONE KEY REASON

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (Reuters)

President Donald Trump, under his first administration, pushed back the REAL ID October 2020 deadline as the pandemic raged. The Biden administration’s DHS established the May 7, 2025, deadline in 2022. 

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, told Fox News Digital in a statement last week: “REAL IDs make identification harder to forge, thwarting criminals and terrorists. 81% of air travelers hold REAL ID-compliant or acceptable IDs. DHS will continue to collaborate with state, local, and airport authorities to inform the public, facilitate compliance, curb wait times and prevent fraud.”

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“DHS responds to official correspondence through official channels,” McLaughlin added.

Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump is “hopeful” Russia and Ukraine can make a deal this week after a temporary Easter ceasefire between the two countries ended.  

“Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week,” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune!”

The war between the two countries has raged for more than three years and has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people on both sides. 

PUTIN ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY EASTER CEASEFIRE IN UKRAINE WAR

President Trump says the U.S. should control Ukraine’s nuclear power plants in a security move as ceasefire negotiations commence. (Getty Images used to create Fox News Image)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of breaking their ceasefire agreement and said “the Russian army has violated Putin’s ceasefire more than two thousand times.”

“The total number of violations by the Russian army of Russia’s own ceasefire promise throughout the day reached 2,935. The highest number of shellings and assaults occurred in the Pokrovsk,” Zelenskyy wrote. 

“The Russian promise of complete silence did not spread in the Kursk direction either. In total, there were 96 Russian assaults on the front, 1,882 shelling of our positions, and in particular 812 with heavy weapons, Russian FPV drones were used more than 950 times.” — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine will remain a mirror-image and “will respond to silence with silence our strikes in defense of Russian strikes.” 

“Actions are always more eloquent than words,” Zelenskyy said. 

PUTIN CONSCRIPTS 160K MEN AS RUSSIA EYES UKRAINE OFFENSIVE

Local residents walk among the debris near a damaged house, a day after a Russian strike on a suburb of Odesa, southern Ukraine, on March 7, 2025. (OLEKSANDR GIMANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin ordered his forces to stop all military activity along the front line in the temporary Easter ceasefire until midnight, Moscow time, on Sunday.

Zelenskyy previously said that if the Easter ceasefire actually held up, he would propose extending it longer.

“That is what will reveal Russia’s true intentions – because 30 hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures,” he said. “Thirty days could give peace a chance.”

Zelenskyy added that “there is no trust in words coming from Moscow” after one of his military leaders reported that Russia had seemed to break their truce. 

“We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything. Ukraine’s Defense Forces will act rationally – responding in kind. Every Russian strike will be met with an appropriate response,” Zelenskyy said. 

ZELENSKYY SENSATIONALLY PREDICTS PUTIN ‘WILL DIE SOON’

President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., echoed Zelenskyy and said on “Face the Nation” on CBS that the likelihood of Russia upholding the deal is “entirely up to Vladimir Putin.”

“The man has never kept his word, ever, in any context, as far as I’m aware,” Fitzpatrick said. “So we have to know what we’re dealing with. Our government, I hope, knows who they’re dealing with Vladimir Putin. He’s not a man of his word. He’s not interested in peace. I hope he gets there.”

Fitzpatrick added that he felt like Secretary of State Marco Rubio is “doing a great job and understands Putin.”

“He understands the dynamic of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the history there. And I have full faith in his ability to barter a just and fair agreement,” Fitzpatrick explained. “But it’s important to remember, and this applies to all agreements where we facilitate as a nation, that it’s ultimately up to the nations to accept and abide by those conditions.” 

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“President Zelensky, the Ukrainian people desperately want peace. They’ve always wanted peace. They were a peaceful nation before Russia wrongfully invaded them, and they want to get it back. But it has got to be a just and lasting peace,” he said. 

The temporary ceasefire came after Trump on Thursday said an 80-page minerals deal will be signed with Ukraine in one week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later said it would likely be signed on April 26. 

Details on the agreement remain relatively unknown, though recent reporting by Bloomberg has suggested the U.S. has eased back its demands for repayment for its aid in Ukraine’s fight against Russia from $300 billion to $100 billion. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

Border czar Tom Homan defended sending “designated terrorists” to prisons like the one in El Salvador, saying that the “travesties” he’s seen during his decades-long career in border security justify the Trump administration’s move.

Homan appeared on ABC’s “This Week” in a pre-recorded interview that aired Sunday, where he was asked if he had any qualms about sending people to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) even if they have no criminal record. 

“If people wore my shoes for the last 40 years and seen the travesties I’ve seen, they would understand that the worst of the worst need to be sent to a prison like that because we got to protect American citizens,” Homan said. “We got to protect this country.”

Homan said his four decades of experience working in border security informed his belief.

APPEALS COURT DENIES DOJ BID TO BLOCK RETURN OF KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON

White House border czar Tom Homan talks with reporters at the White House, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“What you don’t know, what most readers don’t know, they haven’t seen and experienced what I’ve seen in my 40 years,” Homan told ABC’s Jonathan Karl. 

“I’ve talked to young girls, the youngest nine, that were raped by members of these gang cartels,” Homan continued. “I’ve held dead bodies throughout my career. I’ve talked to a hundred … angel moms and dads whose children were killed and brutally murdered by members of MS-13 who just didn’t kill them, they mutilated them, they tortured them.”

PHOTOS: GOP DELEGATION PROVIDES INSIDE LOOK AT CONTROVERSIAL EL SALVADOR PRISON HOUSING US DEPORTEES

The Trump administration’s plan of sending the “worst of the worst” migrant gang members to CECOT has caused national controversy, with some outraged Democrats accusing Trump of “kidnapping” people for deportation.

A prisoner is moved at the Terrorist Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

One Democrat, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, flew to El Salvador last week to meet with deported illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia. 

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Trump officials say Abrego Garcia was correctly removed and contend he’s a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, though Democrats argue that he was deported without due process, regardless of being an alleged gang member.

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

Justice Samuel Alito wrote a fiery dissent against a recent Supreme Court move to halt President Donald Trump’s deportations of Venezuelan criminals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

The decision, which was issued early Saturday morning, effectively blocks the deportations of Venezuelan migrants under the 18th century law. In a decision that was also signed off on by conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, the court advised the White House not to remove Venezuelans held in Texas’ Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.”

Alito disapproved of the timing of the decision, which he described as being “literally in the middle of the night.”

“[T]he Court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party, within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order,” Alito wrote.

ACLU APPEALS TO SUPREME COURT TO STOP VENEZUELAN DEPORTATIONS; BOASBERG HOLDS EMERGENCY HEARING FRIDAY NIGHT

Justice Samuel Alito issued a strongly-worded dissent against the recent SCOTUS decision to halt certain deportations. (Getty Images)

The justice, who has served on the court since 2006, was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas in his dissent.

“I refused to join the Court’s order because we had no good reason to think that, under the circumstances, issuing an order at midnight was necessary or appropriate,” Alito continued.

“Both the Executive and the Judiciary have an obligation to follow the law. The Executive must proceed under the terms of our order in Trump v. J. G. G., 604 U. S. ___ (2025) (per curiam), and this Court should follow established procedures.”

DEMOCRAT SENATOR VAN HOLLEN MEETS, SHAKES HANDS WITH ABREGO GARCIA

A Venezuelan migrant repatriated from the US walks upon arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, on April 4, 2025.  (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

Later on Saturday, counsel representing the Trump administration filed an opposition to the order. The lawyers said that the federal government gave advance notice to detainees before their deportations, allowing enough time to file habeas claims.

“The government has agreed not to remove, pursuant the AEA, those AEA detainees who do file habeas claims (including the putative class representatives),” the filing states. 

“This Court should dissolve its current administrative stay and allow the lower courts to address the relevant legal and factual questions in the first instance — including the development of a proper factual record.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) previously filed an emergency appeal arguing that federal immigration authorities appeared to have resumed the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The Supreme Court previously allowed the White House to continue the deportations in a limited capacity, as long as due process was provided.

President Donald Trump waves with Vice President JD Vance as they depart after welcoming the 2025 College Football National Champions, the Ohio State University football team, during an event on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows the deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, has only been invoked a few times in U.S. history, most recently being during World War II.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and Alexandra Koch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Democratic National Committee social media post appeared to snub the party’s most recent occupant of the Oval Office, former President Joe Biden.

“Happy Easter!” reads a post on the DNC’s official X account, which included photos of former Presidents Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton.

But the post did not include a photo of Biden, the party’s most recent president.

TRUMP SHREDS BIDEN, ‘RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS’ IN EASTER MESSAGE

President Joe Biden speaks on the Truman Balcony of the White House during the Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Biden finished his only term earlier this year, relinquishing the office to Republican President Donald Trump. While Biden was lawfully able to serve another term, he ended his re-election bid over the summer to clear the way for former Vice President Kamala Harris after concerns mounted about his advanced age.

That decision evidently weighed on him during his final weeks in office, with Biden telling reporters in late December and early January that he believed he could have beaten Trump had he continued his campaign.

President Joe Biden addresses guests during the White House Easter Egg Roll on April 1, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HOSTS EASTER DINNER WITH ‘WORSHIP AND PRAYERS’

Instead, Trump beat Harris convincingly in the Electoral College on his way to winning the popular vote for the first time in his three bids for president.

For his part, Trump did not forget Biden on Easter, taking to social media to lament how “Sleepy Joe Biden purposefully allowed Millions of CRIMINALS to enter our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, through an Open Borders Policy that will go down in history as the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated upon America.”

President Joe Biden and the Easter Bunny wave at the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House on April 10, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

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“He was, by far, our WORST and most Incompetent President, a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing – But to him, and to the person that ran and manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy Easter,” Trump added.

The DNC did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Three Department of Defense aides who were dumped from the Pentagon this week amid concerns about unauthorized leaks have raised questions about their abrupt, public departures.

In a joint statement from senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll posted to X, the military veterans questioned the action against them, noting they were given few details about the investigation.

After being placed on leave and escorted from the building this week, the employees said they were “incredibly disappointed” by the manner in which their service at the Defense Department ended. 

“Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door,” the aides wrote. “All three of us served our country honorably in uniform – for two of us, this included deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, based on our collective service, we understand the importance of information security and worked every day to protect it.”

PENTAGON’S WEEK OF POWER STRUGGLES: LEAK FALLOUT AND SHOUTING MATCHES HIT HEGSETH’S INNER CIRCLE

Former Pentagon aides Dan Caldwell, left, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll. (Concerned Veterans for America, DOD )

The statement came after chief of staff Joe Kasper confirmed to Fox News Digital Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll were ultimately fired on Friday night.

Caldwell advised on the Europe portfolio, while Selnick focused on operations, administration and personnel matters, Fox News Digital previously reported. Carroll attended to acquisitions.

Though reports surfaced about President Donald Trump telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the Pentagon would not intervene if Israel attacked Iran, officials discounted claims that the employees were booted based on their views on foreign policy.

Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll expressed in the statement that they still had not been told what they were being investigated for, if there was still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of “leaks” to begin with.

PENTAGON FIRES GREENLAND US BASE COMMANDER WHO ‘UNDERMINED’ JD VANCE AFTER PITUFFIK VISIT

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has yet to respond to the post on X. (Franco Brana/AFP via Getty Images)

Experts claim they are not entitled to an explanation until the investigation has concluded, as it is typical security protocol to limit potential suspects’ authorization and access.

Even if the investigation ends in their favor, as civilian political appointees, they can be fired at-will. If it goes the opposite way, they could lose their security clearances or face criminal charges.

“While this experience has been unconscionable, we remain supportive of the Trump-Vance Administration’s mission to make the Pentagon great again and achieve peace through strength,” the employees wrote on X. “We hope in the future to support those efforts in different capacities.”

TRUMP, HEGSETH REVEAL WHOPPING FIGURE THEY WANT FOR THE NEXT PENTAGON BUDGET

A view of the Department of Defense at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on March 14, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

At least one of the former employees is consulting with legal counsel, Fox News Digital previously reported.

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The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump wished all Americans a happy Easter in two separate messages on Sunday, with one directed at “Radical Left Lunatics” he claims are trying to derail his administration’s plans on illegal immigration and border security.

Trump posted the first Easter message on his Truth Social platform on Sunday morning.

“Melania and I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Easter! Whether you are heading out to Church or, watching Service from home, may this day be full of Peace and Joy for all who celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. HE IS RISEN!!” Trump wrote.

Just six minutes later, Trump posted a second message addressing those he called “Radical Left Lunatics” in a very different tone.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HOSTS EASTER DINNER WITH ‘WORSHIP AND PRAYERS’

“Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country,” the post read.

The president’s post continued: “Happy Easter also to the WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten!”

Trump went on to call out “Sleepy Joe Biden,” claiming the former president purposefully allowed millions of criminals into the U.S. through “an Open Borders Policy” that Trump called “the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated upon America.”

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP SHARES GOOD FRIDAY MESSAGE AHEAD OF EASTER

Trump called Biden America’s “WORST and most Incompetent President” before concluding his Easter message with mentions of the Biden autopen controversy and the 2020 presidential election.

President Donald Trump speaks as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“… and to the person that ran and manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy Easter!!!” Trump’s post read.

Trump has faced pushback in recent weeks over his administration’s plans to deport violent criminal illegal aliens under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling early Saturday morning blocking, at least for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under the act.

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The high court previously said that the Trump administration could conduct deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, as long as the suspected illegal immigrants are given due process to challenge their removal from the U.S.

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

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, took social media heat after arguing that President Donald Trump is worse than an alleged member of the notorious MS-13 gang.

“She got a bad case of [Trump Derangement Syndrome],” one social media user said of Crockett Saturday, adding that the lawmaker “knows we Texans are coming for her seat in Congress in 2026.”

The comment comes after Crockett’s interview with MSNBC host Katie Phang on Saturday, where the Democratic lawmaker said Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant who was recently deported, was “a lot less criminal” than Trump.

ASMINE CROCKETT TEARS UP AS CANCELED MSNBC HOST THANKS HER FOR ‘CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY’

Rep. Jasmine Crockett speaks during a House committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 12, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)

“I mean, we know that they admitted that they were wrong. Now they’re trying to double back and say, ‘Well, he’s this terrible person and all this kind of stuff.’ But here’s the reality. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a lot less criminal than the person that’s sitting in the White House, because last time I checked, he doesn’t have any criminal convictions,” Crockett said of the deported Garcia.

The interview also featured Crockett tearing up after Phang offered her praise for her “continuing support for democracy” on what was likely Crockett’s last appearance on the recently canceled show.

But the interview wasn’t well-received by many users on X, with one user calling the whole segment a “clown show.”

Rep. Jasmine Crockett makes an appearance on MSNBC. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

JASMINE CROCKETT INSISTS IT’S ‘NOT A CRIME’ TO ILLEGALLY CROSS THE BORDER

“She is a complete lunatic,” another user said.

“What clowns,” added another. “This is so cringe.”

For her part, Phang also appeared to get choked up during the interview while promising Crockett that she hasn’t “seen the last of me.”

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett speaks at the Shahbaz Center in New York on the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X on Feb. 21, 2025. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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“You can’t have me crying at the beginning of a show. Jasmine. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, you’re not… You haven’t seen the last of me. Thank you for being here and getting us started today. I always appreciate you,” Phang said.

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

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., recorded a confrontation with a voter over when the conservative lawmaker was going to hold her next town hall, with the exchange ending in several expletives and insults from both sides.

“Some unhinged lunatic, wearing daisy dukes, at a makeup store, got in my face today. Dems are nuts. So I went off – and I won’t be backing down,” Mace said in a post on X Saturday along with a video of the confrontation.

The video, which is just under two minutes, appears to start shortly after the exchange between Mace and the voter started, with Mace explaining that she does town halls “every year” while accusing the voter of “harassing” her.

EXCLUSIVE: NANCY MACE TARGETED BY PENNSYLVANIA MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATENING TRUMP

Republican South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace speaks during a visit to the Richland County GOP meeting. (Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“I’ve already done one, I’ll do plenty more,” Mace tells the man. “You’re always invited.”

“It’s a simple question,” the man responds.

The conversation then turns when Mace informs the man that she “voted for gay marriage twice,” a point that seemingly offended the voter.

Rep. Nancy Mace walks to the House Chambers of the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 14, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

FLORIDA CHARGES TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER, TERRORISM 

*WARNING: Graphic language*

“What does that have to do with me,” he asks. “Do you think everything about me has to do with gay marriage?”

“I do, absolutely,” Mace responds.

The conversation then quickly turns confrontational, with Mace calling the man “crazy.”

“You people on the left are absolutely f—ing crazy,” Mace tells that man. “Get out of my face.”

Rep. Nancy Mace (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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“You’re insane,” the man responds. “You’re going to be voted out so fast this year.”

Afterwards, Mace posted the exchange to social media.

“I hold the line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Try me,” she said in the post.

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

Pope Francis and Vice President JD Vance met briefly on Easter Sunday at the Casa Santa Marta, the Holy See Press Office confirmed.

“I know you have not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance told the Pope in a video shared by Vatican Media. “Thank you for seeing me.”

Francis, 88, who is still recovering from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia, received Vance in one of the reception rooms of the Vatican hotel where he lives. The pontiff offered the Catholic vice president three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance’s three young children, who did not attend, as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries.

Vance’s motorcade was on Vatican territory for 17 minutes, the Associated Press reported. 

POPE FRANCIS VISITS ROME PRISON DURING HOLY WEEK

Pope Francis appears on the central lodge of St. Peter’s Basilica to bestow the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sunday, April 20, 2025.

Francis and Vance have tangled sharply over migration and the Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants en masse.

“A cordial conversation took place,” a media release said. “During which the common commitment to protect the right to religious freedom and freedom of conscience was renewed.”

“There was also an exchange of views on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention focused on migrants, refugees and those in prison,” it continued. 

POPE FRANCIS MAKES APPEARANCE AFTER PALM SUNDAY MASS AT THE VATICAN

Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)

Francis, who has greatly cut back his workload to recover, delegated the celebration of Easter Mass to another cardinal. Francis has made caring for migrants a hallmark of his papacy.

Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, the AP reports. Following his meeting with Francis, he joined his family for Easter Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four pontifical basilicas in Rome. The Vances visited the tomb of the apostle St. Paul, who is said to be located there.

Vice President JD Vance and his family arrives at Basilica Papale di San Paolo Fuori le Mura (Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls) to attend Easter mass, in Rome, Italy, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/Pool Photo)

Vance met Saturday with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The Trump administration on Saturday released the rap sheets and photos of alleged Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members detained in Texas who the administration is trying to deport.

The suspects of the violent Venezuelan gang were going to be deported using the recently reinstated Alien Enemies Act of 1798 before the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled Saturday morning against deportations under the 18th century law.

In a decision in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union, the administration was barred from removing Venezuelans held in Texas’ Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.”

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the majority opinion. 

5 ALLEGED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS CHARGED IN RETAIL THEFTS, INCLUDING 1 SEEN SOBBING IN POLICE INTERVIEW

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem toured the El Salvador prison holding hundreds of alleged members of Tren de Aragua deported from the U.S. (Credit: Pool)

SCOTUS previously ruled the president could conduct deportations under the Alien Enemies Act as long as suspected illegal aliens were afforded due process to challenge their removal from the U.S.

“These are some of the TdA gang members detained in Texas that we are trying to deport,” a senior Trump official told Fox News.

TdA, designated a foreign terrorist organization Feb. 20 by the Department of State, has thousands of members, many of whom the White House says have unlawfully infiltrated the U.S. and are “undertaking hostile actions against the United States.”

Photos released by the administration of suspected TdA members who made the list show various tattoos, weapons, jewelry and money.

Officials also noted each suspected member’s prior criminal convictions and current charges.

Here are some of the Bluebonnet Detention Center inmates the White House claims are Venezuelan citizens and confirmed TdA members who would have been deported:

Henry Jose Romero-Gonzalez, a citizen of Venezuela, is allegedly a TdA gang member with pending criminal charges. (White House)

Henry Jose Romero-Gonzalez

Romero-Gonzalez has pending criminal charges for three counts of assault, crimes against a person and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to officials.

Photos appear to show Romero-Gonzalez in a sports car with an expensive watch and a large amount of cash, various tattoos. In one photo, Romero-Gonzalez is holding a gun while wearing a reflective work vest.

SUPREME COURT BLOCKS NEW DEPORTATIONS OF VENEZUELANS IN TEXAS UNDER 18TH CENTURY ALIEN ENEMIES ACT

Alessandro Benedikt Parades-Worwa, is allegedly a TdA gang member who faces criminal charges for aggravated assault with a weapon and pointing and presenting guns at a person. (White House)

Alessandro Benedikt Parades-Worwa

Parades-Worwa is facing criminal charges for aggravated assault with a weapon and pointing and presenting guns at a person, according to the Trump administration.

Photos appear to show a number of Parades-Worwa’s tattoos.

Cristian Andres Andrade-Vargas is allegedly a TdA gang member charged with larceny and possessing dangerous drugs. (White House)

Cristian Andres Andrade-Vargas

Andrade-Vargas is facing criminal charges for larceny and dangerous drugs, according to officials.

Photos appear to show various tattoos, including one above Andrade-Vargas’ left eyebrow.

JUSTICE KAGAN DENIES EMERGENCY APPEAL TO HALT DEPORTATION OF MEXICAN NATIONALS CLAIMING ASYLUM FROM CARTEL

Norge Yunaifer Rosales-Ceballos is allegedly a TdA gang member convicted of criminal flight to avoid prosecution. (White House)

Norge Yunaifer Rosales-Ceballos

Rosales-Ceballos was convicted of criminal flight to avoid prosecution.

He has also been charged with alien smuggling and resisting an officer.

A photo appears to show a large tattoo on Rosales-Ceballos’ neck behind his right ear.

Felix Josue Rendon-Garcia is allegedly a TdA gang member who has been charged with drug possession and possession of dangerous drugs. (White House)

Felix Josue Rendon-Garcia

Rendon-Garcia is facing criminal charges for drug possession and possession of dangerous drugs, according to the Trump administration.

Photos appear to show one of Rendon-Garcia’s tattoos with a date below it.

Darrin Moises Daza-Segura is allegedly a TdA gang member convicted of criminal burglary and larceny. (White House)

Darrin Moises Daza-Segura

Daza-Segura was convicted of criminal burglary and larceny, according to officials.

Photos appear to show various tattoos, including “VIDA” on Daza-Segura’s knuckles.

Ronny Javier Rodriguez-Tovar is allegedly a TdA gang member with multiple convictions and pending criminal charges. (White House)

Ronny Javier Rodriguez-Tovar

Rodriguez-Tovar has multiple criminal convictions including hit-and-run, battery, possession of stolen property, driving under the influence and shoplifting, according to the Trump administration.

He also has pending charges for battery, resisting an officer, simple assault and driving under the influence.

Photos appear to show an electronic device with “T.D.A.” and “Venezuela” written on it.

Howard Emis Omana is allegedly a TdA gang member who is charged with aggravated assault with a weapon. (White House)

Howard Emis Omana

Omana is facing criminal charges for aggravated assault with a weapon, according to officials.

Photos appear to show social media posts of Omana holding a gun and throwing up alleged gang signs.

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Angel Ignacio Cardenas-Bravo is allegedly a TdA gang member facing numerous criminal charges. (White House)

Angel Ignacio Cardenas-Bravo

Cardenas-Bravo is facing criminal charges for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, child neglect with great bodily harm, resisting an officer with violence, domestic violence battery, carrying a concealed gun and possession of a gun during the commission of a felony, according to the Trump administration.

FIRST ON FOX— Pro-life activist Mark Houck, who sued the Justice Department over his arrest and prosecution under the Biden administration, said his family has been blocked from settling their lawsuit by an “activist” federal judge. 

Houck filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department last year, seeking restitution for what he called “a faulty investigation” and “excessive force” after a SWAT team of around 25 people arrested him in front of his children.

Now, Houck is appealing the judge’s decision to the Third District Court and calling on the Trump administration to follow through on ending the weaponization of the DOJ against pro-lifers such as him once and for all. He discusses the case with his wife and 40 Days for Life founder Shawn Carney in a new video shared with Fox News Digital. 

“You live in fear of it happening again, not only to yourselves but to others, and you want to know that this administration, which rode this message to the White House, is willing to step in,” Houck said in the video, adding, “and they’re doing it for other organizations, they’re doing it in the DOGE, they’re doing it with all the things, they’re cleaning house.” 

PRO-LIFE JOURNALIST ASSAULTED ON STREET ASSIGNS BLAME TO DEMOCRATIC RHETORIC

Mark Houck (right) and his wife, Ryan, sit down for an interview with 40 Days for Life founder Shawn Carney. (40 Days for Life)

In an interview with Fox News Digital, 40 Days for Life President Shawn Carney said: “I just think, Democratic or Republican, we’re tired of activist judges on both sides of the political aisle.” 

“Nobody likes it – and just, this guy’s a victim,” Carney said, adding that the Justice Department “needs to fix this.”

News of the appeal, which is slated to be filed by 40 Days for Life on behalf of Houck, was shared exclusively with Fox News Digital. The group has already filed a Notice to Appeal to the courts. 

At issue are the settlement negotiations that 40 Days for Life entered into with the Justice Department in early 2025, following Trump’s inauguration.

U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond, a Bush appointee, abruptly issued a motion to dismiss the case last month, effectively ending the negotiations that had been playing out between Houck and the Trump-led Justice Department.

FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING

(Shawn Carney of 40 Days for Life spoke to Fox News Digital about Mark Houck’s appeal.)

It appears that the motion to dismiss the case had originally been filed by the Biden-led Justice Department, which charged Houck in 2021 for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE Act. 

In the video, Carney and Houck discussed the judge’s decision as well as changes in the law enforcement community more broadly, and what they hope to be new priorities of the second Trump administration.

Houck said his family is disappointed by the judge’s actions and added that “it reflects poorly against the Trump administration.”

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Carney lamented the dismissal of their lawsuit by Diamond, whom he called an “activist” judge and accused of political bias. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that the Trump administration would make it right. 

PENNSYLVANIA JURY ACQUITS PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST MARK HOUCK ON CHARGES OF OBSTRUCTING ABORTION CLINIC ACCESS

Family photo of Mark Houck, a pro-life activist arrested by the FBI, with his children.  (Thomas More Society)

“We are appealing the decision of the judge to continue the lawsuit against the DOJ,” Carney said. “And of course, if we could get back on track with that, the idea is that then we would be able to settle with DOJ, since they want to settle.”

“We have a very strong appeal,” he said of their yet-to-be-filed brief. “We’re very confident about the appeal.”

The FBI and Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment. 

Houck, a longtime volunteer with 40 Days for Life, was arrested in 2021 for his actions outside a Planned Parenthood clinic, which prosecutors said violated the so-called Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act.

He was acquitted by a Philadelphia jury, but could have faced up to eleven years in prison if convicted.

Both his high-profile arrest at home, and the lengthy prison sentence he could have faced if convicted, prompted outrage from pro-life groups, including 40 Days for Life, where Houck has volunteered since 2007. 

SUPREME COURT FREEZES ORDER TO RETURN MAN FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON

Pro-life crowd cheers over Supreme Court decision. (Joshua Comins/Fox News)

In 2023, after Houck’s acquittal, 40 Days for Life joined Houck in suing the Justice Department over the ordeal, accusing law enforcement personnel of conducting a “faulty investigation” against him, and accusing law enforcement of using “excessive force” in the FBI raid of his family home.

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Carney has weighed in on the topic before, saying in a post on X this year that 40 Days for Life was “targeted constantly by the Biden DOJ.” 

“With 1,000,000 peaceful volunteers we will always fight for free speech for pro-life and pro-abortion Americans alike. God bless Trump and Vance for backing us up,” said Carney. 

FIRST ON FOX: The White House is launching a new “Road to Independence” video lecture series leading up to America’s 250th birthday, and the Trump administration has planned a year of festivities to commemorate it. 

The series, launched the same day as the first engagement of the Revolutionary War in 1775, will commemorate important moments in American history ahead of the Trump administration’s commencement of a full year of festivities that will launch on Memorial Day in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. 

The videos are being produced in a partnership between the Department of Education and Hillsdale College, whose president appeared in an introductory video launching the series. 

“President Trump wishes to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year with an open heart,” Hillsdale President Larry P. Arnn said in his introductory video. “One of the things we must do to commemorate anything — commemorate just means to remember together — first we have to know the thing. We can’t remember it very well if we don’t know it very well. So, part of the purpose of this series of lectures is to remember.”

AHEAD OF TRUMP SPEECH TO CONGRESS, FLASHBACK TO 2017 ADDRESS ASKING ‘WHAT WILL AMERICA LOOK LIKE’ AT 250

Fireworks above the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol building during the Independence Day fireworks display in Arlington, Va., July 4, 2024. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The “Road to Independence” video series will culminate with the start of the Trump administration’s year-long festivities honoring America’s 250th birthday. 

In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a White House task force to lead the planning and execution of this “extraordinary celebration.” The White House plans to engage with the entire federal government, state and local governments, the private sector, nonprofits and educational institutions.

Arnn’s introductory message, launching the video series on Saturday, was also paired with the video series’ first episode commemorating the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Additional episodes, which will be shared on the White House website, will be released regularly to commemorate significant events related to America’s founding.

TRUMP TO CREATE TASK FORCE TO PLAN ‘EXTRAORDINARY CELEBRATION’ FOR 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICA’S INDEPENDENCE  

The Battle of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, was the first military engagement leading to America’s independence from Great Britain and the eventual signing of the Declaration of Independence. The 10-minute video shares the story of this pivotal moment in history from the perspective of Hillsdale College history professor Wilfred M. McClay

In addition to the two videos in the series, the White House is also commemorating the start of America’s fight for independence this weekend with a reading of the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, which will be posted across social media. The poem commemorates the midnight ride of Paul Revere on April 18, 1775, when he rode his horse through the night to warn Massachusetts colonists of advancing British troops.   

“President Trump signed an executive order to create the America 250 task force because he feels strongly about honoring our nation’s heritage ahead of this monumental anniversary,” Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “The ‘Road to Independence’ video series will bring the incredible story of our country to the public as we prepare to celebrate America together in July 2026.”

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HOSTS EASTER DINNER WITH ‘WORSHIP AND PRAYERS’

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump watch a flyover as they attend the Salute to America event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., July 4, 2020. (Chris Kleponis/Polaris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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During President Trump’s first term, he held a unique “Salute To America” event on the Fourth of July in 2019, which was different from typical Independence Day celebrations put on by past presidents. The event included a prominent display of military hardware with tanks parked near the National Mall and military flyovers by an array of aircraft. It also included an address on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial from the president and the typical fireworks display.

Vice President JD Vance met with the Vatican’s No. 2 official Saturday in Rome, and the pair had an “exchange of opinions” on international issues, including migrants and deportations under the Trump administration.

“There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees and prisoners,” a statement from the Vatican said after the meeting. 

“Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged.”

Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, its foreign minister.

VP VANCE SHARES SPECIAL MESSAGE TO AILING POPE FRANCIS AMID BREATHING CRISIS

Vice President JD Vance and his family met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s ecretary of state Saturday.  (Vatican Media via AP, HO)

He and Parolin “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace,” Vance’s office said. 

Pope Francis has cut back his official meetings since a bout with double pneumonia. 

The Vatican has clashed with the Trump administration over its deportation push, but the Holy See affirmed its good relations with the United States after the meeting. 

The vice president’s Vatican meeting Saturday is part of an official trip to Italy and India. 

Vance with his family at a Good Friday service in Rome Friday.  (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Vance, with second lady Usha Vance and their two young children, arrived in Rome Friday, and he met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. 

“I’m grateful every day for this job, but particularly today, where my official duties have brought me to Rome on Good Friday,” the 40-year-old wrote on his X account Friday. “I had a great meeting with Prime Minister Meloni and her team, and will head to church soon with my family in this beautiful city. I wish all Christians all over the world, but particularly those back home in the US, a blessed Good Friday. He died so that we might live.”

JD VANCE SOUNDS OFF ON DEPORTATION, ‘RATIFICATION OF BIDEN’S ILLEGAL MIGRANT INVASION’ VIA ‘FAKE LEGAL PROCESS’

Vance and his family leaving Rome’s Botanic Gardens Saturday.  (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

The meeting came a day after President Trump met with Meloni at the White House to discuss a trade deal. 

U.S. Bishop Robert Barron, who, along with being bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, is also an online evangelist and founder of Word on Fire Ministries, told Fox News Digital he “was pleased to hear that Vice President JD Vance met with Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher at the Vatican.

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“American Catholics will appreciate that our Catholic Vice President was received with such a warm welcome. I’m sure that among the many topics they addressed were immigration and the war in the Ukraine, both of which are top of mind for both the Holy See and the United States. 

“The Vice President, as a Catholic, shares a common faith with his Vatican interlocutors, but also a common language in Catholic social teaching, which brings to bear into political and cultural realities moral and theological principles, insights and recommendations.” 

The vice president is expected to leave Italy for India, the second leg of his trip, on Monday, where he’ll meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

A Democratic congresswoman from Oregon is the latest lawmaker to announce she will travel to El Salvador to advocate for the release of deported illegal migrant Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia.

Rep. Maxine Dexter, said late Friday she would jet to the Central American country following Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s, D-Md., highly publicized visit there this week when he met with Abrego Garcia, who was deported to the country’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT) megaprison with other suspected illegal migrant gang members last month.

“A legal U.S. resident has had his due process rights ripped away and is now being held indefinitely in a foreign prison,” Dexter said in a statement. “This is not just one family’s nightmare; it is a constitutional crisis that should outrage every single one of us. I will travel to El Salvador to confront this crisis head on. Our constitutional rights are on the line.”   

Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., is the latest lawmaker to announce she will travel to El Salvador to advocate for the release of deported illegal migrant Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

FEDERAL JUDGE HAMMERS DOJ ON WHEREABOUTS OF ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER FOLLOWING SCOTUS ORDER

Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. illegally in 2011 and was issued with a deportation order in 2019. Two previous judges found he was likely affiliated with MS-13.

Trump administration officials acknowledged in court that his deportation had been an administrative error, although now some top Trump officials say he was correctly removed and contend he’s a member of the notorious MS-13 gang. 

One immigration judge in 2019 found that Garcia had not sufficiently refuted evidence of MS-13 affiliation and was thus removable to anywhere other than El Salvador because of a threat from a rival gang. This is called a withholding order.

The Supreme Court acknowledges that Abrego Garcia was subject to a 2019 withholding order forbidding his removal to El Salvador and that the removal to El Salvador was “therefore illegal.” The Court stressed that the government must facilitate his release from custody in El Salvador and treat his case as if he were never deported.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Monday said that when Trump declared the violent gang a terrorist organization, Abrego Garcia was no longer eligible for any form of immigration relief in the United States.

WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BLUNTLY SHOWS WHERE PARTIES STAND ON IMMIGRATION AMID ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION

Sen. Chris Van Hollen meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador on Friday. (@nayibbukele via X)

The case has drawn a wedge between Democrats and Republicans. 

The Trump administration argues Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member who is suspected of human trafficking and has a violent history of abusing his wife. On Friday, Trump released an image of Abrego Garcia’s hand showing purported MS-13 gang tattoos. 

A 2022 Homeland Security Investigations report identified Garcia as a member of MS-13 and a suspected human trafficker. A 2021 domestic violence filing, written by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez, claimed, “I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he [has] left me.”

Democrats like Dexter say he is a hard-working Maryland resident who has had his due process rights stripped away after being sent to the notorious prison. 

On Friday, Trump released an image of Abrego Garcia’s hand showing purported MS-13 gang tattoos.  (President Trump/Truth Social)

Critics, including Republicans and Trump allies, have questioned why Van Hollen would travel abroad to advocate for someone with alleged gang ties and a record of domestic abuse while remaining silent on victims like Rachel Morin, a Maryland woman murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2023.

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The White House released a split-screen image to underscore what it says is the stark contrast between where Republicans and Democrats stand on illegal immigration.

The White House released a split-screen image overnight to underscore the stark contrast between where Republicans and Democrats stand on illegal immigration.  (The White House, Sen. Van Hollen via X)

One image featured distraught Angel Mom Patty Morin, mother of Rael Morin, being comforted by President Trump in the Oval Office. The other image showed Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., sitting and talking with Abrego Garcia, 29, in El Salvador.

“We are not the same,” the White House captioned the image while tagging Van Hollen.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner, Kerri Urbahn and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: United States Senator Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, called out Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum in a scathing letter addressing the large amount of raw sewage and waste the neighboring country has dumped in the Tijuana River.

The letter outlines Sheehy’s concern not only for the health and safety of local residents, but also points out that the toxic leak could potentially be jeopardizing U.S. national security. 

“This continuous discharge is sickening thousands of Americans annually, including U.S. Navy SEALs and Marine special forces who train in the affected waters,” the letter to the president of Mexico reads. “In February 2025, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General concluded that, absent action, Navy Special Warfare Command would be advised to cancel or relocate up to 75 percent of water training exercises at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado due to elevated bacterial contamination levels.”

EPA CHIEF TAKES ON MEXICAN ‘SEWAGE CRISIS’ FLOWING INTO US WATERS WHERE NAVY SEALS TRAIN

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference at the National Palace, in Mexico City, Mexico, on January 8, 2025. (REUTERS)

Last week, the International Boundary and Water Commission stated that Mexico is dumping 5 million gallons of sewage a day into the Tijuana rRver. The toxic waste then flows up into the United States, and can even make its way into the Pacific Ocean. 

“For decades, Mexico has been dumping toxic waste into the water where our most elite servicemen train, causing serious health issues and harming our readiness,” Sheehy told Fox News Digital. “The problem is only getting worse, and their failure to do anything about it is harming our troops and our national security. Mexico needs to put a stop to this toxic tide immediately.”

While Sheehy is sounding the alarm from Congress, local leaders have also confirmed that the Mexican government’s intentional waste dump has left residents with dangerous and harmful environmental conditions.

SCOOP: BIDEN-ERA GRANT PROGRAM DESCRIBED AS ‘GOLD BAR’ SCHEME BY TRUMP EPA ADMINISTRATOR UNDER SCRUTINY

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer patrols in a truck along the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Imperial Beach, San Diego, on Jan. 25, 2025. (Getty Images)

ARMY TAKES CONTROL OF FEDERAL LAND ALONG NEW MEXICO BORDER TO INCREASE SECURITY, PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT

“This sewage isn’t just disgusting — it’s dangerous. It contains E. coli, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, arsenic and other toxic chemicals,” San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond explained in a recent Fox News op-ed. “Our water is contaminated. Our air is polluted with aerosolized waste. Residents are reporting everything from skin infections to viral pharyngitis — and even family pets have gotten sick after exposure.”

Next Tuesday, Fox News Digital reported that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is very aware of the issue, and intends to visit a local treatment facility in San Diego to assess the harmful flow of poisonous waste entering the U.S. from Mexico. A source close to Zeldin told Fox that this is a top priority for President Donald Trump’s environmental leader. 

Montana Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy speaks during a Trump rally at Montana State University on August 9, 2024 in Bozeman, Montana. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

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“We have heard far too many horror stories of Navy SEALs – some of the bravest and brightest service members in the military – falling ill from training in waters that have been contaminated by Mexican sewage that has flown into our nation,” Zeldin told Fox on Friday. “This has been a human health crisis that has lingered for decades.”

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s, D-Md., sudden trip to El Salvador to try to free deportee Kilmar Abrego Garcia is getting the attention of critics who believe the Maryland Democrat may have violated a 1799 law prohibiting unauthorized diplomacy.

The Logan Act – named for former Pennsylvania Sen. George Logan – stipulates a fine and/or imprisonment for Americans corresponding with foreign officials “with intent to influence the[ir] measures … in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States.”

Logan met with French diplomat Charles de Talleyrand after Paris rebuffed President John Adams, and he attempted to entreat him – in part via a letter from Vice President Thomas Jefferson – to end the Franco-American hostilities of the so-called “Quasi War.”

In that way, several prominent conservatives questioned whether Van Hollen’s actions similarly violated the law.

MORE DEMS WORK TO JOIN VAN HOLLEN IN EL SALVADOR TO PUSH FOR ALLEGED GANG MEMBER’S RETURN TO US

Chris Van Hollen, right, speaks to Kilmar Garcia, left, after visiting him in El Salvador. (Reuters)

“Why hasn’t this U.S. senator been arrested for violation of the Logan Act? It’s illegal to conduct your own foreign policy,” longtime Republican consultant Roger Stone tweeted.

WMAL host Vince Coglianese read the Logan Act statute aloud and asked his audience whether Van Hollen had done what the code outlined. 

“Is Chris Van Hollen violating the Logan Act?” Coglianese said. “Because this is what they accused General [Michael] Flynn of doing … the incoming national security advisor … who was merely having conversations with foreign diplomats [after] people had chosen President Donald Trump.”

Democrats previously seized on the Logan Act when Flynn contacted Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak prior to Trump being sworn in the first time, which ultimately led to an FBI probe and tanked his public-service career.

Notes from former FBI agent Peter Strzok read, “VP: Logan Act” and suggested then-Vice President Joe Biden floated using it against Flynn, while then-FBI director Jim Comey said the Kislyak correspondence appeared “legit.”

NOT A MARYLAND MAN: GOP BLASTS DEMOCRAT SENATOR FIGHTING FOR RETURN OF SALVADORAN NATIONAL

Kilmar Garcia, a deported Salvadoran national. (Fox)

Fox News contributor Byron York responded to an X question on the matter by saying that he repeatedly argued during the Flynn matter that the act is a “dead letter.”

“But politically, it’s useful to know that Sen. Van Hollen traveled to a foreign country to bash the President of the United States.”

The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) sent a letter to Senate Ethics Committee Chairman James Lankford, R-Okla, asking to probe for violations, according to the New York Post.

AAF’s Thomas Jones said Garcia “is essentially an enemy combatant in the ongoing invasion … by transnational gangs.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Lankford for comment.

The act was last invoked by Trump critics after a book by Watergate journalist Bob Woodward claimed the mogul held several calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin between his terms in the White House.

Trump was lambasted by the “Never-Trump” Lincoln Project and Kamala Harris over Woodward’s book’s claims.

Agents also considered getting Flynn to admit to breaking the Logan Act:

“What is our goal?” one of the notes from ex-FBI counterintelligence chief Bill Priestap read: “Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”

After that situation, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., unsuccessfully sought a Logan Act repeal.

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Former Black, Manafort & Stone consultant Roger J. Stone Jr., right, one of the conservatives calling for the Logan Act to be invoked. (Reuters)

In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan suggested it be used against Rev. Jesse Jackson for his travels and communications to Cuba and Nicaragua. 

Trump previously accused both ex-Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., of violating the Logan Act via their contact with Iran in 2019 and 2020.

“It’s literally my job to meet with foreign leaders,” Murphy shot back, citing his position on a Senate Mideast subcommittee.

Ultimately, no one has been successfully prosecuted under the Logan Act, as the namesake Philadelphian himself was essentially grandfathered out.

Fox News Digital reached out to Van Hollen for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: One of the world’s leading liberal ecumenical Christian organizations published a post during Holy Week promoting climate change activism, sparking criticism from some experts who spoke to Fox News Digital.

“Training shows climate justice a moral imperative for churches,” a post on the World Council of Churches website said on Monday as the billions of Christians worldwide began observing Holy Week and commemorating the seven days leading up to Easter.

The post stated: “Exploring how churches can do more for climate justice, the World Council of Churches (WCC), in cooperation with the National Council of Churches in Bangladesh, organized a climate litigation training in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 11 April.”

In a Thursday post on X, WCC again spoke about climate change saying, “Climate crisis isn’t siloed—neither should our solutions be. At a joint seminar in India, experts push for a nexus approach to land, water & food justice.”

FLASHBACK: BIDEN PROCLAIMED TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY IN 2024 THAT COINCIDED WITH EASTER SUNDAY

The World Council of Churches has been promoting climate change activism during Holy Week. (Getty/iStock)

“Amidst the poly-crises the world is experiencing now, the role of churches and other faith actors in terms of our contributions to climate justice is more important than ever,” WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay said in Bangladesh. “Our moral voice is necessary for the urgently needed system changes.” 

Last week, WCC announced that it has “debuted its new resource on legal tools for climate justice, the focus was on hope for children—a hope strongly backed by knowledge on how churches can hold financial actors accountable for their role in perpetuating the climate crisis.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to WCC for comment. 

Dan Turner, founder and executive director of Power The Future, likened the climate change push to Christianity’s “long history of a battle against paganism.”

“It is unsurprising that neo-pagans hide behind climate change to pollute religion and push their agenda,” Turner said. “The most Christian countries have the cleanest air and water, and the greatest respect for the Earth.”

EASTER AND PASSOVER FOODS THAT AMERICANS MOST LIKE AND DISLIKE, ACCORDING TO NEW DATA

Children painting Easter eggs. (iStock)

Gabriella Hoffman, Independent Women’s Forum Center for Energy & Conservation Director, told Fox News Digital that it is not “uncommon” for religious institutions to preach the “biblical” teaching of “stewardship of the land” but that climate justice “strays from this teaching by encouraging its adherents to reject positive human interactions with nature.”

“They believe nature supersedes the needs of people. Both interests can be balanced and not at odds with each other,” Hoffman said. 

Steve Cortes, founder of the League of American Workers and a Senior Advisor for Catholic Vote, told Fox News Digital, “During Holy Week, the church should be focused on reflecting on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, instead of advancing climate hysteria. The church should be spreading the Gospel, not advance divisive legal battles that amplify fear over faith.”

The WCC, which claims 352 member church bodies from more than 120 countries, representing over 580 million Christians worldwide, has a long history of political activism on behalf of liberal causes. 

The organization has “established several highly biased and politicized subgroups,” according to NGO Monitor, some of which have been linked to anti-Israel efforts and BDS activities.

 President Donald Trump, accompanied by a person dressed as the Easter Bunny, welcomes guests with opening remarks during the 141st Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 22, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Last year, the WCC issued a statement in support of the International Criminal Court’s controversial decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the fallout from the October 7th terror attack.

Shortly after that attack, the WCC issued a statement calling for “underscor[ing] the necessity of addressing the root causes of the current conflict, which are deeply intertwined with decades of occupation, prolonged sieges on Gaza, and the systematic violation of fundamental human rights.”

The president of a prominent Christian college in Michigan reacted Thursday to President Donald Trump’s battle with Harvard University — and the billions it stands to lose due to a federal funding freeze over its response to on-campus antisemitism.

“We all have a right to free speech, but if you join the academic community, you don’t get to say whatever you want. You can’t go to physics class and talk about English Lit. Also, you can’t spit on people because they’re Jews or denounce them… because that breaks down the friendship that is necessary to the partnership of a college,” Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“Now, having said that, of course — you shouldn’t say ‘dirty Jew.’ It’s perfectly legitimate to say, ‘I don’t agree with it.’ But to say, ‘Israel took that land, and they don’t have a right to it,’ and the response would be, ‘OK, see if you can prove that.’ That’s an academic undertaking,” he said.

TRUMP ADMIN SLASHES OVER $2.2B IN FUNDING TO HARVARD AFTER SCHOOL DEFIES DEMANDS

“Shouting, preventing people from going to class, threatening them personally. That breaks down the academic community. They shouldn’t be doing that. And it’s, you know, because the [1964] Civil Rights Act is written in a certain way; if they permit that kind of activity, Harvard is in violation of that act, and that act applies to every organization in America.”

A college, being an incubator of learning, should especially be an organization to prohibit such virulent behavior outright, Arnn added.

5 CONTROVERSIES EMBROILING HARVARD UNIVERSITY AS TRUMP SEEKS TO CUT FUNDING

Earlier this month, the Trump antisemitism task force froze $2 billion in grants to Harvard, and Trump later floated stripping its tax-exempt status after the school’s administration released a statement saying it would not comply with demands.

Arnn said that, antisemitic behavior or not, there are thousands of stipulations a college must agree to in order to receive funding from the federal Department of Education.

“The government has changed so much since 1960, and it’s all over everything now, including education. And Harvard doesn’t like some recent things it’s been demanded to do, but it’s obeying hundreds of pages of rules that are detailed, and they have to comply with because they have a lot of money from the government,” he said.

Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn is criticizing Harvard University. (Getty)

“So the obvious solution would be, don’t take the money from the government, which is what we do,” he said, referring to Hillsdale.

Arnn said Hillsdale, founded in the mid-19th century in part by friends of then-Illinois attorney Abraham Lincoln, has never been as wealthy as Harvard but remains an exceptional institution.

“The fact that they are defending [themselves] is good, and maybe they should have the complete courage of their convictions and just give [the funding] up,” he said.

If the frozen funds account for the school’s annual federal contribution, it would calculate to $90,000 per student, Arnn added, noting the school also has a large endowment.

“Maybe they could make it on their own,” he said.

“Every transaction at Hillsdale College… is a voluntary transaction… [N]obody comes here unless they want to, they have to sign an honor code to come.”

President Donald Trump froze federal funding to Harvard University. (Getty Images)

Arnn compared Hillsdale’s connections to a politically budding Lincoln to Harvard’s title as the oldest college in the country, and Princeton University’s ties to Founding Fathers like President James Madison.

“If James Madison had come to college here, I would never shut up about it, right? Frederick Douglass spoke on our campus twice. I never shut up about that,” he said.

Arnn cited how the first Trump administration investigated Princeton after figures there publicized its supposed racist structures.

“[Madison] personally took pride in the fact they had kept the word ‘slave’ out of the Constitution, because although they had to make a compromise and not abolish it in certain ways, and that compromise is for a very big reason,” he said.

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Harvard University has been the subject of criticism over its response to antisemitic protests. (Reuters)

“The problem is, we have a set of principles that are perfect, but we will never serve them perfectly,” said Arnn. “[T]he attempt to do so can do a lot of harm depending on what the attempt is.”

“My suggestion [to Harvard] would be to go in the right direction. It’s written in your own history. And you should probably do it with your own resources if you don’t like bureaucrats in Washington telling you what to do,” he said.

In a statement, Harvard President Alan Garber said Harvard will “not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” and “no government… should dictate what private universities can teach, who they can admit and hire…”