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PAWAUKEE, Wis. — The liberal-leaning candidate won a high-profile and historically expensive election in Wisconsin on Tuesday, protecting progressive majority control of the battleground state’s Supreme Court, which is likely to rule on crucial issues like congressional redistricting, voting and labor rights, and abortion.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel, a former state attorney general who currently serves as a state circuit court judge in Waukesha County. Schimel, the conservative-aligned candidate in the race, was endorsed by President Donald Trump.

With a massive infusion of money from Democrat-aligned and Republican-aligned groups from outside Wisconsin, which turned the race into the most expensive judicial election in the nation’s history, the contest partially transformed into a referendum on Trump’s sweeping and controversial moves during the opening months of his second tour of duty in the White House.

Also front and center in the electoral showdown was someone who, along with Trump, was not on the ballot: billionaire Elon Musk, the president’s top donor and White House adviser.

REPUBLICANS SWEEEP SPECIAL ELECTIONS IN FLORIDA, TO HOLD ONTO TWO GOP-HELD CONGRESSIONAL SEATS

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford waves during her election night party after winning the election Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf) (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

“I never could have imagined that I’d be taking on the richest man in the world, for justice in Wisconsin. And we won,” Crawford said in her victory speech, in her home base of Madison, Wisconsin.

And pushing back against her critics, Crawford said “my promise to Wisconsin is clear. I will be a fair, impartial, and commonsense justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.”

Schimel conceded minutes after the Associated Press called the race, telling supporters in suburban Milwuakee that he had spoke to Crawford and that “the numbers aren’t going to turn around and we’re not going to pull this off.”

“We’ll get up to fight another day. But this wasn’t our day,” he added.

Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, who has taken a buzz saw to the federal government workforce as he steers Trump’s recently created Department of Government Efficiency, dished out roughly $20 million in the Wisconsin race through aligned groups in support of Schimel.

And Musk, in a controversial move, handed out $1 million checks at a rally in Green Bay on Sunday evening to two Wisconsin voters who had already cast ballots in the contest and had signed a petition to stop “activist judges.”

WHY ELON MUSK HANDED OUT MILLION DOLLAR CHECKS IN WISCONSIN 

Wisconsin’s Democrat state attorney general sued to block the payments, but the state Supreme Court refused to weigh in.

Elon Musk speaks during a town hall on Sunday, March 30, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Calling the election a “super big deal,” Musk said it was critical to the Trump agenda.

“I think this will be important for the future of civilization,” he said. “It’s that significant.”

Musk wasn’t the only mega-donor on the right playing in the Wisconsin showdown.

Shipping magnates Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, who are among the biggest conservative contributors in the nation, also provided millions in support of Schimel and the Wisconsin GOP.

“If you told me six months ago this was what was going to happen, I would not have believed it. But yeah … some parts of this are way beyond my control anymore,” Schimel said in a Fox News Digital interview during a bus tour stop Monday just outside Green Bay.

Schimel, who launched his bid 16 months ago, added that “other people can treat this how they want. If they think they want to make it a referendum on the president or Elon Musk, so be it.”

“This is a referendum on Wisconsin,” he said. “Can we restore objectivity to the Wisconsin Supreme Court?”

BIG-MONEY WI HIGH COURT RACE WILL HAVE NATIONAL EFFECTS, AS REDISTRICTING, UNIONS, TRANS ISSUES AT STAKE

Schimel also leaned in to the endorsement from Trump. A TV ad running in the closing stretch of the race spotlighted that voting for Schimel would protect Trump’s agenda. The candidate also wore a “Make America Great Again” hat at some campaign stops during the final weekend ahead of the election.

Judge Brad Schimel, the conservative-leaning candidate in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election, speaks to Republican activists in Bellevue, Wis., on March 31, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steihhauser)

Schimel spotlighted his final blitz to reach out to voters.

“We are doing six to eight rallies every single day in cities across the state,” he said. “People are turning out in huge numbers, and we’ve got other surrogates going out around the state where we’re not, doing the exact same thing. It’s absolutely about getting those voters out.”

And Schimel also got a boost from the conservative powerhouse organization Americans for Prosperity. The group said its grassroots army has connected with nearly 600,000 voters in Wisconsin since last November’s election.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before signing an executive order in the Oval Office on March 31, 2025. (Pool via AP)

Trump, who narrowly carried Wisconsin in both of his White House victories, said the state is important because its Supreme Court can settle disputes over election outcomes.

“Wisconsin’s a big state politically, and the Supreme Court has a lot to do with elections in Wisconsin,” the president said Monday at the White House. “Winning Wisconsin’s a big deal, so, therefore, the Supreme Court choice … it’s a big race.” 

Schimel’s camp and other conservatives repeatedly argued that a continuation of the liberal majority on Wisconsin’s high court could lead to unfavorable congressional redistricting in the state, which could spell doom for two Republican lawmakers: Reps. Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil, chair of the House Administration Committee.

TRUMP, OBAMA, WEIGH IN ON HIGH COURT SHOWDOWN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND

Asked about the conservatives shining a spotlight on potential congressional redistricting, Crawford told reporters on Monday that “it’s just not appropriate for me as a judge to express a view on that, especially on an issue that someday could come before the Wisconsin Supreme Court again. That’s why I don’t speak to the issue.”

Judge Susan Crawford, the liberal-leaning candidate in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election, speaks at a rally in Madison, Wis., on March 31, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Tuesday’s election was the first statewide contest held since Trump returned to the White House, and it was an opportunity for plenty of voters to vent against the president and his policies.

Crawford enjoyed a surge in fundraising, thanks in part to an energized base eager to resist Trump and Republicans.

“People are really motivated and want to make sure that we protect the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” Crawford said in a Fox News Digital interview after a rally in Madison on the eve of the election.

BATTLEGROUND STATE SHOWDOWN: DEMOCRATS TARGET ELON MUSK

Crawford argued that voters “don’t want to see some outsider, some billionaire, come in and try to buy a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is what Elon Musk is trying to do.”

At her rally, Crawford said “this election is going to determine all of our fundamental rights and freedoms.”

But Crawford also benefited from outside money, with roughly $2 million infused into the race by left-leaning financier George Soros, long a boogeyman of the right. Billionaire progressive Gov. JB Pritzker of neighboring Illinois has also spent big bucks in the race to support Crawford.

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Brad Schimel and Susan Crawford participate in a debate in Milwaukee on March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

“I have gotten some generous contributions, and we’ve raised a lot of money in this race,” she told Fox News. “But just to put that in perspective, in the last two months, Elon Musk has spent more than we have raised over the 10 months of this entire campaign, so his spending dwarfs that of any individual in any state supreme court ever and certainly one in Wisconsin.”

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Crawford and Schimel were battling to succeed liberal-leaning justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who has served on Wisconsin’s highest court for nearly three decades. Liberal-aligned justices held a 4-3 majority on the state Supreme Court heading into Tuesday’s election.

The showdown drew some top surrogates to Wisconsin, including progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and MAGA star Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son.

The Democratic National Committee, in a statement following Crawford’s victory, took aim at Musk.

“Make no mistake: Americans don’t want Elon Musk running their federal government and they don’t want him buying their local elections,” the DNC argued.

Wisconsin will enshrine the state’s voter ID law in the state constitution after voters approved the proposal on Tuesday.

The Associated Press called the vote at 9:48 p.m. EST.

Wisconsin already requires that voters have photo ID in order to participate at the polls, but the measure now elevates that law to a constitutional amendment. 

VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT PHOTO ID REQUIREMENT TO VOTE, NEW POLL SAYS

Wisconsin already required photo ID to vote, but now the law will be enshrined into the state constitution. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump celebrated the law being added to the state constitution on Truth Social after the vote was called Tuesday night.

“VOTER I.D. JUST APPROVED IN WISCONSIN ELECTION. Democrats fought hard against this, presumably so they can CHEAT. This is a BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS, MAYBE THE BIGGEST WIN OF THE NIGHT. IT SHOULD ALLOW US TO WIN WISCONSIN, LIKE I JUST DID IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, FOR MANY YEARS TO COME!” the president wrote.

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Nine states, including Wisconsin, require that voters present photo ID, though Wisconsin’s requirements are the strictest, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. There are laws in 36 states requiring or requesting that voters show some sort of identification, the NCSL said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Elon Musk visited Central Intelligence Agency headquarters on Tuesday to discuss his government efficiency program. 

The visit was the first for Musk since the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is charged with rooting out wasteful federal spending and shrinking the government. 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe who invited Musk, posted a photo of him and the tech billionaire at the spy agency headquarters. 

ATLANTIC REPORTER PUBLISHES MORE TEXTS ABOUT ATTACK ON HOUTHI TARGETS 

Elon Musk and CIA Director John Ratcliffe pictured at CIA headquarters on Tuesday. Musk visited the spy agency to discuss his government efficiency program.  (John Ratcliffe /X )

“Had a great visit and meeting with @ElonMusk to discuss his ideas and progress so far in making our government more efficient!” Radcliffe wrote. “I look forward to working with Elon and his team to ensure that CIA remains the premier intelligence Agency in the world.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the CIA. 

In the first months of the Trump administration, Musk and DOGE have attempted to slash government spending, including offering buyouts to and laying off workers en masse.

TRUMP TEAM’S SIGNAL CHAT LEAK SPARKS DEBATE OVER SECURE COMMUNICATIONS 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Elon Musk (John Ratcliffe / X)

Musk met with NSA chief Gen. Timothy Haugh last week to discuss the Trump administration’s priorities, Politico reported. 

Earlier this month, the CIA fired some probationary employees and recent hires, according to the New York Times.

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However, on Monday a federal judge in Virginia blocked the Trump administration’s move to fire more than a dozen intelligence agency employees who worked on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Republican Jimmy Patronis, the former Florida chief financial officer under Gov. Ron DeSantis, fended off his Democrat opponent and successfully won the race to succeed former Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida’s special election on Tuesday. 

President Donald Trump notably carried the district by 37 points in the 2024 election. 

The 1st Congressional District special election, in addition to the one in the 6th District to replace U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, are being viewed by some as early referendums for Trump’s second term. 

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A special election was held to determine the successor to Matt Gaetz’s Florida House seat. (AP | Reuters)

Trump voiced his support for Patronis on Tuesday morning, urging people to vote. 

“Jimmy Patronis, Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshall for the Great State of Florida, is running an incredible Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 1st Congressional District!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

“A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA. As your next Congressman, Jimmy will fight hard alongside of me to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes, Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Brave Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”

‘BLINDSIDED’: HOW STEFANIK’S TRUMP NOMINATION AS UN AMBASSADOR IMPLODED

Patronis was Florida CFO. (Tiffany Tompkins/Bradenton Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“Florida, Election Day is TODAY. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR JIMMY PATRONIS. Jimmy has my Complete and Total Endorsement — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!,” Trump added.

The Republicans had an advantage in Patronis’ race, but Valimont managed to significantly outraise her opponent, which flashed some warning signs. 

HOW TRUMP-BLOCKING JUDGES MANAGED TO GET PAST SENATE JUDICIARY HAWKS

Florida had two special elections on Tuesday. (Getty Images)

Her fundraising topped the Republican’s by a nearly five-to-one margin. 

Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives last year after Trump revealed his plan to nominate him to be attorney general. However, it became clear that the controversial House Republican had an uphill battle to get support from GOP senators. 

JOSH HAWLEY BELIEVES HIS BILL CAN STOP ‘RESISTANCE’ JUDGES FROM ‘PROVOKING A CRISIS’

Gaetz resigned in November 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Just days after Trump’s announcement, and after a number of meetings in the Senate, Gaetz officially withdrew from consideration. 

Pam Bondi was then nominated by Trump for the role and ultimately confirmed as attorney general.

Trump-endorsed Republican state Sen. Randy Fine emerged victorious in one-of-two special elections in the Sunshine State on Tuesday night.

Fine will be taking over former Congressman Mike Waltz’s seat in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, after Waltz vacated the seat to become President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor. Fine outlasted Democrat Josh Weil, a public school employee and political newcomer who raised nearly 10 times more than Fine.

Florida’s sixth district, located on the Sunshine State’s Atlantic coast from Daytona Beach to just south of Saint Augustine and inland to the outskirts of Ocala, was carried overwhelmingly by former GOP congressman Waltz in 2024. President Trump also won the 6th Congressional District in 2024 by a significant margin – 30 points.

SCOOP: TRUMP ALLY DONALDS SHOWCASES CAMPAIGN CASH SURGE SINCE ANNOUNCING FLORIDA GOVERNOR RUN

Republican state Sen. Randy Fine took on Democrat Josh Weil, a public school employee and political newcomer, during one-of-two special elections in Florida Tuesday night.  (Getty/AP)

The Republican’s victory came in the closest election for Florida’s sixth district since 2018, when former Congressman Waltz beat out his Democrat opponent by13 points. Each subsequent election, Waltz won at least 60% of the vote.

Tuesday’s unusually close race, widely seen as a referendum on President Trump’s first few months in office, carries implications for the broader battle for power in Congress.   

There were fears that a loss in both, or either, of Florida’s Tuesday special elections would deal a significant blow to the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, which has dwindled since Trump plucked numerous Republican House members, such as Waltz, to join his cabinet.

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Amid these concerns, GOP New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations was pulled.

Trump-endorsed Randy Fine won Tuesday night’s special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District. (Getty Images)

Democrat educator and political outsider Josh Weil lost to Republican state Sen. Randy Fine in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, considered a GOP stronghold.  (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Weil’s ability to drum up a campaign war chest worth nearly $10 million, dwarfed Fine’s which held a little under $1 million. However, in the final week before Tuesday’s election, outside Republican-aligned groups doled out around $1 million for advertising in an attempt to help boost Fine.

Tuesday’s victory notches one more seat in the House for Republicans, expanding their slim five-vote majority by one more.

Following Tuesday’s victory President Trump took to social media to congratulate Fine and Fine thanked the President for his support.

Lee Zeldin, who heads the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on Tuesday said she plans to visit the California-Mexico border to address issues pertaining to the “disgusting Mexican sewage” flowing into the United States. 

Zeldin will assess the toxic waste and sewage runoff from the Tijuana River, which has resulted in beach closures in San Diego County.

‘I’ll be visiting the California-Mexico border in the coming weeks where disgusting Mexican sewage is harming our precious environment in the United States,” Zeldin wrote on X. “Permanent solutions must be urgently implemented by Mexico to end decades of their filthy sewage flowing into the U.S. 

TRUMP STILL NEEDS CONGRESS’ HELP WITH PLAN TO ABOLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Sewage-fouled runoff from the Tijuana River has prompted authorities call for a solution to fix the issue.  (Reuters/Mike Blake)

Fox News Digital has reached out to the EPA. 

The issue of untreated sewage flowing from Tijuana, Mexico, into San Diego’s beaches was exacerbated earlier this year, when, in January, the Hollister Wastewater Pump Station, which transfers sewage from Tijuana to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, malfunctioned and spilled approximately 30,000 gallons of sewage into the river.

EPA chief Lee Zeldin plans a visit to San Diego County over concerns that Mexican officials are not doing enough to address sewage in the Tijuana River that pollutes beaches on the U.S. side of the border.  (Getty Images)

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who has raised the issue in the past, said he looks forward to Zeldin’s visit. 

In an X post last month, Desmond called it “one of the biggest environmental and public health crises.”

U.S. Navy SEAL candidates participate in “surf immersion” during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Center in Coronado, Calif., on May 4, 2020.  (MC1 Anthony Walker/U.S. Navy via AP, File))

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“This isn’t just a nuisance — it’s a danger. Our Navy SEALs train just north of this toxic mess,” Desmond wrote. “Local families are exposed to contaminated water. Tourism suffers. And, yet, the State of California continues to look the other way. Many politicians have made promises — but delivered nothing. That ends now.”

He said Mexico has failed to fix the problem and the U.S. has failed to hold the Mexican government accountable. 

Cars line up at the San Ysidro crossing port to cross from Tijuana in Mexico to San Diego in the US on April 4, 2019. – US President Donald Trump’s is expected to visit a section of the border fence in Calexico during his tour to California on Friday.   (GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images)

In 2018, a broken sewage pipe in Mexico resulted in millions of gallons of sewage spilling into the Tijuana River, and eventually, the Pacific Ocean. Around 12 miles of beach from the border northward had to be closed at the time. 

Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph contributed to this report. 

Democrats and Republicans repeatedly clashed on Tuesday during a lengthy hearing on what the GOP calls “activist judges” blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittees on the Constitution and on courts held the joint hearing in preparation for a House-wide vote on legislation that would limit district judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions. That bill is currently stalled, however, after an unrelated fight on proxy voting paralyzed the House floor.

During the hearing, Democrats repeatedly tried to press Republicans on the issue of judicial impeachments — something pushed by conservatives but that House GOP leaders have shown little appetite for pursuing.

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

Left: U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) attends the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Right: US President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2025.  (Getty Images)

“Some guy I’ve never heard of, he, might be in Congress, introduced an impeachment resolution, and he’s not here,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said of an impeachment resolution targeting U.S. district Judge James Boasberg by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas.

“He hasn’t been here for at least the last hour, and every witness here is in agreement that we really shouldn’t be impeaching judges. I haven’t heard a single colleague on the other side say we should be impeaching judges.”

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who was co-chairing the hearing alongside Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, asked Swalwell to yield his time — but the California Democrat refused.

“I don’t think they have anything to talk about with the bills, since they offered a similar bill, and even the solicitor general, as late as October of last year in the Biden administration, wanted exactly what we’re moving out of committee today,” Issa told Fox News Digital about Democrats’ ploy.

 U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., speaks to the media after the House of Representatives failed to pass a government funding bill at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 19, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., compared conservatives’ push to impeach judges to House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry efforts into former President Joe Biden — which ultimately did not end in any such proceedings.

“I guess we’re taking a page out of [House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s] playbook, we’re just doing fake impeachments,” Moskowitz told Fox News Digital.

But Roy, who co-led the hearing with Issa, told Fox News Digital it was about “trying to make clear that you’ve got a handful of judges acting, clearly politically, to stop the administration from acting.”

“It’s pretty clear that my Democratic colleagues prefer to defend the right of an MS-13 gang member, clearly here illegally, from being deported,” Roy said.

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

U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg has been hit with an impeachment resolution. (Getty)

But Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., another member of the committee, said at least one goal was to “raise the profile of the issue.”

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“Maybe the more headlines a hearing like this gets, it clearly sets it on the plate of Chief Justice Roberts, right, to take action and try to get control of the courts again,” he said.

It’s not immediately clear when Issa’s bill will get a vote, after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced House floor activity was canceled for the rest of this week.

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…

-HHS downsizing begins amid RFK Jr. ‘Make America Healthy Again’ push: ‘Win-win for taxpayers’

–Trump agenda upended after GOP rebellion shuts down House floor

-GOP firebrand dares Dems to condemn attacks on Elon Musk’s Tesla

Statewide election test 

Voters in two states are casting general election ballots for the first time since November, when they sent President Donald Trump back to the White House.

Wisconsin will choose a new justice on the state Supreme Court, which has a 4-3 liberal-leaning majority. Florida is holding special elections in two deep-red districts last held by Reps. Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz.

At stake: court decisions over abortion, unions and voting rights in Wisconsin, and the size of the Republican majority in the U.S. House…Read more

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Brad Schimel and Susan Crawford are seen before a televised debate Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Milwaukee.  (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

White House

TRUMP CARD: Trump-backed bills targeting activist judges, non-citizens voting head for House-wide votes

‘JUDICIAL COUP D’ETAT’: Wave of court orders blocking Trump’s agenda are a ‘judicial coup d’etat,’ Gingrich says

BAN DRAGS ON: Trump’s transgender military ban dealt legal blow after appeals court ruling

‘ELEMENT OF SURPRISE’: Trump pick for Joint Chiefs chair tells Senate ‘element of surprise’ should be guarded amid Signal chat leak

‘CLAWED BACK’: Trump Labor Department secures eye-popping sum to return to taxpayers amid DOGE push

The Labor Department is returning over $1 billion in funds to taxpayers (Getty Images)

BOASBERG AND ME: Trump allies scrutinize Judge Boasberg’s DC connections as high-stakes legal battles escalate

‘FALL GUY’: Trump commutes prison sentence of Hunter Biden’s ‘fall guy’ Jason Galanis

World Stage

RED MUTINY: Anna Paulina Luna forces House leadership’s hand on proxy voting as GOP war escalates

Capitol Hill

BOOKER STAFFER BOOKED: Cory Booker staffer arrested for allegedly carrying pistol without license at Capitol

CONTEMPT: Judge Boasberg impeachment push gains support despite House GOP leaders’ resistance

Rep. Brandon Gill has filed an impeachment resolution against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg (Getty Images)

Across America 

APRIL FOOLS: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis pokes fun at Trump with official ‘South Park’ portrait in April Fools post

BY THE NUMBERS: Election Day in Wisconsin, Florida: What to watch as conservatives face a statewide electoral test

‘PAID PUPPET’: Conservative economist funded by left wing orgs quietly leading anti-DOGE charge

‘STOLE 400,000 SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS’: Musk says Social Security scammer who allegedly ripped off 400k Americans facing imminent arrest

‘DISTURBING CASE’: Massachusetts judge charges ICE agent with contempt of court

An U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Back of ICE officer Rabanales-Pretzantzin is originally from Guatemala and entered the United States at the border in El Paso, Texas, according to Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

OFF THE HOOK: Second COVID nursing home death’s case against Cuomo tossed

SUPREME POWER: SCOTUS rulings this term could strengthen religious rights protections, expert says

‘BETTER WAY’: Blue state sheriff vows to ‘eliminate’ major tax if elected governor: ‘We will work immediately’

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

An accused MS-13 leader will remain in federal custody after a judge found probable cause to support the government’s case against him.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter of the Eastern District of Virginia made the ruling Tuesday during a detention hearing for Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, a 24-year-old Salvadoran national arrested last week in suburban Virginia.

The FBI announced Santos’s arrest on March 27 in Woodbridge, just south of Washington, D.C. He has been charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

TOP MS-13 LEADER ARRESTED IN VIRGINIA

Alleged top leader of MS-13 was arrested in Virginia on Thursday, March 27, 2025. (The Ingraham Angle)

Santos’ hearing comes shortly after court documents revealed the Trump administration had sent a Salvadoran man with protected legal status to El Salvador by mistake. 

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was removed from Maryland when the administration sent three planeloads of Salvadoran and Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” on March 15 for alleged gang affiliations.

Vice President JD Vance referenced the court documents in a social media post in response to critics, writing, “you apparently didn’t read he was a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here.” 

MASSACHUSETTS JUDGE CHARGES ICE AGENT WITH CONTEMPT OF COURT

Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove were all present during Santos’ arrest at a nearby tactical operations center.  (POOL)

Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove were all present during Santos’ arrest at a nearby tactical operations center. 

“They executed a clean, safe operation, and the bad guy’s in custody. And thanks to the FBI, we got one of the worst of the worst of the MS-13 off the streets this morning. Virginia and the country is a lot safer today,” Bondi told Fox News after the fact. 

Authorities found a 9mm handgun, three additional firearms, ammunition and two suppressors in Villatoro’s bedroom, according to court documents.

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President Donald Trump applauded the leadership on the operation, writing on social media, “Great job by Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Tom HOMAN, and Kristi N, on the capture of MS13 leader – A big deal!”

Patel echoed Trump’s sentiment, saying, “This is what can happen when you put good cops in good places to take on bad guys. And America should be watching this. And we are proud to be here standing with these brave warriors.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Santos’ attorney for comment. 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates. 

Fox News’ David Spunt, Jake Gibson, and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

A normally sleepy procedural vote ended in drama for the House of Representatives after a rebellion by Republicans against their own party forced planned chamber proceedings for the week to grind to a halt.

It puts the future in question for two key bills backed by the Trump administration that were slated to get a vote this week.

A mechanism known as a “rule vote,” which traditionally falls along party lines and is not an expression of support or opposition to specific legislation, failed on Tuesday when nine Republicans joined Democrats in an extraordinary rebuke of GOP leaders.

Speaker Mike Johnson is battling a GOP mutiny that has temporarily stalled President Trump’s agenda in Congress. (Getty Images)

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

It comes amid a weekslong battle over the ability to vote remotely for new parents in Congress.

It’s an embarrassing setback for House Republican leadership, who put on a full court press for bills that would have limited district judges’ ability to levy nationwide injunctions and would have mandated proof of citizenship to register to vote, respectively.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has been leading a bipartisan push for legislation that would allow new parents in the House to vote remotely for 12 weeks surrounding their child’s birth.

She attempted to force the bill onto the floor via a mechanism called a “discharge petition,” which would effectively end-run leaders to hold a House-wide vote on legislation, provided the petition gets support from a simple majority of the House.

Lawmakers rarely, if ever, lead discharge petitions against their own party. But Luna’s was poised for success with support from Democrats and some fellow Republicans. 

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

House GOP leaders attempted to block it, however, by inserting language in an unrelated “rules” package on Monday night that would have effectively prevented Luna’s bill from getting a vote.

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

That sparked a backlash among Republicans who either supported Luna’s efforts or opposed leaders’ attempts to change previously agreed-upon House rules – and in most cases, a combination of both.

Meanwhile, a source familiar with the House Rules Committee told Fox News Digital that some Republicans on that panel were frustrated at being kept in the dark by House leaders until the final moments before their committee vote on Tuesday morning. All Republicans on the committee voted for the rule, however.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., supported Luna’s effort. (Alex Wong)

Reps. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., Greg Steube, R-Fla., Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., were among those who voted to kill the rule.

Democrats broke out into applause after the legislation failed.

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It’s not immediately clear what House GOP leaders will do next – they could call an emergency session of the House Rules Committee to consider modified language that does not target discharge petitions.

One House Republican, however, suggested lawmakers could be sent home for the week. 

“Lots of torn up feelings. Might be better to press pause for a couple of days,” that GOP lawmaker said.

U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced on Monday that her department will return over $1 billion in unused COVID-era funding back to the taxpayer amid the Trump administration’s push for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.

In a press release, the Labor Department said $1.4 billion of unspent COVID funding will be “returned to taxpayers through the U.S. Department of Treasury’s General Fund” and added that “action” is “being taken to recover the remaining $2.9 billion.”

 “The roughly $4.3 billion was intended for states to use for temporary unemployment insurance during the pandemic,” the press release states. “Instead, several states continued spending millions of dollars despite no longer meeting necessary requirements, which was uncovered in a 2023 audit conducted by the department’s Office of Inspector General.”

The department explained in the press release that the funding originated from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in March 2020 and that the program was meant to provide expanded unemployment insurance for Americans who were not able to work during the pandemic.

EXPERT TURNS TABLES ON DEM CRITICS AFTER MUSK ACCUSES SOCIAL SECURITY OF BEING ‘PONZI SCHEME’ 

The Labor Department is returning over $1 billion in funds to taxpayers. (Getty Images)

The program was closed in 2021, the department said, but the 2023 audit “found four states were allowed to access the funding ‘despite not meeting program requirements,’ totaling over $100 million in spending.”

“There’s no reason leftover COVID unemployment funds should still be collecting dust,” DeRemer told Fox News Digital in a statement. “I promised to look out for Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars, and we are delivering at the Department of Labor.”

“Any money still sitting around for pandemic-era unemployment funds is a clear misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars,” Chavez-DeRemer said in the press release, adding that she is “rooting out waste to ensure American Workers always come First.”

LABOR SECRETARY CHAVEZ-DEREMER’S FIRST MEMO CALLS ON STAFF TO COMPLY WITH TRUMP POLICIES: ‘LET’S GET TO WORK’

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Labor Department, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Feb. 19, 2025. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said in a statement, “It’s unacceptable that billions of dollars went unchecked in a program that ended several years ago.

“In a huge win for the American taxpayer, we’ve clawed back these unused funds and will keep working to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.”

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The announcement comes after DeRemer said in her first memo to the department after taking over last month that she plans to comply with Trump’s executive orders and work with DOGE to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, our focus remains on promoting job creation, enhancing workforce development, and ensuring safe working conditions, wages, and pensions so that every American has the opportunity to succeed,” DeRemer said to employees in the memo. “I challenge each of you to actively engage with your teams to identify innovative solutions that can help us achieve our goals.” 

Chavez-DeRemer said that the Labor Department must align with the priorities of the Trump administration and “must focus on practicing fiscal responsibility, reducing unnecessary spending, and optimizing our resources to ensure that taxpayer dollars are utilized effectively.” 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report

A U.S. appeals court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s request to pause a lower court ruling that temporarily blocked its ban on transgender military service members – a near-term blow as the administration signals it may take the case to the Supreme Court.

The three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration’s request for an administrative stay, which would have allowed it to enforce the ban while a lower court weighs the case.

Instead, the appellate court decision leaves in place, for now, a preliminary injunction handed down late last month by U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle. That decision blocked the Trump administration from identifying and removing transgender service members for the near-term while the case proceeds in lower court.

“The Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s executive actions, including the Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness Executive Order, and will continue to do so,” a spokesperson for the Justice Department told Fox News Digital. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE

The Trump administration has attempted to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. armed forces, although the move is currently held up in court. (Getty Images)

The Trump administration filed its appeal to the 9th Circuit last week, seeking to overturn Judge Settle’s preliminary injunction. 

In court filings, the government argued that the transgender military policy “furthers the government’s important interests in military readiness, unit cohesion, good order and discipline, and avoiding disproportionate costs.”

However, the policy has already faced a wave of early legal challenges.

Settle, who is based in Tacoma, Washington, is not the only federal judge to block the Trump administration’s transgender military ban this year. Last month, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes also temporarily blocked Trump’s ban, citing what she described as a lack of evidence to support the administration’s stated rationale for the policy.

Reyes vehemently contested the government’s assertion that being transgender is “not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.” 

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

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, prior to her confirmation to the U.S. District Court. (Sarah Silbiger/Reuters)

Reyes noted in a scathing, 79-page ruling that transgender service members have provided a combined total of “over 130 years of military service,” have been deployed around the globe, including currently in an active combat zone, and together have earned more than 80 commendations and medals for their service. 

The three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit broke with Reyes’s order, however – agreeing to grant the Trump administration an administrative stay.

Still, the judges stressed that the stay “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits” of the case. The panel also said they reserve the right to reconsider the administrative stay if the military is found to have taken adverse action against passenger service members. 

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President Donald Trump ordered the ban in question shortly after taking office in a January executive order. The order states that the “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” – which plaintiffs have vigorously contested. 

The case is one of many that will likely be kicked up to the Supreme Court.

FIRST ON FOX: A resolution to impeach U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg is still gaining support despite House GOP leaders’ hesitation to move on such a measure.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, introduced an article of impeachment against Boasberg last month after he issued an emergency order temporarily halting the Trump administration’s deportation flights under the Alien Enemies Act.

Reps. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., signed onto the bill as co-sponsors last week, Fox News Digital was told, despite House GOP leaders signaling around the same time that they have little appetite to pursue that route.

The resolution now has 22 total co-sponsors – suggesting the effort is still alive and well among conservatives in the House Republican conference.

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

Rep. Brandon Gill, left, has filed an impeachment resolution against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, inset. (Getty Images)

President Donald Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to deport suspected Tren De Aragua gang members to a detention facility in El Salvador. 

Boasberg’s standoff with the Trump administration, which includes accusations the White House ignored his initial order that the administration has denied, has sent shock waves through Capitol Hill. 

Republicans see it as one of the most egregious examples of “rogue judges” blocking Trump’s agenda. 

Trump himself singled out Boasberg and called for his impeachment over the legal showdown.

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

House Speaker Mike Johnson talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

More than a dozen injunctions have been levied against various Trump policies, with targets ranging from birthright citizenship reform to the Department of Government Efficiency.

However, House GOP leaders are hesitant to support impeachment as a method to target Boasberg and other judges – believing it to be a less effective route to accountability.

Several rank-and-file Republican lawmakers suggested to Fox News Digital last month that they would not support such a move, giving it long odds of success in the House.

Gill’s resolution accused Boasberg of abusing his power.

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He could still force a House-wide vote on the measure by reintroducing it as a “privileged resolution,” giving leaders two legislative days to hold at least one procedural vote.

As of last week, however, Gill told Fox News Digital he had no plans to do so.

It comes as House Republicans coalesce around legislation by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to limit district judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions. That bill is expected to get a vote on Wednesday afternoon.

President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of Jason Galanis, a convicted ex-business associate of Hunter Biden, whom Trump officials described as the “fall guy” for the former first son’s business dealings. 

Galanis was sentenced in 2017 to 189 months, or 14 years, in prison, after pleading guilty to securities fraud based on bonds issued by a company affiliated with a Native American tribe in South Dakota. 

The funds were reportedly supposed to be used for certain projects, but were instead used for his personal finances. 

HUNTER BIDEN: A LOOK AT HOW THE SAGA SPANNING OVER SIX YEARS UNFOLDED

A Trump administration official told Fox News Digital that Galanis served eight years and eight months of his sentence and had an “unblemished record while in prison.” The official also said Galanis was sexually assaulted by a security guard while in prison. 

Jason Galanis worked with Hunter Biden’s partner, Devon Archer, before pleading guilty to fraud. (Facebook Profile)

The Trump official told Fox News Digital that Galanis “basically was the fall guy for Hunter Biden and Devon Archer.” The official noted Galanis was “extremely cooperative” during the 2024 House impeachment inquiry into the Biden family. 

“After serving eight years and eight months in prison on good behavior, the administration felt it was time for him to regain his liberty and go on into his private life,” the official told Fox News Digital. 

Congressional investigators interviewed Galanis while he was in prison to gather information on the Biden family’s business dealings and any “access” to then-Vice President Joe Biden. 

Galanis testified that Joe Biden was considering joining the board of a joint venture created by Hunter Biden and his business associates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party after he left the vice presidency.

JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY CONSIDERED JOINING BOARD OF CCP-LINKED COMPANY, WITNESS TESTIFIES FROM PRISON

Galanis said Joe Biden’s involvement would have brought “political access in the United States and around the world.” 

Galanis testified that he worked with Archer and Hunter Biden between 2012 and 2015. Their business together, he said, included the acquisition of Burnham & Co, a division of Drexel Burnham Lambert, combined with “other businesses in insurance and wealth management.” Galanis testified the three “owned and acquired with total audited assets of over $17 billion.”

Hunter Biden talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Dec. 13, 2023. (Jose Luis Magana/The Associated Press)

“Our objective was to build a diversified private equity platform, which would be anchored by a globally known Wall Street brand together with a globally known political name,” Galanis testified. “Our goal — that is, Hunter Biden, Devon Archer and me — was to make billions, not millions.” 

Galanis testified that “the entire value-add of Hunter Biden to our business was his family name and his access to his father, Vice President Joe Biden.

EXCLUSIVE: BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ ‘DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT

“Because of this access, I agreed to contribute equity ownership to them — Hunter and Devon — for no out-of-pocket cost from them in exchange for their ‘relationship capital,’” he told investigators.

Hunter Biden served as vice chairman of the Burnham group “and brought strategic relationships to the venture, including from Kazakhstan, Russia and China.”

Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Archer was tied to the scheme that put Galanis in prison and was convicted in 2018 for defrauding the Native American tribal entity and various investment advisory clients of tens of millions of dollars in connection with the issuance of bonds by the tribal entity and the subsequent sale of those bonds through fraudulent and deceptive means. 

The president pardoned Archer in March. 

TRUMP PARDONS FORMER HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE DEVON ARCHER

“Many people have asked me to do this. They think he was treated very unfairly. And I looked at the records, studied the records. And he was a victim of a crime, as far as I’m concerned. So we’re going to undo that. … Congratulations, Devon,” Trump said ahead of signing the pardon. 

Archer thanked Trump ahead of officially receiving the pardon Tuesday, arguing he was “the victim of a convoluted lawfare effort.”

“I want to extend my deepest thanks to President Trump,” Archer said in a comment to the New York Post regarding the pardon. “I am grateful to the president for recognizing that I was the victim of a convoluted lawfare effort intended to destroy and silence me.

“Like so many people, my life was devastated by the Biden family’s selfish disregard for the truth and for the peace of mind and happiness of others. The Bidens talk about justice, but they don’t mean it,” he said. “I am grateful that the American people are now well aware of this reality.”

Galanis and Archer testified as part of the House impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden. The House of Representatives found, after months of investigating, that Biden had engaged in “impeachable conduct.” In their nearly 300-page report, House lawmakers said he had “abused his office” and “defrauded the United States to enrich his family.”  

BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE

Republicans said there is “overwhelming evidence” that Biden had participated in a “conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family.” They alleged that the Biden family and their business associates had received tens of millions of dollars from foreign interests by “leading those interests to believe that such payments would provide them access to and influence with President Biden.” 

Before leaving office, President Biden announced a blanket pardon that applied to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024. 

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“From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” President Joe Biden said. “There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”

Biden added, “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.” 

Two key bills backed by President Donald Trump are expected to get a vote this week as Republican lawmakers continue their first 100-day sprint of trying to enact the White House’s agenda.

The No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA Act) by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., would limit district court judges’ ability to issue orders blocking Trump policies nationwide. Additionally, the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is aimed at requiring proof of citizenship in the voting registration process.

It signifies Trump’s continued dominance over congressional Republicans’ agenda, at a time when Democrats are struggling to coalesce around a singular message or leader.

MIGRANT INFLUENCER MOCKS US TAXPAYERS WHO ‘WORK LIKE SLAVES’ WHILE WAVING CASH IN LATEST VIDEOS

House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, shakes hands with then-President-elect Donald Trump onstage at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The former legislation is a response to Trump’s ongoing standoff with judges paralyzing his agenda, while the latter is a bill that the president and his allies have long pushed for.

The bills advanced through the House Rules Committee on Tuesday in an expected party-line vote.

An original plan to have the bills voted through the panel on Monday night was upended after House GOP leaders attempted to insert language into the joint “rule” that would have killed an unrelated bid by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., to install remote voting for new parents in the House.

It led to a brief hold-up on Tuesday morning before the language blocking Luna was ultimately included in the measure.

The Rules Committee acts as the final gatekeeper to legislation before it’s considered House-wide.  The next step will be a procedural “rule” vote expected on Tuesday afternoon. If passed, that will set up lawmakers to debate both bills before voting sometime this week.

Issa’s bill is coming for a House-wide vote on Wednesday afternoon as Trump is pushing his congressional allies to fight back against what Republicans view as “activist judges” trying to block their agenda.

Rep. Darrell Issa attends the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Two people familiar with discussions said earlier this month that Capitol Hill aides were told Trump “likes” the bill. Meanwhile, Roy’s bill has been pushed by both Trump and various conservative groups since before the 2024 election.

Democrats have argued that if passed, it would disenfranchise women by making it harder for married women who have changed their last names to vote. Republicans say it is a necessary crackdown to prevent illegal immigrants from voting in federal elections, which is already against the law.

The SAVE Act passed the House with five Democrats voting in favor of the bill in July last year, but was never taken up by the Senate, then controlled by now-Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

PROPOSED BILL IN CONGRESS TO COMBAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SQUATTING WOULD MAKE PRACTICE A DEPORTABLE OFFENSE

Rep. Chip Roy is seen outside the U.S. Capitol after the last votes before the August recess on July 25, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

House GOP leaders called on lawmakers on both sides to support this bill this week, however. It’s expected to come for a House-wide vote on Thursday morning.

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“American citizens — and only American citizens — should decide American elections,” House GOP leaders said in a joint statement. 

“This legislation cements into law President Trump’s executive action to secure our voter registration process and protect the voices of American voters. We urge all our colleagues in the House to join us in doing what the overwhelming majority of people in this country rightfully demand and deserve.”

The Democratic base has howled for weeks at congressional Democrats to “fight” and stand up to President Donald Trump.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., tried to address that with his overnight speech, railing against Trump and Elon Musk.

What you are also seeing is a proxy battle for the eventual fight to succeed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Schumer isn’t going to be ousted anytime soon, but moves like this by Booker are ways that senators with high aspirations make a mark and win the support of their colleagues.

BOOKER DELIVERING MARATHON SENATE SPEECH AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN, ELON MUSK: ‘INFLICTED SO MUCH HARM’

Sen. Cory Booker speaks at a rally in support of USAid on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla)

Late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., gave a similar stemwinder of a speech when he was the whip. That won Reid plaudits from his Democratic colleagues.

Booker began speaking around 7 p.m. ET Monday. The question is whether this constitutes a “filibuster” or is just a really long speech. From a parliamentary standpoint, a long speech does not necessarily constitute a filibuster.

A filibuster is used to block or delay something on the floor, and it may not require a speech at all. The filibuster is sometimes misconstrued, thanks to Hollywood and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”

Technically, Booker is not delaying anything. The Senate had no pending debate or vote to get to right away. So, he’s actually not filibustering; he’s just making a long-winded speech.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO GO TO WAR WITH ‘ROGUE JUDGES’ BLOCKING TRUMP’S AGENDA: HERE’S THEIR PLAN

Sen. Cory Booker listens as U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 22, 2022 in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Senate voted last night to overcome a filibuster on the nomination of Matt Whitaker to become Ambassador to NATO. By rule, opponents have up to 30 hours to burn before the Senate must vote to confirm him. The Senate was expected to confirm Whitaker today, but that vote was not on the books yet. So, technically Booker had until 1 a.m.-ish Wednesday to speak. By rule, the Senate would automatically vote on confirming Whitaker. That’s why this wasn’t TECHNICALLY a filibuster. 

The Senate allows for virtually unlimited debate, so Booker is taking advantage of that prerogative. 

If Booker wants to maintain the floor, he must remain standing at all times. Otherwise, he could lose control of the floor. 

Note that Booker did not speak the entire time. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has given Booker a periodic time out. Murphy himself gave an all-night speech about guns in 2016. He is also someone to watch as a potential, eventual successor to Schumer. 

Sen. Chris Murphy speaks during a press conference following the Democrats’ weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 21, 2025 in Washington. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

In order to keep the floor, Booker has occasionally yielded to Murphy “for a question.” Yielding “for a question” allows a senator to keep control of the floor. Murphy has then enjoined Booker by also giving rather lengthy speeches – so long that there is an interrogative at the end. 

In Senate terms, this is akin to calling in a relief pitcher from the bullpen for a batter or two. Kind of like a double switch. In baseball, a manager occasionally pulls a pitcher, brings someone in from the bullpen and puts the original pitcher in a fielder’s position – then returns them to the mound after a batter. That keeps the original pitcher in the game. 

Thus, Booker remains “in the game.”

Late Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., holds the record for the longest filibuster: 24 hours and 18 minutes on a piece of civil rights legislation in 1957. 

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However, Thurmond’s filibuster was “wind assisted.” There was no television or social media. Most reporters didn’t realize he had been on the floor all night until the next day. He left the floor to use the restroom. Get a sandwich. Allowed Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, D-Texas, to pass bills by unanimous consent and swear-in a new senator. 

But because watchful eyes weren’t on the Senate, no one called Thurmond on it.

Vice President JD Vance responded to comments asking him about the Trump administration admitting to sending a Salvadoran man with protected legal status to the megaprison in El Salvador by mistake.

“It’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize,” Vance wrote on X in response to a question about the error from “Pod Save America” host Jon Favreau.

The administration’s attorneys acknowledged in a court filing on Monday that it sent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador by mistake, which was first reported by The Atlantic. However, the administration also claimed that U.S. courts lack jurisdiction to order his return from the prison where he is behind bars.

Abrego Garcia was removed from Maryland when the administration sent three planeloads of Salvadoran and Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” on March 15 for alleged gang affiliations.

FEDERAL JUDGE POSTPONES DHS’S ATTEMPT TO END TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR VENEZUELANS

The Trump administration’s attorneys acknowledged in a court filing Monday that it removed Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man with protected legal status, and sent him to El Salvador by mistake. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Attorneys for several removed Venezuelan migrants have emphasized that the administration has falsely labeled several of the removed migrants as gang members based on their tattoos, though administration officials have repeatedly stated those sent to the prison are the “worst of the worst.”

Certain tattoos flagged as gang-affiliated, which could lead to a migrant’s removal, include art of things like a crown or NBA legend Michael Jordan’s famous “Jumpman” logo rather than only symbols of a notable gang in El Salvador or Venezuela.

The administration maintains that those tattoos have gang affiliations.

DHS’ KRISTI NOEM SAYS TRUMP ADMIN WILL RESUME CONSTRUCTION OF 7 MILES OF SOUTHERN BORDER 

The administration has been accused of falsely labeling several of the removed migrants as gang members based on their tattoos. (Getty Images)

While responding to Favreau, who served as an aide to former President Barack Obama, Vance said “you apparently didn’t read he was a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here” – referencing the court filing.

“My further comment is that it’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize,” the vice president added.

The court filing states that Abrego Garcia was denied bond in 2019 over an informant’s allegation that he was a member of MS-13, but he has not been convicted.

Vice President JD Vance said “it’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize.” (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Court filings also show Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. in 2011 at the age of 16 after fleeing gang threats in El Salvador, The Atlantic reported. 

Eight years later, a judge granted him a form of protected status known as “withholding of removal” after finding that he would likely be a target of Salvadoran gangs if deported to his native country.

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

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke out against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on the Senate floor throughout the night after beginning his marathon speech at 7 p.m. Monday.

The senator was still speaking on the floor at 6 a.m. Tuesday, 11 hours after he had begun.

Booker received some support from other Senate Democrats, whom he allowed to speak at times, during his hourslong show of opposition against the Trump administration.

DEM SENATOR SAYS PARTY BRAND IS ‘REALLY PROBLEMATIC’ AND LED TO THE LOSS OF TRUST OF WORKING-CLASS VOTERS

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., leaves the Senate Democrats’ lunch meeting in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Booker said toward the beginning of his speech that Trump, in 71 days, “has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy, and even our aspirations as a people for, from our highest offices, a sense of common decency.”

DEM SENATOR BEHIND SOCIAL MEDIA FAIL RESPONDS TO ELON MUSK’S OFFER

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who said he planned to join Booker “for the entirety of his speech,” noted that he was “returning the favor” as Booker joined him when he “launched a filibuster to demand action on gun violence nine years ago.”

Murphy was among the Democrats who provided Booker with some relief by speaking at times to punctuate the marathon session.

In the social media video, Murphy described his colleague’s effort as “extraordinary.”

JEN PSAKI CALLS OUT THE ‘WORST’ MEDIA TRAINING ADVICE GIVEN TO DEMOCRATS

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Booker said in a video before he began his demonstration that he plans to continue speaking as long as he is “physically able.”

President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the U.S.’s top military officer is set to take the hot seat before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. 

Lt. Gen. Daniel “Razin” Caine was plucked to replace Gen. C.Q. Brown, who Trump relieved of his role as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last month. It will be Caine’s first highly publicized remarks since the shakeup. After testifying before the committee, he will have to pass a committee vote and then a full Senate vote. 

If confirmed, Caine would serve as a go-to adviser for both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. 

TRUMP NOMINATES AIR FORCE LT. GEN. DAN ‘RAZIN’ CAINE FOR JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN

President Donald Trump nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last month. (U.S. Air Force)

Caine first caught the eye of the president years ago, when he was among a group of military leaders who met with Trump in December 2018 at the Al Asad Airbase in Iraq. 

Trump was visiting to deliver a Christmas message and hear from commanders on the ground. There, Caine told Trump they could defeat ISIS quickly with a surge of resources and a lifting of restrictions on engagement – a different message than the president was getting back in Washington. 

“We’re only hitting them from a temporary base in Syria,” Trump said Caine told him. “But if you gave us permission, we could hit them from the back, from the side, from all over – from the base that you’re right on, right now, sir. They won’t know what the hell hit them.” 

Trump had plucked the retired Air Force general from relative obscurity after accusing Brown of pushing a “woke” agenda at the Pentagon. Brown had been behind a 2022 memo laying out diversity goals for the Air Force. 

Caine does not meet the position’s prerequisites, such as being a combatant commander or service chief, and will require a waiver to be confirmed to the position. 

VANCE VISITS CAPITOL HILL TO URGE SENATORS TO CONFIRM ELBRIDGE COLBY FOR PENTAGON NO. 3 POST

Air Force Brig. Gen. Daniel Caine, second from left, deputy commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, walks through Mosul, Iraq, with residents and Iraqi Security Forces, June 26, 2018. (Army Spc. Keisha Brown/DOD )

Caine’s reputation as an aggressive fighter pilot earned him the nickname “Razin Caine.” 

Caine, who flew F-16s, also spent time as the top military liaison to the CIA, an Air National Guard officer and regional airline founder in Texas. He was a White House fellow at the Agriculture Department and a counterterrorism specialist on the White House’s Homeland Security Council.

From 2018-19, he was the deputy commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, which has been fighting the Islamic State since 2014. Little is publicly known about his role in that operation. The role of airstrikes, however, grew during that time, including clandestine ones, and Trump designated airstrike approval to commanders rather than the White House. 

Critics viewed Caine as an unconventional pick who lacked the experience for the job – he had already retired from the military and held the rank of three-star general, not four.

President Donald Trump relieved Gen. C.Q. Brown, a former President Joe Biden holdover whose term was not yet up, from the Joint Chiefs chairman job last month. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

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If confirmed, he would be tasked with providing the president with military advice at a time when Trump has toyed with bombing Iran and the Pentagon is shoring up its capabilities to ensure America is capable of winning a hypothetical war with China. 

The Pentagon is also in the midst of a major modernization push to integrate AI across its systems and will soon take up the monumental task of putting a “Golden Dome” over the U.S. homeland. It is currently trying to whittle down its civilian workforce by more than 50,000 people and identify waste in the agency with the largest budget. 

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is resigning from the House Freedom Caucus, she announced in a letter to fellow conservatives on Monday.

It’s the latest escalation in her fight against House GOP leaders and a small group of members on the right flank of their conference over the issue of proxy voting. Luna has teamed up with Democrats and several other Republicans on a mechanism aimed at forcing consideration of legislation that allows new parents in the House to vote remotely for 12 weeks around their baby’s birth.

“I have consistently supported each of you, even in moments of disagreement, honoring the mutual respect that has guided our caucus,” Luna wrote. “That respect, however, was shattered last week.”

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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., resigned from the House Freedom Caucus (Getty Images)

The focus of her anger is a brief incident from earlier this month when a group of House conservatives held up a chamber-wide vote on unrelated legislation to press GOP leaders to kill Luna’s measure – known as a “discharge petition.”

A discharge petition allows lawmakers to force a bill onto the House floor, despite objections from leadership, provided the mechanism gets signatures from a majority of the chamber.

“Acting within the House conference rules – rules we all agreed to – I sought to bring a vote to the floor on a measure that would allow new mothers in Congress (fewer than 14 in our nation’s history) and fathers, if they choose, to vote by proxy,” Luna continued. 

 “This was a modest, family-centered proposal. Yet, a small group among us threatened the Speaker, vowing to halt floor proceedings indefinitely – regardless of the legislation at stake, including President Trump’s agenda – unless he altered the rules to block my discharge petition.”

She praised House Freedom Caucus chair Andy Harris’ conduct (Getty Images)

She shared praise for House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., whose conduct she called “gentlemanly,” but added, “With a heavy heart, I am resigning from the Freedom Caucus.”

“I cannot remain part of a caucus where a select few operate outside its guidelines, misuse its name, broker backroom deals that undermine its core values and where the lines of compromise and transaction are blurred, disparage me to the press, and encourage misrepresentation of me to the American people,” Luna wrote.

She will be the first House Freedom Caucus member to leave the group, which does not advertise its membership, in the 119th Congress.

The most recent departures before Luna include Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Randy Weber, R-Texas, who were both pushed out, and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who left during the shakeup.

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Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he believed proxy voting was “unconstitutional” in remarks after House Republicans’ weekly closed-door meeting on Tuesday.

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“We addressed this in conference this morning. A couple of our, a handful of our colleagues, have gotten behind the effort, and, look, I’m a father. I’m pro-family,” the speaker said. “Here’s the problem. If you create a proxy vote opportunity just for young parents, mothers and, the fathers in those situations, then where is the limiting principle?”

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, one of Luna’s now-former House Freedom Caucus colleagues, wrote on X of the issue, “Respectfully to my friend – this (unconstitutional) rule would ultimately NOT be limited to moms. Cancer patients, dads, & worst of all, people who lazily abuse it (eg, voting from boats). She leaves out her discharge allows no amendments! We should show up to work/vote.”