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Babydog is back on Capitol Hill — and this time, she’s weighing in on America’s energy future.

On Thursday, the beloved English bulldog and constant companion of Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., made her official debut before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where Justice delivered remarks focused on energy policy, national unity and, yes, a few lighthearted barks from Babydog herself.

“She humanizes us,” Justice told the committee as he lifted Babydog into view. “She makes us absolutely get off our pedestals… She makes you smile… She still loves you.” The moment ended with applause from the room and a unanimous motion to enter the pooch’s “testimony” into the Senate record.

In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Justice said: “From committee appearances to TV appearances, Babydog is always around to bring a smile to everyone’s face. She worked hard this week as the 101st senator to make sure all canine priorities were spoken (or barked) for when the microphone was on.”

BABYDOG JUSTICE MAKES AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE DEBUT: ‘SHE HUMANIZES ALL OF US’

The moment drew attention from both lawmakers and social media.

“@BabyDogJustice’s testimony will be admitted into the record without objection,” declared the official Senate Energy Republicans account.  

Babydog’s big day didn’t stop there. 

Before heading to FOX Business for her “Bottom Line” appearance, Babydog shared a behind-the-scenes moment from the Fox News D.C. Bureau, tweeting a glammed-up photo with the caption, “I’m ready for my close up.” 

Justice joined “The Bottom Line with Dagen McDowell” on FOX Business, where he discussed his priorities for America’s energy sector, including support for President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at bolstering domestic energy production.

BABYDOG BRIDGES ‘PAWTISAN’ DIVIDE IN THE SENATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘SHE KNOWS NO POLITICAL BIAS’

“President Trump has made us proud in regard to coal,” Justice said. “We’ve got to have coal.”

Asked about concerns that tariffs may be hindering international energy markets for West Virginia, Justice pushed back, saying, “It’s so premature to think such a thought… He will adjust when adjusting needs to be made.”

Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., holds his English bulldog, Babydog, during an Energy Committee meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Babydog briefly took the senator’s seat, delighting staff and attendees. (Office of Senator Jim Justice)

Justice warned that America faces serious decisions within the next 18 months if energy production isn’t scaled to meet demand.

“There could be a possibility that it could have expanded just a little bit more than that, but really and truly, within a year-and-a-half, we’re going to have to make some really, really tough decisions,” he said. “It could very well be an electricity demand of double what it is today.”

Justice also addressed budget and entitlement reform, tying economic growth directly to energy: “The ticket to growing… is energy. Energy. Energy. Period.”

Babydog, the English bulldog belonging to Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., gets pampered in a makeup room before a FOX Business appearance in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Babydog has become a beloved political mascot in West Virginia and more recently on Capitol Hill. (@BabydogJustice via X)

Babydog has previously appeared at Senate Agriculture Committee hearings and remains a constant presence in the halls of Congress. As Fox News Digital has reported, she continues to resonate with lawmakers and staff alike across party lines for her ability to, as Justice puts it, “bring people together.”

“She loves everybody,” he said. “Rich, poor, a kid or an adult, or God forbid, a Democrat or a Republican.”

Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., sits with his English bulldog, Babydog, during an Energy Committee hearing on Thursday. (Office of Senator Jim Justice)

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Her bipartisan appeal and growing public profile have helped Babydog carve out a unique role in Washington—part mascot, part morale booster, and now, a regular presence in policy settings. As Thursday’s hearing showed, she’s not just along for the ride—she’s helping shape the tone in the room.

Now heading into April recess, the Senate adjourns with energy questions unresolved, but bipartisan agreement that Babydog is always welcome.

The Senate has voted to confirm the general who told President Donald Trump that ISIS could be eradicated “very quickly” with loosened rules of engagement during his first term to the role of chairman of the Joint Chiefs. 

The vote came in the wee hours of Friday morning after Democrats rejected a GOP attempt to quickly confirm Caine on Thursday and get out of town.

The vote tally was 60 to 25, with 15 Democrats supporting the Trump nominee.

An Air Force F-16 pilot by background, Caine will be the first National Guard general to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Trump plucked him from retirement to reactivate and serve as his top military advisor after firing Gen. C.Q. Brown in February. 

Brown had been behind a 2022 memo laying out diversity goals for the Air Force.  

Caine will be the first Joint Chiefs chairman who was not a four-star and the first to come out of retirement to fill the role. He hasn’t been a combatant commander or service chief, meaning Trump had to grant him a waiver to serve in the role. 

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

Photo of Gen. John D. Caine from the Defense Department 

Caine acknowledged his unconventional nomination during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee: “In our family, we serve. When asked, we always say yes. Senators, I acknowledge that I’m an unconventional nominee. These are unconventional times.” ​

He worked as the associate director of military affairs for the CIA from 2021 to 2024 and founded a regional airline in Texas. He was a White House fellow at the Agriculture Department and a counterterrorism specialist on the White House’s Homeland Security Council.

Caine was among a group of military leaders who met with the president in December 2018 at the Al Asad airbase in Iraq. Trump was there to deliver a Christmas message and hear from commanders on the ground, and there Caine told Trump they could defeat ISIS quickly with a surge of resources and a lifting of restrictions on engagement. 

 The Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. John Daniel Caine, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

“‘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 claimed Caine was wearing a red MAGA hat the first time he met him – a claim Caine repeatedly denied during the hearing.

“Sir, for 34 years, I’ve upheld my oath of office and my commitment to my commission, and I have never worn any political merchandise,” Caine told Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss. 

Trump, when he picked Caine, praised him as “an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a ‘warfighter’ with significant interagency and special operations experience.”

Trump fired Gen. C.Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff upon taking office. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

NEW NAVY CHIEF ‘REGRETS’ COSTLY MISSILE STRIKES AGAINST HOUTHIS, PUSHES FOR CHEAPER RED SEA DEFENSE

Caine vowed his duty would be to advise the president on defense considerations without any political influence. 

The role, he said, “starts with being a good example from the top and making sure that we are nonpartisan and apolitical and speaking the truth to power,” Caine said.

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Trump’s first chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley, has now become a top foe – the president recently stripped him of his security clearance and had his portrait taken down at the Pentagon. 

New U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency records show that more than 25,000 of the agency’s detainer requests were declined by sanctuary jurisdictions throughout the country over the last few years, resulting in the release of dozens of illegal immigrants convicted of homicide.

A total of 72 criminal aliens with homicide convictions or charges were released from U.S. jails despite having ICE detainers between Oct. 1, 2022, and Feb. 6, 2025, according to ICE data provided to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which tracks the immigration laws of states and local municipalities.

Seventeen of those releases came from just three detention centers: the Illinois River Corrections Center and Santa Clara County jails, which released six, and the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois, which released five.

THOUSANDS LEAVE COUNTRY VOLUNTARILY AMID TRUMP SELF-DEPORT PUSH, DHS SAYS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom; Santa Clara County Main Jail (Getty)

The data comes as debate over “sanctuary” jurisdictions, those that limit or ban local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, has intensified as President Donald Trump has doubled down on his campaign promise of mass deportations.

Trump has hinted at federal action against the jurisdictions in recent weeks, including a Truth Social post Thursday in which the president threatened to withhold federal funding.

“No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims,” Trump wrote in the post. “They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!”

Meanwhile, the ICE data provided insight into which jurisdictions were the least compliant with the agency’s detainer requests. Those numbers show that more than half (52%) of the declined detainer requests were from jails in California, which is considered a sanctuary state by CIS.

President Donald Trump has doubled down on campaign promises of mass deportations. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

IMMIGRATION THINK TANK COOKS UP SCHEME TO USE ‘SNITCHES’ TO FORCE MIGRANTS TO SELF-DEPORT

Other states with a large share of declined detainers were Illinois, Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Illinois, Massachusetts and Connecticut are all sanctuary states, according to CIS, while Virginia does not have a statewide sanctuary policy but is home to dozens of jurisdictions with their own such policies.

“It’s shocking that over half of the declined detainers were refused by jails and prisons in California,” Alfonso Aguilar, the director of Hispanic engagement at the American Principles Project, told Fox News Digital. “Gov. [Gavin] Newsom and mayors in the state have a lot of explaining to do to their constituents.”

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

The main jail in Santa Clara County was responsible for the highest number of declined detainers, the ICE data showed, with nearly 3,000 criminal aliens being released during the 2022-2025 period.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has overseen the sanctuary state of California, the state with the highest portion of declined ICE detainers. (Getty Images)

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Cook County Jail in Illinois and Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in Virginia were also responsible for a large share of released criminal aliens, with both declining more than 1,000 ICE detainers during the same period.

“What’s happening in these jurisdictions is unconscionable,” Aguilar said. “Their leaders evidently don’t believe that illegal immigrants that have been charged or convicted with crimes should be removed from their communities. And by ignoring ICE detainers and releasing them into the community, they’re putting in danger the lives and property of their citizens.”

Attorneys for anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil criticized a two-page letter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying the entire case against their client rests on shaky allegations. 

The letter, which was filed in an immigration court this week and published Thursday, said the Trump administration has the authority to expel noncitizens whose presence in the country damages U.S. foreign policy interests.

The memo alleges that Khalil, a legal permanent U.S. resident and Columbia University graduate student who served as spokesperson for anti-Israel protesters during large demonstrations, participated in “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities.” His presence in the U.S. would have “potentially serious adverse foreign consequences, and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.”

MAHMOUD KHALIL BLAMES ‘ANTI-PALESTINIAN RACISM’ FOR ARREST IN FIRST STATEMENT SINCE ICE DETAINMENT

Mahmoud Khalil talks to the press at Columbia University on June 1, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Two pages, that’s it,” Marc Van Der Hout, one of Khalil’s lawyers, told reporters during a virtual news conference Thursday. “Yet this administration wants to silence Mahmoud, wants to silence people speaking out against the government of Israel or the government of the United States.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. 

The Trump administration is attempting to deport Khalil over his activities at the Ivy League university last year. Federal Judge Jamee Comans said she will rule Friday on whether Khalil can be deported or if he must be freed.

“I think the bigger picture here that we all need to keep focus on is that tomorrow’s hearing has momentous implications, whether the government can act in violation of the Constitution, to deport someone, is front and center, and our position is that it cannot,” said Johnny Sinodis, another one of Khalil’s lawyers. 

TRUMP VOWS ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST MAHMOUD KHALIL WAS ‘FIRST ARREST OF MANY TO COME’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the administration’s vow to deport Hamas sympathizers. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci/Getty Images)

The attorneys also accused the Trump administration of forum “shopping” in an effort to argue their case against Khalil in a friendly court.

“Just as the government was trying to manipulate jurisdictional rules to keep Mahmood out of federal courts in New York and New Jersey and into the federal circuit in Louisiana where the law is very favorable to the government,” said Baher Azmy, the legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Azmy said government lawyers are trying to argue the case in immigration court, which “has to largely accept what the secretary of state has said about Mahmood and largely defer to the executive’s conclusions about the fact that he is a threat to foreign policy simply because the secretary of state says without analysis or evidence.”

President Trump, Mahmoud Khalil, protesters (Getty Images)

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Khalil was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on March 8. The Trump administration has targeted noncitizen, anti-Israel protesters for deportation.

After his arrest, Khalil was taken to Louisiana and Rubio revoked his green card.

Khalil has characterized his arrest as “indicative of anti-Palestinian racism.”

Chinese officials acknowledged behind closed doors at a December meeting that their government was responsible for a series of cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure, according to a Wall Street Journal report based on information from people familiar with the matter.

The news comes as the two countries continue to spar over tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump and reciprocated and upped by President Xi Jinping.

In an exclusive, the Wall Street Journal reported that those who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed Chinese officials connected the cyberattacks on U.S. ports, airports, utilities and other important targets to America’s support for Taiwan.

The report noted that Biden administration officials learned of the discovery first hand during a summit in Geneva, as their Chinese counterparts blamed the campaign, referred to as Volt Typhoon, on a criminal organization.

CHINA ATTACKED US WITH HACKERS. WE NEED TO HIT BACK HARD

Hacker at work (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Chinese officials also accused the U.S. of pointing blame at China based on their imagination.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital the State Department has made clear to Beijing that the U.S. will continue to take actions in response to Chinese malicious cyber activity targeting the U.S.

“Chinese cyber threats are some of the gravest and most persistent threats to U.S. national security,” the spokesperson said. “The United States will continue to use all the tools at its disposal to safeguard U.S. critical infrastructure from irresponsible and reckless cyberattacks from Beijing. President Trump is committed to protecting the American people and U.S. critical infrastructure from these threats.”

The Chinese Embassy told FOX Business News that China “firmly opposes” the smear attacks against it without any factual basis.

BIDEN ADMIN DOUBLING TARIFFS ON CHINESE SOLAR PANEL PARTS AFTER REPORTED ‘INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE’

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping

“Cyberspace is characterized by strong virtuality, difficulty in tracing origins, and diverse actors, making the tracing of cyberattacks a complex technical issue,” Embassy spokesperson Mr. Liu Pengyu said. “We hope that relevant parties will adopt a professional and responsible attitude when characterizing cyber incidents, basing their conclusions on sufficient evidence rather than unfounded speculation and accusations.

“The US needs to stop using cybersecurity to smear and slander China, and stop spreading all kinds of disinformation about the so-called Chinese hacking threats,” he added.

The Biden administration warned state leaders in March 2024 that cyberattacks by hackers linked to Iran and China could take down water systems across the U.S. if cybersecurity measures were not taken out of precaution.

FORMER GOOGLE ENGINEER INDICTED FOR STEALING AI SECRETS TO AID CHINESE FIRMS

WASHINGTON, DC  May 13, 2024: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan during the Daily Briefing in The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Monday May 13, 2024. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Then Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael S. Regan and Jake Sullivan, the assistant to Biden for national security affairs, said in an email to state governors that cyberattacks were targeting water and wastewater systems throughout the U.S.

In the letter, the two Biden administration officials said the attacks could disrupt clean and safe drinking water and impose significant costs on affected communities.

While one attack was linked to Iran, the other threat came from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored hacker group, Volt Typhoon, which compromised information technology of critical infrastructure systems, including drinking water facilities in the U.S. and its territories.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WARNS STATES OF POSSIBLE ATTACKS ON WATER SYSTEMS FROM FOREIGN HACKERS

Drinking water poured into glass  (UBC)

As U.S. officials issued warnings about Volt Typhoon’s effort, they also accused the PRC of attempting to get into U.S. computer networks in an effort to unleash cyberattacks during any unforeseen conflicts in the future.

The FBI said in December that hackers in Beijing infiltrated networks of “multiple” telecommunication companies, gaining access to customer call records and private communications of “a limited number of individuals.” But the targets, the FBI noted in December, were Americans involved in government and politics.

A federal investigation uncovered a massive cyber-espionage campaign by the Chinese government, targeting U.S. telecommunications networks to steal Americans’ information. A top White House official confirmed in December that at least eight U.S. telecom companies had been affected by the hacking spree. 

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The campaign was believed to have started a year or two ago, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink is stepping down, the State Department confirmed Thursday, as the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokesperson, said Brink would be leaving her role, though she didn’t give a specific departure date. 

The news comes at a critical moment for U.S. foreign policy as officials work to ease tensions and end the grinding war in Eastern Europe.

Brink, a career diplomat with decades of experience, was nominated by then-President Joe Biden and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in May 2022, just months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

2 CHINESE MEN CAPTURED IN UKRAINE, ZELENSKYY CLAIMS

She became the first U.S. ambassador to serve in Kyiv since 2019, helping reestablish America’s diplomatic presence after embassy staff were evacuated in the early days of the war.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink speaks during a news conference in Izmail, Ukraine, April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)

Before serving in Ukraine, Brink was the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia and worked in top roles at the National Security Council. She speaks Russian and is known for strongly defending U.S. interests in Eastern Europe.

US WILL KNOW IN ‘MATTER OF WEEKS’ IF RUSSIA IS SERIOUS ABOUT PEACE OR USING ‘DELAY TACTIC’: RUBIO

While in Ukraine, Brink was a vocal supporter of American military aid and often appeared publicly with Ukrainian leaders. Her resignation comes as the Trump administration shifts focus toward ending the war through diplomacy and renewed talks with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka/File)

Also on Thursday, U.S. and Russian officials held rare face-to-face talks in Istanbul aimed at repairing long-strained diplomatic relations. The State Department said the two sides exchanged formal notes to finalize an agreement that would stabilize banking services for each country’s embassies, a step seen as key to keeping diplomatic missions operational.

In recent years, both countries have imposed financial restrictions on each other’s embassies and slashed staffing due to the fallout from the war. A finalized banking deal could open the door to restoring some of those lost diplomatic connections.

The State Department said follow-up talks are expected, though no date has been set.

Brink’s departure lands at a moment of major transition in U.S. foreign policy. Her exit may also clear the way for a new ambassador more closely aligned with the Trump administration’s push for a ceasefire deal.

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

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump announced a handful of nominations and appointments Thursday, including a position to combat antisemitism. 

Trump selected Yehuda Kaploun, a prominent Miami-based businessman and longtime confidant of the president, to serve as the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism as an ambassador-at-large.

“Yehuda is a successful businessman, and staunch advocate for the Jewish Faith and the Rights of his people to live and worship free from persecution,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “With Anti-Semitism dangerously on the rise, Yehuda will be the strongest Representative for Americans and Jews across the Globe, and promote PEACE. Congratulations Yehuda!”

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT QUESTIONED FORMER COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT OVER CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM

President Donald Trump and Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun light a candle during an Oct. 7 remembrance event at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in Doral, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., has been nominated as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

Walker, a former pastor, “will work incredibly hard to expose Human Rights Violations, champion Faith, and help us secure Life Saving Results,” Trump wrote. 

In a post on X, Walker thanked Trump, saying, “I’m open-eyed to the bad actors and regions committing these atrocities against people of faith.”

IVY LEAGUE ANTI-ISRAEL RINGLEADER MAHMOUD KHALIL DENIES ALLEGATIONS AS JUDGE AWAITS DEPORTATION EVIDENCE

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., speaks at a “Make America Great Again” rally in Greensboro, N.C., in 2020. (Grant Baldwin/AFP via Getty Images)

“Religious expression is the foundation of human rights and, whether it’s a college campus in New York or Sub-Saharan Africa, I’ll be relentless in fighting for those targeted who dare to live out their faith,” he wrote. “I’m grateful to my beautiful wife and family for their support. May God provide the path and may we have the courage to follow.”

William “Billy” Marshall III, the commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, will serve as the next director of the Bureau of Prisons, Trump said. 

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“Billy is a Strong Advocate for LAW AND ORDER. He understands the struggles of our prisons better than anyone, and will help fix our broken Criminal Justice System. Congratulations Billy, you will inspire us all,” Trump wrote.

President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs, and possibly sanctions, if it continues to rob South Texas farmers of Rio Grande water promised under a decades-old treaty.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump proclaimed that Mexico owes Texas 1.3 million acre-feet of water under the 1944 Water Treaty, though Mexico was violating their obligation.

“This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly,” the president wrote. “Last year, the only Sugar Mill in Texas CLOSED, because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas Farmers. Ted Cruz has been leading the fight to get South Texas the water it is owed, but Sleepy Joe refused to lift a finger to help the Farmers. THAT ENDS NOW!”

Trump continued, saying he will make sure Mexico does not violate treaties with the U.S. and hurt farmers in Texas.

TEXAS FARMING CRISIS LOOMSAS US, MEXICO SPAR OVER LONG-STANDING WATER TREATY

President Donald Trump threatened sanctions and tariffs on Mexico if it fails to comply with the 1944 Water Treaty, which guarantees water into South Texas for farmers. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“Just last month, I halted water shipments to Tijuana until Mexico complies with the 1944 Water Treaty,” he said. “My Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, is standing up for Texas Farmers, and we will keep escalating consequences, including TARIFFS and, maybe even SANCTIONS, until Mexico honors the Treaty, and GIVES TEXAS THE WATER THEY ARE OWED!”

Texas farm groups warned of a disastrous season ahead of them for citrus and sugar, last year, as Mexican and U.S. officials tried to resolve a dispute over the 1944 water treaty that supplies U.S. farmers with critical irrigation.

The two countries have tussled over the treaty before, but the drought-driven water shortages were the most severe in nearly 30 years.

BOTH SIDES CLAIM VICTORY AFTER SUPREME COURT RULES TEXAS RANCHER CAN SUE STATE OVER FLOODED LANDS

President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, and now officials like Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are working with the U.S. to take on cartels and fentanyl. (Reuters)

Under the treaty designed to allocate shared water resources, Mexico is required to send 1.75 million acre-feet of water from the Rio Grande to the U.S. over a five-year cycle.

Texas’s half-billion-dollar citrus industry is heavily dependent on water from Mexico, especially with drought conditions growing more severe in the region. In fact, Texas is the third-largest citrus state behind California and Florida.

Last month, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs posted that it was denying a request from Mexico to deliver water to Tijuana.

TEXAS TOWN DECLARES ‘WATER EMERGENCY,’ TELLS RESIDENTS THAT IT COULD RUN OUT OF WATER

“Mexico’s continued shortfalls in its water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are decimating American agriculture – particularly farmers in the Rio Grande valley,” the agency wrote on X. “As a result, today for the first time, the U.S. will deny Mexico’s non-treaty request for a special delivery channel for Colorado River water to be delivered to Tijuana.”

The day before, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., said South Texas was facing a water crisis, which he called a “man-made crisis.”

He also noted that he was leading the fight in the Senate to hold Mexico accountable and abide by the treaty to deliver water to farmers in South Texas.

He shared the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs’ post, calling the move, “excellent.”

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“As I said yesterday, this option is absolutely what the Trump administration needs to pressure Mexico to fulfill its obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty,” Cruz wrote on X. “Texas farmers are in crisis because of Mexico’s noncompliance. I will work with the Trump administration to pressure Mexico into complying and to get water to Texas farmers.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

The Trump administration was handed another win on Thursday after a federal judge ruled that everyone in the U.S. illegally must register with the federal government and carry documentation.

The Associated Press reported that Judge Trevor Neil McFadden, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, sided with the administration after arguing it was enforcing an existing requirement for everyone in the country who is not a citizen of the U.S.

Rather than rule on the substance of the Trump administration’s arguments, McFadden ruled that the group pushing to stop the requirement did not have standing to pursue their claims.

McFadden’s ruling will go into effect Friday.

NOEM SENDS MESSAGE TO THOSE CONSIDERING ENTERING US ILLEGALLY: ‘DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT’

Asylum seekers wait to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States in 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas.  (John Moore/Getty Images)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Thursday that the deadline to register for anyone who has been in the country for 30 days or more is Friday, adding that the registration requirement will be enforced to the fullest.

“President Trump and I have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in the statement. “The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws — we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans.”

The DHS began warning illegal immigrants in February that they should leave the country or face serious consequences.

DHS SECRETARY NOEM APPEARS TO ACCUSE ‘CORRUPT’ FBI OF LEAKING LA ICE RAIDS

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visits the Mariposa Port of Entry, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Nogales, Ariz. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The secretary said DHS will enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act, which was enacted in 1952 and created several tools to track illegal aliens and compel them to voluntarily leave the U.S.

DHS said the tools include criminal penalties for migrants who choose not to leave the U.S., fail to register with the federal government and get fingerprinted, and fail to notify the federal government of changes to their address.

Illegal immigrants who fail to depart the U.S. will be charged with a crime resulting in a “significant penalty,” DHS said.

NOEM ENDS BIDEN-ERA USE OF CONTROVERSIAL APP TO ALLOW MIGRANTS TO BOARD FLIGHTS, EXCEPT TO SELF-DEPORT

ICE is conducting flights to remove illegal immigrants from the U.S. and back to their home countries. (ICE Seattle)

But migrants who fail to register with the federal government could be fined, imprisoned or both.

Registration is mandatory for anyone 14 and older without legal status. Anyone registering will be required to provide their fingerprints and address.

Canadians are also required to go through the registration process if they have been in the U.S. for more than 30 days – this includes “snowbirds,” who spend winter months in warmer areas like Florida.

While it has long been required for people who live in the U.S. and are not American citizens, the requirement has only been enforced in rare circumstances.

For instance, the requirement was enforced in a limited way after Sept. 11, 2001, when the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System required noncitizen males 16 and older from 25 countries – all but one of them Arab or Muslim – to register with the U.S. government.

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Even though the program did not lead to terrorism convictions, it pulled over 13,000 people into deportation proceedings. The program was suspended in 2011 and dissolved in 2016.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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…

–Trump tariff spike fuels new House bill to lock China out of US government tech

-Dems fight bill to stop illegal immigrant voting despite polls showing voter support

-Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ tax agenda scores major victory in House despite GOP rebellion threats

Finding Fraud 

DOGE Chief Elon Musk says the organization is set to save the U.S. government more than $150 billion in cuts to waste and fraud in FY 2026.

Musk made the comment during a public Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday. 

“We anticipate savings in FY 26 from reduction of waste and fraud by $150 billion. And, I mean, and some of it is just absurd. Like people getting unemployment insurance who haven’t been born yet,” Musk said…Read more

Elon Musk (R) attends cabinet meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House on April 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. Trump on Thursday warned of the “transition cost” from his tariff policies, as Wall Street stocks fell again over the worsening trade war with China. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

White House

TRUMP CRACKDOWN: Trump admin warns states to comply with housing prisoners by their biological sex or face funding cutoff

‘VERY GOOD PERSON’: Trump praises Dem Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after slamming her last year: ‘Very good person’

‘99.9’ PERCENT: Hegseth quips ‘99.9%’ of DEI initiatives are gone from the military under Trump’s watch

President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a transgender flag in a split image (Getty/Imagn)

World Stage

‘SAFEST IT GETS’: State Dept upgrades travel advisory for El Salvador, considered safer than France, other European countries

SEALED THE DEAL: Russian-American ballerina released after being wrongfully detained in Moscow for over a year

‘WORSE THINGS’: China targets Hollywood films in retaliation of tariffs; Trump responds

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping

Capitol Hill

TAKING SIDES: This Texas Republican congressman endorses Paxton over Cornyn in Senate primary brawl

‘WOMEN AS BAIT’: Conservative firebrand flips script on House Dem’s ‘gotcha’ response to noncitizen voting crackdown

ACCOUNTABILITY: American victims of terrorism could soon sue international orgs if Cruz’s bill passes

CLOCK BLOCKERS: GOP, Dems come together to end Daylight Saving over health, economic risks

ADAM BOMB: WH slams Dems’ ‘partisan games’ after Trump-foe Schiff calls for insider trading investigation over tariffs

MAHA AGENDA: Dr. Marty Makary advances out of key committee in bid for FDA confirmation

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: House scrambles to align with Senate on framework for Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

CALLING FOR ANSWERS: Hawley demands Zuckerberg testify on alleged ties between Meta, China

‘OBSTRUCTIONIST POLICIES’: Sanctuary Governors Tim Walz, JB Pritzker, Kathy Hochul called to testify before Congress

FIRST ON FOX: 3 senators lead effort to ban Chinese-owned GNC from military installations over spying concerns

Across America 

‘WIN-WIN’: FDA phasing out some animal testing in ‘win-win’ for ethics and public health: commissioner

‘COWARD!’: Tim Walz heckled by veterans for stolen valor claims, China connections

BOMBSHELL LINK: Newly surfaced report provides more clues on COVID outbreak source and timeline

‘NEXT FEW DAYS’: Gabbard says RFK, MLK Jr records ‘ready to release’ in days, has ‘hunters’ looking at FBI, CIA for more files

Files related to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., will be released in the coming days, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Thursday.  (Getty)

MIDTERM MOMENTUM: GOP voters pick a favorite to challenge Dem governor in early battleground straw poll

‘HAD TO READ IT SEVERAL TIMES’: DOGE reveals bizarre findings of unemployment insurance claims survey
 

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

During President Donald Trump‘s second public meeting with his Cabinet at the White House on Thursday, he said there will soon be a deadline by which illegal immigrants must be gone from the U.S., or they will not be allowed to try to reenter legally. 

The president’s comments came as he expressed a willingness to work with undocumented immigrants “right from the beginning” to help them return to the country legally — that is, if they leave “in a nice way,” the president added.   

“We’re going to work with people, so that if they go out in a nice way, and go back to their country, we’re going to work with them right from the beginning on trying to get them back in legally,” Trump said following comments from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

TRUMP ADMIN UNVEILS PLAN COSTING MIGRANTS MASSIVE FINE FOR EVERY DAY THEY DON’T SELF-DEPORT

“We’re going to work with people, so that if they go out in a nice way, and go back to their country, we’re going to work with them right from the beginning on trying to get them back in legally,” President Donald Trump said Thursday during a meeting with members of his Cabinet from the White House. (Getty Images | AP)

“So it gives you real incentive, otherwise they’ll never come back — they’ll never be allowed once a certain period of time goes by, which is probably going to be 60 days.”

The Trump administration is currently undergoing a massive voluntary removal effort, with federal officials encouraging immigrants residing illegally in the U.S. to self-deport through the administration’s CBP Home app. More than 5,000 immigrants self-deported over the last month, according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data.   

“It’s a very big self-deport operation that we’re starting,” Noem said during Thursday’s Cabinet meeting.

FLASHBACK: MITT ROMNEY MOCKED IN 2012 FOR SELF-DEPORTATION CONCEPT THAT HAS NOW BECOME A REALITY 

Noem pointed out that currently, under the Alien Registration Act and the president’s Executive Orders, if undocumented immigrants still have not registered their status with the federal government, they can be criminally charged, face fines of up to $1,000 per day “and they’ll never get the chance to come back to America.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a tour of the Terrorist Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

She also added that the agency is working on securing the funding and resources to ensure deported immigrants land on their feet when they return to their home country, pointing to programs in places like Mexico, El Salvador and Colombia that are offering food and housing assistance.

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“[We are] making sure that these folks have the opportunity to go home, so that they can get the chance to come back to America is important,” Noem told Trump and his Cabinet.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. 

A former Marine Corps officer who deployed in the Iraq War and later served at the Pentagon and the Veterans Administration under former President Barack Obama is the first major candidate to jump into the high-profile campaign for an open congressional seat in swing state New Hampshire.

Democrat Maura Sullivan, in an interview with Fox News, said “our country clearly needs a new generation of leadership, period. And the Democratic Party needs new leadership, and I’m running to be one of those leaders.”

Sullivan said in a statement announcing her candidacy in the race to succeed four-term Democrat Rep. Chris Pappas, “I am stepping up to serve because the issues we are facing aren’t Democrat or Republican issues, they’re American issues.”

Pappas last week launched a campaign to succeed longtime Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who recently said she would retire at the end of next year rather than bid for a fourth six-year term representing New Hampshire in the Senate.

POPULAR REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR WHO TRUMP URGED TO RUN FOR SENATE IN KEY SWING STATE MAKES HIS DECISION

Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., announces his bid to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a fellow Democrat, on April 3, 2025, in Manchester, N.H. ( AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

His seat, New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, covers the eastern half of the northern New England state, and Republicans are aiming to flip it from blue to red in next year’s midterm elections. The race is expected to be expensive and competitive.

This is Sullivan’s second bid for Congress in the district. She came in second to Pappas in a crowded 11-candidate Democrat primary in 2018, when the congressman first won the office. 

Sullivan, a New Hampshire Democratic Party vice chair, took aim at President Donald Trump and his most visible White House adviser in a campaign launch video she posted on social media.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN TAKES AIM AT TRUMP, MUSK IN SENATE CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

“I saw too many of my fellow Marines give their lives for this country to just sit by and watch Donald Trump and Elon Musk tear it down,” Sullivan said in a video shared on X. “They’re driving up costs for New Hampshire families, making it even more difficult to own a home and pay the bills. And that’s why I’m running for Congress, to protect the promise of America and ensure a better future for our kids.”

Sullivan, in her Fox News Digital interview, said that “I’m hearing from folks all around New Hampshire that they’re worried, they’re scared, they’re frustrated, and I am too.”

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS WHAT HE’S MOST CONCERNED ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO DEFENDING THE MAJORITY

Maura Sullivan, left, meets with Democratic Party officials and activists after announcing her candidacy for the U.S. House in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District on April 10, 2025, in Manchester, N.H. (Maura Sullivan campaign)

While Sullivan is the first major candidate to enter the race, she likely won’t be the last.

Former state Sen. Tom Sherman, a physician and the 2022 Democrat gubernatorial nominee in New Hampshire, told Fox News he’s “definitely interested” in a potential bid for Congress and said he is “keeping my options open.”

DEM CONGRESSMAN LASHES MUSK IN OPENING SALVO OF POPULIST BID IN 2026 SWING-STATE SENATE RACE

Also mulling a run is former state Sen. John Morgan, a cybersecurity executive who told Fox News he’s “kicking the tires” on a possible congressional campaign. 

“New Hampshire is part of my heart and soul,” Morgan said, adding that “it’s really a time that calls for bold leadership.”

Democrat state Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka is also thought to be a possible contender for the nomination.

In the race for the Republican nomination, former state senator and former executive councilor Russell Prescott, the 2024 nominee who lost to Pappas, is mulling another run for Congress.

Democrat Maura Sullivan announces her candidacy for the U.S. House in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in a campaign launch video on April 10, 2025. (Maura Sullivan campaign)

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So are Hollie Noveletsky, Joe Kelly Levasseur and Chris Bright, who came in second, third and fourth, respectively, behind Prescott in the 2024 GOP primary in the district.

State Attorney General John Formella is also thought to be a possible contender for the GOP nomination.

The City of Newark and its Democratic mayor are facing pushback after filing a legal complaint against Immigration and Customs Enforcement for reopening a building to prep illegal immigrants for deportation without “following proper building safety protocols.”

Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement that using the building, Delaney Hall, for processing people in the country illegally goes against state and local law, leading the city to file a lawsuit in the Essex County Superior Court at the end of March.

“The City was informed that construction work is taking place in the building without required permits,” the mayor stated. “The Department of Engineering imposed a stop work order to halt any and all construction on the site today. Two ICE officials and the GEO Group facility director on site were made aware of the violations.”

“In addition, ICE has failed to apply for construction permits, continued certificates of occupancy, and requests to change the building’s use,” he added. Delaney Hall has just under 1,200 beds, according to USA Today.

TEXAS MAN WHO VOWED TO SHOOT, KILL ICE AGENTS, SAID NOEM SHOULD BE IN ‘GULAG,’ CHARGED IN FEDERAL COURT: DOJ 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem watches a vehicle scan during a tour of the San Ysidro Port of Entry, in San Diego, March 16, 2025. (Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters)

“The agreement between ICE and the GEO Group to use Delaney Hall with the intention of incarcerating and holding immigrants slated for deportation does not supersede the ordinances and procedures legislated by the City of Newark and the State of New Jersey.” the Democrat continued. “As I have stated in the past, without compliance with requirements, Delaney Hall cannot lawfully open. We will not tolerate federal attempts to ignore or evade our laws and statutes, which apply to everyone.”

The contractor who runs Delaney Hall, the GEO Group, said this is a political tactic and could put jobs and community safety “in jeopardy.”

“The attempt by local and state officials to stop the opening of a lawful federal immigration processing center at the Delaney Hall facility in Newark is another unfortunate example of a politicized campaign by sanctuary city and open borders politicians in New Jersey to interfere with the federal government’s efforts to arrest, detain, and deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens in accordance with established federal law,” a spokesperson for the group told Fox News Digital.

NEW JERSEY WOMAN ACCUSED OF HIRING TINDER DATE TO KILL HER EX AND HIS TEEN DAUGHTER: COURT DOCS

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka speaks after the Democratic gubernatorial debate at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, on Feb. 2, 2025. (AP photo/Mike Catalini)

“These politically motivated tactics threaten both public safety and the local economy and are based on bogus claims about the Delaney Hall facility, which previously operated as a federal immigration processing center for six years under President Obama’s administration, without opposition from local political leaders,” the statement continued.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond in time for publication.

Baraka, who’s running for governor, criticized an ICE raid in the city in January, which led to the arrest of eight individuals.

“The problem with this is that none of these people were rapists, or murderers or criminals,” Baraka said at the time. “The problem with it is that ICE went in there without a warrant.” 

“We don’t want an ICE detention in Newark. What we are concerned about is the erosion of the Constitution,” he added.

GOP CANDIDATE RIPS BLUE STATE DIRECTIVE MEDDLING IN POLICE FORCE’S COOPERATION WITH ICE: ‘HANDCUFFED’

Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli is joined by his wife Melinda as he speaks during a news conference, Nov. 12, 2021, in Raritan, New Jersey. (AP )

New Jersey state laws on illegal immigrants have continued to spark pushback among Republicans, as state police were directed not to pay attention to warrants requested by the federal government for immigration enforcement purposes, according to an email obtained by Jack Ciattarelli’s gubernatorial campaign and reviewed by Fox News Digital.

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“The fact that my campaign received this email is evidence that brave and courageous law enforcement officers throughout New Jersey are angry about being handcuffed by liberal Democrat policies in Trenton, making our communities less safe,” Ciattarelli, a Republican, said in a statement.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Documents related to the 1968 assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. will be released in the coming days, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Thursday during President Donald Trump’s Cabinet meeting at the White House. 

Gabbard said that more than 100 people “working around the clock” have been scanning paperwork related to both killings and the subsequent investigations.

“These have been sitting in boxes in storage for decades,” she told Trump, who was sitting a few feet away from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “They have never been scanned or seen before. We’ll have those ready to release here within the next few days.”

EPSTEIN FILES DEBACLE SPURS NEW INTEREST IN CONTENTS OF PROMISED RFK, MLK ASSASSINATION FILES

Files related to the 1968 assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy will be released in the coming days, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Thursday.  (Getty)

Trump said, “That’s great” before moving to RFK Jr., the son of the former senator. 

“Bobby, how do you feel about that?” he asked. 

“I’m very gratified,” RFK Jr., responded. 

“That’s hitting close to home,” Trump said. “I’m thinking about Bobby when that statement was made.”

RFK Jr. then told Trump he was “very grateful.”

“And you let Bobby see some of this because, you know, it’s very personal stuff. But it’s time,” Trump told Gabbard, who replied that she spoke with the RFK Jr., who she said told her the “world needs to know the truth.”

DEADLINE LOOMS FOR RELEASE OF JFK ASSASSINATION FILES

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

RFK Jr. was a teenager when his father was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, after addressing campaign supporters following his California Democratic presidential primary win. 

Upon taking office, Trump issued an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of King, a civil rights icon who was gunned down on April 4, 1968, outside his second-floor Tennessee hotel room in Memphis, Sen. Kennedy and his brother, former President John F. Kennedy. 

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Getty Images)

In March, declassified documents related to the assassination of the former president were released. 

Gabbard said the government has “hunters” looking in storage lockers at the FBI, CIA and other agencies to see if there is anything else that hasn’t been reported. 

President Donald Trump with an executive order to release thousands of pages related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.  (Associated Press)

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“We’re actively going out and trying to search out the truth,” she said. 

FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan duo of House lawmakers is moving to ensure the U.S. government is free from Chinese-made technology after President Donald Trump hiked tariffs against Beijing.

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, is leading the Securing America’s Federal Equipment (SAFE) Supply Chains Act alongside Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

It would impose new guardrails on the technology the U.S. government is able to purchase by forcing a federal agency or office to only purchase it from “original equipment manufacturers” or “authorized resellers,” according to the bill text obtained by Fox News Digital.

TRUMP SAYS HE’LL ‘TAKE A LOOK’ AT EXEMPTING SOME LARGER US COMPANIES HIT ESPECIALLY HARD BY TARIFFS

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, right (Getty Images)

The bill targets U.S. government technology purchased through the “gray market,” an alternative channel for purchasing and selling genuine goods without the authorization of the manufacturer.

Fallon said his bill “dovetails” with Trump’s hawkish stance on China.

“With the rising threat posed by Chinese aggression, not only in the Indo-Pacific, but here at home by means of artificial intelligence and cyberattacks, it’s critical that the Department of Defense secure its vital infrastructure,” Fallon explained to Fox News Digital. 

“In order to do so, we must ensure that the U.S. military only purchases electronic equipment from approved vendors that are free from adversarial, particularly [Chinese Communist Party], influence.”

Rep. Pat Fallon questions witnesses during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on the U.S. southern border in the Rayburn House Office Building Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

He praised Trump’s “bold leadership” in the U.S. “breaking its dependency on Communist China.”

“The SAFE Supply Chains Act dovetails with this endeavor and is in the best interest of U.S. national security,” he said.

The White House said Thursday it had imposed 145% in new tariffs on China, up from the 125% Trump announced the day before.

DONALD TRUMP’S ALLIES, SUPPORTERS AND DONORS, LED BY ELON MUSK, PUSH TO END TARIFF WAR

While hiking rates on China, Trump said he would reduce tariffs on other countries that did not retaliate against the U.S. to his baseline of 10%.

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“Look, for years we’ve been ripped off and taken advantage of by China — and others, in all fairness — but by China, there’s a big one. And it’s just one of those things,” Trump said Wednesday.

Fallon’s bill has a counterpart in the Senate led by senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Gary Peters, D-Mich.

The White House slammed Democrats for playing “partisan games” and calling for an investigation into alleged insider trading after President Donald Trump paused customized reciprocal tariffs for 90 days on Wednesday. 

“It is the responsibility of the President of the United States to reassure the markets and Americans about their economic security in the face of nonstop media fearmongering. Democrats railed against China’s cheating for decades, and now they’re playing partisan games instead of celebrating President Trump’s decisive action yesterday to finally corner China,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in comment to Fox Digital when asked about Democrats claiming Trump manipulated the market. 

Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., wrote a letter on Thursday to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, as well as Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, calling for an investigation into potential insider trading. 

“This sequence of events raises grave legal and ethics concerns. The President, his family, and his advisors are uniquely positioned to be privy to and take advantage of non-public information to inform their investment decisions,” the senators wrote. 

TRUMP SAYS HE’LL ‘TAKE A LOOK’ AT EXEMPTING SOME LARGER US COMPANIES HIT ESPECIALLY HARD BY TARIFFS

President Donald Trump holds a chart as he delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled “Make America Wealthy Again” at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump, ahead of pausing the reciprocal tariffs, posted to Truth Social, “BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!” and “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT.” The president had previously said he would not pause tariffs but was open to negotiating with other nations. 

Trump paused only the higher, customized tariffs he placed on nations that historically installed trade barriers on U.S. goods, with nations across the world instead facing a lower 10% tariff on goods, as the Trump administration and world leaders hash out negotiations for the reciprocal tariffs. 

DONALD TRUMP’S ALLIES, SUPPORTERS AND DONORS, LED BY ELON MUSK, PUSH TO END TARIFF WAR

Sen. Adam Schiff wrote a letter calling for an investigation into potential insider trading. (Screenshot/NBC)

China, however, was not part of the tariff pause and was instead hit with a higher 125% tariff after retaliating with its own additional tariffs against the U.S.

“I’m going to do my best to find out,” Schiff, who has long been a Trump foe, told Time of investigating the president for alleged insider trading. “Family meme coins and all the rest of it are not beyond insider trading or enriching themselves. I hope to find out soon.”

CHARLIE GASPARINO BREAKS DOWN TRUMP’S TARIFF PAUSE: ‘THIS IS WHAT FORCED THE HAND’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the customized tariffs were paused due to Trump wanting to be “personally involved” in negotiations as dozens of nations contacted the White House to strike deals.

President Donald Trump is keeping high tariffs in place on China, while putting a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for countries that have said they are open to negotiation. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“We’ve had more than 75 countries contact us. And I imagine after today, there will be more. So it is just a processing problem. Each one of these solutions is going to be bespoke. It is going to take some time. And President Trump wants to be personally involved. So, that’s why we’re getting the 90-day pause,” Bessent said during a gaggle with the media outside the White House on Wednesday afternoon. 

Trump added on Wednesday that he was watching the volatile bond market, calling it “tricky” and making people a “little queasy,” but denied it persuaded him to change course on customized tariffs. 

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“I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy. You know, they we’re getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid, unlike these champions, because we have a big job to do. No other president would have done what I did. … I know the presidents, they wouldn’t have done it, and it had to be done,” Trump added in his remarks. 

President Donald Trump’s push to increase the number of illegal immigrants who self-deport was originally the brainchild of former Sen. Mitt Romney, who pitched the idea of encouraging voluntary departures during his 2012 bid for president.

“The answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home because they can’t find work here because they don’t have legal documentation to allow them to work here,” Romney said during a Republican primary debate in 2012, when asked how the U.S. could deport the millions of illegal immigrants in the country.

Romney was largely mocked for the idea during that campaign, including by Trump, who told Newsax in November 2012 that Romney’s “maniacal” and “crazy” proposal had turned off Latino voters.

THOUSANDS LEAVE COUNTRY VOLUNTARILY AMID TRUMP SELF-DEPORT PUSH, DHS SAYS

President Donald Trump, right, initially mocked former Sen. Mitt Romney’s 2012 idea to encourage illegal immigrants to self-deport. (AP)

Fast-forward to 2025, and self-deportation has become a central theme of Trump’s effort to speed the overall number of removals, with Trump sending an Oval Office video message last month to illegal immigrants encouraging them to use the CBP Home app to voluntarily leave the country.

“Leave now and self-deport voluntarily. If they do, they could potentially have the opportunity to return legally at some point in the future,” Trump said in the video, adding that those who do not self-deport “will be found, they will be deported, and they will never be admitted again to the United States.”

“Using the CBP home app to leave the United States voluntarily is the safest option for illegal aliens,” Trump added.

That message has seemingly hit home over the last month, according to Department of Homeland Security Data (DHS) shared with Fox News Digital, which shows that more than 5,000 people have used the app to arrange their voluntary departure to the United States.

IMMIGRATION THINK TANK COOKS UP SCHEME TO USE ‘SNITCHES’ TO FORCE MIGRANTS TO SELF-DEPORT

Former Sen. Mitt Romney was one of the first to advocate for encouraging self-deportation during his 2012 run for president. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The push to increase that number has accelerated in recent days, with the administration unveiling a new plan to fine illegal immigrants who have received a final order of removal $998 for every day they fail to comply with the order and remain in the country. That fine is in addition to fines of $1,000-$5,000 for those who claimed they would self-deport but subsequently failed to do so.

DHS has also released a flyer spelling out the benefits of self-deportation, which boasts that illegal immigrants will be able to keep the money they earned while in the United States and retain the ability to legally migrate to the country in the future.

TRUMP ADMIN UNVEILS PLAN COSTING MIGRANTS MASSIVE FINE FOR EVERY DAY THEY DON’T SELF-DEPORT

President Donald Trump has made a renewed push for illegal immigrants to self-deport. (Evan Vucci/AP)

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“Illegal aliens should use the CBP Home app to self-deport and leave the country now. If they don’t, they will face the consequences,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News on Tuesday. “This includes a fine of $998 per day for every day that the illegal alien overstayed their final deportation order.”

The House passed the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act on Thursday, with 208 Democrats voting against the President Donald Trump-backed measure that would crack down on noncitizen voting.

The SAVE Act, which passed 220-208, now heads to the Senate, where it will need the support of some Democrats to meet the 60-vote threshold for advancement. Democrats have rejected the bill, despite polling indicating bipartisan support for voter ID requirements. 

A Gallup Poll released ahead of the 2024 election found that 84% of respondents favor requiring a photo ID to vote, and 83% support requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote for the first time. 

If passed in the Senate and signed into law by Trump, the SAVE Act by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, would require voters to obtain proof of citizenship in person before they register for a federal election, and it would remove noncitizens from voter rolls. 

TRUMP-BACKED BILLS ON ACTIVIST JUDGES, NONCITIZEN VOTING HEADING FOR HOUSE-WIDE VOTES

The House passed the SAVE Act on noncitizen voting. It needs to pass in the Senate before President Donald Trump can sign it into law. (Getty)

“After four years of mass illegal immigration facilitated by the Biden administration, it is more important now than ever to ensure only American citizens are voting in American elections. By passing the SAVE Act, House Republicans are once again proving our commitment to defending the will of the American people,” House GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer told Fox News Digital. 

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

Meanwhile, Democrats have rejected the implication that illegal immigrants are voting in U.S. elections. Nineteen Democrat-led states and Democrat leaders sued the Trump administration’s election integrity executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote in American elections. 

“Noncitizens attempting to register to vote is exceedingly rare, and if they do, they face severe consequences, including fines up to five years in prison, and deportation,” Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., said on the House floor, urging her colleagues to reject the SAVE Act. 

People arrive to cast their vote during early voting.  (Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Coupled with President Trump’s recent anti-voter election executive order, the SAVE Act would end the voter registration process for all Americans as they know it. Republicans have repeatedly failed to present any evidence that noncitizen voting at a federal level has ever affected the outcome of any election,” Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., added in opposition to what he called the “extremist anti-voter SAVE Act.”

The SAVE Act passed a procedural hurdle known as a “rule vote” on Wednesday. A simple majority of House lawmakers was needed to pass the “rule” to allow for debate and eventual House-wide votes on the legislation.

It was first introduced in July 2024 under former President Joe Biden’s administration and failed to pass through the Democrat majority in the Senate. Roy reintroduced the bill in January as the bill was more likely to pass under a Republican-controlled House, Senate and White House. 

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

“The American people have spoken very clearly that they believe only American citizens should vote in American elections. There’s nothing controversial about that,” Roy said on the House floor ahead of the votes. 

“This legislation is designed to restore that faith, to save our elections, to save election integrity. I’m proud to have worked on this bill with my friend, the Chairman, with my colleagues on this side of the aisle, and I would note that five of my Democrat colleagues joined us last summer to vote for this bill. Hardly a partisan exercise to say that we should protect the elections of the American people,” he added. 

The bill made headway during the 2024 presidential election as the Republican National Committee (RNC) led voter integrity efforts in battleground states across the country. Trump has long supported the legislation and held a Mar-a-Lago press conference last summer with House Speaker Mike Johnson affirming Republican support for the bill. 

Voters make selections at their voting booths inside an early voting site in North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits)

Voter registration is handled on the state level, so rules requiring proof of citizenship or photo ID differ by state. Thirty-six states request or require identification to vote. The SAVE Act would federalize the issue, requiring proof of citizenship to vote and removing non-citizens from voter rolls. 

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When Virginia, led by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, attempted to remove non-citizens from the state’s voter rolls, Biden’s Justice Department rejected the program and tried to restore the canceled voter registrations. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority upheld Virginia’s removal of about 1,600 people from the voter rolls. 

FIRST ON FOX – Republican Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas is taking sides in the Lone Star State’s burgeoning GOP Senate primary battle between longtime Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Gooden, a four-term lawmaker who represents a congressional district which includes parts of eastern Dallas as well as large swaths of suburban, exurban, and rural areas east of the city, endorsed Paxton on Thursday. He is known as a MAGA firebrand and ally of President Donald Trump.

“Attorney General Paxton is the conservative champion we need in the U.S. Senate,” Gooden wrote in a statement shared first with Fox News.

He predicted that Paxton “will take a sledgehammer to the establishment, secure the border, and fight hard for President Trump’s agenda. Ken Paxton has my complete and total endorsement.”

GET READY FOR A NASTY AND EXPENSIVE GOP SENATE PRIMARY IN TEXAS

Rep. Lance Gooden endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the 2026 U.S. Senate race in Texas. Paxton is primary challenging longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Gooden, who is a member of the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees, is the second member of the Texas congressional delegation to back Paxton, following Republican Rep. Troy Nehls, who endorsed the attorney general on Wednesday.

As he gears up for what will most certainly be his roughest re-election of his decades-long career, Cornyn has the backing of the top Republican in the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

And Republican sources confirmed to Fox News that Thune, as well as Sen. Tim Scott, R–S.C., the NRSC chair, have personally asked Trump to back Cornyn.

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The president’s grip on the GOP is stronger than ever and any endorsement Trump may make in the emerging Republican Senate primary in Texas would be extremely influential.

Paxton announced his candidacy Tuesday night in an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”

“It’s time for a change in Texas,” Paxton, who first won election as state attorney general in 2014, said as he launched his campaign.

Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at an event outside the Texas Statehouse, on Feb. 28, 2022, in Austin. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

And pointing to conservative Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Paxton argued that “it’s time that we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas and also support Donald Trump in the areas that he’s focused on in a very significant way.”

Paxton has flirted for a couple of years with launching a 2026 primary challenge against Cornyn, a former state senator, former Texas Supreme Court justice, and former state attorney general, who first won election to the U.S. Senate in 2002.

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Paxton has long claimed Cornyn does not represent the conservative values of Texans, and has accused the senator of not being an ally of Trump. He has also regularly labeled Cornyn a “RINO,” a “Republican in name only” – an insult MAGA and “America First” Republicans have regularly used to criticize more mainstream or establishment members of the GOP.

Cornyn, during the early stages of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race, had said he would prefer that the GOP take a new direction, which angered Trump. But the senator endorsed Trump in late January of last year, after the then-former president won both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, the first two contests in the Republican presidential nomination calendar.

Sen. John Cornyn speaks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, on Capitol Hill, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Since Trump returned to the White House three months ago, Cornyn has been supportive of the president’s Cabinet nominees and agenda.

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In the senator’s campaign launch video last month, the announcer highlighted that during Trump’s first term in office, “Texas Sen. John Cornyn had his back.”

And Cornyn told reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that he had “a 92% voting record with President Trump.”

“It’s unclear to me exactly what is motivating Mr. Paxton, other than vanity and personal ambition, certainly it’s not going to make a lot of difference in terms of the voting record, because I’ve been a supporter of President Trump and his agenda,” the senator argued.

Paxton grabbed national attention in 2020 for filing the unsuccessful Texas vs. Pennsylvania case in the Supreme Court that tried to overturn former President Joe Biden’s razor-thin win over Trump in the Keystone State, and for speaking at the Trump rally near the White House that immediately preceded the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists aiming to disrupt congressional certification of Biden’s Electoral College victory.

During Biden’s four years in the White House, Paxton took the administration to court numerous times.

While Paxton, who’s in his third four-year term as Texas attorney general, has long been a legal warrior in the MAGA movement, he also has plenty of personal political baggage.

Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton at his primary night celebration, on March 1, 2022, in McKinney, Texas. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges soon after taking office in 2015, and also came under investigation by the FBI over bribery and corruption allegations from former top staffers. In 2022, he survived a bruising primary amid his many legal difficulties.

In 2023, Paxton was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives, but he was later acquitted of all charges by the state Senate. 

The charges in the long-running federal corruption probe were dropped during the final weeks of the Biden administration. 

While Paxton for years has denied any wrongdoing and has survived his legal fights, he would likely continue to face tough optics and plenty of incoming fire over his past predicaments during a Senate showdown.

“Paxton has a checkered background. He is a con man and a fraud and I think the people of Texas know that,” Cornyn charged on Wednesday.

And the senator added: “This is what will be litigated during the course of this campaign.”

Matt Mackowiak, a veteran Republican strategist and communications consultant based in Texas and Washington, D.C., pointed to the bruising intra-party battle ahead as he told Fox News that “this is going to be the most expensive, nastiest, most aggressive, most personal U.S. Senate primary in Texas history.”

“You have two candidates who are going to raise significant funds, who are in significant positions, who do not like each other and have not liked each other, whose teams do not like each other and the stakes could not be higher,” Mackowiak said.

GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas headlines the opening of the first Trump campaign office in Pennsylvania, on June 4, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Potentially complicating the primary battle is a possible Senate bid by conservative Rep. Wesley Hunt, who represents a Houston-area district.

The third-term 43-year-old Texas Republican and rising MAGA star has made his case to the president’s political team, sources confirm to Fox News. Hunt’s argument is that he’s the only person who can win both a GOP primary and a general election, a source familiar with the discussions confirmed to Fox News.

An outside group supportive of Hunt is currently spending seven figures to run ads across the Lone Star State to increase the lawmaker’s name recognition.

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The eventual winner of next year’s GOP primary will be considered the favorite in the general election against whomever the Democrats nominate.

Former Democratic Rep. Colin Allred has said he’ll decide by this summer if he’ll mount a 2026 Senate campaign.

Allred, a former Baylor University football player and NFL linebacker who later represented Texas’ 32nd Congressional District (which includes parts of Dallas and surrounding suburbs), was last year’s Democratic challenger in the race against Cruz.

The House tries again this morning to align with the Senate on a framework for President Donald Trump’s tax cut bill. 

A vote could come as early as the 10 a.m. ET hour. 

No alignment? No bill.

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President Donald Trump helped get House Republicans’ budget bill over the line. (Getty Images)

More than a dozen House conservatives balked last night, blocking Republicans from even voting on the blueprint. 

They spoke with House GOP leaders for more than an hour. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also spoke with President Trump. Some conservatives met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate committee chairs. 

The holdouts want more assurances that the Senate will cut more spending than they greenlighted in their revamped budget early last Saturday morning. 

What would unlock the votes today? Either an informal promise from the Senate to cut more. Or, the House could alter the Senate package and Senate to sync with the House. 

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Mitch McConnell’s fundraising apparatus is changing hands to Thune allies. (Reuters)

An alternative is for the House to vote to add two steps to process – sending the House and Senate plans to a conference committee to finally blend the resolutions into one. 

Changing the bill and going to a conference committee are cumbersome, time-consuming steps. Rather than eight steps to finish the bill, that would create 10. The House is stuck on step 4. 

Thune has said the Senate can’t tackle another update and overnight vote series. It’s already done two versions. 

This underscores the wide divide between what the House wants to tackle – and what the Senate is capable of tackling. 

The House and Senate must approve the same measure at this stage in order to get to the bill itself. And these steps were supposed to be easier. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson leads a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington on Jan. 22, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

This also jeopardizes Johnson’s goal of finishing the bill by Memorial Day. 

It’s about the math: Johnson can only lose three votes. And he has north of a dozen nays now. 

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Moreover, the House and Senate are out of alignment. Whatever can advance in the Senate can’t pass the House and vice versa. That could imperil the ultimate passage of the bill itself.