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President Donald Trump confirmed that multiple employees within the National Security Council were fired Thursday, adding to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s recent political woes that have snowballed since Democrats first slammed him over March’s Signal chat leak. 

“Always, we’re going to let go of people we don’t like, or people we don’t think can do the job, or people who may have loyalties to somebody else,” Trump said from Air Force One when asked about reports on the NSC firings. 

Trump confirmed that NSC members had been fired, but remarked it was not many individuals. 

Trump added that he continues to trust his NSC team, remarking that they’ve “done very well” and “had big success with the Houthis.”  

Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman and as a decorated combat Green Beret, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists. Trump and his administration have repeatedly defended the national security leader amid criticisms over the chat leak.  

Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. 

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR MIKE WALTZ TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ‘EMBARRASSING’ SIGNAL CHAT LEAK

President Donald Trump believes that a staffer for national security advisor Mike Waltz may have accidentally added the Atlantic’s editor in chief to the Signal text chain that he eventually leaked to the press. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

The Atlantic’s report characterized the Trump administration as texting “war plans” regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Trump administration has maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. 

NSC CONFIRMS MIKE WALTZ AND STAFF USED GMAIL FOR GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION

“As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” Trump administration press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media in brief remarks outside of the White House’s press room Monday afternoon. “And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.” 

President Donald Trump and his administration have repeatedly defended national security advisor Mike Waltz. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,” she continued. “And we’re moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.” 

TRUMP REVEALS WHO WAS BEHIND SIGNAL TEXT CHAIN LEAK

Fox News Digital has compiled a timeline of accusations and outrage directed at and involving Waltz since the Atlantic’s first report on the chat leak. 

• March 24: The Atlantic publishes a report that Goldberg was added to a Signal chat that claimed national security leaders were discussing “war plans” with one another.
• March 25: Trump tells NBC News he believes a staffer in Waltz’s office was behind mistakenly adding the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief to the group chat.
• March 25: Democratic outrage over the Atlantic article mounts, including Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, calling on Waltz and Hegseth to resign.
• March 25: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe join an annual Senate Intelligence Committee hearing and report no classified material was shared in the chat and that the Signal chat was “lawful.”
• March 25: Waltz joins Fox News and takes “full responsibility” for the Signal chat leak. Waltz added that he “100 percent” did not personally know Goldberg before the Signal debacle.”I take full responsibility. I built the group,” Waltz said on “The Ingraham Angle” March 25. “It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
• “I take full responsibility. I built the group,” Waltz said on “The Ingraham Angle” March 25. “It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
• March 26: Politico reports anonymous sources found Trump was irritated with Waltz over the leak, while the president publicly defended Waltz as “a very good man.”
• March 26: The Atlantic publishes a follow-up story that included direct texts from the Signal chat, but notably did not include the phrase “war plans” in its headline, instead characterizing the texts as “attack plans.”
• March 26: Administration officials slam the Atlantic’s follow-up story as exposing a “hoax” against Trump. Waltz also doubled-down that the Signal messages published in the Atlantic article did not include, “locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS.”
• March 26: Leavitt says Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency team would help investigate the Signal leak.
• March 28: Politico reports Trump did not want to fire Waltz and “give the press a scalp,” according to anonymous sources reportedly familiar with private discussions.
• March 30: Goldberg joins NBC News’ Kristen Welker and says Waltz’s claims the two had never met or spoken are “simply not true.”
• March 31: Leavitt declares Signal case is “closed,” reiterating that “Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team.”
• April 1: Washington Post reports Waltz and National Security Counsel staff used Gmail to conduct government business. NSC spokesman Brian Hughes pushed back on the Washington Post report in a comment provided to Fox Digital Thursday:”This is the latest attempt to distract the American people from President Trump’s successful national security agenda that’s protecting our nation. Let me reiterate, NSA Waltz received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts on his personal email and cc’d government accounts for anything since January 20th to ensure compliance with records retention, and he has never sent classified material over his personal email account or any unsecured platform.”
• “This is the latest attempt to distract the American people from President Trump’s successful national security agenda that’s protecting our nation. Let me reiterate, NSA Waltz received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts on his personal email and cc’d government accounts for anything since January 20th to ensure compliance with records retention, and he has never sent classified material over his personal email account or any unsecured platform.”
• April 1: House Oversight Democrats open investigation into Waltz’s use of Gmail.
• April 2: Politico reports Waltz’s office set up at least 20 different Signal group chats to coordinate with other officials. NSC pushes back that Signal is allowed on government devices and is an app used by both the Biden and Trump administrations:”Signal is an approved, encrypted messaging app and any claim NSC officials sending classified information over these channels is false. It can be used for unclassified messaging and a user has the responsibility to preserve any official record created,” Hughes said in Thursday comment provided to Fox Digital. “Some in NSC, like those in the media and many areas across the federal government, use the Signal app. There are federal agencies that automatically install the app on government devices, as was testified to in congressional hearings last week. Using Signal to send unclassified information is appropriate and these same facts have been reported multiple times in the last few days. All communications are a reflection of a thoughtful dialog of those committed to the effective implementation of the President’s agenda.”
• “Signal is an approved, encrypted messaging app and any claim NSC officials sending classified information over these channels is false. It can be used for unclassified messaging and a user has the responsibility to preserve any official record created,” Hughes said in Thursday comment provided to Fox Digital. “Some in NSC, like those in the media and many areas across the federal government, use the Signal app. There are federal agencies that automatically install the app on government devices, as was testified to in congressional hearings last week. Using Signal to send unclassified information is appropriate and these same facts have been reported multiple times in the last few days. All communications are a reflection of a thoughtful dialog of those committed to the effective implementation of the President’s agenda.”
• April 3: The New York Times reports far-right activist Laura Loomer reportedly presented Trump with a list of National Security Counsel staff who have been disloyal and should be fired.
• April 3: Trump confirms some members at NSC have been fired. He told the media that Loomer was not involved with the firings of the NSC members on Thursday.

National security advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, March 25, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

The House and Senate are a long way from approving President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” to cut spending, slash taxes and likely raise the debt ceiling.

But the next step in the process begins unfolding Thursday afternoon and over the next 48 hours.

The Senate likely votes between 4 and 6 p.m. ET Thursday to actually “proceed” to a retooled budget framework. The framework is necessary under special budget rules the Senate is using to avoid a filibuster, which would kill the bill.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: APRIL FOOLS’ ON CAPITOL HILL

The next step in the budget process begins unfolding Thursday afternoon and over the next 48 hours. (Getty Images)

If the Senate fails to proceed, Republicans have major problems. But if the Senate can forge ahead, then it can actually launch up to 50 hours of debate on the updated budget package and go to what’s called a “vote-a-rama” on Friday evening. The Senate would presumably finish this step in the process and adopt the new framework in the wee hours of Saturday morning or perhaps during the day on Saturday.

A “vote-a-rama” is really just a very Senate way of saying “long vote series which probably runs all night.” The Senate rifles through roll call vote after roll call vote for hours on end. Most vote-a-ramas run 10–15 hours. They are always related to the budget process. And, because of special budget rules, senators can offer an unlimited number of amendments — and that’s why there are so many votes.

Republicans will try to get through this process as quickly as possible — although some conservatives may offer amendments for additional debt reduction or something related to the debt ceiling.

DEMOCRAT REP VOWS TO WORK WITH TRUMP ON KEY PART OF TARIFF PLAN: ‘HOPING THAT I CAN HELP’

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2024. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Democrats will likely offer a host of amendments to get vulnerable Republicans on the record about controversial issues like possible cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and even tariffs.

The bottom line is this:

There is high interest in Congress advancing the “big, beautiful bill.” It’s the touchstone of Trump’s legislative agenda and probably the most significant piece of legislation to come before Congress over the next two years. But getting to a point where the House and Senate can actually try to approve the bill itself is an exhaustive process and months away. However, this incremental step is essential to getting there. And that’s why interested parties will focus on the vote-a-rama starting Friday night and when it ends.

Also, why start this process so late on a Thursday and compel the Senate to meet on a Friday night and into the weekend? Especially when the Senate has had multiple weekend sessions already this year and several overnight sessions? That includes the all-night, record-breaking speech by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., earlier this week.

There is some method to the madness.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. (Senate Democrats YouTube channel)

First, the Senate needs to get through this step. Time is of the essence. But secondly, Fox is told that holding off until later in the week could limit the length of the vote-a-rama if the Senate doesn’t start until Friday night. That isn’t to say the vote-a-rama won’t be long and tiring. But it could abbreviate the process.

Let’s take a step backward so we can look forward on what the House and Senate must still do to pass the tax cut and spending cut plan. There are potentially eight steps here. The Senate motion over the next few days is step three.

In February, the Senate adopted an initial budget outline so it could use the special “budget reconciliation process” and avoid a filibuster.

The House approved its own version of a budget outline in late February — even though the consequences of the filibuster mean nothing to the House. But the issue was that the House and Senate approved different budget frameworks. They still need to sync up.

So those were steps one and two of this protracted process.

The Senate’s vote-a-rama — culminating with the adoption of a new, updated budget blueprint — is step three.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, and Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (Reuters)

Step four likely comes next week when the Senate’s updated package goes to the House. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., indicated Wednesday night he’d like the House to align with the Senate framework next week. So that entails another vote. However, some archconservatives might look askance at the Senate’s spending cut numbers. Those close to the Senate process have told Fox that those figures represent a “floor” for spending cuts. Not a “ceiling.” But the ultimate Senate number might not please as many House conservatives.

Why does the Senate do it this way? To comply with specific, strict Senate budgetary rules.

Johnson seemed buoyed last night after he swore in new Reps. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., and Randy Fine, R-Fla., on Wednesday night.

“The margin is a little more comfortable. It’s an embarrassment of riches. Now we can lose, what, three votes now or something,” he said.

Yours truly asked Patronis if he and Fine would vote for the still incomplete package when it comes over from the Senate.

“I vote for my speaker,” replied Patronis.

“Right!” piped up Johnson.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

It’s possible the speaker was glad to have some backup after one of the worst weeks of his tenure. Johnson lost an internecine fight over proxy voting for members who are pregnant or new moms. That blocked the House from considering other major bills and forced him to shut the House down for the rest of the week on Tuesday.

Regardless, if the House adopts the plan now before the Senate, they go to steps five and six. That’s where the House and Senate actually assemble, debate and presumably pass the bill itself. Those steps will be the most challenging set yet. And it likely involves yet another vote-a-rama in the Senate.

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Then, we may have steps seven and eight. That’s where the House and Senate may need to take yet another set of votes to align again — if both bodies have approved different bills.

That’s why passing the “big, beautiful bill” may take until summer. And there will undoubtedly be additional hiccups along the way.

Senate Republicans cleared the way on Thursday for an eventual vote on the latest version of a budget to push through several key agenda items for President Trump, including the southern border and extending his 2017 tax cuts. 

A motion to proceed was agreed to in the upper chamber just one day after Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham unveiled the Senate’s amendment to the House’s budget plan. 

The Senate agreed to the motion by a vote of 52 to 48, along party lines. The only exception was Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who voted against it. Paul has criticized the budget framework’s provision on the debt ceiling. 

The changes made by the Senate include raising the debt ceiling by up to $5 trillion and making Trump’s tax cuts permanent by using what’s known as a current policy baseline, as determined by the chairman. 

TED CRUZ CLASHES WITH KEY DEMOCRAT OVER ‘SECOND PHASE OF LAWFARE’ THROUGH FEDERAL JUDGES’ ORDERS

The Senate laid the groundwork for a vote-a-rama this weekend. (Reuters)

The Thursday motion kicks off roughly a day’s worth of debate, before a “vote-a-rama” begins. The marathon amendment votes are expected to take place at some point on Friday afternoon or evening after debate concludes. 

During a vote-a-rama, senators are able to introduce an unlimited number of amendments, and many are expected to get floor votes. 

GOP DEFECTORS HELP SENATE ADVANCE RESOLUTION TO CANCEL TRUMP TARIFFS DESPITE WHITE HOUSE VETO WARNING

The Senate voted to begin the process on Thursday. (Getty Images)

After the amended budget resolution passes in the Senate, which it is expected to do at some point on Saturday, the House will need to take it up again. 

This is a significant step forward for Republicans in their quest to get Trump’s priorities done through the budget reconciliation process. This key budget process lowers the vote threshold in the Senate from 60 to 51, allowing the GOP to pass things without support from their Democrat counterparts. Reconciliation is considered a key tool for the Republican trifecta in Washington to get Trump’s policies passed. 

SENATE DEMS FORESHADOW MORE FORCED VOTES TO BLOCK TRUMP’S EMERGENCY ORDERS

Republicans in DC see reconciliation as the best tool to accomplish Trump priorities. (Fox News Digital/Trump-Vance Transition Team)

Early on, Republicans in the House and Senate were split on how to organize the key resolution. House Republican leaders largely preferred doing one reconciliation bill that addressed both the border and tax cuts, while Senate Republicans wanted to separate the issues into two bills. 

Republicans in the lower chamber made it clear they would only accept one reconciliation bill that included border funding and tax cut extensions, as they have less room for dissent in their slim majority. 

SCOOP: LINDSEY GRAHAM AMENDMENT SIGNALS GOP BUDGET BREAKTHROUGH, SETS STAGE FOR TRUMP AGENDA

Trump has pushed Congress to pass his budget plan. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Each chamber passed their preferred resolution, but Trump’s support for one bill on multiple occasions put the House’s strategy over the top. Senate Republicans themselves even described their resolution as a backup plan to the House’s. 

President Donald Trump said he supports letting new moms in Congress vote by proxy, putting him at odds with House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“You’re having a baby, I think you should be able to call in and vote,” Trump told reporters Thursday on Air Force One. “I’m in favor of that.”

“I don’t know why it’s controversial,” he added.

He said he had spoken with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., one of the lead GOP voices behind the plan.

ANNA PAULINA LUNA FORCES HOUSE LEADERSHIP’S HAND ON PROXY VOTING AS GOP WAR ESCALATES

President Trump said he supports proxy voting for new mothers in Congress. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Luna and Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., are pushing a proposal that would let new parents vote by proxy for 12 weeks while caring for their newborns. With 218 lawmakers backing the move, it has enough support to force a vote.

Johnson, however, has historically opposed proxy voting, previously calling it unconstitutional and warning it was misused under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi during COVID. But after Trump’s endorsement, Luna revealed that Johnson reached out to her.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is pushing for proxy voting for new parents in Congress. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“@SpeakerJohnson has called me after POTUS statement and we discussed limiting the vote to just new moms who cannot physically travel in event of emergency etc. This is smart,” Luna tweeted. “Remember: only 13 in US history.”

ANNA PAULINA LUNA RESIGNS FROM HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS, SAYS ‘MUTUAL RESPECT’ WAS ‘SHATTERED’

Johnson had tried to kill the effort earlier this week, but nine Republicans joined all Democrats to block him, voting 206-222. After the loss, Johnson canceled votes for the rest of the week.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has opposed proxy voting. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Despite the setback, Luna made it clear the issue isn’t about advancing any legislation for the president, saying she personally told Johnson as much.

It is unclear whether the issue will be brought back for a vote on the House floor before the April Recess.

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The offices of House Speaker Mike Johnson and Representative Anna Paulina Luna did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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…

-Newsom foe picked by Trump for key prosecutor job vows to ‘dismantle’ sanctuary state shields

–Trump’s DOGE push slashes millions in DEI contracts funding ‘divisive ideologies’ in blue states

-Hawley, Senate Judiciary panel to hear from muzzled Meta whistleblower next week

Signal Chat Snowball

President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, has repeatedly landed in hot water in recent days, beginning with an uproar from Democrats over a Signal chat leak with high-ranking national security officials that has since snowballed. 

Trump and his administration, however, repeatedly have defended the national security leader publicly. 

Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman and as a decorated combat Green Beret, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists…Read more

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and President Trump.  (Getty Images)

White House

‘NAZI NEPO BABY’: Unearthed photo shows smiling Obama touring SpaceX alongside ‘Nazi nepo baby’ Elon Musk

‘CASH AVALANCHE’: President Trump, conservatives celebrate ‘absolutely massive’ Florida special elections sweep

‘THE PATIENT LIVED’: Trump issues ‘prognosis’ for US after tariffs in medical metaphor

WASHINGTON, DC  April 2, 2025: US President Donald Trump during a Make America Wealthy Again event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday April 2, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

CHANGE OF POLICY: Trump admin moves to more easily fire federal workers at 2 agencies: report

COURT TURBULENCE: Trump faces Judge Boasberg over migrant deportation flights defying court order

World Stage

‘REAL LEADERSHIP’: Trump invites El Salvador’s Bukele to White House for ‘working visit’

COSMIC CLASH: Space Force chief fires off dire warning about Chinese capability to knock out US satellites

‘RESTORING DIALOGUE’: Kremlin official says he’s meeting Trump admin in first Russian visit to US since Ukraine war

Russia President Putin and President Trump (Getty Images)

Capitol Hill

UNLIKELY ALLY: Trump gets rare Democrat support for new tariffs: ‘This is a good start’

‘LONG-OVERDUE’: Trump’s GOP allies praise new tariff strategy, Dem critics say they will only make life more difficult

‘UNBELIEVABLY DISLOYAL’: Senate approves resolution against Trump’s Canada tariffs hours after ‘Liberation Day’ event

CALIFORNIA CLASH: Congress barrels toward showdown over Biden-era rule letting California ban gas cars

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious electric vehicle agenda is getting severe pushback from House Republicans (Shutterstock/Getty Images/Smith Collection)

POWER STRUGGLE: Bipartisan senators’ bill would require Congress to approve new tariffs

GOOD TIMING: House Democrats to head to U.S.-Mexico border in California to scrutinize Trump security policies

Across America 

‘FULL SUPPORT’: Top House Republican backs Byron Donalds for Florida governor

FIRST ON FOX: Washington Post article hyping anti-DOGE protesters in deep red state omits crucial details

DOWNWARD DOGE: Musk’s political baggage: Polls show Americans sour on Trump’s most visible advisor

Elon Musk’s Tesla showroom locations have faced repeated protests over his role in DOGE.  (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

WATCHDOG: Pentagon watchdog opens probe into Hegseth’s use of Signal to discuss Houthi attack plans

ONE-WAY TICKET: ICE says it deported 174 criminal migrants from Texas, including a man with 39 illegal entries

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

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration has set new preconditions for Harvard to combat antisemitism in exchange for access to federal funding.

In a letter addressed to Harvard President Dean Garber, senior administration officials claimed Harvard had “fundamentally failed to protect American students and faculty from antisemitic violence and harassment” in violation of the Civil Rights Act. 

“U.S. taxpayers invest enormously in U.S. colleges and universities, including Harvard,” the letter, signed by Josh Gruenbaum, Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration (GSA); Sean Keveney, acting general counsel at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and Thomas Wheeler, acting general counsel at the Department of Education (ED), said.

“It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that all recipients are responsible stewards of taxpayer funds,” the memo, obtained by Fox News Digital, read. 

The letter stipulated that Harvard must ban the use of masks that could conceal identities at protests and establish a clear “time, place and manner” policy for protests. Harvard must also eliminate all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, adopt “merit-based” admissions and hiring reform and end any admissions based on race or national origin.

TRUMP CUTS MORE THAN $400 MILLION IN GRANTS TO COLUMBIA OVER ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS, POTENTIALLY MORE TO COME

The Trump administration is demanding a crackdown on pro-Gaza protests that veer into antisemitic and pro-Hamas territory at Harvard. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

The university must commit to “full cooperation” with the Department of Homeland Security and all other agencies in government, according to the letter.

It also said Harvard must review and make changes to programs and departments that “fuel antisemitic harassment,” and cooperate with law enforcement. It must hold all recognized and unrecognized students accountable for violations of policy and ensure senior administration officials are responsible for disciplinary decisions. 

The three federal agencies — HHS, GSA and ED — last week announced a review of some $8 billion in “multi-year grant commitments” as part of a probe launched by the Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.

The review also includes some $255 million in contracts. 

“The message is clear: reform is not optional,” the task force told Fox News Digital when reached for comment. 

“The era of elite impunity is over. With billions in taxpayer dollars at stake, Harvard must either confront its institutional failures — including its inability to protect students from anti-Semitic abuse — or risk losing funding.”

The university could not immediately be reached for comment. 

TRUMP COLLEGE CRACKDOWN: LIST OF STUDENTS DETAINED AMID ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUSES

Weeks ago, the Trump administration clawed back more than $400 million in funding from Columbia University, demanding changes to disciplinary policy and placing some programs under administrative control. 

Columbia acquiesced to many of the trio of agencies’ demands — prompting backlash from liberal critics — and the university replaced its interim president, Katrina Armstrong. 

The university’s board of trustees denied caving to the administration, calling the new changes “Columbia-driven decisions made in accordance with our values and our mission.”

“Where this work aligns with recommendations of others, we believe constructive dialogue makes sense,” the trustees wrote.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has targeted international students who study at U.S. universities and participate in Gaza protests that they say veer into pro-Hamas territory. 

A view of a protest encampment in Harvard Yard. The “Liberated Zone” had several signs decrying genocide and calling for divestment from Israel. (Nikolas Lanum/Fox News Digital)

Harvard has already begun preparing for the possibility of funding being clawed back. (AP)

Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 30 to “combat the explosion of anti-Semitism on our campuses and streets” since Oct. 7, 2023, and since then the State Department has revoked some 300 visas, many of them held by college students. 

“If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us the reason you are coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus — we’re not going to give you a visa,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said before adding, “Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.”

Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra said this week that the department was working on a contingency plan in case of federal funding cuts. 

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“I know this news is extraordinarily disconcerting and that it’s hard to process,” Hoekstra said, according to the Harvard Crimson. “There is some important work that we, and only we, can do right now: maintain the continuity of our teaching and research mission.”

Harvard and Columbia were among 10 universities the task force said it is reviewing. Harvard has already instituted a hiring freeze in response to the review, given the uncertain funding environment. 

President Donald Trump said he wants Elon Musk to stay on his team “as long as possible” during a conversation with reporters Thursday, adding DOGE had found something “horrible” without divulging details.

The president made his remarks during a conversation with reporters on Air Force One after Trump was asked how much longer Musk would stay on as a “special government employee.” 

The questions followed a report from Politico this week claiming Trump had told his inner circle that Musk will be leaving his role as a “special government employee” with DOGE soon. The report cited internal frustrations with Musk’s “unpredictability” and his potential to be a “political liability.”  

“Elon is fantastic. He’s a patriot,” Trump told reporters, adding Musk can stay at the White House “as long as he’d like” and that he personally wants him to stay “as long as possible.”

JD VANCE FIRES BACK AT CRITICS OF TRUMP TARIFFS, ADDRESSES ELON MUSK’S DOGE FUTURE

“I like smart people, and he’s a smart person. I also like him, personally,” Trump added. “We’re in no rush. But there will be a point at which time Elon’s going to have to leave.”

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

“Special government employees” are permitted to work for the federal government for “no more than 130 days in a 365-day period,” according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk’s 130-day timeframe, beginning on Inauguration Day, would expire May 30.

When asked if he would consider appointing Musk to a different post to keep him around longer, Trump said that could be a possibility. 

“I would. I think Elon’s great,” Trump responded. “But he also has a company to run, or a number of companies to run.”

MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE  

According to the president, “the secretaries” within his cabinet will take over the work Musk has been doing with DOGE upon Musk’s exit from DOGE.

That work, Trump added, found something “horrible” and “incredible” today, but he would not divulge further details to reporters.

New York Times opinion writers despair over the Trump administration’s first fifty days.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Musk’s work with DOGE officially began after President Trump signed an executive order establishing the office Jan. 20. The role of “special government employee” was created in 1962 to permit the executive or legislative branch to hire temporary employees for specific short-term initiatives.

When asked for a specific date of Musk’s potential departure, the president responded that it could be as long as “a few months.”

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“I’d keep him as long as I can keep him,” Trump told reporters earlier this week. “He’s a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He’s very smart. And he’s done a good job.”

The president added on Air Force One that he envisions many of the employees working under Musk at DOGE will eventually find their way into full-time positions in various federal agencies.

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Thursday grilled Trump administration lawyers over whether they defied a court order blocking deportations under a wartime immigration law — a potential step toward holding the administration in contempt.

At issue is the administration’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. Boasberg pressed Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign on why the government appeared to ignore an emergency injunction last month halting those deportations.

The administration has appealed the underlying case to the Supreme Court. But for now, Boasberg is weighing whether there is probable cause to move forward with contempt proceedings — a question that remained open after a tense exchange in court.

Boasberg said he would issue a decision as early as next week on how to proceed if he finds grounds to hold the administration in contempt.

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

James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, attends a panel discussion at an annual American Board Association meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Drew Angerer/AFP)

During the hearing, Ensign was repeatedly questioned about who in the Trump administration had information about the flights and when the three deportation flights left U.S. soil for El Salvador. At least 261 migrants were deported that day, including more than 100 Venezuelan nationals who were subject to removal “solely on the basis” of the law temporarily blocked by the court.

“You maintain that the government was in full compliance with the court’s order on March 15, correct?” Boasberg asked Ensign. 

Ensign said yes, to which the judge responded: “It seems to me the government acted in bad faith that day.” 

“If you really believed everything you did that day was legal and would survive a court challenge, you would not have operated the way that you did,” Boasberg said.  

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

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg stands for a portrait at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C. on March 16, 2023. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

He repeatedly questioned Ensign about his knowledge of the flights and whether any related materials were classified, which could have triggered state secrets protections.

Government lawyers have refused to share information in court about the deportation flights, and whether the plane (or planes) of migrants knowingly departed U.S. soil after the judge ordered them not to do so, citing national security protections. 

But according to Ensign, that may not have been an issue. He told Boasberg the flight information likely wasn’t classified, prompting the judge to wonder aloud why it hadn’t been shared with him in an ex parte setting.

“Can you think of one instance” where the state secrets privilege was invoked using unclassified info? he asked Ensign, who struggled to respond.

“Pretty sketchy,” Boasberg said aloud in response.

Another focus of Thursday’s hearing was timing — both when President Donald Trump signed the proclamation authorizing use of the Alien Enemies Act, and when federal agents began loading planes with migrants bound for El Salvador.

Boasberg noted that the Trump administration began loading the planes the morning of March 15, hours before the flights left the U.S.

“So then it’s not crazy to infer there was prior knowledge and actions ahead of the Saturday night deportations?” he asked Ensign.

The judge pressed the lawyer over the names, locations and agencies of individuals who were privy to the removals, as well as internal conversations with other administration officials who may have been listening in to the court proceedings.

“Who did you tell about my order?” Boasberg asked. “Once the hearing was done, who did you tell?”

Ensign says he relayed the information to Department of Homeland Security contacts and State Department officials, among others.

President Donald Trump, left, and U.S. District Judge James Boasberg. (Getty Images)

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He listed the names of the individuals, at Boasberg’s request, which the judge then carefully transcribed onto a pad of paper, interjecting at times to clarify the spelling or ask for their job titles.

The hearing is the latest in a flurry of legal battles over the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. It follows Boasberg’s order requiring officials to explain why they failed to comply with his directive to return the deportation flights — and whether they knowingly defied the court.

Boasberg told both sides he would see them again next week for arguments on the plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction motion, set for Tuesday.

The hearing also marks the latest clash between Trump and Boasberg, whom the president has publicly denounced as an “activist” judge and called for his impeachment. 

Dr. Mehmet Oz will serve as the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after the full Senate voted along party lines to confirm his nomination on Thursday. 

The former daytime TV doctor turned politician will be in charge of nearly $1.5 trillion in federal healthcare spending. His duties will entail overseeing Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including directing decisions related to how the government covers procedures, hospital stays and medication, as well as the reimbursement rates at which healthcare providers get paid for their services.   

Medicare is a federal healthcare program for seniors aged 65 and up, and currently provides coverage to about 65 million Americans, according to the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Medicaid, a public health assistance program for people with low incomes, covers roughly 72 million Americans, according to Medicaid.gov. Meanwhile, CHIP, which provides free or low-cost health coverage for eligible low-income children and family members, assists around 7.2 million individuals. 

HHS DOWNSIZING BEGINS AMID RFK JR. ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ PUSH: ‘WIN-WIN FOR TAXPAYERS’

GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz is greeted by former president Donald Trump at a rally to support local candidates at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sept. 3, 2022 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A graduate of Harvard University, Oz received medical and business degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a former heart surgeon who saw his fame rise through his appearances on daytime television, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and 13 seasons of “The Dr. Oz Show.”

Oz later transitioned into politics, launching an unsuccessful bid for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat in 2022. He lost to John Fetterman, then the state’s lieutenant governor.

NEW BIPARTISAN PROPOSAL TARGETS ‘ONE OF THE MOST EGREGIOUS’ KINDS OF FRAUD RAVAGING HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz speaks at a campaign rally ahead of the midterm elections in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, Nov. 7, 2022. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

“Dr. Oz has a strong desire to modernize CMS and encourage healthy lifestyles for all Americans, including by focusing on the underlying causes of chronic disease and implementing innovative technologies,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said Thursday.

Crapo, who led Oz’s nomination process at the committee level, commended Oz for his “diligence and accessibility” throughout the process, including his willingness to answer “hundreds” of questions for the record.

Those questions came from both Republicans and Democrats. They included asking about Oz’s stance on abortion, transgender medical treatments, Medicare privatization, prescription drug pricing and more. Potential financial conflicts of interest were also a concern among Democratic lawmakers throughout Oz’s confirmation process. Oz has committed to divesting any holdings that may pose an issue. 

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Thursday’s confirmation comes as the Trump administration continues to work to finalize the rest of its political appointments, including notably the president’s pick to be the next United Nations ambassador and his pick for director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

Per The Washington Post’s “political appointee tracker,” there are currently still 233 nominees being considered by the Senate.

President Donald Trump laid out his plans for imposing a host of new tariffs on imports to the U.S. Wednesday — a day his administration touted as “Liberation Day” and vowed would restore the American dream. 

Trump unveiled the new tariffs in a ceremony at the White House’s Rose Garden for a “Make America Wealthy Again” event, where he declared that these new duties would usher in a wave of jobs for U.S. workers. 

“For nations that treat us badly, we will calculate the combined rate of all their tariffs, nonmonetary barriers and other forms of cheating,” Trump said Wednesday. 

“And because we are being very kind, we will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us,” he said. “So, the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal. I could have done that. Yes. But it would have been tough for a lot of countries.”

THESE ARE THE ‘DIRTY 15’ COUNTRIES TRUMP MIGHT TARGET WITH LIBERATION DAY TARIFFS

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick holds a chart as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025.  (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press )

The Trump administration’s tariff plan sets out a baseline duty of 10% on all imports to the U.S., while customized tariffs will be set for countries who have higher tariffs in place on American goods. The baseline tariffs of 10% will take effect on Saturday, while the others will take effect on April 9. 

The Trump administration previously imposed a 25% tariff on imported auto vehicles, up to 25% tariffs on certain goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 20% tariff on shipments from China. The White House said that tariffs already imposed on Canada and Mexico remain unaltered. However, new tariffs on China will be coupled with existing duties on Beijing. 

Here is a look at the tariff rates that the Trump administration imposed as part of Liberation Day:

• China: 34% (not including previous 20% tariffs)
• European Union: 20%
• South Korea: 25%
• India: 26%
• Vietnam: 46%
• Taiwan: 32%
• Japan: 24%
• Thailand: 36%
• Switzerland: 31%
• Indonesia: 32%
• Malaysia: 24%
• Cambodia: 49%
• United Kingdom: 10%
• South Africa: 30%
• Brazil: 10%
• Bangladesh: 37%
• Singapore: 10%
• Israel: 17%
• Philippines: 17%
• Chile: 10%
• Australia: 10%
• Pakistan: 29%
• Turkey: 10%
• Sri Lanka: 44%
• Colombia: 10%

The Trump administration provided a chart of the tariff rates other countries charge on U.S. imports, suggesting that the tariffs the U.S. was imposing were not nearly as stringent as they could have been in order to reach reciprocity. 

For example, the chart says that Japan has imposed a 46% tariff on U.S. goods, while the U.S. is only implementing a 24% tariff on Japanese goods imported to the U.S. 

Why Trump wants tariffs

Trump and his administration have long railed against other countries’ trade practices and accused them of engaging in unfair trade practices against the U.S. — and argued that tariffs will help return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. As a result, he and his administration have called for employing tariffs to address the nation’s 2024 record $1.2 trillion trade deficit. 

“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said Wednesday. 

Tariffs function as a tax that governments collect on foreign goods and services that manufacturers import. They are collected while undergoing customs clearance in foreign ports, according to the International Trade Administration. 

The tariffs are expected to affect a host of goods, ranging from electronics, like iPhones that are predominantly manufactured in China, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, to wine and other alcoholic beverages originating from European Union countries, like Italy. 

Trump’s new tariffs prompted backlash from members of both parties in Congress, who have warned that the tariffs will raise prices for American consumers. 

Specifically, the Senate moved to approve a resolution by a 51–48 margin Wednesday evening following Trump’s announcement that would rescind the emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking that Trump used to justify duties on Canada. Four Republicans joined the voting with Democrats in support of the resolution, although it has low odds of passing in the Republican-controlled House. 

Meanwhile, other countries have spoken out against the tariffs, including allies like Canada and Australia. 

TRUMP TOUTS RETURN OF ‘AMERICAN DREAM’ IN HISTORIC TARIFF ANNOUNCEMENT 

Scott Bessent, U.S. treasury secretary, departs following a tariff announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House, April 2, 2025.  (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“In our judgment, it will be negative on the U.S. economy that will have an impact on us,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Wednesday. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese characterized the Trump administration’s new duties as “not the act of a friend” during a press conference Thursday. 

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Meanwhile, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent cautioned other countries against retaliating in response to the new tariffs, warning that the U.S. would not hesitate to take action again. 

“My advice to every country right now: Do not retaliate,” Bessent said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday. “If you retaliate, there will be escalation.”

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Emma Colton and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

A delegation of House Democratic lawmakers will visit a portion of the southern border on Friday to conduct oversight of the Trump administration’s border policies “firsthand” as authorities continue the president’s mass deportation program. 

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-MS., the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, will lead the delegation. 

Also going will be Reps. Lou Correa and Sara Jacobs, both of California; Delia Ramirez of Illinois; LaMonica McIver and Nellie Pou, both of New Jersey; and Tim Kennedy of New York.

TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

A group of adult and child migrants are smuggled at the Tijuana-San Diego border. (Carlos Moreno/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Thompson’s office. The lawmakers will visit the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector. 

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who has called for greater border security in the past, criticized the timing of the visit. 

“For years, I invited leaders from both parties to witness the crisis at our Southern Border,” he wrote on X. “Few listened. Now—just one month into the new administration—border crossings are down 95%. Now the Democrats want to come see it? The invasion is over. The border is secure.”

TRUMP REPORTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT HISTORIC LOWS DURING FIRST FULL MONTH IN OFFICE

Chairman Rep. Bernie Thompson (D-MS) speaks before the House Select Committee. (Getty Images)

The Trump administration has deported more than 100,000 illegal migrants in the weeks since Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20, according to a New York Post report citing a Department of Homeland Security official.

“He’s doing what he was voted in to do. Point blank!” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) source told the outlet.

A Marine looks towards Tijuana, Mexico, standing between two border walls in San Diego. A group of House Democrats will visit the border in San Diego on Friday.  (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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Trump’s second term, much like his first, has consisted of executive orders, enforcing current laws and hard-line messaging to clamp down on illegal crossings. On his first day back in office, he declared a national emergency at the southern border.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. 

The father of a 31-year-old Marine veteran from Arizona who was murdered at an illegal checkpoint while driving to the beach in Mexico in 2024 said he did not expect Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to reference his son’s name when announcing new sanctions against the Sinaloa cartel this week.  

Doug Quets, a U.S. military veteran himself, whose son, Nicholas Quets, served for four years in the Marines, said he was “really humbled and pleasantly surprised” that Bessent remembered him, as well as another American, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Camarena was abducted, tortured and killed in 1985. 

Bessent named both men in a video statement released Monday – what would have been Nicholas Quets’ 32nd birthday – that announced Treasury Department sanctions against six individuals and seven entities allegedly involved in a money-laundering network supporting the Sinaloa cartel. 

“I had full faith in President Trump… I knew we weren’t forgotten, but when the secretary mentioned my son’s name, no, I was not. I was not expecting that,” Doug Quets told Fox News Digital. “I have the faith in a lot of different levels of our government and in God that things could be done, because in fact, if you apply, if you pursue these problems and you confront these problems, they’re basically bullies, right? And so if you let the bullies go, they become bolder and bolder. But if you confront them, you can defeat them. So the momentum against these groups is palpable right now. I mean, you can feel it, you know that that’s occurring. And that’s only because of the United States deciding to do something about it.” 

SINALOA CARTEL SLAPPED WITH TRUMP ADMIN SANCTIONS IN BLOW TO DRUG EMPIRE

Nicholas Douglas Quets, a 31-year-old Marine veteran, loved being on the water, his family said. (Quets family )

Quets noted the contrast between the Trump administration’s message and what he heard from officials on both sides of the border five and a half months ago. He said his grieving family was told repeatedly by officials in the wake of Nicholas’ slaying in the Mexican state of Sonora that “we’re sorry, but there’s nothing that can be done.” 

“That, to me, is just infuriating because [as] somebody that’s spent a lot of time providing security for others and promoting welfare, the knowledge that nothing can be done against bullies and criminals, that perspective is wrong. You just have to confront it,” Quets told Fox News Digital. “We can win any fight. And we can win this fight. And knowing that President Trump is taking it very seriously, yeah, that gives me hope, gives my family hope that this will come to a good ending for so many people. It’ll never come to good ending for me, the things we want back, you know, they’re not coming back, but we can protect your family. We can protect other families.” 

Quets praised Trump for using “all instruments of U.S. national power” against the cartels and described receiving “overwhelming” support from the National Security Council, Justice Department and the FBI.

“It’s moving, it never moves as fast as you want as a parent, but he has taken our case very seriously, and I’m super happy for that. And everything we discussed, he has moved out on and as fast, I’m convinced, as fast as he could,” Quets said. 

About three weeks ago, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had a “powerful and emotional phone call” with Judge Enrique Camarena, the son of murdered DEA Special Agent Camarena, following the extradition of his alleged killer, Rafael Caro Quintero. Quintero was among 29 defendants taken into U.S. custody in February to face prosecution in the United States for cartel-related crimes dating back to the 1980s. 

FAMILY OF MARINE VETERAN MURDERED IN MEXICO BACKS TRUMP, VANCE AFTER SILENCE FROM BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN

Quets declined to reveal updates about his son’s case amid the active investigation but welcomed those extraditions as a sign of the growing momentum from U.S. agencies in confronting this “evil.” 

“I am pleased. I’m not surprised because I did know it could be done. And I did feel like it would be done under President Trump, but I’m pleased that these extraditions have started,” Quets said.

Donald Trump holds a photo of Marine veteran Nicholas Douglas Quets, who was allegedly killed in Mexico by cartel members, as his parents, retired Army Lt. Col. Warren Douglas Quets and Patricia, speak during a campaign rally on Oct. 31, 2024, in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Nicholas Quets, who was employed by Pima County, Arizona, in water reclamation and ran his own side business as a welder at the time of his death, was making a drive many Americans had made before down to the Mexican beach town of Rocky Point when he was murdered on Oct. 18, 2024, during the height of the election campaign, after evading an illegal checkpoint in Caborca, according to his father. 

The family later learned the route had become more treacherous with rival cartels fighting over the area, and two elderly American women were killed at a similar checkpoint about a month beforehand, though that story received little news coverage at the time. Nicholas Quets was pursued by cartel members on an about seven-mile chase before they ran his 1996 Ford F-250 into a cement median, and the alleged cartel members “shot him in the back as cowards,” according to Doug Quets. 

Just days after his son’s murder, Doug Quets said he met with vice presidential candidate and then-Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio, while he was campaigning in Arizona. Trump also met with the grieving father, who praised both Republicans for their humanity in speaking with him for about 15 minutes each while they were in the “fight of their lives” in the swing state. 

Doug Quets said he was ignored by Democratic vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’ team when he made a campaign stop in the state. Trump later invited the Quets family to a rally in nearby Arizona, and Doug Quets said Trump unexpectedly introduced him to the crowd and invited him on stage to speak. 

“There was no script, there was nothing else. President Trump just put all his blind faith in me to just tell the truth,” Quets said. “Nick was an innocent U.S. citizen driving to the beach and was executed by cowards in the back.” 

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“You have to accept the fact that, you know, there is good and there is bad and there is evil in the world. And my son, through no fault of his own, confronted evil. And that evil, you know, is now being held accountable and is going to be made to pay.”

President Donald Trump and other leading conservatives are celebrating a special election sweep in Florida, calling it a “huge win for America” and a rebuke to Democrat hopes for an upset in the deep red state.

The races, in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, which Trump carried by 37 and 30 points in last year’s presidential election, are being viewed as early referendums on the opening couple of months of Trump’s second tour of duty in the White House.

Republican candidates Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine each won their elections soundly by margins of 15 and 14 percent, respectively. Patronis, a former Florida chief financial officer under Gov. Ron DeSantis, replaces former Rep. Matt Gaetz and Fine, a state senator, will replace Mike Waltz, the current national security adviser for the Trump administration.  

Though both races were in solidly red districts, the Democratic candidates far outraised the GOP, with the party pouring in millions of dollars in hopes of using frustrations with the early Trump administration to ride to victory and cut into the GOP’s miniscule majority in the House.

FORMER DESANTIS OFFICIAL DEFEATS DEM FOR MATT GAETZ’S HOUSE SEAT

President Donald Trump and other leading conservatives are celebrating a special election sweep in Florida, calling it a “huge win for America” and a rebuke to Democrat hopes for an upset in the deep red state. (Fox News Digital/Getty)

Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday night to celebrate both wins, calling Patronis’ victory a “great WIN against a massive CASH AVALANCHE.”

“Both Florida House seats have been won, big, by the Republican candidate,” the president wrote, adding, “The Trump endorsement, as always, proved far greater than the Democrats forces of evil.”

“CONGRATULATIONS TO AMERICA!!!” he said.

In response to another Trump post Tuesday night which simply said, “RANDY FINE WINS!!!” Fine responded, “Because of you, Mr. President. I won’t let you down.”

GOP STATE SENATOR WINS FLORIDA SPECIAL ELECTION, EXTENDS GOP HOUSE MAJORITY

Republican Randy Fine took on Democrat Josh Weil Tuesday during Florida’s special election for the 6th Congressional District. (Getty/AP)

Republican influencer Charlie Kirk pointed out that Patronis won, despite his opponent raising $6.5 million compared to Patronis’ $2.1 million.

Influencer Benny Johnson also brought up the fundraising differential, pointing out that Fine won despite Democrats investing over $10 million for his opponent.  

“Absolutely massive win,” said Johnson.

“HUGE win for the Trump agenda, as we now have an extra Republican vote in the House,” commented social media personality Nick Sortor. “Democrats poured over $10 million into the race, but still got blown out of the water.”

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

“Both Florida House seats have been won, big, by the Republican candidate,” the president wrote, adding, “The Trump endorsement, as always, proved far greater than the Democrats forces of evil.” (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, who is currently running to be Florida’s next governor, also chimed in, calling the victories a huge win.

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“Thank you to the thousands of Floridians who showed-up for our nation during this Special Election,” Donalds wrote. “This is a huge win for America, saves our House Majority, & helps us to pass the Trump Agenda.”

Striking a populist theme and showcasing that he is a fighter, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas on Thursday declared his candidacy in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a fellow Democrat, in the key swing state of New Hampshire.

“What I hear from people, they want someone who shows up, someone who listens and someone who isn’t afraid to take on the big fights, and more importantly today, who knows how to win them,” Pappas said in a campaign launch video posted on social media. 

Using clips of a listening tour he made through all 10 of New Hampshire’s counties last month as he ramps up toward running for the Senate, Pappas said voters feel like “the system’s rigged.”

“You think about the Social Security office that’s going to be closed in Littleton, drastic cuts to Medicaid, all in the name of giving big tax breaks to billionaires like Elon Musk,” he argued, as he pointed to President Donald Trump’s top donor and the world’s richest person, who is leading the administration’s controversial downsizing of the federal government workforce.

WHY THIS LONGTIME DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ISN’T RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR

Pappas emphasized, “I do get angry, because when you’re talking about public service, you should be focused on how you can help people, how you can make people’s lives better.”

The four-term congressman, who represents the eastern half of the state, is the first major candidate in the race to succeed the 78-year-old Shaheen.

RISING DEMOCRATIC PARTY STAR CRITICAL OF SCHUMER’S LEADERSHIP LAUNCHES SENATE RUN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND 

Shaheen, the first woman in the nation’s history elected governor and to the Senate, announced last month that she would not seek a fourth six-year term representing New Hampshire when she is up for re-election next year. 

The seat is one of the Senate Republicans’ top targets as they aim to expand their 53-47 majority in the chamber in next year’s midterms.

Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire on Thursday announced his candidacy for the Senate in the 2026 race to succeed retiring longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. (Getty Images)

For its part, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) instantly took aim at Pappas as being out of step with everyday New Hampshire voters.

“Chris Pappas supports biological males competing in women’s sports, wants to ban gas-powered vehicles, and voted to raise taxes on hard-working Granite Staters,” NRSC regional press secretary Nick Puglia charged in a statement. “Pappas is extremely out of touch, and New Hampshire families deserve better.”

Additionally, Fox News obtained a memo from the NRSC to donors making the case that the GOP can flip the seat.

“Our internal polling data in New Hampshire demonstrates a favorable political environment for Republicans in this toss-up Senate race,” the NRSC argued in the memo. “With a registration advantage, edge on the generic ballot, stronger enthusiasm among our voters, and alignment with independents on core party policy issues, Republicans are well positioned to flip this open Senate seat in New Hampshire regardless of who either party nominates.”

ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026

In the race for the GOP Senate nomination in New Hampshire, former longtime Gov. Chris Sununu told Fox News Digital last month that he was holding a dialogue with national GOP leaders about potentially running.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, on his last full day in office, is interviewed by Fox News Digital in Concord, New Hampshire, on Jan. 8, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Sununu, who enjoys a large national profile thanks to his regular appearances the past few years on the cable news networks and Sunday talk shows, said he expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.

However, Sununu noted that while “the door’s open” to running, he emphasized “it’s not open a lot, to be honest.”

The former governor’s comments in recent interviews are a switch from last year, when he repeatedly said he would not seek to run for the Senate in 2026.

A POPULAR FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR MULLS SENATE RUN

Four years ago, Sununu expressed interest in running for the Senate against his predecessor as governor, Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan, who was up for re-election in 2022. The popular governor was heavily courted by national Republicans to take on Hassan.

However, on Nov. 9, 2021, Sununu announced that he would instead run for a fourth term as governor, upsetting many Republicans in the nation’s capital. 

He also heavily criticized the Senate. “They debate and talk and nothing gets done,” he said at the time.

Sununu is not the only Republican mulling a Senate bid in New Hampshire.

Republican former Sen. Scott Brown is interviewed by Fox News Digital on Dec. 24, 2024 in Rye, New Hampshire. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Former Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who later narrowly lost to Shaheen in New Hampshire in the 2014 election, is seriously considering a 2026 run.

Brown, who served four years as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand during President Donald Trump’s first administration, has been holding meetings with Republicans across New Hampshire for a couple of months and has met multiple times with GOP officials in the nation’s capital.

TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY

Pappas may not have the Democratic Senate primary in New Hampshire all to himself.

Sources close to Rep. Maggie Goodlander in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District said last month that the first-term representative is considering a Senate run.

Now-Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., speaks at a campaign event ahead of then-President Joe Biden at the New Hampshire Democratic Party headquarters on Oct. 22, 2024 in Concord, New Hampshire. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Pappas, in his launch video, highlighted his Granite State roots, his business background and his record on Capitol Hill.

Pappas, a former state representative and county treasurer who later served on New Hampshire’s five-member executive council before winning election to Congress in 2018 — including a re-election victory in 2022 over now-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt — hails from a family that has owned and operated the famed Puritan Backroom restaurant and conference center for over a century. 

The restaurant, in Manchester, for decades has been a must-stop for White House hopefuls campaigning in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., speaks at a policy event on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, in Concord, New Hampshire. Shaheen announced last month that she would not seek re-election in 2026 to a fourth six-year term in the Senate. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

“I learned about serving the community, running our family business, which has been around for over 100 years, every day at the restaurant, you need to bring hard work and determination to get the job done,” Pappas highlighted in his video. 

However, Brown took to social media to take aim at Pappas, in a possible preview of a potential general election clash.

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“.@ChrisPappasNH talks about being grounded in ‘New Hampshire values,’ good luck squaring that rhetoric with his record in Washington D.C. supporting wide open borders, men in women’s sports and lying to his constituents about Joe Biden’s senility,” Brown charged in his post.

The Pappas campaign says the candidate will hold a kick-off event at the Puritan Backroom later on Thursday and will stump across the state over the weekend.

President Donald Trump on Thursday used a medical metaphor to describe the status of his “reciprocal tariffs” plan implemented on what he dubbed “Liberation Day.”  

“THE OPERATION IS OVER! THE PATIENT LIVED, AND IS HEALING,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “THE PROGNOSIS IS THAT THE PATIENT WILL BE FAR STRONGER, BIGGER, BETTER, AND MORE RESILIENT THAN EVER BEFORE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened more than 1,000 points lower on Thursday morning after Trump unveiled his most severe levy of tariffs yet during a White House Rose Garden ceremony a day earlier, but administration officials remained optimistic in early morning TV interviews. They touted an anticipated impact of onshoring U.S. manufacturing and further bolstering American jobs. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN the United States “is no longer going to be cheated by foreign nations around the world,” reiterating that Trump had declared the issue a “national emergency.” 

SENATE APPROVES RESOLUTION AGAINST TRUMP’S CANADA TARIFFS HOURS AFTER ‘LIBERATION DAY’ EVENT

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)

“We have a $1.2 trillion trade deficit and counting. We’ve had 90,000 factories close in the last couple of decades,” Leavitt told CNN. “Since 1997, Americans have been put out of five million manufacturing jobs. These are not just statistics. These are real American lives that have been impacted. And it’s about time we have a president who actually does something about it. This is going to restore more wealth, more jobs, more economic prosperity to our great country.” 

Leavitt said that the countries targeted by Trump’s reciprocal tariffs have had “70 years to do the right thing by the American people, and they have chosen not to.” 

“They have ripped off American workers. They have taken our jobs overseas,” Leavitt said.

She also told CNN that Trump has already launched a “massive deregulatory agenda” that has “saved the American taxpayer millions of dollars.” Leavvitt said that the president is “unleashing the might of our American energy industry,” arguing that a stifled energy industry drove inflation during former President Joe Biden’s administration. 

Vice President JD Vance told Fox & Friends on Thursday morning that critics during Trump’s first term warned that tariffs would be inflationary, but instead inflation dipped to 1.5% until the “four terrible years of the Biden administration.” Vance said the “globalist economy” has resulted in the United States “incurring a huge amount of debt to buy things that other countries make for us.” 

An American flag is displayed on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025.  (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

“To make it a little bit more crystal clear, we borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture,” Vance said. “That is not a recipe for economic prosperity. It’s not a recipe for low prices, and it’s not a recipe for good jobs in the United States of America.” 

SOME COUNTRIES TARGETED BY TRUMP TARIFFS SEEK NEGOTIATIONS, CHINA SAYS ‘NO WINNERS IN TRADE WARS’

The vice president said the “Joe Biden globalist pathway” has resulted in the U.S. having $2 trillion in peacetime debt and deficits and manufacturing “disappearing,” promising that Trump is taking the country in a different direction. 

Addressing criticism from Wall Street following Trump’s “Liberation Day” event in the White House Rose Garden, Vance said, “a lot of people have gotten rich from American jobs moving overseas, but American workers have not gotten rich” and American companies “have not gotten wealthy from the increasing growth of foreign competitors manufacturing overseas.” 

“They charge us ridiculous tariffs. They engage in a lot of non-tariff practices like currency manipulation,” Vance said. “That has been awful for Main Street in the United States of America.” 

President Donald Trump signs two executive orders during a Make America Wealthy Again event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

On concerns about tariffs potentially driving up costs, Vance said the administration is “fighting very hard to bring prices down” and usher in “the biggest deregulation in the history of this country.” 

Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CBS News that “when tariffs come into place, foreign goods may become a little more expensive, but domestic goods do not.” 

“For the first time in your lives, you’re going to actually think about the Americans who make the products, the Americans who produce these products and work in these factories,” he said. “It’s time for us to take care of them instead of taking care of the world.” 

Trump said that his administration secured about $5 trillion of committed investment, which Lutnick told CBS meant “people are going to start building factories right now.” 

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“That means all that construction work begins now,” Lutnick said, vowing that the president’s plan would build on the 150,000 jobs already added to the U.S. economy in March. “That starts to employ Americans today. You’re going to see plants being built, factories rebuilding. All shifts are going to be running hot across America now. You’re going to see employment leaping starting today.” 

A moderate Democrat is expressing cautious optimism at President Donald Trump’s stance on tariffs in a stark departure from most of his party’s infuriated reaction.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, pointed out in a lengthy statement that he himself proposed a 10% blanket tariff on U.S. imports earlier this year and said he was happy Trump’s baseline policy was the same.

“What I can say now is I’m pleased the president is building his tariff agenda on the foundation of a universal 10% tariff like the one I proposed in the BUILT USA Act. This ring fence around the American economy is a good start to erasing our unsustainable trade deficits,” Golden said.

“I’m eager to work with the president to fix the broken ‘free trade’ system that made multinational corporations rich but ruined manufacturing communities across the country. But tariffs must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity.”

TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT TELLS COUNTRIES NOT TO RETALIATE AFTER SWEEPING ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden shared cautious optimism about President Trump’s tariff policy. (Getty Images)

He noted, however, that Trump “introduced a number of new tariff policies” alongside the 10% universal tax, and that he would need time to review the policies in detail before weighing in on them further.

Golden also said tariffs “must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity.”

“We need to make sure that the new approach benefits working people – that means supporting unions, the trades and apprenticeship programs, cutting regulations that hold back production, unleashing American energy and using tariff revenue to support domestic manufacturers that create good-paying jobs for Americans,” he said.

“Tariffs are a first step in rewriting a rigged trade system, but they cannot be the last one.”

While it’s far from a full embrace of Trump’s tariff plan, Golden’s comments are still more optimistic than those of his fellow Democratic lawmakers.

FRANCE ASKS US TO BE ‘COOPERATIVE’ INSTEAD OF ‘CONFRONTATIONAL’ FOLLOWING TRUMP’S ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS

Trump delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 2, 2025. (Getty Images)

“I have always said that when used strategically, tariffs are a critical tool,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Axios. “However, the key word is ‘strategically.’ I’m concerned about the chaotic and immediate implementation of these wide-reaching tariffs.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, pledged to force a vote targeting the new national emergency Trump is using to justify the 10% blanket tariff.

“I’ll soon introduce a privileged resolution to force a vote on ending the made up national emergency Trump is using to justify these taxes. Republicans can’t keep ducking this – it’s time they show whether they support the economic pain Trump is inflicting on their constituents,” Meeks said in a statement.

Golden has been known to break from his party on several key occasions. 

Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which he has represented since January 2019, was won by Trump by roughly 10% in 2024.

Rep. Gregory Meeks has pledged to force a vote to block Trump’s tariffs. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to Golden’s office for further comment but did not hear back by press time.

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Trump’s plan involves a 10% blanket tariff on all imports into the U.S., as well as tariffs of up to 50% on both adversaries and allies.

It also introduces some level of reciprocal tariffs on countries that tax U.S. exports, though in most cases, the U.S. rate is lower than the foreign country’s.

“April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn. The day America’s destiny was reclaimed. And the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said in remarks announcing his plan Wednesday.

EXCLUSIVE: The only Cuban-born member of Congress is calling on the Trump administration to “starve the regime” in Havana by cutting off some of its last economic lifelines connected to the U.S.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who recently returned to the island for the first time in 64 years as part of a congressional delegation to Guantanamo Bay, said that despite the decadeslong economic embargo and travel restrictions, there are still many ways Americans can incidentally aid the regime.

On Thursday, Gimenez will write to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, requesting the “cessation of all travel” to and from the communist island, as well as a ban on remittances from U.S. citizens to relatives or friends there—except for specific funds approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Gimenez told Fox News Digital that dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel’s government ends up with a substantive cut of remittances, and any way to further turn the economic screws to the regime is something the U.S. government should look into.

CUBAN-BORN REP RECOUNTS EMOTIONAL RETURN TO CUBA FOR FIRST TIME IN 64 YEARS

Former President Barack Obama, left, and dictator Raul Castro. (Getty)

“The regime in Cuba is a listed state sponsor of terrorism, harbors criminal fugitives of American justice, and prevents a clear threat to the safety of the United States and our citizens,” Gimenez will write to Bessent.

“As you know, this issue is one of great importance to the Cuban-American community and to millions of Americans who hold freedom, democracy, and human rights as our guiding principles.”

He praised President Donald Trump for reversing the Obama-era “disastrous appeasement” policies that allowed some daylight between Havana and Washington.

Former President Barack Obama also notably visited with then-dictator Raul Castro, resulting in the famous photo of Castro awkwardly holding up Obama’s arm and smiling during a public appearance.

“We applaud and welcome the administration’s most recent policies to ban vessels arriving from communist Cuba at U.S. ports, but more must be done. I urge you, Mr. Secretary, to take swift and decisive action in halting all travel to and from Communist Cuba and eliminating the flow of remittances to the island,” Gimenez will tell Bessent.

VENEZUELAN OPPO LEADER JOINS CUBAN-BORN GOP LAWMAKER TO LAUD TRUMP POLICIES

“The murderous dictatorship in Cuba is on life support. The regime cannot even keep the lights on, and America must stand with the Cuban people to topple this pathetic gang once and for all…. The time is now.”

“There’s plenty of travel happening between Cuba and the United States,” Gimenez said when asked how strong the current restrictions are.

“All you’ve got to do is go to MIA and you’ll see all kinds of flights from the United States to Cuba and back — that needs to stop.”

A partial travel ban is not enough, as the regime will always find loopholes to exploit, he said – and that if there were to be exceptions to what he is asking, Rubio would be the right official to determine their viability.

He said that large amounts of money in the form of remittances flow particularly out of Miami-Dade to Cuba every year.

“So these are efforts to basically starve the regime. A lot of times when flights are going from Miami to Cuba, a lot of those people are taking goods and products, et cetera,” he said. “The regime can’t even provide electricity to their own people. It needs to fail on its own weight; America can’t provide any more oxygen to that regime.”

Gimenez added there may be some short-term pain in Miami and elsewhere, but that there is the “long-term gain” of potentially accelerating the collapse of the Castro/Diaz-Canel government, which has been otherwise cut off from U.S. trade since 1959.

When asked why Cuba appears to be treated differently than other official state sponsors of terror like Iran and Afghanistan, Gimenez said the 90-mile proximity to the U.S. and the large numbers of Cuban refugee families living in Florida and beyond do create a different dynamic.

“Many family members in Miami and in the United States try to help their [Cuba-resident] family and friends as much as possible, and they want to visit every once in a while.”

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“But I’ve never gone – [until] a month ago in Guantanamo. I’ve never gone back to visit any family. I’ve never sent one penny to Cuba for anything during my time in the United States; over 60 years.”

“There are different circumstances for different people, but now it’s time to say enough.”

The Senate on Wednesday approved a resolution opposing President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imports from Canada hours after his event championing “Liberation Day.”

Four Republicans – Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky; Susan Collins, of Maine; and Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, sided with Democrats in voting for a resolution that would repeal the emergency declaration that permitted Trump to levy taxes on Canada by citing deadly fentanyl flowing across the border. The measure, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., passed the upper chamber of Congress by a 51-48 vote. 

The resolution likely won’t survive the GOP-controlled House, but its passage was a small victory for Democrats looking for their best attack line before the midterms. 

WHAT IS TRUMP’S NEW LIBERATION DAY AND WHAT TO EXPECT APRIL 2?

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., talks with reporters after the Senate luncheon in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Paul defended his decision to cross party lines in a speech on the Senate floor in which he quoted American revolutionary James Otis in saying, “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” The senator said it was that longstanding principle that originated from the Magna Carta that sparked the American revolution and was incorporated into the Constitution by the Founding Fathers.

“And yet today, we are here before the Senate because one person in our country wishes to raise taxes,” Paul said. “Well, this is contrary to everything our country was founded upon. One person is not allowed to raise tax. The Constitution forbids it.” 

Paul said the Founding Fathers “so feared the power of taxation that they gave it only to Congress.” 

“I stand against the idea of skipping democracy, of skipping the constitutional republic, of rejecting our founding principles, not because I have any animus towards the president,” Paul said. “I do this because I love my country, and I want to see the division of power enabled such that it protects us all from the amalgamation of power into one person such that it can be abused. Another name for emergency rule is martial law.” 

President Donald Trump during a Make America Wealthy Again event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday April 2, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“This is a tax, plain and simple,” he said of Trump’s Canada tariffs. “Taxes should not be enacted by one person. So I will vote today to end the emergency. I will vote today to try to reclaim the power of taxation, the power of the tariff, to where the Constitution designated it should properly be, and that is in Congress.” 

Trump called out Paul, McConnell, Collins and Murkowski in a post to Truth Social early Wednesday, saying that the four would hopefully “get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy.” 

THESE ARE THE ‘DIRTY 15’ COUNTRIES TRUMP MIGHT TARGET WITH LIBERATION DAY TARIFFS

“They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels,” Trump wrote. “The Senate Bill is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans, namely these four, in that it is not going anywhere because the House will never approve it and I, as your President, will never sign it. Why are they allowing Fentanyl to pour into our Country unchecked, and without penalty. What is wrong with them, other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly known as TDS?” 

The president said the four Republicans have been “extremely difficult to deal with” and “unbelievably disloyal” to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

President Donald Trump signs two executive orders during a Make America Wealthy Again event in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Democratic Party has been battling an identity crisis since November’s election resulted in Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House. 

As Democrats strategized on how to emphasize Republican internal divisions, Kaine used one of the few ways the minority party could force a floor vote. Congress has the authority to overturn emergency resolutions. 

The measure opposing Trump’s tariffs on Canada passed hours after the president hosted a “Make America Wealthy Again” event in which he announced an executive order instituting “reciprocal tariffs” on various countries.

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“In the face of unrelenting economic warfare, the United States can no longer continue with a policy of unilateral economic surrender. We cannot pay the deficits of Canada, Mexico, and so many other countries. We used to do it. We can’t do it anymore. We take care of countries all over the world,” Trump said. “But we have to take care of our people, and we’re going to take care of our people first.”

“Today we’re standing up for the American worker, and we are finally putting America first,” he added. 

A federal judge will hear from government lawyers Thursday to determine whether the Trump administration defied court orders when it deported hundreds of migrants to El Salvador last month.

The hearing marks the latest clash between President Donald Trump and U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who Trump has publicly attacked as an “activist” judge and called for his impeachment. At issue is whether the administration knowingly violated Boasberg’s emergency order, which temporarily blocked the deportations and required that any individuals removed under a centuries-old immigration law be “immediately” returned to U.S. soil. Flights carrying migrants, including those deported under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, still landed in El Salvador that same night.

“Oopsie…” El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, wrote on X after they landed in his country. “Too late.”

Boasberg, who issued the emergency orders at the center of the controversial and complex case, has said he intends to find out whether the administration knowingly violated them, and who, if anyone, should be held accountable.

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

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office on March 31, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“The government isn’t being forthcoming,” Boasberg told Justice Department attorney Drew Ensign during an earlier hearing. “But I will get to the bottom of whether they complied with my order, who violated it and what the consequences will be.”

At Thursday’s hearing, Boasberg is expected to revisit many of the same questions he raised earlier, including how many planes left the U.S. carrying individuals deported “solely on the basis” of the Alien Enemies Act. Other questions include how many individuals were on each plane and what time and from which location each plane took off. 

Although the administration has already appealed the case twice – first to the D.C. Circuit, which upheld Boasberg’s order, and then to the Supreme Court – the judge is still pressing for answers. Thursday’s hearing is part of his effort to determine whether the government defied the court when it carried out the deportation flights.

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT

Trump and Boasberg (Getty Images)

The Alien Enemies Act, passed in 1798, has been used only three times in American history – during the War of 1812 and the two world wars – making its modern application by the Trump administration a rare legal maneuver.

Trump officials have argued invoking the law is necessary to expel dangerous individuals, including alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, who were flown to El Salvador under the administration’s new deportation policy.

Meanwhile, plaintiffs have pushed back on the administration’s use of the 1798 law, calling its use during peacetime “unprecedented.”

In a brief filed to the Supreme Court earlier this week, plaintiffs argued the law permits immediate deportations only in cases of a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” by a foreign nation, conditions they say don’t apply to the Venezuelan nationals targeted for removal.

Government lawyers have declined to disclose key details about the deportation flights, including whether any planes departed after Boasberg’s order, citing national security protections.

Boasberg had previously warned the administration of consequences if it violated his order and criticized earlier filings as “woefully insufficient,” noting the government also refused his offer to submit information under seal.

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT

Judge James Boasberg (Carolyn Van Houten/Washington Post via Getty Images)

The case has become a political flash point over the balance of power between the courts and the executive branch. Trump allies dismiss much of the judiciary’s involvement as the work of “activist” judges seeking to rein in the president and overstep their constitutional role.

Trump’s demand for Boasberg to be impeached prompted a rare public rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in a statement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”

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The White House has kept up its criticism of the lower courts, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt last month accusing judges of overstepping their bounds and infringing on the president’s authority.

“The administration will move quickly to pursue Supreme Court review, defend the Constitution, and protect the American people,” Leavitt said in a statement.

Federal and state authorities are operating within the bounds of the U.S. Constitution when they deny federal prisoners access to taxpayer-funded sex change procedures for transgender inmates, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita told a U.S. district court this week.

Rokita filed a 24-state amicus brief in support of President Donald Trump’s legal effort to uphold his executive order, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which prohibits the use of federal taxpayer dollars for transgender procedures for inmates.

“If we’re to lose this case, the floodgates will open, and you will see an unending amount of these cases being filed. Costs are going to go up for the state of Indiana to accommodate these unneeded, unnecessary and dangerous surgeries,” Rokita told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday.

TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is leading an amicus brief in support of Trump’s executive order that bans federal resources from paying for trans prisoners’ medical procedures. (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)

Rokita is also helping his state fight a two-year legal battle brought on by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of a transgender inmate — convicted of killing his 11-month-old baby — to receive a sex-change surgery.

The federal judge in the case, Clinton appointee Richard Young, repeatedly ruled that the inmate must be given gender surgery at the “earliest opportunity,” despite Indiana’s law barring the state Department of Corrections from using taxpayer funds to cover sex reassignment surgeries for inmates. Rokita has filed an appeal of that decision.

“It’s absolutely imperative that not only President Trump’s executive orders stand, but that Indiana wins this case,” Rokita said. 

ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the Indiana Department of Corrections on behalf of a transgender inmate, Jonathan C. Richardson, also known as Autumn Cordellionè, who was convicted of strangling his 11-month-old stepdaughter to death in 2001. (Indiana Department of Corrections/Getty Images)

Both Rokita and the Trump administration’s cases deal with the accusation that prohibiting so called “gender-affirming care” for inmates violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of “cruel and unusual punishment.”

In the Trump case, an inmate anonymously identified as Maria Moe, is being represented by advocacy groups GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Once Trump signed the executive order, Moe was transferred to a men’s prison facility, and BOP records changed the sex from “female” to “male,” the complaint says.

Several inmates who signed onto the lawsuit as plaintiffs were also transferred to men’s facilities to match their biological sex, but are now being sent back to women’s facilities after U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the executive order last week.

TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB

President Trump’s ‘two-sexes’ executive order has faced opposition in courts.  (Getty Images/AP Images)

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“The politics of some of these courts these days, and playing into this is really a head scratcher,” Rokita said. “But the chaos that would ensue in the prison system, with all these jailhouse lawyers, all of a sudden… the expense of the taxpayer would be astronomical.”