The Trump administration has asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, sources within the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed to Fox News.
The Ivy League school's failure to address antisemitism on campus is grounds for losing their 501(c)(3) status, Fox News' sources said.
The IRS is expected to make a final decision soon on Harvard's tax exemption, according to CNN, which was first to report the story.
In a recent social media post, President Donald Trump claimed that Harvard had "lost its way" and didn't deserve federal funding.
"Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and ‘birdbrains’ who are only capable of teaching FAILURE to students and so-called ‘future leaders,'" Trump wrote. "Look just to the recent past at their plagiarizing President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States Congress."
"Many others, like these Leftist dopes, are teaching at Harvard, and because of that, Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges," he continued.
"Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds."
This is a breaking story. Check back with us for updates.
The mother of a Maryland woman who an illegal immigrant from El Salvador raped and murdered in 2023 appeared at the White House Wednesday, after a jury convicted her daughter’s murderer on Monday.
Patty Morin’s appearance comes as her senator, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, visited El Salvador on Wednesday to check on a Maryland resident the Trump administration's Justice Department deported to El Salvador. The Trump administration claims that the Maryland resident and El Salvador native, Abrego Garcia, has ties to the MS-13 gang.
"To have a senator from Maryland who didn't even acknowledge, or barely acknowledge, my daughter and the brutal death that she endured, leaving her five children without a mother…so that he can use my taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that's not even an American citizen?" Morin told reporters Wednesday at the White House. "Why does that person have more right than I do, or my daughter or my grandchildren? I don't, I don't understand this."
Van Hollen’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
A jury in the Harford County Circuit court found Victor Martinez-Hernandez, originally from El Salvador guilty on all counts of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual offense and kidnapping.
Van Hollen’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. However, following Martinez-Hernandez’s conviction, Van Hollen issued a statement vowing to bolster border security while also "supporting our immigrant communities."
"While the conviction of Rachel Morin’s killer will not return Rachel to her family where she rightfully belongs, this verdict brings a measure of justice that they so deserve," Van Hollen said in a statement. "I’m grateful to the law enforcement officers who brought her killer into custody and for our legal process for delivering this justice."
Martinez-Hernandez attacked Rachel Morin, 37, in August 2023 on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, a trail Patty Morin said the family had walked for 25 years as Maryland residents.
"When she went on that trail that day, she was not planning on dying. She wasn't planning on walking to her death," Patty Morin told reporters. "She was planning on going to the grocery store with her girls afterwards. Victor Martinez, he waited for her. He waited for her to come closer. He saw her. He saw that there was nobody around, he attacked her. He dragged her 150 feet, blood gushing from her head."
Patty Morin shared with the press the horrific details of her daughter’s murder, including how Martinez-Hernandez raped and strangled her daughter after crushing her skull like an "eggshell."
Patty Morin said photos of the brutal attack show that not "one inch" of her daughter’s body remained free from injury. These photos have since been sealed because they are so graphic, she said.
"You could see where the blood ran down around her as he was raping her, and then he threw her down, and raped her some more, and then he strangled her because he didn't want her to be able to live to tell the story," Patty Morin said.
Patty Morin also shared that Martinez-Hernandez did not appear to express any remorse in the courtroom for his actions.
"These are the kind of criminals President Trump wants to remove from our country," Patty Morin said. "These are the kind of criminals that we need to remove from our country. We are American citizens. Why should we allow people like this, violent criminals that have no conscience at all to murder our mothers, our sisters, our daughters?"
Meanwhile, Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador Wednesday in an attempt to meet with Garcia. The Trump administration’s Justice Department admitted that it deported Garcia in an "administrative error."
Additionally, the Supreme Court upheld Thursday a lower court's order that "requires the government to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador."
While Van Hollen met with El Salvador’s Vice President Félix Augusto Antonio Ulloa Garay during his trip, he was not permitted to visit Garcia at the prison "Terrorism Confinement Center" (CECOT). However, Van Hollen told reporters he would continue to try to meet with him in the future.
"I am going to keep pressing," Van Hollen said. "I will keep pressing in my remaining time here, and I will keep pressing beyond that if necessary."
Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
An audit of D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) found staffing levels in the district have increased at a rate of seven-and-a-half times more than student enrollment, while simultaneously student achievement levels in the district still remain behind pre-pandemic levels for most students.
The Office of the District of Columbia Auditor found that over a five-year period, while student enrollment grew by 2.6%, the number of staff increased by 19.5%. This amounts to roughly 1,600 new positions funded by the district since Fiscal Year 2020, and an approximately 43% increase in per-pupil spending.
"DC Public Schools works every day to help all our scholars reach their full potential. This recent report highlights a staffing strategy that prioritizes teachers and led to increases in enrollment and academic performance that stands out from other urban school districts. DCPS will work with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer to identify ways to improve data systems to demonstrate the district's continued fiscal stewardship," DCPS press secretary Evan Lambert told Fox News Digital in response to the audit's findings. "Following the sunset of federal pandemic relief, DCPS has increased local funding to schools by decreasing the overall number of Central Services staff."
The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, known colloquially as the nation's report card, showed some improvements since the assessment was last released in 2022, but student achievement levels in reading and math nationally remain below 2019 levels for most students. In D.C. specifically, students saw better improvement than most big urban districts, but students in the nation's capital have still not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic achievement levels, per the nation's report card.
The United States is the third-biggest spender among the 40 other developed nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on per-pupil spending, according to the Education Data Initiative. The pandemic spurred a massive influx of cash into the public school system as well, but many districts were found to be putting all that extra funding toward staff salaries and bonuses, as opposed to things directly related to student achievement.
"Thanks to an infusion of $190 billion in federal relief funds, schools have been on a hiring spree over the last few years," stated an analysis by nonprofit education news group The 74. "For example, before the pandemic, Los Angeles Unified was reducing its teacher count pretty much in line with its declining enrollment. But with the infusion of federal (and state) funds, Los Angeles kept staffing levels constant despite further enrollment declines. Gwinnett County in Georgia shows a similar bifurcated trend. Its staffing and enrollment lines were moving in tandem until the federal funds drove a rapid increase in hiring."
The 74, which stands for the 74 million American school children enrolled in K-12 schools across America, examined staffing and enrollment levels in over 9,500 school districts across the country, comprising roughly 92% of all K-12 students nationwide.
The nonprofit education newsgroup found that almost 3,000 districts saw staff levels increase despite enrollment declines. Others, according to the analysis, shrunk their staff counts, but not as quickly as they lost students, while another category included districts that gained students but increased their staffing levels even faster. According to The 74, public schools overall added approximately 121,000 employees last year overall, even though they served about 110,000 fewer students.
President Donald Trump and Republicans have taken steps to put greater control over school funding in the hands of individual states, as opposed to the federal government. Last month, he signed an executive order meant to effectively dismantle the U.S. Department of Education through transferring its educational authority to the states. Last week, GOP senators also introduced a bill to close the department.
"Despite per-pupil spending having increased by more than 245% [since the 1970s,] there has been virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement," Trump's March 20 order stated. "President Donald J. Trump and his administration believe we can, and must, be better."
The mother of a Maryland woman who an illegal immigrant from El Salvador raped and murdered in 2023 appeared at the White House Wednesday, after a jury convicted her daughter’s murderer on Monday.
Patty Morin’s appearance comes as Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland visited El Salvador on Wednesday to check on a Maryland resident the Trump administration's Justice Department deported to El Salvador. The Trump administration claims that the Maryland resident, Abrego Garcia, has ties to the MS-13 gang.
"To have a senator from Maryland who didn't even acknowledge, or barely acknowledge, my daughter and the brutal death that she endured, leaving her five children without a mother…so that he can use my taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that's not even an American citizen?" Morin told reporters Wednesday at the White House. "Why does that person have more right than I do, or my daughter or my grandchildren? I don't, I don't understand this."
Van Hollen’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, was denied a visit with a Salvadoran migrant and accused MS-13 member who was deported to El Salvador, after flying to the country on Wednesday morning.
Van Hollen intended to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, who was deported to the El Salvadoran mega prison "Terrorism Confinement Center" (CECOT) for being an alleged MS-13 gang member, though his attorneys maintain he does not have any gang ties.
Van Hollen spoke to reporters from El Salvador on Wednesday afternoon, when he vowed to continue pressing for access to Abrego Garcia.
He met with Vice President Félix Augusto Antonio Ulloa Garay because President Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez was out of the country, though Van Hollen said he was grateful to speak about the case of Abrego Garcia.
"I asked the vice president if I could meet with Mr. Abrego Garcia, and he said, ‘well, you need to make earlier provisions to go visit CECOT,’" Van Hollen said.
He told Ulloa that he was not interested in taking a tour of CECOT and that he just wanted to meet with Abrego Garcia.
"He said he was not able to make that happen," Van Hollen said of Ulloa.
When Van Hollen asked if he could come back next week to see Abrego Garcia, Ulloa told him he could not promise that, either. Ulloa also told the U.S. senator that he could not even arrange for him, or Abrego Garcia’s family to speak with the inmate over the phone.
The senator said the situation in El Salvador is "unjust," and he accused the Trump administration of lying about Abrego Garcia.
"I am going to keep pressing," Van Hollen said. "I will keep pressing in my remaining time here, and I will keep pressing beyond that if necessary."
The Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court's decision to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia from CECOT where federal officials have sent hundreds of suspected criminals and gang members.
The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from coming back to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is "up to El Salvador. If they want to return him. That's not up to us."
This has caused no small outrage from Democrats, with Van Hollen being the first to announce plans to travel to El Salvador to help secure Abrego Garcia’s release.
"Mr. Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted by the Trump Admin and, by their own admission, wrongly deported to El Salvador," Van Hollen on Tuesday.
"He shouldn’t have to spend another second away from his family," he went on. "I'm flying to El Salvador tomorrow morning to check on his condition and discuss his return."
Van Hollen is not the only Democrat discussing visiting Abrego Garcia and other imprisoned migrants. Far left Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida, and Robert Garcia, D-California, issued a joint letter on Tuesday in which they said they are "prepared to travel as soon as possible."
In their letter, which was sent to House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, on Tuesday, Frost and Garcia requested authorization to send a congressional delegation to visit CECOT to "conduct a welfare check" on Garcia and other deported migrants at the prison.
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen drew wide rebuke for his sudden trip to El Salvador, during which he hopes to bring back deported Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Garcia is currently imprisoned in the South American country – and President Nayib Bukele indicated it would be "preposterous" to try to send him back to the U.S.
Van Hollen made waves Wednesday morning when he posted a selfie-video before flying to San Salvador, and calling the goal of his "mission" to let both countries’ governments know he won’t stop fighting until Garcia returns to Maryland.
Rep. Andy Harris, the lone Republican in the Old Line State’s delegation, slammed Van Hollen and contrasted the situation with Rachel Morin – who was murdered by an illegal immigrant found guilty Monday in Bel Air.
"The most striking… double standard, is that Rachel Morin, who was a constituent of mine, was brutally murdered by an illegal alien from El Salvador," Harris said.
"And Chris Van Hollen is not spending much time on that issue, but he's taking time to go to El Salvador to bring back a citizen of El Salvador to the United States who had entered the country illegally and which an immigration court… found evidence that he was an MS-13 gang member."
Van Hollen did release a print statement after Morin’s killer was convicted, saying he was grateful to law enforcement and calling for "meaningful action" to reform "our broken immigration system."
"We can do this while also supporting our immigrant communities and respecting the rights of individuals who are here legally – I am committed to doing both, and I will continue pressing my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move forward on this issue," Van Hollen said.
White House communications director Steven Cheung mocked Van Hollen "and his bedwetting friends" for showing "more concern and sympathy for an illegal MS-13 gang member than victims of horrific migrant crimes."
Van Hollen previously had a mixed voting record on the illegal immigration issue.
He voted against the Laken Riley Act in January and publicly objected to the first Trump administration deporting two Salvadoran men in 2017 who were scholastic soccer stars.
"Shame on President Trump for tearing apart hardworking immigrant families. We should be focused on MS-13, not scholarship winners," he said.
Harris said efforts to "repatriate" Garcia to Maryland are also factually misguided.
"This gentleman has already been repatriated – back to El Salvador; the country of his citizenship. That is where he belongs."
"Rachel Morin, in fact, was a Maryland woman; This gentleman is not a Maryland man," he said, in reference to how Garcia has been described in the press. "We should probably worry about our own citizens before we worry about citizens of other countries."
Harris also lamented expending taxpayer funds for the trip, "to bring a citizen of a foreign country who entered America illegally back into the United States."
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., took criticisms a step further, suggesting Van Hollen may be "flirting with treason" and saying Garcia is already "home, in El Salvador."
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also cited Morin’s murder in their rebuke of Van Hollen, claiming he has done more to bring "a MS-13 gang member, human trafficker and illegal alien back to Maryland" than he has to advocate for victims of gang violence.
Van Hollen’s stance did receive one prominent Maryland defender, with Gov. Wes Moore telling Fox News Digital, "We can be pro-public safety and pro-Constitution at the same time."
"We support Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s efforts to check on his health and safety and bring peace of mind to Kilmar’s family in Maryland – his wife, their 5-year-old child, and his two stepchildren, all who are U.S. citizens."
"Despite a unanimous Supreme Court decision, Trump is refusing to return Kilmar and is now even threatening to deport U.S. citizens to El Salvador."
Fox News Digital reached out to Van Hollen for comment but did not hear back.
While autism experts claim that the rise in cases stems from greater awareness and improved diagnostic testing, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shut down that idea Wednesday and, instead, attributed the rise in cases to environmental factors.
Those who discount that environmental exposure is a factor in rising autism cases are engaging in "epidemic denial," Kennedy told reporters Wednesday.
Kennedy appeared at HHS's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss the latest findings on autism included in a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey released Tuesday.
"This is coming from an environmental toxin, and somebody made a profit by putting that environmental toxin into our air, our water, our medicines, our food," Kennedy said. "And it's to their benefit to say ‘Oh, to normalize it, to say all this is all normal, it's always been here.’ That's not good for our country."
Even so, the CDC's own new survey Kennedy addressed found that autism prevalence is on the rise and said the increase "might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices."
Specifically, the survey found that one in 31 8-year-old children were diagnosed with autism in 2022 – up from one in 36 in 2000.
Additionally, the survey determined that autism rates were far more common for boys than girls. While one in 20 boys is diagnosed with autism, those numbers go down to one in 70 for girls.
While Kennedy acknowledged Wednesday there may be some genetic vulnerabilities that could contribute to increased odds of an autism diagnosis, he said the autism rates spiked starting in 1989 and that some new environmental toxin must have been introduced around that time.
"Why are we not seeing it in older people? Why is this only happening in young people?" Kennedy said. "Have you ever seen anybody our age – I'm 71 years old – with full blown autism? Head-banging, non-verbal, non-toilet-trained."
As a result, Kennedy said HHS' studies would examine toxins including mold, pesticides, air, water, different medications, as well as the age and obesity rates of parents, among other things.
"We’re going to look at all the potential culprits," Kennedy said.
HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding the apparent discrepancy between Kennedy's remarks and the CDC survey.
Kennedy signaled Thursday in a Cabinet meeting at the White House that the administration would kick off a massive research initiative to understand the cause of autism by September.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy and legal advocacy on behalf of those with autism, pushed back against Kennedy’s statements in the Cabinet meeting and claimed Kennedy refused to acknowledge studies that point to genes as the underlying cause of autism.
"There is no evidence that autism is actually becoming more common (rather, we as a society are getting better at identifying it, and diagnostic standards have appropriately been widened)," the network said in a Thursday statement. "Even if it were, however, autistic and other disabled people belong in our society. To claim otherwise, and to speak as though our existence is some kind of calamity that must be eliminated, is a form of eugenics."
FIRST ON FOX: Roughly 2,300 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) employees have opted to take deferred resignation offers since January, Fox News Digital learned.
"To continue serving the American people at the highest standard, we are taking inventory of all programs and personnel while maintaining a strong workforce that is dedicated to supporting our most vulnerable and promoting pathways to self-sufficiency," Secretary Scott Turner told Fox News Digital Wednesday.
"The Deferred Resignation Program carries out President Trump’s commitment to efficiency in the federal government by providing a pathway for employees to wish to seek new opportunities while also affording the agency an opportunity to streamline our operations."
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offered deferred resignations to federal employees earlier in 2025, which closed in February. The deferred resignation initiative offered staffers eight months of pay and benefits if they parted ways with their federal government jobs.
HUD announced the launch of a second resignation offer March 31 to employees "who wish they had taken" OPM's offer.
Roughly 2,300 HUD employees have taken the deferred resignation offers, with slight fluctuations possible as they iron out final agreements with staffers, Fox Digital learned. Ahead of the Trump administration, HUD employed nearly 10,000 individuals.
"On week 1, President Trump went straight to work on reforming the federal workforce. One option offered to federal employees was a 'fork in the road' to separate from the federal workforce," HUD posted to its official X account March 31.
"The option to take the fork in the road closed on February 12, 2025. Since then, we have heard from staff who wish they had taken it. Today, we’re launching a second Deferred Resignation Program or 'fork in the road' in coordination with OPM that opens today and closes on Friday, April 11, 2025.
Under the Biden administration, HUD reportedly had become desolate as staffers worked from home and rarely visited its massive Washington headquarters. Fox News Digital reported in February that HUD's headquarters became as empty as an off-season "Spirit Halloween" store under the Biden administration, which had left offices relatively untouched since the first Trump administration.
"For four years, the American people witnessed their government buildings transform overnight into massive, taxpayer-funded ‘Spirit Halloween’ stores," a senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital at the time.
President Donald Trump signed a memo on his first day back in the Oval Office ordering agency heads to terminate remote work arrangements that had been ongoing since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Turner told Fox Digital in February that upon his confirmation, "the four year vacation" for staffers was "over."
"This is a huge disservice to the American people and a massive waste of hard-earned taxpayer dollars," Turner told Fox Digital in February. "Let me be clear – the four-year vacation is over."
"I’ve been on many teams in my career, and I know from experience that in-person teamwork ensures accountability and fosters an environment of collaboration, creativity and communication," he said. "At HUD, we’re getting back to work for the American people."
Democratic leaders are very worried about a Salvadoran migrant and accused MS-13 member who was living in Maryland and was deported to a maximum-security prison in his home country. Several have announced their intention to visit the migrant in prison if he is not released soon.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said on Tuesday evening that he would be flying to El Salvador in the morning to visit the deported migrant.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to the El Salvadoran megaprison "Terrorism Confinement Center" (CECOT) last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member, but his attorneys maintain he does not have any gang ties.
The Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court's decision to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia from CECOT where federal officials have sent hundreds of suspected criminals and gang members.
The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from coming back to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is "up to El Salvador. If they want to return him. That's not up to us."
This has caused no small outrage from Democrats, with Van Hollen being the first to announce he is traveling to El Salvador to help secure Abrego Garcia’s release.
"Mr. Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted by the Trump Admin and, by their own admission, wrongly deported to El Salvador," said Van Hollen.
"He shouldn’t have to spend another second away from his family," he went on. "I'm flying to El Salvador tomorrow morning to check on his condition and discuss his return."
Van Hollen is not the only Democrat discussing visiting Abrego Garcia and other imprisoned migrants. Far left Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida, and Robert Garcia, D-California, issued a joint letter on Tuesday in which they said they are "prepared to travel as soon as possible."
In their letter, which was sent to House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, on Tuesday, Frost and Garcia requested authorization to send a congressional delegation to visit CECOT to "conduct a welfare check" on Garcia and other deported migrants at the prison.
The two representatives said they were also concerned about the wellbeing of Andry José Hernández Romero, a 31-year-old gay makeup artist who was sent to CECOT on suspicion of being a gang member.
"We are prepared to travel as soon as possible," the two said, adding that they would "gladly include any Republican Members of the Committee who wish to participate."
Frost, who is the youngest and one of the most progressive members of Congress, slammed the Trump administration on X, saying that Abrego Garcia was "wrongly deported" to El Salvador as part of the "Trump Administration’s government-funded kidnapping rampage."
"He is rotting away in a foreign prison where his life is in danger," said Frost. "We need to go there now to make sure he’s okay."
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is considering a 2026 bid for governor in her home state, multiple sources close to her confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Stefanik was withdrawn from consideration as President Donald Trump’s United Nations Ambassador to shore up numbers of the House Republicans' narrow majority. She is now the chairwoman of House Republican Leadership.
Sources tell Fox News Digital that she is being encouraged to run by allies of Trump and longtime friends. Stefanik outperformed the president in her congressional district in 2016, 2020 and 2024, which one source says could be an indicator that she could do well with New York's swing voters. The Republican won with 62% of the vote in her strongly conservative district in November.
On Wednesday, Stefanik made the case for a GOP win in New York this year when she commented on a new poll by Marist which is the latest to indicate that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's approval ratings are underwater with New York State voters.
"This latest bombshell polling proves what every New Yorker already knows: that we must FIRE Kathy Hochul in 2026 to SAVE NEW YORK. Hochul is the Worst Governor in America and it’s not even close," Stefanik argued in a statement.
Stefanik is a top Trump ally in the House and the president posted on social media Wednesday morning that "Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is GREAT!!!"
The six-term lawmaker has $10 million cash-on-hand through her fundraising entities, and is considered popular among Republican voters in the state. Stefanik was the keynote speaker at a New York GOP event on Tuesday night.
At the time of her nomination's withdrawal, Hochul said it was a matter of holding the line in Congress.
"I have been proud to be a team player. The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I'm committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents," Stefanik said on Fox News' "Hannity" last month.
Trump said he would work on finding a replacement pick, which has not been announced yet.
"As we advance our America First Agenda, it is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress. We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning," the president posted to Truth Social at the time.
"I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,."
Stefanik is far from the only well-known Republican in New York State considering a 2026 run for governor.
Rep. Mike Lawler, who's in his second term representing the state's 17th Congressional District, which covers a large swath of New York City's northern suburbs, is mulling a bid.
"I'll make a decision at some point – middle of the year. Obviously, you know if we're going to do it, you got to get out there, and you got to campaign hard," Lawler said last week in an interview with Fox News Digital.
He added, "I haven't made a decision yet. I think, obviously, there's a number of factors in play, but you know, we're working through that right now."
Among the other Republicans weighing a gubernatorial run are Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, who like Stefanik is a major Trump supporter and ally. Longtime Bethany town supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. is also considering a run.
Democrats are salivating over a potential GOP gubernatorial primary in the Empire State.
"New York’s Republican primary is set to be a nasty and vicious race to see who can be the Trumpiest – and most out of touch with New Yorkers," Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe aruged in a statement. "All three potential candidates in this race are running to bring Donald Trump’s extreme agenda of raising costs and taking away fundamental freedoms to Albany – and could not be more out of step with New York."
It's been 23 years since a Republican won a gubernatorial election in heavily blue New York State. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. George Pataki's second re-election victory in 2002.
But with Hochul's approval ratings and favorable ratings remaining in negative territory, Republicans are optimistic their losing streak will come to an end next year. The governor also faces potential, longshot Democratic primary challenges from her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, as well as Rep. Ritchie Torres.
Hochul, who at the time was the state’s lieutenant governor, in August 2021 was sworn in as New York’s first female governor, after three-term Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals.
But she narrowly won a full four-year term in the 2022 gubernatorial election, defeating then-Rep. Lee Zeldin, who now steers the Environmental Protection Agency in the Trump administration.
Zeldin - who lost to Hochul by less than six and a half points - had the best performance by a GOP gubernatorial candidate in New York since Pataki's 2002 victory.
Trump lost the state to then-Vice President Kamala Harris by 13 points in last November's presidential election, but that was a 10-point improvement from his loss margin to former President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
"What is really telling is that you have three, at least, very qualified Republican candidates looking at it," a veteran Republican strategist who works on New York State races told Fox News. "I think it shows her [Hochul's] vulnerability."
Stefanik's departure could still have an impact on House Republicans' razor-thin three-seat majority, but GOP leaders hope to be done with their plans for a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process by the end of this year.
If elected governor, Stefanik would not have to leave the House until the end of December 2025.
Her vote was critical to advancing President Trump's budget framework legislation earlier this month. The bill appeared at risk of failing during a tense procedural vote last week, but Stefanik – who was among the last to cast her vote – carried it over the top, 216 to 215.
Fox News' Madeline Coggins contributed to this report.
A third high-level Pentagon staffer has been placed on administrative leave in two days as part of a probe into media leaks.
Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg, was escorted out of the building on Wednesday, following Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff to Hegseth.
"We can confirm that Mr. Carroll has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation. We have nothing additional to provide at this time," a defense official told Fox News Digital.
Carroll did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month Defense Department (DOD) announced it would launch a probe into "recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information" and might employ the use of polygraphs to determine the source of the leaks.
"The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy," DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in a memo. "This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense."
He wrote that "information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure" would be referred for criminal prosecution.
Caroll, a Marine Corps reservist, most recently worked at defense contractor Anduril, which develops autonomous weapons systems. Both Selnick and Caldwell worked at Concerned Veterans for America, an advocacy group once led by Hegseth.
The Pentagon has not provided specifics about what the three officials are accused of leaking. An official told Politico that the leak concerned Panama Canal plans and Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon and a second aircraft carrier being deployed to the Red Sea.
The DOD followed the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice in announcing it would use polygraphs to root out alleged leakers. But the DOD memo came after President Donald Trump pushed back on a New York Times report that Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk would be briefed on "war plans" with China during a visit to the Pentagon. Trump said he would not show such plans "to anybody."
In a video message about the Federal Aviation Administration doing "drone-detection testing" in New Jersey, Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy indicated that the Trump administration is committed to "radical transparency," juxtaposing that approach with what he referred to as the Biden administration's "drone fiasco."
The FAA noted in a post on its website last week that the testing is slated to occur "in Cape May, New Jersey, between April 14-25."
"The FAA will operate several large drones and more than 100 commercial off-the-shelf drones during the two-week period. Testing will take place over the water and near the Cape May Ferry Terminal during the daytime on weekdays only. The public should not fly recreational drones near this area during the test period," the post stated.
In a video message shared on social media this week, Duffy explained that the testing is being performed "to ensure we can properly detect drones in our airspace and make sure they don't interfere with aircraft navigation systems."
Many Americans were concerned by a spate of sightings in the skies last year.
A joint Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA, and Department of Defense statement in December addressed the issue, declaring that "we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones. We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast."
Shortly after President Donald Trump took office in January, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered what she described as a statement from Trump, explaining that the drones over the Garden State were cleared by the FAA to fly "for research and various other reasons," and that many drones had been flown by hobbyists.
"This was not the enemy," she concluded, describing the remarks as "a statement from the president … "
The FAA's post last week noted, "The agency has been testing drone detection technologies at airports over the last few years and is expanding testing to off-airport locations. These tests will help determine the effectiveness of these technologies and whether they might interfere with FAA or aircraft navigation systems."
FIRST ON FOX: The vice mayor of a Florida town that is home to one of the country’s largest population of Venezuelan migrants is supporting a deal that will allow the city’s law enforcement to cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).
"I support this agreement because I believe it is essential to strengthening our Police Department’s ability to carry out their duties effectively and responsibly," Doral, Florida, Vice Mayor Maureen Porras told Fox News Digital. "By moving forward with this, we are ensuring that the City of Doral remains in full compliance with both state and federal mandates—an important step in maintaining public trust and upholding the rule of law."
The comments come as Doral, a key Florida hub for Venezuelan immigrants, is set to vote on a potential agreement with ICE on Wednesday that would allow the city’s law enforcement to carry out some immigration-enforcement operations.
Members of the City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to ink a 287(g) program deal with ICE, which would allow Doral police officers to assist ICE with detentions, questioning and processing individuals suspected of breaking federal immigration laws.
Doral would become one of the latest local law enforcement agencies to join President Donald Trump’s push to ramp up deportation efforts, with 287(g) agreements with ICE seeing more widespread use across the country since the new president took office in January.
That effort was given a boost by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has encouraged local cooperation with federal immigration authorities through a law that requires the local agencies in charge of jails to be enrolled in 287(g) programs.
However, Doral’s involvement in the program could be seen as a seemingly surprising turn, with the city being home to one of the largest proportions of Venezuelan immigrants in the United States, leading to concerns about the program from many in the local population.
Doral Councilwoman Digna Cabral acknowledged those concerns, telling Fox News Digital that she hopes Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez will provide further explanation on the details of the program during Wednesday’s proceedings, noting that immigration enforcement is "a sensitive topic" for many in the community.
"I believe it is important to approach this matter with care, clarity, and full transparency," Cabral told Fox News Digital. "At this stage, I have not taken a final position, and I will await the full presentation and discussion at the Council meeting before making any further statements."
Porras acknowledged those concerns as well, but argued that the agreement "is not designed to discriminate against anyone" and that she will not "support its use for that purpose."
"As an experienced immigration attorney with many years of helping families in South Florida, I understand the serious consequences of discriminatory practices and remain fully committed to ensuring that our laws are applied fairly and justly," Porras told Fox News Digital. "I will make sure that our law-abiding residents are not negatively affected. My focus is on promoting public safety, protecting civil rights, and ensuring that everyone in our community feels safe and respected."
A federal judge said Wednesday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for failing to return two planes deporting migrants to El Salvador last month, a major update that comes as tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary have reached a fever pitch.
In a 48-page order, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said that the court had determined that the Trump administration had demonstrated a "willful disregard" for his March 15 emergency order, which temporarily halted all deportation flights to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law, to allow the court to better consider the merits of the case.
Boasberg had also ordered all planes bound for El Salvador to be "immediately" returned to U.S. soil — which did not happen. Hundreds of migrants arrived in El Salvador later that evening, where the individuals were detained in a sprawling, maximum-security Salvadorian prison.
"The Court ultimately determines that the Government's actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt," Boasberg said Wednesday.
Boasberg instructed the government to file additional declarations by April 23 demonstrating why the court should "purge" any contempt proceedings against it. Should they fail to do so, he said, the court will refer the matter for potential prosecution.
That would involve identifying the individuals responsible for what the judge described as "contumacious conduct," and "determining whose ‘specific act or omission’ caused the noncompliance," Boasberg said in his order.
The Justice Department could then request that the contempt be prosecuted by an attorney for the government and, should they decline to prosecute the matter, could "appoint another attorney to prosecute the contempt."
"The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions," Boasberg continued, noting that "none of their responses" have been satisfactory to the court.
The Trump administration wasted little time responding to the new court order.
"We plan to seek immediate appellate relief," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a social media post Wednesday.
"The president is 100% committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country," he added.
The order is the latest development in the ongoing feud between Trump officials and Boasberg, who drew the administration’s ire last month after temporarily blocking the deportation of certain migrants to El Salvador.
Last month, Boasberg granted a temporary restraining order for 14 days to allow the court to review Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to immediately deport certain individuals.
Boasberg also issued a bench ruling ordering that all migrant flights be "immediately" returned to U.S. soil. The administration did not comply, and hours later, the planes arrived in 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.
In the weeks since, Boasberg has scolded Justice Department officials for withholding information about deportation flights and demanded an explanation for why they appeared to ignore his emergency injunction halting the removals.
Boasberg had scolded the Trump administration, including Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign, for failing to comply with repeated requests for information from the court about the individuals deported on the flights and who in the administration knew about the restraining order handed down and when.
He also demanded to know who in the administration ultimately made the decision not to comply with his order to return the planes, telling Ensign in court earlier this month that the information could be relevant in potential future contempt proceedings.
"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 told Ensign at a hearing earlier this month.
The judge also contested their suggestion that the administration may not have violated his emergency restraining order, noting in response that the government appeared to have "acted in bad faith throughout the day."
The Trump administration, for its part, had argued in an emergency appeal that Boasberg's actions amounted to a "massive, unauthorized imposition on the Executive’s authority to remove dangerous aliens," whom they alleged "pose threats to the American people."
A critical Kentucky seat in the U.S. Senate will soon have a new face after former GOP leader Mitch McConnell announced his retirement in February, and Republican hopefuls appear to be gearing up for what will be a challenging primary.
Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s first Black attorney general and 2024 gubernatorial candidate, still remains the only declared Republican candidate so far after he announced his intention to run for the vacant seat just days after McConnell’s retirement address.
With first quarter fundraising numbers being released on Tuesday, another possible candidate has been seemingly busy building a war chest behind the scenes.
Republican Rep. Andy Barr, R-Kentucky, who has hinted at a possible run though has not officially stepped into the race, posted a sizable $2.26 million raised since January, with approximately $5.35 million in cash on hand through various Political Action Committees.
Amanda Milward, a spokesperson for the Barr campaign, spoke with Fox News Digital after the numbers were posted on Tuesday.
"Andy Barr is humbled by the outpouring of support from Kentuckians and donors across the country for his strong America First leadership," Milward explained. "As Andy considers running for the U.S. Senate, it is clear that Kentucky Republicans want leaders who will not only stand with President Trump, but who also have the drive and resources to win. We cannot afford to lose another statewide race."
Cameron posted $507,656 in campaign contributions and $455,395 cash on hand after expenditures.
"From every corner of Kentucky to supporters across the country, folks are rallying behind our campaign because they’re ready for a true America First fighter—someone who will stand up for our values and advance President Trump’s agenda in the U.S. Senate," Cameron told Fox News Digital Tuesday. "We’re pressing forward, the path to victory is clear, and we’re not looking back."
Former Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was elected to the coveted seat in 1985, making him the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history.
However, McConnell’s endorsement may not carry the weight it did some years ago, given the tumultuous relationship between the Kentucky senator and President Donald Trump. Sources close to the race told Fox News Digital that a McConnell endorsement would actually do more harm than good and that the endorsement from President Trump is the key to the ticket.
While President Trump has not yet endorsed a candidate, he has made comments about both Cameron and Barr in the past.
Last week at the White House, the president made a nod to Barr’s attendance during a press conference, telling the likely candidate "good luck with everything, I hear good things."
Notably, a Trump endorsement for Cameron would not be the first, as the 45th and 47th president endorsed Cameron for governor in October 2023. Following Cameron’s loss to Democrat Andy Beshear, Trump blamed ties with McConnell as the reason for the defeat.
"Daniel Cameron lost because he couldn’t alleviate the stench of Mitch McConnell," Trump posted to Truth Social. "I told him early that’s a big burden to overcome. McConnell and Romney are Kryptonite for Republican Candidates. I moved him up 25 Points, but the McConnell relationship was ‘too much to bear."
To shake things up even more, a third possible candidate is eyeing a possible run for the hotly contested seat.
Wealthy businessman Nate Morris, CEO of Morris Industries and former CEO of Rubicon Investments, has also been in the mix of possible names in the primary.
Morris has already targeted ties to McConnell as a possible weakness for a potential victor, posting on X that "the last thing Kentucky needs is another puppet for Mitch McConnell."
Who the sitting president plans to support remains unclear, though it seems his endorsement in the race may be one of the more substantial in the upcoming midterm election.
Fox News Digital reached out to Nate Morris for comment but did not receive a response.
