President Donald Trump said he would reveal the future of a rare-earth minerals deal with Ukraine Tuesday during his address to Congress, after peace negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to a halt Friday after a disorderly White House visit. 

Zelenskyy visited Washington Friday amid negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and was poised to sign a minerals agreement that would allow the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for U.S. support in the country. 

But after a tense exchange between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy over whether diplomacy was the correct avenue to secure a peace deal and whether Russian President Vladimir Putin could be trusted, Trump kicked Zelenskyy out of the White House and said the Ukrainian leader could return when he was ready for peace. 

When asked Monday about the status of the rare-earth minerals deal, Trump told reporters that he would disclose where the deal stands when he addresses a joint session of Congress Tuesday in a speech akin to the annual State of the Union. 

"I'll let you know," Trump told reporters Monday. "We're making a speech, you've probably heard about it, tomorrow night. I'll let you know tomorrow night ... it's a great deal for us."

Zelenskyy told reporters in London Sunday that he was still on board with the deal, and that he predicts the relationship between Ukraine and the U.S. will persevere. 

TRUMP SAYS ZELENSKYY CAN ‘COME BACK WHEN HE’S READY FOR PEACE' AFTER FIERY WHITE HOUSE EXCHANGE

Trump also said Monday he wanted to see the Ukrainian leader express more gratitude for U.S. support during the war in order to rekindle peace negotiations with Zelenskyy. 

"I just think he should be more appreciative because this country has stuck with him through thick and thin," Trump said. "We’ve given them much more than Europe, and Europe should have given more than us because, as you know, that’s right there, that’s the border." 

Trump previously hailed the minerals agreement as a breakthrough deal that would benefit both the U.S. and Ukraine, touting that it would serve as the foundation for a more "sustainable" future relationship between the two countries and allow the U.S. access to resources like oil and gas that "we need for our country." 

"We're going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides, because it's really going to get us into that country," Trump told reporters Thursday while meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "We'll have a lot of people working there and so, in that sense, it's very good."

Trump also said Thursday it would reimburse taxpayers for financial contributions backing Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in 2022. 

JD VANCE STEPS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT DEFENDING TRUMP'S FOREIGN POLICY IN OVAL OFFICE DUSTUP WITH ZELENSKYY

Precise numbers on financial assistance to Ukraine vary slightly, depending on what is considered aid. However, the Council on Foreign Relations reports that Congress has appropriated $175 billion since 2022 for aid to Ukraine. 

All European assistance to Ukraine between January 2022 and December 2024 amounts to roughly $138.7 billion, German-based think tank Kiel Institute estimates. The organization also estimates that the U.S. contributed $119.7 billion in that same time frame. 

The meeting between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy soured after Zelenskyy said that Putin couldn't be trusted and had breached other agreements. Trump and Vance then accused Zelenskyy of not being grateful for the support the U.S. has provided over the years and said the Ukrainian leader was in a "bad position" at the negotiating table. 

"You're playing cards," Trump said Friday. "You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War III. You're gambling with World War III. And what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country."

Following his departure from the White House on Friday Zelenskyy issued a social media post on X expressing gratitude to the U.S. for its support. 

"Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit," Zelenskyy said. "Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul launched an ad campaign in Washington, D.C., and New York City this weekend offering to hire federal workers who were fired by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

One ad, which ran in D.C.’s Union Station and New York City’s Moynihan train stations, depicted the Statue of Liberty and read: "DOGE said you’re fired? We say you’re hired! New York wants you!"

The ad includes a link to the New York state government’s website, which lists nearly two thousand different positions in the state government.

After meeting with New York residents impacted by the federal cuts, Hochul held a press conference on Monday in which she bashed Musk and "his clueless cadre of career killers." 

'GREAT JOB' OR 'NO IDEA WHAT HE'S DOING'? ELON MUSK EMAIL SETS CAPITOL HILL ABLAZE

She said that many of the fired federal workers "found the whole experience degrading [and] dehumanizing" and accused Musk and President Donald Trump of not caring for the needs of Americans or the services that she said will be impacted by DOGE firings.

"They call themselves putting America First. Give me a break," she said. "They know nothing about the functions of government. They don't know who it serves, and they don't care about the tireless public servants who keep it all running."

"None of this seems to matter to Donald Trump and Elon Musk, not at all. For them, it’s just fodder for this cheap second-rate reality show. ‘You're fired,’ it's fun for them to say it," she said.

Addressing former federal workers directly, Hochul said: "The current regime in Washington may not recognize your talents, but I can assure you New York State does. We don't vilify public servants. We value you. We cherish your contribution, and we do want to welcome you to the New York family."

ELON MUSK IS PUSHING BACK ON BUSINESS AS USUAL WITH DOGE, SAYS REP. LUNA

"In New York, we know it's not the demagogues and the technocrats who make America great," she went on. "It's public servants like Luke and all the people I just met, and countless who came before them, who dedicate their lives to serving others."

Hochul said the state of New York has 7,000 public sector positions available, including positions for engineers, attorneys, healthcare workers, educators and others. She said the campaign is part of an "ongoing effort" to rebuild the state’s public workforce after it was "decimated, particularly during COVID."

Beyond hiring laid-off federal employees, Hochul emphasized states’ role in resisting the new Trump administration’s DOGE efforts.

"It starts in the courts," she said. "We are ready to file lawsuits to stop anything, particularly with this first wave of layoffs for provisional individuals because the proper notice wasn't done. They didn't follow any rules. They did not follow a single rule. They think they are kings and they can just come in and do whatever they want."

WHAT'S THE POINT OF ALL THESE ANTI-DOGE LAWSUITS? FIGHT TRUMP'S AGENDA TO SCOTUS, LEGAL EXPERTS SAY

"So, in the meantime, the states have to step up," she went on. "This is what we can do. We'll see them in court, but also, let's take care of these people. Let's not have them worry about their healthcare, whether or not their child's going to get medical treatment for their own families."

In response, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital: "No amount of Democrat obstruction will stop President Trump from delivering on the promises he made to the American people."

"Radical, out-of-touch Democrats should clean up the disasters they’ve created in their own states before trying to promote their failed policies to the rest of America," said Fields.

Conservatives on social media praised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday after he responded to an attack from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a photo that was seen over 2 million times on X.

"Wouldn’t want to hurt Putin’s feelings," Clinton posted on X over the weekend along with a Gizmodo headline that read, "Trump’s Defense Secretary Hegseth Orders Cyber Command to ‘Stand Down’ on All Russia Operations."

Hegseth responded to the post with a photo of Clinton smiling with Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov in March 2009 in which the two are holding a "reset" button that was meant to symbolize a reset of relations between the two countries. 

The post was quickly praised by conservatives on X.

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH ARRIVES AT GUANTANAMO BAY, CALLS IT ‘FRONT LINES OF THE WAR’ ON SOUTHERN BORDER

"Crooked Hillary just got OWNED," Department of Defense Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson posted on X.

"Call an ambulance …," Rasmussen Reports posted on X.

DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH SAYS GUANTANAMO BAY IS ‘PERFECT PLACE’ TO HOLD MIGRANTS ‘SAFELY IN THE INTERIM’

"LOL," conservative commentator Jack Posobiec posted on X.

"Total Secretary Hegseth W," Greg Price of the Trump White House Rapid Response Team posted on X.

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Hegseth's post was reposted over 10,000 times on X with over 3,000 comments and over 70,000 likes.

Fox News Digital reached out to Clinton's office for comment.

Democrats have been highly critical of the Trump administration in recent days and attacked the president as being aligned with Russia based on the heated Oval Office exchange between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Friday.

The Trump administration has maintained that the controversy shows Zelenskyy is not serious about peace talks, and Trump has publicly said the Ukrainian president can return to the White House at a later time to resume negotiations.

"We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country - So that we don’t end up like Europe!" Trump recently posted on Truth Social over the weekend. 

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should "answer" for his handling of nursing homes and casualties during the coronavirus pandemic, New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared Monday. 

Adams made the comment when asked by a reporter if he believes "undercounting the number of COVID-related nursing home deaths disqualifies Cuomo for running for mayor." 

"I’ve met with some of the nursing home family members and advocates. There's some things that we want to do with them. But he has to answer that question on the trail," Adams responded. "Should that be an automatic disqualification? No, I think it needs to be answered on the trail, exactly what happened. And I think some of those family members are going to be looking forward to that." 

A report released in March 2022 by the New York state comptroller found Cuomo's Health Department "was not transparent in its reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes" and it "understated the number of deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%" during some points of the pandemic. 

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The former governor also was grilled by Republican lawmakers last year about a controversial directive his administration issued in March 2020 that initially barred nursing homes from refusing to accept patients who had tested positive for COVID-19.  

More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients were released from hospitals into nursing homes under the directive, which was later rescinded amid speculation that it had accelerated outbreaks. 

A state report later commissioned by Cuomo's successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, found that while the policies on how nursing homes should handle COVID-19 were "rushed and uncoordinated," they were based on the best understanding of the science at the time. 

Representatives for Cuomo have denied he mishandled nursing homes during the pandemic.

DEMOCRAT REP. RICHIE TORRES ENDORSES CUOMO FOR MAYOR OVER ERIC ADAMS: REPORT 

Cuomo ultimately resigned from office in August 2021 following sexual harassment allegations, which he denies. 

Over the weekend, Cuomo announced his New York City mayoral bid, saying in a video message that "[t]he city just feels threatening, out of control and in crisis." 

When asked about the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo, Adams said Cuomo also "has to answer that on the campaign trail."

"I believe the women [who] made the allegations, respect what they stated. I believe what they said based on the investigation and he has to answer that on the trail," Adams said. 

Fox News’ Bradford Betz, Maria Paronich and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The Trump administration has made deals across Latin America to assist in the U.S. effort to deport migrants who have entered the country illegally, with migrants being shipped to and held in several Central American countries.

"Trump's no longer letting the U.S. be treated like a doormat," Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital.

The comments come as multiple reports over the last week have detailed President Donald Trump’s push for deportations, with the Associated Press reporting that the administration has struck deals with Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and Venezuela that have allowed the U.S. to move migrants away from its southern border.

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The move has caused Central America to become a "dumping ground" for migrants, according to a report in the Guardian, which pointed to countries such as Panama and Costa Rica which have taken in migrants from the Middle East and Asia.

The Guardian reported that in many cases, Trump has been "strong-arming" Central American nations to play by his rules, oftentimes using fear such as threats to take back the Panama Canal or impose tariffs.

"It’s clear that there’s a new order of relations in this matter where things are demanded of countries that are not in a position to refuse," said Marcela Martino, deputy director of Central America and Mexico for the Center for Justice and International Law, told the Guardian.

Panama was the first country to agree to a deal with Trump in the middle of February, the report notes, and has since taken on hundreds of migrants from places such as Afghanistan, Iran, China, and Pakistan.

Some of those migrants have agreed to be returned to their home countries, while 128 of the 299 migrants that Panama has received have refused. That refusal has put the migrants in a form of "legal limbo," the Guardian reported, pointing to viral photos that showed one young Iranian migrant who scrawled "help" on the window of a Panama City hotel, where migrants were temporarily being held.

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While some critics have raised concerns about the legality of the deportation programs or the conditions migrants face, Ries pointed out that many of these same countries served as hosts for migrants flowing the other direction during former President Joe Biden’s term.

"Many of these countries viewed the U.S. as a dumping ground as they let millions of migrants traverse their countries just to go to the U.S," Ries said. "And you know, we're a sovereign nation, and sovereign countries have a right to choose who comes here, how many, under what terms and when they have to leave. Migrants don't choose that."

Ries argued that Trump’s moves to put deportation deals in place are simply an example of the president using American leverage, something not seen under the leadership of Biden.

"The U.S. has leverage with other countries, and our last president didn't use it and again, treated our country like a doormat, just let people in by the millions," Ries argued. "The current president is choosing to use that leverage with respect to these other countries."

Another benefit of the deals, Ries noted, is they may serve as a deterrent for both migrants thinking about heading north and the countries in the last four years who have allowed them passage, arguing that these countries are also capable of defending their own borders.

"They are perfectly able to and should defend their own borders," Ries said. "Prevent the mass migration in the first place, and then prevent many of these consequences."

Several Democratic members are planning to boycott the first joint congressional address of President Donald Trump's second term on Tuesday.

Trump will be addressing members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday evening, but some Democrats are planning to skip the event, including Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who will instead hold a live prebuttal of the speech. 

"I think that State of the Union speech is going to be a farce. I think it's going to be a MAGA pep rally, not a serious talk to the nation," Murphy told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

"I think Donald Trump is going to spew a series of lies about his alignment with Russia, about what he's trying to do to allow Elon Musk to essentially monetize the American government to enrich Musk and his billionaire crowd," Murphy said. "And I'm just not going to be a part of that."

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Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, will join Murphy for the prebuttal of the speech that will be livestreamed while Trump is speaking.

At least one House Democrat, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., also said that he is going to be skipping the address. 

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"The notion of half my colleagues rising and standing and enormous clapping for… things that I think are terrible for the American people every couple minutes will not be funny," Beyer said of the address, according to POLITICO. "I don’t see that I’ll contribute anything to the event."

House Democrats were asked by the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) ahead of the speech to bring guests who have been "harmed" by the Trump administration, Fox News Digital learned.

"DPCC and Leader Jeffries have encouraged members to bring guests that have been harmed by Donald Trump’s threats to Medicare and SNAP, as well as his Administration’s mass firings of veterans working in our civil service — veterans like Gabe, a disabled Marine veteran and new dad who was working at the IRS as a facilities manager until he was fired last month," a Democratic aide told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Several Democratic members attending the speech are planning to bring federal workers who have been laid off in recent weeks to protest the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) recent efforts to downsize federal agencies.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., will deliver the Democrats' rebuttal address after Trump's speech, focusing her remarks on what actions the administration is currently taking.

"The public expects leaders to level with them on what’s actually happening in our country," Slotkin said in a statement. "From our economic security to our national security, we’ve got to chart a way forward that actually improves people’s lives in the country we all love, and I’m looking forward to laying that out." 

At least eight Democratic lawmakers planned to boycott Trump's State of the Union address in 2020, including members of the progressive members such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Murphy, Schatz, and Beyer for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

FIRST ON FOX: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has made border security a cornerstone issue of his tenure in the House of Representatives, a theme he's continuing to keep through President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

Fox News Digital has learned that Johnson's partial list of guests to the prime-time speech will include Tom Homan, the former Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director, whom Trump has tapped to serve as his border czar.

Johnson also invited Olivia Hayes, a young widow from his district who lives in Kinder, Louisiana. Her husband, Wesley Hayes, was killed by an illegal immigrant in a drunk-driving incident, the speaker's office said.

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On another Republican priority front, Commonwealth LNG Chairman Ben Dell will also be one of Johnson's guests on Tuesday night.

The Commonwealth LNG project was the first major beneficiary of the Trump administration's reversal of former President Joe Biden's pause on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits. Energy has been a top issue for Republicans, particularly in resource-rich areas like Louisiana.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright last month announced the permit for the project, which is also in Johnson's home state of Louisiana.

Wright said at the time that it was "one of many steps that DOE will be taking to assure our future as a reliable energy supplier to the world and resume regular order to our regulatory responsibilities over natural gas exports."

In a nod to U.S. ties to Israel, Johnson is also bringing Noa Argamani, who was taken hostage by Hamas after the terror group's brutal Oct. 7 invasion of Israel.

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His guests will also include members of conservative media. Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh, both of The Daily Wire, are expected to attend as Johnson's guests.

Johnson is expected to sit on the dais behind Trump on Tuesday night, the Speaker of the House's traditional position, next to the vice president during the president's big annual speech.

Because Trump has not been president for the entire past year, the speech is not called a "State of the Union," but rather a presidential address.

King Charles has been a key part of efforts to maintain relationships with Trump and Zelensky.

Four weeks of hearings will look at the purchase of billions of pounds of medical equipment in the pandemic.

FIRST ON FOX: A Texas congressman is moving forward with a push to bar funding to United Nations organizations dealing with mass migration amid a separate push by the Trump administration to crack down on international funding.

Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, is reintroducing the No Tax Dollars for the United Nation’s Immigration Invasion Act, which bars federal funding from going to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

It also requires a study be conducted identifying all funding grants to the U.N. agencies, and nongovernmental organizations that received funding under those programs. It would also require the report to identify any funds that should be repaid to the U.S. government.

HOUSE, SENATE LAWMAKERS MOVE TO SLAP LIMITS ON NGOS AIDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AMID FUNDING CRACKDOWN 

"It’s time to stop subsidizing our own destruction," Gooden said in a statement. "The United Nations is running a taxpayer-funded operation to funnel illegal immigrants into our country, threatening our sovereignty, security, and the very fabric of our nation. I am working with the Trump administration to end this immediately."

Gooden has been sounding the alarm for years about funding to the U.N. and nonprofits that he believes encourage mass migration to the U.S. It’s an appeal that is being echoed by the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump, on his first day in office, ordered a 90-day funding freeze for foreign aid assistance. Meanwhile, there have been deep cuts made to USAID, which has come under fire from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.

The migration focus comes after a historic border crisis that spanned nearly the entirety of the Biden administration. The Trump administration has deployed the military to the border, cut down the ability of migrants to claim asylum, ended parole policies and launched a mass deportation campaign.

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Gooden’s bill comes after he introduced a related bill last month, which would prevent federal contracts and grants being awarded to NGOs unless they certified to the Office of Management and Budget that they are not involved in human trafficking or smuggling. It also would yank tax-exempt status from organizations who knowingly violate federal law.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

First lady Melania Trump spoke on Capitol Hill Monday for the first time since returning to the White House, participating in a roundtable with lawmakers from both chambers of Congress focused on punishing online abuse and revenge pornography. 

"I am here with you today with a common goal — to protect our youth from online harm," Melania Trump said Monday. "The widespread presence of abusive behavior in the digital domain affects the daily lives of our children, families and communities." 

"Addressing this issue is essential for fostering a safe and supportive environment for our young people," she said. "I hope today’s roundtable builds awareness of the harm caused by nonconsensual intimate imagery and eventually the approval of the Take it Down Act in Congress."

The Take it Down Act is a bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that would make it a federal crime to publish, or threaten to publish, nonconsensual intimate imagery, including "digital forgeries" crafted by artificial intelligence. The bill unanimously passed the Senate earlier in 2025, with Cruz saying Monday he believes it will be passed by the House before becoming law. 

Trump was joined by California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, alongside Republicans such as Cruz, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Kevin Hern, R-Okla.

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The bill also would require social media companies, like Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram and similar websites, to put procedures in place to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from the victim. 

The bill would protect victims of digital exploitation and hold internet platforms accountable by requiring them to remove such imagery. 

Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., and Madeleine Dean, D-Penn., introduced the legislation in the House in January. That measure is under consideration in the House Energy and Commerce Committees before consideration on the House floor. 

"If you're a victim of revenge porn or AI-generated explicit imagery, your life changes forever," Cruz said during the roundtable. "Most likely you've been targeted by someone you know, and you're likely struggling to have that material removed from the internet. Disturbingly, many of these victims are teenagers at American high schools who are facing a surge in AI-generated sexual images hundreds of teens, often targeted by their own classmates, are enduring senseless psychological harm." 

"The Take It Down Act empowers victims across the entire United States," he continued. "It makes it a felony for these deviants to publish any non-consensual intimate images, including fake, lifelike pornographic images of real people." 

The law would require penalties of up to three years in prison for sharing nonconsensual intimate images — authentic or AI-generated — involving minors and two years in prison for those images involving adults. It also would require penalties of up to two and a half years in prison for threat offenses involving minors, and one and a half years in prison for threats involving adults. 

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AI-generated images known as "deepfakes" often involve editing videos or photos of people to make them look like someone else by using artifical intelligence. Deepfakes hit the public’s radar in 2017 after a Reddit user posted realistic-looking pornography of celebrities to the platform, opening the floodgates to users employing AI to make images look more convincing and widely shared in the following years. 

"In today's AI-driven world, the threat of privacy breaches is alarmingly high," Trump explained. "As organizations harness the power of our data, the risk of unauthorized access and misuses of personal information escalates. We must prioritize robust security measures and uphold strict ethical standards to protect individual privacy." 

Nearly every U.S. state has a law protecting people from nonconsensual intimate image violations, but the laws vary in classification of crime and penalty. 

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The event Monday is the first where the first lady delivered public remarks since President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. 

Melania Trump was joined on Monday by a 15-year-old girl, Elliston Berry, whose high school peers used AI to create nonconsensual imagery of the young girl and spread them across social media, the first lady explained. 

"It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes," Trump said. "This toxic environment can be severely damaging. We must prioritize their well-being by equipping them with the support and tools necessary to navigate this hostile digital landscape. Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themselves freely, without the looming threat of exploitation or harm." 

Berry told the roundtable she was just 14 years old when she realized in 2023 that "a past Instagram photo with a nude body and my face attached made from AI," was circulating on social media. 

"Fear, shock and disgust were just some of the many emotions I felt," Berry said. "I felt responsible and began to blame myself and was ashamed to tell my parents. Despite doing nothing wrong. As I attended school, I was scared of the reactions of someone or someone could could recreate these photos."  

"We need to hold big tech accountable to take action," the young woman continued. "I came here today to not only promote this bill, but to fight for the freedom of so many survivors, millions of people, male, female, teenage children, kids all are affected by the rise of this image based sexual abuse. This is unacceptable. The Take It Down act will give a voice to the victims and provide justice." 

During the first Trump administration, Trump hosted virtual roundtables on foster care as part of her "Be Best" initiative and focused on strengthening the child welfare system. The "Be Best" initiative also focused on online safety. 

"As first lady, my commitment to the ‘Be Best’ initiative underscores the importance of online safety," she said. "In an era where digital interactions are integral to daily life, it is imperative that we safeguard children from mean-spirited and hurtful online behavior." 

During her husband's first term as president, she also worked with members of Congress on legislation that secured funding for grants awarded to youth and young adults currently or formerly in foster care to help pay for college, career school or training. The bill ultimately was signed by the president in December 2020. 

Trump gave a nod to Democratic Sen. Klobuchar and Republican Sen. Cruz for their bipartisan support of the bill, while remarking she was let down by the lack of additional support from Democrats. 

"I must admit, however, I expected to see more Democrat leaders with us here today to address this serious issue," she said. "Surely as adults, we can prioritize America’s children ahead of partisan politics. I urge Congress to prioritize the passage of the Take It Down Act. This legislation is essential for addressing the growing concerns related to online safety, protecting individual rights, and promoting a healthier digital environment." 

"Congress can take an important step toward ensuring accountability and fostering responsible online behavior," she continued. "The Take It Down Act represents a powerful step toward justice, healing and unity."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

Ahead of President Donald Trump's address to Congress Tuesday night, revisiting his 2017 congressional address shows both striking parallels and differences to the current political climate, and a prophetic question about what America will become as it rings in its 250th birthday in 2026. 

During Trump's address in 2017, with Vice President Mike Pence and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan behind him, Trump opened by acknowledging "threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries" before transitioning to a call for "a renewal of the American spirit."

"In nine years, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding – 250 years since the day we declared our independence," said Trump,who was elected to his first term in November 2016. "It will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world. But what will America look like as we reach our 250th year? What kind of country will we leave for our children?"

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In one of his first executive actions this year kicking off his second non-consecutive term, Trump signed "Celebrating America's 250th Birthday," which will "provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026."

In 2017, Trump continued his first address to the nation after the Obama administration by promising to crack down on illegal immigration, implement an America-first agenda and restore the economy. Noticeably, however, there was no mention of Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) nor "radical" gender ideology. 

"These are kind of common themes when he speaks today, and those are gone," Tevi Troy, presidential historian and former HHS secretary under the George W. Bush administration, told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Those are not there. But that aside, there are a lot of similarities, and at first I was reading and wondering if it could be given in this administration, because there's a lot of the same stuff."

"He talks about borders in there, for example, and he talks about unleashing the American economy," Troy said. "And so the themes are the same, but some of the circumstances have changed."

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While joint addresses to Congress and State of the Union speeches are typically written well in advance, Trump is known for speaking off the cuff. Troy said Trump may bring up the explosive Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.

"I could see that coming as an improv moment, but it's probably not in the speech's written," he said.

In addition, inflation is going to be on peoples' minds come Tuesday night.

"No one's going to blame Trump for DEI or woke or the problems of Biden," Troy said. "He is in danger at some point in being blamed for inflation. So he's got to handle that one a little bit more carefully."

Trump's 2017 address did not include inflation, but he does mention restarting "the engine of the American economy – making it easier for companies to do business in the United States, and much, much harder for companies to leave our country." 

TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP'S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TUESDAY NIGHT ON FOX NEWS

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So far this year, Trump has signed a slew of executive orders, many aimed at bolstering American manufacturing and the domestic economy as well as removing the U.S. from worldwide climate change commitments. 

EXCLUSIVE: West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice and more than half a dozen GOP senators are seeking clarification from the NCAA on its policy allowing biological males in women’s locker rooms, telling Fox News Digital that the organization needs to make clear that "a women’s locker room is for women only." 

Justice, R-W.Va., penned a letter to National Collegiate Athletic Association President Charlie Baker Monday, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital. 

FEMALE ATHLETES CALL OUT NCAA OVER NEW TRANS-INCLUSION POLICY: 'WE DEMAND FAIR SPORTS'

Justice, who is a women’s basketball coach at Greenbrier East High School in Lewisburg, West Virginia, and has coached both boys and girls basketball since he was governor of West Virginia, explained to Fox News Digital that he will "always" work to ensure female athletes are protected. 

"I’m a coach, and I know the last thing any athlete needs is to be distracted or concerned with their own safety or privacy while in a locker room," Justice told Fox News Digital. "I really believe the NCAA has made the right move following President Trump’s order, but let’s be clear across the board that a women’s locker room is for women only." 

Justice added: "I’ll always work to make sure women athletes, like those I coach back in West Virginia, feel safe while changing in locker rooms and competing in athletic events." 

The letter Justice sent Monday also was signed by Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jim Banks, R-Ind., James Risch, R-Idaho, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and James Lankford, R-Okla. 

"On February 5, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order--Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports to strengthen Title IX and protect opportunities for biological female athletes to compete in safe and fair sports.' After the Biden-Harris administration's assault on Title IX in its efforts to allow biologically male athletes who identify as female to compete in women's sports, this order came as a sigh of relief to millions of female athletes across the country who desire equal opportunity to engage in competitive athletic," Justice wrote. 

Justice said that the NCAA responded to Trump’s order by updating its student-athlete participation policy to block biological male students from participating in women's sports— a move he and his Senate colleagues "commend," but is further encouraging the organization to "take additional steps to protect the safety and privacy of female athletes nationwide." 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"The NCAA's new policy makes clear that biological male student-athletes may not compete on a women's team. We could not be more supportive of this essential policy change," Justice said. "The NCAA's policy guarantees that biological male athletes who practice with female athletes will ‘receive all other benefits applicable to student-athletes who are otherwise eligible for practice.’" 

Fox News Digital reached out to the NCAA for comment and did not immediately receive a response. 

Justice said the NCAA has "an opportunity to clarify that these guarantees do not include access to facilities that would undermine the privacy and safety of female athletes- -such as women's locker rooms or other female-only spaces which the President's order made clear should be protected.'"

Justice is asking that the NCAA "consider adding language to its policy that explicitly bars biological male athletes from female-only spaces and to consider adopting additional privacy protections for women and girls in sports." 

NCAA'S NEW TRANS-PARTICIPATION POLICY IS 'AS CLEAR AS MUD,' RILEY GAINES SAYS

Justice, though, applauded the NCAA’s policy defining "*sex assigned at birth" as the male or female designation that doctors assign to infants at birth, which is marked on birth records. 

"Publicly, the NCAA has affirmed that biological male athletes may not compete on a women's team with amended birth certificates or by other documentary means," Justice wrote. "The NCAA's public stance on this issue is commendable, and its policy could go a step further and explicitly state that amended birth certificates are prohibited." 

"We stand in support of President Trump's unparallel actions to protect the safety and privacy of female athletes across the country," the letter states. "The NCAA's efforts are likewise respectable, and we look forward to working with you to ensure women and girls have equal opportunity in athletics." 

Democrats picked freshman Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who represents a swing state, to give the party's official response to President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. 

"BIG: I’m announcing @SenatorSlotkin will deliver our Democratic response to Trump’s Joint Address. Nothing short of a rising star in our party – she’s dedicated her life to our country. She will layout the fight to tackle the deep challenges we face and chart a path forward," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed on X recently. 

Slotkin was elected to an open Senate seat in Michigan, which was also won by Trump in the same election. She wrote on X, "I'm looking forward to speaking directly to the American people next week. The public expects leaders to level with them on what’s actually happening in our country."

'UTTER DISASTER': LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR ZELENSKYY RESIGNATION AFTER WHITE HOUSE THROWDOWN

"From our economic security to our national security, we’ve got to chart a way forward that improves people’s lives in the country we all love, I look forward to laying that out. Tune in," she previewed. 

The senator received a bachelor's degree at Cornell University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.

Slotkin spent much of her career in the national security space, serving three tours in Iraq as a CIA analyst alongside the U.S. military. After that, she worked in multiple roles in the Pentagon and White House under two different presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In 2014, Obama nominated Slotkin to serve at the Pentagon as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

SEE THE STAR-STUDDED LIST OF TRUMP ALLIES DESCENDING ON DC TO CHART FURTHER 100-DAY WINS

She then chose to run for Congress in 2018 in Michigan, where she grew up. 

Slotkin managed to defeat a Republican incumbent in a key Michigan swing district. She served several terms as a member of the House of Representatives before choosing to run for Senate to replace former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

Despite Trump winning the battleground state in 2024, Slotkin pulled out her own win for Democrats, beating the GOP contender Mike Rogers by less than a percentage point. 

Since coming to the Senate, she's offered some stark criticism of her party, urging Democrats to get away from identity politics. 

FURIOUS DEMS ATTACK TRUMP, VANCE AFTER EXPLOSIVE OVAL OFFICE MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY: 'SIDING WITH DICTATORS'

"As a moderate Democrat, I think she was an excellent choice," Jim Manley, former senior communications advisor and spokesman for former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Senate Democratic Caucus, told Fox News Digital.

He said the choice of Slotkin would be "especially" good if "Trump just throws red meat to the base while using the kind of unhinged rhetoric that will turn off swing voters." 

However, "based on years of experience dealing with these when [I was] working for Sen. Reid, they are usually much more of a hassle than they are ever worth," he added. 

Jim Kessler, former senior aide to Schumer, told Fox News Digital he was a fan of Slotkin for the response. "She’s tough, smart and unafraid to ruffle feathers," he said. 

GABBARD SAYS BIDEN ADMIN IGNORED 'HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE' CHATS HAPPENING AT NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCIES

"She also comes from the centrist wing of the Democratic Party and that’s important as a signal to voters. I expect she’ll focus on bread and butter issues, because right now the middle class is starting to lose confidence in Trump’s handling of the economy," he continued. 

According to Michigan Republican strategist Jason Cabel Roe, Slotkin is "one of the better options Democrats have."

The more "centrist" senator's response comes at a time when Democrats are "in absolute disarray," he said. 

"You are seeing, I think, a real tug of war between the more progressive elements of the party and the more traditional elements of the party," Roe added. 

Slotkin's office declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

Anti-Israel protesters who wave flags of terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah could face jail time in New York should lawmakers pass a proposed bill.

The office of New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who is a Democrat, confirmed to Fox News that the lawmaker is introducing the bill, known as the Stand Against Flags of Enemy Terrorists Act.

The proposed bill, which the New York Post first reported on, would expand the definition of aggravated harassment in the first degree to include cases where someone displays a symbol of a foreign terrorist organization with the intent to harass, annoy or threaten another person.

Those found guilty could face up to four years in jail.

ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS AT BARNARD COLLEGE ARRESTED AFTER MOB TURNS VIOLENT

Hoylman-Sigal is introducing the bill along with New York Assemblyman Micah Lasher, who is also a Democrat.

New York City Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola, a Republican, told "Fox & Friends First" that she hopes the fact that two Democrats are introducing the bill will help persuade liberal lawmakers to vote for the bill.

"We’ve already criminalized burning crosses, swastikas and nooses," Ariola said. "Why not this new wave of how to threaten and terrorize people of a certain religion or ethnicity?"

ANTI-ISRAEL PROTEST IN NYC DEVOLVES INTO VIOLENCE AND MAYHEM

Ariola said that while groups like the American Civil Liberties Union may challenge the proposed bill on free speech grounds, the flags of terrorist organizations "are messages of hate."

Anti-Israel protests have popped up throughout the U.S. amid Israel's war in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks, which killed around 1,200 people.

Last month, anti-Israel protesters were arrested at New York City’s Barnard College after agitators took over a building on campus. A week earlier, violent clashes broke out in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in New York City, where agitators chanted, "Zionists go to hell."

Fox News' Kitty Le Claire contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Republican Reps. Andrew Clyde, of Georgia, and Eli Crane, of Arizona, are launching a judicial task force "to unite members in exposing judicial activism" and target "rogue, activist judges" amid a flurry of legal challenges to the Trump agenda.

"I’m excited to lead this critical effort with my friend and fellow patriot, Congressman Eli Crane. Our Judicial Activism Accountability Task Force aims to unite members in exposing judicial activism, with the ultimate goal of impeaching rogue, activist judges," Clyde said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Clyde notably announced in February he was drafting impeachment articles against Rhode Island-based District Judge John McConnell, who is overseeing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump. McConnell, at the time, filed a motion ordering the Trump administration to comply with a previous restraining order. The order temporarily blocked the administration’s efforts to pause federal grants and loans. 

JONATHAN TURLEY: JUDGE'S SPECIAL COUNSEL RULING MAY BE THE SETBACK TRUMP ADMIN WAS LOOKING FOR

Crane and other representatives have since followed Clyde's lead, announcing impeachment articles against other judges presiding over Trump-related lawsuits. 

Clyde said he encourages other members of Congress to join the task force who "are passionate about ending abusive judicial overreach, upholding the separation of powers, and defending the U.S. Constitution," saying they "look forward to delivering accountability for the American people."

Crane, who announced he was drafting impeachment articles against U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, told Fox News Digital in a statement that, in recent years, "leftists weaponized the judicial branch." 

The Arizona Republican said, "If these activist judges want to be politicians, they should resign and run for public office."

JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S MASS DISMISSALS OF PROBATIONARY FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

"The American people delivered President Trump a mandate to disrupt the administrative state," Crane said. "These judges are violating the will of the people, and Congress has constitutional authority to impeach and convict these partisans."

Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles also announced he was drafting impeachment articles of his own following Clyde and Crane's efforts.

Ogles announced he had introduced impeachment articles against U.S. District Judge Amir Ali late last month. Ali, a D.C.-based Biden appointee, recently ordered the Trump administration to pay around $2 billion in foreign aid funds to contractors with a midnight deadline.

JUDICIAL PUSHBACK ON TRUMP 'HURTING AMERICAN PEOPLE,' SAYS GOP REP LEADING IMPEACHMENT CHARGE

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts paused Ali's order after the Trump administration said it had created "an untenable payment plan at odds with the President’s obligations under Article II to protect the integrity of the federal fisc and make appropriate judgements(sic) about foreign aid – clear forms of irreparable harm."

Clyde and Crane's task force comes as the administration has become the target of more than 90 lawsuits aimed at President Donald Trump's executive orders and directives. The legal challenges cover Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship, the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) efforts to slash unnecessary government spending, and Trump's removal of various federal employees. 

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Clyde spoke with Fox News Digital shortly after announcing his impeachment articles against McConnell, saying the real victims of judicial pushback against Trump's policies are the American people. 

"You're not just hurting the president," Clyde said. "You're hurting the American people because they're the ones who elected him, and they're the ones who want him to do this – to exercise these specific authorities. And these judges are really denying the American people their rights."

Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

First lady Melania Trump will speak on Capitol Hill Monday for the first time since returning to the White House, participating in a roundtable with lawmakers from both chambers of Congress focused on punishing online abuse and revenge pornography.  

The roundtable discussion will focus on online protection and the "Take it Down Act," a bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that would make it a federal crime to publish, or threaten to publish, nonconsensual intimate imagery, including "digital forgeries" crafted by artificial intelligence. 

The bill also would require social media companies and similar websites to put procedures in place to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from the victim. 

MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES RETURN OF WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL

The bill would protect victims of digital exploitation and hold internet platforms accountable by requiring them to remove such imagery. 

Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., and Madeleine Dean, D-Penn., introduced the legislation in the House in January. That measure is under consideration in the House Energy and Commerce Committees before consideration on the House floor. 

The law also would require penalties of up to three years in prison for sharing nonconsensual intimate images — authentic or AI-generated — involving minors and two years in prison for those images involving adults. It also would require penalties of up to two and a half years in prison for threat offenses involving minors, and one and a half years in prison for threats involving adults. 

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES REOPENING OF PUBLIC WHITE HOUSE TOURS

AI-generated images known as "deepfakes" often involve editing videos or photos of people to make them look like someone else by using artifical intelligence. Deepfakes hit the public’s radar in 2017 after a Reddit user posted realistic-looking pornography of celebrities to the platform, opening the floodgates to users employing AI to make images look more convincing and widely shared in the following years. 

Nearly every U.S. state has a law protecting people from nonconsensual intimate image violations, but the laws vary in classification of crime and penalty. 

MELANIA TRUMP'S ‘SOFT POWER’ ON DISPLAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE: SEE THE PHOTOS

The event Monday is the first where the first lady is giving public remarks since President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. 

During the first Trump administration, Melania Trump hosted virtual roundtables on foster care as part of her "Be Best" initiative and focused on strengthening the child welfare system. The "Be Best" initiative also focused on online safety. 

During her husband's first term as president, she also worked with members of Congress on legislation that secured funding for grants awarded to youth and young adults currently or formerly in foster care to help pay for college, career school or training. The bill ultimately was signed by the president in December 2020. 

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Kevin Hern, R-Okla., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will attend Monday's event. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

Despite a raft of sanctions and tough talk against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Europe could not seem to kick its dependence on Russian fuel last year. 

The European Union (EU) spent $23 billion on Russian oil and gas in the third year of the war on Ukraine, more than the $19.6 billion in financial aid it offered to the war-ravaged nation last year, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. 

Russia’s stronghold over non-EU markets also increased – China purchased $82 billion in Russian fuel, India bought $51 billion and Turkey bought $36 billion. 

Russia earned $254 billion from fossil fuel exports last year, a 3% drop over the previous year. 

UK PRIME MINISTER LAYS OUT UKRAINE PEACE DEAL FRAMEWORK AS ZELENSKYY RESPONDS TO RESIGNATION CALLS

Despite Western bans on Russian crude and refined products, Russian oil exports are down a mere 8% since before the invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has made close to $1 trillion from oil exports since February 2022. 

Russia relied on its "shadow" fleet of 585 oil tankers to transport many of its exports, intended to mask their origins. Russia purchases aging ships from European owners, frequently reflags the ships and uses shell companies to obscure their Russian origins. 

Russia also exports oil to third-party states that have not placed sanctions on Moscow, who in turn sell it to the West. 

CREA’s analysis found that tighter sanctions could slash Kremlin revenues by as much as 20%. 

Last week, the EU adopted its 16th package of sanctions against Russia in an effort to crack down on Russia’s shadow vessels. 

ZELENSKYY SPEAKS OUT AFTER PUBLIC SPAT WITH TRUMP, VANCE, SAYS DUSTUP ‘BAD FOR BOTH SIDES'

Russian prices are still lower than buying fuel elsewhere, according to Jonathan Bass, founder of Argent LNG.

"Russian pipeline gas has been cheaper than LNG prices, even with the geopolitical risk, the European buyers still find Russian gas economical." 

Europe’s Russian fuel dependence, in large part, is due to the Biden administration’s restrictions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, according to Bass. President Donald Trump lifted that pause in a day-one executive order.

After the invasion, "Europeans went in and said, ‘okay, we're gonna rely on American LNG.’ But then Biden pauses it… That made the Europeans afraid of relying on America’s political swings," Bass said. 

Cutting off Russian gas has been difficult for landlocked European nations like Austria, which until recently relied on importing fuel by pipeline. A pipeline that fueled Russia by passing through Ukraine and Slovakia stopped flowing at the beginning of this year.

"The re-gasification and distribution infrastructure isn’t optimized for importing from elsewhere. They rely on pipelines [that originate] from Russia," Bass said. 

In January, then-President Joe Biden imposed the toughest sanctions package yet on Russia's oil industry, targeting 161 Kremlin-linked tankers. 

Last week, European leaders issued a unified display of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his spat with Trump in the Oval Office that prompted an abrupt halt to peace talks. 

European leaders held emergency talks on Sunday in London to take the reins of peace talks while Trump and Zelenskyy were at odds. 

Bass, meanwhile, said oil and gas firms are calling for direction from the Trump administration on how big a priority U.S. exports will be to decrease the global dependence on Russian fuel.

"The President's got to say more than ‘drill, baby drill.’ Because he said ‘drill baby drill,’  and then his actions are, go to Russia." 

"What we need to be we really need assurance of direction and supply of what the administration wants us in the gas LNG business to do," he went on. "Don't do a Biden on us. If you want them to be supplied out of Russia, that's the intent then we'll find other markets. But we don't need more flip-flopping - Biden set this whole Russia-Ukraine war up when he stopped dependence on American energy." 

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, is in the spotlight over a new ethics complaint about votes that ultimately yielded millions for a green nonprofit that pays his wife's consulting firm. 

Before that, he led an aggressive campaign alleging ethical violations of conservative Supreme Court justices. 

The Democratic senator took particular aim at conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after several instances of undisclosed travel and trips were reported in 2023. "The Supreme Court justices are so deeply ensconced in a cocoon of special interest money that they can no longer be trusted to police themselves without proper process," Whitehouse claimed at the time. 

'UTTER DISASTER': LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR ZELENSKYY RESIGNATION AFTER WHITE HOUSE THROWDOWN

This history of acting as a judicial ethics watchdog for conservative justices has left some calling the latest ethics complaint against Whitehouse from the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) ironic. 

"The irony here absolutely takes my breath away," Thomas Jipping, senior legal fellow with the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation, previously told Fox News Digital. 

Whitehouse's office provided a letter to Fox News Digital from the Senate Select Committee on Ethics last year informing another watchdog group, Judicial Watch, that the senator's actions did not violate "federal laws, Senate rules, or other standards of conduct." 

The group had filed a similar ethics complaint to FACT. 

"This is a repeat dark money performance, and the previous attempt by a dark money group to plant these same smears was roundly dismissed by Senate Ethics," Whitehouse spokesperson Stephen DeLeo told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The billionaires and Supreme Court capture operatives behind FACT would like to try to stop Senator Whitehouse from shining a light on what they’ve done to deprive regular people of a fair shake before the Court. But false accusations from far-right special interests and billionaires will not impede the Senator’s pursuit of an accountable, ethical government that responds to Americans’ needs."

SEE THE STAR-STUDDED LIST OF TRUMP ALLIES DESCENDING ON DC TO CHART FURTHER 100-DAY WINS

The gifts accepted by Thomas from GOP donor Harlan Crow came under severe scrutiny by Democrats, but experts are still at odds over whether they violated the law. 

The post-Watergate-era 1978 Ethics in Government Act dictates that government officials, judges included, should report all gifts over a certain dollar amount that are "received from any source other than a relative." There are exceptions for "food, lodging, or entertainment received as personal hospitality of an individual."

Thomas did ultimately revise his disclosure to include trips from 2019 with Crowe.

FURIOUS DEMS ATTACK TRUMP, VANCE AFTER EXPLOSIVE OVAL OFFICE MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY: 'SIDING WITH DICTATORS'

Following the report on his undisclosed trips, Thomas said he had been advised they did not need to be reported. 

"Early in my tenure at the court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable," he said in a statement released by the Supreme Court at the time. "I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines."

Whitehouse asked that the Department of Justice (DOJ) open a criminal investigation into Thomas, which the U.S. Judicial Conference formally declined to refer to the DOJ in January. 

Thomas was not the only conservative justice to face Whitehouse's ire; he also targeted Justice Samuel Alito for alleged ethical misconduct. 

Last year, reports emerged about an upside-down American flag at Alito's home following the 2020 election and an "Appeal to Heaven" flag flying outside his vacation home in New Jersey. Critics quickly jumped on the opportunity to pressure the justice to recuse himself from crucial upcoming decisions regarding then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's criminal cases. 

Alito attributed the upside-down flag to his wife and neighborhood drama. The "Appeal to Heaven" flag is popular among conservatives and is notably featured outside many congressional offices in the U.S. Capitol.

GABBARD SAYS BIDEN ADMIN IGNORED 'HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE' CHATS HAPPENING AT NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCIES

In an interview at the time, Whitehouse said the flag ordeal "demonstrates why the Supreme Court needs an enforceable code of conduct," for which he has notably introduced a bill. However, many have pushed back on the idea that the legislature can or should regulate the court. Alito himself weighed in during an interview for the Wall Street Journal last year. 

"I know this is a controversial view, but I’m willing to say it. No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court—period," he said. 

Whitehouse again took him to task for the "improper" interview. "From the outside, it looks like the attorney recruited you to prop up his legal case against our investigation, using the interview to advance the argument he and several colleagues were making," he claimed, referring to attorney David Rivkin, who interviewed Alito alongside Wall Street Journal editorial features editor James Taranto.

Most recently, the senator attacked Alito over a phone call with Trump regarding a former clerk being considered for his administration. The phone call came as cases involving Trump's administration were pending in court. 

"This contact could potentially implicate provisions of the Supreme Court’s new code of conduct and of federal law... We humbly suggest that this incident provides yet another reason for the Judicial Conference and the Court to agree on some sort of neutral fact-finding when a justice’s conduct is questioned," Whitehouse wrote in a January letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and the Judicial Conference. 

"William Levi, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position. I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon," Alito told Fox News' Shannon Bream. 

An Arizona proposal seeks to investigate the healthcare costs of illegal immigrants as the impact on taxpayers and hospitals recently rocked California.

State Senate Bill 1268 would make it state law to ask somebody for their immigration or citizenship status on hospital forms, including if they are in the country illegally. In addition, it would have hospitals and the state government keep track of costs that may have to be covered by taxpayers because of somebody's immigration status. 

"This is a bill that I have run to promote accountability. It in no way compromises a person’s ability to be served and treated at a hospital," Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers, the bill's sponsor, said last week during a floor speech.

CALIFORNIA COAST GUARD CAPTAIN SOUNDS ALARM AS MIGRANTS FROM ADVERSARY COUNTRIES INUNDATE PACIFIC WATERS

"The information does not get passed to other agencies, and if they show up in need of care irrespective, they will be treated. This bill is to enable Americans to know where their tax dollars are going," she continued.

However, critics of the bill believe it will act as a deterrent for some seeking medical care and could have broader negative impacts.

"Anytime that we are asking people to disclose their immigration status, we know that that is going to make people reluctant to go into those settings," Democratic state Sen. Eva Burch said while explaining her vote against the legislation.

"It’s bad for public health in general when people are not seeking care," she added, arguing that the cost concerns are unfounded because many people in the country unlawfully still pay for public healthcare costs through taxes.

The bill passed the state Senate 17-12 along party lines, and it is now in the hands of the Republican-majority House. If it passes that chamber, it will then end up on Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk for final approval or veto.

MEXICO BROKE INTERNATIONAL LAW WITH THE CARTELS AND AMERICANS SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

The proposal comes as California is facing scrutiny for spending $9.5 billion on Medicare for illegal immigrants, which critics argue is a waste of money. The spending is based on a California law that started in January 2024 to ensure immigration status is irrelevant when applying for public benefits.

"Here's yet another example of California Democrats' totally wrong priorities. They have nearly doubled the state budget in the last 10 years, yet over a third of Californians cannot meet their basic needs," Fox News contributor and "Golden Together" founder Steve Hilton told Fox News Digital at the time.

"We have the highest poverty rate in America. We pay the highest taxes and get the worst results. People are asking, ‘Where did all our money go?’ And here's the answer: ideological obsessions like this — free healthcare for people who are here illegally. People have had enough of all this. There's going to be change in California sooner than people think."

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

The influx of people entering the country illegally through the southern border has greatly reduced in recent weeks with the return of the Trump administration, as just over 8,300 migrant encounters made by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in February.

"Under the leadership of [President Donald Trump] & [Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem], Feb 2025 saw just 8,326 encounters at the Southwest border—the lowest documented by U.S. Border Patrol," CBP posted Saturday. "The mission is clear: secure the border, enforce the law, and protect American sovereignty."