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Here's what's happening…

-Here's the list of books the Naval Academy removed from its library during DEI purge

-Supreme Court sides with Trump over fired probationary federal employees

-Judge Boasberg cancels planned hearing to review Trump deportations

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted Tuesday that "all options are on the table for each country" when it comes to making deals over the latest U.S. tariffs, but warned those who retaliate that President Donald Trump "has a spine of steel and he will not break." 

Leavitt said since Trump’s "Liberation Day" tariff announcements, 70 countries have already reached out to the president to begin negotiations.  

"On the other hand, countries like China who have chosen to retaliate and try to double down on their mistreatment of American workers are making a mistake. President Trump has a spine of steel and he will not break," Leavitt added, referencing 34% retaliatory tariffs that China unveiled against the U.S. last week…Read more

'Vital' action: Protecting the playing field: GOP urges governors to take action on women’s sports

'MANY FAILURES': Whistleblower exposes how fired Biden-era official was soft on China, prioritized DEI

COSTLY CRIME: Trump admin unveils plan costing migrants massive fine for every day they don't self-deport

'TRULY A MORON': Elon Musk spars with Peter Navarro: ‘Dumber than a sack of bricks’

PURGING THE PENTAGON: Trump admin fires Navy admiral at NATO targeted by conservative group

FIRST ON FOX: New 6-figure ad touts Trump policies that have key industry 'booming': 'You voted for it'

LAUNCH SEQUENCE: Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh sought rocket launcher from Ukraine

'GOLDEN AGE': Trump crypto chief says we are in the 'golden age' for digital assets, 'clearing the deck' of Biden barriers

'KIND OF LAMENTABLE': China says JD Vance's comments about 'peasants' are 'words that lack knowledge and respect'

RED SEA RESET: New Navy Chief 'regrets' costly missile strikes against Houthis, pushes for cheaper Red Sea defense

'DOMINANT POWER': White House: US will lead in AI, but China is catching up

BATTLE OF THE CHAMBERS: House Republicans worry even Trump can't save them as tax cuts, budget bill hang in balance

'COMPLETE 180 DEGREE FLIP': House Democrat says he'd vote to protect Trump's tariff plan, worries White House will stand down

EMOTIONALLY TAXING: Treasury Secretary Bessent to huddle with key Republican caucus as Trump enacts tariff plan

'MAGA EXTREMISTS': Jeffries claims Trump budget bill will steal food from 'the mouths of babies' while enriching billionaires

CHRIS' CALL: Popular former Republican governor whom Trump urged to run for Senate makes his 2026 decision

NUCLEAR NOMINATION: Supporters defend Trump’s pick to control America’s nuclear arsenal before Senate grilling

FUNDRAISER-IN-CHIEF: Trump hauls in millions for House GOP 2026 war chest as Dems taunt they are 'running scared'

'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH': GOP Rep. touts GOP effort to pass bill cracking down on 'rogue' judges

FLORIDA TARGETS DEI: Florida AG bans law firms with DEI policies from serving as outside counsel

BRAINS AND BRASS: Elbridge Colby confirmed to top Pentagon policy post after hesitation from GOP hawks

'SIGNIFICANT DANGER': Migrant convicted of killing his son arrested by ICE years after initial deportation

TESTY OVER TARIFFS: Dem governors revolt against Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs

TULSI'S TASK: Gabbard establishes new Intelligence Community task force to restore transparency

RESHAPING THE WORKFORCE: Noem offers Homeland Security employee buyouts in move to shrink department

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

Wall Street rebounded into the green as multiple foreign countries came to the tariff negotiating table with President Donald Trump – but that was not enough to assuage some lawmakers’ critiques of the "alla prima" tariff actions, as one Republican put it.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer testified Tuesday the U.S. has long-suffered from "China Shock" – the surge in manufacturing outputs from the Communist nation since the turn of the century – and that the U.S. had to do something substantive but strategic about the 5 million manufacturing jobs lost and 90,000 factories closed since the middle of the Clinton administration.

"President Biden left us with a $1.2 trillion trade deficit-in-goods - the largest of any country in the history of the world," Greer said.

"During COVID, we were unable to procure semiconductors to build our cars or materials for pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment. During World War II, we built nearly 9,000 ships. Last year, the United States built only three ocean-going vessels," he said.

STOCKS JUMP AS TRUMP TARIFF NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN

Greer said the U.S. historically was on the surplus side of agriculture trade but that, as of late, purportedly friendly countries like Australia have essentially rejected beef and pork exports, while America has not reciprocated with their livestock.

That became a sore subject during a particularly heated exchange between Greer and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., as the lawmaker claimed Trump unnecessarily "clobbered" Canberra with a 10% tariff.

"We have a free trade agreement with Australia," he said, questioning Trump’s "fancy Greek formula" for determining tariffs.

Democrats and media figures previously mocked Trump for tariffing uninhabited Australian islands in the Indian Ocean – which Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested over the weekend was to close any potential loophole to circumvent tariffs on such countries’ mainland.

Greer argued the "lowest rate available" was imposed on Australia, leading Warner to ask again "why did they get whacked in the first place."

"Despite the [free trade] agreement, they ban our beef, they banned our pork, they're getting ready to impose measures on our digital companies - It's incredible," Greer said.

OPINION: TRUMP RISKS IT ALL ON TARIFFS

Warner later acknowledged markets had rebounded a "blip" by midday but said a Wall Street contact equated it to a "good day in hospice."

Meanwhile, during his opening remarks, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden said he has drafted a bipartisan resolution to "end the latest crop of global tariffs that are clobbering American families and small businesses."

"Members on both sides of the aisle ought to know that this is a call to action and Congress must step in to rein this president on trade," Wyden said.

He called the tariffs "aimless" and "chaotic" and said it showed Congress ceded the executive branch too much constitutional power.

In his testimony, Greer called trade imbalance an indicator of both an economic and national security emergency.

He also suggested America’s allies have been foisting unfair policies on the American consumer – including the European Union.

"[They] can sell us all the shellfish they want, but the EU bans shellfish from 48 states. The result is a trade deficit in shellfish with the EU," he said.

CHINA REFUSES TO BACK DOWN ON TARIFFS

"We only charge a 2.5% tariff on ethanol, but Brazil charges us an 18% tariff. The result? We have a large trade deficit in ethanol with Brazil."

"Our average tariff on agricultural goods is 5%, but India's average tariff is 39%. You understand the trend here."

In response to some of Wyden’s concerns, Greer said Vietnam has already negotiated a lower tariff on U.S. cherries and apples exported from Oregon and the Northwest.

"This is exactly the right direction that we want to go in," Greer said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., struck a more middling tone on tariffs, saying that he has never been a "great fan of free trade," and cited his work ending NAFTA and opposing normalized relations with China.

He also cited the outsourcing of manufacturing to Mexico, saying it killed hundreds of thousands of American jobs and has many Mexican workers "living in cardboard boxes."

"That is the type of trade policy which I detest. But I want to move to an area, to talk about the legal basis of what President Trump has done," he said.

Sanders said he lives 50 miles from Canada and does not see the same empirical data on illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling that Trump accused Ottawa of failing to act on – and incorporated into his tariff calculations.

On the Republican side, Chairman Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, was largely deferential to Trump and Greer, while some other Republicans voiced concerns.

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Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa questioned whether Congress "delegated too much authority to the president" but said he supports the president so long as his mission is to "turn tariffs into trade deals to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers" versus any plot to "feed the U.S. Treasury through them."

"I made very clear throughout my public service that I’m a free and fair trader. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. I believe that Congress delegated too much authority to the president in the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and Trade Act of 1974," he said.

Additionally, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., pressed Greer on who should be considered the person that will take ultimately responsibility for either praise or accountability depending on the outcome of the tariff actions.

"Whose throat do I have to choke," he said, underlining that the phrase was borrowed from a management consulting mantra.

EXCLUSIVE: Legislation will be introduced Tuesday to expand the list of crimes that would require a migrant to be taken into custody.

The "Safeguarding American Property Act" would add arson, vandalism and trespassing to the crimes that would require those in the country illegally to be placed into federal custody.

"Property rights are a fundamental American value," Rep. Troy Downing, R-Mont., said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

TRUMP SIGNS LAKEN RILEY ACT INTO LAW AS FIRST LEGISLATIVE VICTORY IN NEW ADMINISTRATION

"Those who disregard our laws by committing acts of vandalism or trespassing on private property, especially those who broke our laws crossing our borders, must not be allowed to remain. This bill builds on the good work of the Laken Riley Act and takes another step toward reversing Biden's border crisis. I appreciate the support of the bill’s cosponsors, and I look forward to getting this legislation passed into law to keep our communities safe," he continued.

Specifically, it would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Montana Republican’s legislation is meant to help rural communities, which could have limited law enforcement resources to protect property. 

Many properties along the southern border faced damage as a result of the high volume of migrants that came across throughout the Biden administration, which triggered the state of Texas to create the Landowner Compensation Program to help repay those in agricultural communities.

LAKEN RILEY ACT UNLEASHES FEDS TO HUNT VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS IN FLORIDA: LAWMAKER

"Illegal aliens crossing the Texas-Mexico border at Joe Biden’s invitation leave behind a trail of destruction that harms Texas agricultural land," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in May 2024. "This program will provide needed relief to Texans whose property is damaged by foreign aliens waved into the country by the federal government. I am glad to help the farmers and ranchers on our borderlands who bear the costs of Biden’s destructive policies."

Downing’s proposal builds off the Laken Riley Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump this winter. The act garnered some bipartisan support, as it made theft, similar criminal charges or assaulting an officer triggers for federal authorities to detain illegal immigrants for potential deportation.

LAKEN RILEY MURDER: JUDGE SENTENCES COLLEGE STUDENT KILLER AFTER FAMILY ADDRESSES 'MONSTER' IN COURT

The law is named after a late 22-year-old nursing student who was killed by illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra while on a jog on the University of Georgia campus.

Ibarra had been arrested in the past but was not taken into ICE custody, and he’s now facing life behind bars.

"This horrific atrocity should never have been allowed to happen," Trump said at the time, as it was the first bill signed in his second term. "And as president, I'm fighting every single day to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again."

Fox News’ Diana Stacy contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Schools around the country could soon be able to opt into the "Congressional Fitness Challenge," including legendary boxer Mike Tyson’s own academy.

House Concurrent Resolution 20, introduced by Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., would create a voluntary program that would allow students who successfully complete the challenge to receive a signed certificate from the speaker of the House, president pro tempore of the Senate, and the student’s senator and congressman.

"Listen, because we need to be in shape, man," Tyson told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"We can't physically get into an army because we're out of shape. And that's embarrassing. So it comes across we're the most heavy, heaviest people in the planet. We're the fattest people in world, Americans," he continued. Specifically, Tyson noted 77% of Americans aged 17 to 24 would need a wavier in order to serve in the military, according to the Department of Defense.

"It's just mental. It's just a shame, but it can be helped," Tyson said of the issue.

'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH': HOUSE REPUBLICAN TOUTS GOP EFFORT TO PASS BILL CRACKING DOWN ON 'ROGUE' JUDGES

It would apply to students in K-12 public and private schools, groups that provide the testing to home schoolers, and members of Congress who hold a "community-based event" for the challenge, the current text states.

According to the resolution, the benchmarks will be inspired by "historical" lines for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, which was popularized under the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administrations in the 1960s.

"So we got to make sure that they're physically fit. Now is the perfect time to be instituting this once again, because we understand President Trump through his Cabinet picks and through what his campaign promises have been with the America First agenda, where he wants to make America healthy again," Hamadeh said.

The test itself would entail a mile-long run or walk, pull-ups or a flexed arm hang, curl-ups, sit-ups, shuttle runs, and sit-and-reach. Those who perform well would be divided into gold, silver, and bronze levels. The gold level would be in the top 85th percentile, silver would cover the top 75th percentile, and bronze would be in the top 50th percentile, the legislation states.

Tyson added that actions like this give him hope for the future.

"I think this is going to improve, and people are going to get better, and people want to get healthier. I just believe that," he said.

MIKE TYSON TALKS SUPPORT FOR FELLOW 'FIGHTER' PRESIDENT TRUMP

Tyson is at the helm of Tyson Transformational Technologies Academy, a private school in Arizona that is part of the My Life My Power International Preparatory Academy, which has campuses in Florida and West Virginia as well. The academies plan on taking up the challenge.

"I believe in this country and I believe we're going to get well and we're going to be in good condition. And we're gonna be able to go into the army and defend our country," Tyson said.

Other athletes have come out in support of the resolution, including former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

NFL LEGEND BRETT FAVRE MAKES PREDICTION ON POSSIBILITY OF INTERNATIONAL SUPER BOWL

"Love this! So important for our Youth," Brown posted to X. 

"As a former pro athlete, one of us knows first-hand the doors that physical fitness can open— confidence, leadership, the drive to succeed. As a Member of Congress and former US Army Captain and Intelligence Officer, the other sees the broader picture – healthier kids mean a healthier, more prosperous America," Favre and Hamadeh co-wrote in an op-ed for OutKick in March. 

The resolution is co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Tony Wied and Martin Stutzman.

"Right now, people are really focused on what foods have been going into their bodies and how come the obesity rate has tripled," Hamadeh said. "And it's a real problem in terms of a national security perspective. So the government has an invested interest in this. but also the American people do it themselves as well."

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to hike the Pentagon budget to over $1 trillion for the first time ever. 

Speaking to reporters alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the upcoming budget would be "in the vicinity" of $1 trillion, a major boost from this year’s $850 billion budget. 

"COMING SOON: the first TRILLION dollar @DeptofDefense budget," Hegseth posted on X. 

He said Trump is "is rebuilding our military – and FAST."

$1,300 COFFEE CUPS, 8,000% OVERPAY FOR SOAP DISPENSERS SHOW WASTE AS DOGE LOCKS IN ON PENTAGON

The budget for all national security programs, including the Department of Defense, nuclear weapons development and other security agencies, is at $892 billion for this year. 

Moving to a $1 trillion Pentagon budget would be a 12% increase over current levels. 

But the $1 trillion budget idea comes just as the Pentagon has moved to cut 8% each year for five years from each program to reinvest in modernization. The department is also planning to slash tens of thousands from its civilian workforce and consolidate bases across the world. 

"We’re going to be approving a budget, and I’m proud to say, actually, the biggest one we’ve ever done for the military," he said. "$1 trillion. Nobody has seen anything like it.

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

"We are getting a very, very powerful military. We have things under order now."

White House officials are expected to unveil their budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 later this spring before Congress hashes out the appropriations process. 

Even a $1 trillion budget would not put the U.S. at Trump’s stated target for NATO countries to spend on defense: 5%. 

But the president said the cash influx would be used to kickstart production on new equipment and technologies. 

"We’ve never had the kind of aircraft, the kind of missiles, anything that we have ordered," he said. "And it’s in many ways too bad that we have to do it because, hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it."

The Trump administration recently unveiled a Boeing contract for the Air Force's sixth-generation fighter jet, the F-47, which the service branch expects to cost around $20 billion from 2025 to 2029. 

"We know every other plane," Trump said. "I’ve seen every one of them and it’s not even close. This is a next level."

An announcement on the Navy's next-generation fighter jet, F/A-XX, has been stalled, while chief of naval operations Adm. James Kirby told reporters Monday work on the new jet's contract was taking place at "secretary-level and above." 

There are fears among ministers that the company's blast furnaces could run out of raw materials within days.

The MPs say digtal ID would help counter illegal off-the-books employment, in an open letter.

EXCLUSIVE: China’s innovation in artificial intelligence is "accelerating," according to Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology. He told Fox News Digital that the United States’ "promote and protect" strategy will solidify its standing as the world’s dominant power in AI.

Kratsios, who served as chief technology officer during the first Trump administration, sat for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Monday.

FLASHBACK: US TECHNOLOGY CHIEF WARNS CHINA 'TWISTING' ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO TARGET CRITICS, AS AMERICA JOINS GLOBAL PACT

"The White House in the first Trump administration redefined national tech policy to focus on American leadership in emerging technologies, and those were technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and 5G, [which] were big back then," Kratsios said. "The president, at that time, signed the executive order prioritizing U.S. leadership in AI, back in 2019 when people weren’t even talking about it."

"He recognized that it was critical for the U.S. to lead in AI," Kratsios said. "We got the ball rolling on what the U.S. national strategy is and how we would win." 

During his first administration, Trump signed the first-ever executive order on AI in 2019. He also took executive action in 2020 to establish the first-ever guidance for federal agency adoption of AI to deliver services to the American people and "foster public trust" in the technology. 

But Kratsios said that when former President Joe Biden took office, the attitude of his administration toward AI shifted to "one of fear and one of over-regulation." 

"There was a fixation on what I would call harms, so, spending time and energy thinking about all the things that could go wrong with this technology, versus having a balanced approach, where you try to minimize things that could go poorly, and more importantly, look at ways this technology can transform America for the better," Kratsios explained, noting that Biden officials were "harms focused," which he said was "manifested in a lot of the policies that they did, in the way that they were very reticent to applying some of this technology to a lot of the issues that government faced, like how you make agencies more efficient." 

Kratsios reflected on Trump’s AI message during the campaign, saying he "made it very clear that we as a country need to win and be dominant in artificial intelligence." 

"And he acted very decisively," Kratsios said, pointing to Trump’s move on his third day in office to direct him and other officials to develop an AI action plan. 

"It was a way to review everything that had been done under the Biden administration and turn the page with an agenda that's focused on sustaining and ensuring continued U.S. leadership in this particular technology, and that's what we've been working on," Kratsios said. 

'AI POWERHOUSE': WHITE HOUSE ENCOURAGES AMERICANS TO PROVIDE IDEAS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STRATEGY

Kratsios explained that the U.S. is "the leader" in AI, specifically when it comes to the "three layers of technology," which he said are chips or high-end semiconductors, the model itself and the application layer. 

"If you look at all three of those layers, the U.S. is the leader," Kratsios said. "We have the best chips. We have the best models. And we have the best applications to date." 

But he warned that the Trump administration is "seeing the velocity of innovation" from China.

"We’re seeing the speed at which the PRC is catching up with us is actually accelerating," he explained. 

Kratsios referenced DeepSeek, which was released by a Chinese firm earlier in 2025 and develops large language models.

"I think what DeepSeek revealed is that the Chinese continue to make progress and are trying really hard to catch up with us on those three layers," Kratsios said. 

But the key to maintaining U.S. dominance in the space is the Trump administration’s "promote and protect" strategy, Kratsios explained. 

Kratsios said the Trump administration will "promote" by continuing to accelerate the development of technology and encouraging more Americans, American companies and countries around the world to use that technology. 

"And then on the protect side, what is it that the U.S. has which could be useful to the PRC to accelerate their efforts in AI? We protect that technology from access by the Chinese," Kratsios said, pointing to high-end semiconductors and chips that the Chinese "shouldn’t have access to, because that would make it easier for them to accelerate their efforts." 

"How do we speed up innovation here at home and slow down our adversaries?" Kratsios said. 

OPINION: HOW TEAM TRUMP CAN MAKE AI STAND FOR AMERICAN INNOVATION

The answer, Kratsios said, is AI research and development that continues to drive innovation. He also said the Trump administration needs to continue to remove regulations and barriers to AI innovation, and also prepare and train Americans in the workforce to "better leverage this technology." 

Kratsios said another step is ensuring that foreign allies partner with the U.S. to "make sure that they are also keeping the PRC at bay and that they continue to use the American AI stack." 

"So, if you're any country in the world that wants to use AI, you'd want to use an American stack," he explained. "So we should make it as easy as possible in order for us to export our technology to like-minded partners." 

As for China, Kratsios said the PRC "is probably one of the most sophisticated surveillance states in the world, and that is underpinned by their own artificial intelligence technology." 

"I think the goal of the United States should be to continue to be the dominant power in AI. And there are certain inputs to the development of AI which we can control, and which we would not want the PRC to have access to," he said. "And the most important pieces are sort of these very high-end chips that they can use to train models, and also certain equipment that would allow them to build their own very high-end chips." 

He added: "And if we can kind of continue to make it challenging for them to do that. I think it'll be the benefit of the U.S." 

Looking ahead, Kratsios echoed the president, saying the U.S. is in the "golden age" and that this special moment in time is "underpinned by unbelievable science and technology." 

"We want to put an American flag on Mars," Kratsios said. "We want to fly supersonic again. We want drones to be delivering packages around the world. We want AI to be used by American workers to allow them to do their jobs better, safer and faster." 

He added: "We have an opportunity to all these things, like so much more, in these four years. And this office is going to be the home for driving that innovation across so many technological domains." 

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a member of the far-left group of progressive lawmakers known as "the Squad," told congregants at a historically Black church that America needs robust immigration because "we done picking cotton." 

Crockett, who represents Texas's 30th Congressional District, made the remarks during Connecticut-based Grace Baptist Church's 125th anniversary celebration held over the weekend. The comments were part of Crockett's broader attempt to slam the Trump administration for cracking down on illegal immigration. 

"So I had to go around the country and educate people about what immigrants do for this country, or the fact that we are a country of immigrants. The fact is ain’t none of y’all trying to go and farm right now," Crockett said, garnering a sheepish laugh from a few members of the audience. 

ROLLING CONTROVERSY: FAR-LEFT DEM JASMINE CROCKETT FACES WEEK OF BACKLASH AMID ‘UNHINGED’ COMMENTS

"OK, so I'm lying?" Crockett shot back, noticing the awkward silence. "You're not! You're not! We done picking cotton! We are. You can't pay us enough to find a plantation."

Crockett's weekend remarks are just the latest in a line of other questionable comments and controversies that have resulted in her facing possible censure in the House of Representatives.

One of those controversies occurred after she referred to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is paralyzed and has been confined to a wheelchair for decades, as "Governor Hot Wheels."

While Crockett attempted to walk back her comments after they drew nationwide backlash, she has exhibited a pattern of promoting remarks about Abbott "rolling places."

JASMINE CROCKETT CONCEALS THE MEANING OF ‘HOT WHEELS’: GUTFELD

"Rolling up to the White House to cheer on the president destroying the agency that makes sure kids in wheelchairs have equal access to education is wild," read a social media post Crockett shared days before her "hot wheels comment." Prior to that, during Abbott's re-election campaign against former Democratic Rep. Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke, Crockett once again blasted the Texas governor, saying, "The new nickname I have for Beto O’Rourke is the king of the clap backs! Beto is rolling around the state… Where is Abbott rolling to?"  

Other questionable remarks leading up to the censure resolution included suggesting Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz should be "knocked over the head." Meanwhile, amid a spate of violent attacks targeting Elon Musk and Tesla, Crockett mused that "all I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down," while she was speaking at a rally pushing Tesla owners to sell their cars and get rid of any stock in the company.

Another remark that has put Crockett in hot water lately included comments that Democrats need to be "OK with punching."

"I think you punch," Crockett said in an interview when asked how Democrats regain the momentum they lost in the 2024 election. "I think you're OK with punching."

JASMINE CROCKETT SETS OFF SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER TOUTING BEING BLACK AS QUALIFICATION FOR PUBLIC DEFENDER JOB

Comments criticizing the interracial marriage of Florida GOP Congressman Byron Donalds, a Trump ally, from June 2024 have also resurfaced amid Crockett's spate of questionable statements.

"The fact that you’re sitting around talking about ‘life was better under Jim Crow,’ like, is this because you don't understand history? Or literally it's because you married a White woman and so you think that whitewashed you?" Crockett said on "The Breakfast Club" in June, which was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

"I feel like they give [Donalds] his talking points and he's like, ‘Yes, massa. I got it.'"

The censure resolution against Crockett, introduced March 26 by Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, remains under consideration by the House Committee on Ethics. In comments to Fox News' Sean Hannity last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi added that Crockett needs "to tread very carefully," noting that "words have consequences."

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"She needs to immediately apologize and denounce [her rhetoric] because, even in her home state, violence is happening after she made these statements," Bondi said, referring specifically to Crockett's comments about wanting to see Musk "taken down" for her birthday amid a spate of violent attacks targeting Tesla. 

"It’s dangerous," Bondi continued. "She has to know it’s dangerous, and she’s calling for further insurrection on her birthday this weekend." 

Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett's office for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication. 

Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, cleared a key hurdle Tuesday after the Senate voted to end debate on his nomination.

The Senate voted 53 to 46 to advance Hucakbee's nomination. He now awaits a final confirmation vote as Israel continues its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

While Republicans have championed Huckabee as an ardent supporter of Israel, Democrats have questioned his previous "extreme" position on Palestinians.

ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS INTERRUPT HUCKABEE HEARING, ATTACK TRUMP NOMINEE'S FAITH

The former Arkansas governor has previously argued it is Israel’s right to annex the West Bank and has flatly rejected the push to establish a two-state solution when it comes to the Gaza Strip. 

Huckabee has not commented on whether he still views the West Bank as Israel's right to claim, or where he stands when it comes to Trump’s position on the Gaza Strip, which the president said he would like to turn into the "riviera of the Middle East" and called for the "relocation" of more than 2 million Palestinians.

TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE AS ISRAEL SEEKS TARIFF RELIEF, DISCUSSIONS ON IRAN, GAZA HOSTAGES

During his confirmation hearing, the former governor pushed back on claims that Trump wants to take over the Gaza Strip, insisting the president has not called for the "forced displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza – "unless it is for their safety."

"If confirmed, it will be my responsibility to carry out the president’s priorities, not mine," Huckabee said in response to questions levied at him from Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

But Huckabee’s testimony during Senate questioning is unlikely to have garnered much new support from Democrats in Congress. 

"Huckabee’s positions are not the words of a thoughtful diplomat – they are the words of a provocateur whose views are far outside international consensus and contrary to the core bipartisan principles of American diplomacy," New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, a senior Jewish Democrat, said in a statement last month. "In one of the most volatile and violent areas in the world today, there is no need for more extremism, and certainly not from the historic ambassador’s post and behind the powerful seal of the United States."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency are set to announce a bevy of new actions Tuesday afternoon that will "unleash" coal energy following President Donald Trump's expected signature on an executive order reinvigorating "America’s beautiful clean coal industry," Fox News Digital learned. 

"The American people need more energy, and the Department of Energy is helping to meet this demand by unleashing supply of affordable, reliable, secure energy sources — including coal," Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a Tuesday statement provided to Fox News Digital. 

"Coal is essential for generating 24/7 electricity generation that powers American homes and businesses, but misguided policies from previous administrations have stifled this critical American industry," he said. "With President Trump’s leadership, we are cutting the red tape and bringing back common sense."

Trump is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday afternoon that will cut through red tape surrounding the coal industry, including directing the National Energy Dominance Council to designate coal as a "mineral," end a current pause to coal leasing on federal lands, promote coal and coal technology exports, and encourage the use of coal to power artificial intelligence initiatives, Fox News Digital learned of the upcoming executive order. 

BIDEN BLOCKS NEW MINING IN REGION THAT PRODUCES ABOUT 40% OF NATION'S COAL: 'IT'S A DISASTER'

The Departments of Energy and the Interior and the EPA will take actions supporting the Trump executive order Tuesday, including the Interior ending the current moratorium on federal coal leasing and removing regulatory burdens for coal mines, a press release first obtained by Fox Digital shows. 

COAL STILL KEY TO US ENERGY DOMINANCE, SAYS WEST VIRGINIA GOVERNOR

"The Golden Age is here, and we are starting to ‘Mine, Baby, Mine’ for clean American coal," Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "Interior is unlocking America’s full potential in energy dominance and economic development to make life more affordable for every American family while showing the world the power of America’s natural resources and innovation." 

The Interior Department explained that by expanding acces to coal reserves and cutting through red tape surrounding the permitting process, "the administration is removing long-standing regulatory barriers that have undermined American coal production."

"These efforts support high-paying mining jobs and rural economies, while strengthening U.S. energy independence by reducing reliance on foreign energy sources," the press release stated. "Coal is a critical component of a secure, stable and diversified American energy portfolio." 

MOUNTAIN STATE CRACKDOWN: WV GOV'S ORDER LEADS TO 60 SUSPECTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMINAL DETENTIONS

At the Department of Energy, Wright is expected to announce five initiatives to strengthen coal innovation and mineral independence, Fox Digital learned. The five actions include: Reinstating of the National Coal Council; facilitating new investment in coal-powered electricity generation; the designation of steelmaking coal as a critical material and mineral; deploying mineral extraction technology from coal ash; and commercializing coal ash conversion technologies. 

The National Coal Council is a 50-member federal advisory committee that was established in 1984, but saw its charter expire under the Biden administration in 2021. The council acted as a guide for the government while navigating coal technologies and markets. Once reinstated, the council will include coal producers, users, equipment suppliers, state and local officials, and other stakeholders, according to a Department of Energy press release first obtained by Fox News Digital Tuesday. 

The Energy Department's Loan Program Office’s Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program will also make $200 billion in financing available for coal energy investments, such as upgrading energy infrastructure and building new facilities that utilize legacy energy infrastructure.

The Department of Energy also will work with the Interior Department to recommend that coal, in the context of steelmaking, be designated as critical material and a critical mineral in the 2025 Critical Materials Assessment. 

"This strategic designation will help ensure the U.S. maintains a stable supply of steelmaking coal in the decades to come and underscores the vital role of steelmaking coal in bolstering national security and economic stability," the Energy Department explained of the initiative. 

NEW ENGLAND'S LAST COAL PLANTS SET TO SHUTTER, USHERING IN ERA OF GREEN ENERGY

The department is also expected to heighten its focus on coal ash, specifically employing its newly patented technology to extract critical minerals from coal ash, and commercializing the recovery of critical minerals from coal ash, which the Department of Energy said will reduce the U.S.' reliance on China for such materials. 

"The Energy Department is committed to restoring American energy dominance and strengthening America’s industrial base," the Department of Energy said of the initiative. "Secretary Wright will continue to work with all members of the National Energy Dominance Council to eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens on coal and unleash American energy." 

While the EPA is set to announce that $5.8 million in State and Tribal Assistance Grants funds will be made available to provide grants assisting states in the implementation of EPA-approved state Coal Combustion Residual program, which comes after Zeldin's EPA already has taken a handful of coal-related actions, such as reconsidering the Biden-era "Clean Power Plan 2.0." plan and revising coal regulations. 

"President Trump is delivering on the mandate Americans gave him last November by empowering different forms of domestic energy to drive down costs, increase domestic energy supply, and improve our grid security as we pioneer the path to become the Artificial Intelligence capital of the world," EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in comment provided to Fox News Digital. 

"The Obama and Biden administrations deliberately tried to regulate coal out of existence. Under my leadership, economic growth and environmental stewardship are not mutually exclusive choices. We are committed to supporting all forms of energy, including clean beautiful coal, and have already taken steps to bolster America’s energy dominance and make energy affordable again while ensuring we have the cleanest air, land and water on the planet," Zeldin added. 

BIDEN ADMIN ISSUES ENERGY EFFICIENCY RESTRICTIONS ON KEY POWER GRID TECHNOLOGY

Producing energy at home in the U.S. was a cornerstone of Trump's campaign, with the then-candidate vowing that the U.S. would no longer rely on foreign nations for oil by reinvigorating the coal industry, and tapping oil in the U.S.

"We will develop the liquid gold that is right under our feet, including American oil and natural gas and we will also embrace nuclear, clean coal, hydropower, which is fantastic, and every other form of affordable energy to get it done," Trump said in 2023. 

The Tuesday executive order is expected to build on Trump's pledge to make the U.S. energy independent while also providing cheaper energy costs to Americans, and follows previous actions such as withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, terminating the liberal climate plan dubbed the Green New Deal in a January executive order, and reversing a pause on liquefied natural exports, a fact sheet on the upcoming executive order argued. 

EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump wants to make the U.S. the "crypto capital of the world," and a top White House cryptocurrency policy official said that the administration is well on its way to ushering in "the golden age for digital assets." 

Bo Hines, executive director of the President's Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, sat for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital this week to outline the Trump administration’s work thus far in the cryptocurrency space.

Cryptocurrency, or "crypto" for short, is a digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralized system using cryptography that enables secure online payments for individuals or businesses.

MR. WONDERFUL TALKS 'EXCITEMENT' AROUND CRYPTOCURRENCY UNDER TRUMP: AMERICA IS IN A 'NEW PHASE'

"The president has made this a priority, and it is a testament to his leadership and his knowledge in the space," Hines explained. "Unlike any president before him, he has truly embraced this technological development in a way that no one else has, which has allowed us to do what we need to do to make the United States the crypto capital of the world." 

Hines told Fox News Digital that officials have focused on "clearing the deck" and ensuring that "what was happening under the Biden regulatory regime has been rescinded and repealed." 

Under the Biden administration, Hines said Americans using cryptocurrency went "offshore due to the nature of attacks they specifically received under the Biden regime." 

"We will start seeing a lot of those players come back to the United States in short order because, look, we are the greatest country in the world. People want to innovate here. People want to build here. And this space is no different," he said. "At the end of the day, the largest players to the smallest players want to be operating in the United States—they just need a clear set of rules to abide by to do so." 

Hines said that under the Biden administration, "rather than welcoming in innovation and encouraging technological developments, they went after these people." 

"We’ve been in the demolition phase—removing a lot of those barriers that the Biden regime put up so that people can actually start building back here in the United States."

"My main message to players in the crypto space has been—welcome home," Hines said. "We are going to create the most pro-crypto-friendly regulatory environment that anyone could possibly imagine because we understand how important the innovation is here in this space." 

TRUMP'S CRYPTO CZAR DECRIES GOVERNMENT'S LACK OF BITCOIN ‘LONG-TERM STRATEGY’

Hines explained that during the first week of the second Trump administration, the president set up the interagency working group—the President's Council of Advisers on Digital Assets—which includes officials from the Treasury Department, the SEC, CFTC, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and more. 

Trump's executive order directed the working group to explore several digital asset-related issues, including looking into the "potential creation and maintenance of a national digital asset stockpile" and proposing "criteria for establishing such a stockpile, potentially derived from cryptocurrencies lawfully seized by the Federal Government through its law enforcement efforts."

"With this group and other White House offices, we are working on delivering on the president’s promise to clear the deck and have all of these burdens and regulations lifted," Hines said. 

The group is currently in the process of compiling recommendations and building a comprehensive report they will deliver to the president later this year. The report is designed to explain the "clearest regulatory environment possible" in the space, and recommendations for how the U.S. maintains its role as "the dominant leader in the space across the globe." 

As for legislation, Hines pointed to the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy, or the STABLE Act. That legislation, which passed out of the House Financial Services Committee on a bipartisan vote, establishes framework for the issuance and operation of dollar-denominated payment stablecoins in the U.S. 

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"I think the Stable Coin legislation could be the first really, truly large and meaningful piece of legislation that the president signs in the first year of a second term," Hines said, noting it would "truly revolutionize the financial system for years to come." 

"I think that Americans will see that once this legislation is through—once this regulatory framework is established—the way in which they move their money will be changed forever," Hines said. "You will see that Americans will have better access to quicker payments and better access to transparency." 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted Tuesday that "all options are on the table for each country" when it comes to making deals over the latest U.S. tariffs, but warned to those who retaliate that President Donald Trump "has a spine of steel and he will not break." 

Leavitt said since Trump’s "Liberation Day" tariff announcements, 70 countries have already reached out to the president to begin negotiations.  

"On the other hand, countries like China who have chosen to retaliate and try to double down on their mistreatment of American workers are making a mistake. President Trump has a spine of steel and he will not break," Leavitt added, referencing 34% retaliatory tariffs that China unveiled against the U.S. last week. 

Leavitt told Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich that Trump is "very much focused on ensuring that these deals are good for the American worker, they are good for American manufacturing" and "that they tackle these crippling deficits with these countries.  

DEMOCRAT GOVERNORS REVOLT AGAINST TRUMP’S ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS 

"All options are on the table for each country," she said. "But again, these are going to be tailor-made deals. They are not going to be off the rack deals as the president has called it. And he has directed his entire trade team to be part of this effort." 

Leavitt also said "Countries are falling over themselves to reform their unfair trade practices and free open their markets to our country.  

TRUMP SAYS HE HAD ‘GREAT CALL’ WITH SOUTH KOREAN LEADER, SUGGESTS DEAL POSSIBLE 

"Why? Because these countries greatly respect President Trump and the sheer power of the American market. These countries realize they've gotten filthy rich over the past few decades by imposing substantial tariffs on American made products and ridiculous non-monetary barriers to block out American industry," she continued. "The jig is up. Past American presidents sat by and let this happen. But President Trump stood up for our country. And he is saying no more." 

"The president's message has been simple and consistent from the beginning to countries around the world. Bring us your best offers and he will listen. Deals will only be made if they benefit American workers and address our nation's crippling trade deficits," Leavitt declared. "America does not need other countries as much as other countries need us. And President Trump knows this. He's going to use the leverage of our markets and our country to the advantage of the people he was sworn in to represent." 

A Democrat on the House Oversight Committee accused the Trump administration of offloading federal real estate in a haphazard "fire sale" as Republicans aim to cut wasteful government spending by selling unused or underutilized government buildings. 

Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., the ranking Democrat on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee, took issue with the Trump administration’s approach during a hearing on Tuesday on reducing the federal real estate portfolio.

"The Trump administration is currently taking a fire sale approach of looting the federal government and stripping it for parts to pay for tax cuts that we know will come up in their reconciliation deal," the lawmaker said.

DOGE is working with the federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA) to "rightsize" its portfolio and cut wasteful spending. GSA has produced the most savings across federal agencies, according to the official DOGE website.

AMERICANS GRADE DOGE AND ELON MUSK'S EFFORTS WITHIN THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The GSA’s cost-cutting efforts have already resulted in nearly 700 lease terminations, eliminating 7.9 million square feet of federal office space and saving taxpayers approximately $400 million, according to subcommittee chair Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

John Hart, CEO of Open the Books, testified that $1 billion could be saved on furniture alone by not renewing leases on government buildings that are set to expire in 2027.

David Marroni, director of physical infrastructure at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, testified that no government agency "had a great track record in terms of the utilization" of their physical headquarters’ footprints.

Marroni said there could be substantial savings in reducing government workspaces.

"It's about $8 billion a year on owned and leased office space, so any reduction is going to generate a lot of money," he said.

DOGE HELPS COAST GUARD SAVE NEARLY $33M BY ELIMINATING ‘INEFFECTIVE IT PROGRAM’

Democrats at the hearing lobbed criticism at President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading the DOGE effort, with Stansbury accusing DOGE of being "a front" to support billionaires "who are trying to privatize public services." 

"And just this week, we have seen, as Elon Musk is on his exit out of the federal government, he has secured billions of dollars in new contracts across the federal government. Conflict of interest? Yes, absolutely," Stansbury said.

The congresswoman claimed that Musk has secured contracts and promises for contracts at the Department of Defense and NASA, and is asking to install SpaceX’s Starlink Wi-Fi at federal agencies. Starlink, which is a subsidiary of Musk-owned SpaceX, was reportedly installed at the White House last month.

"And we understand that there is the potential to potentially deploy his AI technology across the federal agencies to replace the tens of thousands of federal employees that have recently been illegally fired," Stansbury claimed.

As of Tuesday, DOGE claims on its site that it has saved Americans $140 billion, or about $870 per taxpayer.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled Sir Philip's human rights were not breached.

Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang were barred entering from the country over the weekend.

Elbridge Colby will now assume the Pentagon’s number three post after a contentious Senate battle ended in a vote to confirm him to the role.

The Senate voted 51 to 45 to confirm the national security strategist as Defense Department undersecretary for policy, with three Democrats joining most Republicans in voting in his favor. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was the lone Republican no vote. 

Colby successfully overcame skepticism from GOP hawks like Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who worried over his previous statements on Iran, even as he lost the former Senate majority leader. 

"Elbridge Colby’s long public record suggests a willingness to discount the complexity of the challenges facing America, the critical value of our allies and partners, and the urgent need to invest in hard power to preserve American primacy," McConnell said in a statement after the vote. 

"The prioritization that Mr. Colby argues is fresh, new, and urgently needed is, in fact, a return to an Obama-era conception of à la carte geostrategy. Abandoning Ukraine and Europe and downplaying the Middle East to prioritize the Indo-Pacific is not a clever geopolitical chess move. It is geostrategic self-harm that emboldens our adversaries and drives wedges between America and our allies for them to exploit."

Colby, a co-founder of the Marathon Initiative and a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development under the Trump administration, is best known for his role in authoring the 2018 National Defense Strategy, which reoriented long-term military strategy toward a great power competition with China.

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

He has long argued the U.S. military needs to limit its resources in the Middle East to pivot to the Indo-Pacific region. Colby had staunch backing from Trump’s inner circle, which turned up the heat on Senate Republicans to get behind his confirmation.

Colby had tempered some of his earlier statements, including one that suggested living with a nuclear Iran was safer than bombing Iran’s nuclear sites, and one that suggested the U.S. could "live without" Taiwan. 

Pressed by Cotton during his confirmation hearing, Colby said he believes Iran to be an "existential" threat to the U.S. 

"Yes, a nuclear-armed Iran – especially, Senator, given that… we know they’ve worked on ICBM-range capabilities and other capabilities that would pose an existential danger to the United States," Colby said.

MAGA LOYALISTS TAKE AIM AT GOP SENATOR AS KEY TRUMP DEFENSE POST SPARKS CONTROVERSY: 'WHY THE OPPOSITION?'

He promised to provide "credible good military options" to the president if diplomacy with Iran fails.

"The only thing worse than the prospect of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons would be [the] consequences of using force to try to stop them," Colby had said in 2012. 

"I would say a lot of what I was arguing against at the time, these conversations 15 years ago, a lot of the opponents I felt had a casual or in some cases even flippant attitude toward the employment of military force," Colby explained at the hearing. "That’s a lot of what I was arguing against. Was my wording always appropriate? Was my precise framing always appropriate? No."

"Your views on Taiwan’s importance to the United States seems to have softened considerably," Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told Colby at one point during the hearing. 

"What I have been trying to shoot a signal flare over is that it is vital for us to focus and enable our own forces for an effective and reasonable defense of Taiwan and for the Taiwanese, as well as the Japanese, to do more," said Colby.  

FIRST ON FOX: A former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) senior staffer is speaking out about problems at the agency under the Biden administration, including diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and failures to combat China flooding the U.S. market with illicit vapes after the FDA’s top tobacco official was removed from his position. 

"I think many of us had been anticipating it for quite some time, we knew that change was drastically needed at FDA when it came to tobacco control, because tobacco control had really gotten out of control," David Oliveira, who recently left the FDA after six years, said in response to FDA chief tobacco regulator Brian King being removed from his post earlier this month. 

"There were many, many failures in the key core missions for the center that needed dramatic change in new leadership. Many of us, whether it be from public health, consumers, small business owners, industry, including even Senator Dick Durbin, who last year at a hearing said to Brian King, ‘It looks to me like you have fallen down on the job.’ So really it runs the spectrum with the people that are unhappy with what's gone on recently with the FDA in terms of tobacco regulation."

One of the most prominent missteps at the FDA over the past few years, according to Oliveira, was the influx of illicit Chinese vapes into the U.S. market, which he says made him feel like a "canary in a coal mine" as he warned about the potential dangers and little was done. 

‘DEEP TIES TO THE CCP’: MEET THE VAPING LOBBYIST RAMPING UP PRESSURE ON TRUMP TO SAVE 'ILLICIT' VAPE INDUSTRY

Although the rate of youths smoking cigarettes is now at an all-time low, according to the CDC, youth use of Chinese vapes has increased dramatically since 2020, as China has become the world’s leading producer of e-cigarettes, often promoting illicit vapes with flavors appealing to children. 

Sales of unauthorized, flavored disposable vapes in the United States amounted to around $2.4 billion in 2024, or 35% of the e-cigarettes from outlets such as convenience stores and supermarkets, Reuters reported.

That compares to sales worth $3.2 billion in 2023 and $2.8 billion in 2022, the data, which comes from market research firm Circana, shows. 

"We have set up a regulated system, which most of the American players have said, okay, these are the rules of the road, we will obey them, we will comply, and we expect, we hope that our products will be authorized," Oliveira explained. "The Chinese have said, well, forget that. There's huge consumer demand for these products for billions of dollars, and we will shamelessly, recklessly, irresponsibly market these products, dump them on our shores because they know there's billions of dollars to be had. And then, unfortunately, the FDA was ill-equipped, ill-prepared. Didn't have the skill to go after and shut that down. And now we have an industry that's absolutely out of control with these products."

Oliveira told Fox News Digital that the agency has been delegating too much power to other departments like Border Patrol and Department of Justice rather than using the authority it has to crack down with boots on the ground against China’s market flooding, adding that a "lack of focus" and "cavalier attitude" has left the U.S. behind the 8-ball. 

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Oliveira says that the FDA approves or authorizes only about two products a year, which has allowed China to dominate the market. 

Under King, the FDA rejected applications for millions of flavored e-cigarettes, citing insufficient data that the products would help adult smokers. Those rejections have resulted in multiple lawsuits against the FDA from vape makers, including one that was argued before the Supreme Court in December.

Another issue under King, Oliveira explained, was that DEI became a prominent focus that ultimately led to less focus on getting the job in front of them done correctly.

"I think we saw a lot more of that once Brian King came in and the fact of the matter is his version of DEI was some of the things that many people don't find appealing," Oliveira said. "The idea of virtue signaling or doing it just to be able to wear it on your sleeve and talk about it. So you just do things around the edges like, oh, let's change and stop using the word grandfathered because of the historical overtones and origins of that term. And then let's have everyone put their pronouns in their email."

The FDA recently removed DEI materials from its website amid President Donald Trump signing executive orders to rid the practice from the federal government and instead focus on meritocracy. Oliveira told Fox News Digital that DEI was a distraction from the mission at the FDA. 

"I think it made some people uncomfortable just because of the focus on it when we knew that our work was so critical to helping people live healthier lives, that there was so much work to be done, that we were behind the 8-ball because of all the mistakes and because of this very fast-moving industry that government will always struggle to keep up with the technology. There was much work to be done. There was so more that we could have been doing that we weren't doing. So anytime you have anything that you feel like takes your eye off the ball a little bit, that can be frustrating in the workplace for sure."

Oliveira also told Fox News Digital that the FDA under King in the Biden years was beholden to the "crusade" against menthol cigarettes, led by prominent voices like billionaire Michael Bloomberg, which he says was based more on a "paternalistic" attitude toward the Black community than it was about making a positive difference. 

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In recent years, the FDA’s tobacco center has been besieged by criticism from all sides.

Politicians, parents and anti-tobacco groups want the FDA to do more to stamp out unauthorized vaping products that can appeal to teens, many of which are imported from China. Tobacco and vaping companies say the FDA has been too slow to approve newer products for adult smokers — including e-cigarettes — that generally carry much lower risks than traditional cigarettes.

"King’s crusade against vaping was public health sabotage, fueled by half-truths and a vendetta against flavors that saved lives,"  Jim McCarthy, spokesman for American Vapor Manufacturers, the leading trade association for the independent vape industry which penned a recent scathing op-ed against King, told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

"He crushed small American businesses, sparked black markets, and ushered in hundreds of new combustible cigarette products. It was a masterclass in hypocrisy: he preached health equity while his policies ravaged marginalized communities by stripping them of safer alternatives to smoking. And while tobacco companies thrived, he sneered at the powerless and never found the simple integrity to tell Americans the truth that vaping is the most effective way to quit smoking and is vastly safer than cigarettes."

Fox News Digital reached out to the FDA and King for comment. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

The PM says he "struggles" with how the Office for Budget Responsibility calculates the impact his policies.

The Trump administration plans to begin fining illegal immigrants subject to a deportation order $998 a day if they do not leave the United States.

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

Using a 1996 law that was not enforced until President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018, the administration plans to apply the penalties retroactively to illegal immigrants for up to five years, resulting in fines of more than $1 million, an administration official told Reuters, who was first to report on the fines.

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The administration could also seize property from illegal immigrants who fail to pay the stiff penalty, the report noted.

A flyer provided to Fox News Digital shows the "benefits" and "consequences" for illegal immigrants who fail to self-deport via the CBP Home app.

"Self-deportation is safe," the flyer reads. "Leave on your own terms by picking your departure flight."

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Other benefits of self-deporting include allowing non-criminal illegal immigrants to keep money they earned in the U.S. and allowing illegal immigrants to maintain eligibility for potential future legal immigration, while some illegal immigrants may even be eligible for subsidized flights if they have trouble affording a ticket.

Meanwhile, the "consequences" section of the flyer warns that those who fail to self-deport will be "apprehended by DHS with no opportunity to get your affairs in order beforehand."

The flyer also spells out the potential fines, including the $998 per day fine for failing to comply with final removal orders and a fine of $1,000 - $5,000 for failing to self-deport after "claiming that you will."

"If you fail to self-deport, you may be subject to jail time," the flyer concludes, adding that illegal immigrants would also later be "prohibited from reentering the U.S. through the legal immigration system."