President Trump said on Friday that the first physical examination of his second term went well, and overall he feels he’s in "very good shape."
The president told reporters on board Air Force One while en route to his home in West Palm Beach Friday evening that the yearly presidential physical at Walter Reed Medical Center showed he has a "good heart, a good soul," and "overall, I think I'm in very – I felt I was in very good shape."
He also took a cognitive test.
"I don’t know what to tell you other than I got every answer right," the president told reporters.
He added, "I think it’s a pretty well-known test. Got it all right. I’ve taken the cognitive test, I think, four times and gotten nothing wrong. That’s what the American people want. Biden refused, Kamala refused."
He also said that doctors gave him "a little bit" of advice on lifestyle changes that could improve his health without going into detail.
The former president’s mental abilities became a concern during the presidential election last year after he struggled in a June debate against Trump, which led to former Vice President Kamala Harris taking over as the Democratic nominee.
Trump said he expected the report from the exam to be released by Sunday.
The president was at Walter Reed for five hours undergoing "every test you can imagine."
"I was there for a long time," Trump said. "I think I did very well."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that a readout of the exam would be released "as soon as we possibly can."
The White House earlier this week promised to release the full results of Trump’s examination.
"I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!" Trump wrote on Truth Social before the exam earlier this week.
The exam was also his first presidential physical since his ear was grazed by a bullet during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.
Both Biden and Trump’s health have come under increased scrutiny as they are the two oldest U.S. presidents to ever serve, and Trump became the oldest president to be sworn into office in January.
A federal judge has upheld a Trump administration policy that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out enforcement operations at churches and other places of worship despite lawsuits against it from faith-based groups.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, appointed by Trump during his first term, denied a request from more than two dozen Christian and Jewish organizations to block the policy. The groups said it infringes on religious freedoms and is causing drops in attendance, especially among immigrants worried about being detained by ICE.
The court found little evidence that ICE is targeting churches or that the change in policy is solely to blame for fewer people attending services. Friedrich noted that only a few enforcement actions have actually taken place at or near religious sites.
"That evidence suggests that congregants are staying home to avoid encountering ICE in their own neighborhoods, not because churches or synagogues are locations of elevated risk," Friedrich wrote in her opinion.
The policy at the center of the lawsuit took effect Jan. 20, Trump’s first day back in office.
On that day, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded an Obama-era guideline that had discouraged ICE agents from making arrests in "sensitive locations," including schools, hospitals and places of worship. Under the new rule, ICE officers no longer need special approval to act at these locations as long as they apply "common sense" and "discretion."
Religious leaders said that change went against more than three decades of precedent, which aimed to protect immigrants and other vulnerable populations from being targeted at sacred or essential community spaces.
The judge, however, said bringing back the old policy might not change attendance numbers, since broader immigration enforcement actions could still keep people away.
Other legal challenges to immigration enforcement in sensitive locations are also making their way through the courts.
A federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked operations at religious sites for some groups, including Quakers. But a judge in Colorado ruled in the administration’s favor in a similar case involving enforcement at schools.
A Maryland federal judge on Friday told the Trump administration to comply with a Supreme Court order "in good faith" regarding the ordered return of an alleged MS-13 gang member erroneously deported to El Salvador.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident, was deported to El Salvador last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member. His attorneys have maintained that he does not have any ties to the violent gang.
In a Friday hearing, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to provide daily updates as they comply with Thursday's Supreme Court order upholding her previous order to return Abrego Garcia to U.S. soil.
"I hope you will, in good faith, comply and we’ll take it from there," Xinis said Friday. "I want daily updates until this matter is resolved."
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign and Xinis made clear during the hearing that they did not agree on their understanding of the high court's order.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court wrote that Xinis' order "properly requires the government to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador."
The high court also said the "intended scope of the term ‘effectuate’" in Xinis' order is "unclear, and may exceed the District Court’s authority."
"For its part, the Government should be prepared to share what it can concerning the steps it has taken and the prospect of further steps," the Court wrote.
"It's going to be very difficult for the parties and for the trial court to understand what the scope is of the Supreme Court's order once the trial court takes the issue back up," defense attorney Phil Holloway told Fox News Digital.
Holloway said that the ambiguity in the high court's order could lead to the case ending up in the justices' hands again for further clarification.
"The government is going to say that they are operating in good faith to comply with an order from the Supreme Court that is murky, and they're trying their best to comply with it," he said. "At the same time, the president's trying to exercise his executive authority under Article II, which also the Supreme Court said the lower court must recognize."
Holloway said the government can take various routes as it moves forward, including seeking a reprieve from Xinis' order and arguing that it is "unduly burdensome, and it hinders the president's executive authority."
"I think they may wind up trying to get him out of that prison and sending him to a different location," Holloway said. "But I think they're going to fight pretty hard on whether they actually have to bring him back to U.S. soil."
Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University and a Fox News contributor, said that the extent of the district court's power to order the government to comply with the Supreme Court's order is also in question.
"It's entirely unclear what, if anything, the court can do beyond other than nudge the administration in this direction," he said.
Heritage Foundation Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky specifically pointed to the Supreme Court noting that the district court must give "[d]ue regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs."
"So while the government has to act in good faith to use diplomatic efforts to negotiate Garcia’s return and keep the district court informed of its efforts, the district court cannot give the government direct orders on how to accomplish this foreign policy task or penalize the government if it is not successful," von Spakovsky said.
"The assumption is that if the court determines that the administration is acting in bad faith, it could take some other action," Turley noted. "The question is, how do you make that determination?"
Turley said the district court could hold the government in contempt if it determines the administration acted in bad faith. However, enforcement may be challenging, given Abrego Garcia is overseas and the president’s Article II authority over foreign affairs.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is turning up the pressure on Mexico over a growing water crisis that’s threatening South Texas farmers, announcing Friday that high-level talks with Mexican officials may finally lead to a breakthrough.
"Just finished a productive call with our great deputy Secretary of State, Chris Landau, and my counterpart in Mexico to tackle the urgent crisis arising from Mexico’s failure to deliver water to American farmers, as obligated by treaty," Rollins posted on X.
"We’re moving fast — stay tuned for updates."
Rollins didn’t hold back, adding, "American agriculture has been asking for this relief for years and didn’t get it. What’s changed now is an American President willing to do what’s necessary to make it happen."
During an interview Friday on AgriTalk radio, Rollins revealed just how quickly things are moving. She said that shortly after President Donald Trump's post on Truth Social Thursday night about Mexico "stealing our farmers’ water," she was contacted by officials in Mexico to schedule talks.
"Let me give you an example. Last night, that Truth Social came out, as I mentioned, on the Mexican water and on how Mexico has been stealing our farmers’ water, and it’s not going to go on anymore," Rollins said.
"Whether it’s tariffs or sanctions, we are going to stand up for our citrus growers and others that rely on that Mexican water. And I’m telling you, last night, within two hours after that Truth Social going up, the people from Mexico were calling to set up a call with me this morning."
Her message comes as frustration builds over Mexico falling short on its water deliveries under the 1944 Water Treaty.
The treaty requires Mexico to send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. every five years from tributaries that feed the Rio Grande. Trump says Mexico is more than 1.3 million acre-feet behind, hitting South Texas farmers hard, especially during the ongoing drought conditions.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House Thursday, Rollins said the administration is in regular contact with governors and agriculture leaders.
After speaking with "ten governors" earlier that morning, Rollins said the team is focused on supporting farmers, especially those growing wheat and sorghum.
"We believe that these changes will, in short order, create unlimited and unprecedented prosperity for these farmers," she said.
President Trump also addressed the water issue Thursday on Truth Social, blasting Mexico for failing to meet its obligations and warning of consequences if it doesn't step up.
"This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly," he wrote. "Last year, the only Sugar Mill in Texas CLOSED, because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas Farmers.
"We will keep escalating consequences, including tariffs and, maybe even sanctions, until Mexico honors the Treaty. That ends now!"
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, backed the administration’s stance, calling the water shortfall a "man-made crisis" and vowing to keep up the pressure.
"Texas farmers are in crisis because of Mexico’s noncompliance," Cruz wrote on X. "I will work with the Trump administration to pressure Mexico into complying and to get water to Texas farmers."
The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs denied Mexico’s request for a special water delivery to Tijuana last month.
"Mexico's continued shortfalls in its water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are decimating American agriculture," the agency posted. "Today, for the first time, the U.S. will deny Mexico's non-treaty request."
It's not the first time the U.S. and Mexico have clashed over the 1944 treaty, but officials say the current drought, one of the worst in nearly 30 years, is making matters worse.
Rollins thanked her Mexican counterpart, Agriculture Secretary Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula, for his "swift and focused attention," but made it clear that time is running out.
Secretary Rollins joined RFD-TV Friday morning to weigh in on the negotiations.
"Well, there will be, without giving, you know, too much information that’s still confidential, we immediately began moving out and setting up discussions," Rollins said.
"Of course, this is not necessarily USDA, although I’ll be partnering with Secretary Rubio over at State and also talking to some other counterparts today, but hopefully we’ll have a resolution very, very quickly. And we’ll get some water moving, perhaps."
The USDA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
After finding $382 million in fraudulent unemployment payments since 2020, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) identified California, New York and Massachusetts as the primary culprits.
The three Democrat-led states accounted for $305 million in improper claim payments, DOGE said Thursday.
The group added that California also accounted for 68% of the benefits that were dispensed under former President Joe Biden to parolees identified by federal authorities as being on the government's terrorist watchlist, or who had criminal records.
California, New York and Massachusetts all have a Democratic trifecta — meaning Democrats control the state House, Senate and the governor's office. They also have a Democratic triplex, which includes party control of the Attorney General, Secretary of State and governorship.
"There’s a reason for the mass exodus from Democrat-run states that have mismanaged their economies and driven residents to the nearest Republican-led state," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. "High taxes, poor stewardship of taxpayer dollars and progressive policies continue to yield negative results, which is why Americans overwhelmingly support the work of DOGE."
Earlier this week, DOGE reported that since 2020, hundreds of millions in fraudulent unemployment benefits went to tens of thousands of recipients listed as over 115 years old, between ages 1 and 5, or even with birthdates that haven't occurred yet.
"This is another incredible discovery by the DOGE team, finding nearly $400 million in fraudulent unemployment payments. The Labor Department is committed to recovering Americans’ stolen tax dollars. We will catch these thieves and keep working to root out egregious fraud," said Labor Department Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Additionally, DOGE also found this week that it was "routine" under the Biden administration to admit immigrants into the country with minimal screening and, as a result, led to more than 6,000 people — either with criminal records, or flagged on the FBI's terror watchlist — entering the country.
Furthermore, DOGE found, hundreds of these people were able to collect public benefits — including approximately $42,000 through the government's unemployment insurance program. These people also collected money from federal student loan programs, food stamp programs and IRS tax refunds.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee grilled whistleblower Dr. Eithan Haim this week over his criticism of transgender medical treatments, months after the Biden Justice Department dropped criminal charges against him.
During a Wednesday hearing titled "Ending Lawfare Against Whistleblowers Who Protect Children," Haim defended his decision to leak documents to the media, revealing that Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston performed transgender medical procedures on minors through May 2023.
"I wouldn't want this to be done to anyone, not even liberals, even if they're the craziest communists ever," Haim said during the hearing. "There's no one in this country who should be falsely accused and the entire power of the federal government be brought down on them."
At one point during the hearing, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., questioned Haim's lawyer, Mark Lytle, about the precedent behind Haim’s case, drawing a comparison to a hypothetical scenario involving vaccination records for measles.
"If I’m in Texas, and there’s a law requiring children to get measles vaccines, and I learn that another doctor’s patients aren’t vaccinated, does that give me the right to access their medical records and release them to the media or an ideological group?" Raskin asked.
"Dr. Haim didn't break into any systems," Lytle responded. "He was authorized to see these records by Texas Children's Hospital, and the prosecutor knew that."
"Was he authorized to release the information?" Raskin asked.
"He was because he was a whistleblower, and he was reporting wrongdoing," Lytle said.
Raskin asked Lytle to explain why Haim "did not follow Texas State law and go to the Department of Social Services or another medical authority or law enforcement authority" and instead "went to an ideological organization in the media."
Lytle responded that Haim went to the Texas Attorney General's office as well as the media, adding, "Congress favors going to the media for whistleblowers."
Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., asked Haim whether the charges against him were "a case of the administration using weaponizing law enforcement to intimidate you and other dissenters."
"There has to be a certain standard with our justice system, where people can't just bring these charges and power through the courts and send these people to prison, because that's what was going to happen to me," Haim said.
Cline also asked Lytle whether the federal government treats whistleblowers differently depending on who's in office.
"This case is an example of that," Lytle said. "It's extremely rare for anyone to be charged with criminal HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] violations, let alone the maximum 10-year charge. It's really outrageous, and the fact that he was charged in this way shows that the prosecutor was out to get him. He was biased."
Later in the hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., further pressed Haim about releasing the medical records, asking whether children and their families should worry about their private information being released.
"When children are being mutilated and sterilized," Haim said, adding that personal information, like the names of the patients, was not included.
Haim, a surgeon formerly affiliated with Texas Children's Hospital, was indicted on federal charges last year for allegedly accessing and sharing private medical records of minors receiving transgender medical procedures.
Haim's whistleblower report occurred during a transitional period in Texas' policies regarding transgender treatments for minors. In March 2022, Texas Children's Hospital announced it would stop such services to children following Gov. Greg Abbott's directive to investigate such treatments as potential child abuse. The hospital later resumed these services after determining compliance with existing laws. In June 2024, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Senate Bill 14, which prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender minors in the state, with the law taking effect on Sept. 1, 2024.
DOJ prosecutors claimed Haim obtained these records under false pretenses, violating the HIPAA and providing them to the media to harm the hospital's reputation. Facing up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Haim pleaded not guilty, arguing that no personally identifiable information was disclosed and that he was blowing the whistle on "child abuse" in the hospital.
In January, the DOJ dismissed the case "with prejudice," preventing future prosecution on the same grounds. Four days later, President Donald Trump signed the "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation" executive order, suspending federal funds for gender-transition procedures for minors, including coverage under Medicaid.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff was in Russia on Friday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after peace talks with Ukraine stalled out in recent weeks, "frustrating" President Donald Trump.
"This is another step in the negotiating process towards a ceasefire," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said of the meeting. "I think the president has been quite clear that he's been continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict, and he wants to see this fighting, and he wants the war to end."
Russian media broadcast images of Putin and Witkoff meeting at the presidential library in St. Petersburg.
Leavitt said the U.S. had "leverage" over Ukraine and Russia to pressure them to agree to peace.
"We believe we have leverage in negotiating a deal… And we're going to use that leverage. And the president is determined to see this through," Leavitt said.
Trump has demanded that both sides agree to an immediate 30-day ceasefire while they hash out a longer peace deal. Ukraine has agreed to this, while Russia has not. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Ukraine had found two Chinese men fighting on behalf of Russia within their borders, a development that would suggest Russia is receiving direct manpower aid from both North Korea and China.
Zelenskyy said at least 155 Chinese citizens were fighting for Russia as he accused Putin of "prolonging the war" — a claim the Kremlin denied Thursday, stating that China takes a "balanced position" to the war and that "Zelenskyy is wrong." Fox News Digital has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for further comment.
Ahead of Witkoff’s meeting with Russian officials, Trump ramped up pressure on Putin, writing on Truth Social: "Russia has to get moving. Too many people are DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – a war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!"
Trump said on March 31 that he was "pissed off" with the Russian leader and threatened to put "secondary tariffs" on Russia's oil exports, its financial lifeline for the war effort. That could mean sanctioning countries that buy Russian oil or cracking down on its "shadow fleet" of tankers carrying oil across the globe in disguise.
Trump has previously aired out complaints about Zelenskyy, too, calling him a "dictator without elections." A public White House meeting last month erupted into a near-shouting match where Zelenskyy abruptly left the premises.
Ukraine agreed to both the unconditional ceasefire and a more tailored maritime ceasefire, but Russia has made a fresh round of demands, including the lifting of some sanctions.
"We are making progress. We hope that we are getting relatively close to getting a deal between Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
The U.S. and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange deal that saw the return of ballerina and U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina to the U.S. on Friday. Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the start of the war in 2022 for donating $51 to a Ukrainian charity.
On Thursday, U.S. and Russian officials met in Istanbul to discuss reopening operations at each other’s embassies.
The St. Petersburg gathering is Witkoff's third meeting with Putin this year. Over the weekend he will head to Oman to negotiate with Iran in nuclear talks.
Ahead of Friday's meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was "no need to expect breakthroughs" and the "process of normalizing relations is ongoing."
EXCLUSIVE: One day after the House passed its version of the "big, beautiful" budget bill demanded by President Donald Trump, Senate Republican leaders were bullish on the prospects of a deal coming together when lawmakers return from Passover/Easter break.
"Republicans have a bold agenda. The sooner we pass it, the sooner we can reverse the damage that Democrats have done over the last four years," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital, as Senate leaders made a high-dollar budget cut promise earlier in the week.
"The American people need certainty that they aren’t going to face the Democrats’ $4 trillion tax increase," said the lawmaker, whose role is to "whip" or tally Republicans’ planned votes ahead of them being cast on the floor.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota remains under pressure to deliver on $1.5 trillion in budget cuts he pledged to secure some of the votes from waffling House conservatives. The Senate version of the bill that passed earlier this month only called for $4 billion in spending cuts – a massive discrepancy from the House's version.
In exchange for their votes, Thune and Barrasso must coax Senate GOP moderates and members with concerns over potential Medicaid or entitlement cuts that they won't be part of the sizable slice.
Additionally, the debt ceiling is projected to be hit during the summertime, which Republicans will have to reckon with financially as well. A failure to adjust for that ceiling could result in default.
However, Thune was equally optimistic as Barrasso about pushing through Trump's agenda, saying the upper chamber’s agenda will be "packed" overall.
"More nominations to confirm. More burdensome Biden regulations to repeal. A tax bill – and border, energy, and national security bill – to continue drafting," he said.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Thune said committee leaders were working through the holiday on varying legislation planned to come for votes soon after they return.
"And, of course, appropriations season is almost upon us. And I remain committed to considering as many appropriations bills as possible under regular order," he said.
Regular order refers to matriculating bills through the committee process, which Thune previously said promotes bipartisanship and trust between lawmakers and the parties.
The practices of governing by long-term continuing resolutions, or CRs, are considered antithetical to regular order.
Barrasso said the American people need to know that Republicans will stand firm on investing in domestic energy and border security in their post-Easter return.
"Our goal is to get this bill passed and sent to the president’s desk as quickly as possible. We’ll work towards that every day until it’s done."
Fox News Digital reached out to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., for comment on Democrats’ short-term plans but did not receive a response.
Thursday’s House bill passed generally along party lines, after fiscal conservatives largely balked at the financial figures.
The number of GOP holdouts was eventually whittled down to two – Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana – who voted with the Democrats, albeit for ideologically opposing reasons.
"Our first big, beautiful reconciliation package here involves a number of commitments. And one of those is that we are committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people, while also preserving our essential programs," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds will not seek re-election in 2026 after nearly 10 years serving in the state's highest office, teeing up what may be a competitive Republican gubernatorial primary in 2026.
In a video announcement released on Friday, Reynolds thanked Iowans for their support throughout her political career and said she will not campaign for another term as governor to focus on her family.
"Today, I want to share a personal decision with you; one that was not made lightly, but comes with a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude. After a lot of thought, prayer, and conversations with my family, I have decided that I will not seek re-election in 2026," she said.
Reynolds began her political career in the Clarke County treasurer's office, before winning election as a state senator and later as the state's lieutenant governor.
She has served as governor since 2017, when then-Gov. Terry Branstad was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as ambassador to China during President Donald Trump's first term in office. Reynolds was elected to a full term as governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.
"This wasn’t an easy decision, because I love this state and I love serving you," Reynolds said in a video posted on social media. "But, when my term ends, I will have had the privilege of serving as your governor for almost 10 years."
Reynolds said the work isn't over yet and is committed to "working hard for you every single day until my term ends," referring to her time as governor as the "greatest honor of my life."
"This public service has been an incredible journey — one I wouldn’t trade for anything, but as Iowans know, family is everything," she said. "Through the years, my parents and my husband Kevin, our daughters, and our grandchildren have stood by my side, supporting me through every challenge and every victory. Now, it’s time for me to be there for them."
Seasoned Iowa-based Republican strategist Jimmy Centers, who served in the Reynolds administration, said "her governorship is historic" for more than being the first female elected Iowa governor.
"It’s more than just her agenda; it’s about what she accomplished as governor. She was bold. She went out and sold her vision and she got it passed," Centers told Fox News.
Nicole Schlinger, a longtime Iowa and Washington D.C.-based conservative strategist who is well-connected with evangelical groups, said that Reynolds "has been a transformation governor."
But Schlinger told Fox News that "Kim Reynolds has put a lot of things in her life on hold for the state of Iowa and if you’re going to decide what you’re doing for re-election in 2026, now is the time you’re going to be making that decision."
The Republican Governors Association (RGA) praised Reynolds for "her bold vision and conservative leadership" and said she "delivered transformational results for Iowa."
Iowa, which was once a key general election battleground state, has turned red over the past decade, and RGA communications director Courtney Alexander said "we are confident that Iowa will continue to remain in Republican control."
But the rival Democratic Governors Association (DGA), pointing to Trump's sweeping and controversial agenda during his first three months back in the White House, said that "even former RGA Chair Governor Kim Reynolds knows she can’t defend her party’s destruction of the economy and extreme, unpopular agenda for the next two years."
DGA communications director Sam Newton argued that "in addition to leaving behind a failed record of corruption, gutting public education, and banning abortion, Gov. Reynolds has thrown the wide-open GOP field for governor into complete chaos. We look forward to holding Iowa Republicans accountable as this competitive race ramps up."
Following Reynolds' announcement, there was instant speculation that Iowa attorney general Brenna Bird, who was a top surrogate for now-President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign and who spoke at last summer's Republican National Convention, may make a bid to succeed the governor.
Bird, in a statement posted to social media, praised Reynolds but added that she and her husband will "consider what this decision means for our future."
"I appreciate the calls of encouragement I've already received. I am committed to continuing my work on behalf of Iowans and to support President Trump," she added.
Among the Republicans who may also have an interest in potentially running in 2026 to succeed Reynolds in the governor's office in Des Moines are longtime state agriculture secretary Mike Naig; state House Speaker Pat Grassley, the grandson of longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; and all four members of Iowa's all-GOP congressional delegation — Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Randy Feenstra (IA-04).
Two other names that are mentioned are Matt Whitaker, who ran statewide twice in Iowa but who is known nationally for serving as U.S. attorney general for a couple of months during the first Trump administration and who is currently serving as U.S. representative to NATO; and state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, son of longtime Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann.
Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, who has worked in Iowa politics for decades, noted that the Republicans have a "deep bench."
When it comes to the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, speculation centers on Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, who is currently the only Democratic statewide officeholder in the Hawkeye State.
Reynolds, pointing to Iowa's shift to the right in recent election cycles, said the GOP "will remain in great hands" as the next generation of Iowa Republicans build on her legacy.
Reynolds saw her national profile rise in recent years, through her previous tenure as RGA chair and by welcoming Republican presidential candidates to Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, which remain the lead-off contest in the race for the White House on the GOP calendar.
In the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Reynolds' endorsement was coveted by the crowded GOP primary field. Reynolds ultimately endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and joined him repeatedly on the campaign trail in the lead-up to the caucuses.
A Maryland federal judge lambasted government attorneys Friday during a hearing over efforts to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident, from a prison in El Salvador.
Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to El Salvador last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member. His attorneys, however, have maintained that he does not have any ties to the violent gang.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis questioned DOJ attorney Drew Ensign as to Abrego Garcia's whereabouts after the Supreme Court upheld Xinis' order that federal officials must coordinate his return back to Maryland.
Xinis asked Ensign where Abrego Garcia was, and under "whose authority," to which Ensign responded, "I do not have that info."
"I do not have that knowledge, and therefore I cannot relay that info to the court," Ensign said. "They have not provided that confirmation before this hearing."
The judge was unsatisfied with the government's answer. "I’m not asking for state secrets. I’m asking where one man is," Xinis responded. "The government was prohibited from sending him to El Salvador, and now I’m asking a very simple question: ‘Where is he?’"
After Ensign again said he did not have the information on hand, Xinis said, "That is extremely troubling."
In a Thursday order, the Supreme Court noted that "The United States acknowledges that Abrego Garcia was subject to a withholding order forbidding his removal to El Salvador, and that the removal to El Salvador was therefore illegal."
The high court proceeded to say that Xinis' order "properly requires the government to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador."
Ensign made clear during the Friday hearing that the government intended to comply with the Supreme Court's order. When asked what had been done thus far to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return, Ensign said it was "unclear."
"That means they haven’t done anything," Xinis responded.
Xinis and Ensign engaged in a back-and-forth over their reading of the high court's order. Ensign said the government had understood the order to require that it must "hear what the executive branch says in a brief."
"We read the Supreme Court’s order differently," Ensign said. "It said deference to the executive branch."
Xinis, instead, said her reading was that the government take all the necessary steps to facilitate the return as soon as possible.
Xinis proceeded to request daily updates as the case continued "from a person with direct knowledge," saying she would be issuing an order that delineated the request.
"My message, for what it’s worth is, if you can do it, do it tomorrow. I don’t understand why it can’t be done," Xinis said.
Ensign noted that he thought the orders were "impractical" but reemphasized that the government would be complying with the Supreme Court's order.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked to weigh in on the matter during a Friday briefing in light of El Salvador's president visiting the White House next week.
"The Supreme Court made their ruling last night very clear that it's the administration's responsibility to facilitate the return, not to effectuate the return," Leavitt said.
Abrego Garcia was arrested in Baltimore on March 12 after working his shift as a sheet metal apprentice. The complaint states that he had also picked up his now-five-year-old son, who has autism and other disabilities, from his grandmother’s house before his arrest.
Abrego Garcia had initially fled El Salvador to escape gang violence, according to court documents. Beginning in 2006, gang members "stalked, hit, and threatened to kidnap and kill him in order to coerce his parents to succumb to their increasing demands for extortion."
He eventually entered the United States illegally in 2011 and began living in Maryland with his brother, who is an American citizen.
Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
A Pennsylvania man has been charged with making threats against President Donald Trump, other U.S. officials and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Shawn Monper, 32, lives in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the president was shot during a campaign rally last July.
"I want to applaud the outstanding and courageous investigative work of the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department, who thankfully identified and apprehended this individual before he could carry out his threats against President Trump’s life and the lives of other innocent Americans," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "Rest assured that whenever and wherever threats of assassination or mass violence occur, this Department of Justice will find, arrest, and prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law and seek the maximum appropriate punishment."
The Biden administration engaged in a "cover-up" by failing to disclose details about the health of former President Joe Biden, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
"I can tell you there was certainly a lack of transparency from the former president, from the entire former administration," Leavitt told reporters on Friday. "And frankly, a lot of people in this room, when it came to the health in the competence of the former President of the United States, Joe Biden — there was one of the greatest cover-ups and, frankly, political scandals this nation has ever seen. It's been unraveled in some recent books that are being written by journalists who engaged in that cover-up in scandal, which is quite ironic."
A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
New books out have detailed Biden’s mental and physical well-being during his time in the White House.
"Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History," published Tuesday and authored by Chris Whipple, a former producer for CBS' "60 Minutes," claims that the White House kept Biden from socializing with those who previously worked alongside him — a tactic that backfired and contributed to his declining mental agility.
Leavitt’s remarks come as President Donald Trump is receiving an annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday. The White House says it will provide a readout of the appointment.
"But this president is clearly committed to transparency," Leavitt said. "You in this room see him and hear from him on a daily basis. You in this room know from covering him. It's hard to keep up with him. He is a machine working around the clock every single day. And the physician, after today's physical, will provide an update on the report in the effort of transparency."
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative nonprofit is warning Tennessee lawmakers about a hospital group it says is quietly pushing radical DEI policies — even as some of those lawmakers have taken the group’s donations.
As institutions begin aligning their policies with President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Consumer's Research Group, a nonprofit conservative consumer agency, sent a letter to several Tennessee Republican lawmakers urging them to cut ties with the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA).
"Tennessee representatives who accept DEI Dollars from woke institutions like the Tennessee Hospital Association are putting themselves directly at odds with President Trump," executive director Will Hild told Fox News Digital. "The President was clear: organizations continuing to push discriminatory DEI policies should be investigated."
The letter, sent to Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, both Republicans, comes after the group launched a campaign last month titled "What Is Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hiding?" after finding that the university had been not just deleting some of its references to DEI commitments and resources, but also hiding them behind password-protected web pages.
The letter was also cc'd to state House Majority Leader William Lamberth, state Sens. Shane Reeves, Jack Johnson, Ed Jackson, Becky Massey, Ferrell Haile and state Reps. Gary Hicks, Sabi "Doc" Kumar and Ryan Williams.
Public documents indicate the lawmakers received financial backing from the THA, which the association found still promotes DEI and "'health equity' through its Council on Inclusion and Health Equity."
"Our campaign asking what is Vanderbilt University Medical Center hiding exposed the health system's frantic and futile attempts to cover its widespread DEI tracks – essentially waving a great big red flag asking to be investigated," Hild added.
From 2020 through 2024, the Tennessee Hospital Association's political action committee (PAC) made $707,950 in contributions to candidates and PACs in the state, which includes both the House and Senate Republican caucuses.
"This is why Consumers’ Research has significant concerns that your acceptance of THA’s DEI Dollars signals an organizational effort to prevent state investigations into hospitals, like VUMC, that have faced criticism for prioritizing equity over healthcare and providing irreversible gender transition procedures to minors," the letter to lawmakers on Friday states.
"This should be alarming to you and your constituents who rely on hospitals to provide exceptional care to patients, free of a political agenda."
In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, VUMC spokesperson John Howser said that in light of Trump's recent executive actions mandating an end to DEI programs, particularly in educational institutions, VUMC "is undertaking a thorough review" of its programs to figure out "where revisions may be required to remain in compliance, including updating information on websites and other public platforms."
Trump signed the "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" order in January to eradicate all DEI programs within federal agencies and among federal contractors. It revoked previous directives that had promoted affirmative action and required contractors to implement DEI initiatives, arguing that these programs led to "preferential treatment."
Fox News Digital has reached out to VUMC, the Tennessee Hospital Association and Tennessee Republican lawmakers who received financial donations from them.
Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in Congress are launching a probe into a Biden-era green energy grant program that sent billions in funding to climate groups tied to Democrats and former President Joe Biden's allies.
GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters to the eight nonprofits awarded grants from the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), seeking answers to ensure the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) followed proper ethics and conflict of interest protocols in distributing the funds.
In February, the Trump administration's EPA announced it would take steps to get the money back, citing concerns over a lack of oversight related to how the money was being disbursed. In the announcement, new EPA administrator Lee Zeldin cited comments from a former Biden EPA political appointee, who described disbursements made through GGRF as akin to "tossing gold bars off the Titanic," because Biden officials were allegedly trying to get money out the door before Trump took over.
It was also revealed that $2 billion from GGRF went to a Stacy Abrams-linked group, Power Forward Communities, which had not been established until after the Biden administration announced the GGRF application process. Meanwhile, during Power Forward's first few months of operations — prior to receiving the funding — the group reported just $100 in revenue.
Climate United, another group that received the most money from the GGRF, roughly $7 billion, currently staffs a former Biden climate advisor who worked during the last two years of the former president's term. The same group is also run by a CEO with ties to the Obama administration and a board member who was among those invited to Biden's signing ceremony for his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure bill in 2021.
Several GGRF grant recipients have ties to Democrats and Biden advisors, and some were reportedly founded shortly before or after the Biden administration announced the program. Meanwhile, these groups, according to Zeldin, had sole discretion on how to use the funds.
House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., alongside fellow committee members Reps. Gary Palmer of Alabama and Morgan Griffith of Virginia, both Republicans, said in a joint statement that their investigation into the GGRF recipients will be "key" to understanding whether these funds were allocated "fairly and impartially to qualified applicants," while also helping to determine the manner in which the money has been used.
"The Committee has had concerns about the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program since its creation—including concerns about the program’s unusual structure, a potential lack of due diligence in selecting award recipients, and the recipients’ ability to manage the large influx of federal dollars they received from the EPA," the lawmakers said in their statement.
"A recent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing that examined these concerns coupled with the speed with which money was pushed out the door by the Biden Administration’s EPA heightened the Committee’s concerns and raised additional questions about certain Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund recipients."
Several of the groups that were recipients of GGRF money sued the Trump administration in March over its attempts to rake back the funds.
Subsequently, Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order preventing the EPA from freezing $14 billion in GGRF funds awarded to three of the climate groups.
A Democratic lawmaker in Massachusetts was arrested and charged after he allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars from a local trade association to fund both personal and political expenses.
Massachusetts state Rep. Christopher Flanagan, 37, was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records on Friday, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Flanagan served as the executive officer of the Home Builders Association in Cape Cod and received a salary and benefits ranging from $65,800 to $81,600 from 2019 to 2024, when he was working there. Flanagan also received $97,546 and $100,945 in 2023 and 2024, from his position as a legislator.
Beginning around October 2021, Flanagan was facing financial trouble and stole $36,000 in Home Builders Association funds through bank wire transfers, according to the DOJ.
From Nov. 18, 2021 and Jan. 28, 2023, Flanagan wired anywhere from $1,500 and $10,000 on several separate occasions.
The Justice Department said Flanagan used the funds to pay mortgage bills, pay down debt, and even used it to pay for personal psychic services.
In an expense report, the DOJ said Flanagan claimed to have spent $159.36 on "technology services" at Best Buy and $537.26 on "Office Supplies" at 4Imprint, but records showed the money was used to buy a Bluetooth speaker and T-shirts for his political campaign.
Another expense report shows $3,784.84 was spent on office supplies. The DOJ, however, said that $2,118.10 was used for personal expenses at Best Buy, Macy's and Target.
Federal authorities also alleged that Flanagan obstructed an investigation by the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance when he attributed the source of a campaign mailer to "Jeanne Louise," a false persona that he allegedly created.
Flanagan faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge and up to 20 years for the falsification of records charge.
President Donald Trump's longtime legal counsel and appointee as U.S. attorney for New Jersey announced Thursday she will launch a probe into Gov. Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matt Platkin over reports that state police were asked to ignore new immigration warrants.
Alina Habba said on "Hannity" she decided to launch the probe following a Shore News Network report that an internal memo from New Jersey State Police (NJSP) Col. Patrick Callahan revealed Murphy and Platkin ordered that officers not pursue thousands of immigration warrants recently added to the National Crime Information Center.
The move was reportedly meant to be in line with former Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s 2018 "Immigration Trust Directive," which limited the types of voluntary assistance state and local police could offer the feds.
"We know that the governor has on his website, currently, dos and don'ts for his local state of law enforcement. Those dos and don'ts instruct them not to cooperate with illegal immigrants who have administrative warrants that have been issued by the court after due process," Habba said.
"It is instructing them to go against our federal rules, our executive orders."
She said her new probe into Murphy and Platkin should be a warning to all other state leaders that if they hinder the FBI, DEA or other federal law enforcement agencies, they will be held accountable.
"[W]e are to take all criminal, violent criminals and criminals out of this country and to completely enforce federal law. And anybody who does get in the way of what we are doing - which is not political, it is simply against crime - will be charged in the state of New Jersey for obstruction, for concealment, and I will come after them hard."
Habba, whose office is based in Newark, said she met with state law enforcement on Thursday and noted they do not have the same authority as federal officers, but they can still legally notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hand off or alert them to immigration-related investigations.
"If anybody wants to use politics or their position to go and violate any federal law or any executive order in this state, and that includes sanctuary cities, and I'm looking at you in Paterson - I will be investigating you, and if you did commit a crime, if you ordered obstruction, if you are ordering concealment and harboring, you will be charged."
Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy, Platkin and Paterson, New Jersey, Democratic Mayor Andre Sayegh for comment.
Sayegh recently made waves politically last month, when he declared Paterson the American "capital of Palestine." The city has a large Muslim and Arabic population.
Murphy recently suggested he was housing a migrant at his Monmouth County home and went on to dare Trump to do something about it.
In February, he said he and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy were talking about "someone in our broader universe whose immigration status is not yet at the point that they are trying to get it to."
"And we said, you know what? Let's have her live at our house above our garage," Murphy said.
"Good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her."
Fox News Digital reached out to NJSP for more information on the memo and its actions in regard to Murphy's order.
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
