Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said during a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) event Thursday that the Trump administration is making history with its approval of numerous waivers that will eliminate junk food from food stamp programs.
Rollins was in Nebraska on Monday to sign the first alongside Republican Gov. Jim Pillen. She has also signed a waiver for Indiana and Iowa, "with half-a-dozen more coming down the line," she said.
"We are on track to sign multiples of snap waivers to get junk food and sugary drinks out of our food stamp system," Rollins said at the Thursday afternoon event, centering around the release of a 69-page report from the Trump administration's MAHA Commission on how to effect change around childhood chronic disease.
"That has never happened before under Republican or Democrat administrations," Rollins added. "We have never made that happen before. So I am so proud and so grateful."
On average, 42 million low-income Americans receive food stamp assistance each month, according to the MAHA report released at Thursday's event. It added that 1 in 5 American children under 17 receive SNAP benefits.
With Nebraska's waiver, it became the first state in the nation to bar recipients of federal food stamp programs from using the money to buy junk food, soda and other high-sugar items. The exemption will begin as a two-year pilot program, local media reported.
Other GOP-led states, including Texas and West Virginia, have applied for this waiver.
"SNAP was created to increase access to nutritious food; however, many SNAP purchases are for food with little to no nutritious value," Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott wrote in a letter to Rollins requesting a waiver last week.
"Under the Trump administration, for the first time since the program was authorized, states can take steps to eliminate the opportunity to buy junk food with SNAP benefits and assure that taxpayer dollars are used only to purchase healthy, nutritious food."
West Virginia's Governor Patrick Morrisey, one of the leaders requesting a waiver, has also been spearheading other MAHA efforts in his state. In March, Morrisey signed House Bill 2354 into law, which made it the first state in the nation to begin prohibiting certain synthetic dyes and additives used in food items sold in the state.
EXCLUSIVE: The Trump Department of Homeland Security is calling out a Biden-appointed "activist" judge in Massachusetts who paused the deportation of an illegal alien who DHS says sexually assaulted a disabled woman with the mental capacity of a 3-year-old.
The DHS shared a filing from the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry that says Burmese illegal Nyo Myint was convicted of attempted first-degree sexual assault of an individual incapable of consent.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that Myint, who was living in Lincoln, Nebraska, sexually assaulted a 26-year-old woman "with the mental capacity of a 3-year-old."
"This ‘Lincoln man’ is an illegal alien and one of the monsters that the activist Massachusetts district judge is trying to bring back to the United States after he was deported yesterday," McLaughlin said.
DHS has said Myint had a final order of removal issued against him Aug. 17, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy of Massachusetts issued the ruling Tuesday night, ordering President Donald Trump's administration to maintain custody of eight illegal immigrants deported to South Sudan in case he rules the removals unlawful and they must be transferred back to the U.S.
Murphy's ruling said the government must "maintain custody and control of class members currently being removed to South Sudan or to any other third country, to ensure the practical feasibility of return if the Court finds that such removals were unlawful."
After the ruling, McLaughlin called the decision "deranged," saying "these depraved individuals have all had their day in court and been given final deportation orders."
"A reminder of who was on this plane: murderers, child rapists, an individual who raped a mentally and physically disabled person," McLaughlin added. "The message this activist judge is sending to victims and their families is we don’t care. President Trump and Secretary Noem are working every day to get vicious criminals out of our country while activist judges are fighting to bring them back onto American soil."
According to DHS, the other illegals on the plane were Enrique Arias-Hierro, a Cuban national convicted of homicide and other crimes; Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Quinones, another Cuban convicted of attempted first-degree murder with a weapon; Thongxay Nilakout, a citizen of Laos, convicted of first-degree murder and robbery; Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez, a Mexican national convicted of second-degree murder; Dian Peter Domach, a citizen of South Sudan convicted of robbery and possession of a firearm; Kyaw Mya, a citizen of Burma convicted of lascivious acts with a child victim less than 12 years of age; and Tuan Thanh Phan, a Vietnamese national convicted of first-degree murder.
The White House also issued a statement in response, saying the ruling is "another attempt by a far-left activist judge to dictate the foreign policy of the United States — and protect the violent criminal illegal immigrants President Donald J. Trump and his administration have removed from our streets."
Trump chimed in on Truth Social, saying the ruling has forced the deportation flight to pause in Djibouti.
Trump slammed Murphy as "a Federal Judge in Boston, who knew absolutely nothing about the situation, or anything else," and "ordered that EIGHT of the most violent criminals on Earth curtail their journey to South Sudan."
The president urged the Supreme Court to end the trend of judges inhibiting his administration’s deportation agenda.
"The Judges are absolutely out of control, they’re hurting our Country, and they know nothing about particular situations, or what they are doing — And this must change, IMMEDIATELY!" he said. "Hopefully, the Supreme Court of the United States will put an END to the quagmire that has been caused by the Radical Left."
A former aide to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass who served as the deputy mayor of public safety has agreed to plead guilty to threatening to bomb City Hall last year, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Brian Williams, 61, of Pasadena, agreed to plead guilty to a single-count of "information with threats regarding fire and explosives", which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
"In an era of heated political rhetoric that has sometimes escalated into violence, we cannot allow public officials to make bomb threats," said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. "My office will continue its efforts to keep the public safe, including from those who violate their duty to uphold the law."
The threat was carried out on Oct. 3, 2024 during a virtual meeting with Williams and others related to his duties, federal prosecutors said. During the call, Williams used the Google Voice application on his personal cellphone to place a call to his city-issued cellphone.
He then left the meeting and called the chief of staff of the Los Angeles Police Department, in which he falsely stated that he had just received a call on his city-issued cellphone from an unknown man who threatened to bomb Los Angeles City Hall.
Ten minutes after the call, Williams texted Bass and several high-ranking city officials in the mayor’s office and falsely reported, "Bomb threat: I received phone call on my city cell at 10:48 am this morning. The male caller stated that ‘he was tired of the city support of Israel, and he has decided to place a bomb in City Hall. It might be in the rotunda.’ I immediately contacted the chief of staff of LAPD, they are going to send a number of officers over to do a search of the building and to determine if anyone else received a threat."
Investigators determined that Williams never received a call and had made the bomb threat himself. Federal prosecutors noted that Williams never intended to carry out the threat.
The LAPD responded to City Hall to search for any suspicious devices. None were found, prosecutors said.
Williams described the threatening call he claimed to have received to police and showed them the record of an incoming call that appeared as a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone.
That incoming call record was the call Williams had placed to himself from the Google Voice application on his personal cellphone, investigators determined.
Williams then texted Bass and other city officials.
"At this time, there is no need for us to evacuate the building, I’m meeting with the threat management officers within the next 10 minutes," he allegedly wrote. "In light of the Jewish holidays, we are taking this thread a little more seriously. I will keep you posted."
"Mr. Williams, the former deputy mayor of Public Safety for Los Angeles, not only betrayed the residents of Los Angeles, but responding officers, and the integrity of the office itself, by fabricating a bomb threat," said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. "Government officials are held to a heightened standard as we rely on them to safeguard the city. I’m relieved that Mr. Williams has taken responsibility for his inexplicable actions."
Williams is expected to appear in court in the coming weeks, prosecutors said.
House Republicans passed President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" on Thursday morning, working through overnight committee meetings, last-minute huddles in the speaker's office and even a last-minute assist from the president.
But while House GOP leadership preached party unity as they passed The One Big Beautiful Bill Act by just one vote, two House Republican holdouts were unwavering in their concerns about the $36 trillion national debt crisis and ultimately voted "no."
Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, took their concerns to social media on Thursday, telling their constituents exactly why they bucked the Republican Party on Trump's key legislative agenda.
"While I love many things in the bill, promising someone else will cut spending in the future does not cut spending. Deficits do matter and this bill grows them now. The only Congress we can control is the one we’re in. Consequently, I cannot support this big deficit plan. NO," Davidson said early this morning before the vote was final.
Massie responded soon after, telling Davidson he agreed and "if we were serious, we’d be cutting spending now, instead of promising to cut spending years from now."
"I’d love to stand here and tell the American people, ‘We can cut your taxes and increase spending and everything is going to be just fine.’ But I can’t do that because I'm here to deliver a dose of reality. This bill dramatically increases deficits in the near-term, but promises our government will be fiscally responsible five years from now. Where have we heard that before?" Massie said on the House floor.
The Kentucky congressman, who regularly sports a national debt clock pin, presented a bleak reality for Trump's "big, beautiful bill" on Thursday as most Republican holdouts rallied behind the final manager's amendment. "This bill is a debt bomb ticking," Massie said.
When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about Massie and Davidson voting against the bill, she said the president believes they should be primaried.
"I don't think he likes to see grandstanders in Congress. What's the alternative? I would ask those members of Congress. Did they want to see a tax hike? Did they want to see our country go bankrupt? That's the alternative by them trying to vote ‘no.’ The president believes the Republican Party needs to be unified," Leavitt said.
Massie, who has been campaigning on Trump calling him a grandstander, even fundraised on Leavitt's comments, writing on X, "The big beautiful bill has issues. I chose to vote against it because it’s going to blow up our debt. For voting on principle, I now have the President AND his press Secretary campaigning against me from the White House podium. Can you help me by donating?"
Former Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who served as Chair of the House Freedom Caucus, has spoken out against the country's debt crisis amid House negotiations, piled on the national debt criticism on Thursday, writing, "The Big Ugly Truth is that the Big Ugly Bill will push the Big Ugly Debt over $60 trillion."
Good found himself out of the job when he lost the Republican primary to now-Rep. John McGuire of Virginia last year.
He was one of just a handful of House Republicans who endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries, and then Trump threw his political might behind McGuire.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a multi-trillion-dollar piece of legislation that advances Trump's agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt.
While the bill seeks to make a dent in the national debt crisis by cutting roughly $1.5 trillion in government spending, the United States still has over $36 trillion in debt and has spent $1.05 trillion more than it has collected in fiscal year 2025, according to the Treasury Department.
"I think the most essential truth in American politics is that nobody actually really cares about the national debt or deficit. It’s too abstract to saturate public sentiment," Fox News Digital columnist David Marcus said after the bill passed.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire on Thursday became the first state in New England to ban so-called sanctuary cities.
"There will be no sanctuary cities in New Hampshire, period, end of story," Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte said at a bill signing ceremony at the state Capitol.
Speaking with Fox News Digital minutes later, Ayotte noted that the measures she signed "ban sanctuary cities in New Hampshire but also allow cooperation between all of our law enforcement and federal immigration authorities."
New Hampshire joins a growing number of states in banning sanctuary cities, which is a term used to describe jurisdictions that put some limits on cooperating with efforts by federal authorities to deport illegal immigrants.
Ayotte, a former state attorney general who later served six years representing New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate, made banning sanctuary cities a key element in her successful 2024 run for governor. Ayotte's campaign slogan was "Don't Mass up New Hampshire," as she took aim at neighboring Massachusetts' more lenient migrant policies.
"I campaigned on making sure we would not have sanctuary cities here in New Hampshire, and we don’t want to go the way of Massachusetts that has had a billion-dollar illegal immigration crisis," the governor said in her national digital exclusive interview with Fox News.
Ayotte noted that she supports "legal immigration, but when people aren’t following our laws, we need to enforce our laws and this is about public safety."
"New Hampshire is ranked the safest state in the nation, and I was glad I was able to sign the bill banning sanctuary cities to make sure we remain that way," the governor added.
The two bills were passed in the GOP-dominated state legislature mostly along party lines.
State Sen. Bill Gannon, the top sponsor in the state Senate, said that the measures would "make us an even safer place to work, live, and raise a family."
And state Rep. Joe Sweeney, the lead House sponsor, said that "we are taking the handfcuffs off our law enforcement officers, and hopefully they’ll be able to work with our federal government, ICE, to put the handcuffs on the criminal illegal aliens that are violating and disobeying our laws."
President Donald Trump repeatedly took aim at sanctuary cities as he made the issue of illegal immigration a key component to his successful 2024 campaign to win back the White House.
And Trump last month signed an executive order putting some muscle behind his threat to pull federal funding from sanctuary cities.
Some Democrats in New Hampshire, who opposed the measure, pointed to Trump's efforts in the nation's capital.
"What this bill does, under the guise of enabling New Hampshire law enforcement to support federal immigration efforts, is to make our state a willing accomplice in a politically manufactured campaign of state terrorism against a group of people, the vast majority of whom came here not to victimize America, but because they love America and they believe America is good," state Rep. David Meuse told reporters.
But Ayotte, asked about the lack of support from across the political aisle for the two bills, said, "I don’t understand where the Democrats are on these policies."
According to the New Hampshire Municipal Association, there are no sanctuary cities in the state, while a handful of cities and towns in the state have described themselves as "welcoming cities" that encourage a welcoming environment for all people, regardless of their race, ethnicity or origin.
But state Republican lawmakers pointed to between nine and 12 cities and towns in New Hampshire that they have identified over the years as welcome or sanctuary cities.
FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators John Cornyn and Chuck Grassley and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar are rolling out a bipartisan measure to protect sensitive genetic data in response to privacy concerns sparked by 23andMe's bankruptcy, Fox News Digital has learned.
Cornyn, R-Texas; Grassley, R-Iowa; and Klobuchar, D-Minn., are introducing the Don’t Sell My DNA Act, which would safeguard customers’ sensitive genetic information when an entity that maintains data files for bankruptcy. The bill would add genetic information to the definition of "personally identifiable information" in the bankruptcy code.
Under current law, the bankruptcy code provides protections for personally identifiable information in bankruptcy court proceedings to prevent the possibility of identity theft, harm or other unlawful injury.
Senate aides told Fox News Digital the current definition of personally identifiable information includes an individual's name, address, email, phone number, Social Security number, credit card numbers and other information that could be used for identification purposes.
Those aides said the definition is "outdated" and does not include a reference to genetic information, leaving the information vulnerable.
"This legislation would solve this problem by updating the definition of ‘personally identifiable information’ in the bankruptcy code to include genetic information," a Senate aide said.
The bill also addresses consumer privacy concerns by having consumers affirmatively consent to the sale or lease of their genetic information after a bankruptcy case commences and requiring companies to provide prior written notice of the use, sale or lease of their genetic information during bankruptcy.
The bill also requires the trustee or debtor in possession to delete any genetic information not subject to a sale or lease.
"Advances in DNA testing have allowed Americans to have unprecedented access to important insights about their genetics, but these companies must have a plan to protect this data in the event of bankruptcy," Cornyn told Fox News Digital.
"By updating the bankruptcy code, this legislation would safeguard Americans’ sensitive genetic information to ensure it cannot be weaponized against them or made public without their knowledge and consent."
And Klobuchar said companies "have profited off of Americans’ data while consumers have been left in the dark, which is especially concerning in light of reports that 23andMe plans to sell customer genetic data assets to a large pharmaceutical company."
"This bill will put new protections in place to safeguard Americans’ privacy while giving consumers greater control over how their sensitive health data is shared," Klobuchar said.
Grassley told Fox News Digital consumers should "feel confident that any personal information shared with a public company isn't up for grabs when that company files for bankruptcy."
Grassley told Fox News Digital the bill "would fill gaps in current law to help safeguard consumers' genetic information and ensure Americans' DNA isn't treated like any other financial asset."
On Monday, 23andMe announced Regeneron Pharmaceuticals would purchase 23andMe through a bankruptcy auction.
Senate aides said Regeneron promises to "protect consumer information, but the data privacy concerns for future bankruptcies remain."
The genetic testing company 23andMe, once a pioneer in consumer DNA testing, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March amid financial struggles, a leadership shakeup and growing concerns about the security of its customers' genetic data.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced it will acquire "substantially all" of genetic testing company 23andMe's assets.
The pharmaceutical company said it won the court-supervised auction of the genetic testing company, with Regeneron agreeing to pay $256 million for the assets. The auction for 23andMe was part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection it filed in March to arrange a sale of its business.
In its bankruptcy petition, the company estimated a range of $100 million to $500 million for its assets. Estimated liabilities were the same.
The pharmaceutical company is buying 23andMe’s personal genome service and its health and research services segments, according to 23andMe.
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican is hoping to ensure that families of fallen loved ones can mourn at their gravesides on federal holidays, days they are usually closed to visitation.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is introducing legislation Thursday that would require the more than 170 cemeteries overseen by the federal government to stay open during legally recognized holidays, including Memorial Day, Christmas, Independence Day and others.
Cemeteries operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and National Parks Service are typically closed during major holidays, save for Arlington National Cemetery, which is open on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but closed for all other holidays.
Daines said in a statement to Fox News Digital that holidays like Memorial Day give Americans "the opportunity to remember all those brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms."
"Our national cemeteries should be open on these special days, so that family and friends can pay their respects to their loved ones," he said. "I’m proud to introduce this bill to ensure that our fallen service members can receive the tributes and honor that they deserve."
The federal government began operating national cemeteries during the Civil War in the early 1860s to offer final resting places for fallen Union soldiers, according to the National Park Service.
The practice has since grown into over 170 different national cemeteries operated by three government agencies, the Department of Defense, the VA and the National Park Service. Not every state, however, has a national cemetery.
Montana, which Daines represents in the Senate, is home to two national cemeteries: the Fort Missoula Post Cemetery and Yellowstone National Cemetery.
One of the nation's most highly ranked high schools is once again in the spotlight over its admissions policies after the U.S. Department of Education announced it would be launching an investigation into the matter.
The announcement comes after the state's Republican Attorney General, Jason Miyares, said his office has found reasonable cause after a multi-year investigation determining that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), which is overseen by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) system, operates an admissions process that discriminates against applicants of Asian heritage.
"The Fairfax County School Board made clear its intended outcome was to reduce opportunities for Asian American students—and that’s exactly what occurred," Miyares said. "These students are not statistics. They are sons and daughters, neighbors, classmates and Virginians who deserve equal protection and opportunity under the law."
The controversy began in 2020 when TJHSST made changes to its admissions policies to sensibly promote diversity. This was done through the elimination of standardized testing and application fees for interested students, implementing a holistic review process that considers factors like socioeconomic status and geographical location, and seething aside a certain number of spots for students from each middle school in the county.
In response, parents filed a lawsuit against the district, alleging that the new admissions policy discriminated against asian students. A federal district court subsequently ruled in favor of the parents, but that ruling was later overturned by a federal appeals court.
The U.S. Supreme Court eventually declined to hear the case, effectively cementing the appeals court's ruling. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented and warned of the possible implications the appeals court's ruling could have for other admissions policies at other schools across the country.
Miyares has been investigating TJHSST's admissions policies since 2023, concluding this week that there was reasonable cause to determine FCPS was "discriminating against Asian American students."
According to Miyares, when TJHSST first implemented its new admissions policy, Asian American students made up over 65% of the school's admitted classes. But over a period of just one year, Asian American admissions dropped 19 points, he noted.
"Internal communications confirm that this outcome was intentional. The Board reviewed proposal after proposal until it could guarantee the racial ‘diversity’ the Board was after," Miyares office said. "And in the zero-sum game of school admissions, achieving the Board’s preferred racial balance meant that fewer Asian American students would be accepted."
The Department of Justice said Wednesday it would work with the Department of Education to probe the potential Title VI violation, after Miyares' office referred the matter to them for investigation. The Trump administration has threatened to withhold funding from schools over potentially discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, FCPS said the matter has already been adjudicated by the courts, which it said have determined there is no merit behind the allegations that its admissions policies are discriminatory.
Nonetheless, the statement said the district was reviewing materials from the Attorney General and will issue a more detailed response in the near future.
"This matter has already been fully litigated. A federal appellate court determined there was no merit to arguments that the admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology discriminates against any group of students," the statement read. "Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) division leadership and counsel are currently reviewing the documents released today by the Attorney General and will issue a more detailed response in the coming days. FCPS remains committed to providing a world-class education for all of our students."
The White House pushed back against questions from a reporter challenging statements by the Trump administration regarding the treatment of White South African farmers — after President Donald Trump showed a video allegedly depicting burial sites of them at the White House on Wednesday.
While hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump aired a video in the Oval Office that showed white crosses that Trump said were approximately 1,000 burial sites of White Afrikaner South African farmers. Trump has claimed these farmers are being killed and forced off of their land.
But Yamiche Alcindor with NBC News questioned White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on the credibility of the video, amid reports that the crosses were from a memorial demonstration following the murder of a White farming couple, not actual burial sites.
"We know that that was not true and that the video wasn't true," Alcindor said during the White House press briefing on Thursday.
Leavitt and Alcindor sparred and talked over one another, with Alcindor asking, "What protocols are in place when there's unsubstantiated information being put out for the world and world leaders?"
Leavitt then stepped in and ended the exchange, claiming the video was not unsubstantiated.
"What's unsubstantiated about the video?" Leavitt said. "The video shows crosses that represent the dead bodies of people who were racially persecuted by their government. In fact, The Associated Press, of all places, has a picture of that very monument in the caption from The Associated Press is ‘Each cross marks a white farmer who has been killed in a farm murder.’"
"So it is substantiated. But it's not just by that video and the physical evidence that everybody saw on display in the Oval Office, but also by another outlet in this from The Associated Press," Leavitt said. "So you should take it up with them if you believe the claim is unsubstantiated. And that's a ridiculous line of questioning."
The crosses depicted were part of a demonstration that occurred after a white, farming couple was killed in 2020, according to The Associated Press, citing local news reports from South Africa.
Trump told Ramaphosa at the White House that the burial sites by the side of the road are visited by those who want to "pay respects to their family member who was killed."
"Have they told you where that is, Mr. President?" Ramaphosa said. "I'd like to know where that is. Because this I've never seen."
"I mean, it’s in South Africa, that’s where," Trump said.
Two young Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed in an antisemitic attack in Washington D.C. Wednesday night.
It was the latest incident being investigated by federal authorities as domestic terrorism.
The U.S. has seen an increase in antisemitic attacks and violent pro-Palestine protests amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
But the incidents of domestic terrorism aren’t limited to antisemitism. Extremists who hold anti-American sentiment have attempted attacks on vehicles, military bases and more.
Here is a breakdown of the domestic terrorism incidents in the U.S. this year:
On Wednesday, May 21, a pro-Palestinian man opened fire outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, two staffers of the Embassy of Israel to the U.S.—a couple set to be engaged—were shot and killed as they left the museum’s event focused on finding humanitarian solutions for Gaza.
Lischinsky was born in Israel and grew up in Germany. His father is Jewish, and his mother is Christian.
Authorities took Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old man from Chicago, into custody. Upon being taken into custody, Rodriguez began shouting, "Free, free Palestine!"
The FBI is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime and investigating any ties to terrorism.
Steven Jensen, the assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office, said in a news conference that the federal law enforcement entity is working alongside the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to "look into ties to potential terrorism or motivation based on a bias-based crime or a hate crime."
On May 17, a bombing took place at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Calif. The bombing killed the suspect and injured four others.
Authorities identified the perpetrator of the incident as a 26-year-old suspect motivated by a fringe ideology known as "pro-mortalism."
"Pro-mortalism," a radical offshoot of anti-natalism, views human reproduction as inherently immoral and embraces death as a moral corrective.
According to federal and local law enforcement, the suspect targeted the American Reproductive Centers facility specifically to destroy human embryos stored on-site.
Surveillance footage and online postings suggest he parked in the rear of the building to remain unnoticed, ingested drugs and then detonated an explosive device – killing himself in the process.
The FBI has classified the bombing as an act of domestic terrorism, citing the ideological motivation behind the violence.
Officials have said that it is the first high-profile case linked to the pro-mortalist ideology and are now monitoring it as a potential emerging threat. Authorities have urged families and communities to remain vigilant for signs of ideological extremism, especially among those who may feel disenfranchised.
Earlier this month, a former Michigan Army National Guard member, Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting near the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) center at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan.
Said planned to carry out the attack on behalf of ISIS.
Said "launched his drone in support of the attack plan" and told an undercover FBI agent in the lead-up to the foiled plot he recommended that "everyone have about seven magazines because you don’t want to be in there and run out of ammo," according to officials.
Said is now facing charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years per count if convicted.
The FBI disrupted the attempted attack, with FBI Director Kash Patel telling Fox News Digital that any individual targeting the U.S. military or conspiring with foreign terrorist organizations will be "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
"Let this be a warning: Anyone who targets our military or conspires with foreign terrorist organizations will be found, stopped and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Patel told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "I commend the men and women of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and our law enforcement partners for their continued dedication to protecting the American people."
Since January, there have been a number of instances of vandalism, arson and targeted shootings against Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations across the nation.
Tesla vehicles and dealerships have been targeted nationwide amid Elon Musk's involvement with the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been focused on slashing wasteful spending and fraud within the federal government. Musk is the co-founder and CEO of Tesla.
The FBI launched a task force to crack down on violent Tesla attacks.
The FBI’s task force was created in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and will coordinate investigative activity.
A threat tag has been created at the FBI to streamline reports and a command post at FBI headquarters has been created. It consists of a joint FBI/ATF task force to mitigate that threat stream.
The FBI is treating the attacks as "domestic terrorism." Attorney General Pam Bondi called the attacks on Tesla "domestic terrorism," and the Department of Justice announced charges against suspects in Tesla arson cases.
Musk spoke out against the "deranged" attacks, suggesting that "there's some kind of mental illness thing going on here, because this doesn't make any sense." The billionaire even alluded to "larger forces" potentially behind the attacks that have sprung up across the nation.
A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from terminating the legal status of international students while a court case challenging previous terminations is pending amid a crackdown on illegal behavior on college campuses.
California U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White barred the government from arresting or incarcerating the plaintiffs and similar students and from transferring any of them outside the jurisdiction of their residence.
His order also prohibits the administration from imposing any adverse legal effect on students and from reversing the reinstatement of the legal status until the case is resolved.
However, students can still be arrested for committing violent crimes.
The government’s actions "wreaked havoc not only on the lives of Plaintiffs here but on similarly situated F-1 nonimmigrants across the United States and continue to do so," said White.
More than 4,700 international students had their permission to study in the U.S. canceled this spring as the Trump administration cracked down on foreign nationals protesting on American university campuses.
Department of Homeland Security officials said they ran the names of student visa holders through an FBI-run database that contains the names of suspects and people who have been arrested, even if the charges were dropped or they were never charged with a crime.
Some students have left the U.S. rather than risk arrest or deportation.
The government contends it was exercising its ability to enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act. DHS officials said the students don't need the court's protection because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reinstated legal status and was mailing status reactivation letters to affected students.
However, White said the erroneous revocations remained on the students' record, impacting their ability to obtain a new visa or change their nonimmigrant status.
Trump has targeted college students and universities amid a crackdown on antisemitism and other illegal behavior.
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said it was eliminating the student visa program at Harvard University due to "pro-terrorist conduct" at campus protests. The Ivy League school has failed to comply with its requests for the behavioral records of student visa holders, DHS said.
"This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. "It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments."
"Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused," she added. "They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country."
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin had just met with one of the slain Israeli Embassy staffers earlier in May, posting to social media Thursday he was "heartbroken" over her shooting by a "Jew-hating radical."
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, two staffers of the Embassy of Israel to the United States who were engaged to be married, were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night.
Zeldin posted to X Thursday afternoon that he had met Milgrim, who was an American employee of the embassy, two weeks ago in his office.
"I just met Sarah two weeks ago in my office at EPA HQ," Zeldin posted. "She struck me as a young woman filled with life and positivity.
"Heartbroken to learn she was one of two tragically murdered last night by a Jew-hating radical screaming ‘Free Palestine,’" he continued. "May Sarah and Yaron rest in peace."
Lischinsky was born in Israel and grew up in Germany. His father is Jewish, and his mother is Christian.
Authorities took Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old man from Chicago, into custody. Upon being taken into custody, Rodriguez began shouting: "Free, free Palestine."
President Donald Trump has not directed his administration to declassify documents related to former President Joe Biden's health and an alleged "cover-up" of the 46th president's slipping mental acuity while commander in chief, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.
"The president can declassify anything that he wants. Has he looked to see if there are any records here that would contradict what we've been told about Joe Biden's decline?" Fox News' Peter Doocy asked Leavitt during a press briefing Thursday.
"He has not directed anyone, to my knowledge, to look into that," Leavitt responded. "But, surely, I can ask him if he intends to."
Biden's health is back in the national spotlight after audio recordings of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur were released Friday. The recordings showed the former president tripping over his words, slurring sentences, taking long pauses between answers and struggling to remember key moments in his life, including the year his son Beau Biden died of cancer.
Hur led an investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents after Biden's departure as vice president during the Obama administration. Hur announced in February 2024 he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, saying Biden is "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
Biden's office revealed Sunday the former president was battling an "aggressive" prostate cancer that had metastasized.
After the election cycle, a handful of books documenting the 2024 election cycle and Biden's apparent health decline have hit store shelves claiming that Biden staffers were aware of and fretted about the president's mental decline, but publicly promoted him as physically and mentally fit to serve as president. Fox News Digital has extensively covered concerns about Biden's mental acuity and health dating back to the 2020 election cycle.
"I think the president has spoken on this pretty extensively," Leavitt added at the news conference. "And I have spoken about it extensively from this podium as well, how it was truly one of the worst political scandals this country has ever seen, that the previous administration covered up the decline in the former president's mental and physical ability. And it's now all coming out. But the American people knew the truth, and that's one of the many reasons why President Trump won the election on Nov. 5."
Doocy asked Leavitt specifically about the Biden administration's use of an autopen, which Trump has argued was used by Biden staffers to sign official White House documents without Biden's approval.
"Specifically, (Trump) talks about the autopen. He thinks that staffers were using this autopen. Is there some kind of, like a badge, that you have to swipe to use an autopen? Is there a record of that?" Doocy asked.
"I can tell you here at this White House, the president signs any document that has legal implications," Leavitt responded. "The president signs every executive order. He signs every proclamation. He signs pretty much every document that is needed for the president's signature, with the exception of maybe some letters to children. From what we have heard and seen, that was not the case in the previous administration. And the president is raising good questions that are worth looking into."
Autopen signatures are automatically produced by a machine, as opposed to an authentic, handwritten signature.
The conservative Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project first investigated the Biden administration's use of an autopen earlier this year and found that the same signature was on a bevvy of executive orders and other official documents, while Biden’s signature on the document announcing his departure from the 2024 race varied from the apparent machine-produced signature.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday declared that the Democratic Party "has never been more radical and out of touch with the needs of the American people" after voting against President Donald Trump’s "one big, beautiful bill."
"Every single Democrat in the House of Representatives voted against all of these common-sense and massively popular policies. The Democrat Party has never been more radical and out of touch with the needs of the American people," she said. "The one big, beautiful bill is the final missing piece toward ushering the Golden Age of America. The Senate should pass this as quickly as possible and send it to President Trump's desk for a final signature."
Leavitt hailed the legislation as "delivering the largest tax cut in American history for middle-class families, the working class and small businesses."
The Trump administration and Republicans hope to reduce the national debt with the bill by cutting approximately $1.5 trillion in government spending. The U.S. government is over $36 trillion in debt and has spent $1.05 trillion more than it has collected in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department.
Leavitt also said it will "permanently secure the border by delivering the largest border security investment in history, funding at least 1 million annual removals of illegal aliens to carry out the largest deportation campaign ever, finishing the Trump border wall and giving pay raises and bonuses for our incredible ICE and Border Patrol agents."
"And I don't think he likes to see grandstanders in Congress. ‘What's the alternative?’ I would ask those members of Congress. Did they want to see a tax hike? Did they want to see our country go bankrupt?" Leavitt continued.
"That's the alternative by them trying to vote no. And the president believes the Republican Party needs to be unified. And the vast majority of Republicans clearly are, and are listening to the president. They are trusting in President Trump, as they should, because there's a reason he's sitting in this Oval Office. It's because he's the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party, not just a president for Republicans, but all Americans," she added.
"The president's approval rating is at an all-time high right now. That's because he knows how to deliver, and Republicans like Thomas Massie and others should take note," Leavitt also said.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Elizabath Elkind contributed to this report.
Those responsible for the fatal attack against two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C., Wednesday will be prosecuted to the "fullest extent of the law," according to the White House.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were departing an event at the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday evening when a gunman opened fire and killed them. The two were slated to get engaged next week in Jerusalem, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a White House press briefing.
A pro-Palestinian man authorities identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago was arrested, according to officials.
"The evil of antisemitism must be eradicated from our society," Leavitt told reporters Thursday. "I spoke to the attorney general this morning. The Department of Justice will be prosecuting the perpetrator responsible for this to the fullest extent of the law. Hatred has no place in the United States of America under President Donald Trump. Everyone here at the White House is praying for the victims, friends and families during this unimaginable time."
Yaron, born in Israel but who grew up in Germany, has a father who is Jewish. However, his mother is a Christian and the family is considered Christian. Milgrim was an American employee the Israeli embassy employed.
"These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!" he wrote in a Truth Social post. "Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!"
Likewise, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that those responsible for the attack would encounter consequences.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the murder of two staff members from the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC. Our prayers are with their loved ones. This was a brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence. Make no mistake: we will track down those responsible and bring them to justice," Rubio wrote on X on Thursday.
Additionally, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin said he met Milgrim in May at his agency's headquarters.
"I just met Sarah two weeks ago in my office at EPA HQ. She struck me as a young woman filled with life and positivity," Zeldin said in a post on X. "Heartbroken to learn she was one of two tragically murdered last night by a Jew-hating radical screaming ‘Free Palestine’. May Sarah and Yaron rest in peace."
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is eliminating the student visa program at Harvard University due to "pro-terrorist conduct" at campus protests, Fox News Digital has learned.
It's a severe consequence for what DHS claims is Harvard's refusal to comply with its requests for behavioral records of student visa holders.
"This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. "It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country."
Harvard may no longer enroll foreign students in the 2025-2026 school year, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status to reside in the U.S. before the next academic year begins.
"As a result of your brazen refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas rhetoric, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege," Noem wrote in a letter to Maureen Martin, the university’s director of immigration services.
Noem offered Harvard 72 hours to provide the information requested for an opportunity to regain its visa program for the next school year.
She called the move the "direct result of Harvard’s epic failure to comply with simple reporting requirements."
Harvard, meanwhile, asserted the termination was "unlawful."
"The government’s action is unlawful. We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably. We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission," university spokesperson Jason Newton told Fox News Digital.
The records requested include any footage of protest activity involving students on visas and the disciplinary records of all students on visas in the last five years.
Noem said last month she had requested records related to visa-holding students enrolled in the university and Harvard’s counsel did not provide adequate information to meet the demand. After the DHS general counsel asked again for the information, Harvard provided an "insufficient, incomplete and unacceptable response," she said.
"Consequences must follow to send a clear signal to Harvard and all universities that want to enjoy the privilege of enrolling foreign students, that the Trump administration will enforce the law and root out the evils of antisemitism in society and campuses," said Noem.
Requested records also include footage or documentation of illegal, dangerous or violent activity by student visa holders, any records of threats or the deprivation of rights of other students or university personnel.
Harvard could not immediately be reached for comment.
Last month, Harvard announced it would allow foreign students to accept admission to both Harvard and a foreign university as backup amid the Trump administration’s threats to move to block Harvard’s authorization to host them. Typically, students must accept enrollment at Harvard by May 1 and can’t commit to another university.
At least a dozen Harvard students have had their authorization to study in the U.S. revoked over campus protest activity.
The Trump administration has already frozen close to $3 billion in federal funding to the university, largely dedicated to research, and launched investigations across the departments of Justice, Education and Health and Human Services. They claim that Harvard has failed to address campus antisemitism and eradicate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in its policies.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress this week that the State Department had probably revoked "thousands" of student visas by this point and would "proudly" revoke more.
"We're going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities," he said Tuesday. "A visa is a privilege, not a right."
The crackdown on university policies comes after a wave of pro-Gaza student protests and encampments swept schools across the nation since the beginning of Israel’s offensive campaign to eradicate Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks to pressure university administrations to divest from Israel.
