FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump signed a memo Thursday directing government agency heads to ask federal judges to require financial guarantees to hold "activist" groups that sue the government financially responsible if an injunction is found to be unnecessary.
The memo comes as the Trump administration faces more than 90 lawsuits stemming from executive orders, memos and executive proclamations issued since Jan. 20 that legal groups, labor organizations, and other state and local plaintiffs are challenging.
Specifically, the memo instructs federal agencies to coordinate with Attorney General Pam Bondi to request federal courts adhere to a rule that mandates financial guarantees from those requesting injunctions.
While federal judges ultimately have the final say on whether these financial guarantees are required, the Department of Justice can request under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c) that judges implement the rule to require financial guarantees from plaintiffs that are equal to the potential costs and damages the federal government would incur from a wrongly issued preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order.
The memo signed Thursday applies to all lawsuits seeking preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders "where the government can demonstrate monetary harm from the requested relief," according to a White House fact sheet.
"Agencies must justify security amounts based on reasoned assessments of harm, ensuring courts deny or dissolve injunctions if plaintiffs fail to pay up, absent good cause," the White House said in the fact sheet obtained by Fox News Digital.
As a result, the White House said the order will rule in "activist judges" and keep "litigants accountable."
"Unelected district judges have issued sweeping injunctions beyond their authority, inserting themselves into executive policymaking and stalling policies voters supported," the White House said in its fact sheet.
The lawsuits challenging the Trump administration already have started to make their way up to the Supreme Court. For example, the high court issued a 5-4 ruling Wednesday upholding a district judge’s order requiring the Trump administration to pay almost $2 billion in foreign aid money.
The Supreme Court said that since the district court’s Feb. 26 deadline for the Trump administration to pay the USAID funding contracts has expired it directed the case back to the lower court to hash out future payment plans.
"Given that the deadline in the challenged order has now passed, and in light of the ongoing preliminary injunction proceedings, the District Court should clarify what obligations the Government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order, with due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines," the Court said.
Fox News’ Kerri Urbahn and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., is asking the FBI to look into California's high-speed rail project, which is already facing a compliance audit from the Department of Transportation.
Kiley says no rail has been constructed since the project kicked off 17 years ago, and the projection that it could cost $100 billion above previous estimates raises red flags.
"This malfeasance leads to questions that transcend mere incompetence. How is it possible to have spent over $13 billion without a single station opening? Where have these funds gone? Who benefited?" Kiley wrote in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel Tuesday.
"Because the project has consumed billions in federal funding, the FBI has both the authority, and I would argue the responsibility, to pursue these questions and deliver answers to the American people. The Public Integrity Division is uniquely qualified to root out any corruption, recover stolen funds, and restore confidence that our tax dollars are being stewarded carefully."
The FBI declined to comment on the request.
"We welcome this investigation & look forward to working with federal partners. CA High-Speed Rail has been audited over 100x, every dollar is accounted for & progress is real - 50 structures built, 14,600 jobs created & 171 miles under construction," the California High-Speed Rail Authority posted to X in response.
"Full speed ahead!"
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Los Angeles last month to rail against the bullet train efforts after it received billions in federal taxpayer funding.
"For too long, taxpayers have subsidized the massively over-budget and delayed California High-Speed Rail project," Duffy said in a statement at the time.
"President Trump is right that this project is in dire need of an investigation. That is why I am directing my staff to review and determine whether the CHSRA has followed through on the commitments it made to receive billions of dollars in federal funding. If not, I will have to consider whether that money could be given to deserving infrastructure projects elsewhere in the United States."
Although rail has not been built, other construction projects related to it have caused issues for some California residents, including one in Madera County, where an overpass is being built so close to a house that a survey obtained by Fox News Digital labeled it encroachment.
President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) flipped a question about vaccine processes around onto a top Democratic senator during his confirmation hearing on Thursday, advising them to ask former President Joe Biden why he skipped a key step when it came to the COVID-19 booster.
Dr. Marty Makary, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor and former Fox News medical contributor, went before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), during which he answered questions regarding vaccines, chronic illness, food safety and abortion.
"So if you are confirmed, will you commit to immediately reschedule that FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting to give the expert views?" Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., asked Trump's FDA pick.
Her question came in reference to an FDA vaccine meeting that was reportedly postponed at the last minute.
"I would reevaluate which topics deserve a convening of the advisory committee members on [Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee] and which may not require a convening," Makary replied, noting he was not a part of the decision.
Asked again by Murray, the FDA commissioner nominee said, "Well, you can ask the Biden administration that chose not to convene the committee meeting for the COVID vaccine booster."
In 2021, Biden's administration notably pushed through FDA approval for a COVID-19 booster for everyone over the age of 18. Per a press release at the time, "The FDA did not hold a meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on these actions as the agency previously convened the committee for extensive discussions regarding the use of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines and, after review of both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s EUA requests, the FDA concluded that the requests do not raise questions that would benefit from additional discussion by committee members."
At the time, committee member Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia remarked, "We’re being asked to approve this as a three-dose vaccine for people 16 years of age and older, without any clear evidence if the third dose for a younger person when compared to an elderly person is of value."
Fox News Digital asked Murray whether she was similarly concerned by Biden's decision. The senator said in a statement, "In 2022, I had confidence that our public health agencies were following the latest science and listening to public health experts. I do not have that confidence now."
"We’re talking about Trump and RFK Jr. canceling a routine meeting that has taken place annually, for at least 30 years, to make recommendations for which influenza strains should be included in the flu vaccines for the upcoming flu season – there has been zero justification for its cancellation or any information about when it would be rescheduled," she continued. "The flu vaccine is safe, effective, and lifesaving – we need this advisory committee to meet so manufacturers have enough time to prepare the correct vaccines."
Ahead of the Thursday hearing, Murray and fellow HELP Democratic Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland penned a letter to Makary, telling him, "We intend to use your nomination hearing next week to understand whether you support this ill-informed measure to slow critical public health decision-making."
HELP Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., also inquired about the postponed meeting, asking Makary, "How will you ensure that advisory committees remain objective, transparent and still benefiting from the necessary expertise of external experts?"
The nominee told Cassidy, "You have my commitment to review what the committees are doing [and] how they're being used."
"As you know, I was critical when that committee was not convened at all during one of the COVID booster guidance decisions by the FDA," Makary noted.
He recalled that FDA leadership "at the time argued that they're advisory, and we don't have to convene them. That was repeatedly, throughout the Biden administration."
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he's ordered all of his cabinet secretaries to work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to take a ‘scalpel’ on which workers will remain in their jobs.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Elon Musk-led group has "been an incredible success."
"And now that we have my Cabinet in place, I have instructed the Secretaries and Leadership to work with DOGE on Cost Cutting measures and Staffing," he wrote. "As the Secretaries learn about, and understand, the people working for the various Departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain, and who will go. We say the "scalpel" rather than the ‘hatchet.’"
Trump and Musk met with most of the secretaries, with Trump calling the gathering very "positive."
"It’s very important that we cut levels down to where they should be, but it’s also important to keep the best and most productive people," he said. "We’re going to have these meetings every two weeks until that aspect of this very necessary job is done."
DOGE, as well as Musk, has come under heavy scrutiny from Democrats over its cost-cutting measures and attempts to gain access to sensitive data.
On Wednesday, Elon Musk met with a small group of House Republicans where he discussed avenues for cost savings in a quest to find as much as $1 trillion in government waste, people familiar with the discussion told Fox News Digital.
"The executive DOGE team is confident, they think they can get $1 trillion," one lawmaker familiar with the meeting told Fox News Digital. "Now, we'll see, right? And the thing is, he acknowledged that we're going to make mistakes, but we're going to correct them very quickly."
Democrats have accused Trump of giving Musk too much power as he focuses on Trump's promise to make the federal government more efficient.
"Protests will not deter President Trump and Elon Musk from delivering on the promise to establish DOGE and make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers across the country," Harrison Fields, special assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary, told Fox News Digital in a statement on Wednesday.
Fox News Digital's Aubrie Spady and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
A Muslim journalist warned the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that antisemitism has become an "industry" in the United States, and called for the Justice Department to investigate the "malign foreign influence" behind it.
"Antisemitism is now an industry. It is an industry that is being perpetuated, unfortunately, by organizations that even have nonprofit status in America – 501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s," Asra Nomani, founder of the Pearl Project, told Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. "And these are organizations that are belying their own mission in order to use as a Trojan horse this opposition to Israel to perpetuate this hate. These young students that we have are the targets of that hate."
"October 7th became their moment. And what has happened is that, unfortunately, pulling our punches and not recognizing their danger in our society serves no one," Nomani added. "It absolutely does not serve our interests of an inclusive society. An actual inclusive society means that we do not allow hate of any kind, and the kind that we have right now against our Jewish community is of epidemic proportions."
In her opening statement, Nomani detailed the origin of the Pearl Project, a faculty-student investigative project into the murder of Daniel Pearl. Pearl was Nomani's colleague at The Wall Street Journal when they both reported in Pakistan in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was kidnapped and killed by Islamic terrorists, who, Nomani asserted, targeted Pearl for being a descendant of Israel.
"Many people will think that he was targeted because he was Jewish, but an FBI agent went and interviewed the kidnapper, and he said, 'I didn't target him just because he's Jewish. I targeted him because he is a son of Israel,'" Nomani told the committee. "I am here to report to you that in the 22 years since then, I have been investigating the network that has perpetuated the hate that was targeted against Danny. We have called them agitators today, and we have called them protesters, but they have names. They are from organizations that are in a network that I have numbered now at 1,500. This is not a grassroots organization."
Nomani held up posters seen at recent anti-Israel protests and at the Democratic National Convention disseminated by American Muslims for Palestine.
She said the person charged with spraying graffiti that read "Hamas is coming" on the Christopher Columbus statue in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C., during protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit last July was "not just an agitator," but "a man who is the Richmond Director of American Muslims for Palestine." She claimed that other anti-Israel demonstrators were affiliated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
"The hate that killed Danny Pearl on the streets of Karachi is now in our streets. It's on our campuses. It's a frightening network of the far left and the Islamist groups," she said. "Nobody in this room can support their ideals. Their ideals are against individual liberties and free enterprise. They want to destroy the United States of America. They want to destroy Israel. And our young Jewish students on campuses, our younger Danny's, are in their crosshairs."
Nomani continued: "We must recognize this existential threat. It is a vast network. We must investigate them. We must have them register with the Foreign Agent Registration Act when they are doing the work of these malign foreign actors that want to destroy America. And we must support Muslim reform movement leaders who want to stand up with our Jewish brothers and sisters."
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, later questioned another witness about the funding of antisemitism in the United States.
"Is it clear that there is significant money funding these attacks on Jewish students and attacks on America?" Cruz asked Dr. Alyza Lewin, president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights.
"It is clear that there is coordination and there must be some common funding," Lewin responded.
Lewin said she was not aware of any investigations under the Biden Justice Department to follow the money behind antisemitic activities, and neither was she aware of anyone being indicted over the flow of funding. Cruz again asked whether Lewin was aware of any university or institution having Title VI federal funds cut off because they "tolerated, welcomed" or "had their own officials cheering on" antisemitism, and the witness said she was not.
As for the free speech argument, Cruz also suggested that universities would bring swift punishment against people who dared to dress as Ku Klux Klan members on campuses.
"They should expel them. If they're foreign students, they should be deported. And, mark my words, if you are horrified at the antisemitism, you will see the Trump Department of Justice follow the money, prosecute the people who are paying for this, prosecute those engaged in violence, and cut off the money from universities that are tolerating and celebrating this," Cruz said. "That is the rule of law. And ask yourself, 'Why did the Biden Justice Department do absolutely nothing about this horror that is unfolding?'"
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., bucked his party this week, criticizing fellow Democrats for not standing for 13-year-old cancer survivor DJ Daniel during President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress.
"I don't know why we can't fully celebrate," Fetterman told Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital. "I mean, I have a 13-year-old myself, and thank God she's never had cancer, but I think that's something we can all celebrate there. And I think it was a touching moment. And, like I said, that's part of the best of the American experience."
Fox News Digital reached out to 30 Democratic lawmakers about why they did not stand for DJ Tuesday night but only received six responses.
Fetterman also said in an X post that Democrats' inaction "only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained." Some Democratic lawmakers said their feelings against Trump were the reason they did not stand for DJ.
"You know, that is a very individual thing. And aren't there a lot of other things we can be focusing on, as I would think?" Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said when asked why Democratic members did not stand for DJ. "The word betrayal comes to mind with regard to the president."
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, "We all stood when the president entered, which I think is appropriate. And I think, frankly, by and large showed him respect to the office."
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said it "was a moving story," but that "what Trump left out, of course, is he's cutting research for cancer, which is pretty, pretty bad."
"Our hearts are with the Riley family on the loss of their daughter and inspired at Devarjaye 'DJ's' story. It shouldn't be confused with the disdain we have for President Trump's divisive and strident voice," Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, told Fox News Digital.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said she "clapped and was touched – not rolling my eyes," while Trump introduced the boy.
"After the Secret Service gave him his [badge] and he sat back down, but then he reached back up and hugged the Secret Service chief, it made me cry. I had tears. I was wiping a freaking tear," Dingell said.
Republican lawmakers criticized their Democratic colleagues for remaining seated during DJ's big moment, calling it "childish" that they refused to stand for the boy.
"The Democrats really embarrassed themselves. I mean, they wouldn't even stand up for DJ, who survived cancer," Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Fox.
"I was so disappointed that my Democratic colleagues couldn't stand and show love for some of the Americans that were recognized tonight. That was really heartbreaking to me," said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala.
Despite the tepid response from Democrats, chants of "DJ!" erupted in the House chamber Tuesday night as Trump directed Secret Service Director Sean Curran to designate the 13-year-old an honorary Secret Service agent. DJ's father, Theodis, held DJ over his shoulders as the boy showed off his new badge to the chamber.
"Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. His name is DJ Daniel. He is 13 years old. He has always dreamed of becoming a police officer himself. But in 2018, DJ was diagnosed with brain cancer. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true, and DJ has been sworn in as an honorary law enforcement officer," Trump said.
"Tonight, DJ, we're going to do you the biggest honor of them all. I am asking our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service."
President Donald Trump's Labor Secretary nominee, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, advanced past her last procedural vote on Thursday, teeing up a final confirmation vote next week.
She is now one step closer to becoming the secretary of the Department of Labor, and she will face a final vote on Monday.
She recently managed to get past the key Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) with bipartisan backing. There was initially some uncertainty whether her nomination would be reported out favorably, as Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had pledged to oppose her.
Chavez-DeRemer ultimately received 14 votes to advance from the committee last month, with 9 senators opposing.
She earned the votes of Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., in addition to nearly all Republicans, except for Paul.
In a previous statement announcing her support prior to the committee vote, Hassan said, "The Department of Labor plays an integral role in supporting workers and small businesses alike, and after hearing significant support from constituents, including members of labor unions in New Hampshire, I will support Representative Chavez-DeRemer's nomination as Secretary of Labor."
"Though we may not agree on everything, after meeting with Representative Chavez-DeRemer and listening to her testimony during her confirmation hearing, I believe that she is qualified to serve as the next secretary of labor, and I look forward to working with her to support New Hampshire's workers and small businesses," she continued.
After attending Trump's joint address to Congress on Tuesday, she told Fox News Digital she was "grateful" to have gotten some Democratic support in committee.
During her hearing, Chavez-DeRemer was questioned over her past support for the controversial Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would effectively kill state-level laws that bar employers and unions from requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of their employment. Republicans have long opposed overturning such Right-to-Work laws at the state level.
Trump's labor pick recently walked back her support for the policy as she was questioned by senators. "Like President Trump, I believe our labor laws need to be updated and modernized to reflect today's workforce and the business environment," she said during the hearing.
"As a member of Congress, the PRO Act was the bill to have those conversations that mattered deeply to the people of Oregon's 5th congressional district. I recognize that that bill was imperfect, and I also recognize that I am no longer representing Oregon as a lawmaker."
President Donald Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense project will require a whole-of-government effort on par with the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb, according to a Space Force general.
"This is on the order of magnitude of Manhattan Project, and it’s going to take concerted effort from the very top of our government. It's going to take a national will to bring all this together," Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force, told a gathering of defense industry experts on Wednesday.
The ‘Golden Dome’ idea stemmed from Israel's Iron Dome. With the help of the U.S., it employs an invisible boundary that triggers interceptors when short-range missiles are fired toward its territory.
But the Golden Dome has proved a more daunting project for guarding the U.S., which is close to 500 times the size of Israel and would likely be threatened more by long-range than short-range missiles.
Guetlein said the project will require unprecedented cooperation across the defense and intelligence agencies.
"We are in full planning mode," the official said at the National Security Innovation Base Summit hosted by the Ronald Reagan Institute. "We owe an answer back to the White House by the end of the month on what our thoughts are."
The Golden Dome would need to protect the U.S. from a range of threats – including hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles, advanced cruise missiles. Early detection would rely on space-based sensors that would trigger rapid-response missile interceptors.
"It’s going to be a heavy lift across all the organizations that are going to be participating. And what we’ve got to really push back on are the organizational boundaries and the cultures that are going to try to slow us down or to prevent us from working together," Guetlein said.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is "really good at protection of the homeland from an ICBM," according to Guetlein, but they need the Space Force to build space capabilities, and the Air Force and Army to manage counter-drone systems.
The National Reconnaissance Office, which operates the U.S.’s spy satellites, also has space capabilities needed for homeland protection.
Guetlein said the nation would have to "break down the barriers" between Title 10 and Title 50 of the United States Code, the federal laws that govern the nation’s defense and clandestine operations.
"Without a doubt, our biggest challenge is going to be organizational behavior and culture to bring all the pieces together," Guetlein said.
The Golden Dome would be a major step up from the current Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system, which relies on missile interceptors stationed in Alaska and California designed to protect the homeland from a small number of ballistic missiles that could be fired from North Korea.
Guetlein said Iran has provided a "real life example" in the Middle East, where U.S. forces helped thwart a barrage of missiles targeting Israel last year.
"My focus is on building the most powerful military of the future," Trump said. "As a first step, I'm asking Congress to fund a state-of-the-art, 'Golden Dome' missile defense shield to protect our homeland – all made in the USA."
The president claimed that Ronald Reagan had wanted to build such a system, but it wasn’t possible given the technology of the time.
"Israel has it, other places have it, and the United States should have it, too," he said. "This is a very dangerous world. We should have it. We want to be protected. And we're going to protect our citizens like never before."
Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom put distance between himself and his party, and found common ground with influential conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk when the term-limited California governor and possible 2028 presidential contender agreed that biological men in women's sports is "deeply unfair."
"The young man who's about to win the state championship in the long jump in female sports, that shouldn't happen," Kirk said on Newsom's debut episode on his new podcast, "This is Gavin Newsom," on Thursday.
Kirk, a MAGA world rock star and ally of President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. who leads the powerful Turning Point USA youth organization, asked Newsom, "You, as the governor, should step out and say no. Would you do something like that? Would you say no men in female sports?"
"Well, I think it's an issue of fairness," Newsom replied. "I completely agree with you on that. It's deeply unfair."
Kirk further pressed Newsom on whether he would condemn the recent victory of a transgender track athlete with a more than 40-foot jump at Jurupa Valley High School in Southern California.
Newsom - who was ahead of many in his party when, two decades ago, as San Francisco mayor, he defied existing state laws and issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples - didn't directly address the win, but said "it's a fairness issue."
The student, AB Hernandez, won an invitational meet on Feb. 22, booting out a female runner-up who had jumped just over 32 feet in their competition category. Hernandez also took first place in two other events at the meet.
"So that's easy to call out the unfairness of that," Newsom, a Democratic Party torchbearer, said. "There's also a humility and a grace… these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression, and the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with as well."
"So both things I can hold in my hand," the governor continued. "How can we address this issue with the kind of decency that I think you know is inherent in you, but not always expressed on the issue?"
Transgender athletes in California have long been protected prior to Newsom's administration under AB 1266, also known as the School Success and Opportunity Act. The law was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, in August 2013.
However, Senate Bill 132, also known as the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act, allows inmates to request cells and searches that align with their gender identity, which Newsom signed in September 2020.
Newsom's comments in California came as Senate Democrats in Washington D.C. earlier this week voted unanimously to block a GOP-led bill that would prohibit federally funded schools from allowing transgender athletes from participating in women's sports.
Title IX government protections - which cover schools - prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities that receive funding from the federal government.
Democrats argue that policies to restrict transgender athletes’ participation in team sports are a form of discrimination.
There are relatively few transgender athletes competing at the collegiate level. Regardless, Republicans have spotlighted in recent years that transgender women playing in female sports hold an unfair physical advantage.
And the GOP attacked Democrats over transgender issues up and down the ballot on the campaign trail last year. That included a politically cutting ad from Trump's campaign that spotlighted then-Vice President Kamala Harris' support for taxpayer-funded gender transition-related medical care for federal prisoners and detained immigrants.
"It was a great ad," Newsom said in the podcast, which was first reported by Politico. "She didn’t even react to it, which was even more devastating."
Trump signed an executive order titled, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" in February, which said transgender athletes in women sports is "demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls." The order requires institutions receiving federal funding to abide by Title IX and follow the definitions of biological sex.
Newsom noted he has four children, including two daughters, and highlighted that both he and his wife played college-level sports.
"I revere sports, so the issue of fairness is completely legit," Newsom said.
And pointing to Kirk's efforts on the campaign trail, he emphasized the right was "able to weaponize that issue at another level."
Newsom noted that Republicans have been successful in portraying Democrats as out of step with most Americans on the issue.
"We’re getting crushed on it. Crushed. Crushed," he said.
Some Golden State leaders from the left and the right were critical of the governor's comments.
The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, in a statement on social media, charged that "sometimes Gavin Newsom goes for the Profile in Courage, sometimes not. We woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks.All students deserve the academic and health benefits of sports activity, and until Donald Trump began obsessing about it, playing on a team consistent with one’s gender has not been a problem since the standard was passed in 2013."
And Will O'Neil, chair of the Orange County Republican Party, took to social media to claim "the difference between "redefining Newsom" and actual Newsom policies is going to get exposed in these podcasts."
"Entertainment is one thing, governing is different," he added.
Virginia officials hosted a virtual statewide hiring event Wednesday, showcasing at least 10,000 job openings, as Gov. Glenn Youngkin continues to support President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) agenda while offering empathy for people in his state who are affected.
"Virginia is open for business and ready to help you succeed: offering opportunities for anyone navigating a career transition," Youngkin said of the initiative.
"Your experience is invaluable, your skills are transferable, and you have access to a broad range of job opportunities in America's Top State for Business. With our resources and support, we’re here to help you thrive in Virginia’s robust job market."
Youngkin has long touted Virginia’s improved business environment over the three years since Democratic predecessor Ralph Northam left office.
Another recent initiative entailed openly inviting all of Trump’s aides and new hires to settle in Virginia versus the District of Columbia or Maryland due to their higher-ranking schools and overall tax environment.
VirginiaWorks, which doubles as the Virginia Department of Workforce Development, said the fair featured virtual "booths" to meet with prospective employers, job search resources and live video interview opportunities.
Major participants included CACI, a California-founded information technology company now based in Reston, Virginia – as well as Newport News shipbuilders at the other end of the state.
Virginia’s efforts to recruit workers both affected by DOGE’s job cuts and from throughout the other parts of the Old Dominion will continue in earnest, a source familiar told Fox News Digital.
Youngkin said last week he has "extraordinary empathy for the fact that there are many workers in Virginia from our federal workforce who are experiencing real concerns."
With at least 140,000 federal employees in his state, Youngkin said there are a quarter million openings across the Potomac in Virginia, and 100,000 in the DC Metro region of the commonwealth.
Defending DOGE last week in McLean, Youngkin said we "have a federal government that is inefficient, and we have an administration that is taking on that challenge of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse."
Youngkin hails from neighboring Falls Church, where he previously worked as a business executive for the Carlyle Group and has influenced his work in Richmond with his experience in the private sector.
Youngkin’s virtual hiring event and position toward hiring ousted bureaucrats does have its vocal critics, including former top Jeb Bush aide Tim Miller.
Miller, a frequent Trump critic who is largely dissociated from today’s GOP, said on a podcast Wednesday that Youngkin’s move made him "break out in hives," and scoffed at the governor’s "response to many of his constituents getting capriciously fired by 23-year-old vape-ers."
Virginia Democratic Party chairwoman Susan Swecker added in a statement that Youngkin’s support for DOGE shows a "gross misunderstanding of what it means to be jobless and without a paycheck, but he is shamelessly trying to play both sides by pretending to support federal workers while kissing the rings of Donald Trump and Elon Musk."
FIRST ON FOX: The Small Business Administration announced a series of reforms on Thursday aimed at ensuring illegal immigrants don’t receive taxpayer benefits and removing offices from sanctuary cities.
The SBA, led by administrator Kelly Loeffler, said in a press release that it will "put American citizens first by ending taxpayer benefits for illegal aliens."
The agency says that in the coming days it will implement a new policy that requires SBA loan applicants to include citizenship verification provision that will ensure only legal citizens are accessing its programs. The press release explains that lenders will also need to confirm that businesses are not owned in "whole or in part by an illegal alien" in order to be consistent with President Trump’s executive order that prohibits "taxpayer subsidization of open borders."
Six regional offices located in sanctuary cities will also be relocated, according to the press release.
Those offices include locations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City, and Seattle. The agency says that the new locations will be less costly, more accessible, and in areas that "better serve the small business community and that comply with federal immigration law."
"Over the last four years, the record invasion of illegal aliens has jeopardized both the lives of American citizens and the livelihoods of American small business owners, who have each become victims of Joe Biden’s migrant crime spree," Loeffler said.
"Under President Trump, the SBA is committed to putting American citizens first again – starting by ensuring that zero taxpayer dollars go to fund illegal aliens."
Loeffler continued, "Today, I am pleased to announce that this agency will cut off access to loans for illegal aliens and relocate our regional offices out of sanctuary cities that reward criminal behavior. We will return our focus to empowering legal, eligible business owners across the United States – in partnership with the municipalities who share this Administration’s commitment to secure borders and safe communities."
The announcement comes shortly after four Democrat mayors were grilled by Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill over their sanctuary city policies.
President Donald Trump will likely extend his battle against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies into changes of an often overlooked visa program.
"Clearly, we are in a paradigm shift; the manner in which ‘national interest’ is defined, is dynamic and evolving," Joshua Bratter, one of country’s leading authorities on immigration, told Fox News Digital.
The comments come as Trump has continued to fight against DEI policies across the federal government, a battle that is likely to extend into Trump’s revamp of U.S. immigration policies.
Bratter believes part of that shift will be seen in how potential migrants are vetted under the EB-2 Visa National Interest Waiver category, a type of visa that Bratter said "surged" during the Biden administration.
"This category was designed originally for a highly skilled engineer who was building infrastructure in the United States, and it was for an architect and designer of bridges. So you look back to the legislative intent, and it was to provide a category that was expedited and free of the traditional job offers based on advancing a U.S. national interest," Bratter said.
What exactly defines the national interest is likely to change from administration to administration, Bratter noted, arguing that Trump is likely to shift away from the DEI and climate focus of the previous administration.
"This administration, as they had in their prior term, reflected interest in areas like space exploration, military defense, military exploration, space exploration, emerging technologies, use of artificial intelligence for the purposes of optimization and efficiency in the workplace," Bratter said.
That is a shift away from Biden, who focused more on "sustainable energy, renewable energy, areas of climate."
"These are areas that this administration has indicated do not reflect U.S. national interests. And national interest is a very niche, specialized area that focuses on a unique class of individuals," Bratter said.
Bratter also pointed to the Trump administration’s interest in cryptocurrency and its broader move toward overall efficiency in government overall with the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
"When you have an administration that has included in issues like DOGE and efficiency and emerging technology and the idea of potentially a crypto reserve within the dialog of their goals, you begin to see that the national interest may begin to shift to reflect goals that are consistent with those objectives," Bratter said.
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., has filed a resolution to punish the Democrats who derailed House floor proceedings as Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was censured on Thursday.
"We have a country to run. The failed policies of Joe Biden is why they lost the House, why they lost the Senate, why they lost the presidency. They can lick their wounds all day, but they still have to behave on the House floor," Ogles told Fox News Digital in a brief interview.
"We can disagree on issues and politics, but we're gonna respect one another, and I'm tired of this crap."
Ogles' resolution is aimed at stripping committee assignments from the Democratic lawmakers who temporarily plunged the House into chaos on Thursday.
He told Fox News Digital that he intends to deem the resolution "privileged," meaning House leaders will have two legislative days to take the measure up.
It could be voted on as early as next week, when Ogles is planning on broaching the matter with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
All but 12 House Democrats voted against censuring Green for disrupting President Donald Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. Ten Democrats voted with Republicans to reprimand Green, while two, including the Texas lawmaker himself, voted "present."
Before the formal censure could be read out to Green, however, Democrats upended House floor proceedings by gathering with the Texas Democrat and singing "We Shall Overcome." Johnson was forced to call the House into a recess after failing multiple times to quell the protest.
The House floor briefly descended into chaos as a small group of Republicans and Democrats continued confronting each other, with one Republican heard calling Democrats "embarrassing" for their behavior.
Ogles' resolution, first obtained by Fox News Digital, directs the House Sergeant-at-Arms to "provide a determination" of "which members ignored the speaker's directive to leave the well of the House."
"Upon submission of that list to the speaker," they would be "removed from any standing committee on which they currently serve for the remainder of the 119th Congress," the text said.
Ogles first posted his intent to file his resolution on X.
"The speaker, he's a good man, he's a Christian man. He has a kind heart. With grace gave them the opportunity to stop and they refuse to do so," Ogles told Fox News Digital. "So, look, if you wanna act like a petulant child on the House floor and you're giving a warning and a reprimand, and you choose not to stop, then actions need to be taken."
Green was removed from Trump's joint address to Congress on Tuesday night after repeatedly disrupting the beginning of the president's speech.
He shouted, "You have no mandate!" at Trump as he touted Republican victories in the House, Senate and White House.
Johnson had Green removed by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
The 77-year-old Democrat was unrepentant when given the chance to speak out in his defense on Wednesday.
"I heard the speaker when he said that I should cease. I did not, and I did not with intentionality. It was not done out of a burst of emotion," Green said. "I think that on some questions, questions of conscience, you have to be willing to suffer the consequences. And I have said I will. I will suffer whatever the consequences are, because I don't believe that in the richest country in the world, people should be without good healthcare."
The U.S. military is having trouble carrying out President Donald Trump's order to hold 30,000 migrants in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, U.S. defense officials tell Fox News.
None of the 195 tents set up at the U.S. Naval Station in Guantánamo Bay have been used to house migrants, because they do not meet ICE standards, two U.S. defense officials said.
During his second week in office, Trump ordered the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prepare a migrant detention facility to house 30,000 migrants at Guantánamo Bay. "We have 30,000 beds in Guantánamo to detain the worst criminal aliens threatening the American people," Trump said.
Since that announcement, 256 total illegal migrants have passed through the base, according to U.S. Southern Command. Many of these migrants were labeled as the "worst of the worst" and a threat to the U.S. population, according to the Trump administration. Most of those migrants have been sent back to their home countries.
As of Wednesday, only 20 migrants were being held at the base. Sixteen "high threat illegal aliens" are being held at the detention facility part of the base, also known as Camp 6, and four migrants are being held at a back-up facility due to the inadequacy of the tents. DHS and ICE have not responded to inquiries regarding what criteria is used to evaluate if a migrant is high threat.
The U.S. military was told to set up the tents without clear guidance on what the standards for holding migrants are, two U.S. officials said. The U.S. military has not received specific guidelines on what the tents need to be certified to hold the migrants. The operation to build more tents was halted in February, just several weeks after it started.
"The Department of Defense, in close coordination with our Department of Homeland Security partners, is continuing to prepare the facilities for use. The Department of Defense is committed to ensuring that all individuals housed in these temporary facilities are treated in accordance with DHS/ICE standards," a U.S. defense official said in a statement to Fox News.
U.S. military aircraft have not been used to transport migrants since March 1, and there are currently no flights on U.S. military aircraft scheduled to Guantánamo. However, several migrants were scheduled to arrive in an ICE-chartered aircraft on Wednesday night, two U.S. defense officials said. U.S. Transportation Command has C-17’s and C-130’s ready to support the migrant mission, but has not been asked to conduct any flights in recent days, a U.S. defense official tells Fox News.
"Military airlift is only one option available to DHS to relocate illegal aliens and the DoD stands ready to continue support with additional fights if they are requested," one U.S. defense official said in a statement to Fox News.
Fox’s Laura Ingraham had an exclusive interview with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Maj. Gen. Phil Ryan, the commanding general for the operation at Guantánamo Bay on Feb. 25. While Ingraham was reporting, a C-130 flight arrived from Fort Bliss, Texas, carrying nine "high value" detainees from Guatemala, Honduras, Guinea, Venezuela and Vietnam.
When Ingraham asked why the U.S. military was using such a big plane for nine migrants, Ryan explained there is at least one ICE officer for each migrant, as well as a medical team on board. Hegseth assured that "we have had groups with more than that."
One reason the use of military aircraft has slowed could be due to high cost. A C-17 costs about $28,500 to fly per hour, according to U.S. transportation command. An ICE aircraft costs about $8,500 per flight, per hour, according to a government website.
Notably, a day after Ingraham’s interview, on Feb. 26, nine migrants were sent back to the U.S. Both DHS and ICE have not responded as to why these migrants were sent back or if these were the same migrants that had arrived the day prior.
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump reflected on his first address of his second administration to a joint session of Congress, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that he "felt very comfortable there" and that "even the fake news said good things."
"I felt very comfortable there," Trump told Fox News Digital Thursday morning. "I was very comfortable with the subject matter."
"People liked the delivery," the president continued. "So, it all ended up well."
The president told Fox News Digital that he "got wonderful reviews."
"Even the fake news said good things," Trump told Fox News Digital.
The president spoke for about an hour and 40 minutes – the longest address a president has delivered before a joint session of Congress, according to the American Presidency Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
The president used the address to highlight the accomplishments of his administration thus far, using his infamous "art of the weave" technique to tie each section together.
The theme of the president’s speech was "the Renewal of the American Dream," focusing on border security, the economy, energy, the end of "woke" America, his plans for peace around the world and a strengthened military, and more.
"To my fellow citizens, America is back," Trump declared at the start of his Tuesday speech, prompting the audience to break into chants of "USA, USA, USA."
A CBS News poll found that a large majority of those who watched the president’s address, 76%, approved of his speech.
A CNN poll also showed that at least 7 in 10 Americans who watched said they had at least a "somewhat positive" reaction, with 44% saying they had a "very positive" reaction.
The New York Times also published a piece titled: "What Some Reluctant Trump Voters Thought of His Speech," featuring interviews with a number of Americans – some of whom said his address brought "confidence," "hope" and "empathy."
Meanwhile, the president’s address was interrupted by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who eventually was thrown out of the House Chamber by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
The House of Representatives Thursday, in a bipartisan vote, censured Green for repeatedly disrupting the president’s address.
"He should be censured," Trump told Fox News Digital.
"He should be forced to pass an IQ test because he is a low IQ individual and we don’t need low IQ individuals in Congress," Trump told Fox News Digital, further blasting Green as "a fool and a clown."
"Nobody takes him seriously," Trump told Fox News Digital. "He is an embarrassment to Congress but a much bigger embarrassment to the Democrats."
Green did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The newly minted president of the Kennedy Center, Richard Grenell, took the Broadway star behind the creation of "Hamilton," Lin-Manuel Miranda, to task over a "publicity stunt" he said discriminates against Republican voters and will likely "backfire."
"The American people need to know that @Lin_Manuel is intolerant of people who don’t agree with him politically. It’s clear he and ('Hamilton' producer Jeffrey Seller) don’t want Republicans going to their shows. Americans see you, Lin," Grenell posted to X Wednesday.
Seller and Miranda spoke to the New York Times in a piece published Wednesday afternoon detailing that they canceled a planned production of "Hamilton," a popular rap musical on the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, slated for 2026 due to the Trump administration's policies.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts serves as the national cultural center of the U.S. and is now led by President Donald Trump as its chairman, Grenell and its board of trustees.
"This latest action by Trump means it’s not the Kennedy Center as we knew it," Miranda and Seller told the New York Times in a joint statement. "The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we’re not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center. We’re just not going to be part of it."
Seller claimed that Trump "took away our national arts center for all of us."
"It became untenable for us to participate in an organization that had become so deeply politicized," the musical's producer said. "The Kennedy Center is for all of us, and it pains me deeply that they took it over and changed that. They said it’s not for all of us. It’s just for Donald Trump and his crowd. So we made a decision we can’t do it."
Grennel shot back at the Broadway chiefs, saying they need to "be clear on the facts."
"Seller and @Lin_Manuel first went to the New York Times before they came to the Kennedy Center with their announcement that they can’t be in the same room with Republicans," he wrote on X. "This is a publicity stunt that will backfire."
"The Arts are for everyone — not just for the people who Lin likes and agrees with," he continued.
"Americans see you, Lin."
Fox News Digital reached out to Miranda's press team for additional comment, but did not immediately receive replies. The press office representing "Hamilton" provided Fox Digital with Seller's statement canceling the production at the Kennedy Center when approached for additional comment.
Trump fired a handful of the Kennedy Center's previous board members in February, arguing that they did "not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture." He indicated that the motivation behind firing the former board members was due to the Kennedy Center's drag show performances under the Biden administration that targeted children.
The new Kennedy Center board elected Trump as chairman Feb. 12. Trump appointed Grenell — who became the U.S.'s first openly gay Cabinet member under the first Trump administration when he served as acting director of national intelligence — as interim executive director amid the board shakeup.
Grenell — as well as Trump — has since vowed that he and the Kennedy Center team will usher in the "Golden Age of the Arts."
He previewed during his remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February that the Kennedy Center will now focus on performances "the public want to see," such as Christmas-focused productions in December.
"We have to do the big productions that the masses and the public want to see, we want to have really good programming," Grenell said in February at CPAC. "So the first thing that we’re doing … you’ve got to be at the Kennedy Center in December, because we are doing a big, huge celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas. How crazy is it to think that we’re going to celebrate Christ at Christmas with a big traditional production to celebrate what we are all celebrating in the world during Christmastime, which is the birth of Christ."
Miranda has not shied away from slamming the Trump administration in previous years, including saying on X in 2017 that Trump would be "going straight to hell" amid the administration's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico that year.
Following the Trump-Pence election win in 2016, the cast of "Hamilton" also came under fire when it performed before then-Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Trump demanded the "Hamilton" cast apologize after calling on Pence to "uphold our American values" from the stage.
"We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights," a cast member said in comments aimed at Pence. "We truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us. All of us."
Seller told the New York Times in 2016 that he and Miranda and other cast members wrote the curtain call statement aimed at Pence after they struggled with how to "cope" with Trump's first White House win.
"We had to ask ourselves, how do we cope with this?" Seller said. "Our cast could barely go on stage the day after the election. The election was painful and crushing to all of us here. We all struggled with what was the appropriate and respectful and proper response. We are honored that Mr. Pence attended the show, and we had to use this opportunity to express our feelings."
In 2025, conservatives are celebrating Grenell's response to the "Hamilton" leaders.
The Houston Young Republicans announced on social media Thursday that conservatives in the area should boycott attending productions of the show in March in light of the Kennedy Center cancelation.
"Hamilton canceled its Kennedy Center run, with producer Jeffrey Seller stating, ‘Our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center,’" the group wrote in an Instagram post. "Yet somehow, they have no issue bringing that same production to Houston."
"If they don’t want to perform for conservatives, conservatives don’t need to show up for them," the Republican group added.
A handful of left-leaning performers and celebrities have pulled out of shows at the Kennedy Center since Trump's reelection and serving as the center's board chair.
The center came under scrutiny in February as the media and liberal critics spotlighted that a performance by the Gay Men's Chorus and National Symphony Orchestra slated for May as part of Washington, D.C.'s gay pride celebrations was canceled, with critics attempting to tie the cancelation to the Trump administration. The chorus and orchestra were scheduled to perform a show titled "A Peacock Among Pigeons," based on an LGBT-themed children's book.
The performance, however, was put on the chopping block weeks before the center's leadership change and was canceled due to lack of ticket sales, Fox News Digital learned.
Grenell told Fox Digital in February that the Kennedy Center has no cash on hand, and that he would work to roll out shows that actually sell tickets.
"The Kennedy Center has zero cash on hand and zero dollars in reserves – while taking tens of millions of dollars in public funds," Grenell told Fox News Digital in February. "We must have programs that sell tickets. We can’t afford to pay for content that doesn’t at least pay for itself right now. I wish we didn’t have to consider the costs of production, but we do."
"The good news is that there are plenty of shows that are very popular, and therefore the ticket sales will pay for themselves," Grenell added.
A federal judge blocked New York City’s request for President Donald Trump's administration to return $80 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds allocated for migrant shelters and services.
Judge Jennifer Rearden, from the Manhattan bench on Wednesday, refused to issue New York City a temporary restraining order to claw back the funds because the city did not prove it would suffer irreparable harm without the money.
"We’re disappointed the court did not grant the emergency relief we were seeking while the case continued, and we are evaluating next steps," a New York City Law Department spokesperson told Fox News.
The City of New York filed the lawsuit on Feb. 21 against Trump, FEMA, the Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), arguing the $80 million was already approved and paid out by FEMA.
"This morning, our office learned about the federal government clawing back more than $80 million in FEMA grants applied for and awarded under the last administration, but not disbursed until last week," Mayor Eric Adams, D-N.Y., said in an X post the day the lawsuit was filed.
The lawsuit said the funds were revoked on Feb. 11, after Elon Musk said the Department of Government Efficiency found a $59 million FEMA payment to New York City for luxury hotels used to house illegal migrants. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said she rescinded the funds over concerns that the Roosevelt Hotel is the "Tren de Aragua base of operations."
"I have clawed back the full payment that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels. FEMA was funding the Roosevelt Hotel that serves as a Tren de Aragua base of operations and was used to house Laken Riley’s killer. Mark my words: there will not be a single penny spent that goes against the interest and safety of the American people," Noem said in a X post.
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, a mayoral candidate vying for Adams’ seat, said the Trump administration "stole" the funds.
"Let’s be clear: Donald Trump and his loser lackies—Elon Musk and Kristi Noem—acted illegally when they stole $80 million from New York City’s bank account. Seizing our Congressionally-authorized, FEMA-approved money was nothing more than attempted retribution against immigrants seeking asylum, many of them sent here on buses by Governor Abbott from Texas. Like all of Trump’s illegal efforts to freeze and seize Congressionally-authorized funds, this action harmed taxpayers and working families and would force the City to cut services if not reversed," Lander said in a statement following the ruling on Wednesday.
The ruling came as Adams and his fellow "sanctuary city" Democratic mayors testified about their response to the migrant crisis on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
"I’m here today to testify on how New York City can continue to reduce crime, even as a sanctuary city," Adams told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
"To be clear: A sanctuary city classification does not mean our city will ever be a safe haven for violent criminals. It also does not give New York City the authority to violate federal immigration laws. To the contrary, New York City will always comply with city, state, and federal laws, as it does now," Adams added.
Adams vowed to protect law-abiding New York City residents, regardless of immigration status, while also directing NYPD officers to comply with DHS and ICE. The mayor’s comments reflect his ongoing effort to strike a balance between protecting New Yorkers and coordinating with the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown.
As New York City struggled to keep up with the busloads of migrants entering the city's overwhelmed shelter system, Adams was critical of former President Joe Biden's handling of the migrant crisis.
In his plight against the migrant crisis, Adams has developed a relationship with Trump – holding a private meeting with the president in West Palm Beach, Florida, and then meeting with border czar Tom Homan to discuss the migrant crisis in New York City.
Homan said he would hold Adams to his commitments, telling "Fox & Friends," "If he doesn't come through, I'll be back in New York City, and we won't be sitting on the couch. I'll be in his office, up his butt, saying, 'Where the hell is the agreement we came to?'"
Adams' office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
As a correctional officers' strike stretches into its 17th day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has deployed more than 3,000 National Guard soldiers to guard duty in 41 of the state's 42 prison facilities with no firm end date in sight, a situation some close to the situation say is more perilous in some respects than a combat assignment.
"My husband has done a combat deployment, like he got shot at, and he never once on his combat deployment has he called me up and said, 'Oh my God, I've got to get out of here,'" one wife of a National Guard soldier told Fox News Digital in an interview. "But within like, days, he was like, 'I've got to get out of here.'"
A state Republican legislator whose district includes impacted prisons also shared his concerns with Fox News Digital, complaining that the Guardsmen were thrown into the situation without proper training and fearing that, if injured, they would be ineligible for federal VA benefits.
Hochul assigned National Guard troops to facilities after 15,000 correctional officers (COs) across nearly all of New York's prisons walked off the job on Feb. 17, citing "unsafe" working conditions they blame on the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature in 2022, which they say have led to a surge in inmate-on-guard assaults.
The HALT Act restricts solitary confinement and instead focuses on other rehabilitation methods. Protesters have also been mandated to work 24-hour shifts in some cases, they say, while dealing with violent inmates who are a constant threat of both violence and smuggling in weapons and contraband.
Now, National Guard soldiers who have been thrown into the mix are experiencing long hours without proper training to deal with the inmates – placing them in essentially similar conditions that COs have been protesting – according to a Republican lawmaker who has seven prisons in his district.
"So there's one unit that's a unit of military police, but none of them are trained COs, and a lot of them are very young," state Republican Sen. Daniel Stec told Fox News Digital. "And again, they're strong backs, and they're young and alert, but they're not trained to do this work, and it is intimidating for them."
"They're not in the Middle East doing that, but I've heard anecdotally, a lot of them saying, ‘the situation I was in, I felt less threatened when I was deployed overseas than in a prison in New York state,'" Stec recalled. "And they know that they're walking among criminals, and a lot of them are very dangerous people, and they're not trained for it."
Stec added that the "orders that they're on are indefinite," and he said he is worried because they are "activated on state orders, which means that if they're injured inside one of these facilities, they are not eligible for care from the VA."
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the state's National Guard said the soldiers have received "basic training in the task they're required to conduct" but did not provide details.
Meanwhile, Hochul has threatened legal action and terminations for the thousands of strikers who refuse to return to work. Since the strike was not sanctioned by the government-run COs' union, the strikers are in violation of the state's Taylor Law. The union has encouraged officers to return to work.
In response, hundreds of officers staged a rally in Albany on Tuesday, calling on strikers to "hold the line." It is unclear how many officers have returned to work, but a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision told Fox News Digital that "Notices of termination and cancellation of insurance have begun to be issued to correction officers who have failed to return to work."
One correctional officer who spoke with Fox News Digital said he was terminated and had his health insurance revoked and backdated to Feb. 17, the first day of the protest.
"I would love to be able to have all of this settled, and I can say wholeheartedly talking with all of my fellow employees, we're all in the same boat," the officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said. "We want this done and over with. We don't want to be here. We don't want to do this, but we have spoken out. We have filed grievances. There has been lawsuits all put forth on the state by our union, and the state has ignored all of it. They have ignored our cry for help over the last three years, and now it's gotten to the point that individuals are being assaulted inside of the facilities, having feces and urine thrown at you on a regular basis is not something anybody should have to deal with."
The former CO said strikers want HALT repealed, which can only be done through the legislature. However, Stec said he and his Republican colleagues believe Hochul has the power to suspend the law for a year using emergency powers to properly address the workers' concerns.
Last week, a tentative deal was reached between the New York State Correctional Officers, the government-affiliated corrections officers union, Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) and the state's Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Hochul touted the mediated deal – which included some pay bumps and a temporary emergency suspension to portions of the HALT Act – as a success, but the "wildcat" strikers who were not at the negotiation table generally disapproved of the deal. Thousands continue to strike as a result and hope the legislature convenes to propose changes to the law.
In a letter alongside the agreement, mediator Martin F. Scheinman – who has donated thousands of dollars to state Democrats over the last decade, including to Hochul – proposed a binding "Consent Award" that would formalize agreements reached in mediation and be enforceable by court order.
"There are limitations legally to what would be accomplished in negotiations, not withstanding the wisdom/legitimacy of the demand," Scheinman told Fox News Digital. He declined to comment on his history of political donations.
"They are in violation of the law. We have laws in our books that are supposed to protect us in these situations. Therefore, they are violating New York state law at this moment," Hochul said Tuesday morning.
"They've created very unsafe circumstances. There are serious consequences. We have warned them day after day after day. A lot of warnings, that you could lose your healthcare, the healthcare is gone, people are going to be arrested, you could be going to jail. You've lost your job, you've lost your income, you've lost everything," Hochul said.
Since the strike began, The New York Times reported that seven inmates have died. Additionally, the strike is costing the state more than $3.5 million a day according to an audit from Hochul's budget office.
FIRST ON FOX: One of the top pro-life organizations in the country is deploying resources on the ground in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which has become one of the most closely watched contests in the state's history.
Women Speak Out PAC, a partner of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, announced in a Thursday press release that it is deploying students to contact Wisconsin voters in favor of candidate Brad Schimel, who is the Republican-aligned Supreme Court candidate going up against Susan Crawford, who is aligned with Democrats, in a race that is technically considered nonpartisan.
"Susan Crawford’s track record shows she is an extreme abortion activist, not an impartial judge. She has worked hand in glove with the big abortion industry – led by Planned Parenthood – to wage lawfare against commonsense safeguards for women and babies, including health and safety standards and protections against coercion," Women Speak Out PAC’s political communications director Kelsey Pritchard said in a statement.
Pritchard accused Crawford of using the "same euphemisms" as the abortion industry to mislead voters about her abortion position compared to Schimel, who "has a sound record of respecting the Constitution and checks and balances in our government."
The press release also alleged that Crawford, "defended Planned Parenthood, a multi-billion-dollar abortion business, in their fight against laws requiring abortionists to have hospital admitting privileges and preventing women from being coerced into unwanted abortions."
The student canvassers will be knocking on doors to support Schimel and encourage voter turnout.
"We must defeat Susan Crawford and the radical Left," Pritchard said. "That is why we are deploying our hardworking field team to speak with voters at their doorsteps about the urgency of turning out to vote for Brad Schimel on April 1."
The press release describes Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America as a "network of more than one million pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders."
Although the Supreme Court seats are considered nonpartisan, Crawford, currently a circuit court judge, has earned the endorsement of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which received $1 million from George Soros in January before then sending $2 million to Crawford and various liberal activist groups.
She has also been endorsed by Reproductive Freedom for All, a group that supports abortion rights.
"Wisconsin’s next state Supreme Court justice may be a make-or-break vote to decide whether or not an abortion ban will cut off access to care," Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said last month. "Now that Trump has allowed states to ban abortion, state courts are on the front lines of our fight for reproductive freedom more than ever. We need Judge Crawford who recognizes that abortion is a fundamental right, and we are proud to endorse her in this race."
Schimel, currently a Waukesha County judge, has the backing of the Wisconsin GOP, several top Republican donors, including Chicago Cubs co-owner Joe Ricketts and Elon Musk’s Building America’s Future PAC.
The race is expected to have significant implications on the future of Wisconsin politics given that the court’s current 4-3 liberal majority would essentially be set in stone through 2028 or, if Schimel were to win, become a conservative-leaning court with Justice Brian Hagedorn serving as a key swing vote.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Crawford campaign for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump told Fox News Digital Thursday that Rep. Al Green "should be forced to pass an IQ test because he is a low IQ individual, and we don’t need low IQ individuals in Congress," after the Democrat disrupted his joint session address.
The House of Representatives on Thursday, in a bipartisan vote, censured Green, D-Texas, for interrupting the president’s Tuesday joint session address to Congress.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the president reacted.
"He should be censured," Trump told Fox News Digital.
The president also blasted Green as "a fool and a clown."
"Nobody takes him seriously," Trump told Fox News Digital. "He is an embarrassment to Congress but a much bigger embarrassment to the Democrats."
The 77-year-old Democrat was removed from Trump's joint address to Congress Tuesday night after repeatedly disrupting the beginning of the president's speech.
He shouted, "You have no mandate!" at Trump as he touted Republican victories in the House, Senate and White House.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had Green removed by the U.S. Sergeant-at-Arms.
Green, on Tuesday night, after being thrown out of the House chamber, spoke to the White House press pool and said he was "willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn't say to anyone, 'don't punish me.' I've said I'll accept the punishment."
"But it's worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president's desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security," he said, according to the pool report.
Green did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
