FIRST ON FOX: Roughly 2,300 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) employees have opted to take deferred resignation offers since January, Fox News Digital learned.
"To continue serving the American people at the highest standard, we are taking inventory of all programs and personnel while maintaining a strong workforce that is dedicated to supporting our most vulnerable and promoting pathways to self-sufficiency," Secretary Scott Turner told Fox News Digital Wednesday.
"The Deferred Resignation Program carries out President Trump’s commitment to efficiency in the federal government by providing a pathway for employees to wish to seek new opportunities while also affording the agency an opportunity to streamline our operations."
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offered deferred resignations to federal employees earlier in 2025, which closed in February. The deferred resignation initiative offered staffers eight months of pay and benefits if they parted ways with their federal government jobs.
HUD announced the launch of a second resignation offer March 31 to employees "who wish they had taken" OPM's offer.
Roughly 2,300 HUD employees have taken the deferred resignation offers, with slight fluctuations possible as they iron out final agreements with staffers, Fox Digital learned. Ahead of the Trump administration, HUD employed nearly 10,000 individuals.
"On week 1, President Trump went straight to work on reforming the federal workforce. One option offered to federal employees was a 'fork in the road' to separate from the federal workforce," HUD posted to its official X account March 31.
"The option to take the fork in the road closed on February 12, 2025. Since then, we have heard from staff who wish they had taken it. Today, we’re launching a second Deferred Resignation Program or 'fork in the road' in coordination with OPM that opens today and closes on Friday, April 11, 2025.
Under the Biden administration, HUD reportedly had become desolate as staffers worked from home and rarely visited its massive Washington headquarters. Fox News Digital reported in February that HUD's headquarters became as empty as an off-season "Spirit Halloween" store under the Biden administration, which had left offices relatively untouched since the first Trump administration.
"For four years, the American people witnessed their government buildings transform overnight into massive, taxpayer-funded ‘Spirit Halloween’ stores," a senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital at the time.
President Donald Trump signed a memo on his first day back in the Oval Office ordering agency heads to terminate remote work arrangements that had been ongoing since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Turner told Fox Digital in February that upon his confirmation, "the four year vacation" for staffers was "over."
"This is a huge disservice to the American people and a massive waste of hard-earned taxpayer dollars," Turner told Fox Digital in February. "Let me be clear – the four-year vacation is over."
"I’ve been on many teams in my career, and I know from experience that in-person teamwork ensures accountability and fosters an environment of collaboration, creativity and communication," he said. "At HUD, we’re getting back to work for the American people."
Democratic leaders are very worried about a Salvadoran migrant and accused MS-13 member who was living in Maryland and was deported to a maximum-security prison in his home country. Several have announced their intention to visit the migrant in prison if he is not released soon.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said on Tuesday evening that he would be flying to El Salvador in the morning to visit the deported migrant.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to the El Salvadoran megaprison "Terrorism Confinement Center" (CECOT) last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member, but his attorneys maintain he does not have any gang ties.
The Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court's decision to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia from CECOT where federal officials have sent hundreds of suspected criminals and gang members.
The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from coming back to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is "up to El Salvador. If they want to return him. That's not up to us."
This has caused no small outrage from Democrats, with Van Hollen being the first to announce he is traveling to El Salvador to help secure Abrego Garcia’s release.
"Mr. Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted by the Trump Admin and, by their own admission, wrongly deported to El Salvador," said Van Hollen.
"He shouldn’t have to spend another second away from his family," he went on. "I'm flying to El Salvador tomorrow morning to check on his condition and discuss his return."
Van Hollen is not the only Democrat discussing visiting Abrego Garcia and other imprisoned migrants. Far left Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida, and Robert Garcia, D-California, issued a joint letter on Tuesday in which they said they are "prepared to travel as soon as possible."
In their letter, which was sent to House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, on Tuesday, Frost and Garcia requested authorization to send a congressional delegation to visit CECOT to "conduct a welfare check" on Garcia and other deported migrants at the prison.
The two representatives said they were also concerned about the wellbeing of Andry José Hernández Romero, a 31-year-old gay makeup artist who was sent to CECOT on suspicion of being a gang member.
"We are prepared to travel as soon as possible," the two said, adding that they would "gladly include any Republican Members of the Committee who wish to participate."
Frost, who is the youngest and one of the most progressive members of Congress, slammed the Trump administration on X, saying that Abrego Garcia was "wrongly deported" to El Salvador as part of the "Trump Administration’s government-funded kidnapping rampage."
"He is rotting away in a foreign prison where his life is in danger," said Frost. "We need to go there now to make sure he’s okay."
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is considering a bid for governor in 2026, multiple sources close to her confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Stefanik was withdrawn from consideration as President Donald Trump’s United Nations Ambassador to shore up numbers of the House Republicans' narrow majority. She is now the chairwoman of House Republican Leadership.
Sources tell Fox News Digital that she is being encouraged to run by allies of Trump and longtime friends. Stefanik outperformed the president in her congressional district in 2016, 2020 and 2024, which one source says could be an indicator that she could do well with New York's swing voters. The Republican won with 62% of the vote in her strongly conservative district in November.
On Wednesday, Stefanik made the case for a GOP win in New York this year when she commented on a Marist poll that shows Governor Hochul's approval numbers to be underwater with NY voters. "This latest bombshell polling proves what every New Yorker already knows: that we must FIRE Kathy Hochul in 2026 to SAVE NEW YORK. Hochul is the Worst Governor in America and it’s not even close."
Her incompetence, corruption, and radical failed Far Left policies have destroyed our great state causing businesses and families to flee from crushing high taxes, out of control regulations, inept fiscal mismanagement, wide open border sanctuary city policies putting illegals first and New Yorkers last, and an out of control crime crisis due to Democrats’ failed bail reform defund the police policies.This polling shows that we can WIN & SAVE NEW YORK.", Hochul said in the statement.
"Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is GREAT!!!" Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday morning.
She has $10 million cash-on-hand through her entities, and is considered popular among Republican voters in the state. Stefanik was the keynote speaker at a New York GOP event on Tuesday night.
At the time of her nomination's withdrawl, the Republican congresswoman said it was a matter of holding the line in Congress.
"I have been proud to be a team player. The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I'm committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents," Stefanik said on "Hannity" last month.
Trump said he would work on finding a replacement pick, which has not been announced yet.
"As we advance our America First Agenda, it is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress. We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning," the president posted to Truth Social at the time.
"I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,."
Whoever wins the primary could be running in the general election against incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who had a tough fight against now-Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in 2022, when he was in Congress at the time.
Stefanik is far from the only well-known Republican in New York State considering a 2026 run for governor.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R_N.Y., a moderate who's in his second term representing the state's 17th Congressional District, which covers a large swath of New York City's northern suburbs, is mulling a bid.
"I'll make a decision at some point – middle of the year. Obviously, you know if we're going to do it, you got to get out there, and you got to campaign hard," Lawler said last week in an interview with Fox News Digital.
He added, "I haven't made a decision yet. I think, obviously, there's a number of factors in play, but you know, we're working through that right now."
Among the other Republicans weighing a gubernatorial run are Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, who like Stefanik is a major Trump ally and longtime Bethany town supervisor Carl Hyde Jr.
It's been 23 years since a Republican won a gubernatorial election in heavily blue New York State. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. George Pataki's second re-election victory in 2002.
"New York’s Republican primary is set to be a nasty and vicious race to see who can be the Trumpiest – and most out of touch with New Yorkers," Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe said. "All three potential candidates in this race are running to bring Donald Trump’s extreme agenda of raising costs and taking away fundamental freedoms to Albany – and could not be more out of step with New York."
But Hochul's approval ratings and favorable ratings remain underwater, giving Republicans hope the losing streak will come to an end next year. The governor also faces potential, longshot primary challenges from her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, as well as Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y.
In 2022, Zeldin had the best performance by a GOP gubernatorial candidate in New York since Pataki's 2002 victory. Zeldin, who now steers the Environmental Protection Agency in President Donald Trump's second administration, lost to Hochul by less than six and a half points.
And Trump lost the state to then-Vice President Kamala Harris by 13 points in last November's presidential election, but that was a 10-point improvement from his loss margin to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
"What is really telling is that you have three, at least, very qualified Republican candidates looking at it," a veteran Republican strategist who works on New York State races told Fox News. "I think it shows her [Hochul's] vulnerability."
Stefanik's departure could still have an impact on House Republicans' razor-thin three-seat majority, but GOP leaders hope to be done with their plans for a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process by the end of this year.
If elected governor, Stefanik would not have to leave the House until the end of December 2025.
Her vote was critical to advancing President Trump's budget framework legislation earlier this month. The bill appeared at risk of failing during a tense procedural vote last week, but Stefanik – who was among the last to cast her vote – carried it over the like 216 to 215.
Fox News' Madeline Coggins contributed to this report.
A third high-level Pentagon staffer has been placed on administrative leave in two days as part of a probe into media leaks.
Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg, was escorted out of the building on Wednesday, following Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff to Hegseth.
"We can confirm that Mr. Carroll has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation. We have nothing additional to provide at this time," a defense official told Fox News Digital.
Carroll did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Pentagon has not provided specifics about what the three officials are accused of leaking.
Last month Defense Department (DOD) announced it would launch a probe into "recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information" and might employ the use of polygraphs to determine the source of the leaks.
"The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy," DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in a memo. "This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense."
He wrote that "information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure" would be referred for criminal prosecution.
In a video message about the Federal Aviation Administration doing "drone-detection testing" in New Jersey, Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy indicated that the Trump administration is committed to "radical transparency," juxtaposing that approach with what he referred to as the Biden administration's "drone fiasco."
The FAA noted in a post on its website last week that the testing is slated to occur "in Cape May, New Jersey, between April 14-25."
"The FAA will operate several large drones and more than 100 commercial off-the-shelf drones during the two-week period. Testing will take place over the water and near the Cape May Ferry Terminal during the daytime on weekdays only. The public should not fly recreational drones near this area during the test period," the post stated.
In a video message shared on social media this week, Duffy explained that the testing is being performed "to ensure we can properly detect drones in our airspace and make sure they don't interfere with aircraft navigation systems."
Many Americans were concerned by a spate of sightings in the skies last year.
A joint Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA, and Department of Defense statement in December addressed the issue, declaring that "we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones. We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast."
Shortly after President Donald Trump took office in January, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered what she described as a statement from Trump, explaining that the drones over the Garden State were cleared by the FAA to fly "for research and various other reasons," and that many drones had been flown by hobbyists.
"This was not the enemy," she concluded, describing the remarks as "a statement from the president … "
The FAA's post last week noted, "The agency has been testing drone detection technologies at airports over the last few years and is expanding testing to off-airport locations. These tests will help determine the effectiveness of these technologies and whether they might interfere with FAA or aircraft navigation systems."
FIRST ON FOX: The vice mayor of a Florida town that is home to one of the country’s largest population of Venezuelan migrants is supporting a deal that will allow the city’s law enforcement to cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).
"I support this agreement because I believe it is essential to strengthening our Police Department’s ability to carry out their duties effectively and responsibly," Doral, Florida, Vice Mayor Maureen Porras told Fox News Digital. "By moving forward with this, we are ensuring that the City of Doral remains in full compliance with both state and federal mandates—an important step in maintaining public trust and upholding the rule of law."
The comments come as Doral, a key Florida hub for Venezuelan immigrants, is set to vote on a potential agreement with ICE on Wednesday that would allow the city’s law enforcement to carry out some immigration-enforcement operations.
Members of the City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to ink a 287(g) program deal with ICE, which would allow Doral police officers to assist ICE with detentions, questioning and processing individuals suspected of breaking federal immigration laws.
Doral would become one of the latest local law enforcement agencies to join President Donald Trump’s push to ramp up deportation efforts, with 287(g) agreements with ICE seeing more widespread use across the country since the new president took office in January.
That effort was given a boost by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has encouraged local cooperation with federal immigration authorities through a law that requires the local agencies in charge of jails to be enrolled in 287(g) programs.
However, Doral’s involvement in the program could be seen as a seemingly surprising turn, with the city being home to one of the largest proportions of Venezuelan immigrants in the United States, leading to concerns about the program from many in the local population.
Doral Councilwoman Digna Cabral acknowledged those concerns, telling Fox News Digital that she hopes Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez will provide further explanation on the details of the program during Wednesday’s proceedings, noting that immigration enforcement is "a sensitive topic" for many in the community.
"I believe it is important to approach this matter with care, clarity, and full transparency," Cabral told Fox News Digital. "At this stage, I have not taken a final position, and I will await the full presentation and discussion at the Council meeting before making any further statements."
Porras acknowledged those concerns as well, but argued that the agreement "is not designed to discriminate against anyone" and that she will not "support its use for that purpose."
"As an experienced immigration attorney with many years of helping families in South Florida, I understand the serious consequences of discriminatory practices and remain fully committed to ensuring that our laws are applied fairly and justly," Porras told Fox News Digital. "I will make sure that our law-abiding residents are not negatively affected. My focus is on promoting public safety, protecting civil rights, and ensuring that everyone in our community feels safe and respected."
A federal judge said Wednesday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for failing to return two planes deporting migrants to El Salvador last month, a major update that comes as tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary have reached a fever pitch.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Justice Department in a filing Wednesday to answer additional questions by April 23 if they want to "purge" the contempt.
"As this Opinion will detail, the Court ultimately determines that the Government’s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt," Boasberg said Wednesday.
This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.
A critical Kentucky seat in the U.S. Senate will soon have a new face after former GOP leader Mitch McConnell announced his retirement in February, and Republican hopefuls appear to be gearing up for what will be a challenging primary.
Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s first Black attorney general and 2024 gubernatorial candidate, still remains the only declared Republican candidate so far after he announced his intention to run for the vacant seat just days after McConnell’s retirement address.
With first quarter fundraising numbers being released on Tuesday, another possible candidate has been seemingly busy building a war chest behind the scenes.
Republican Rep. Andy Barr, R-Kentucky, who has hinted at a possible run though has not officially stepped into the race, posted a sizable $2.26 million raised since January, with approximately $5.35 million in cash on hand through various Political Action Committees.
Amanda Milward, a spokesperson for the Barr campaign, spoke with Fox News Digital after the numbers were posted on Tuesday.
"Andy Barr is humbled by the outpouring of support from Kentuckians and donors across the country for his strong America First leadership," Milward explained. "As Andy considers running for the U.S. Senate, it is clear that Kentucky Republicans want leaders who will not only stand with President Trump, but who also have the drive and resources to win. We cannot afford to lose another statewide race."
Cameron posted $507,656 in campaign contributions and $455,395 cash on hand after expenditures.
"From every corner of Kentucky to supporters across the country, folks are rallying behind our campaign because they’re ready for a true America First fighter—someone who will stand up for our values and advance President Trump’s agenda in the U.S. Senate," Cameron told Fox News Digital Tuesday. "We’re pressing forward, the path to victory is clear, and we’re not looking back."
Former Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was elected to the coveted seat in 1985, making him the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history.
However, McConnell’s endorsement may not carry the weight it did some years ago, given the tumultuous relationship between the Kentucky senator and President Donald Trump. Sources close to the race told Fox News Digital that a McConnell endorsement would actually do more harm than good and that the endorsement from President Trump is the key to the ticket.
While President Trump has not yet endorsed a candidate, he has made comments about both Cameron and Barr in the past.
Last week at the White House, the president made a nod to Barr’s attendance during a press conference, telling the likely candidate "good luck with everything, I hear good things."
Notably, a Trump endorsement for Cameron would not be the first, as the 45th and 47th president endorsed Cameron for governor in October 2023. Following Cameron’s loss to Democrat Andy Beshear, Trump blamed ties with McConnell as the reason for the defeat.
"Daniel Cameron lost because he couldn’t alleviate the stench of Mitch McConnell," Trump posted to Truth Social. "I told him early that’s a big burden to overcome. McConnell and Romney are Kryptonite for Republican Candidates. I moved him up 25 Points, but the McConnell relationship was ‘too much to bear."
To shake things up even more, a third possible candidate is eyeing a possible run for the hotly contested seat.
Wealthy businessman Nate Morris, CEO of Morris Industries and former CEO of Rubicon Investments, has also been in the mix of possible names in the primary.
Morris has already targeted ties to McConnell as a possible weakness for a potential victor, posting on X that "the last thing Kentucky needs is another puppet for Mitch McConnell."
Who the sitting president plans to support remains unclear, though it seems his endorsement in the race may be one of the more substantial in the upcoming midterm election.
Fox News Digital reached out to Nate Morris for comment but did not receive a response.
EXCLUSIVE: Successfully ridding the U.S. of the effects of Mexico's criminal cartels operating along the southwestern border would be a 20-year ordeal, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said – but argued Congress could begin having an impact in a matter of weeks to months.
"Look, there's places we can boost right now to help the administration – the administration is refocusing a lot of efforts, especially in the [Department of Defense (DOD)], on the cartel situation, but there's no extra money for that. That is something we could produce in reconciliation," Crenshaw told Fox News Digital.
"I already know what programs need to be boosted, I just need to know the numbers. And that will come from [the Office of Management and Budget] that'll come from the Department of Homeland Security, it'll come from the DOD, it'll come from [Department of Justice]. And so over the next couple of weeks, even while we're in recess, we're working on getting those numbers."
Fox News Digital spoke with Crenshaw days after he was tapped to lead a new task force on combating Mexico's drug cartels. It's operating under the House permanent select committee on intelligence, which Crenshaw sits on.
He said it differs from his initiative last year, a similar task force, albeit with few resources to execute his goals, according to the congressman.
"Last year's cartel task force didn't have any staff. We were a series of members conducting hearings, investigations," Crenshaw said. "I think we're past that stage at the moment. Now, what I lead is really the House's effort to actually create some legislation to combat the cartels."
He added that the intelligence panel was "the right place for it" given "a lot of the work we do is classified."
"So the goal here is to actually get some outcomes as opposed to continuing more hearings, continuing more investigation. I've got a pretty good outline of what needs to happen. We've got President Trump in the White House now, who wants to make it happen," Crenshaw said.
"Another huge difference between now and last year is we have a Mexican administration under President Sheinbaum, who also wants to make it happen and take the fight to the cartels."
That fight would largely be a two-phase approach, Crenshaw explained. The first would be funding, while the second would entail "additional authorities and laws that need to be changed" to combat what the Texas congressman likened to "a terrorist insurgency" within the U.S.' close neighbor and trading partner.
"That means boosting up certain funding lines in existing authorities, especially places like the Department of Defense. You know, NORTHCOM owns this area of operation when it comes to Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. They're going to need extra resources because we're going to need to do a lot more training on Mexican special forces," he said.
Crenshaw called for sending military-grade gear to forces at the border, including Blackhawk helicopters, and bolstering reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering efforts.
"Things they really don't have and that currently cause them to be outgunned by these pretty massive militias that have unlimited funding and are ruthless in the way that they terrorize the Mexican population," Crenshaw explained. "So there's a lot to do there."
He's hoping the funding can largely be allocated through the budget reconciliation process, a means for Republicans to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul while totally sidelining Democrats.
They can do so because reconciliation brings the Senate's passage threshold down from 60 votes to 51, provided the legislation deals with taxation, spending or the national debt.
Republicans are looking to increase funding for President Donald Trump's border initiatives, but it's not immediately clear what shape that will take.
The contours of that plan will become clear in the next several weeks, with lawmakers returning from a two-week recess at the end of this month.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said his full faith was in Crenshaw to execute the task force's goals.
"Now it is the responsibility of Congress to ensure this good work can continue by providing the President with the tools he needs to dismantle the drug cartels for good," Johnson said in a statement. "No one has worked harder on this important issue than Congressman Crenshaw, and I am grateful he is willing to continue leading at this pivotal time."
In the wake of the arrest of two foreign nationals seeking to murder a U.S. journalist on behalf of the Iranian government, a bipartisan group of senators put forward a bill Tuesday to stiffen penalties on people who commit crimes in the U.S. on behalf of foreign countries.
Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Jim Banks, R-Ind., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., introduced the Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors (DETERRENCE) Act.
The bill increases penalties on murder-for-hire schemers, those convicted of attempted murder or assassination of federal officials, as well as suspects allegedly involved in attempting to kill former officials because of their actions while in office.
Stalking and attempted kidnapping in the name of foreign governments would also lead to more serious charges for any offender. Many sentence enhancements fell at 10 additional years in prison.
"If you commit crimes in America on behalf of foreign adversaries, you must face serious consequences," Slotkin said in a statement.
"The bipartisan DETERRENCE Act helps strengthen penalties for these crimes and sends a clear message about how seriously we take our national security and how we will hold accountable those who commit crimes against our nation."
In March, two foreigners appeared in New York federal court and pleaded not guilty to an alleged murder-for-hire plot against Masih Alinejad – an Iranian-born U.S. journalist.
Rafat Amirov of Iran and Polad Omarov of the Czech Republic and Slovenia were members of the Russian mob and were hired by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to kill the New York City resident, according to prosecutors.
"Finally, I will face the men hired by the Islamic Republic to kill me, right here in New York," Alinejad said at the time.
"I’m deeply grateful to my new country, the United States of America, for trying to keep me safe from the government of my birth country, Iran."
Ernst said the U.S. cannot allow foreign adversaries like Iran to "fund crimes against Americans on our own soil."
She called the DETERRENCE Act an example of Reagan-esque "peace through strength" that puts foreign criminals "on notice" and is a direct warning to anyone trying to act on Tehran’s motto of "Death to America."
Meanwhile, Hassan said in a statement that Congress should pass the legislation as a clear message to foreign adversaries that they will face serious consequences if their criminal behavior crosses the U.S. border.
"Foreign adversaries are working with gangs and criminals in the United States to try to kill people on our soil, which is a national security risk," she warned.
Another reported foreign murder-for-hire plot was revealed last fall when an ex-Indian intelligence officer allegedly plotted to kill a U.S. citizen in New York who was a leader of a pro-Sikh independence movement.
Vikash Yadav’s October indictment reportedly laid out a connection to the Indian government, according to NPR.
Vice President JD Vance is poised to kick off a trip to Italy and India on Friday – marking his third international trip with the Trump administration.
Vance and the second family are poised to meet with and "discuss shared economic and geopolitical priorities with leaders in each country," according to a statement from Vance’s office.
When in Rome, Vance is scheduled to meet with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin in Rome. He will meet with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi while visiting New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.
Meanwhile, Meloni is also slated to visit the White House on Thursday in Washington.
The vice president and the second family are also planning to conduct engagements at several unspecified cultural sites.
The vice president's office did not provide specifics regarding their trip.
It comes as the White House has said that more than 75 countries have reached out seeking to negotiate trade deals with the U.S., after the Trump administration unveiled historic tariffs on April 2.
Both the European Union and India have signaled interest in brokering a deal with the U.S. on trade. Meloni has said Italy isn't on board with the tariffs imposed on the EU, and is prepared to "deploy all tools" to protect Italian businesses.
The original tariff plan slapped 20% duties on goods from the European Union, as well as at least 26% duties on Indian goods. However, Trump announced on April 9 a 90-day pause on those tariffs where duties would be reduced to 10% as countries work to hash out trade deals with the U.S.
Vance’s previous international trips include attending the Munich Security Conference in February, where he delivered remarks pushing Europe to "step up in a big way to provide for its own defense." He also warned that Russia and China don't pose as great a threat to European nations as the "threat from within," concerning issues like censorship and illegal immigration.
In March, Vance visited Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, the Department of Defense’s northernmost military installation that houses Space Force’s 821st Space Base Group to conduct missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is in the preliminary stages of looking into whether President Donald Trump's recent reciprocal tariff pause included insider trading violations, Fox News Digital confirmed.
James, who is a longtime political foe of Trump's, is only in the preliminary stages of investigating whether Trump or people close to him may have had advance knowledge of a tariff decision that caused stock markets to surge. The attorney general's office confirmed the preliminary review of the matter to Fox News Digital Wednesday morning.
Trump's customized, reciprocal tariffs on nations that historically have installed trade barriers on U.S. goods took effect April 9.
Trump, ahead of pausing the reciprocal tariffs, posted to Truth Social, "BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!" and "THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT."
He announced a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs later that day in a surprise move that helped push U.S. markets sharply higher.
China, however, was not part of the tariff pause and was instead hit with a higher 125% tariff after retaliating with its own additional tariffs against the U.S., and the 10% baseline tariff leveled on nations earlier in April was kept in place.
The DOW went up 7.9%, the S&P 500 rose 9.5% and the Nasdaq jumped 12.2% the same day.
Some lawmakers have raised concerns about possible insider trading. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told CNN’s Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" that the Securities and Exchange Commission should investigate.
"It’s entirely appropriate to have an investigation to make sure that Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s family, Donald Trump’s inner circle, didn’t get advance information and trade on that information," Warren said.
Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., wrote a letter Thursday to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, as well as Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, calling for an investigation into potential insider trading.
The White House hit back in comments provided to Fox Digital amid allegations of insider trading that Democrats were "playing partisan games."
"It is the responsibility of the President of the United States to reassure the markets and Americans about their economic security in the face of nonstop media fearmongering," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in comment to Fox Digital Thursday. "Democrats railed against China’s cheating for decades, and now they’re playing partisan games instead of celebrating President Trump’s decisive action yesterday to finally corner China,"
James, a former city council member in New York and public defender, launched her run for New York attorney general during the 2018 cycle, while emphasizing that if she were elected, she would aggressively pursue legal charges against Trump, vowing to expose the "con man" following her win that year.
James reported in November 2024 that her office took on nearly 100 legal challenges against Trump during his first administration and added after his second presidential win last year that she would continue challenging him in the courts to "defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law."
"We did not expect this result, but we are prepared to respond to this result. And my office has been preparing for several months because we've been here before," James said following Trump’s election win in November 2024. "We faced this challenge before, and we used the rule of law to fight back. And we are prepared to fight back once again because, as the attorney general of this great state, it is my job to protect and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law. And I will not shrink from that responsibility."
Under the 1921 Martin Act, the New York attorney general has broad authority to investigate possible securities fraud.
The law allows the office to subpoena witnesses, demand documents, and bring civil or criminal cases without proving intent to defraud.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is facing her first Democratic challenger in the 2026 election as one Marine and Army veteran jumped into the race on Tuesday, vowing to fight "for a Democratic Party that people like me will want to be a part of."
Nathan Sage, currently the executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, announced his candidacy through a campaign video introducing himself as a dad, mechanic, sports radio host and a child of a trailer park in Mason City, Iowa.
He said he’s fighting for a country "that’s ruled by the people who sustain it, not the billionaire class."
"I want to kick corporate Republican Joni Ernst’s a— next November," Sage said.
"The economy is rigged, and those in power don’t give a damn. They’re the ones doing it. Only 2% of Congress come from the working class. We built the damn table. It’s time we had a seat at it," Sage said in his first campaign video shared on X.
"I’m fighting for a Democratic Party that people like me will actually want to be a part of. People like my dad, myself, my kids, all the people like us," Sage said. "The DC elites, the ruling class, they don’t want me. But I think maybe you will."
Sage, whose father was a factory worker and mother was a daycare teacher, also took a swing at tech billionaire and President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency adviser Elon Musk using X, which Musk owns.
"We'll be up against all the money Elon Musk can throw at us. Please consider supporting this transformative campaign," Sage wrote, sharing a donation link for his campaign on ActBlue, the main fundraising platform for the Democratic Party.
Ernst, notably, is leading DOGE efforts in the Senate.
Sage's campaign video – which includes sprinkles of profanity – begins by categorizing Ernst as "scandal-ridden" and "corporate-funded." It also further highlights his working-class background and military service.
"I never thought someone like me could run for Senate," Sage said.
When he was five years old, Sage said, that his father was "arrested for a bounced check -- $50."
"He was trying to pay for new school clothes for my sister and I," Sage said. "We grew up poor. But I still believed in this country. So I enlisted again and again. Eight years. We were attacked by mortars and rockets more times than I can count. And by the grace of God, I made it home. Now I’m the executive director of Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, one of the many places that’s being abandoned, hurt by corporations, billionaires and the politicians they own."
"There’s a war at home, and we’re losing. Unions under attack. Farmers f---ed over," Sage said. "People working nonstop just to survive. Too busy to enjoy life. People like my dad are spending their life slaving away in factories only to die of cancer caused by those same corporations."
In an interview with The Hill, Sage said he decided to run out of concern for women’s healthcare coverage after November’s election, noting his wife had a miscarriage earlier last year.
"That got me to the point where we shouldn’t be as a working class – as people in general – we shouldn’t be living like that," Sage reportedly said.
Ernst, who is running for her third Senate term in 2026, retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard after 23 years of military service, but Sage claimed that the Republican senator has "kind of left the working class and left a lot of Iowans behind."
Cook Political Report – the leading nonpartisan handicapper – categorizes Ernst’s seat as "solid Republican" in the 2026 race. She faces several GOP primary challengers but is considered the front-runner.
Iowa hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 2008, when Sen. Tom Harken secured another term. The Hawkeye State last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 2012, when former President Barack Obama was re-elected.
Trump has won Iowa in every consecutive presidential contest since then. Marion County, where Sage is from, voted for Trump by a sweeping 38 points.
"Marion County is a manufacturing county, and most of those people are trying to make ends meet every day of their life. They tried to figure out ways to put food on the table, and I feel like most of them just aren’t represented," Sage told The Hill. "They don’t have anybody that they feel like is very confident in casting their vote for. And I feel like, for me, I’m one of them, and I’m one of these people that’s just in the middle and that’s going to stand up for the whole of everybody."
EXCLUSIVE: Sens. Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley are demanding information from the Justice Department’s inspector general on whether any unassigned or "untasked" confidential human sources (CHSs) from DOJ agencies beyond the FBI were in or around the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In 2024, DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealed that there were more than two dozen FBI confidential human sources in the crowd outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but only three were assigned by the bureau to be present for the event.
One of the three confidential human sources tasked by the FBI to attend the rally entered the Capitol building, while the other two entered the restricted area around the Capitol. If a confidential human source is directed to be at a certain event, they are paid by the FBI for their time.
Horowitz, in that report, said none of the sources were authorized or directed by the FBI to "break the law" or "encourage others to commit illegal acts."
In December, and after the release of Horowitz’s report, Grassley, R-Iowa, and Johnson, R-Wis., demanded information on whether confidential human sources from DOJ agencies beyond the FBI were used on Jan. 6, 2021.
In an April 7 letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, Horowitz notified the senators that he found no evidence the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), or the Bureau of Prisons deployed confidential human sources to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.
"We can confirm that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) did not have any undercover employees in Washington, D.C. on January 6 in connection with the events of January 6," Horowitz wrote in his response. "This includes in or around the Capitol or in the restricted area of the Capitol."
"We can also confirm that the ATF, DEA, USMS, and BOP did not have any tasked CHSs in Washington, D.C. on January 6 in connection with the events of January 6," Horowitz continued. "This includes in or around the Capitol or in the restricted area of the Capitol."
However, Horowitz could not conclusively say whether any of those agencies had "untasked" confidential human sources – or those who traveled on their own initiative – present on Jan. 6, 2021.
"With respect to whether any DOJ law enforcement components other than the FBI had untasked CHSs in Washington, D.C. on January 6 in connection with the events of January 6, unlike the FBI, we have no information at this time as to whether the ATF, DEA, USMS, or BOP conducted a post-January 6 canvass to determine if any of their CHSs traveled on their own initiative (untasked) to D.C. in connection with the January 6 events," Horowitz wrote.
Horowitz notified Grassley and Johnson that after conversations with their Senate staff on the matter, the DOJ inspector general’s office is inquiring those agencies further on whether they have any information to indicate whether any of their confidential human sources were in Washington, D.C., "on their own initiative (untasked) for the events on January 6."
"We will supplement this response when we receive that information," Horowitz wrote.
Grassley and Johnson, in a letter to Horowitz obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, demanded Horowitz provide that information, saying his investigative work appeared to be "narrowly focused" on just the FBI's use of CHSs, and said his response on "untasked CHSs from DOJ components other than the FBI" was "less definitive."
Additionally, Grassley and Johnson are demanding further information on confidential human sources, noting that "the term ‘undercover agent’ can mean many things."
Grassley and Johnson are now reiterating their request for information on whether "any federal law enforcement components, including FBI, ATF, DEA, USMS, or BOP had employees or contractors wearing civilian clothing in the Washington D.C. area; at the Capitol Building; and in restricted areas on J6 in an official or unofficial capacity."
Meanwhile, Grassley and Johnson, in December, also questioned whether Horowitz thoroughly reviewed classified and unclassified communications between handlers and their sources, warning that without that review, there may be a "major blind spot" in his findings.
Horowitz, in his April letter to the senators, said he reviewed the "relevant portions of CHS files in the FBI’s electronic record-keeping system for CHS management" and obtained "relevant portions of those files," including underlying text messages, photographs and videos.
Horowitz said he obtained emails documenting the FBI’s Washington Field Office communications with CHS handlers of the tasked CHSs, and emails of CHS handling agents of "untasked" CHSs who contacted the Washington Field Office during the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
"We flagged certain additional documents to be produced, including 1023s, documentation of unauthorized illegal activity (which generated a negative response), approvals for the tasked CHSs, and some underlying text messages and photographs referenced in 1023s, including text messages sent and shared between CHSs and their handlers," Horowitz wrote, adding that he also obtained instant messages from the FBI’s classified and unclassified communication platforms.
"As with all reviews, we sought the information that was most relevant to our review, one aspect of which was to confirm that no FBI handling agent, FBI Headquarters personnel, or WFO personnel authorized any CHS to engage in illegal activity on January 6, 2021," Horowitz stressed. "Given this scope, and the fact that the OIG did not receive any information indicating that any individual handling agent had inappropriate communications with a CHS, the OIG requested and reviewed relevant text messages between handling agents and CHSs, but did not request all of the text messages for all of the 26 CHSs and their handlers."
Horowitz explained that for many of the confidential human sources in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, "the handling agents did not know of the CHSs’ presence in Washington, D.C. until after the events of that day."
"We further note that, in the hundreds of prosecutions that took place in connection with the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and the extensive discovery that took place during those prosecutions, we are not aware that any CHS (or other person) provided text messages to a Court indicating that a FBI agent had encouraged or instructed (with or without authorization from their Field Office, WFO, or FBI headquarters) anyone to engage in illegal activity on January 6, 2021," Horowitz wrote.
However, Grassley and Johnson say Horowitz’s response falls short, noting he "did not request all of the text messages for all of the 26 CHSs and their handlers."
"It’s well past time the American people received complete transparency and clarity regarding the full extent of the Justice Department and its component agencies’ involvement in the events of J6," Grassley and Johnson told Fox News Digital in a joint statement. "Inspector General Horowitz must be thorough in his approach and shed light on every corner of the department he oversees."
Grassley and Johnson added, "We expect Horowitz to bring finality to this investigation by fully complying with our requests."
A spokesperson for Horowitz did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
FIRST ON FOX:Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lee Zeldin will visit San Diego next week to meet with Navy SEALs and local leaders as he zeroes in on addressing a Mexican sewage problem flowing into waters off the California coast, Fox News Digital learned.
Zeldin will head to San Diego on Tuesday, when he will see firsthand reported sewage flowing from across the border in Tijuana into American waters where Navy SEALs train, an EPA spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The EPA administrator will also tour the southern border by helicopter and meet with the SEALs who train in the water filled with sewage.
"Administrator Lee Zeldin will be in San Diego next Tuesday, 4/22, to see this international sewage issue firsthand," the spokesperson said, confirming the trip. "He will be touring the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, participating in a roundtable with local stakeholders and elected officials, taking a helicopter tour of the U.S. Southern border, and meeting with Navy SEALs who train in the area."
"Administrator Zeldin is committed to ensuring every American has access to clean air, land and water, and he looks forward to the opportunity to get out to San Diego next week."
Zeldin first addressed the sewage problem in March before previewing the trip to take the issue head on.
"I was just briefed that Mexico is dumping large amounts of raw sewage into the Tijuana River, and it’s now seeping into the U.S.," he posted to X March 8. "This is unacceptable. Mexico MUST honor its commitments to control this pollution and sewage!"
He previewed in another X post in April that he would travel to the "California-Mexico border in the coming weeks where disgusting Mexican sewage is harming our precious environment in the United States."
Local leaders have been sounding the alarm on the sewage problem, including Imperial Beach's Mayor Paloma Aguirre, who sent a letter to Zeldin in March describing how the raw sewage has sparked one of "America’s most horrendous environmental and public health disaster" as billions of gallons have polluted the Pacific Ocean since 2023 alone.
"The toxic sewage coming across the border from Mexico into South San Diego County is among America’s most horrendous environmental and public health disasters," Aguirre's March 3 letter to Zeldin and published online reads. "Since 2023, over 31 billion gallons of raw sewage, polluted stormwater and trash have flowed across the Mexican border, down the Tijuana River, through the cities of San Diego and Imperial Beach and into the Pacific Ocean."
The letter called on Zeldin to assist with the crisis by authorizing a new review of the Lower Tijuana River Valley’s sewage crisis for Superfund designation. The crisis has affected tourism, homeowners and the Navy SEALs, who train at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, as well as surrounding beaches in the massive Southern California county.
"Our residents, are getting ill due to polluted air," the letter continued. "Workers, including Navy Seals training in the area, have been sickened on the job by waterborne and aerosolized diseases. Many homeowners have been forced to place air quality monitors on their property so they know whether or not its safe to go outside. And the economic impact is profound, with the sewage crisis hurting area tourism, maritime industry jobs and local property values."
A Department of Defense Inspector General report published Feb. 7 determined that between January 2019 and May 2023, more than 1,000 Navy SEALs and SEAL candidates became sick after training in the water, including with acute gastrointestinal illnesses.
An illegal immigrant who was arrested in January on charges of incest and sexual battery is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being released from a Virginia county jail.
Officers with ICE, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security team, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and Virginia State Police arrested Marvin Mateo-Alberto last week, a Honduran national who was in the U.S. illegally, according to an ICE release.
The Hoduran national first illegally entered the U.S. in October 2005 near Eagle Pass, Texas, according to the release, where he was given a notice to appear in front of an immigration judge.
In April 2006, a Justice Department judge ordered that Mateo-Alberto be removed from the United States.
Despite that, Mateo-Alberto was arrested in January by the Fairfax County Police Department and charged with incest with a 13-to-17-year-old child and aggravated sexual battery: parent with a 13-to-17-year-old child, the release notes, resulting in ICE lodging a detainer against him with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
However, the release notes, the county detention center did not honor the ICE detainer and released Mateo-Alberto 15 days after his arrest.
Fairfax County has "not designated" itself "as a sanctuary county," according to the county’s website, adding that it "complies to the fullest extent required by federal, state or local law with any law enforcement agency requesting criminal law enforcement assistance."
However, the website also notes its official policy is that it "does not and will not enforce civil federal immigration laws."
"The federal courts have determined that the enforcement of civil immigration laws is solely a federal responsibility under the exclusive authority of ICE," the county website reads.
Mateo-Alberto was eventually arrested by ICE on April 10 and remains in the agency’s custody, according to the ICE release.
"Marvin Mateo-Alberto stands accused of some very appalling and disturbing crimes and represents a threat to the children of our Virginia communities," ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C., Field Office Director Russell Hott said.
"We cannot in good conscience allow Mr. Mateo to continue to potentially threaten other children in our neighborhoods. ICE Washington, D.C. will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing criminal alien threats from our streets."
Progressive lawmakers in Congress who have been among the most vocal in pushing back against President Donald Trump's aggressive and controversial second-term agenda are seeing a surge in fundraising.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the longtime progressive champion, hauled in $11.5 million in the January-March first quarter of 2025 fundraising, according to Federal Election Commission filings this week.
The Vermont independent and two-time Democratic presidential primary runner-up also reports more than $19 million in his campaign coffers at the start of this month.
Sanders has been drawing tens of thousands of people to his "Fighting Oligarchy" rallies across the country over the past six weeks. Co-headling those rallies is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another rock star on the political left.
The four-term Democrat from New York City raked in a massive $9.6 million the past three months. The record-breaking fundraising haul was one of the biggest ever for any House lawmaker.
Ocasio-Cortez's team highlighted that the fundraising came from 266,000 individual donors, with an average contribution of just $21.
"I cannot convey enough how grateful I am to the millions of people supporting us with your time, resources, & energy. Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities," Ocasio-Cortez emphasized in a social media post.
Another Democrat in Congress who has been very visible in leading the resistance to Trump is Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
Murphy, who won re-election last November and doesn't have to run again until 2030, hauled in $8 million over the past three months, his biggest quarterly fundraising ever.
"The people are sending Democrats a message about the direction they would like to see," top Sanders advisor Faiz Shakir said in a social media post.
Longtime Democratic operative and strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of the Sanders 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, told Fox News that "there's a direct correlation between fundraising and action… this is an indication of the yearning for action over inaction… that is what Democratic voters and Democratic activists want."
And Caiazzo warned that "the stale ways of Washington have been rejected by the voters, and we need to understand that going into the next cycle."
While not bringing in similar eye-popping numbers, House Republicans are touting their first-quarter fundraising, as they prepare to defend their razor-thin majority in the chamber in next year's midterm elections.
Seven GOP lawmakers in competitive districts who are being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee each raised seven figures over the past three months.
Leading the way was Rep. Mike Lawler of the 17th Congressional District of New York, who hauled in nearly $1.5 million during the first quarter. Lawler is mulling a statewide bid for New York governor in 2026. Also on the list are Reps. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona's 6th District, Young Kim and Ken Calvert, of California's 40th and 41st Districts, respectively, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa's 1st District, Jen Kiggans of Virginia's 2nd District, and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin's 3rd District
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) highlighted that House GOP lawmakers in competitive districts enjoy a large fundraising advantage over Democrats in competitive seats.
And the NRCC emphasized that this is "a huge difference" from the first fundraising quarter during the 2024 election cycle, when the Democrats held a campaign cash advantage.
"House Republicans aren't just winning the fundraising game against vulnerable Democrats – they're running laps around them," NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued.
Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled down on the Trump administration’s claim that it’s "up to El Salvador" whether Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant in Maryland who was wrongfully deported last month, can return to the U.S.
Speaking to reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday, Bondi reiterated her earlier claim that it is up to El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele whether his country opts to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., even though officials acknowledged in court his deportation was an administrative error.
"He is not coming back to our country," Bondi told Fox News on Wednesday, in response to a question about his legal status during the briefing.
Abrego Garcia is a Salvadorian national who had been living in Maryland before he was deported in March. Now, he is believed to be held in his home country's sprawling, maximum-security prison. Both a federal court and the Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to "facilitate" his release and return to the U.S. for proper deportation proceedings.
Bondi made clear Wednesday that they continue to see the issue as squarely in the purview of Bukele.
"President Bukele said he was not sending him back. That's the end of the story," she said. "If he wanted to send him back, we would give him a plane ride back. There was no situation, ever, where he was going to stay in this country. None."
Her remarks come after the Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court's order that requires the government to "facilitate" Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to "ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador."
On Tuesday, a federal judge in Maryland ordered Trump lawyers and plaintiffs to conduct an "intense," expedited two-week discovery process into efforts made to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return – including ordering top DHS and State Department officials to be deposed, under oath, in efforts to secure his return as the court weighs whether the Trump administration has been acting in good faith.
"Cancel vacations, cancel other appointments," U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis told both parties Tuesday, clearing the way for what she said would be an extremely fast-paced timeframe.
"There will be no tolerance for gamesmanship or grandstanding," she said of the process.
Bondi also emphasized that Abrego Garcia is not a U.S. citizen and had been living "illegally in our country from El Salvador."
That is not in dispute. A U.S. court granted Abrego Garcia temporary protected status in 2019, finding he faced a "clear probability of future persecution" if returned, and that "El Salvadoran authorities were and would be unable or unwilling to protect him."
Neither the Supreme Court ruling nor the lower court orders require Abrego Garcia to remain in the U.S. Rather, the courts have stressed that individuals slated for deportation must be granted certain due process protections under the U.S. Constitution, including habeas protections that allow them to challenge their removal in court.
It was not the first time this week that Trump officials have suggested that El Salvador should have the final say on Abrego Garcia's status.
They also made this claim on Monday, when President Donald Trump hosted Bukele at the White House for a bilateral summit.
When asked by reporters about Abrego Garcia, Bondi and other Cabinet officials said the matter was up to Bukele's administration.
"That's up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That's not up to us," Bondi said then. "The Supreme Court ruled precedent that if El Salvador wanted to return him," she continued. "This is international matters, foreign affairs."
Bondi added that "if they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it – meaning to provide a plane."
El Salvador has received hundreds of migrants from the U.S., including more than 200 Venezuelan nationals abruptly removed in March under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, and alleged members of the Salvadorian gang MS-13, under a $6 million deal struck with the U.S. earlier this year.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller doubled down on Bondi's assertion, noting that Abrego Garcia is a Salvadorian national.
"It's very arrogant, even for American media, to suggest that we would even tell El Salvador how to handle their own citizens as a starting point," Miller told reporters, claiming that "two courts" had found Abrego Garcia to be a member of the MS-13 gang.
A new Colorado bill giving the governor broad power to spend taxpayer dollars against possible Trump administration actions cleared a major hurdle this week.
HB25-1321, also known as the "Support Against Adverse Federal Action," will earmark $4 million from the state's infrastructure cash fund as a safeguard against potential federal retaliation over state laws that defy President Donald Trump's executive orders.
According to the language of the bill, the governor's office could use the fund to hire outside lawyers or contractors to respond to federal decisions impacting grants, contracts or funding sent to Colorado. It also covers legal costs for any state employees facing federal investigations or lawsuits related to their official duties.
The bill was passed by the House Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday and is scheduled for consideration by the full House. It will then go before the Senate for consideration.
Colorado Democrats may be taking a page out of California's playbook, as Gov. Gavin Newsom approved $50 million in taxpayer dollars in February to aid in legal court battles and protection for illegal immigrants against the Trump administration.
State Republicans immediately slammed the bill's passage, saying on social media the Centennial State's legislature has "continually poked the Admin in the eye this session & are now using our tax dollars meant for roads & water to defend it."
"Four million dollars TAKEN from the infrastructure investment and jobs act to give the governor a blank check of $4 million to sue the federal government, that’s what we are arguing against today," Republican state Rep. Brandi Bradley posted on X. "You cannot make this stuff up…. -Roads are crumbling -Crime is through the roof -education is failing our kids -we are over regulated and over taxed -Coloradans cannot afford basic necessities or healthcare Zero transparency in this bill and an amendment to allow any money to continue to be appropriated, that is not expended."
Colorado House Democrats communications director Jarrett Freedman said the bill would "Musk-proof" the state from "illegal, unconstitutional federal actions that threaten funding for health care, education, public safety, our environment and critical infrastructure."
"Trump has frozen FEMA grants, agriculture grants for Colorado farmers, behavioral health funding, emergency response funding, and House Republicans are cheering it all on," he said.
In February, Trump implemented a freeze on several federal funding programs to ensure that federal financial assistance programs comply with his recent executive orders, including halting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
But a U.S. district judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction Tuesday ordering the administration to release billions of dollars allocated by two Biden-era initiatives, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Colorado House Democrats recently passed a series of controversial bills that Republicans fear could draw Trump's attention, since a few of the bills defy his executive orders.
The bills that were passed this session include SB25-183, which requires taxpayers to fund abortion services; HB25-1309, mandating insurers cover transgender procedures regardless of age; HB25-1312, which imposes state-mandated gender policies on schools and considers it "coercive control" in child custody cases when a parent does not affirm a child's gender identity or "deadnames" them; and SB25-129, which prohibits cooperation with out-of-state investigations on transgender procedures and abortion services.
While American taxpayers are familiar with the annual rigmarole of filing their federal taxes and realizing just how much of their hard-earned money Uncle Sam is taking away, several House Republicans are pushing a proposal to take some things away from the Internal Revenue Service: Guns and ammunition.
The "Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act" would disarm the federal agency, prohibiting the commissioner of internal revenue from using funds to buy, receive or store firearms and ammo, and requiring the transfer of IRS firearms and ammunition to the Administrator of General Services.
The guns would then be sold or auctioned to licensed dealers and the ammo would be auctioned to the public.
Proceeds would go to "the general fund of the Treasury for the sole purpose of deficit reduction," the measure stipulates.
The bill states that "there are transferred to the Department of Justice the authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, which shall be maintained as a distinct entity within the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, including the related functions of the Secretary of the Treasury."
Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., introduced the measure, which is backed by three original cosponsors: GOP Reps. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Mary Miller of Illinois, and Clay Higgins of Louisiana.
The IRS says on its website that its "mission is to provide America's taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and to enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all."
But Moore claimed that the federal agency has regularly been "weaponized."
"The IRS has consistently been weaponized against American citizens, targeted religious organizations, journalists, gun owners, and everyday Americans," Moore asserted, according to a press release.
"Arming these agents does not make the American public safer. My legislation, the Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act, would disarm these agents, auction off their guns to Federal Firearms License Owners, and sell their ammunition to the public. The only thing IRS agents should be armed with are calculators."
In an April 15 post on X Moore noted, "Tax Day is a great reminder that it's time for the IRS to stop wasting our taxpayer dollars stockpiling guns and ammo."
