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Family matters: How VP Vance, wife deliver ‘normalcy to the kids in a very abnormal situation’

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EXCLUSIVE: Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and their young children are adjusting well to life as the Second Family, with the vice president telling Fox News Digital that they are trying to “deliver as much normalcy to the kids in a very abnormal situation.” 

Vance sat down for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital this week. 

EXCLUSIVE: VANCE PREVIEWS TRUMP’S PLANS TO ‘JUICE THE ECONOMY,’ END RUSSIA–UKRAINE WAR IN NEXT 100 DAYS

“Everyone is adjusting well—they are doing very well,” Vance said. “It’s different, right?” 

“My seven-year-old son Ewan, he’s adjusting, but he’s also aware of all of it,” Vance said. 

“And then we have our five-year-old son, Vivek, who I think is a little bit less aware of it,” Vance continued. “To him, it’s just fun. He has a bunch of Secret Service agents to play with, and he gets to go wherever he wants to, and he really likes that.” 

“And Mirabel, who’s three, has no idea what’s going on,” Vance said of his youngest. 

Vance shared a photo of Mirabel, which he and his wife display in their home in the Naval Observatory, “in her pajamas reviewing this Indian troop formation.” 

EXCLUSIVE: JD VANCE EXPLAINS WHY MEETING POPE FRANCIS HOURS BEFORE HIS DEATH WAS ‘A SIGN FROM GOD’

“It’s so funny—it’s maybe my favorite photo of the entire 100 days that we’ve had so far—it’s very cute,” Vance said. “So, you sort of see different levels of kids’ understanding of it.” 

Vance said the children “have a good school situation.” 

“We have good friends here, and they spend a lot of time at the White House,” Vance said. 

“Of course, our primary residence—we still have our home in Cincinnati—but our primary residence is the Naval Observatory,” Vance said. “It’s very isolated, so it’s nice, because, for the kids, it’s not like growing up in a fishbowl.” 

EXCLUSIVE: VANCE REVEALS ‘EMPOWERING’ ASPECTS OF TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP THAT ENABLES ‘TRUST’ AND SQUASHES ‘TURF BATTLES’

Vance said the children “have a lot of room to run around.” 

“There aren’t cameras everywhere, and it feels very, very private—very normal for the kids—which is all we could ask for,” Vance said. 

As for his wife, Vance said “each second lady approaches the role differently—there’s not like, a manual that says—this is how you will be second lady.” 

“I think what Usha has done is she has focused on some issues she cares about and she is very involved in the Kennedy Center—she really likes the arts and that is a project that she’s taken on,” Vance explained, adding that she plans to “take on additional projects.” 

“But she also is a mom,” Vance said. “And the kids are really young, and she saw this as an opportunity to try to deliver as much normalcy to the kids in a very abnormal situation.” 

He added: “But she’s doing well, and she really likes it—I think the role suits her and she’s having fun. She’s amazing.” 

Appeals court backs VOA overhaul Kari Lake says will ‘modernize’ agency: ‘Huge victory for President Trump’

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In a significant legal victory for the Trump administration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has granted a stay on a lower court’s order that had mandated the reinstatement of over 1,000 Voice of America (VOA) employees and the resumption of full broadcasting operations.

“This is a huge victory for President Trump and his Article II powers granted in the United States Constitution. It’s also a victory for US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and VOA,” Kari Lake, a USAGM senior advisor to the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital following the court’s decision Saturday.

The decision allows the administration to proceed with its efforts to restructure USAGM and its affiliated broadcasters.

“We are eager to accomplish President Trump’s America First agenda which has always been to modernize and make our government efficient while cutting waste, fraud, and abuse,” Lake explained to Fox News Digital. 

VOICE OF AMERICA RESTORED BY JUDGE AFTER TRUMP DISMANTLED TAXPAYER-FUNDED OUTLET IN MARCH

“Now that we have a favorable ruling in the appeals court, we look forward to accomplishing the plan we’ve always had; to bring VOA into the 21st century.”

The appeals court’s 2-1 ruling Saturday emphasized the judiciary’s deference to executive authority in matters concerning federal employment and contractual decisions.

The court noted that the district court likely lacked jurisdiction to interfere with the administration’s personnel actions and funding decisions, particularly regarding grant agreements with non-federal entities like Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

VOICE OF AMERICA EMPLOYEES FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AFTER PRESIDENT DISMANTLED AGENCY

This follows Trump’s March 14 executive order (EO), which aimed to dismantle USAGM operations. 

“Voice of America has been out of step with America for years. It serves as the Voice for Radical America and has pushed divisive propaganda for years now,” a senior White House official told Fox News Digital at the time. 

The order led to the administrative leave of approximately 1,300 VOA employees and the termination of numerous contracts, effectively pausing the broadcaster’s activities for the first time in its 83-year history.

“Unfortunately, the frivolous litigation actually stalled the ability to streamline archaic practices and redundant programs at VOA,” Lake told Fox News Digital. “The use of lawfare hurt the agency and its employees more than it helped.”

Fox News contributor, legal analyst and constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley also shared news of the ruling on X, posting, “The D.C. Circuit just issued a major ruling in favor of the Trump Administration that lifted a stay on the Administration’s decision to terminate contracts and positions at Voice of America.”

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Saturday’s decision came as VOA employees reportedly had access restored to their computers on Friday after federal Judge Royce Lamberth’s April 22 ruling in favor of the plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction against Trump’s EO, which the administration promptly appealed.

The court’s ruling can be read here.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

Texas Gov. Abbott signs $1 billion voucher program into law, capping off win for school choice advocates

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a school choice bill into law on Saturday that will allocate $1 billion for a voucher program that allows parents to use public funds to pay for their child’s private school tuition.

The program’s implementation caps off a yearslong effort by Republicans who have been advocating for school choice. Voucher supporters have long focused on Texas, where previous efforts failed amid resistance from Democrats and rural Republicans.

Last month, President Donald Trump called on state lawmakers ahead of a key vote on the bill to finally send the measure to Abbott’s desk. The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2 by a party-line 19-12 vote on April 24 after the state House approved the bill by an 86-63 vote the week before.

“When I ran for reelection in 2022, I promised school choice for the families of Texas,” Abbott said before signing the bill at the governor’s mansion. “Today, we deliver on that promise.”

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Abbott was joined by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, state House Speaker Dustin Burrows, bill author and state Sen. Brandon Creighton, U.S. Senator John Cornyn, school choice advocates and students and their families.

“From here forward, [Texas students] will have unlimited potential and unlimited options in education to pursue for the rest of their path and education and what their families do best, and that in of itself was worth the journey,” Creighton said.

Texas joins more than 30 other states that already have similar programs. The Lone Star State will have the largest voucher program in the country.

School vouchers have been Abbott’s main focus this year, following last year’s election cycle in which he called for Republican primary voters to remove from office GOP lawmakers who voted against a similar bill in the last legislative session that the governor had supported.

‘BAD FOR PARENTS’: SCHOOL CHOICE SUPPORTERS PROTEST EXCLUSION OF RELIGIOUS CHARTER IN SUPREME COURT CASE

Supporters of the bill say it will give parents more options by allowing them to take their children out of poor-performing public schools in favor of alternative public or private school choices.

“Gone are the days that families are limited to only the schools assigned by government,” Abbott said. “The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that is best for their child.”

Democrats and Republicans in rural districts who have criticized the program argue that it will pull financial resources from Texas’ public school students and subsidize the private education of wealthy families.

“Let’s be clear: this bill is only best for the richest people in the state, and rural Texas especially will get the shaft,” Texas Democratic Party chairman Kendall Scudder said in a statement. “To top it all off, Abbott’s school shut-downs are in full-swing with no end in sight.”

Starting next school year, families can receive $10,000 per year to help pay for their child’s private school tuition or costs for home-schooling and virtual learning programs. Children with disabilities can qualify for as much as $30,000 per year.

The program will be capped at $1 billion for the first year and cover up to 90,000 students. But by 2030, it could cost up to $4.5 billion per year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rising Dem star distances herself from ‘inclusive language’ as newsletters reveal a different story

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U.S. Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow told a Michigan crowd last month that gender-inclusive language was pushed by the Democratic Party’s “more progressive groups,” despite including “inclusive language” in her constituent newsletters as recently as November. 

McMorrow, a Michigan state senator, said at the Michigan Democratic Party Rural Summit on April 12 that she “got some flack” from Democrats who encouraged her to use “inclusive language” around the time of the Dobbs decision in 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned abortion law to the states. 

“You may have heard phrases like ‘birthing persons’ or ‘chestfeeding,’ which was a push by some of our more progressive groups to be more inclusive, so that we were capturing the fact that occasionally, trans men or women may need reproductive care,” McMorrow said. “That is not untrue. But, if we were thinking about who we needed to move to our side to have the votes we needed to accomplish the goal, when you say things that are kind of made-up phrases, it becomes really alienating.”

While McMorrow acknowledges how that language can actually be “alienating” to voters outside the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and is running a campaign that rejects “performative nonsense,” McMorrow chose to include that very language in several constituent newsletters describing Michigan legislation supported by the Senate Democratic Caucus. 

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As recently as November 2024, McMorrow’s constituent newsletter – which highlights the Michigan Democrat’s legislative agenda, spotlights community events and shares good news from the district – including descriptions of Senate bills using “inclusive language,” like “birthing parent.”

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In McMorrow’s newsletter, Senate Bills 1127 and 1128 are described as requiring “private insurers and Medicaid to provide coverage for group-based pregnancy support programs, which are shown to result in improved health outcomes for both the birthing parent and baby.” 

Similar language was included in a newsletter the month before describing the Momnibus bill package as “amplifying the voices of Black and Brown birthing people.”

The same “birthing individuals” language was included in an April 2024 newsletter, describing the Momnibus bill package as created to “strengthen community-driven programs, enhance prenatal care and maternal healthcare, and amplify the voices of Black birthing individuals, mothers, women, families, and stakeholders.”

While descriptions of “birthing” people or individuals are included in McMorrow’s newsletter, her campaign said she did not write those words. 

Andrew Mamo, McMorrow for Michigan spokesman, told Fox News Digital in a statement: “As she wrote in her book and says on the campaign trail, Mallory knows Democrats need to talk like real people and not use fabricated language that, while intending to be ‘inclusive,’ sounds so unfamiliar that it’s weird to a majority of people. These legislative updates weren’t written by Mallory, and she has continued to advocate even within her own caucus the need to change how Democrats speak.”

The campaign said that while the state senator writes a portion of her constituent newsletters, the “birthing” language had been written by the Senate Democratic Caucus. However, those bill descriptions are not attributed to anyone in McMorrow’s newsletter.

McMorrow’s campaign also pointed to pages in her book released in March that argued the pressure to use “inclusive language” fails at “defining your audience,” as Democrats continue to grapple with losing the House, Senate and White House in November. 

McMorrow, considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, announced her bid for U.S. Senate to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters early last month, framing herself as an outsider and calling for a new generation of leaders in Washington. 

McMorrow has said she would not vote for Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to continue as the party leader, adding that it is time for him to step back.

The 38-year-old Michigan state senator garnered national attention for her viral speech to the Michigan state senate in 2022, where she pushed back on allegations from a Republican lawmaker that she was “grooming” and “sexualizing” children. 

“I am the biggest threat to your hollow, hateful scheme,” McMorrow said, calling out Republican state Sen. Lana Theis for invoking her name in a fundraising email. “We will not let hate win.”

Trump posts AI image of himself as Pope amid Vatican’s search for new pontiff

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President Donald Trump appears to have his eye on a new gig after being back in the Oval Office for just over 100 days. 

On Friday, the president posted an AI-generated image of himself as the pope on Truth Social, and it has gone viral. Less than a week prior to the post, Trump was in Rome attending the funeral for the late Pope Francis. As the Vatican searches for a new pontiff, it seems Trump is jokingly throwing his hat in the ring.

TRUMP JOKES HE’D LIKE TO BE POPE, ‘NUMBER 1 CHOICE’ — THEN NAMES A REAL CONTENDER

The post was met with a wide range of reactions—from some who found it funny to others who said it was offensive.

Townhall columnist Dustan Grage dismissed critics, saying that most of those he saw complaining about the post were atheists and that their opinions didn’t matter.

“Memes depicting Trump as Christ have been and always will be called out as blasphemy. The Pope picture is actually funny. Calm down, folks,” Grage wrote.

Meanwhile, Democratic activist and influencer Harry Sisson accused “MAGA” of electing a “man-child.”

CONCLAVE ‘VERY, VERY DIFFERENT’ FROM US ELECTIONS; ‘ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN’, ACCORDING TO EXPERT

Earlier this week, when asked about who he would want to see take over the Vatican, Trump joked that he wanted to be pope.

“I’d like to be pope. That’d be my number one choice,” Trump said, before clarifying that he was joking and naming a possible option — Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan. 

Cardinals, including Dolan, are set to gather at the Vatican for the conclave on May 7, when they will vote for the next pope. However, unlike secular elections, candidates for pope focus on prayer and reflection rather than campaigning.

“Last time in 2013, when we had the opening prayer—because prayer is extraordinarily important—we had a reflection given by a wonderful Franciscan preacher,” Dolan told Martha MacCallum on “The Story.” “He said, ‘Eminences, you’re all scared because you have a tough job to elect the next pope. … Let me put your mind at ease. It’s easy. The Holy Spirit has already chosen the next pope. Your job is to find out who it is’.” 

Contenders to replace Pope Francis include Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle; Cardinal Peter Erdo; Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu; Cardinal Raymond Burke; and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.

Dem gov’s new campaign message man once said ‘religious right’ united by ‘white supremacy’

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The reelection campaign of Governor Katie Hobbs, D-Ariz., has tapped someone with a penchant for slamming white people, despite being white himself. 

Hobbs, a vocal progressive and anti-Trump leader, brought Michael Beyer on as her 2026 reelection campaign communications director in April despite his history of going after people because they are white, and not just Republicans either.

A look through Beyer’s X account shows the staffer levying criticism on social media as early as 2014 against a range of demographics, all with one thing in common – they’re white.  

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Beyer has accused the “religious right” of being united through “a belief in white supremacy,” blasted self-professed democratic socialist Bernie Sanders’ voters for having “white entitlement” and accused Taylor Swift and other “white people” of “romanticizing the conquest of Africa.”

Beyer has also espoused anti-gay rhetoric targeted at gay white Republicans, positing in a social media post about the leader of one of the longest-standing pro-gay GOP nonprofits in the country that it was “unclear” whether he was “just a bunch of twinks standing on top of each other hiding in a trench coat.” In another post, Beyer complained there were too many “white men” in a 1980’s news segment about HIV, while in another Beyer suggested “white suburban voters” in Louisiana “had taken over” the local newspaper.

The Arizona governor’s recent hire is just the latest in a series of tumultuous staffing issues Hobbs has faced as governor. In 2022, it was reported that in just five months two-thirds of Hobbs’ gubernatorial campaign staff left, with several describing their work on the campaign as “emotionally abusive.” Meanwhile, Hobbs has also been forced to fire past employees over inflammatory social media posts.

ARIZONA TO VERIFY UP TO 50K PEOPLE FROM VOTER ROLLS WHO FAILED TO PROVE CITIZENSHIP

“White evangelicals are the only group that predominantly wants anti-gay discrimination, poll shows,” Beyer posted on then-Twitter in 2017, along with a link to a blog from Slate. “Once again, it is a belief in white supremacy that unites the Religious Right,” he added in his tweet. 

In addition to blaming religious conservatives for being racist, Beyer also said in 2015 that Republicans in general “thinks [sic] they only have to answer to white voters.” In a subsequent post, Beyer slammed Secretary of State Marco Rubio for only appealing to “whites” after allegedly “romanticizing U.S. colonialism.”

Turning to liberals, Beyer has also had choice words for white Bernie Sanders supporters, saying in a 2016 post on Twitter that they all have “white entitlement.” He suggested in another post around the same time that the only reason Sanders won New Hampshire during the 2016 election was because the state is “91% white.”

In 2015, Beyer went after Taylor Swift and other “white people” for “romanticizing” colonialism. “Only white people would be the people romanticizing the conquest of Africa,” Beyer said in a 2015 post, referring to Swift’s song “Wildest Dreams” that debuted around the same time. His post was in response to a separate tweet Beyer posted that included a link and title of a NPR op-ed with the headline: “Taylor Swift Is Dreaming Of A Very White Africa.”

SOUTHERN BORDER STATE GOVERNOR TAKES ON CARTELS AND SECURITY WITH SIGNING OF EXECUTIVE ORDER

Despite Beyer’s numerous claims suggesting white people are racist, he contended in 2017 that “white people are very bad at identifying racism/racists.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Hobbs campaign to question whether it would be reconsidering its decision to hire Beyer, but never received a response. 

Beyer himself did not respond when reached for comment, either. 

In addition to Beyer, Hobbs has a history of hiring other staffers who have made controversial remarks on social media. She has also had an issue with high turnover in her office.

ARIZONA SHERIFF PRAISES TRUMP PRIORITIZING BORDER SECURITY: ‘DRASTIC DIFFERENCE’

One of Hobbs’ former press secretaries was fired in 2023 after posting an image of a lady drawing two pistols from her hip, which included the caption “Us when we see transphobes.” The social media post came the same day a gender-confused individual opened fire at an elementary school in Nashville, after which some critics cited the person’s gender dysphoria as a possible catalyst for the horrific event. 

Hobbs’ office has also been impacted frequently by an unusually high turnover rate among her staff. In 2022, it was reported that two-thirds of Hobbs’ gubernatorial campaign staff left across a period of just five months, with some of the departing staff describing their work on the campaign as “emotionally abusive.”

The culture was apparently so bad, the staffers said, they had to upend their lives mid-election to seek employment elsewhere. 

Hobbs has lost staffers in the middle of ongoing legislative sessions, and, in 2023, Hobbs’ legislative director resigned just hours before the release of the state’s budget.

At least one of Hobbs’ staffers went from their job on her campaign to another job with Arizona politics.

‘COME FOR ME’: AOC taunts Tom Homan after DOJ referral threat over deportations

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Queens, N.Y.: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., threw down the gauntlet to Tom Homan on Friday after the border czar previously threatened to refer her to the Justice Department for giving advice to migrants on how to avoid being deported. 

Ocasio-Cortez told attendees at a Queens town hall event that she was not afraid of the immigration hard-liners’ words in the wake of her office hosting a “Know your Rights” webinar in February. Homan has suggested her actions might be illegal and may impede Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportations. 

Tom Homan said he was going to refer me to DOJ because I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me, do I look like I care?” Ocasio-Cortez told a cheering crowd.

HYSTERICAL TOWN HALL ATTENDEE INTERRUPTS AOC, YELLS ABOUT ‘GENOCIDE’ IN GAZA: ‘YOU’RE A LIAR!’

Ocasio-Cortez asserted that there was “nothing illegal about it and if they want to make it illegal, they can come take me.”

In February, Ocasio-Cortez’s office hosted a live webinar advising migrants in her district about their rights if they come face to face looking to deport them.

People were recommended to ask for warrants, record searches if ICE came calling and were given tips on how to differentiate between different warrants ICE agents are likely to carry.

That led to Homan suggesting the New York Democrat could be crossing a line.

“I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out. Where is that line that they cross? So maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now,” he said after the event.

“What she needs to do is read the statutes enacted by Congress… because it’s a crime to enter this country illegally,” the Trump border czar said separately on “Sunday Morning Futures.” 

AOC CLAIMS ‘WE ARE ONE’ IN CAMPAIGN-STYLE VIDEO DESPITE YEARS OF INVOKING RACE, GENDER IN POLITICS

“Not only that, but when you harbor and conceal and impede law enforcement, that’s a felony. What she’s doing, she says she’s educating everybody on their constitutional rights, and we all know they’ve got constitutional rights, but what she’s really doing… she’s trying to teach them how to evade law enforcement.”

Ocasio-Cortez on Friday also attacked the Trump administration’s approach to border security and immigration, referring to its deportation of Venezuelan gang members as “sanctioned kidnappings.”

“I don’t even want to call them deportations. They are sanctioned kidnappings in many circumstances,” the congresswoman told attendees. “They do not have carte blanche to enter. If they do want to knock on your door, or knock on anyone’s door — including your workplace — you can tell them, ‘Show me a warrant. Show me a judicial warrant.’ And if they don’t show you a warrant, you can say they can come back with a warrant. You have the right to turn them away.”

Ocasio-Cortez was speaking to a packed auditorium full of hundreds for attendees. Those who couldn’t get in sat in an overflow room across the hall. 

Attendees gave the progressive lawmaker a warm reception and, bar one disruptor, appeared fully supportive of her legislative agenda and her representation of the district to date. Many questions from the audience centered around local issues, calls for a minimum wage hike, how to improve air quality as well as asking her how she plans on tackling the Trump administration. 

The loudest applause came when Ocasio-Cortez voiced her opposition to a proposed new casino at Citi Field, which would be part of new sports and entertainment park. It has gotten approval from the New York City Council, although the congresswoman said she doesn’t have a say in the matter since it’s a state issue as well as not being in her district.

The event was mostly uneventful except for an early disruption by a protester who began shouting at Ocasio-Cortez about the “genocide” in Gaza.   

“I am a healthcare worker and I want to know what you’re doing about the genocide in Gaza,” the protester started shouting at the congresswoman.

“Shame! Shame! Shame!” the audience began shouting at the disruptor. Audible “boos” could be heard as well before she was eventually led out by security.

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and Taylor Penney contributed to this report. 

Libertarians like Ron Paul warned against REAL ID — is the criticism merited? Experts weigh in

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While many public policy leaders believe implementation of REAL ID requirements across the country will bolster national security, some more libertarian critics say the Bush-era protocol could come at a cost to individual liberty and bigger government, with one expert telling Fox News Digital it essentially sets up a de facto national ID system and treats law-abiding Americans with suspicion.

When Congress debated REAL ID in 2005, libertarian Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, strongly opposed the move, positing that it constituted a national ID card that had no limitations on what type of information could be stored on it, posing a significant threat to American civil liberties.

After being signed into law, the implementation of REAL ID was repeatedly postponed during administrations of both political parties, including the first Trump administration during the height of the COVID pandemic. This year, however, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) set a new deadline for obtaining a REAL ID of May 7. Having REAL ID-compliant identification will be required to board domestic commercial airline flights and to access some federal facilities like courthouses or military bases.

So, should citizens be concerned about getting a REAL ID? Fox News Digital spoke to two policy experts, one supportive and one critical, for their views.

WHAT IS REAL ID? DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR NEW IDENTIFICATION CARDS REQUIRED TO FLY DOMESTICALLY

Simon Hankinson, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital that requiring additional documentation to obtain a REAL ID will have a significant impact on identifying and cracking down on terrorism and other illegal activity in the U.S., including illegal immigration.

By requiring a REAL ID to fly, Hankinson explained that IDs offered by liberal states to illegal immigrants will no longer allow those illegals to easily move about the country unchecked.  

He pointed to the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, in which several of the al Qaeda terrorists involved had obtained valid state licenses, which were accepted for boarding their flights.

And while Hankinson acknowledged that concerns about data privacy are legitimate, he pointed out that most Americans already have much of their information stored in databases such as that of the Social Security Administration.

‘WE’RE SIMPLY NOT READY’: REAL ID ROLLOUT COULD TRIGGER NATIONAL HEADACHE, STATE LAWMAKER WARNS

Hankinson said the government will have to be held to the highest standards to uphold citizens’ privacy. Still, he compared the risk-reward scenario posed to the nation by REAL ID to nuclear power.  

“If it’s done right, you can mitigate the risks, and you can have, like France, 75, 80% of your power from nuclear power plants,” he said. “If you cut corners, and you put the wrong people in charge and you take risks, then you end up with Chernobyl.”

But Jim Harper, a senior fellow of digital privacy and constitutional law at the American Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital that though REAL ID is not technically a national identification card, since it is issued by individual states, obtaining one enters private citizens into a national database, effectively making it a national identification system.

“REAL ID is a national ID system. And historically, national ID systems have been used for terrible things,” he said. “We want to make sure that we don’t position ourselves in the United States ever to have that much authority reside with the government. And so, for two decades now, I’ve been arguing against REAL ID, simple as that.

BLUE STATES RALLIED FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO OBTAIN DRIVER’S LICENSES AHEAD OF TRUMP’S REAL ID CRACKDOWN

What is the problem with being entered into a national system? Harper explained that his concern is that setting up such a system treats American citizens as suspects before they have committed any crimes.

He granted that the dangers of REAL ID are “not as urgent” as something like the Patriot Act, which was passed in the wake of 9/11 and significantly expanded the scope and powers of law enforcement and intelligence operations in the U.S., but that it similarly expands the ability of the government to control and monitor its citizenry.

I reject the idea of having law-abiding American citizens put into a national I.D. system because they might be terrorists. That’s not the way we do law enforcement in this country, to treat people as suspects from go,” he said. “I don’t think natural born citizens should, should be put into a national I.D. system for immigration control. That’s the that’s the problem of illegal immigration being visited on the citizen. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.”

In his view, the “burden” of the reasons for having a national ID “all falls on the citizen, on the individual who’s not accused of any crime or any wrongdoing. That’s not the way to do it.”

WHAT DID THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, 9/11 COMMISSION SAY ABOUT REAL ID LEGISLATION?

Harper predicted that the federal government will ultimately bend on enforcing REAL ID requirements and continue to “kick the can down the road” as they have done for two decades. 

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What’s more, according to both Hankinson and Harper, citizens in most states will still have other options available to them if they want to opt out of getting a REAL ID.

In the end, the decision of whether to obtain a REAL ID or to accept the risks of not doing so rests with individual citizens. 

Harvard professor reveals university was ‘not ready’ after Oct 7 as Trump revokes tax-exempt status

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An adjunct professor at Harvard spoke out Thursday after the Ivy League university’s president, Alan Garber, apologized as scathing internal reports exposed that antisemitism and Islamophobia were prevalent on campus. 

Eugene Litvak, who teaches at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that one of the nation’s top universities “was not ready” for the anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic behavior that has plagued Harvard since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

“Obviously, I was really, really upset,” Litvak told Fox. “What happened at Harvard after October 7th, and [at] the university, in my opinion, again, that’s my personal opinion, the university was not ready to face these kinds of challenges. None of the universities were ready.”

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY JANITORS SUE ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS ACCUSED OF HOLDING THEM HOSTAGE IN CAMPUS BUILDING

“I’m commending, actually, the letter from the president of the university,” the Harvard professor added. “What I really like, in science, we say that you cannot solve any problem unless you formulate it. So he formulated the problem in his letter. He acknowledged that there is a problem. Otherwise, nothing would happen.”

Harvard president Alan Garber apologized in a letter Tuesday after internal reports unveiled antisemitism and Islamophobia’s presence at the Ivy League school. Garber described the findings as “disturbing.”

HARVARD PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR FAILURE TO ADDRESS ANTISEMITISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA AFTER NEW REPORTS RELEASED

“I think that’s a step in the absolutely right direction,” Litvak told Fox News Digital. “I would like to see the fruits of it. But again, I was very, very pleased because of the acknowledgment that there is such a problem.”

Despite Garber’s apology and admission, President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social Friday stating that the administration will be “taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status,” noting “It’s what they deserve!” 

In addition to solving the troubling culture of one of America’s top universities, the Harvard School of Public Health professor also stressed the importance of addressing the imminent danger publicly funded healthcare programs like Medicaid and Medicare face. Litvak, who serves as President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Optimization (IHO), noted that the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cuts to the government would not harm the programs.

“I think Medicare and Medicaid are facing danger, regardless of what DOGE is doing,” Litvak explained. “Medicare actually is going to become insolvent in 2036. It’s very close. And Medicaid is not in the best position. I can tell you, we have, last year we had 4.9, this year I believe we would have more than $5 trillion spending.”

DR. OZ VOWS TO ‘WAGE WAR ON FRAUD, WASTE, ABUSE,’ PRESERVE MEDICARE AND MEDICAID

The professor stated that reducing government spending, similar to DOGE cuts, on healthcare can be a solution to the looming crisis.

“I agree with the goal to reduce waste. It was a very timely call for waste reduction. It’s much-needed, the Harvard professor added. “Before doing that, if I were making decisions, before firing people, I would say, ‘how can we improve the efficiency of what we already have?’”

While Litvak pushes for change in the public healthcare space, a dark cloud continues to hang over the Boston-based university as tensions between the Trump Administration and the Ivy League school have shown no signs of cooling down. 

A lawsuit over $2.2 billion in frozen research grants is still ongoing, and the funds may likely be held up into the summer. Harvard president Alan Garber said the “consequences” of the decision to withhold grants would be “severe and long-lasting”, and may impact work similar to that which Professor Litvak is hoping to accomplish. 

In response to the suit, a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital in April that the “gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard, which enrich their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families is coming to an end.”

AOC taunts Tom Homan after DOJ referral threat over deportations: ‘Come for me’

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., threw down the gauntlet to Tom Homan on Friday after the border czar previously threatened to refer her to the Justice Department for giving advice to migrants on how to avoid being deported. 

Ocasio-Cortez told attendees at a Queens town hall event that she was not afraid of the immigration hardliners’ words in the wake of her office hosting a “Know your Rights” webinar in February. Homan has suggested her actions might be illegal and may impede Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportations. 

Tom Homan said he was going to refer me to DOJ because I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me, do I look like I care?” Ocasio-Cortez told a cheering crowd.

HYSTERICAL TOWN HALL ATTENDEE INTERRUPTS AOC, YELLS ABOUT ‘GENOCIDE’ IN GAZA: ‘YOU’RE A LIAR!’

Ocasio-Cortez asserted that there was “nothing illegal about it and if they want to make it illegal, they can come take me.”

In February, Ocasio-Cortez’s office hosted a live webinar advising migrants in her district about their rights if they come face to face looking to deport them.

People were also recommended to record searches if ICE came calling and how to differentiate between different warrants ICE agents are likely to carry.

That led to Homan suggesting the New York Democrat could be crossing a line.

“I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out. Where is that line that they cross? So maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now,” he said after the event.

“What she needs to do is read the statutes enacted by Congress… because it’s a crime to enter this country illegally,” the Trump border czar said separately on “Sunday Morning Futures.” 

AOC CLAIMS ‘WE ARE ONE’ IN CAMPAIGN-STYLE VIDEO DESPITE YEARS OF INVOKING RACE, GENDER IN POLITICS

“Not only that, but when you harbor and conceal and impede law enforcement, that’s a felony,” he said. “What she’s doing, she says she’s educating everybody on their constitutional rights, and we all know they’ve got constitutional rights, but what she’s really doing… she’s trying to teach them how to evade law enforcement.”

Ocasio-Cortez on Friday also attacked the Trump administration’s approach to border security and immigration, referring to its deportation of Venezuelan gang members as “sanctioned kidnappings.”

“I don’t even want to call them deportations. They are sanctioned kidnappings in many circumstances,” the congresswoman told attendees. “They do not have carte blanche to enter. If they do want to knock on your door, or knock on anyone’s door — including your workplace — you can tell them, ‘Show me a warrant. Show me a judicial warrant.’ And if they don’t show you a warrant, you can say they can come back with a warrant. You have the right to turn them away.”

Ocasio-Cortez was speaking to a packed auditorium full of hundreds of attendees. Those who couldn’t get in sat in an overflow room across the hall. 

Attendees gave the progressive lawmaker a warm reception and, bar one disruptor, appeared fully supportive of her legislative agenda and her representation of the district to date. Many questions from the audience centered around local issues, calls for a minimum wage hike, how to improve air quality, as well as asking her how she plans on tackling the Trump administration. 

The loudest applause came when Ocasio-Cortez voiced her opposition to a proposed new casino at Citi Field, which would be part of a new sports and entertainment park. It has gotten approval from the New York City Council, although the congresswoman said she doesn’t have a say in the matter since it’s a state issue as well as not being in her district.

The event was mostly uneventful except for an early disruption by a protester who began shouting at Ocasio-Cortez about the “genocide” in Gaza. 

“I am a healthcare worker and I want to know what you’re doing about the genocide in Gaza,” the protester started shouting at the congresswoman.

“Shame! Shame! Shame!” the audience began shouting at the disruptor. Audible “boos” could be heard as well before she was eventually led out by security.

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and Taylor Penney contributed to this report. 

Rep. Mikie Sherrill suggests third Trump impeachment as she campaigns to be next New Jersey governor

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Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., suggested impeaching President Donald Trump a third time to stop Republicans following the 2026 midterms, as she seeks to become the next governor of New Jersey.

“I think you have to test yourself. I think it’s not enough to take on one tough fight. I think there’s a lot of tough fights going on,” Sherrill told supporters during a campaign event at Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company Station 34 in Manchester Township on April 26, according to the New York Post.

Sherrill, 53, was first elected to the U.S. House in the 2018 midterms, winning the state’s 11th congressional district that had long been considered a Republican stronghold. She voted for both of Trump’s impeachments during his first administration.

“When I impeached the president the first time — who knew I would ever be saying–” she was saying at the campaign event last week when an audience member interjected that she should “do it again,” leading to laughter from the rest of the crowd.

GOP GOVERNOR HOPEFUL PUSHES ANTI-CHINA POLICY AFTER YEARS OF CHINESE INVESTMENTS

“Yeah, exactly. We’ll see,” she replied. “Maybe we’ll go for the trifecta.”

The congresswoman added: “But when I impeached him the first time, I thought I would probably lose my seat after that because of my district.”

Earlier this week, Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., filed articles of impeachment against Trump for several alleged high crimes and misdemeanors, including for eliminating federal programs without congressional authorization, violating First Amendment rights and refusing to follow court orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S. after he was sent to a prison in his home country of El Salvador.

The administration purports that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, although a judge previously granted him a form of protected status known as “withholding of removal” after finding that he would likely be a target of Salvadoran gangs if deported to his native country. Democrat lawmakers, many legal experts and other critics of the move to send Abrego Garcia to the Salvadoran prison say this was done without giving him the opportunity to exercise his due process rights.

Trump’s “unlawful actions have subverted the justice system, violated the separation of powers, and placed personal power and self-interest above public service,” Thanedar said in a statement when introducing articles of impeachment against the president.

Sherrill explained at her event how Democrat-led states could challenge Trump’s agenda.

“I was on the floor on January 6th. And he has no intention of leaving in four years — zero,” Sherrill said, as Trump has floated the idea of bending the constitutional rules to run for a third term.

“It’s up to, again, all of us to make sure that we are there, mobilizing, bringing people together as he’s trying to divide us apart, finding ways around and, kind of, to block and tackle in the states,” Sherrill said.

GOP CANDIDATE RIPS BLUE STATE DIRECTIVE MEDDLING IN POLICE FORCE’S COOPERATION WITH ICE: ‘HANDCUFFED’

“I have to tell you it’s all down to federalism, in my mind. It’s down to the states — and taking them to court as they’re trying to meddle in our election system,” she added.

Others facing Sherrill in the Democrat gubernatorial primary include Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, former Montclair mayor and president of the New Jersey Education Association Sean Spiller and former state Senate president Stephen Sweeney.

Current Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy is term-limited.

The New Jersey Democrat primary will be held on June 10.

AOC slams Trump administration during Friday night district town hall as 2028 White House talk swirls

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., blasted the Trump administration on issues ranging from free speech, DOGE spending cuts and immigration at a Friday night town hall in Jackson Heights, Queens. At one point, the four-term congresswoman called out border czar Tom Homan by name, challenging him to “come for me.”

After speaking at a May Day protest in New York City on Thursday, rejecting Trump’s agenda and warning protesters that Republicans “are going after Medicaid next,” Ocasio-Cortez continued that message in New York’s 14th Congressional District Friday night. 

After a May Day protest in New York City where she warned Republicans were “going after Medicaid next,” Ocasio-Cortez’s constituent town hall kept a decidedly progressive bent but ranged in focus from local to national concerns. Even so, President Donald Trump and his aggressive border security push remained a key focus.

In particular, Ocasio-Cortez attacked the Trump administration’s approach to border security and immigration, referring to its deportation of Venezuelan gang members as “sanctioned kidnappings.”

POLLSTER NATE SILVER CALLS OCASIO-CORTEZ MOST LIKELY TO BE 2028 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

“I don’t even want to call them deportations. They are sanctioned kidnappings in many circumstances,” the congresswoman told attendees. “They do not have carte blanche to enter. If they do want to knock on your door, or knock on anyone’s door — including your workplace — you can tell them, ‘Show me a warrant. Show me a judicial warrant.’ And if they don’t show you a warrant, you can say they can come back with a warrant. You have the right to turn them away.”

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has said Ocasio-Cortez should be investigated for providing tips on how to evade federal immigration authorities. On Friday, after the congresswoman did so again, she mentioned Homan. 

“When we first did one of these seminars, Tom Homan, then-acting director of ICE, said that he was going to threaten to refer me to the DOJ because I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutionally guaranteed protections,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And he may want to do it again today, and to that I say, come for me.”

WATCH: AOC LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR 2028 PRESIDENTIAL BID AS CAMPAIGN BUZZ SOARS 

Ocasio-Cortez also slammed the Trump administration for “attacks on free speech” and cuts to government spending on programs the congresswoman considers “essential.”

“Anything that has to do with the environment is bad and should be cut, and I don’t even think they understood the extent to which this is compromising and hurting people,” Ocasio-Cortez told attendees. “They don’t believe climate change is real.”

The event was mostly uneventful except for an early disruption by a protester who began shouting at Ocasio-Cortez about the “genocide” in Gaza.   

“I am a healthcare worker and I want to know what you’re doing about the genocide in Gaza,” the protester started shouting at the congresswoman.

“Shame! Shame! Shame!” the audience began shouting at the disruptor. Audible “boos” could be heard as well.

HYSTERICAL TOWN HALL ATTENDEE INTERRUPTS AOC, YELLS ABOUT ‘GENOCIDE’ IN GAZA: ‘YOU’RE A LIAR!’

Ocasio-Cortez attempted to appease the disruptor, but nothing she could say calmed the person down. Staff at the event allowed the disruptor to continue yelling until she approached Ocasio-Cortez, and they eventually led her out.

“Shame on you. You’re a liar. You’re a liar,” the woman screamed as others began to boo at her. “

Shame on you, I used to support you,” the woman shouted as she exited. “You’re a war criminal! War criminal! War criminal!”

Despite the protester’s unfavorable opinion of Ocasio-Cortez, others have been hopeful about her potential candidacy for the presidency in 2028. Speculation about her potential run has been swirling during the congresswoman’s frequent Fighting Oligarchy rallies with Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats.

AOC CLAIMS ‘WE ARE ONE’ IN CAMPAIGN-STYLE VIDEO DESPITE YEARS OF INVOKING RACE, GENDER IN POLITICS

Sanders held a rally Friday night in Pennsylvania, during which attendees snapped photos of “AOC 2028” merchandise sold outside the event. 

As rumors swirl over Ocasio-Cortez’s ambition for higher office, the congresswoman raked in $9.6 million over 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 money came from 266,000 individual donors with an average contribution of $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.

Hysterical town hall attendee interrupts AOC, yells about ‘genocide’ in Gaza: ‘You’re a liar!’

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A hysterical protester yelling about the “genocide” in Gaza interrupted a district town hall event being held by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., shortly after it began on Friday night.

As Ocasio-Cortez first began speaking, she pulled up a PowerPoint presentation for the night’s event. She was then interrupted before even getting through her first slide discussing the Trump administration’s budget cuts, including alleged cuts to local healthcare systems.  

“I am a healthcare worker and I want to know what you’re doing about the genocide in Gaza!” the protester started shouting at the congresswoman. 

WATCH: AOC LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR 2028 PRESIDENTIAL BID AS CAMPAIGN BUZZ SOARS

“Shame! Shame! Shame!” the audience began shouting at the disruptor. Audible “boos” could be heard as well.

Ocasio-Cortez attempted to appease the disruptor, but nothing she could say calmed the person down. Staff at the event allowed the disruptor to continue yelling until they approached her and eventually led her out voluntarily. 

“Shame on you, I used to support you,” the woman shouted as she exited. “You’re a war criminal! War criminal! War Criminal!”

AOC CLAIMS ‘WE ARE ONE’ IN CAMPAIGN-STYLE VIDEO DESPITE YEARS OF INVOKING RACE, GENDER IN POLITICS

Ocasio-Cortez responded to the protester after things quieted down. 

“I more than welcome people who disagree, or are super pissed off at me for any issue to come, but we have some ground rules here,” she told the town hall’s attendees. “Please wait for the Q&A, because we don’t want to deprive all of our neighbors of the ability to have information and hearing them respond to it… We need to be able to have this conversation.”

As rumors swirl over Ocasio-Cortez’s ambition for higher office, the congresswoman raked in a massive $9.6 million over 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.

New report warns NATO’s data vulnerabilities could cost lives without US fix

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A new report warns that NATO is unprepared for modern digital warfare. Without stronger leadership, especially from the U.S., the alliance could face serious security risks.

The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) released a study showing that many NATO members are failing to modernize their military data systems.

Although NATO leaders talk about the importance of secure and shared cloud infrastructure, most countries still store critical military information in local servers that are vulnerable to cyberattacks.

The report calls data the “currency of warfare” and urges NATO to improve how it stores and shares military information.

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At the moment, most NATO countries are building separate national cloud systems. France uses Thales, Germany uses Arvato, and Italy is working with Leonardo to develop sovereign defense cloud services, according to the CEPA report Defend in the Cloud: Boost NATO Data Resilience.

The U.S. has its own approach, using Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle to build a sovereign cloud for the Department of Defense, as noted in the same CEPA report.

This fragmented setup is creating major problems. The CEPA report explains that many of these national systems are not interoperable, which makes it difficult for NATO allies to share intelligence or respond rapidly in times of crisis.

Although 22 NATO members have pledged to build shared cloud capabilities, progress has been slow. CEPA describes a gap between what leaders promise and what is actually getting done, and the process remains slow and overly bureaucratic.

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Some of the hesitation stems from political tensions. 

Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has reinforced his long-standing position that NATO members must meet their defense spending commitments. 

In early 2025, Trump proposed raising the target above the current 2% benchmark and stated publicly that the U.S. would only defend NATO allies who meet what he considers their “fair share” of the burden.

TRUMP PRAISED FOR GETTING NATO ALLIES TO BOLSTER DEFENSE SPENDING: ‘REALLY STAGGERING’

At the same time, Trump has taken credit for strengthening the alliance by pushing European governments to boost their defense budgets. 

In March, he pointed to what he called “hundreds of billions of dollars” in new allied defense spending as proof that his pressure was effective. His administration continues to engage in high-level NATO meetings and has publicly affirmed support for the alliance’s core mission.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has worked to reassure European partners. During an April meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, he stated that the U.S. is “as active in NATO as it has ever been,” pushing back on claims that the administration is disengaging.

According to statements published by the State Department and reported by Reuters, Rubio emphasized that Trump is not opposed to NATO itself, but to an alliance that is under-prepared or underfunded.

Rubio is also playing a central role in U.S. efforts to broker peace in Ukraine. In early 2025, he led direct talks with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia and presented Trump’s terms for a possible ceasefire, according to official State Department readouts and contemporaneous reporting by Reuters and other outlets.

Rubio has emphasized that Ukraine and European allies will remain closely involved in the process. After a pause in U.S. aid earlier this year, he announced that military support would resume once Kyiv signaled agreement with the proposed framework for peace.

Meanwhile, NATO continues to provide assistance to Ukraine through a trust fund valued at nearly $1 billion. This figure is based on NATO’s own reporting on its Comprehensive Assistance Package, as cited in CEPA’s April report.

The alliance is also coordinating training and equipment donations, but the CEPA report makes it clear that efforts are being slowed by a lack of secure data sharing.

The report points to Estonia as a model for digital resilience. Estonia backs up its government data in Luxembourg through a “data embassy” system, ensuring it remains protected even if local systems are attacked. NATO, according to CEPA, should encourage similar strategies across the alliance.

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According to CEPA, the U.S. is best positioned to lead the way, with Trump and Rubio already taking the necessary steps to push NATO in the right direction.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

CEPA’s report can be reviewed here.

Chinese official reportedly seeking talks with Trump on fentanyl ingredients amid trade war

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A top Chinese government official is asking what the Trump administration wants the communist nation to do about chemicals used to make fentanyl amid an ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies. 

Wang Xiaohong, China’s minister of public security, has been making inquiries about what Trump wants China to do about the fentanyl issue over the last few days, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Chinese companies produce precursors, large quantities of chemicals that eventually flow to Mexican drug cartels, which then make fentanyl and smuggle it into the United States. 

ON TRUMP’S 100TH DAY, CHINESE COMMUNIST REGIME DECLARES IT WILL ‘NEVER KNEEL’ TO U.S. PRESSURE IN FIERY VIDEO

Beijing could possibly have Wang meet with senior Trump administration officials in a neutral country, the newspaper reported. 

Trump has tried to persuade China, Mexico and Canada to do more to combat the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. 

TRUMP SAYS TARIFFS ARE INCENTIVIZING US INVESTMENT, HURTING CHINA

“Fentanyl can be the icebreaker for the two countries to start with a more positive tone,” Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, told the news outlet. “Both sides are eager to get some negotiations started.”

Upon taking office, Trump imposed 20% tariffs on China over its role in the fentanyl epidemic in the U.S., which kills tens of thousands of Americans every year.

Since then, Trump has increased tariffs on China to 145%, while Beijing has retaliated with 125% tariffs on American goods. 

Connecticut Senate Democrats list outrageous things they’d rather endure instead of 100 more days of Trump

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Connecticut Senate Democrats posted an outlandish TikTok video on Thursday, featuring lawmakers listing out unpleasant things they would rather subject themselves to, rather than face another 100 days of the Trump administration.

The video, which had garnered just over 100 likes on the platform as of Friday afternoon, appears to have been partially filmed in the State Senate chamber.

TRUMP TOUTS ‘MOST SUCCESSFUL’ FIRST 100 DAYS IN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY DURING MICHIGAN RALLY

Lawmakers suggested they would rather have 100 bad haircuts, 100 vaccination shots in the arm or spend 100 hours in a traffic jam on Interstate 84.

Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, added she would rather cook 100 family meals, which she noted her kids would find “very funny.”

FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP, REPUBLICANS AT RECORD-HIGH RATINGS AS DEMOCRATS FALTER 

The post came days after President Donald Trump said at a Michigan rally that his administration had enjoyed the most successful first 100 days in presidential history.

Trump’s first 100 days of his second term centered around aggressive action to address border security, trade, education, civil rights, technology and innovation, Fox News Digital previously reported.

TRUMP ADMIN REVOKES 4K FOREIGN STUDENTS’ VISAS IN FIRST 100 DAYS, NEARLY ALL WITH SERIOUS CRIMINAL RECORDS

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established with an executive order signed by the president on his first day in office, claims to have slashed federal spending through budget and staffing cuts.

However, the latest poll numbers show Trump has 44% approval and 55% disapproval ratings in the most recent Fox News national poll, which collected data from April 18-21.

On specific issues, Trump received a 55% majority approval on border security, 47% approval on immigration and 38% approval on the economy.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE

His worst ratings were on inflation (33% approve, 59% disapprove), tariffs (33%-58%), foreign policy (40%-54%), taxes (38%-53%) and guns (41%-44%).

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

GOP fires back at DNC’s ‘political stunt’ targeting ‘vulnerable’ Republicans over Medicaid fight

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The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is launching a month of action to “Fight to Save Medicaid,” targeting four “vulnerable” House Republicans, who Democrats claim are “poised to gut Medicaid and other critical programs.” 

Republicans quickly fired back in statements to Fox News Digital on Friday. 

“The dishonest Democrats should rename their campaign ‘the fight to save taxpayer-funded welfare benefits for illegal immigrants’ because that’s what they’re really trying to do,” Rep. Mike Lawler’s director of communications, Ciro Riccardi, told Fox News Digital. 

“This is a desperate political stunt, plain and simple. The truth is that Congressman Lawler has been very clear on this: he will vote to protect and strengthen Medicaid for those who rely on this critical program.”

DAVID HOGG FACES CHALLENGE TO DNC ROLE AS PARTY TENSIONS ESCALATE

The DNC’s multipronged pressure campaign, including digital, local and direct action, will target Republican Reps. Lawler of New York, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. The DNC is advising voters to post “accountability content” on social media, host “People’s Town Halls” in the Republicans’ congressional districts, and call or email their representatives to “make their outrage known.”

DNC Chair Ken Martin said the four Congressional Republicans will “seal their political fate if they go along with Trump’s disastrous budget.”

“To ensure these Republicans understand that it’s either their vote or their job, the DNC is launching its first-ever distributed organizing program to offer voters a platform to join Democrats in taking direct action — from hosting town halls to mobilizing their personal networks — against the GOP’s budget, while building grassroots power for critical elections still ahead. Our representatives must serve the people — not ignore them. Republicans will either learn that lesson now or at the ballot box,” Martin said. 

TRUMP SAYS PUBLIC ENTITLEMENTS LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICAID WON’T BE TOUCHED IN GOP BUDGET BILL

While Democrats have railed against potential cuts to Medicaid since President Donald Trump was elected in November, the White House has maintained that public entitlements, including Social Security and Medicaid, will not be cut in the Republicans’ budget bill. 

“All national Democrats have are pathetic lies and fear-mongering tactics to distract from their failures. They were already forced to take down their dishonest Medicaid ads across the country because Americans know they’re full of crap, and voters aren’t going to buy their latest publicity stunt,” National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) Spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital in a response to the DNC’s new pressure campaign. 

Last month, Democrats were forced to take down six billboards targeting Republican Reps. Gabe Evans, Don Bacon, Ryan Mackenzie, Monica De La Cruz, Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman, as reported by the Washington Examiner, after the NRCC sent a cease and desist letter to Lamar Advertising Company, accusing the vendor of spreading “defamatory messages.” 

“What DC Democrats are saying when it comes to Medicaid is they oppose having work requirements for able-bodied adults without children, annual audits to ensure only eligible individuals receive benefits, and ensuring that only people who are here legally should qualify,” Bacon told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The methods our group of 12 Republicans has identified to improve Medicaid are not controversial or cutting the quality of healthcare. We’re protecting our children and those most vulnerable. Last time the DNC targeted me on this issue, the billboard companies pulled their ads for false information.”

Despite Republicans’ assurances that Medicaid services will be protected, there is debate among the party about how to slash wasteful spending within the program. Those discussions come as Republicans seek to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and deliver Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which includes no taxes on tips and Social Security. 

But Democrats are warning “vulnerable” House Republicans that Medicaid cuts are a losing issue, and their new campaign will not just hold Republicans accountable but help them win back a Democratic majority in 2026. 

“House Republicans have lost the trust of the American people and are on track to lose in the midterms because of their record of broken promises. They’ve consistently sold out their own constituents to please their billionaire backers, even when it means supporting catastrophic cuts to health care access,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene said. 

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

John Fetterman faces new spotlight on health, family drama, sparking online uproar

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A new exposé about Sen. John Fetterman’s, D-Pa., time on Capitol Hill set social media ablaze on Friday. 

The report raised questions about alleged tensions with his wife, Gisele, over his health regimen, his stance on Israel and her reported run-ins with his staff.

In “All By Himself: John Fetterman insists he is in good health, but staffers past and present say they no longer recognize the man they once knew,” New York Magazine’s Intelligencer lays out recollections from current and former staff members who worked for the Pennsylvania Democrat. In May 2022, Fetterman suffered a serious stroke mid-Senate campaign against Dr. Mehmet Oz.

The article relates several reported instances, including a February 2023 situation at a Democratic caucus retreat at the Library of Congress.

A staffer told the outlet that he received a message questioning how Fetterman was doing, as he was found sitting at a table alone, silently drinking a soda.

FETTERMAN SPOKESWOMAN REAMED FOR REPORTEDLY CONTRADICTING BOSS ON ISRAEL: ‘UNPARALLELED HUBRIS’

The report went on to claim the lawmaker was “nearly struck by a car” and found “wandering” Capitol Hill.

Physicians at George Washington University Hospital later determined he was severely dehydrated, and had not had a second stroke as feared.

An ensuing discussion with then-Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, found Fetterman to be nearly “catatonic” when Brown tried to talk with him. Soon after, on Feb. 15, he was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center.

After being discharged, Fetterman “threw himself into” his Senate work and became more vociferous than ever on issues like the Israel-Gaza conflict and other topics that have rankled his Democratic colleagues.

He also took a leading role in calling for the ouster of now-former Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., amid corruption allegations.

“Former and current staffers paint a picture of an erratic senator who has become almost impossible to work for and whose mental-health situation is more serious and complicated than previously reported,” the article read.

After staffers wrote a letter about Fetterman’s “gutting betrayal” supporting Israel, the report went on to allege Gisele confronted him about Jerusalem “bombing refugee camps — how can you support this?”

Gisele reportedly also went to staffers with her concerns, while a Senate physician in December 2023 reported him “acting bizarrely” near the Senate subway, while he had not had bloodwork in months.

FETTERMAN TAKES SWIPE AT AOC: WE KEPT OUR GOVERNMENT OPEN, DEAL WITH IT

The hulking lawmaker also reportedly nearly knocked over folks walking in the Capitol.

Both types of incidents reportedly rankled his wife, who was vociferous on the matter, according to the magazine piece.

Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman for comment.

Social media became abuzz after the article dropped, with Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias calling it “a very sad story here on a human level, but of course, it’s also politics and can’t be addressed purely on that level.”

Left-wing former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan wrote that the story and color from former staffers therein “makes clear that Fetterman should not be serving in the Senate. Every Senate Democrat should read this and be asked about it.”

A California progressive group reacted by writing that the story is an indictment of populist lawmakers.

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“Whether they’re left or right, whether they agree with your preferred policies or not, populism will not get you the best leaders,” Bay Area New Liberals wrote.

Another user said the story showed Gisele as “evil.”

“These are not red flags, this is a siren going off. John Fetterman is not taking his meds… He needs inpatient care,” commented another.

“Funny how they didn’t run these hit pieces or question Fetterman’s mental health during the campaign when he was barely able to speak or when he so spectacularly fumbled the debate against Dr. Oz. But now that he turned out not to be a deranged Trump hater, a psychotic terrorist lover, or an obedient progressive, suddenly they’re starting to question his mental acuity,” a different user wrote.

“Knocking him out early before he can do anything in 2028?” wrote another, who conjectured that both Fetterman and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro could end up battling each other in the next Democratic presidential primary.

ICE makes major arrest after Soros-backed prosecutor made controversial plea deal

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Virginia State Police arrested an illegal immigrant after he was released as a result of a plea deal made by the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.

Guatemalan national Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron, 34, faced numerous felony charges in January, including abduction by force, assault on a family member and felony strangulation causing injury to a Virginia woman, according to ICE, which has Ramos-Giron in custody.

Ramos-Giron spent only two months in an adult detention center in Fairfax County. 

The county attorney’s office, led by Democrat Steve Descano, arranged a plea deal dropping Ramos-Giron’s charges to misdemeanors. Ramos-Giron would have faced up to 16 years behind bars on the felony charges if convicted, according to ABC 7

DEM PROSECUTOR LETS OFF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH STRANGULATION, KIDNAPPING

The outlet reported that even though the county attorney’s office said the plea deal was what the victim wanted, the victim said that’s not true. Ramos-Giron was deported two other times but found his way back into the U.S. despite being convicted in a federal gun case. But it’s not clear when he returned to the country, according to ICE.

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office praised the April 24 arrest.

“It’s disappointing that the Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney’s Office has been more concerned about shielding dangerous illegal immigrants than ensuring the safety of Virginians,” Peter Finocchio, Youngkin’s press secretary, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“Fortunately, Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron will no longer pose a threat to Virginia families, thanks to brave federal and state law enforcement heroes.”

Descano’s campaign received over $627,000 between 2019 and 2023 from the Justice and Public Safety PAC, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Fox News Digital previously reported that a large majority of the super PAC’s funding came from liberal billionaire George Soros.

ICE NABS MORE THAN 425 MIGRANT CRIMINALS IN VIRGINIA, GOV. YOUNGKIN SAYS

Fairfax County District Attorney Steve Descano, a Democrat, has had a clear policy against wanting to enforce federal immigration laws and has a history of not complying with many ICE detainers, ABC 7 reported.

“Wilmer Ramos-Giron represents a significant threat to our Virginia residents,” said Russell Hott, who directs the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C., field office.

“He has displayed a blatant disregard for our immigration laws and, more importantly, for the safety and well-being of our community. He is a violent and recidivist threat to public safety that ICE Washington, D.C., cannot tolerate. Regardless of the obstacles placed in our way, we remain committed to prioritizing public safety. The men and women of ICE Washington, D.C., will continue to arrest and remove criminal alien threats from our Washington, D.C., and Virginia neighborhoods and ensure their victims receive the justice they so rightly deserve.”

ICE TOUTS RECORD-BREAKING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS

Descano’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

As ICE continues its crackdown on illegal immigrants it considers public safety risks, state and local laws nationwide continue to face scrutiny. Last month, the state of California said it would transfer an illegal immigrant into ICE custody after the state prison system was preparing to release a man convicted of killing two teenagers in a DUI manslaughter who was 3½ years into a 10-year sentence in July.

Top 5 most outrageous ways the government has wasted your taxes, as uncovered by Elon Musk’s DOGE

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As President Donald Trump celebrated his 100th day in office this week, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said it has cut at least $160 billion in waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. 

When Trump signed an executive order establishing the agency on his Inauguration Day, DOGE set an ambitious goal of cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget. 

According to the Office of Government Ethics, “special government employees” like Musk can work for the federal government no more than 130 days a year, which in Musk’s case will fall on May 30. He has already started pairing back his hours leading the controversial agency. 

Fox News Channel’s “Jesse Watters Primetime” had the opportunity to see behind the curtain of Musk’s infamous DOGE, which Democrats have railed against and Republicans have celebrated since Trump returned to the White House this year. The “DOGE boys” reminded Watters on Thursday of some of the most shocking savings secured by the department this year. 

DOGE’S GREATEST HITS: LOOK BACK AT THE DEPARTMENT’S MOST HIGH-PROFILE CUTS DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS

Earlier this year, DOGE discovered the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) had transferred $132,000 to Mohammad Qasem Halimi, a former Taliban member who was Afghanistan’s former Chief of Protocol. DOGE announced on March 31 that the contract was canceled. 

Halimi was detained by the U.S. and held at Bagram Air Base for a year beginning Jan. 2, 2002. He held several positions in Afghanistan’s government following his release and was appointed as the Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs in Afghanistan in 2020. 

“A small agency called the United States Institute of Peace is definitely the agency we’ve had the most fight at. We actually went into the agency and found they had loaded guns inside their headquarters — Institute for Peace,” a DOGE staffer told Watters. “So by far, the least peaceful agency that we’ve worked with, ironically. Additionally, we found that they were spending money on things like private jets, and they even had a $130,000 contract with a former member of the Taliban. This is real. We don’t encounter that in most agencies.”

USIP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry. 

ELON MUSK LOOKS BACK ON 100 DAYS OF DOGE, PREVIEWS FUTURE OF THE ‘LONG-TERM ENTERPRISE’

Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that the nation’s schools spent $200 billion in COVID-relief funds on expenses “with little oversight or impact on students,” such as Las Vegas hotel rooms and buying an ice cream truck, according to DOGE’s audits. 

Granite School District in Utah spent their COVID-relief funds on $86,000 in hotel rooms for an educational conference at Caesars Palace, a ritzy Las Vegas casino, while Santa Ana Unified in California spent $393,000 to rent out a Major League Baseball stadium, according to a report by Parents Defending Education and shared by DOGE. Granite School District has since denied “any impropriety for having our educators participate” in the Las Vegas conference.

The cost-cutting department also revealed that schools spent $60,000 of COVID-relief funds on swimming pool passes, while a California district used its funds to purchase an ice cream truck.

“They were basically partying on the taxpayers’ dollars,” Musk told Watters on Thursday. 

CAESARS PALACE, MLB STADIUM, AN ICE CREAM TRUCK: DOGE REVEALS HOW SCHOOLS SPENT BILLIONS IN COVID-RELIEF FUNDS

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is chairwoman of the Senate DOGE Caucus and who has collaborated closely with Musk to identify waste to cut, revealed that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) “authorized a whopping $20 million to create a ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq.” 

Ernst said that under the Biden administration, USAID awarded the $20 million to a nonprofit called Sesame Workshop to produce a show called “Ahlan Simsim Iraq” in an effort to “promote inclusion, mutual respect and understanding across ethnic, religious and sectarian groups.” 

DOGE received a hand from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), which released a report in March revealing that federal agencies wasted $162 billion in “improper payments,” which was actually a decrease of $74 billion from the previous fiscal year. 

GAO’s analysis revealed that of the 16 government agencies reporting improper payments, 75% of the waste found was concentrated in five programs: $54 billion from three Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Medicare programs; $31 billion in HHS Medicaid; $16 billion from the Department of the Treasury’s earned income tax credit; $11 billion from the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; and $9 billion from the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Restaurant Revitalization Fund. 

On the campaign trail and since taking office, Trump has made it clear he aims to slash diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) spending in the federal government, while making the case that a system of meritocracy should be the focus.

DOGE has announced over the last few months that it has cut hundreds of millions in DEI contracts. 

Earlier this month, DOGE announced it had worked with the U.S. National Science Foundation to cancel 402 “wasteful” DEI grants, which will save $233 million, including $1 million for “Antiracist Teacher Leadership for Statewide Transformation.”

The Department of Defense could save up to $80 million in wasteful spending by cutting loose a handful of DEI programs, the agency announced last month.

The Defense Department has been working with DOGE to slash wasteful spending, DOD spokesman Sean Parnell said in a video posted to social media.

Parnell listed some of the initial findings flagged by DOGE, much of it consisting of millions of dollars given to support various DEI programs, including $1.9 million for holistic DEI transformation and training in the Air Force and $6 million to the University of Montana to “strengthen American democracy by bridging divides.”

The Trump administration announced earlier this month it is slashing millions of dollars in DEI grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as part of its overall DOGE push.

And in February, the Department of Education said it is canceling more than $100 million in grants to DEI training as part of DOGE’s efforts.