FIRST ON FOX: A new piece of legislation was introduced in both the House and the Senate on Tuesday that would allow fentanyl dealers connected to distribution resulting in death to be charged with felony murder.

Under current U.S. law, there is a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison for the same offense, but the legal process of prosecution is not tried as a murder case. The legislation would increase the severity and consequences of dealers to further crackdowns on the fentanyl crisis that has taken roughly 280,000 thousand American lives since 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIH). 

WHITE HOUSE DISPLAYS LAWN SIGNS HIGHLIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME

Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Representative Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, unveiled the Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act as a bicameral bill on Tuesday, which also marks National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The legislation will now head to committee in both chambers. 

“Drug cartels have taken advantage of loopholes at our borders to peddle illicit drugs into our country, meanwhile, our communities pay the price,” Gonzales told Fox News Digital. “My bill sends a strong message to those who work with cartels and other bad actors—if you sell the drug and take an innocent life, justice will be delivered. Our law enforcement agencies are in overdrive combating the drug epidemic in America, it’s time to take action and up the penalties for fentanyl dealers.” 

While the number of deaths is in the hundreds of thousands, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that “nearly 64,000 pounds of fentanyl have been seized at the southern border,” which is enough to “kill 14 billion people.” 

“I have seen firsthand how the scourge of fentanyl has inflicted incredible tragedy on communities across Iowa,” Senator Joni Ernst told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “I have worked for years to protect Americans and stop this deadly epidemic. Increasing the severity of the punishment for the drug dealers responsible for the deaths of too many Iowans is long overdue.”

WHITE HOUSE TOUTS 100-DAY ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN AFTER BIDEN ‘UNSECURED THE BORDER ON PURPOSE’

The rise in the flow of the deadly drug has been largely tied to the influx of illegal immigrants over the past four years during the Biden Administration. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) estimates “more than 90% of interdicted fentanyl is stopped at Ports of Entry (POEs), where cartels attempt to smuggle it primarily in vehicles driven by U.S. citizens.”

With a recent decline in border apprehensions, the number of deaths resulting from consumption of fentanyl have declined as well. The CDC reported in February with the most recent data showing overall drug overdose deaths dropping 24% from October 2023 to September 2024.

President Donald Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, claimed at a White House press conference Monday morning that the Biden Administration “unsecured the border on purpose.” 

Homan went on to say that “border numbers are at a historic low” and that the U.S. has the “most secure border in the history of this nation.” 

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., described Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during her 2022 campaign as unrepresentative of American voters, but campaign finance reports revealed she collected at least $31,000 from the former House speaker and her political action committees during her three years in Congress. 

“I want to make my position clear that I will not vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House,” Perez told The Columbian in 2022. “I look around, I look at my community, and I don’t see leadership in Congress looking like that.”

Despite the moderate Democrat rejecting Pelosi’s leadership on the campaign trail, campaign finance reports show that since she took office in 2022, Gluesenkamp Perez and her Super PAC, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Campaign Defense Fund, have accepted at least $31,000 from Pelosi and her affiliated Super PACs, including PAC to the Future and Nancy Pelosi for Congress.

According to U.S. Census data, the $31,000 represents more than one third of the median household income for residents in Washington’s third congressional district, which includes Clark County and Vancouver, Washington, the district’s largest city.

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

“We need more and more normal people to run for Congress. We need more people that work in the trades,” Gluesenkamp Perez told Politico in 2023, as she described a Democratic Party out of touch with middle-class Americans. 

DEMS FIGHT BILL TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT VOTING DESPITE POLLS SHOWING VOTER SUPPORT

“Just like her pal Nancy Pelosi, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez will say and do anything to get elected,” Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC dedicated to maintaining the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair, told Fox News Digital. 

“That’s not a quality Washington State families want in their congresswoman.”

Gluesenkamp Perez was first elected to represent Washington in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 and won re-election in 2024, narrowly defeating her Republican challenger, Joe Kent, for the second time in two House cycles. 

The Washington congresswoman is considered one of the most vulnerable House Democrats in 2026, just as she was in 2024 after winning her 2022 race by less than two points. Republicans are likely to target her seat as an opportunity to widen their majority in the House. 

While Republicans slam Gluesenkamp Perez for flip-flopping on Pelosi, she is also facing the fury of her own party as hundreds of Democratic constituents protested at her town hall on Thursday. 

According to local reporting, including KGW News, protesters held up signs that read, “Shame on you,” and chanted, “Vote her out,” as Gluesenkamp Perez explained why she voted in support of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. 

The SAVE Act, which passed in the House earlier this month, requires voters to obtain proof of citizenship in-person before they register for a federal election and will remove noncitizens from voter rolls. It has been widely rejected by Democrats since its conception, and 208 House Democrats voted against the bill. 

“I do not support noncitizens voting in American elections – and that’s common sense to folks in Southwest Washington. Voting in our nation’s elections is a sacred right belonging only to American citizens, and my vote for the SAVE Act reflects that principle,” Gluesenkamp Perez said after voting in support of the SAVE ACT, despite facing vocal opposition from constituents on Thursday for doing so. 

Gluesenkamp Perez also faced disapproval from Washington state Democrats for voting to censure Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, after he shouted and shook his cane during President Donald Trump‘s joint address to Congress earlier this year.  

Gluesenkamp Perez’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by deadline. 

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., says she is running for Senate to replace Sen. Tina Smith, leaving a gaping hole in a very competitive district.

Craig will join a hotly contested Democratic primary to replace Smith, who announced last year that she would not seek re-election. Craig currently occupies the seat for Minnesota’s second congressional district, a toss-up that Republicans are now hoping to take in her absence.

“Out of touch Democrat Angie Craig just announced she’s running for Senate, and MN-02 is now an extremely competitive open seat. With this district wide open – and many House Democrats racing for the exits for a promotion – national Democrats are in deep trouble,” National Republica Congressional Committee spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement.

“The writing is on the wall for House Democrats, and their vulnerable members like Angie Craig are racing for the exits. Republicans look forward to flipping this open seat red,” he added.

DEMOCRATS’ IDENTITY CRISIS: YOUTH REVOLT ROCKS PARTY AFTER TRUMP COMEBACK

In her announcement video, Craig attacks President Donald Trump for “trampling our rights and freedoms as he profits.”

“There’s chaos and corruption coming out of Washington, crashing down on all of us every day,” she says before setting her sights on Elon Musk. “An out-of-control, unelected billionaire is trying to take over our government and burn it to the ground.”

SENATE PUTS TRUMP TEAM IN PLACE, SETS UP AGENDA FIGHT AFTER 100-DAY SPRINT

She then blasts Republicans in Congress as “cowardly” for “rolling over and letting it all happen.”

“We’re proud Minnesotans — a state of fierce independence, freedom and community. People willing to take on the powerful and fight for what’s right,” Craig continues. “It’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate: to listen, to fight for all of Minnesota and to win.”

DNC’S DAVID HOGG TAKING ON DEMOCRATS IS ‘THE BIGGEST GIFT TO REPUBLICANS EVER,’ SAYS STRATEGIST

Recent polls have shown Democrats struggling to gain support, particularly among young Americans, a demographic they have typically held with no problems.

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A new poll from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics shows approval of congressional Democrats among young Americans has dropped to 23%, down from 42% in early 2017. Approval for congressional Republicans stands at 29%, slightly improved from previous years. President Donald Trump’s approval rating among 18-29-year-olds is at 31%, virtually unchanged from the beginning of his first term.

The House on Monday overwhelmingly passed a bill backed by first lady Melania Trump that cracks down on the posting of explicit images, including “deep fake” nudes generated of people by artificial intelligence, without consent. 

The Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks – known as the TAKE IT DOWN Act – was approved by a 409-2 vote and now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk. 

The measure “generally prohibits the nonconsensual online publication of intimate visual depictions of individuals, both authentic and computer-generated, and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence,” according to the bill summary. 

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP TURNS 55: HER LIFE IN PHOTOS, FROM SLOVENIA TO WHITE HOUSE

It specifically prohibits online publication of “intimate visual depictions” of an adult subject “where publication is intended to cause or does cause harm to the subject, and where the depiction was published without the subject’s consent or, in the case of an authentic depiction, was created or obtained under circumstances where the adult had a reasonable expectation of privacy,” as well as “a minor subject where publication is intended to abuse or harass the minor or to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.” 

“Violators are subject to mandatory restitution and criminal penalties, including prison, a fine, or both,” according to the bill summary. “Threats to publish intimate visual depictions of a subject are similarly prohibited under the bill and subject to criminal penalties.” 

The legislation also requires platforms to establish a process where victims of revenge porn can notify them of the existence of images and request removal. The bill says platforms then have 48 hours to remove those images.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced the TAKE IT DOWN Act in January, and it was approved by the upper chamber in February. It was brought to the House by Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla.

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP OPENS WHITE HOUSE GARDENS TO ALL AMERICANS

House Republicans on Monday praised the first lady, Cruz and Salazar for leading the “crucial legislation” to “create a safer digital future and protect our kids from deepfake exploitation.” 

“The passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act is a historic win in the fight to protect victims of revenge porn and deepfake abuse,” Cruz wrote on X. “This victory belongs first and foremost to the heroic survivors who shared their stories and the advocates who never gave up. By requiring social media companies to take down this abusive content quickly, we are sparing victims from repeated trauma and holding predators accountable.”

“This day would not have been possible without the courage and perseverance of Elliston Berry, Francesca Mani, Breeze Liu, and Brandon Guffey, whose powerful voices drove this legislation forward,” the senator wrote, adding that he was especially grateful to colleagues, including Melania Trump and Salazar, as well as Democrats Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, “for locking arms in this critical mission to protect Americans from online exploitation.”

“Advancing this legislation has been a key focus since I returned to my role as First Lady this past January,” Melania Trump wrote on X. “I am honored to have contributed to guiding it through Congress. By safeguarding children from hurtful online behavior today, we take a vital step in nurturing our leaders of tomorrow. #BeBest” 

During President Trump’s first term, the first lady established the BE BEST awareness campaign, which “focused on the well-being of children and highlighted the people and programs dedicated to ensuring a better future for the next generation,” according to the White House. Melania Trump also established Fostering the Future, a BE BEST initiative, “which provides college-level scholarships to those aging out of the foster care system.”

President Donald Trump has spent the first 100 days of his second White House term signing a flurry of executive orders aimed at delivering on his policy priorities: slashing government spending, cracking down on illegal immigration and eliminating many diversity and equity initiatives enacted under the Biden administration.

The more than 150 executive orders Trump has signed far outpace those of his predecessors. But they have also triggered a torrent of lawsuits seeking to block or pause his actions, teeing up a high-stakes showdown over how far Trump can push his Article II powers before the courts can or should intervene. 

It’s a looming constitutional clash spinning like a top through the federal courts; a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it set of hearings and appeals and emergency orders that deal with weighty issues of due process and First Amendment protections guaranteed by the Constitution. 

Trump’s critics argue the fast-paced strategy is meant to confuse and overwhelm his opponents. His supporters counter that it allows him to strike with maximum precision and sidestep a clunky, slow-moving Congress as the president pursues his top priorities.

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

In his first 100 days, administration lawyers have gone to bat in courtrooms across the country to defend Trump’s early executive orders and halt a wave of lawsuits and emergency restraining orders aimed at blocking them. 

Trump, meanwhile, has steadfastly maintained that he would “never defy” the Supreme Court as recently as in an interview last week. 

“I’m a big believer in the Supreme Court and have a lot of respect for the justices,” Trump told Time Magazine.  

Critics say he already has.

“The second Trump administration has taken the guardrails off of the norms that historically governed the rule of law and is undertaking steps to enhance the perceived power of the executive branch to the detriment of the two other co-equal branches,” Mark Zaid, an attorney who has gone toe-to-toe with the Trump administration in several court cases this year, told Fox News Digitial.

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT

“These actions threaten the fundamental notion of our democracy, particularly as the Administration seeks to eliminate due process protections in a quest for power.”

The biggest fights so far have centered around the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, to deport certain migrants to El Salvador. Another major case to watch will be challenges to Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. 

Two separate federal judges, in D.C. and Maryland, have suggested they could move to begin possible contempt proceedings against some Trump officials for refusing to comply with their orders.

In one case, a judge issued a scathing rebuke against Trump officials for failing to return a Maryland resident and alleged gang member who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador this year. Separately, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said there was probable cause to find Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for defying his order to return deportation flights to El Salvador on March 15.

The Trump administration has fought back, questioning the authority of lower courts to stop his agenda. The Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments on a challenge to some of the nationwide injunctions, beginning with a birthright citizenship case in early May.

Meanwhile, White House officials have railed against the “activist” judges who they say have overstepped and are acting with a political agenda to block Trump’s policies. They’ve blasted judges for pausing Trump’s transgender military ban, reinstating USAID programs and blocking Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing federal offices.

Some congressional allies have threatened impeachment against judges who defy Trump, but so far Congress has not advanced any impeachment articles.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined this week to rule out the arrest of federal judges, including Supreme Court justices.

Asked at a press briefing about the hypothetical on Monday, Leavitt referred the matter to the Justice Department but said a judge in New Mexico was arrested in “a clear-cut case of obstruction.”

“And so anyone who is breaking the law or obstructing federal law enforcement officials from doing their jobs is putting themselves at risk of being prosecuted, absolutely,” she said.

Jonathan Turley, a law professor and Fox News contributor, told Fox News Digital that he sees Trump’s early actions as getting ahead of the 2026 primaries and moving with maximum force to implement his agenda.

Trump “knows that he has no alternative but to push ahead on all fronts if he is going to make meaningful progress on his promised reforms,” Turley told Fox News. 

“The midterm elections are looming in 2026. If the Democrats retake the House, he knows that he can expect investigations, impeachments and obstruction. That means that he has to expedite these cases and establish his lines of authority in areas ranging from migration to the markets.”

A Virginia elderly couple who nearly died during Hurricane Helene had their home rebuilt by a group of volunteers and nonprofit organizations, making it one of many homes set to be rebuilt for storm victims.

Carl and Linda McMurray’s new home, which was built by the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), was celebrated Friday in the company of local leaders during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va. 

The overall project to rebuild victims’ homes is expected to cost about $1.4 million. Funding comes from a mix of public and private sources, including Washington County, the Town of Damascus, the United Way, individual donors and private foundations.

FAMILY THAT LOST 11 IN HURRICANE HELENE MUDSLIDES SAYS COMMUNITY SACRIFICED ‘LIFE AND LIMB’ TO SAVE EACH OTHER

Last October, when floodwaters ripped the McMurray home apart, the couple were forced to take shelter on the second floor and wear life jackets. The house began to collapse, and Carl was swept downstream by the heavy rainwater before eventually clinging to a tree for hours until he was spotted by a neighbor and rescued by helicopter nearly four hours later.

Linda, meanwhile, remained trapped alone on the darkened second floor of what remained of their house, using just the light from her watch to see and Afghan blankets to stay warm. 

“All night I kept praying, repeating the Lord’s prayer and the 23rd Psalm,” she said, according to a local news report.

She was rescued 16 hours later. The couple, married 57 years, believed the other had been lost to the flood until they were reunited.

“There are still so many families that need to have the exact same sense of opportunity and option and rebuilding that Linda and Carl have today,” Youngkin said during his speech. “There were heroes everywhere, and that was a moment when we needed heroes,” Youngkin added. “The number of water rescues was astounding, and that is something to say amen to.”

“Neither knew if the other had survived, but when Linda finally walked into Carl’s hospital room, their prayers were answered,” Youngkin said.

PUPPIES RESCUED FROM HURRICANE HELENE TO BE REHOMED WITH MILITARY VETERANS

MDS offered free labor and thousands of volunteer hours to build the McMurrays’ new home. Its Amish counterpart, Storm Aid, sent skilled workers weekly to assist onsite. Volunteers often rotate in for a week at a time, tackling multiple homes and offering expertise in everything from roofing to framing.

Each home costs about $130,000 to build, Youngkin’s office said. Homeowners are asked to contribute roughly 10% – between $11,000 and $12,000 – from their Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance. The rest is covered by Trails to Recovery, a nonprofit organizing the rebuild. They pay for materials, coordinate trades like plumbing and electrical, and work directly with MDS to keep construction on schedule.

A full-time MDS project manager stays onsite for weeks at a time to keep things moving.

TRUMP PRAISES ELON MUSK AS ‘PATRIOT, A BRILLIANT GUY, AND A FRIEND OF MINE’ AMID DOGE EXIT

Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that struck the Gulf Coast in late September 2024, caused widespread devastation across southwest Virginia, particularly in Grayson, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe counties as well as the city of Galax.

The storm led to the closure of hundreds of roads and bridges, leaving many people isolated in their towns. Nearly 310,000 Virginians lost power and 3,700 farms were reportedly affected, resulting in more than $630 million in damages.

After the devastation, Youngkin established the Office of Hurricane Helene Recovery and Rebuilding to coordinate state and federal recovery efforts. The office is led by Chief Transformation Officer Rob Ward.

Virginia has not received the $4.4 billion in federal funding requested by Youngkin in November for recovery from the disaster. In January, Vice President JD Vance traveled to Damascus, a town on the southwestern edge of the state that was one of the hardest-hit areas and criticized the previous administration’s response to the devastation.

“The local government’s working, the state government is working as hard as it can, the local communities and the nonprofits and the churches are working at breakneck speed, and yet you have the federal government out there, the biggest institution with the most money, that’s not doing its job. It just drives home how much better we can do,” Vance told Fox News Digital when asked about FEMA’s response to hurricane-damaged areas across the Southeast.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is “very pessimistic” about Democrats’ chances of retaking the Senate in 2026, the failed vice presidential candidate said Monday.

Walz made the statement during a Monday night interview at Harvard University’s Kennedy School Institute of Politics, telling ABC News reporter Brittany Shepherd that he is confident in the House of Representatives but not in the Senate.

“I think we will take back the House,” Walz said. “I am very pessimistic about the Senate, just to be honest with you.”

“With the way things work, I think it’s a very difficult look,” he added.

TRUMP REPORTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT HISTORIC LOWS DURING FIRST FULL MONTH IN OFFICE

Walz pointed in part to the unpopularity of the national Democratic Party, arguing candidates in state races need to overcome stigma.

“The thing was, is being associated with national parties and things on these state races, we’re going to have to figure that piece out of, how do we reimagine,” he said.

SANCTUARY GOVERNORS WALZ, PRITZKER, HOCHUL CALLED TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS

He nevertheless argued that President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office have been a benefit to Democrats.

“I think there’s a lot of wind at our back, but it’s been 100 days of destruction,” he said. “You think we can survive 550 more? That’s the real challenge. That’s how long it is ‘til the midterm.”

Walz’s comments come as the White House touts Trump’s victories in his first 100 days, having started on Monday with his illegal immigration crackdown.

FEDERAL JUDGE DECLARES TRUMP ADMIN BLOCKING FEDERAL MONEY TO SANCTUARY CITIES UNCONSTITUTIONAL

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared alongside Border Czar Tom Homan to announce a 96% decrease in border crossings under the new administration. They also decorated the White House lawn with mug shots of illegal immigrants who had been arrested for alleged violent crimes.

Leavitt will appear again later Tuesday morning alongside Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent to highlight the administration’s economic priorities.

Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., announced on Monday that he introduced seven articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.

“Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is unfit to serve as President and represents a clear and present danger to our nation’s constitution and our democracy,” Thanedar said in a news release.

The articles allege wrongdoing by Trump including “Obstruction of Justice and Abuse of Executive Power,” “Usurpation of Appropriations Power,” “Abuse of Trade Powers and International Aggression,” “Violation of First Amendment Rights,” “Creation of an Unlawful Office,” “Bribery and Corruption,” and “Tyrannical Overreach”

SENATOR JOINS GROUP OF FAR-LEFT LAWMAKERS WHO THINK TRUMP HAS — AGAIN — COMMITTED IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES

“His unlawful actions have subverted the justice system, violated the separation of powers, and placed personal power and self-interest above public service. We cannot wait for more damage to be done. Congress must act,” Thanedar said of the president.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

CHUCK SCHUMER DODGES ON WHETHER DEMOCRATS WILL LOOK TO IMPEACH TRUMP IF THEY WIN BACK CONGRESS

The impeachment push will almost certainly fail to go anywhere in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, but marks the third instance of a representative filing impeachment articles against Trump.

The House impeached Trump twice during his first term in office, but in both cases the respective Senate votes failed to reach the threshold necessary for conviction — the second impeachment took place just before Trump left office, with the Senate acquittal coming after his term was over.

DEM REP. AL GREEN, BOOTED FROM TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS, DOUBLES DOWN ON IMPEACHMENT

Thanedar was born in India and became an American citizen in 1988, according to his House website. 

He has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2023.

President Donald Trump is now at the finish line of his first 100 days of his second term in the White House, as of Tuesday. 

Key tenants of Trump’s first 100 days include imposing harsh tariffs on Chinese imports, starting and continuing peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, unveiling plans to dismantle organizations like the Education Department and cracking down on border security amid a mass deportation initiative. 

The period also marked a steep increase in executive orders in comparison to previous presidents. Altogether, Trump has signed over 140 executive orders during his first 100 days in office during his second term. That is an increase from the 33 he signed during the first 100 days of his first term, and up from the previous record of 99 that former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed during that same timeframe. 

The Trump administration’s mass deportation effort is in full force, and border czar Tom Homan told reporters Monday that border crossings were down by 96% under the Trump administration. 

WHITE HOUSE TOUTS 100-DAY ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN AFTER BIDEN ‘UNSECURED THE BORDER ON PURPOSE’

Additionally, the White House said earlier in April it has deported more than 100,000 illegal immigrants in 2025. The administration’s handling of these deportations has attracted scrutiny in certain high-profile cases, including one involving El Salvador native Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration claimed in court filings was deported by mistake. 

However, the Trump administration has since said Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang and has released protective order documents from his wife. 

Following through on another campaign promise, the Trump administration unveiled sweeping tariffs against a host of countries on April 2, after historically lambasting other countries’ trade practices and accusing them of engaging in unfair trade practices against the U.S.

“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said April 2 at the White House. 

The administration later walked back its initial proposal, and announced April 9 it would immediately hike tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% but scale back reciprocal tariffs on other countries for 90 days to a baseline of 10%. In response, China proceeded to boost its tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.

Additionally, Trump signed an executive order on March 20 to overhaul the Education Department — following through on a campaign promise he made to eliminate the federal government’s influence over education and “stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth.”

TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER SURGE: THE UNPRECEDENTED USE OF PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY

A White House fact sheet on the executive order said the directive aims to “turn over education to families instead of bureaucracies” and instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”

Still, Trump revealed that functions of the department overseeing Pell Grants, student loans and others that provide services for those with special needs would continue at other agencies.

Likewise, Trump has long called for an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and promised to end the conflict between the two within 24 hours during his time on the campaign trail. 

TRUMP REPORTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT HISTORIC LOWS DURING FIRST FULL MONTH IN OFFICE

Still, he has continued to advance negotiations during his first 100 days in office — including hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House in February. Trump said Sunday that he is aiming to end the war in the next two weeks or so and that he wants Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop launching strikes against Kyiv. 

“I want him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal,” Trump told reporters Sunday on the way back from Italy for Pope Francis’ funeral. “We have the confines of a deal I believe and I want him to sign it and be done with it and just go back to life.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced a $254 billion budget deal on Monday that includes an agreement with state lawmakers to add an extra charge for people who wear masks while committing crimes.

The additional charge could only be applied if a suspect is charged with a class A misdemeanor or more serious charges, Hochul said. Lawmakers agreed to reduce the mask penalty to a class B misdemeanor when prosecutors charge separate crimes, Politico reported.

The governor initially wanted stricter legislation to combat mask-wearing suspects, raising the issue last summer as politicians across the country addressed widespread protests against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

NEW YORK’S NASSAU COUNTY SEEKS TO BAN STANDING WITHIN 15 FEET OF COPS UNDER BILL PANNED AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

“It’s really trying to concentrate on people who wear a mask in regards to hiding their identity while they commit another crime,” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters, according to Gothamist.

The extra charge also applies to people fleeing from the scene of a crime.

Hochul had wanted to create an extra penalty if someone was covering their face while threatening or harassing a group of people, a proposal that was softened ahead of the agreed bill being added to the state budget this week following concerns from Democrat lawmakers and civil liberty advocates.

The annual budget, which will not take effect until lawmakers resolve several spending decisions, would also allow hospitals to involuntarily commit mentally ill New Yorkers if patients cannot meet their basic needs, which lowers the previous standard that only allowed a person to be involuntarily committed when they posed a physical threat to themselves or others.

Other proposals in the budget include a stronger state discovery law in an effort to address recidivism and banning students’ cell phone use during the school day.

NEW YORK PROPOSAL WOULD BAN POLICE FROM MAKING TRAFFIC STOPS FOR MINOR VIOLATIONS TO PURSUE ‘RACIAL EQUITY’

While Hochul announced a deal for the budget on Monday, lawmakers still need to hash out spending decisions on some issues, including the funding formula for public schools and Medicaid, according to Politico.

The governor’s spending plan is set to be the highest in state history and $100 billion more than the state budget a decade ago, the outlet reported. An uptick in prison costs as well as additional health care, child care and education spending ballooned the size of the budget to $2 billion more than what she proposed in January.

Hell hath frozen over: At the White House the other day, Donald Trump “was launching a charm offensive, directed mainly at Goldberg,” as in Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief. “There was none of the name-calling or hostility he regularly levels at our magazine.”

That’s according to Atlantic reporters Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, who wrote the magazine’s cover story, which was posted yesterday.

For all the insights gleaned from the interview, nothing is more fascinating than how it came about.

They called the president on his cell phone. (Wha? Who do I have to court to get that? The reporters ain’t saying.)

Trump says he did the initial phone interview to see if the liberal magazine could be fair.

PRESIDENT TRUMP TELLS THE ATLANTIC HE RUNS THE COUNTRY ‘AND THE WORLD’

So I’m here to pronounce that the entire, seemingly endless piece is fair. The president hasn’t taken a shot at it on Truth Social, at least so far.

He has, however, ripped new polls from the “Failing New York Times” and “ABC/Washington Post” as “FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS,” saying they should be “investigated for ELECTION FRAUD, and add in the Fox News Pollster while you’re at it.” His lowest approval rating, in the Post-ABC survey, was 39 percent.

Meanwhile, we may now look back on Trump’s 2024 victory as inevitable, but after Jan. 6 it was anything but. On the cell call, “The president seemed exhilarated by everything he had managed to do in the first two months of his second term.”

And then came the transaction: “As ever, Trump was on the hunt for a deal. If he liked the story we wrote, he said, he might even speak with us again.”

Goldberg describes the session: “What I found in this particular meeting was a Trump who was low-key, attentive, and eager to convince us that he is good at his job and good for the country. It isn’t easy to escape the tractor beam of his charisma, but somehow we managed, and we asked him what needed to be asked. 

“But squaring Trump the Charmer with the Orcish Trump we more frequently see is difficult…Trump posted on the social-media platform he owns that Ashley is a ‘Radical Left Lunatic’ (she is not) and that Michael ‘has never written a fair story about me, only negative, and virtually always LIES’ (also false). It is our task at the Atlantic not to be bullied by these sorts of attacks.”

STATE OF WAR: HOW TRUMP IS FIGHTING A 9-FRONT BATTLE

The most interesting Trump sound bite is his comparison of the two terms:

“The first time, I had two things to do—run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys. And the second time, I run the country and the world.”

Parker and Scherer did many other interviews, such as with Steve Bannon. “Our reality is that we won,” and he cited the conspiracy theory that the FBI had incited the crowd on Jan. 6. The reporters said that was simply untrue. 

“Now, here’s the interesting thing,” Bannon said. “Who’s won that argument? I think we have…

“This time it’s ‘Hey, f**k you, Greenland’s ours…When you’ve come back from such long odds, you clearly feel, ‘I can do anything.’ ”

What about the four criminal investigations, including the conviction on the weakest one – Alvin Bragg’s hush money case? Trump says his numbers kept going up.

INTERVIEWING DONALD TRUMP: A LAST-MINUTE BLITZ AND NEW CLOSING MESSAGE

“Shockingly, yes,” Trump said. “Normally, it would knock you out. You wouldn’t even live for the next day. You know, you’d announce your resignation, and you’d go back and ‘fight for your name,’ like everybody says—you know, ‘fight for your name, go back to your family.’ …Yeah, it made me stronger, made me a lot stronger.”

He also said in the phone interview: “I got indicted five different times by five different scumbags, and they’re all looking for jobs now, so it’s one of those things. Who would have thought, right? It’s been pretty amazing.”

After the 2016 election, Trump told oil executives at Mar-a-Lago:

If I’m not president, you’re f***ed. Look at your profit-and-loss statements. You realize what would have happened to you if she was president? What’s wrong with you?”) She was Kamala Harris, of course.

One turning point: When he went to East Palestine, Ohio after the derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals, while Joe Biden didn’t do squat.

On the Kennedy Center: “I didn’t really get to go the first time, because I was always getting impeached or some bulls**t, and I could never enjoy a show.” So he fired the Democrats and made himself chairman.

All right, enough quotes. Wait, one more that captures the tone of the piece:

“I got 38 percent of the male Black vote. Nobody knew that was possible. That’s a lot. I got 56 percent of Hispanics. How about that one? Every county along the Texas border is Hispanic. I won every one of them.” Though every single number he cited was wrong, the general thrust of his observation was correct.”

The reporters chronicled how things have gone south for the president, especially on tariffs and the economy, and how he pressured Hill Republicans into backing his nominees with primary threats. 

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

After the March phone interview, the reporters tried Trump’s cellphone again. Just got voice mail. But at 1:38 am, he tried them back. No message.

Trump believes he can win over even his worst enemies. In 2015 or 2016, I watched him make a beeline in the New York green room for Karl Rove, who was very rough on him. At worst, he thinks, he can neutralize the person. Or soften him or her up for the next time. He enjoys the challenge.

The mainstream media almost uniformly can’t stand Donald Trump. He does invite some of his own negative headlines, while providing unprecedented access, but much of the press is back in Resistance mode. 

Still, the Atlantic’s original pitch is undeniable, that he’s “The Most Consequential President of the 21st Century.”

A California human trafficking bill to combat child sex trafficking is being gutted with the reluctant agreement of the bill’s author to remove a provision that targets consumers in an effort to get the legislation passed. 

State Assemblywoman Maggy Krell, a Democrat, agreed to remove a clause from Assembly Bill 379 that states buyers of 16 and 17-year-olds for sex would face felony charges, leaving the solicitation of those minors by adults to be treated as a misdemeanor. 

“In order to get a hearing on the bill, we were forced to remove the piece of the bill that ensures the crime of purchasing a minor for sex applies in all cases where the victim is under the age of 18,” Krell told Fox News Digital.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN’S TEAM STRESSES SEX CRIME RETRIAL COULD LEAD TO DEATH, REQUESTS HOSPITAL STAY

“I wholeheartedly disagree with that amendment,” she added. “This has been my life’s work and I will continue to partner with sex trafficking survivors and law enforcement to ensure all minors are protected from the horrors of sex trafficking.”

Krell noted that the bill still criminalizes “the creeps who are loitering to buy teenagers for sex and sets up a fund to help victims. Those will be powerful tools in the fight against sex trafficking — it’s a good start.”

California Assembly Republicans quickly criticized Democrats over the change. 

“Why are some @AssemblyDems planning to cut felony charges for adults who buy 16- and 17-year-olds for sex?,” California Assembly Republicans posted on X. “There are no excuses. Protect the kids. Not the predators.”

Earlier, media reports stated that lawmakers wanted to hold off on the bill and possibly hold information hearings on the issue in the fall. 

The bill came together after older teens were left out of a state law that went into effect this year that makes it a felony to purchase a child, ages 15 and younger for sex. Last year, California State Sen. Shannon Grove authored a bill that made it illegal to buy minors for sex, but it excluded 16 and 17 year-olds.

SON OF SUSPECTED WOULD-BE TRUMP ASSASSIN ARRESTED ON CHILD PORN CHARGES

Currently, traffickers, not the buyers, face the harshest consequences when convicted of trafficking anyone under 18. 

AB 379 faced a key deadline this Friday and was dropped from the Public Safety Committee agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.

State Rep. David Tangipa, a Republican, said the move was a way to kill a bill that lawmakers don’t want to be heard. If Krell didn’t want to accept the amendment, then the committee chair, Rep. Nick Schultz, would have discretion over whether the legislation should be heard, Tangipa said. 

“Apparently, what they want to do is remove the 16 and 17-year-old portion of the bill and then just increase penalties and fines,” Tangipa, who has a relative who was previously trafficked, told Fox News Digital. “What that actually sounds like is just California participating in the prostitution and the trafficking themselves.”

Fox News has reached out to Schultz’s office and the state Democrats. 

In a post on X, the California Republican Party criticized the state Democratic Party, saying that it was “sad and disgusting that this is even a debate over at the pro-criminal” Democrats. 

The Trump administration and Mexican officials reached a deal to ensure Texas farmers get much-needed water from the Rio Grande, less than a month after President Donald Trump accused the neighbor to the south of robbing the farmers of water promised under a decades-old treaty.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on Monday that the deal had been reached with Mexico to meet the current water needs of Texas farmers and ranchers as agreed under the 1944 Water Treaty.

Under the latest agreement, Mexico committed to send water from international reservoirs and increase the U.S. flow from six of Mexico’s Rio Grande tributaries through the end of the current five-year water cycle, which ends in October.

“Mexico finally meeting the water needs of Texas farmers and ranchers under the 1944 Water Treaty is a major win for American agriculture,” Rollins said. “After weeks of negotiations with Mexican cabinet officials alongside the Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, we secured an agreement to give Texas producers the water they need to thrive.”

TEXAS FARMING CRISIS LOOMSAS US, MEXICO SPAR OVER LONG-STANDING WATER TREATY

Rollins called the measure a significant step forward, noting that the Trump administration welcomes Mexico’s continued operation in support of American agriculture.

Under the 1944 Water Treaty, Mexico agreed to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet over five years to the U.S. from the Rio Grande. In exchange, the U.S. agreed to deliver 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River.

But at times, Mexico falls short with its delivery to the U.S., and it has led to severe water shortages in the Rio Grande Valley for farmers and ranchers, killing crops and jobs while threatening the local economy.

BOTH SIDES CLAIM VICTORY AFTER SUPREME COURT RULES TEXAS RANCHER CAN SUE STATE OVER FLOODED LANDS

The agreement comes weeks after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, possibly even sanctions, if it continued to rob South Texas farmers of Rio Grande water as promised under the treaty.

“This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social on April 10. “Last year, the only Sugar Mill in Texas CLOSED, because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas Farmers. Ted Cruz has been leading the fight to get South Texas the water it is owed, but Sleepy Joe refused to lift a finger to help the Farmers. THAT ENDS NOW!”

TEXAS TOWN DECLARES ‘WATER EMERGENCY,’ TELLS RESIDENTS THAT IT COULD RUN OUT OF WATER

Trump continued, saying he will make sure Mexico does not violate treaties with the U.S. and hurt farmers in Texas.

“Just last month, I halted water shipments to Tijuana until Mexico complies with the 1944 Water Treaty,” he wrote. “My Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, is standing up for Texas Farmers, and we will keep escalating consequences, including TARIFFS and, maybe even SANCTIONS, until Mexico honors the Treaty, and GIVES TEXAS THE WATER THEY ARE OWED!”

Texas farm groups warned of a disastrous season ahead of them for citrus and sugar last year as Mexican and U.S. officials tried to resolve a dispute over the 1944 treaty that supplies U.S. farmers with critical irrigation.

The two countries have tussled over the treaty before, but the drought-driven water shortages were the most severe in nearly 30 years.

Democratic Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley warned President Donald Trump that his mass deportation efforts are “not going to end well” for him, during comments from the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over the weekend.

Merkley’s warning came after being asked about his thoughts on Trump’s deportation policies and Democrats’ efforts to challenge them, specifically their decision to visit alleged Venezuelan gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, after the Trump administration deported him. 

Democrats insist Abrego Garcia was wrongly deported in the president’s sweeping decision to remove hundreds of mostly Venezuelan gang members from the United States, arguing Abrego Garcia is not a gang member despite the Trump administration’s insistence that he is. 

DEMOCRAT FAULTS HIS OWN PARTY FOR PICKING WRONG BATTLE WITH CASE OF DEPORTED MS-13 SUSPECT

“You know due process is a – it sounds very scholarly but it’s basically what prevents the government from sweeping you, or me, off the street,” Merkley said when asked his thoughts on Democrats’ defense of Abrego Garcia. “[Due process] is extraordinarily important for freedom.”

“I want President Trump to understand this is about freedom and that what he’s doing is undermining it,” Merkley continued. “It’s not going to end well for him because our nation is going to respond, and we are going to defend our Constitution and our freedom.”

The White House, meanwhile, slammed Merkley and other Democrats for choosing to die on a hill defending a documented criminal who was residing in the United States illegally.

DEMS RIDICULED FOR GOING ‘ALL IN’ ON SUSPECTED MS-13 GANG MEMBER KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA

“If the hill that Democrats want to die on is demanding the return of a violent illegal alien, wifebeater, and foreign terrorist, we are happy to dig that grave for them,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Fox News Digital in response to Merkley’s comments. 

In addition to Trump’s deportation of Abrego Garcia, Democrats have also been up in arms over the president’s decision to rescind student visas and deport non-citizen college students in the U.S. who have allegedly been involved in organizing anti-Israel, and some have argued anti-Semitic, protests on college campuses. 

The Trump administration has cited federal law that allows immigration enforcement against visa-holders deemed a national security threat.  

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On Monday, Trump also signed an executive order aimed at rescinding local sanctuary city policies that prevented local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. 

The new order seeks to hold federal funds hostage and allows the Justice Department to pursue “all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures” to bring non-compliant jurisdictions back into compliance with the new order. 

A bill that would decriminalize welfare fraud under $25,000 in California for simple administrative errors is being pushed by a Democratic lawmaker. 

State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas introduced Senate Bill 560, which would delete criminal penalties for welfare fraud below $25,000, and delete a provision for criminal penalties for any attempt at welfare fraud below $950, according to the legislation, which was introduced in February. 

“California’s safety net should lift families up, not trap them in poverty,” Smallwood-Cuevas told Fox News Digital. “Right now, a missed deadline or paperwork mistake can lead to felony charges that tear families apart — even when there’s no intent to deceive.”

The lawmaker said the bill “offers a smarter, more humane approach by allowing counties to resolve most overpayment cases administratively, holding people accountable without criminalizing poverty.”

WE’RE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS. THE US MUST CHOOSE: EITHER $20 TRILLION IN DEBT OR MEDICAID REFORM

The legislation is set for a hearing on May 5. 

The bill would require a county agency to determine whether the welfare benefits were authorized as a result of an error in the Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS).

It would prohibit a person from being subject to criminal prosecution in certain instances for an overpayment or overissuance of benefits, the bill states. 

“This bill is about keeping families out of the criminal justice system from making administrative errors on raising the threshold for welfare fraud prosecutions,” Smallwood-Cuevas said in an April 8 Instagram post. 

LOS ANGELES ISSUES ONLY 4 PERMITS TO REBUILD HOMES AFTER DEVASTATING PALISADES FIRE: REPORT

Most welfare fraud occurs when the reported absent parent is actually living in the home, unreported income, using an ineligible child or children not living in the home who are part of the recipient’s case, according to the California Department of Social Services. 

In Los Angeles County, field investigators handle 15,000 to 20,000 fraud cases or referrals, according to the Department of Public Social Services. 

Annually, investigators find fraud in around 5,000 to 8,000 cases. Of that, 200 cases are sent to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and 95% result in a conviction. 

The Trump administration has launched investigations into Harvard University and the Harvard Law Review after allegations that the journal discriminated against readers who wanted to respond to an article about police reform because they were white men.

Both the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched investigations into possible violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The investigations were launched in response to information both federal agencies received about policies and practices for journal membership as well as article selection that may violate Title VI.

In a press release, HHS claimed the Harvard Law Review’s editor reportedly wrote that it was “concerning” that “four of the five people” who wanted to reply to an article on police reform were “white men.”

TRUMP FROZE FUNDING FOR HARVARD. MONEY TO THESE UNIVERSITIES MAY ALSO BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK

HHS also said another editor at the Review suggested “that a piece should be subjected to expedited review because the author was a minority.”

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in education programs and activities that receive federal funding. Any violations of Title VI could result in the loss of funds from the federal government.

“Harvard Law Review’s article selection process appears to pick winners and losers on the basis of race, employing a spoils system in which the race of the legal scholar is as, if not more, important than the merit of the submission,” HHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said. “Title VI’s demands are clear: recipients of federal financial assistance may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin. No institution—no matter its pedigree, prestige, or wealth—is above the law. The Trump Administration will not allow Harvard, or any other recipients of federal funds, to trample on anyone’s civil rights.”

TRUMP ADMIN SLASHES OVER $2.2B IN FUNDING TO HARVARD AFTER SCHOOL DEFIES DEMANDS

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the school stated, “Harvard Law School is committed to ensuring that the programs and activities it oversees are in compliance with all applicable laws and to investigating any credibly alleged violations. The Harvard Law Review is a student-run organization that is legally independent from the law school. A claim brought in 2018 was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.”

The investigations come as the Trump administration continues to feud with elite education institutions, announcing earlier this month it would be cutting off over $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard University while threatening cuts to another $1 billion of its federal grants and funding.

After Harvard refused to comply with a series of requests from the Trump administration to reform various practices on campus, the administration revealed April 18 that it would freeze more than $2 billion in federal funding for the institution.

HARVARD WON’T COMPLY WITH TRUMP ADMIN’S DEMANDS AMID THREATS OF CUTTING FEDERAL FUNDING

Harvard University President Alan M. Garber said in a statement that President Donald Trump’s administration tacked on additional requests that go beyond addressing antisemitism on campus, and the institution would not comply because the demands were unconstitutional.

Garber said the new requests “direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard,” including auditing viewpoints of student, faculty and staff members on campus and eliminating all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, offices and initiatives at Harvard. 

“It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner,” Garber wrote. “We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement.”

The Trump administration launched the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism in February, which aims to eradicate bias on campuses that have experienced incidents targeting Jewish students since October 2023.

“It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support,” the task force said in a statement. 

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., issued a ruling Monday to restore a lower court’s order barring the Trump administration’s planned mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protections Bureau (CFPB).

The court ruled 2-1 to restore an earlier ruling by federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, which temporarily halted the Trump administration’s reductions in force (RIF) at CFPB, which would have cut the agency’s staff by 90 percent.

Before Jackson’s ruling, the agency was slated to carry out a reduction in force of roughly 1,400 employees, which would have left just several hundred in place. 

Following a legal challenge against the reduction filed in the D.C. district court in early February, Jackson issued a preliminary injunction in late March, finding that the plaintiffs would likely succeed on the merits.

TRUMP TO SIGN ORDER CRACKING DOWN ON ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES, THREATEN THEIR FEDERAL FUNDING

The order directed the government to “rehire all terminated employees, reinstate all terminated contracts, and refrain from engaging in reductions-in-force or attempting to stop work through any means.” 

Jackson then ordered another halt to plans earlier this month, shortly after an appeals court narrowed her earlier injunction. Jackson noted that within several days of an appeals order narrowing her initial injunction, CFPB employees were told the agency would do “exactly what it was told not to do,” which was to carry out a RIF. 

Jackson blocked the administration from moving forward with any layoffs or from cutting off employees’ access to computers at the bureau until she had time to hear from the officials in question.

TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS CHALLENGE CAMPUS DEI AS EXPERT WARNS CHANGE MUST BE ‘REFORMED INTERNALLY’

Jackson said she was “willing to resolve it quickly,” but noted that she is “deeply concerned, given the scope and scope of action.”

Lawyers with the Justice Department sought to appeal Jackson’s order earlier this year, arguing in a filing that the injunction “improperly intrudes on the executive [branch’s] authority” and goes “far beyond what is lawful.”

Jackson is set to hear testimony from officials slated to carry out the RIF procedures on Tuesday. 

It sometimes takes a pot a while to boil.

Democrats lost the presidency. Lost the Senate. Failed to flip control of the House.

And now, more than six months after last year’s election, the Democrats’ pot is starting to gurgle.

It was natural that Democrats would take some time to figure out what went wrong. Clang around some pots and pans. And finally pour some water into a pot and turn on the stove.

DEMOCRATS’ IDENTITY CRISIS: YOUTH REVOLT ROCKS PARTY AFTER TRUMP COMEBACK

So Democrats are starting to get their pot to boil.

How hot it gets – and whether the stew is anything to wow political culinary taste buds – is unclear.

For starters, some Democrats are boiling at one another.

Democratic National Committee Chairman (DNC) Ken Martin handed down an ultimatum after DNC Vice Chairman David Hogg aimed to spend millions of dollars mounting primary challenges to Democratic incumbents.

“Let me be unequivocal. No DNC officers should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger,” said Martin.

Hogg defended his tactic to weed out Democrats who he believe lost a step, are older or just aren’t getting the job done.

SENATE PUTS TRUMP TEAM IN PLACE, SETS UP AGENDA FIGHT AFTER 100-DAY SPRINT

“We want people to know they’re being watched,” said Hogg. “It’s not to say it’s ‘out with the old in with the new.’ I would say it’s out with the ineffective and in with the effective.”

Democrats contend their neutrality pledge is about assuring party unity.

“The reforms that Chair Martin is rolling out, including the one that we’re talking about today of increasing funding for state parties, is not a reaction to David Hogg,” said Jane Kleeb of the Association of State Democratic Parties (ASDC). “The reform package that Ken Martin is bringing forward, that he will be discussing over the next several months, that he ran on as chair, is not a reaction to David.”

But Hogg is the elephant in the room to the party represented by the donkey.

“I have great respect for David Hogg,” said Martin. “I understand what he’s trying to do. I’ve said to him, ‘If you want to challenge incumbents, you’re more than free to do that.’ But just not as an officer of the DNC.”

And then there’s rage over age.

DNC’S DAVID HOGG TAKING ON DEMOCRATS IS ‘THE BIGGEST GIFT TO REPUBLICANS EVER,’ SAYS STRATEGIST

80-year-old Senate Minority Whip and the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is the latest veteran Democrat to announce his retirement.

“I had to project forward. The campaign is going to last two years. And then you’re going to serve six years. So are you ready to make an eight year commitment?” asked Durbin.

Durbin would be 87 when another term concluded in early 2033 – presuming he won and served the entire time.

“A lot of this is the fallout from Biden,” said Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker. “It sort of contaminated older Democrats.”

Age is just a number. But it’s a number with consequences. Five House Republicans over the age of 65 have died within the past year. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., says Democrats could have sidetracked parts of President Trump’s agenda had the older members lived.

75-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., defeated 35-year-old Rep. Alexandria, Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in November to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. The vote: 131-84. Connolly suffered from esophageal cancer – but pushed through. Democrats gave him a vote of confidence. However, Connolly just announced his cancer returned after treatment. He will give up his committee ranking post and retire at the end of this term.

DICK DURBIN, NO. 2 SENATE DEMOCRAT, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION

Durbin’s departure could intensify progressive pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to quit, too. Liberals are fuming over Schumer intervening to side with President Trump and avoid a government shutdown in March.

“Sen. Schumer made the disastrous decision,” said House Progressive Caucus Chairman Greg Casar, D-Tex. “I think we have to get to a place where we’re willing to disagree with even our leaders, like Sen. Schumer, when they make a disastrous decision. Thats how we get better.”

Schumer contends he isn’t going anywhere.

“No conversation about when you might step aside?” asked MSNBC’s Chris Jansing.

“I’m focusing on the decision that the Republicans in Congress have to make to whether support Trump with these horrible economic policies or not,” replied Schumer.

The New York Democrat further rejected any chatter that he might step down when appearing on CNN.

“I am staying put and I’m fighting the fight every day, as is our caucus, in a united and successful way,” said Schumer.

Democrats set out to hold town hall meetings over the recent Congressional recess in districts where they accused Republicans of ducking their constituents. But caveat emptor. In some instances, it was Democrats who got an earful.

DEMOCRATS’ VICE CHAIR GETS ULTIMATUM: STAY NEUTRAL IN PRIMARIES OR STEP DOWN FROM PARTY LEADERSHIP

For instance, Casar conducted a town hall in the district of Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo. Evans just flipped his district from blue to red by 2,500 votes.

“What are we going to do about the DNC?” asked one Colorado town hall attendee of Casar. “They need to listen to you young people.”

“Democrats didn’t really, as far as I can tell, really do anything,” observed another.

The pot really started to boil just before dawn early Sunday morning on the East Front of the Capitol.

Both clad in black, Jeffries and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., began what they billed as a “sit-in” to protest President Trump’s policies and reject the “big, beautiful bill.”

House committees are prepping that legislation this week.

“People will die if this budget is successful. That’s how urgent the fight is,” said Jeffries.

But when it comes to conventional tactics, younger, upstart Democrats say BLANK THAT!

JEFFRIES, BOOKER PROTEST TRUMP AND HIS POLICIES DURING SIT-IN ON CAPITOL STEPS

They’re urging their party to ditch the pleasantries and use, well, kitchen language.

“I say it’s time to drop the excuses and grow a f***ing spine,” said 26-year-old Democratic Illinois Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh.

Abughazaleh is running in the district now held by 80-year-old Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. She’s expected to announce her retirement in the coming days.

Democrat Mike Sacks is running against Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. in a swing district just outside New York City.

“I’m running for Congress to tell you the truth, to fight for New York, and to unf**k our country,” said Sacks in a campaign ad.

So the Democrats’ pot is churning. Democrats will soon have the water ready. But it’s unclear what dish they plan to prepare.

The only problem is that so far, Democrats are scalding themselves with that hot water. There’s infighting. Arguing. And everyone is trying to figure out what works.

For the Democrats, it’s enough to make their blood boil.

Former Georgia GOP Sen. David Perdue’s nomination to become President Donald Trump’s ambassador to China passed a Senate vote for cloture – to end debate – Monday evening.

The vote starts the “2-hour clock” of limited debate that will ultimately end in a vote on Perdue’s nomination. That clock is typically 30 hours for Cabinet-level officials.

Perdue has long been an ally of Trump and narrowly lost his 2021 runoff election with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., by just over 1%, or about 55,000 votes.

He also has experience working in global supply chains as a former chief executive of Tennessee-based Dollar General, and other companies.

TRUMP APPOINTS SEN. DAVID PERDUE AS AMBASSADOR TO CHINA

During his confirmation hearing, Perdue said, “Marxist nationalism” is reshaping China and that their global ambitions threaten the world order.

“Since 2000, China has doubled its nuclear arsenal and grown its military at a pace unseen since WWII. They have militarized the South China Sea and violated their agreement in Hong Kong. Their Social Credit Score system and extensive policing capability are designed to enforce domestic state control. Their Belt and Road Initiative and their Made in China 2025 statements demonstrate their global ambitions,” Perdue said.

“They speak of a global ‘community of common destiny for all mankind.’ Put simply, they want a world more in line with their authoritarian principles.”

Perdue went on to argue that Trump’s “America First” strategy that greatly affects the U.S.’s relationship with China is not isolationist, but “just the reverse.”

TRUMP SAYS CHINA’S XI CALLED HIM AMID ONGOING CONFUSION OVER TRADE TALKS

“America will be a stronger ally and partner by rebuilding our strategic supply chains at home and with our friends.”

He said Chinese leader Xi Jinping, like Trump, only respects strength and that, if confirmed, he will work on reciprocity and security agreements with Beijing.

“Our approach to China should be nuanced, nonpartisan, and strategic,” Perdue said.

On Taiwan, which China views as a breakaway province, Perdue said he will support the longstanding One China Policy while remaining committed to a “peaceful resolution” of tensions that is acceptable to both Beijing and Taipei.

“I will also ensure focus on our priority to eliminate fentanyl precursors and hold China accountable on human rights.”

The Senate recently confirmed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

The upper chamber has also filed cloture motions – which will spur votes after they “ripen” for one legislative day – on three other potential diplomats: former Reagan staffer and New York real estate investor Tom Barrack for ambassador to Turkey, Landry’s Restaurants and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as ambassador to Italy and San Marino, and Arkansas investment banker billionaire Warren Stephens as ambassador to the United Kingdom.

President Donald Trump is poised to sign an executive order Monday instructing the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to create a list of all sanctuary cities failing to adhere to federal immigration laws, providing them a chance to abandon their sanctuary status. 

The order comes as Trump seeks to speed up deportations, following through on a key promise he made on the campaign trail during his third bid for president.

But so-called “sanctuary cities,” or jurisdictions that limit the ability of local agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, have restricted his ability to do so. 

“It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. “The American public don’t want illegal alien criminals in their communities. They made that quite clear on November 5, and this administration is determined to enforce our nation’s immigration laws.”

Specifically, the executive order will notify sanctuary cities of their status and allow them to drop the sanctuary title — or risk losing federal funding. Additionally, it instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to “pursue all legal remedies” to push sanctuary cities into compliance with federal law, according to a Monday White House fact sheet shared with Fox News Digital. 

Bondi and Noem are also instructed to establish proper channels ensuring that those in sanctuary cities do not receive federal public benefits. 

YOUNGKIN TO DRAFT SANCTUARY CITY BAN, MAKING STATE FUNDING CONTINGENT ON ICE COOPERATION

Some of the country’s largest cities have some sort of sanctuary law on the books aimed at protecting their illegal immigrant residents, including Chicago, New York City, Boston and Los Angeles, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. Some states have even gone on to pass their own sanctuary laws, including California, Oregon, Washington and Illinois.

The jurisdictions have faced controversy as Trump has accelerated his deportation efforts, especially in the wake of multiple high-profile crimes that have been allegedly committed by illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities.

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Even so, the executive order comes days after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from restricting federal funds for sanctuary cities violates the Constitution’s separation of powers principles and the Spending Clause, in addition to the Fifth and 10th Amendments.

The tension between the federal government and the jurisdictions has increased in recent weeks, including at a House Committee on Oversight and Government hearing in March, where members of Congress grilled the mayors of four prominent sanctuary cities. 

“These reckless policies in Democrat-run cities and states across our nation have led to too many preventable tragedies,” House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said ahead of the hearing. “They also endanger ICE agents who are forced to take more difficult enforcement actions in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.”

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Trump, a longtime critic of sanctuary jurisdictions, hinted earlier in an April 10 social media post that such an executive action might be in the works.

“No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims,” Trump said on April 10 in a Truth Social post.

“They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist,” Trump said. 

The Trump administration has signed more than 140 executive orders during Trump’s first 100 days in office — an increase from the 33 he signed during the first 100 days of his first term. 

Fox News’ Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.