FIRST ON FOX: The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is targeting a list of 25 “vulnerable” Democrats in the House of Representatives, with a digital ad blitz offering to buy them plane tickets to El Salvador on the condition they “livestream the whole thing and snap plenty of selfies with their MS-13 buddies.”

The ad campaign follows a Monday press release by the NRCC offering to foot the bill for any future trips by Democrat lawmakers to El Salvador, after several progressive lawmakers traveled to the South American country in protest of the Trump administration’s deportation policies.   

“We’ll pay for the plane tickets, they just can’t forget to smile for the camera while they sell out their constituents,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said Tuesday. “If out-of-touch House Democrats are so desperate to cozy up to violent gang members, the least they can do is let Americans watch the show.”

4 MORE DEMS TRAVEL TO EL SALVADOR TO PUSH FOR ABREGO GARCIA’S RETURN TO US

The Democrats targeted by the House Republican arm’s ad blitz herald from states including California, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Florida, Texas and a few others.

They are: Josh Harder, D-Calif.; Adam Gray, D-Calif.; George Whitesides, D-Calif.; Derek Tran, D-Calif.; Dave Min, D-Calif.; Darren Soto, D-Fla.; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; Frank Mrvan, D-Ind.; Jared Golden, D-Maine; Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich.; Don Davis, D-N.C.; Nellie Pou, D-N.J.; Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M.; Dina Titus, D-Nev.; Susie Lee, D-Nev.; Steven Horsford, D-Nev.; Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y.; Laura Gillen, D-N.Y.; Josh Riley, D-N.Y.; Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio; Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio; Henry Cuellar, D-Texas; Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Eugene Vindman, D-Va.; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.

REP. MAXWELL FROST EXPLAINS WHY HE AND OTHER DEMOCRATS ARE IN EL SALVADOR

Progressive Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., traveled to El Salvador last week in a highly publicized trip to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant deported with a slew of other Venezuelan gang members and whom Democrats have said was illegally deported by the Trump administration. 

Van Hollen’s visit was followed up by another visit to El Salvador on Sunday by four far-left Democratic lawmakers: Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Maxine Dexter of Oregon, Maxwell Frost of Florida and Robert Garcia of California.

Republicans, meanwhile, have been eager to tie Democrats to suspected criminals being deported to El Salvador. The NRCC’s counterpart for the U.S. Senate, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), released a new digital ad this week as well that mocked Van Hollen’s recent meeting with alleged MS-13 gang member Abrego Garcia. 

“¡Bienvenidos a El Salvador Senate Dems! Democrats should feel free to make their trip to hang out with MS-13 gangbangers one-way,” the NRSC wrote in a post on X unveiling the new ad.

HOUSE DEMS DEMAND ‘PROOF OF LIFE; OF ABREGO GARCIA AFTER BEING DENIED MEETING IN EL SALVADOR

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“Welcome to El Salvador. Home to breathtaking sunsets, world class surf breaks and gang banger Kilmar Abrego Garcia,” a narrator from the video can be heard saying as well. “El Salvador is the destination for Democrats seeking the thrill of bringing violent, criminal, illegal aliens back to America,” the ad continues, noting El Salvador was a good destination for travelers to “witness Trump Derangement Syndrome in its purest form.”

The federally indicted mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, is trailing his opponent in the city’s Democratic primary runoff. 

Unofficial vote totals show state Sen. John Horhn leading two-term Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba 18,493 to 6,246, according to the city clerk’s office. Although absentee votes have not yet been counted, Horhn declared victory in the race. 

Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens II and Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks are facing charges of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, honest services wire fraud and money laundering, the Justice Department announced last November. All three have pleaded not guilty. 

An indictment alleged the three Democrats accepted payments, including $50,000 for the mayor’s reelection campaign, from two people they thought were real estate developers looking to build a hotel near the city’s downtown convention center. It turns out they worked for the FBI. 

‘MISSISSIPPI MUSK’: STATE AUDITOR’S MOGE REPORT FINDS $400 MILLION IN GOVERNMENT WASTE

“Residents have been, you know, told a narrative that should – that should give them every reason for us not to be here, right? And we’re trying to make it clear that that’s not who we are,” Lumumba said Friday, according to the Associated Press. 

Lumumba and Horhn faced off in a Democratic mayoral primary once before in 2017. In that race, Lumumba defeated Horhn outright, earning 55% of the vote. 

The winner of this race will advance to the June 3 general election. 

“People are ready for something different,” Horhn recently said. “They are ready for change; they’re ready for leadership; they’re ready for better streets; they’re ready for less crime; they’re ready for more opportunities.” 

Lumumba, son of the late Republic of New Afrika leader Chokwe Lumumba, released a video statement last year denying ever accepting a bribe and calling the indictment a “political prosecution” intended to “destroy [his] . . . reputation.” 

CAPITAL CITY DEMOCRATIC MAYOR, PROSECUTOR INDICTED IN UNDERCOVER BRIBERY STING 

“Jackson residents, it is with great disappointment that I come before you. My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have, in fact, indicted me on bribery and related charges,” he said.  

“There is no coincidence, and its timing being just before the upcoming mayoral race. My legal team will vigorously defend me against these charges. Again, while I am disappointed, I am not deterred, so I ask for your patience and your prayers during this process. Thank you.” 

The three officials were in a bugged room on a yacht in Broward County, Florida, negotiating what they believed to be the developers’ payments when they were caught, according to the local Mississippi Clarion-Ledger. 

One undercover agent reportedly asked the officials to move forward a deadline for an “SOQ,” or statement of qualifications, required for the planned hotel development, and Lumumba reportedly went ahead and made a phone call. 

Another agent then handed the mayor five checks worth $50,000 total. After returning to Mississippi, the funds were reportedly deposited in the mayor’s campaign account, according to the paper. 

Fox News Digitals’ Charles Creitz and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump’s administration is firing or reassigning over 450 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency as part of a larger push to eliminate “environmental justice” programs.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the employee moves on Monday, saying 280 staffers were being fired, and 175 others would be reassigned. The cut roles were in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, and EPA regional offices.

“EPA is taking the next step to terminate the Biden-Harris Administration’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Environmental Justice arms of the agency,” a spokesperson told Axios.

Zeldin explained at a Monday press conference that tax dollars put toward environmental justice issues were widely misspent.

MEXICO IS POISONING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN A BORDER CRISIS ALMOST NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT

“The problem is that, in the name of environmental justice, a dollar will get secured and not get spent on remediating that environmental issue,” he said.

The firings come the same week that Zeldin launched talks with Mexico about eliminating sewage contamination that flows over the border from Tijuana to pollute California’s coastlines.

MEXICAN SEWAGE GUSHING INTO NAVY SEAL TRAINING WATERS IS US’ ‘NEXT CAMP LEJEUNE,’ VETS WARN

Zeldin visited San Diego to discuss the issue on Tuesday, noting that one of the affected areas is the training grounds for Navy SEALs.

“The Americans on our side of the border who have been dealing with this… for decades, are out of patience,” Zeldin said Tuesday. “There’s no way that we are going to stand before the people of California and ask them to have more patience and just bear with all of us as we go through the next 10 or 20 or 30 years of being stuck in 12 feet of raw sewage and not getting anywhere.”

EPA CHIEF TAKES ON MEXICAN ‘SEWAGE CRISIS’ FLOWING INTO US WATERS WHERE NAVY SEALS TRAIN

“So we are all out of patience,” he continued. “There’s a very limited opportunity. We’re in good faith, both on the American side and also on the Mexican side, what’s being communicated by the new Mexican president is an intense desire to fully resolve this situation.” 

Zeldin said that he met with Mexican officials for about 90 minutes Monday night to discuss the sewage spewing into U.S. waters — and relayed that the Mexican environmental secretary wants to have a “strong collaborative relationship” with the U.S. to end the pollution. 

“I will be speaking with the chief of staff to the Mexican environmental secretary to ensure that over the course of the coming days, over the course of the next couple weeks, that we are able to put together a specific statement from both countries on a mutual understanding of what Mexico is going to do to help resolve this issue,” he said.

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said Tuesday that President Donald Trump called him over the weekend to discuss the arson attack on the governor’s mansion a week before.

Shapiro said Trump called him Saturday morning and that the president was “very gracious.”

The governor said he did not answer Trump’s call and let it go to voicemail because he did not recognize the number the president was calling from.

“I appreciated that the president called me,” Shapiro told reporters at the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg. “I actually didn’t take his call because it came from his cellphone and I didn’t have that number in my phone, so I didn’t know who it was. As soon as I heard his message, I called him right back.”

SUSPECT’S 911 CALL RELEASED AFTER ARSON AT PA GOVERNOR’S MANSION THAT APPEARED TO BE FUELED BY WAR IN GAZA

Shapiro said he spoke with Trump for about 15 minutes about various topics, including the arson attack and how his wife and children were doing following the fire incident.

“He was very gracious,” Shapiro said. “He asked how Lori and the kids were doing. [We] talked for a couple of minutes about what transpired at the residence, and then we talked for maybe the next 15 minutes or so about a whole host of other topics.”

“Obviously, I’m not going to get into our private conversation, but he’s attuned to the issues that are important to me,” the governor continued. “I, of course, know the issues that are important to him, and we agreed to stay in touch going forward.”

Shapiro told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview recorded late last week and aired Sunday that Trump had not called him after the April 13 attack on his residence. The governor said at the time that he had heard from Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.

Trump said last week when asked if he knew of the attacker’s motive that he had not heard about one. He also said that the suspect “was not a fan of Trump.”

SUSPECTED PENNSYLVANIA ARSONIST MAY HAVE BEEN MOTIVATED BY WAR IN GAZA: POLICE

“He’s probably just a whack job. And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen,” Trump said at the time.

Cody Balmer, 38, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and related offenses for allegedly setting fire to Shapiro’s residence last week.

Balmer has reportedly admitted in multiple instances that he was motivated by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and what Shapiro, who is Jewish, “wants to do to the Palestinian people.”

“Governor Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” Balmer allegedly told a dispatcher in a 911 call after the attack. “He needs to leave my family alone. He needs to get his eyes off of my daughters. And he needs to stop having my friends killed.”

“You all know where to find me. I’m not hiding, and I will confess to everything that I had done,” he added.

A warrant details Balmer’s interview with state troopers in which he allegedly admitted to “harboring hatred towards” Shapiro. Balmer also reportedly admitted to a trooper that he was responsible for the arson attack and said he planned to attack Shapiro with his hammer if he were to find the governor in the mansion.

Surveillance video described in a warrant allegedly shows Balmer breaking a window at the governor’s residence before throwing “an incendiary device” inside. According to the warrant, Balmer then broke another window, entered the residence and deployed another incendiary device before he “approached the dining room exit.”

The warrant also says a woman — seemingly identified as Balmer’s “ex-paramour” — said he confessed to the attack and asked her to call police to turn him in.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley indicated in a post on X that amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the U.S. should “want to be on the right side of history.” 

“Rewarding an aggressor will only lead to more aggressive actions. Failing to stand up for democracies who are invaded will lead to more invasions of free countries. To reward Russia for bad behavior and punish Ukraine for fighting to defend itself would be a terrible injustice, America should know the difference between right and wrong and want to be on the right side of history,” she declared in a Tuesday post on X.

“Russia started this war and has been the aggressor and violator in the conflict. Ukraine deserves the right to defend itself,” she had previously declared in part of another tweet on Tuesday.

RUSSIA REDUCES SENTENCE FOR AMERICAN ROBERT WOODLAND, WHO WAS CONVICTED ON DRUG CHARGES

Haley, a former South Carolina governor, sought the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, but ultimately dropped out after failing to gain traction against then-former President Donald Trump, who she eventually endorsed.

Trump has been aiming to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.

REPUBLICAN USES GEORGE WASHINGTON, AMERICAN REVOLUTION TO REJECT NOTION UKRAINE SHOULD SURRENDER TO RUSSIA

“HOPEFULLY RUSSIA AMD UKRAINE WILL MAKE A DEAL THIS WEEK. BOTH WILL THEN START TO DO BIG BUSINESS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WHICH IS THRIVING, AND MAKE A FORTUNE!” he declared in a Sunday Truth Social post.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., recently visited Ukraine. 

PUTIN ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY EASTER CEASEFIRE IN UKRAINE WAR

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The lawmaker said in a tweet last week, “It was my profound honor to deliver a very ‘personal’ message to Vladimir Putin today, from the front lines of the war near the Russian border, on behalf of our PA-1 community. The only permissible details to share are that ‘the message was delivered on target.'” 

Fitzpatrick has noted that he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while visiting the foreign nation.

Fewer than one in three young Americans approve of the job President Donald Trump and Congress are doing, according to a new national poll from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics.

But while the approval ratings for Trump and congressional Republicans have mostly stayed consistent since the start of the president’s first administration eight years ago, the 50th Harvard Youth Poll indicates that approval ratings for Democrats in Congress among Americans aged 18-29 have nosedived.

According to Harvard’s annual spring survey, which was conducted March 14-25 and released on Wednesday, the approval rating for congressional Democrats stands at 23%, down from 42% in the spring of 2017 at the start of Trump’s first term.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING

“In that same period, approval of Congressional Republicans has held steady, inching up slightly from 28% to 29%,” the poll’s release notes.

And the approval rating for Trump, who next week marks 100 days into his second tour of duty in the White House, stands at 31% in the new survey. 

AMERICANS WEIGH IN ON TRUMP’S TEASING OF A THIRD TERM

The release highlights that Trump’s numbers are “virtually unchanged from the 32% reported in Spring 2017 and the 29% recorded in Fall 2020.”

Harvard’s survey is the latest to indicate troubling numbers for the Democrats. 

The confidence rating for Democrat leadership in Congress stood at a record-low 25% in a Gallup poll conducted April 1-14 and released last week. That’s nine points below the previous low of 34%, which was recorded in 2023.

Fueling the drop in confidence in the Democrat congressional leadership was a 41-point plunge among Democrats questioned in the Gallup survey.

DEMOCRATS FAVORABLE RATINGS DROP TO RECORD LOWS

National polls conducted in February by Quinnipiac University, and last month by CNN and by NBC News, indicated the favorable ratings for the Democratic Party sinking to all-time lows.

The Democratic Party is in the political wilderness after November’s election setbacks, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate and defended their fragile House majority. And Republicans made gains among Black and Hispanic voters as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base.

Democrats have become increasingly angry and energized in response to Trump’s aggressive and controversial moves in slashing the federal government and upending long-standing national since returning to the White House three months ago.

That anger is directed not only at Trump and Republicans but also at Democrats. Many in the party’s base feel their leaders in Congress haven’t been effective or vocal enough in pushing back against the president.

According to the Harvard poll, only 15% say the country is headed in the right direction, with just over half (51%) saying the country’s on the wrong track. 

And just one in four surveyed said the current state of the country is better now under Trump than it was during former President Joe Biden’s single four-year term in the White House.

Forty-one percent said things were better off under Biden, with 14% saying they see no difference and 17% unsure.

Jim Clyburn is ripping the media.

The Democratic congressman, who essentially handed Joe Biden the nomination in 2020, says the party is having trouble getting its message out.

“I think the message coming from the Democratic Party is a good message,” the South Carolina lawmaker told MSNBC’s Ali Velshi. “The problem we’ve got, I’ll say, is that we have to depend upon the media to deliver it.”

Let me stop right there. The party’s approval ratings are in the toilet – that’s not the media’s fault. The party lost every swing state to Donald Trump in November – that’s not the media’s fault.

And the Democrats have no clear leader at the moment – again, not the media’s fault. 

SCHUMER SINKS, AOC SOARS IN NEW POLL AS LIBERAL VOTERS DEMAND HARDER LINE ON TRUMP

“If we have The Washington Post, for instance, caving to this wannabe dictator and we’ve got other media entities that seem to rather push a narrative that will bring eyes to their newspapers or to their television sets and not really give a fair hearing or reporting to what we’re doing,” said Clyburn, exempting Velshi.

“I would hope that there are people outside of the audience taking in what we’re saying because my message is gonna be very, very coherent. It’s going to be very – a little bit alarming. But it’s gonna be a message that I think everybody will understand if they were to hear it.”

Sorry to break it to the esteemed congressman, but it’s not the media’s job to carry water against the man he calls a “wannabe dictator.” You and your colleagues can only do it by getting out there and making, uh, news.

At the same time, everyone already hates us. So it’s hardly surprising that the left, as well as the right, is bashing our business.

I mean, Joe Biden barely talked to journalists – even for a Super Bowl interview – and now we know why.

BILL MAHER SAYS AOC SHOULDN’T BE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE IN 2028 DESPITE RECENT HYPE

Gavin Newsom is clearly running for president in 2028 – and he makes news by appearing on Fox and right-wing podcasts. This shows that he’s willing to engage the other side. 

“I don’t know what the party is. I’m still struggling with that,” Newsom told the Hill.

He also had California sue the White House over the tariffs.

The buzz right now is about AOC running for president. This seems far-fetched on its face – not because she was once a bartender, which gives her street cred, but because of her uber-liberal record.

Yet she and Bernie Sanders are drawing huge crowds around the country in what feels like a generational handoff – an image captured on the front page of Sunday’s Washington Post.

After making an initial splash as a rebel, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez now works with the party’s leadership.

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

A conservative columnist for the Hill listed her as No. 1 for the next election, calling AOC “simply the most exciting figure in Democratic politics…Yes, she has a legion of detractors. But she also has charisma, authenticity and the ability to draw huge crowds.”

But even the columnist, Niall Ferguson, asks: “Would a left-wing Latina from New York City really be the best option for a party that needs to win states like Michigan and Pennsylvania to take back the White House?”

Axios says Ocasio-Cortez, 35, “has been cheered like a political rock star over the past two weeks” and knows how to make the cash register ring: “In the first three months of 2025, she raised $9.6 million – more than double what she’d ever raised in a quarter.”

She would undoubtedly be opposed by center-left liberals like Josh Shapiro who would stress the importance of winning swing states like, uh, Pennsylvania.

Now it’s a bit crazy to be talking about this just three months into Trump’s second term. Someone who’s “hot” now could easily cool off by then. Name recognition only takes you so far.

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

In a recent Gallup poll, just 25 percent expressed confidence in Democratic congressional leadership, an all-time low.

Republicans don’t expect fair coverage from the media. But many Dems act personally offended when they draw critical coverage.

The takeaway: Democrats have to make their own news, not just bash the media. But hey, we’re the easiest target out there.

Lawmakers in Nassau County, New York, are pushing a measure to make it illegal to stand within 15 feet of police officers or other first responders during an emergency, although critics of the proposal argue that it is unconstitutional.

People who enter the “buffer zone” for first responders during an emergency would face a misdemeanor charge and a $1,000 fine along with the possibility of up to a year behind bars, according to the bill introduced by the county Board of Legislators.

The measure seeks to protect first responders from “threats, harassment, and physical interference,” lawmakers say.

“It is important that first responders are not obstructed during emergency situations and that our frontline heroes are allowed to engage in the lifesaving actions they are trained to perform without distractions,” legislator John Ferretti, a Republican, told the New York Post.

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

State law already subjects people who interfere with first responders to up to a year in jail, three years of probation or a $1,000 fine.

The new bill was introduced by Republicans but has garnered support from some Democrats, according to the newspaper.

“Our cops and first responders shouldn’t have to fight crowds while they’re saving lives,” Democrat legislator Seth Koslow, who is running for county executive, told the New York Post. “This bill gives them the authority to keep chaos out and do their jobs without interference. It’s backed by both parties — because protecting those who protect us shouldn’t be political.”

Despite the bipartisan support among lawmakers, critics say the bill goes too far and could be abused to curb people’s constitutional rights.

“Floating buffer zones offer yet another way for police to keep their activities hidden from public scrutiny,” New York Civil Liberties Union senior policy counsel Justin Harrison told the New York Post. “Laws that make it harder to monitor the police don’t make anybody safer — in reality, they violate the Constitution, run counter to government transparency principles, and foster distrust in law enforcement.”

Some other states have passed similar laws that were later struck down by the courts.

VIDEO CAPTURES NEW YORK GRANDMOTHER, CHILDREN NARROWLY AVOIDING MANHOLE EXPLOSION

Louisiana passed a law last year prohibiting people from being within 25 feet of police after being told to back up. But last month, a federal judge blocked the measure, finding that it violated the 14th Amendment’s due process regulations and could infringe on journalists’ press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment that grants them the right to film officers.

Similar laws in Arizona and Indiana have also been blocked by federal judges.

“We expect that Nassau’s law, if passed, will meet the same fate,” Harrison said.

A federal judge ordered the restoration of Voice of America (VoA) on Tuesday, the federally-funded state media network that the White House dismantled earlier this spring.

Judge Royce Lamberth ruled in favor of the plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction, though the Trump administration is allowed to appeal the decision.

The plaintiffs asked the court to “cancel the orders putting approximately 1,300 VOA employees on administrative leave” and to “cancel the termination of contracts with approximately 500 personal service contractors (PSCs) with VOA, cease dismantling VOA, and restore VOA’s personnel and operating capacities.”

President Donald Trump dismantled the news agency through an executive order (EO) in March, claiming that VoA promoted biased reporting.

TRUMP ORDERS THE DISMANTLING OF GOVERNMENT-FUNDED, ‘PROPAGANDA’-PEDDLING MEDIA OUTLET

“The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law,” the EO stated. 

The EO also dismantled VoA’s parent company, the United States Agency for Global Media, as well as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 

“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.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES PLAN TO CHOP DOWN MAGNOLIA TREE PURPORTEDLY PLANTED BY ANDREW JACKSON: ‘MUST COME TO AN END’

On Mar. 22, VoA employees filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration and Kari Lake, who serves as the special advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media.

“In many parts of the world, a crucial source of objective news is gone, and only censored state-sponsored news media is left to fill the void,” the lawsuit reads.

“The second Trump administration has taken a chainsaw to the agency as a whole in an attempt to shutter it completely,” the suit stated.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

The first RICO racketeering charges against members and associates of the migrant terrorist group Tren de Aragua were filed this week in New York.

A statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that the case is part of “Operation Take Back America,” which it said is a “nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”

According to the statement, the charges filed against 27 alleged current and former Tren de Aragua (TdA) members include human smuggling, sex trafficking and murder.

“Today, we have filed charges against 27 alleged members, former members, and associates of Tren de Aragua, for committing murders and shootings, forcing young women trafficked from Venezuela into commercial sex work, robbing and extorting small businesses, and selling ‘tusi,’ a pink powdery drug that has become their calling card,” announced Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. 

PRESIDENT TRUMP BLASTS COURTS FOR GETTING IN THE WAY OF DEPORTATION AGENDA

Podolsky said that the indictments “make clear that this Office will work tirelessly to keep the law-abiding residents of New York City safe, and hold accountable those who bring violence to our streets.”

The charges were filed in two separate indictments, the first against six alleged current members of Tren de Aragua and the second against 21 alleged members and associates of a splinter gang known as “Anti-Tren,” which consists of former TdA members.

The Trump State Department has designated Tren de Aragua, as well as several other migrant gangs present throughout the U.S., as foreign terrorist organizations.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that 21 of the 27 alleged gang members and associates are currently in federal custody. The statement said that 16 were already in federal criminal, immigration, or state custody and five were arrested over the last couple of days.

OHIO SHERIFF DEFENDS NEW ICE PARTNERSHIP: ‘JUST DOING THE RIGHT THING’

Most of the alleged gang members are in their twenties, with the oldest being 44. Many are facing multiple life in prison sentences if they are found guilty.

Charges include racketeering, sex trafficking, alien importation, drug trafficking and carjacking conspiracy, robbery, illegal firearms possession and use and extortion.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Among the most egregious of the charges included in the indictments are the smuggling of “multadas” – indentured sex workers – from Venezuela into Peru and the U.S. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office statement, both TdA and Anti-Tren operate keep the multadas trapped in a life of sex slavery by threatening to kill them and their families and by assaulting, shooting and killing them and tracking down those who attempted to flee.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi commented on the RICO charges, saying: “Today’s indictments and arrests span three states and will devastate TdA’s infrastructure as we work to completely dismantle and purge this organization from our country.” 

GORSUCH, ROBERTS SIDE WITH LEFT-LEANING SUPREME COURT JUSTICES IN IMMIGRATION RULING

“Tren de Aragua is not just a street gang,” said Bondi. “It is a highly structured terrorist organization that has destroyed American families with brutal violence, engaged in human trafficking, and spread deadly drugs through our communities.”

New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch also praised the operations, saying that “for the first time ever, TdA is being named and charged as the criminal enterprise that it is.”

“This gang has shown zero regard for the safety of New Yorkers,” said Tisch. “As alleged in the indictment, these defendants wreaked havoc in our communities, trafficking women for sexual exploitation, flooding our streets with drugs, and committing violent crimes with illegal guns. Thanks to the dedicated members of the NYPD and the important work of our federal partners, their time is up.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office statement also mentioned that this case received significant support from Joint Task Force Vulcan, a collection of U.S. attorneys’ offices and law enforcement agencies that was created in 2019 to eradicate the Salvadoran gang MS-13 and has now expanded to target Tren de Aragua. 

Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., is one of the many voices sounding the alarm about a recent oil refinery closure announcement having a greater impact on American wallets.

Valero Energy Corp. announced that it will likely close its Benicia refinery near San Francisco in April 2026, putting more than 400 jobs in jeopardy.

“We understand the impact that this may have on our employees, business partners, and community, and will continue to work with them through this period,” Lane Riggs, board chair, CEO and president of Valero, said in a news release on April 16.

Fong said the state’s energy policies are making it tough for the industry to survive.

CALIFORNIA CAREER POLITICIAN BARBARA LEE WINS MAYOR RACE IN EMBATTLED OAKLAND

“This is in addition to other refinery closures that have been announced. So, in totality, what we’re looking at is 20% of California’s refining capacity disappearing. And that’s significant,” Fong told Fox News Digital in an interview.  

Valero also operates a refinery in Los Angeles, but the move regarding the Benicia location is seen as a major hit.

“It’s a warning that California’s fuel supply is in jeopardy, and it’s all caused because of [Democrat Gov.] Gavin Newsom’s poor energy policies. That’s the root cause, and the rigid regulatory environment, all the mandates, all the new regulations that have been put on these refineries, and now it’s putting our fuel supply in jeopardy. And this isn’t just an energy issue. This is an affordability issue. This is a jobs issue. This is a reliability issue,” he continued.

ALASKA SENATOR LITERALLY SHREDS BIDEN’S ENERGY ORDERS, BOOSTS WH EFFORTS TO LEVERAGE ARCTIC GAS PIPELINE

The Golden State’s policies are major contributors to higher gas prices in the state, according to a recent study by University of Southern California professor Michael Mische.

“California’s energy policy is at a breaking point,” Fong said. “This is not a market failure. This is because of regulations and mandates that are pushing refineries to close. They can’t survive in this and make it economically feasible to function in California. And those who are going to suffer are everyday Californians.“

As the state is a major energy supplier, the congressman said its regulations have occasionally gained bipartisan scrutiny from neighboring Arizona and Nevada.

“This is going to impact California drivers significantly,” Fong said. “When there’s gasoline shortages, what you’re going to see is the price of gasoline go up. And in California, you know, we pay the highest price of gas compared to the other states.”

US, SAUDI ARABIA COULD CEMENT ‘LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP’ ON NUCLEAR ENERGY

As of Sunday, Californians are paying an average of $4.83 per gallon, which is significantly higher than the $3.15 national average, according to AAA.

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment, but it referred the inquiry to the California Energy Commission, which said Valero’s legally required advance notice will help the state better prepare for its next steps.

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“The California Energy Commission (CEC) is committed to its efforts to collaborate with the industry and stakeholders so that the state continues to have a safe, reliable and affordable supply while transitioning away from fossil fuels,” CEC Vice Chair Siva Sunda stated. “As required under Senate Bill X1-2, Valero Refining Company notified the CEC of its intent to idle, restructure or cease operations at its Benicia Refinery by the end of April 2026. This advance notification helps the state to continue to closely monitor the evolving conditions in the fuel supply market and proactively plan and take steps to support the transition in the state’s fuel supply.”

“The CEC will continue to work in partnership with the industry and stakeholders to protect consumers during this transition,” he continued.

Valero faces $82 million in fines from different governmental bodies in California over environmental regulations, according to KXJZ.

Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor snapped at each other during Tuesday’s arguments over parental rights in LGBTQ curriculum after the liberal justice attempted to jump back into the questioning as Alito was speaking. 

The short quarrel happened as the high court listened to arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor, in which a coalition of parents sought to solidify the right to be informed about and opt their children out of reading LGBTQ-related material in elementary schools — which they argue conflicts with their faith.

“There is a growing heat to the exchanges between the justices. Sotomayor just tried to disagree with Alito’s portrayal and Alito pushed back and asked to allow him to finish,” Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley observed on X.  

Sotomayor initially asked Mahmoud attorney Eric Baxter about a particular book titled “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding” that included a same-sex relationship storyline and whether exposure to same-sex relationships in children’s books could be considered coercion.

PARENTS TELL SCOTUS: LGBTQ STORYBOOKS IN CLASSROOMS CLASH WITH OUR FAITH

“Our parents would object to that,” Baxter responded. 

Sotomayor continued with her line of questioning to further clarify Baxter’s objection to the books. Baxter stated, “Our objections would be even to reading books that violate our client’s religious beliefs.”

Alito then jumped in with additional questions related to the book.

“I’ve read that book as well as a lot of these other books,” Alito began. “Do you think it’s fair to say that all that is done in ‘Uncle Bobby’s Wedding’ is to expose children to the fact that there are men who marry other men?”

Baxter objected to Alito’s question. Alito then said that while the book “has a clear message and a lot of people think it’s a good message,” some with “traditional religious beliefs don’t agree with” it.

As Alito continued with his explanation, Sotomayor jumped in.

“What a minute. The reservation is—” Sotomayor began. 

‘LET US BE THE PARENTS’: SUPREME COURT SHOULD LET PARENTS OPT KIDS OUT OF LGBTQ SCHOOL LESSONS, LAWYER ARGUES

“Can I finish?” Alito said. 

“It has a clear moral message, and it may be a good message. It’s just a message that a lot of religious people disagree with,” Alito finished.

As arguments wrapped, the Supreme Court appeared inclined to agree with the parents.

A coalition of Jewish, Christian and Muslim parents with elementary school children in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland brought suit against the school board after it introduced new LGBTQ books into the curriculum as part of the district’s “inclusivity” initiative. 

The curriculum change came after the state of Maryland enacted regulations seeking to promote “educational equity,” according to the petitioner’s brief filed with the high court.

THE SUPREME COURT APPEARS TO SIDE WITH PARENTS IN RELIGIOUS LIBERTY DISPUTE OVER STORYBOOKS

The parents lost both at the district court and the appellate level. The Fourth Circuit held that the parents had not shown how the policy violated the First Amendment.

The case comes at a time when President Donald Trump and his administration have prioritized educational and DEI-related reform upon starting his second term. The Supreme Court has notably also heard oral arguments this past term in other religious liberty and gender-related suits. 

The high court heard oral arguments earlier this month in a suit brought by a Wisconsin-based Catholic charity group’s bid for tax relief. The decision could alter the current eligibility requirements for religious tax exemptions. 

Fox News’ Bill Mears, Shannon Bream, and David Spunt contributed to this report. 

With President Donald Trump back in the White House and the final rollout of federal REAL ID requirements set to take effect in May, many of the loudest privacy advocates in Washington have been largely silent.

While privacy-minded lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have spent years blasting the Patriot Act, among other measures, few are raising alarms over the Trump administration’s looming implementation of the REAL ID Act — a law passed in 2005 that critics describe as a national identification system.

Some of the privacy-hawk lawmakers remaining silent on REAL ID were very vocal when another expansion of the national security surveillance apparatus came about – the Patriot Act of 2001 – but not so when the U.S. is only days away from REAL ID implementation.

Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., were all in Congress when the Patriot Act faced ultimately-successful renewal in 2010s and when the 2020 bill amending and reauthorizing the related Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court came up for a vote.

‘MASS SURVEILLANCE’: CONSERVATIVES SOUND ALARM OVER TRUMP ADMIN’S REAL ID ROLLOUT

“Congress has a duty to safeguard Americans’ privacy, but the USA Freedom Reauthorization Act fails to adequately limit the types of information that the government can collect about Americans, and it fails to adequately limit how long the government can keep the information it collects about us,” Markey said in a 2020 statement objecting to the FISA renewal.

“I am unwilling to grant any president surveillance tools that pose such a high risk to Americans’ civil liberties,” he said.

In 2011, Merkley was one of eight senators who voted to prevent the Patriot Act renewal from even coming to the floor for debate, according to Oregon Live.

His Beaver State colleague, Wyden, ultimately voted to allow debate, but said on the Senate floor during such discourse that it needs to be potentially reconsidered.

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

“The Patriot Act was passed a decade ago during a period of understandable fear,” Wyden said at the time.

“Now is the time to revisit this… and ensure that a better job is done of striking that balance between fighting terror and protecting individual liberty.”

Merkley expressed concern at the time about the Patriot Act’s ability to let law enforcement collect many types of personal data like emails and phone records.

In order to get a REAL ID, licensees must provide their Social Security number and other documentation.

While the REAL ID implementation was delayed 20 years by several factors including COVID-19, Merkley cast a “protest vote” at the time of the Patriot Act renewal that a four-year extension of the post-9/11 act was being put forth without sufficient time for debate.

In 2005, Wyden also gave a Senate floor speech opposing the first reauthorization of the Patriot Act.

Markey did not respond to multiple requests for comment, left at his Washington and Boston offices. Merkley also did not respond to a request for comment.

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

A representative for Wyden acknowledged Fox News Digital’s comment request, but said the Oregonian was traveling and holding town halls with constituents back home and could not be immediately reached.

On his senatorial webpage, Wyden offered a rundown of all his comprehensive actions in favor of privacy, as well as “le[ading] the fight to address the Intelligence Community’s reliance on secret interpretations of surveillance law.”

“When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they will be stunned and they will be angry,” he said in 2011.

Wyden was also outraged in 2013 when the NSA was found to be secretly interpreting the act to collect personal data of millions of Americans without a warrant.

In a statement to Fox News Digital on privacy concerns with REAL ID, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said REAL IDs rightly “make identification harder to forge, thwarting criminals and terrorists.”

“Eighty-one percent of air travelers [already] hold REAL ID-compliant or acceptable IDs,” McLaughlin said.

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“DHS will continue to collaborate with state, local, and airport authorities to inform the public, facilitate compliance, curb wait times and prevent fraud.”

Fox News also reached out for comment to a bipartisan series of lawmakers who have been party to pro-privacy bills or taken pro-privacy stances in the past, including Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Speaking at the White House Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump blasted courts standing in the way of his administration’s immigration agenda of deporting “some very bad people,” who he said include “killers, murderers, drug dealers.”

The president touted his administration’s progress in shutting down the border and cracking down on illegal immigration, saying, “Honestly, it’s one of the great successes; we have virtually nobody coming in illegally.”

He noted, however, that certain rulings against his deportations pose a threat to his efforts to secure the country.

“I hope we get cooperation from the courts, because, you know, we have thousands of people that are ready to go out, and you can’t have a trial for all of these people,” he said. “It wasn’t meant–the system wasn’t meant–and we don’t think there’s anything that says that.”

KASH PATEL, FBI TOUT $5M REWARD FOR CAPTURING MS-13 ‘TERRORIST LEADER’ UNLEASHING EVIL ON AMERICANS

Since Trump’s return to the Oval Office in January, his administration has faced hundreds of lawsuits targeting his executive orders and actions, some of which have resulted in nationwide injunctions.

The Supreme Court is set to hear a case on May 15 about three federal judges who issued separate nationwide injunctions blocking an executive order by Trump ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants. 

On Mar. 15, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport criminal illegal alien gang members to El Salvador.  

Trump said that court rulings slowing down his deportation agenda could lead to a “very dangerous country.”

GORSUCH, ROBERTS SIDE WITH LEFT-LEANING SUPREME COURT JUSTICES IN IMMIGRATION RULING

“We were having hundreds of thousands of people a month come in under Biden, and they came in from prisons. They came in from mental institutions. They came in from gangs in Venezuela and other countries all over the world, not just South America. They were emptying their prisons into the United States, Venezuela emptied its prisons out, but many countries emptied their prisons into the Congo as an example, in Africa, emptied their prisons into the United States,” he said.

“I won an election based on the fact that we get them out,” he went on. “We’re getting them out and a judge can say, ‘No, you have to have a trial’ … the trials going to take two years, and now we’re going to have a very dangerous country if we’re not allowed to do what we’re entitled to do.”

Trump also addressed his administration’s ongoing trade war with China, saying it is up to China to make a deal work.

“Ultimately, they have to make a deal because otherwise they’re not going to be able to deal in the United States,” he said. “And we want them involved but they have to, and other countries have to make a deal. And if they don’t make a deal, we’ll set the deal because we’re the ones that set the deal.”

JD VANCE CHAMPIONS ‘ROADMAP’ TOWARD US-INDIA TRADE DEAL, SAYS PARTNERSHIP CRITICAL TO DETERRING ‘DARK TIME’

The president said he expects that in whichever deal is ultimately reached, the current 145 percent tariff against China will be much lower, but noted it “won’t be zero” either.

“It used to be zero. We were just destroyed. China was taking us for a ride and it’s just not going to happen,” he said. “We’re going to be very good to China, I have a great relationship with President XI. But they would make billions and billions and billions of dollars a year, and they would build their military out of the United States on what they made so that won’t happen.”

“But they’re going to do very well,” he continued. “And I think they’re going to be happy and I think we’re going to live together very happily and ideally work together. So, I think it’s going to work out very well.”

During the Q and A Trump also put to bed rumors that he would be firing Jerome Powell from his role as chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve over a disagreement about lowering interest rates.

‘NO LOVE LOST’: TRUMP IS ‘ONE PERSON’ TO DRAG JEROME POWELL OUT OF OFFICE ‘KICKING AND SCREAMING’ EXPERT SAYS

In response to a question on whether he had any intention to fire Powell, Trump replied, “None whatsoever. Never did.”

“The press runs away with things. No, I have no intention of firing him,” said Trump.

“I would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest rates,” he noted, adding, “This is a perfect time to lower interest rates. If he doesn’t, is it the end? No, it’s not, but it would be good timing. It would be it which could have taken place earlier. But, no, I have no intention to fire him.”

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton came out swinging against former Vice President Kamala Harris as she mulls a bid to become Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom’s successor.

“It’s never about us. It’s always about her,” Hilton said about the discussion of a potential run, citing a Politico report that she’s interested in the idea of being the country’s first Black woman governor.

“Let me tell you, leading the greatest state in the greatest nation on Earth is not some consolation prize to be handed out to a failed and rejected machine politician from Washington who can barely string a coherent sentence together and who thinks she should get this job because of her identity but not her ability,” he added.

CALIFORNIA MAYOR WANTS TO GIVE HOMELESS PEOPLE ‘ALL THE FENTANYL THEY WANT’: ‘NEED TO PURGE THESE PEOPLE’

Hilton launched his campaign in Huntington Beach on Tuesday morning, touting endorsements ranging from Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Kevin Kiley and actor Jon Voight. 

He joins the race as recent polling indicated that just under half of likely voters in California would consider backing a Republican for governor, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Politico recently reported that Harris is considering the bid after losing the presidential race to now-President Donald Trump in November. If she enters, she would likely become the frontrunner in the Democrat field. Hilton compared her to the “marine layer threatening to come in and block out the sun.”

KAMALA HARRIS PAID LEBRON JAMES’ ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY $50,000 FOR ‘CAMPAIGN EVENT PRODUCTION,’ RECORDS SHOW

“So, bring it, Kamala, if you decide to run for governor, we will beat you again,” Hilton told the crowd.

The Golden State has a jungle primary system rather than a nomination system, which leads to the possibility that members of the same political party could be the finalists in a general election race.

On the Democrat side, a long list of candidates includes former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Rep. Katie Porter and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. On the Republican side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is in the race to take the helm in Sacramento.

SCOOP: NEWSOM LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO ENTICE RELUCTANT CANADIANS TO VISIT CALIFORNIA AMID TRUMP TARIFF PUSH

If a Republican were elected governor of the Golden State, they would likely continue to face a Democrat supermajority in the legislature. Newsom will be termed out of office and unable to serve a third term. Newsom won re-election by a wide margin against Republican Brian Dahle in 2022, and the Democrat fended off a recall election in 2021.

The state continues to face internal and external pressures as it deals with Los Angeles fire recovery, affordability concerns leading people to move, and recent oil refinery closure announcements that could create major energy production issues. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Harris’ office for comment.

EXCLUSIVE: A former NFL kicker is launching his bid for Congress on Tuesday after revealing to Fox News Digital what inspired him to make the decision to run for office. 

The sports commentator, Jay Feely, is entering the Republican primary for Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District to replace Rep. Andy Biggs, who’s running to be the Grand Canyon State’s next governor.

Feely said that while he’s been interested in politics for years, it was the assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump last year that inspired him to run for office.

“The lawfare that Democrats did against President Trump and you watched him get shot. That was a big moment for me. I remember starting to really think about running for office the day that he got shot,” he told Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview shortly before his announcement.

Ex-NFL kicker ‘seriously considering’ Congress run: report

Feely played for the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins, and the Chicago Bears. Most recently, he’s been a CBS Sports analyst.

He noted that some of his experience on the executive committee at the NFL Player’s Association was an opportunity for him to hone his leadership skills to potentially bring to Washington.

“One of those times we had a lockout and the players were locked out by the owners. We had to negotiate,” he said.

“Those types of negotiations are similar to what goes on in the House and the Senate and goes on in Congress and, you know, you’re doing those types of negotiations all the time. And we saw it with the continued resolution just a month ago,” Feely added, adding that he’s “certainly prepared” for the job.

DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER ARGUES HIS PARTY SHOULDN’T LOOK KINDLY ON FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS AIDING TRUMP

Amid major policy changes at the border, Feely maintains that the largest issue facing the state is illegal immigration.

“The Democrats told us that they needed a bill passed in Congress or they couldn’t fix the border. And President Biden sat by and let tens of millions of illegals come into our country and he could have taken the measures that President Trump did in three months,” he said.

The Republican primary currently includes former House Speaker Pro Tempore Travis Grantham and Army veteran Alex Stovall.

GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR FBI INVESTIGATION INTO ‘ALARMING’ ALLEGATIONS AGAINST TOP DEM FUNDRAISING PLATFORM

Cook Political Report ranks the district as solid Republican, and it is not a target by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as a pickup opportunity, which is the case in Arizona’s first, second, and sixth districts.

Still, Feely believes he’s a “uniter” ahead of what’s expected to be a competitive midterm cycle as Republicans have an extremely narrow majority in the House.

“I think one of the things from a Republican perspective is we haven’t stayed united. Democrats stay united even when they completely disagree on issues. They’re a united front. And I give Speaker Johnson a lot of credit right now because he has kept this since President Trump was sworn into office. He has kept Republicans united, he got the cabinet members through, they’re staying united behind President Trump and his endeavors to fix the border and to fix our economy,” Feely said.

President Donald Trump has officially informed Congress that he has directed the Department of Defense to move additional forces equipped for combat into the Middle East as U.S. forces carry out military strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen in an effort to stop attacks on American forces and commercial ships in the Red Sea.

In a letter dated March 28 and released Tuesday, Trump told House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley that he had directed the Department of Defense to increase U.S. military presence in the region and launch major strikes on Houthi-controlled areas.

“I will no longer allow this band of pirates to threaten and attack United States forces and commercial vessels in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world,” Trump wrote. “We will act to keep Americans safe.”

He said the U.S. will continue striking until the group no longer poses a threat to navigation or U.S. personnel.

The strikes include Navy ships, Air Force bombers and drones targeting Houthi weapons, leadership and command centers. 

TRUMP ADMIN IMPOSES SANCTIONS AGAINST BANK OF YEMEN FOR SUPPORTING HOUTHIS

Trump said the actions are consistent with his authority as commander in chief and in line with the War Powers Resolution, which requires Congress to be kept informed.

The letter comes as the Trump administration continues daily military operations in Yemen, now entering their fourth week. The airstrikes began after renewed Houthi threats against Israeli ships and attacks on U.S. forces, including three Reaper drones brought down since March 3.

AFTER DEBILITATING STRIKES, TRUMP TELLS HOUTHIS: STOP SHOOTING AT US AND ‘WE WILL STOP SHOOTING AT YOU’

Last week, the administration sanctioned the International Bank of Yemen (IBY), accusing it of helping the Houthis move money internationally and avoid restrictions. The U.S. Treasury blocked assets tied to the bank and its leadership, including Chair Kamal Hussain Al Jebry and two top managers.

“Financial institutions like IBY are critical to the Houthis’ ability to fund attacks,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender.

The Treasury and State departments say the Houthis use the bank’s access to the SWIFT global system to support terror operations, including oil purchases and weapons procurement.

In March, Trump posted on Truth Social that “many” Houthi leaders had been killed in the recent strikes, saying the group has been “decimated” and warning Iran, their chief backer, that it could be next if the attacks continue.

“The choice for the Houthis is clear,” Trump wrote. “Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you.”

The Houthis began ramping up attacks in the Red Sea after the October 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel. They’ve claimed responsibility for targeting U.S. warships and have so far avoided hitting Chinese and Saudi ships, raising questions among defense officials about their strategic aims.

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Congress is expected to review Trump’s report in the coming days as U.S. strikes continue.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner, Brie Stimson and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor snapped at each other during Tuesday’s arguments over parental rights in LGBTQ curriculum after the liberal justice attempted to jump back into the questioning as Alito was speaking. 

The short quarrel happened as the high court listened to arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor, in which a coalition of parents sought to solidify the right to be informed about and opt their children out of reading LGBTQ-related material in elementary schools — which they argue conflicts with their faith.

Sotomayor initially asked Mahmoud attorney Eric Baxter about a particular book titled “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding” that included a same-sex relationship storyline and whether exposure to same-sex relationships in children’s books could be considered coercion.

PARENTS TELL SCOTUS: LGBTQ STORYBOOKS IN CLASSROOMS CLASH WITH OUR FAITH

“Our parents would object to that,” Baxter responded. 

Sotomayor continued with her line of questioning to further clarify Baxter’s objection to the books. Baxter stated, “Our objections would be even to reading books that violate our client’s religious beliefs.”

Alito then jumped in with additional questions related to the book.

“I’ve read that book as well as a lot of these other books,” Alito began. “Do you think it’s fair to say that all that is done in ‘Uncle Bobby’s Wedding’ is to expose children to the fact that there are men who marry other men?”

Baxter objected to Alito’s question. Alito then said that while the book “has a clear message and a lot of people think it’s a good message,” some with “traditional religious beliefs don’t agree with” it.

As Alito continued with his explanation, Sotomayor jumped in.

“What a minute. The reservation is—” Sotomayor began. 

‘LET US BE THE PARENTS’: SUPREME COURT SHOULD LET PARENTS OPT KIDS OUT OF LGBTQ SCHOOL LESSONS, LAWYER ARGUES

“Can I finish?” Alito said. 

“It has a clear moral message, and it may be a good message. It’s just a message that a lot of religious people disagree with,” Alito finished.

As arguments wrapped, the Supreme Court appeared inclined to agree with the parents.

A coalition of Jewish, Christian and Muslim parents with elementary school children in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland brought suit against the school board after it introduced new LGBTQ books into the curriculum as part of the district’s “inclusivity” initiative. 

The curriculum change came after the state of Maryland enacted regulations seeking to promote “educational equity,” according to the petitioner’s brief filed with the high court.

THE SUPREME COURT APPEARS TO SIDE WITH PARENTS IN RELIGIOUS LIBERTY DISPUTE OVER STORYBOOKS

The parents lost both at the district court and the appellate level. The Fourth Circuit held that the parents had not shown how the policy violated the First Amendment.

The case comes at a time when President Donald Trump and his administration have prioritized educational and DEI-related reform upon starting his second term. The Supreme Court has notably also heard oral arguments this past term in other religious liberty and gender-related suits. 

The high court heard oral arguments earlier this month in a suit brought by a Wisconsin-based Catholic charity group’s bid for tax relief. The decision could alter the current eligibility requirements for religious tax exemptions. 

Fox News’ Bill Mears, Shannon Bream, and David Spunt contributed to this report. 

Those who default or refuse to pay their federal student loans could have their wages, federal pensions and tax refunds garnished, the White House said Tuesday. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in her weekly briefing that the Trump administration will go after those who don’t repay the loans instead of placing the burden on taxpayers. 

“The government can and will collect defaulted federal student loan debt by withholding money from borrowers, tax refunds, federal pensions and even their wages,” she said.

TRUMP STILL NEEDS CONGRESS’ HELP WITH PLAN TO ABOLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The Department of Education on Monday said it would resume collections on defaulted federal student loans in May for the first time since 2020. The student loan portfolio is nearly $1.6 trillion, Leavitt said, with fewer than four out of ten borrowers up to speed with their loans. 

Altogether, the official said that there are 4 million borrowers who are in the late-stage delinquency stage on payments, meaning that they are between 91 days and 180 days late on payments. 

“This is unsustainable, unfair and a huge liability for American taxpayers. Debt cannot be wiped away. It just ends up getting transferred to others,” she said. “So why should Americans who didn’t go to college, or went to college and responsibly paid back their loans, pay for the student loans of other Americans? The Trump administration will never force taxpayers to pay student loan debts that don’t belong to them.”

STAFFING REDUCTIONS AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAVEN’T HIT FAFSA OFFICE AMID TRUMP CUTS, AGENCY SAYS

In a few months, there could be almost 10 million people in default, the Education Department said. 

The Biden administration attempted to bail out millions of student loan borrowers, but was blocked in some instances. 

“American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “The Biden Administration misled borrowers: the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to wipe debt away, nor do the loan balances simply disappear. Hundreds of billions have already been transferred to taxpayers.”

The Trump administration has long said that taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for trillions of dollars in student debt. 

“We must get our fiscal house in order and restore common sense to our country,” Leavitt said. “If you take out a loan, you have to pay it back. It’s very simple. President Trump will not kick the can down the road anymore.”

Far-left Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., broke his silence on Tuesday after an unearthed social media post of rap lyrics set off a firestorm of controversy.

Frost, who recently made headlines for flying to El Salvador to visit deported illegal immigrant and alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was heavily criticized on social media after a seemingly cryptic tweet from 2016 resurfaced reading “f—– wit my gang gon get u spilled.”

The post was in response to tweets including by one account named “Hits LeBlunt.” The line is from the song “Gang” by rapper “Max P.”

The post generated a spate of concern and condemnation, with many saying it was unbecoming of a member of Congress to have such a post on his official account.

TRACE GALLAGHER: THE LEFT IS ‘ALL IN’ ON KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA 

Even Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has emerged as a key ally of the Trump administration, weighed in on the controversy by posting a shoulder shrug emoji.

Rather than deleting the post, Frost simply responded to the controversy by saying, “Never thought Max P lyrics I tweeted at 19 would get so much attention from MAGA.”

Frost also tweeted out “I’ve only ever been in one gang” with an image of him in his high school band.

Frost kept going, tweeting again on Tuesday, “Keep looking through my old posts. There has to be some more funny stuff in there. Make sure you tag me.”

DEMOCRATS’ EL SALVADOR TRIP LAMPOONED BY SENATE GOP GROUP IN FAUX TOURISM AD: ‘¡BIENVENIDOS!’

Frost’s responses, however, did not quell the controversy, with users continuing to bash him for the tweet and many even posting AI meme images showing Frost with tattoos reading “DeMS-13.”

Some seemed to find the controversy funny, such as conservative influencer Benny Johnson, who posted a screenshot of Bukele’s roast of Frost with the caption, “never deleting this app.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Popular conservative account “End Wokeness” replied to Frost’s 2016 tweet by saying, “DeMS-13 or Tren Dem Aragua?”

Others, like the popular account “DataRepublican,” expressed that the tweet was not fitting for a member of Congress.

“You are a Congressman. You’re not a gangster. You’re not being cool or edgy. You are held to a high standard, as a representative of the mightiest nation on the Earth. Do better,” the account commented.

HOUSE DEMS DEMAND ‘PROOF OF LIFE’ OF ABREGO GARCIA AFTER BEING DENIED MEETING IN EL SALVADOR

Frost was one of five Democratic lawmakers who visited El Salvador last week to advocate for the release and return of Abrego Garcia from the Salvadoran mega prison known as the “Terrorist Confinement Center” (CECOT).

Posting on X from El Salvador, the congressman accused President Donald Trump of “illegally arresting, jailing, & deporting people with no due process.”

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“We must hold the Administration accountable for these illegal acts and demand Kilmar’s release. Today it’s him, tomorrow it could be anyone else,” said Frost.

Besides Frost, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Reps. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., and Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., also flew to El Salvador on behalf of Abrego Garcia.