As President Trump marks his 100th day in office on Tuesday, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) says that it has cut at least $160 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, including several high-profile cuts that have been highlighted over the past few months.

One of the most talked about DOGE targets in Trump’s first term was spending at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman, who says she speaks to Musk about spending cuts every few days, published a list of projects and programs she says the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has helped fund across the years.

HOW A DOGE REVIEW CAN ACTUALLY IMPROVE THE PROGRAMS THAT FIGHT HIV/AIDS

Ernst highlighted that the agency “authorized a whopping $20 million to create a ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq.” 

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

Several more examples of questionable spending have been uncovered at USAID, including more than $900,000 to a “Gaza-based terror charity” called Bayader Association for Environment and Development and a $1.5 million program slated to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”

Fox News Digital previously reported that nearly 15,000 grants worth $60 billion are set to be eliminated, according to internal documents. The grants amount to about 90% of foreign aid contracts and come after a review on spending by the State Department. 

DOGE’s efforts at USAID did not come without opposition, including a federal judge in Maryland who ruled that the moves were unconstitutional. In March, a federal appeals court granted the Trump administration’s motion to extend a stay allowing DOGE to continue operating at USAID.

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

DOGE SLASHES ‘WASTEFUL’ ‘PROBLEM-SOLVING’ CONTRACT WORTH $50K IN LATEST ROUND OF ELIMINATIONS

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

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

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

The Defense Department has been working with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in slashing wasteful spending, DOD spokesman Sean Parnell said in a video posted to social media.

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

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

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

DOGE has made efforts to cut federal spending by cutting the federal workforce, which it argues has become bloated with many employees doing jobs that are unnecessary or could be streamlined.

In February, DOGE terminated employment for 3,600 probationary Health and Human Services employees in a cut it says is estimated to save about $600 million in taxpayer dollars annually.

FOX Business reported in early April that over the previous two months, DOGE’s cutbacks have been attributed to 280,253 layoffs of federal workers and contractors at 27 agencies, according to Challenger tracking. There were an additional 4,429 job cuts attributed to the downstream effect of cutting federal aid and ending contracts, mostly at nonprofits and health organizations.

Roughly 75,000 federal employees accepted a deferred resignation program, Fox News Digital reported in February, which DOGE has argued will save the government money in the long run. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), inspired by DOGE’s crackdown on federal spending, said it had located $20 billion in tax dollars within the agency that the Biden administration reportedly “knew they were wasting.”

“An extremely disturbing video circulated two months ago, featuring a Biden EPA political appointee talking about how they were ‘tossing gold bars off the Titanic,’ rushing to get billions of your tax dollars out the door before Inauguration Day,” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a video posted to X on Wednesday, citing another video from December. 

The EPA found that just eight agencies were controlling the distribution of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to different entities “at their discretion,” such as the Climate United Fund, which reportedly received just under $7 billion.

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“The ‘gold bars’ were tax dollars, and ‘tossing them off the Titanic’ meant the Biden administration knew they were wasting it,” Zeldin said, vowing to recover the “gold bars” that were found “parked at an outside financial institution.”

Zeldin said that the “scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history, and it was purposely designed to obligate all the money in a rush job with reduced oversight.” 

In a Fox News interview, the EPA administrator praised DOGE’s work at the agency and said that the cost-cutting department is “making us better.”

“They come up with great recommendations, and we can make a decision to act on it,” Zeldin said.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced that during President Donald Trump’s first 100 days of his second term, the agency arrested more than 66,000 illegal immigrants and removed more than 65,000. 

ICE arrested 66,463 illegal immigrants and removed 65,682, including those accused of threatening public safety and national security, according to a news release from ICE.

Three in four arrests of illegal immigrants involved someone accused of committing a crime, according to the agency.

“The brave men and women of ICE protect our families, friends and neighbors by removing public safety and national security threats from our communities,” ICE acting director Todd M. Lyons wrote in a statement. 

NEARLY 800 ILLEGAL ALIENS ARRESTED IN MASSIVE FLORIDA ICE OPERATION: ‘TIDAL WAVE’

The total number of ICE illegal immigrant arrests includes 2,288 gang members from Tren de Aragua, MS-13, 18th Street and other gangs, Lyons said. 

Tren de Aragua and MS-13 are now listed as foreign terrorist organizations.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SUE OVER TRUMP ADMIN REVOKING VISAS

Additionally, 1,329 were accused or convicted of sex offenses, and 498 were accused or convicted of murder, according to ICE.

The criminal records of those arrested include convictions or charges for 9,639 assaults, 6,398 DWIs or DUIs and 1,479 weapon offenses, according to the release.

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Arrests and removals surged with help from state and local law enforcement agencies through the 287(g) Program, which allows local authorities to enforce federal immigration laws. 

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations directorate has nearly 600 pending and signed agreements with police departments and sheriff’s offices across the nation, demonstrating the effectiveness of a whole-of-government approach to immigration enforcement, according to the release.

Since Jan. 20, there have been 444 new 287(g) agreements nationwide.

Even still, with about 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., the current 65,682 deportations would account for just 0.59%.

ICE SAYS IT DEPORTED 174 CRIMINAL MIGRANTS FROM TEXAS, INCLUDING A MAN WITH 39 ILLEGAL ENTRIES

Officials said ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which also focuses on transnational crime and threats, has been zeroing in on worksite operations to protect American businesses. 

Since Jan. 20, HSI has arrested more than 1,000 workers who were illegal immigrants, and proposed over $1 million in fines against businesses that hire illegal employees.

“This agency has set the bar on arrests and removals while upholding its national security mission,” ICE deputy director Madison D. Sheahan wrote in a statement. “Last week, HSI broke up a human smuggling ring that’s allegedly responsible for bringing between 500 and 700 illegal aliens into the U.S. every year — aliens that the U.S. government never vetted. Our communities are becoming safer each day thanks to President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem’s leadership.”

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Illegal immigrant encounters are down by 95%, while illegal crossings plunged to levels last seen in the 1960s, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the White House. 

The number of illegal immigrants who “got away” from immigration enforcement officers is down 99%, with a 655% spike in arrests of suspected terrorists, CBP and the White House said.

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There are now an additional 85 miles of new border barriers.

Tuesday marks President Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in the White House, and it’s been defined largely by the nearly 140 executive orders he has signed.

The eye-popping number is all the starker when compared to the number of laws passed by Congress and signed by the commander in chief – just five total.

Three of those were aimed at repealing Biden administration regulatory policies put in place during the previous four years. 

Another item includes the stopgap government funding extension passed in March to avoid a partial federal shutdown.

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And the first bill signed into law by Trump – and the only item of new policy on the list – is the Laken Riley Act. It’s a landmark new law that allows Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to take into custody any illegal immigrant who has been charged with theft or other crimes.

But so far, Trump has largely acted alone in his endeavors, with executive orders aimed at dismantling the Department of Education, keeping transgender women out of biological women’s spaces, and others.

In comparison, Congress passed 30 bills that were signed into law by Trump in the first 100 days of his first term. The first 100 days of the Biden, Obama and Bush administrations saw 11, 14, and seven laws signed, respectively.

Two Trump allies in Congress, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Eric Burlison, R-Mo., were frustrated at the wide gap between their body and the White House.

“I think Congress is the one that’s failing on the job,” Greene told Fox News Digital on Monday.

She said her particular issue was Republicans not being further along in their plans for a massive Trump legislative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process. House GOP leaders have said for months that they want it finished by the spring or summer, however.

“We didn’t do our reconciliation over the first 100 days, and I think that’s a failure,” Greene said. “I’ve kept my mouth shut. I remain hopeful, hoping that we can get this done in the House and the Senate. But I’ve grown frustrated.”

Burlison told Fox News Digital, “I’d give Trump an A, an A+. I’d give Congress a D.”

“Congress needs to reciprocate the kind of bold vision and courage that Trump has taken, particularly with DOGE,” Burlison said.

Meanwhile, Democrats have accused congressional Republicans of giving up their power to Trump with his flurry of executive actions.

“I believe now is the time for Congress to reassert the constitutional authority it continues to cede to the executive branch,” Rep. John Mannion, D-N.Y., said during a Tuesday press conference.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Congress had not ceded any authority to Trump when asked by Fox News Digital on Friday.

SENATE GOP PUSHES TRUMP BUDGET FRAMEWORK THROUGH AFTER MARATHON VOTE SERIES

“I don’t think we’ve ceded any authority. I think that he’s doing what is within his scope to do,” Johnson said. “I don’t think he’s crossed the line yet. If he does, or if he did, you know, I would address it with him personally as a concern, as a partner, and explain that I think it’s been overdone.”

He also said Congress was working toward fulfilling more of Trump’s legislative priorities, while noting the processes for taking action were vastly different between the executive and legislative branches.

“We’ve got to work it through our processes and get, you know, 218 votes on everything. So we’ve been doing that, which you’ll see the roll out of that in turn here in the next few weeks as well,” he said.

“We’ve got done a lot of the ground work, a lot of these legislative vehicles through the committee process. So now we have them on deck to just roll out and begin to pass through and send over to the Senate.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s political arm launched a new video series, “The Real Cost of Trump’s Cuts,” on President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office amid speculation the Democrat is considering a 2028 presidential bid. 

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk are ruining people’s lives to fund the largest tax break in history for the wealthiest Americans,” JB for Governor Senior Political Advisor Mike Ollen said in a statement released Tuesday. 

“Illinoisans across the state are paying the price for Trump and Musk’s’ cruelty, and their stories deserve to be heard.”

POTENTIAL 2028 HOPEFUL ACCUSED OF ‘INCITING VIOLENCE’ AFTER CALL FOR ‘MASS PROTESTS’ AGAINST TRUMP

The campaign said the videos will highlight Illinoisans affected by Trump and Elon Musk’s drastic cuts to the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

2028 AUDITIONS FOR DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION KICK OFF AS BLUE-STATE GOVERNOR VISITS KEY EARLY STATE

“In just 100 days, workers have lost their jobs, seniors have struggled to get food or access their Social Security payments and families have had their childcare jeopardized. As Trump and Musk gut services that working people rely on to give the wealthy a tax break, the new series aims to tell the stories of their destruction and damage,” a press release says. 

The first video in the series highlights “Moses,” whom the Pritzker campaign said lost his national security job due to DOGE’s cuts to the federal workforce and is “now unemployed and left without insurance as he tries to take care of his ailing mother.”

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

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that he had “proudly ended” the Women, Peace and Security program at the Pentagon on Tuesday, a program signed into law by President Donald Trump in his first term. 

“WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops – distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X. 

“WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it.”

Hegseth said the department would comply with the minimum requirements of the program dictated by law and lobby to fully end it in the next budget. “GOOD RIDDANCE WPS!” he added.

HEGSETH VOWS CRACKDOWN ON MILITARY OBESITY AFTER SHOCKING RESERVE, GUARD REPORT

But the message raised eyebrows as much of the rest of Trump’s administration has supported the WPS programs. 

Trump signed the WPS Act into law in 2017 and released a WPS strategy in 2019.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem penned the 2017 Women, Peace and Security Act as a House member from South Dakota alongside Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). Secretary of State Marco Rubio co-sponsored the legislation when he was in the Senate, and national security advisor Mike Waltz was a founding member of the WPS congressional caucus when he was in the House.

 “The WPS Strategy recognizes the diverse roles women play as agents of change in preventing and resolving conflict, countering terrorism and violent extremism, and building post conflict peace and stability,” the strategy read. 

Hegseth later clarified that he meant the Biden administration had “ruined” WPS. 

“The woke & weak Biden Administration distorted & weaponized the straight-forward & security-focused WPS initiative launched in 2017. So—yes—we are ending the “woke divisive/social justice/Biden (WPS) initiative,” he added in a follow-up post on X. “Biden ruined EVERYTHING, including ‘Women, Peace & Security.'”

The White House could not be reached for comment on whether it still supported the program. 

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“The WPS Strategy seeks to increase women’s meaningful leadership in political and civic life by helping to ensure they are empowered to lead and contribute, equipped with the necessary skills and support to succeed, and supported to participate through access to opportunities and resources,” the Trump-era strategy read.

It guided WPS plans at the Defense, State and Homeland Security departments as well as USAID. 

“Around the world, conflict and disasters adversely and disproportionately affect women and girls, yet women remain under-represented in efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, and in post-conflict peacebuilding or recovery efforts. Research has shown that peace negotiations are more likely to succeed, and result in lasting stability, when women participate,” the document went on. 

Trump promoted the program on his “Women for Trump” accomplishments page of his campaign website. 

The Women, Peace and Security Act originated with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000, and the U.S. became the first country to adopt a whole-of-government approach to undertaking the WPS agenda in 2019.

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Rubio touted the legislation as recently as this month.

“President Trump also signed the Women, Peace, and Security Act, a bill that I was very proud to have been a co-sponsor of when I was in the Senate, and it was the first comprehensive law passed in any country in the world – the first law passed by any country anywhere in the world — focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society,” he said at a Women of Courage awards ceremony on April 1. 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said her department has a “massive plan” for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program reforms, as the Trump administration continues to make spending cuts throughout the federal government.

The USDA recently announced that they will be pushing for additional safeguards to ensure illegal immigrants are not illegally getting on food stamps, Fox News Digital reported, but there are other changes expected to be made.

“The Biden administration increased that program through some discretionary spending by almost 40%,” Rollins told Fox News Digital in an interview on Friday.

Spending on the food stamps program soared from $63 billion in 2019 and to $123 billion as of 2023, which is still high despite pandemic-related changes, according to the Cato Institute.

USDA THREATENS TO HALT MEXICAN BEEF IMPORTS OVER FLESH-EATING FLY CRISIS

“You’ll be seeing a big announcement in the coming weeks on this. Another step, another five steps, another 10 steps toward more accountability, toward more intentionality, and toward a much more efficient and effective government program,” she continued.

The Republican Cabinet secretary quelled fears about whether cutting spending will impact Americans who rely on SNAP to put food on the table, saying that the reforms will help put a renewed emphasis on the mission of the social service.

“This administration will not let any child go hungry. So as we make these reforms and as we cancel future contracts that we don’t believe were within the original intent or mission of the program, or the USDA, or the government, you’re going to hear the Democrats and the left basically start, you know, yelping about how we hate children and old people and we’re stealing the food out of their mouths. That could not be further from the truth,” Rollins said.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEMANDS CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS POTENTIALLY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF KEY BENEFIT

She also anticipates that certain health-based reforms will be made for the program administered by state governments. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. backs not allowing soda to be bought with food stamps, according to Scripps News, and Rollins has also backed efforts by states like Arkansas to limit the purchase of candy and soda with SNAP.

“What we are doing is ensuring those hungry people actually get the food that they need. And of course, the layer on that is the [Make America Healthy Again] movement, hopefully more nutritious food than we’ve been able to serve before,” the secretary added.

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“I’m so proud of President Trump and his just resolute conviction in working to make America great again and across every single government agency, and I think this food stamp piece is a really big part of it,” she added.

Over 42 million Americans use SNAP benefits monthly as of 2023, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service data.

President Donald Trump joked to reporters Tuesday that he’d “like to be pope” while departing for Michigan, where he will hold a rally celebrating his 100 days back in the Oval Office. 

“I’d like to be pope,” Trump joked to a gaggle of reporters when asked who he would like to see lead the Catholic Church after Pope Francis’ death. “That’d be my number one choice,” he continued. 

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Pope Francis died Easter Monday at the age of 88 amid ongoing health issues. Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended the funeral mass at the Vatican Saturday, where the president also held a private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

CONCLAVE TO PICK NEXT POPE TO BEGIN MAY 7, VATICAN SAYS

“No, I don’t know. I don’t have a preference. I might say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who is very good. So we’ll see what happens,” Trump, who is not Catholic, continued, referring to Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan. 

Though unlikely to become pope, Dolan is one of 10 U.S. cardinals who will be voting for Francis’ successor. 

CARDINAL DOLAN GIVES INSIDE LOOK INTO CONCLAVE, HOLY SPIRIT’S ROLE IN SELECTING A NEW POPE

The Vatican will hold a papal conclave in May, which will gather the church’s cardinals to elect the next pope. Any baptized Catholic male is canonically eligible to be pope, but the church has for centuries elected the next pope from the College of Cardinals, EWTN reported.

Trump’s remarks came as he departed for Macomb County, Michigan, which is located near Detroit, to celebrate his 100th day back in the Oval Office. 

Trump has ended each of his three presidential campaigns with rallies in the battleground state of Michigan, including capping off his successful 2024 campaign in Grand Rapids. 

President Donald Trump is celebrating the first 100 days of his second term in the White House, and lawmakers are split along party lines about his greatest accomplishments. 

While Republicans are touting a secure border and government efficiency, Democrats couldn’t seem to identify a single accomplishment of Trump’s second term. Fox News Digital spoke with lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle this week to see how Capitol Hill is reacting to Trump’s first 100 days.  

“Border security. It’s absolutely incredible. Many Americans are so thankful, and they feel the difference. People feel safe again,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said, adding that Americans are “just so proud of that.”

The White House kicked off Trump’s first 100-day celebrations on Monday by touting the Trump administration’s early efforts to thwart illegal immigration in the United States, a leading 2024 campaign promise.

TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES SHOCKINGLY LOW NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ALIENS COMPARED TO BIDEN YEARS: ‘UNPRECEDENTED’

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) records in March reveal the southwest border saw the lowest number of crossings ever last month, with just 7,180 recorded. By comparison, the monthly average border crossings under former President Joe Biden was 155,000. 

TRUMP STEAMS AHEAD ON THESE CAMPAIGN PROMISES AS HE REACHES 100 DAYS IN OFFICE

“I would say in his first hundred days, he’s more than Joe Biden did in his four years — securing the border alone,” Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., said before adding, “These are things that they said that couldn’t be done unless legislation was passed. All they needed was a different president named Donald Trump.”

“Tom Homan has been amazing, and he’s a great spokesperson for securing the border. Obviously, the first role of government is to protect the people, and if you don’t have borders and laws, you’re not a country,” Rep. Mary Miller, R-Illinois, said as she praised Trump for fulfilling his campaign promises to the American people. 

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., agreed that border security was Trump’s top accomplishment after “virtually stopping the illegals coming in.” He added that Trump’s international diplomacy has been a key accomplishment thus far, telling Fox News Digital, “Our enemies fear us, and our friends respect us again.” Burchett also joined Republicans in acknowledging Elon Musk’s work heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

While Republicans are relishing Trump’s first 100 days, Democrats’ reviews haven’t been so favorable since they relinquished control to the Trump administration this January, particularly on DOGE cuts, which have included massive layoffs to the federal workforce. 

“The biggest accomplishment so far I’ve seen from Trump is one of the DOGE firings — Elon Musk,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., quipped to Fox News Digital. 

Musk, who was appointed a “special government employee” to oversee DOGE, must step down from his position after 130 days, according to the Office of Government Ethics. Musk has until May 30, about one month from now, to carry out his ambitious plans to cut waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Trump has accomplished ‘a lot of destruction’ during his first 100 days. 

“Well, he’s accomplished a lot of destruction of our federal agencies. He’s broken the constitutional separation of powers. He’s destroyed the foundation of due process, which is essential to our freedom here in America. He’s very successfully driven up costs for all Americans. And he’s put our small and large businesses at risk with this chaotic tariff plan. I guess he’s accomplished a lot, all of it damaging to America,” Merkley told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., couldn’t name a single accomplishment of Trump’s second term, instead focusing on his criminal conviction in New York City last year. 

“His greatest accomplishment is just getting elected again when he’s a convicted felon. That will go down in history as pretty amazing,” Moulton told Fox News Digital. 

And while Democrats maintain that Trump’s first 100 days have been “damaging to America,” Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said, “It’s certainly getting a lot of people to pay attention to politics right now.” 

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz, Cameron Arcand, Peter Pinedo and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch scolded an experienced lawyer during oral arguments Monday in a case centered on disability discrimination in public schools – a rare and heated exchange that surprised many longtime court-watchers.

The tense exchange took place during oral arguments in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, a case centered on whether school districts can be held liable for discriminating against students with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

Gorsuch scolded Williams & Connolly lawyer Lisa Blatt, an experienced Supreme Court litigator representing the Minnesota public schools, for accusing the plaintiffs of “lying” in their assertions before the high court.

Plaintiffs in the case are representing the parents of a girl with severe epilepsy, who sued the public school for refusing to provide at-home school during the morning, an accommodation she would receive in other districts in the state.

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The exchange between Gorsuch and Blatt took place after she accused them of lying about the public school’s stance.

Counsel “should be more careful with their words,” Gorsuch told Blatt in a warning.

“OK well, they should be more careful in mischaracterizing a position by an experienced advocate of the Supreme Court, with all due respect,” Blatt responded.

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Later, he referenced the lying accusation again. “Ms. Blatt,” Gorsuch told her, “I confess I’m still troubled by your suggestion that your friends on the other side have lied.”

“OK,” she fired back. “Let’s pull it up. In oral arguments…”

Gorsuch cut in, telling her, “I think we’re going to have to, here. And I’d ask you to reconsider that phrase.”

“You can accuse people of being incorrect, but lying–” Gorsuch said, before Blatt attempted to interject.

“Ms. Blatt, if I might finish,” Gorsuch said, before continuing: “But lying is another matter.”

He then started to read through page one of their brief, before she interrupted again.

“I’m not finished,” Gorsuch told her, raising his voice.

“Withdraw your accusation, Ms. Blatt,” he then told her of the lying accusation.

“Fine, I withdraw,” she shot back.

Plaintiffs said on rebuttal only that they would not dignify the name-calling.

The exchange sparked some buzz online, including from an experienced appeals court litigator, Raffi Melkonian, who noted of the exchange on social media, “I’ve never heard Justice Gorsuch so angry.”

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., accused President Donald Trump’s administration of targeting the transgender community on Tuesday, urging Congress to pass the Democrat-backed Equality Act.

Booker made the emotional speech during an appearance on Capitol Hill alongside prominent Democrats from both the House and Senate. His speech, which lasted several minutes, borrowed heavily from the language of Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The Equality Act is on the right side of history, and right now we stand in the cold shadow of injustice. And so here we are again, introducing this bill. But it is not a normal time that we introduce this bill. We introduced it in the backdrop of a president that in his very campaign, singled out an opportunistic bigotry. The trans community. We stand here in the backdrop of a time that LGBTQ Americans are being targeted and singled out for more injustice,” Booker said.

“I want you to know, we reintroduce this bill with attitude. We reintroduce this bill with swagger. We entered the bill Tuesday’s bill with confidence, because there are a lot of people who are hearing our voice right now that don’t understand that they are implicated. There’s no bystanders in history. When injustice is in our midst, and you say nothing and you do nothing, you are part of the perpetuation of that injustice,” he added.

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“I remind those Americans, that even the truth, when crushed to the ground, after lie, after lie, after lie, that the truth will still rise again, that this is still one nation under God. That we still swear an oath of liberty and justice for all, and that we will not stop until freedom rings from every coast in this country. That freedom rings for every person and every soul. That freedom rings for every American, no matter who you are. Race, color or creed, LGBTQ, American or straight ally,” he continued. “That we declare that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it doesn’t bend automatically.”

TRUMP VOWS ‘NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,’ SAYS AMERICA’S ‘DECLINE IS OVER’ IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

“We declare today and every day until justice is established in this land, until the Equality Act passes, we declare that we, the people, will grab hold of that arc and pull and bend it until we live up to our promise in a country and truly are free at last, free at last,” he finished.

The Equality Act would prohibit discrimination based on “sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.”

Booker was joined by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as well as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., among other lawmakers.

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The legislative push comes as Trump’s administration has pushed to end unpopular diversity, equity and inclusion programs throughout the federal government.

The president’s efforts to end DEI across the federal government also prompted the cancellation of such programs across the private sector. 

Meta, in January, canceled its DEI programs, as did McDonald’s. And after the 2024 election, Walmart, Ford Motor Co., John Deere, Lowe’s and Toyota also ended DEI programs.

As recently as April, according to Forbes, IBM, Gannett, and Constellation Brands Inc., made changes to DEI policies. Earlier in 2025, UnitedHealth Group, MLB, Victoria’s Secret, Warner Bros. Discovery, Goldman Sachs, Paramount, Bank of America, BlackRock, Citigroup, Pepsi, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, PBS, Google, Disney, GE, PayPal, Chipotle and more scaled back or canceled their DEI programs.

Meanwhile, in March, the National Institutes of Health rescinded the agency’s “Scientific Integrity Policy” implemented during the last few weeks of President Biden’s term, to peel back any DEI requirements. 

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch scolded an experienced lawyer during oral arguments Monday in a case centered on disability discrimination in public schools – a rare and heated exchange that surprised many longtime court-watchers.

The tense exchange took place during oral arguments in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, a case centered on whether school districts can be held liable for discriminating against students with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

Gorsuch scolded Williams & Connolly lawyer Lisa Blatt, an experienced Supreme Court litigator representing the Minnesota public schools, for accusing the plaintiffs of “lying” in their assertions before the high court.

Plaintiffs in the case are representing the parents of a girl with severe epilepsy, who sued the public school for refusing to provide at-home school during the morning, an accommodation she would receive in other districts in the state.

100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT

The exchange between Gorsuch and Blatt took place after she accused them of lying about the public school’s stance.

Counsel “should be more careful with their words,” Gorsuch told Blatt in a warning.

“Okay well, they should be more careful in mischaracterizing a position by an experienced advocate of the Supreme Court, with all due respect,” Blatt responded.

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

Later, he referenced the lying accusation again. “Ms. Blatt,” Gorsuch told her, “I confess I’m still troubled by your suggestion that your friends on the other side have lied.”

“Okay,” she fired back. “Let’s pull it up. In oral arguments…”

Gorsuch cut in, telling her, “I think we’re going to have to, here. And I’d ask you to reconsider that phrase.”

“You can accuse people of being incorrect, but lying—” Gorsuch said, before Blatt attempted to interject.

“Ms. Blatt, if I might finish,” Gorsuch said, before continuing: “But lying is another matter.”

He then started to read through page one of their brief, before she interrupted again.

“I’m not finished,” Grouch told her, raising his voice.

“Withdraw your accusation, Ms. Blatt,” he then told her of the lying accusation.

“Fine, I withdraw,” she shot back.

Plaintiffs said on rebuttal only that they would not dignify the name-calling.

The exchange sparked some buzz online, including from an experienced appeals court litigator, Raffi Melkonian, who noted of the exchange on social media, “I’ve never heard Justice Gorsuch so angry.”

President Donald Trump will sign a proclamation later Tuesday aboard Air Force One that will soften auto tariffs, senior White House officials confirmed. 

Senior administration officials said Tuesday during a call with the media that the current 25% tariff leveled on imported cars will remain intact but that other similar tariffs, such as tariffs on steel and aluminum, will not stack on top of the 25% auto tariff. 

The announcement comes on Trump’s 100th day back in the Oval Office, which he will celebrate at a Michigan rally near Detroit — the U.S.’ former auto manufacturing capital. 

Additionally, domestic auto manufacturers that finish building cars in the U.S. will receive an offset for automobile part tariffs equal to 3.75% of the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of a manufacturer’s U.S. production for the next 12 months and 2.5% of U.S. production for year following. The figures were calculated to reflect the tariff that would be owed when a 25% duty tax is applied to 15% of the value of a U.S.-assembled car, Fox Digital learned. 

TRUMP TO REDUCE IMPACT OF AUTO TARIFFS AS INDUSTRY MAKES EFFORT TO RETURN MANUFACTURING TO US: ‘MAJOR VICTORY’

The 25% tariff on certain auto parts is set to take effect May 3, with administration officials explaining that auto manufacturers can use the offset credits against the tariff on auto parts. The administration stressed that the offset plan is not a rebate. 

TRUMP’S TARIFFS COULD DRIVE UP AUTO REPAIR COSTS, EXPERTS SAY

“A part comes into the country and it gets tariffed,” a senior Commerce Department official said Tuesday. “And the auto manufacturers say, ‘Look, I sold a car, I have a credit. I have an offset amount of $1,600. Please use that $1,600 tariff offset amount against this particular part.’ So it will not cost the government any money whatsoever. It is basically allowing them to bring 15% foreign parts and put that in their cars.” 

NO ‘BUYERS’ REMORSE’: VETERAN UAW MEMBER ON IMPACTS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TARIFFS COULD HAVE ON THE AUTO INDUSTRY

The plan intends to allow all domestic auto manufacturers “to grow their plants, to grow their employment, and to build more factories in America,” according to senior Commerce Department officials, by building in a two-year time frame to amp up the U.S. supply chain for the auto industry, according to senior administration officials. 

The White House detailed that under the plan, if a car manufacturer builds a vehicle with 85% U.S. parts or parts made under the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, they will effectively not owe tariffs. 

All other autos and auto parts imported to the U.S. will face 25% tariffs. 

FIRST ON FOX: As Puerto Rico’s power grid continues to fail and put the lives of residents in the U.S. territory at risk, a pro-energy nonprofit organization is calling on the island’s governor to take action to resist “left wing extremists” who the group believes are weaponizing courts to push a disruptive climate change agenda.

“Left-wing extremists tried to muscle the Green New Deal through Congress during your tenure as Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner,” American Energy Institute CEO Jason Isaac wrote in a letter to Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón.

“They failed. Now they have turned to the courts to impose their agenda on our country – and Puerto Rico is participating.”

The letter outlines “three active tracks of litigation” that Isaac labels a “coordinated lawfare attack on our quality” of life, including a lawsuit filed by dozens of Puerto Rico cities and towns blaming energy companies for climate change and seeking damages. 

GLOBAL CHURCH NETWORK PUSHES ‘CLIMATE JUSTICE’ NARRATIVE DURING HOLY WEEK: ‘MORAL IMPERATIVE’

“Their goal is to bankrupt energy companies or to leverage the threat of tort damages to force outcomes that would be disastrous for Puerto Rico and the rest of the nation,” Isaac wrote. 

Isaac told Fox News Digital that groups like the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) have been instrumental in the green energy push in Puerto Rico and throughout the United States. 

The Washington, D.C.-based ELI created the Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) in 2018, establishing a first-of-its-kind resource to provide “reliable, up-to-date information” about climate change litigation, according to the group. The project’s reach has extended to various state and federal courts, including powerful appellate courts, and comes as various cities and states pursue high-profile litigation against the oil industry.

Fox News Digital has previously reported on the group, funded by left-wing nonprofits, and how critics say it continues to work with judges and experts involved in climate change litigation despite publicly downplaying the extent of those connections.

“They’re going out and really kind of rigging the game before cases have even been brought to the courts,” Isaac said. “They’ve tainted over 2,000 American judges at the federal and state level using climate education, these so-called climate education modules, modules that had even been debunked by left-leaning organizations like Snopes.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, ELI communications director Nick Collin said, “ELI has decades of experience providing highly respected judicial education programs. The Climate Judiciary Project offers evidence-based information about climate science and trends in the law so that judges can make informed decisions. It does not participate in litigation, support or coordinate with parties in litigation, and it does not tell judges how to rule in any case or on any issue.”

Gonzalez, a Republican, has signaled that she is open to embracing fossil fuels and Isaac’s letter calls on her to take three key steps to push back on climate activists on the island. 

First, Isaac asks Gonzales to “Direct the Secretary of Justice to withdraw Puerto Rico’s complaint in the Puerto Rico v. Exxon Mobil case filed in the Superior Court of San Juan.”

Second, the letter asks the governor to “file amicus briefs in the San Juan and Puerto Rican municipalities litigation in favor of dismissal with prejudice.”

RESEARCHERS BLAME CA WILDFIRES ON CLIMATE CHANGE, PEDDLE ‘ALARMIST’ NON-PEER REVIEWED STUDIES: EXPERTS

The letter also asks for judges to be appointed to the Puerto Rican judiciary who “will respect the separation of powers and leave political issues to the democratically elected branches” and for the government to “discourage state contracts with outside counsel, such as Milberg or Smouse & Mason, who are using public legal engagements to advance far-left political objectives.”

Puerto Rico’s power grid is considered to be barely functional as blackouts have become a part of everyday life, including the most recent grid failure during Holy Week that left more than 1.4 million residents without power for days. 

It has been estimated that power failures cost the island $230 million in lost revenue every day.

Ultimately, it’s the Puerto Rican people who suffer the most when climate litigation hampers the island’s grid, Isaac told Fox News Digital, explaining that residents are living in “energy poverty” with constant rolling blackouts and an unreliable grid. 

“They’re kind of experiencing what the energy transition does, it transitions people from affordable and reliable energy to less reliable energy, economic despair,” Isaac said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Gonzalez’s office for comment. 

“Climate lawfare threatens to derail your administration’s common-sense approach,” Isaac wrote. “The climate plaintiffs are advancing a fundamentally neocolonial agenda. They are steering Puerto Rico toward a ‘green’ energy future it did not choose – one that ignores the basic needs of its people, who simply require cheap and reliable electricity.”

One hundred days into his new administration, President Donald Trump has reset negotiations with allies and foes across the globe, and experts say one is certain: it is all transactional. 

Gone are the days when the U.S. could be drawn to throw its force around the world solely in the name of defending or spreading democracy. Global leaders are learning to speak a new language with U.S. leadership, one that is less about ideology and more about how their interests benefit U.S. interests. 

“There is a lot more transactional engagement rather than I think we’re ideological-based, policy decisions that were sort of the hallmark of the Biden administration,” said Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum. 

Here is a round-up of how Trump has changed U.S. foreign policy since taking office: 

FOX NEWS POLL: THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM

Former President Joe Biden toyed with reviving a nuclear deal with Iran and criticized Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but his administration made little progress toward serious negotiations. 

Trump has now expressed interest in a new nuclear deal. He told Israel the U.S. would not come to their aid in attacking Iran until diplomatic negotiations played out. 

As Trump’s team met with Iranian counterparts in Oman this weekend for a second round of nuclear talks, he issued another threat: if negotiations whither away, the U.S. would not be dragged by Israel into war with Iran but will be “leading the pack.” 

An offensive campaign against Yemen’s Houthi terrorists launched six weeks ago has struck more than 800 targets and cost nearly $1 billion – a sharp departure from the tit-for-tat retaliatory strikes seen under the Biden administration, when Houthis attacked U.S. naval ships and Western commercial vessels.

“Biden pursued a policy of retaliatory strikes: If you hit us, we’ll hit you,” said Roman. “What Trump is trying to do is what I call a salting the earth strategy. If you dare challenge American military supremacy or the ability for us to conduct free trade to the bottom of or through the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Yemen, Red Sea, Suez … We will attempt to end your ability to wage war on the United States in its interests.”

US STRIKES KILL HUNDREDS OF HOUTHI FIGHTERS, HIT OVER 800 RED SEA TARGETS: CENTRAL COMMAND

While Biden had promised the U.S. would stand by Ukraine “as long as it takes” in the war against Russia, Trump expressed a desire to see the war come to an end, promising that he could end the war on “day one” of his presidency.

One hundred days in, the war is not over. Negotiations are ongoing, and Trump has jumped between sounding off in frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

As Putin continues to strike even civilian regions of Ukraine, Trump questioned on Saturday whether the Russian leader truly wants peace or is “tapping me along.” 

He again questioned whether he would need to slap “secondary sanctions” on nations that do business with Russia to starve its war coffers. 

On Monday, Russia offered a three-day ceasefire from May 8-10, but the White House was not satisfied. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump wants a “permanent ceasefire.” 

Trump met face-to-face with Zelenskyy in Rome on Saturday, the first time since their infamous Oval Office spat in February, after slamming Zelenskyy’s latest rejection of his peace proposal, one that would have formally ceded Crimea to the Russians.

The Monroe Doctrine is back, analysts say, and Trump wants both Greenland and the Panama Canal under U.S. control.

The proposals drew shock across the world, but at least in Panama, Trump’s bold words prompted a proposal to offer the U.S. “first and free” passage for its warships, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier this month. It also spurred the proposed sale of two ports of entry from Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison to U.S.-based BlackRock, though that deal has been delayed by Chinese regulatory and political scrutiny. 

Efforts to attain Greenland have proved less successful. Tough talk against Denmark and its ownership of Greenland has ratcheted up tensions with the NATO ally and Greenland’s leadership has expressed little interest in becoming a part of the U.S. 

However, Trump has called out the threat of Russia and China’s increasing arctic military capabilities – the shortest range for a missile to travel from Russia to the U.S. would be over the icy island’s territory. Trump is also interested in the rare earth mining potential of the massive swath of land. 

Trump’s threats to pull out of the NATO alliance – or refuse to come to the defense of allies that do not contribute enough military spending – has left nations across the world planning for the contingency that they may have to defend themselves without U.S. aid. 

The European Union announced a plan for its nations to spend $840 billion to “re-arm Europe” after Trump halted all aid to Ukraine in March. 

Countries like Spain, Belgium and Sweden have all announced plans this year to increase defense spending to meet NATO’s 2% target, while eastern European states near Russia’s border, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, have announced plans to increase defense spending to around 5%. 

Concern over China’s hegemonic ambitions bridges the partisan divide, but the Biden White House never considered such drastic measures as 145% tariffs. 

Trump has said the goal of the tariffs is to both bring back US manufacturing after decades of offshore production and punish China for intellectual property theft, a massive trade imbalance, and fentanyl flowing from China to the U.S. A free trade push in the early 2000s had wrongly assumed liberal trade policies would bring democratic values and free markets into Chinese borders, his supporters argue. 

Trump has insisted that President Xi Jinping wants to cut a deal to lower the soaring tariffs, even as China has rejected the prospect of talks. 

It is unclear what sort of realistic concessions the U.S. could get out of a deal, perhaps promises to buy more American-made agricultural products, fuel or other specialty goods. 

For now, steep tariffs remain, and China is choking off U.S. supply of critical minerals, which could spell deep trouble for everyday electronics, electric vehicles and defense equipment.

President Donald Trump‘s poll numbers on the economy have fallen as his administration continues trade negotiations on his wide-ranging reciprocal tariffs approach. 

Approximately 55% of Americans think Trump’s policies “worsened economic conditions in the country,” according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS between April 17-24. That marked an increase from 51% of respondents who said so when the pollster last asked the same question between March 6-9. 

Approximately 60% of Americans believe Trump’s policies have “affected the cost of living” in their communities, while just 12% say they think Trump’s policies have decreased the cost of living. The poll found 28% of Americans think Trump’s policies have had no effect on the cost of living in their communities so far. 

REVENGE PORN BILL BACKED BY MELANIA TRUMP HEADS TO PRESIDENT’S DESK AFTER OVERWHELMING HOUSE VOTE

Just 34% of Americans described themselves as enthusiastic or optimistic about the economy right now, while 66% of respondents said they were pessimistic or afraid. The poll found 69% of Americans believe it is very or somewhat likely the U.S. economy will go into a recession in the next year. 

According to the CNN poll, 75% of Americans believe Trump’s policies on tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy in the short term, while just 12% said they would help in the short term. Meanwhile, 53% of Americans believe Trump’s policies on tariffs will hurt in the long term, while 34% of Americans say they will help in the long term. 

A separate poll, conducted by NPR/PBS News/Marist from April 21-23, found 45% of Americans give Trump a failing grade as he celebrates his 100th day in office. The pollster said that figure was “driven mainly by Democrats (80%).” 

That survey found 55% of respondents disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy, including 88% of Democrats, 59% of independents, and 17% of Republicans. 

With just 39% of Americans approving of his handling of the economy, Trump’s overall approval rating sits at 42% – down from the 45% who approved of the job he was doing in March, according to NPR/PBS News/Marist. 

About 61% of Americans believe Trump has been “rushing to make changes” without considering the consequences of those shifts – a significant uptick from the 56% of respondents who said so in March, according to the pollster. 

Ahead of his 100th day in office, Trump warned, however, that “the Polls from the Fake News are, like the News itself, FAKE! We are doing GREAT, better than ever before.” 

FOX NEWS POLL: THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM

“The USA lost Billions of Dollars A DAY in International Trade under Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “I have now stemmed that tide, and will be making a fortune, very soon. Stay tuned as we MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” 

The Trump administration’s reciprocal tariffs policies and deregulation plans have brought with them significant disturbances in the market. 

Joined by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at Tuesday’s briefing commemorating the 100th day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the American people should “trust President Trump” on the economy. 

“There’s a reason he was reelected to this office. It’s because of the historic success of his economic formula in the first term,” Leavitt said. “There’s a proven formula that works. Massive deregulation, energy independence and tax cuts, which are coming in…. If you want to talk about that, that’s a huge deal to put more money back into the pockets of hardworking Americans.”

As for the trade deals, Leavitt said the president is working to right the wrongs “of the mess that he inherited” from the Biden administration, as well as a “mess that has been created for the past four decades that has sold out the middle class.”

“Today, President Trump wants to restore the golden age, and it’s a process to do that. And that process is underway,” Leavitt said.

Bessent said he was working with Republican leadership in the House and the Senate on a new bill that would make the 2017 tax cuts permanent and hopefully quell some of the uncertainty in the markets as a result. 

“I think one thing that has been a little disconcerting for the market is, you know, President Trump creates what I would call strategic uncertainty in the negotiations. So he is more concerned about getting the best possible trade deals we have for the American people. You know, we had four years of bad deals for decades,” Bessent said. “We are going to the unwind those and make them fair.… We’ve created a process.”

“I think the aperture of uncertainty will be narrowing and as we start moving forward with announcing deals, then there will be certainty. But, you know, certainty is not necessarily a good thing in negotiating,” he added.

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat, indicated that if Texans want him to run for the U.S. Senate, he will mount another election bid.

“But if it comes to pass that this is what the people of Texas want, that it’s the highest and best use of what I can give to you, then yes I will,” O’Rourke said while responding to someone at a town hall event who asked the former lawmaker if he would run.

O’Rourke served in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2013 through early 2019, but he has fallen flat in bids for U.S. Senate, president, and governor.

WHO IS BETO O’ROURKE?

He lost a 2022 Lone Star State gubernatorial bid to incumbent GOP Gov. Greg Abbott. 

The Democrat announced but later dropped a presidential bid in 2019. 

He lost a 2018 U.S. Senate contest to incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. 

CORNYN’S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN SPARKS QUESTIONS ON BOTH PARTY FLANKS AS DEMS CHASE ‘THE GHOST OF A BLUE TEXAS’

Responding to a post on X regarding O’Rourke’s comment that he would run if that’s what Texans want, GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, “They don’t.”

Texas state Rep. Mitch Little, a Republican, tweeted, “‘THIS SUMMER…from the producers who brought you ‘BETO’ and ‘BETO,’ you’ll fall in love—again—with ‘BETO.’”

Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who has served in the Senate for more than two decades, is up for re-election in 2026.

TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON ANNOUNCES RUN FOR US SENATE

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has mounted a Republican Senate primary challenge against Cornyn.

Former Georgia GOP Sen. David Perdue was confirmed Tuesday by the Senate 67-29 as President Donald Trump‘s ambassador to China.

Perdue, a former business executive with companies like Tennessee-based Dollar General and experience in global supply chains, including through Beijing, has long been a close ally of the president.

The ex-lawmaker, who is also the cousin of former Gov. Sonny Perdue, passed his critical cloture vote by 64-27 on Monday evening, which ended further substantial debate on his nomination.

Perdue narrowly lost his 2021 runoff election with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., by just over 1%, or about 55,000 votes, and also, despite a presidential endorsement, failed in his quest to defeat Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022’s Republican primary.

DAVID PERDUE, FORMER SENATOR AND LONGTIME TRUMP ALLY PASSES KEY HURDLE TO CHINESE AMBASSADORSHIP

Fox News Digital also reached out to Ossoff for comment on his former foe’s confirmation.

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 President 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.

Three more Trump-diplomat nominees will see votes on cloture and likely ensuing tallies on their confirmations later Tuesday.

Former Reagan staffer and New York real estate investor Tom Barrack is up for an ambassadorship to Turkey, while Landry’s Restaurants and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is looking to serve as ambassador to Italy and San Marino, and Arkansas investment banker billionaire Warren Stephens has his sights on being the U.S.’ top diplomat to its closest European ally, the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., reignited speculation about his 2028 presidential ambitions this weekend, but his call for “mass protests” dominated headlines as Republicans accused him of “inciting violence.”

Speaking at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s annual fundraising gala this weekend, Pritzker became the first potential Democratic candidate to visit New Hampshire, or any early primary state, since Democrats’ big November losses. 

“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box,” Prtizker said, triggering outrage among President Donald Trump’s supporters. 

“His comments, if nothing else, could be construed as inciting violence,” Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, told reporters outside the White House on Monday. 

2028 AUDITIONS FOR DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION KICK OFF AS BLUE-STATE GOVERNOR VISITS KEY EARLY STATE

Pritzker told the first-in-the-nation primary crowd this weekend, “It’s time to fight everywhere and all at once,” in a comment that seemed to refer to political action, like protesting, voting and challenging the Trump administration in the courts. Pritzker later clarified to reporters he was referring to political action, but Trump’s base wasn’t so convinced. 

ILLINOIS GOV CALLS FOR MASS PROTESTS AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN: GOP ‘CANNOT KNOW A MOMENT OF PEACE’

“Are you trying to inspire a 3rd assassination attempt on my dad? Two wasn’t enough for you?” Donald Trump Jr. asked on X. 

Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., said Pritzker’s comments are the latest demonstration that Democrats are “out of touch” with American voters. 

“One of the biggest successes of President Trump’s first 100 days has been securing our southern border and keeping Americans safe. Democrats drumming up ‘mass protests’ opposing this obvious success story shows just how out of touch they are with everyday Americans,” McCormick said on X. 

“…and Pritzker cannot know a moment of a presidency. He is only the last Democrat to fuel the rage in calling ‘for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption,'” Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley said, arguing that Democrats have consistently called for “mass protests” since Trump returned to the Oval Office in January. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made headlines earlier this year when he called for Democrats to “fight” Trump’s agenda “in the streets.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., joked on X that Illinois Republicans are welcome in Missouri: “We welcome the Republican refugees from the Land of Lincoln suffering under the tyranny of the Pritzker regime to the free state of Missouri!”

And the Illinois Republican Party chimed in as well, slamming Pritzker’s presidential ambitions and what the party chair described as a politically divisive speech. 

“JB Pritzker’s ego-driven obsession with becoming president is putting Illinois, and Republicans across the country, at risk. His inflammatory and dangerous speech is focused on further dividing our country and I hope to see Illinois Democrats condemn his call for violence,” Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi said in a statement. 

Salvi said it’s “clear that Pritzker’s only priority is what’s best for him and his presidential bid,” and his trip to New Hampshire is “further proof that he’s already left Illinois behind.”

DEM GOVERNOR SLAMS TRUMP’S ‘AUTHORITARIAN RULE’ DURING ‘BETTER WAY FORWARD’ SPEECH

Trips to New Hampshire, which, for over a century, has held the first primary in the race for the White House, are seen as an early indicator of a politician’s interest in running for president in the next election.

The billionaire Democrat has emerged during the president’s first 100 days as one of the most vocal critics of Trump’s executive actions, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts, and the administration’s policies, including immigration reform and federal funding. 

Pritzker’s comments are the latest in a long-standing feud between the two politicians. Trump often evoked Pritzker’s name on the campaign trail as an example of the downfall of Democratic-run states. 

“Sloppy J.B. Pritzker… has presided over the destruction and disintegration of Illinois at levels never seen before in any State,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last year. “Crime is rampant and people are, sadly, fleeing Illinois. Unless a change is made at the Governor’s level, Illinois can never be Great Again!”

Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., appeared to accuse Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., of lying about discussing the New York governor’s race with her on Tuesday.

Johnson said he was having “conversations” with Stefanik and her fellow New Yorker, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., when asked whether he discussed the upcoming gubernatorial election with the two potential candidates.

Stefanik cited a Punchbowl News report on Johnson’s comments at the public press conference and wrote on X, “This is not true. I have had no conversations with the Speaker regarding the Governor’s race.”

“Looking forward to the conversation about [State and Local Taxes] with NY Members tomorrow. Stay tuned,” Stefanik wrote.

MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE

Fox News Digital reached out to both Johnson and Stefanik for further comment but did not hear back by press time.

It’s a stunning public clash between two members of House GOP leadership that comes shortly after Stefanik returned to her House role full-time.

SENATE GOP PUSHES TRUMP BUDGET FRAMEWORK THROUGH AFTER MARATHON VOTE SERIES

She had been poised to easily sail through the Senate confirmation process to become President Donald Trump’s new ambassador to the United Nations.

But the House’s razor-thin majority and concerns about the race to replace Stefanik in her upstate New York district eventually forced Trump to have her drop out of the process.

Stefanik had given up her role as House GOP Conference chair and two high-level committee positions on the House’s intelligence and education panels to take the new job.

But Trump directed Johnson to find a new top role for Stefanik, and he soon announced her as chair of House Republican leadership.

Days after that, however, sources told Fox News Digital and other outlets that Stefanik was considering a run for New York governor.

When asked about speaking to her and Lawler about potentially running, Johnson told reporters on Tuesday, “I have lots of conversations.”

“I love them both. They’re two of my favorite people and most trusted colleagues. And, and they’re both super talented, which is why they get talked about for doing other things… I mean, my preference is they all stay here with me, right,” Johnson said.

“But I don’t begrudge anybody for having other opportunities. And we ultimately support them in whatever they do. But, are we having conversations? We are. Yeah. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

Two top Democrats have blasted President Donald Trump and Elon Musk for what they claim is the administration’s withholding of more than $430 billion in already congressionally approved funding.

The frozen allotments span the federal government, according to the first estimate of the potential impoundments in the project led by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who released the figures to coincide with the administration marking its 100 days in office. 

They accuse the Trump administration of ignoring constitutional spending rules and denying Americans the funding they are legally owed.

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Murray and DeLauro estimate that the Trump administration has withheld at least $436.87 billion in congressionally approved federal funding across multiple agencies, including for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Transportation Departent. Trump campaigned on slashing government waste and reducing the size of the federal government.

He appointed Musk to be head of the Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste, fraud and corruption in the federal government in order to expedite his agenda and also sought to pull all monies for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“While President Trump is pushing to pass massive new tax breaks for billionaires like himself, he is unilaterally blocking hundreds of billions of dollars in investments owed to the American people,” Murray and DeLauro said in a joint statement. 

“No American president has ever so flagrantly ignored our nation’s spending laws or so brazenly denied the American people investments they are owed.”

The lawmakers released a tracker to keep the public up to date with the figures. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House to verify if the figures were accurate.

According to the tracker, almost $42 billion was frozen or canceled for the State Department, including the frozen support for USAID, along with another $62 billion-plus in competitive grant funding for the Transportation Department.

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The Democrats also detailed $943 million frozen for the Head Start early-education program and more than $10 billion in frozen and canceled funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The $436.87 billion is the minimum amount of federal funding the Committees believe the administration is currently freezing, canceling, or fighting in court to block, they said. 

“Instead of making our communities and our nation safer, President Trump is holding up public safety grants and critical investments Congress has made to strengthen our national security,” the Democrats said. 

“Bottom line: instead of investing in the American people, President Trump is ignoring our laws and ripping resources away from them—insisting our country cannot afford to help families make ends meet at the same time he seeks over $5 trillion in new tax breaks for billionaires.”

The Democrats also singled out Russ Vought, the head Office of Management and Budget.

The administration’s refusal to spend congressionally authorized funds amounts to a challenge of the Constitution, which gives Congress oversight over spending, the lawmakers said. 

The administration has not submitted any formal rescission requests, as required under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974.

The Democrats also said that DOGE promised to be transparent but has failed to provide Congressional oversight requests and refused to answer basic questions from the press. 

“The unprecedented lack of transparency and responsiveness makes tracking what funding is being blocked all the more difficult, and it remains the Trump administration’s responsibility to not only follow our spending laws but to explain its actions to date,” Murray and DeLauro said. 

Reuters contributed to this report.