President Donald Trump weighed in on an already contentious Senate primary race in the most populous red state in the nation, saying he will make an endorsement decision “at the right time.” 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate while speaking on Fox News last week. Paxton, a conservative firebrand and outspoken supporter of Trump, is seeking to replace incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, an influential member of the GOP who previously served as the Party’s Senate whip and has held the seat since 2002. 

With both Paxton and Cornyn being considered leading members of the Republican Party, the race promises to be particularly messy. 

Paxton has accused the current senator of being a lukewarm supporter of Trump’s agenda, saying, “It’s time that we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas and also support Donald Trump in the areas that he’s focused on in a very significant way.”

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For his part, Cornyn has dismissed the attorney general as a “fraud” motivated by “vanity and personal ambition.” 

Trump told reporters that both GOP senatorial candidates in Texas are “friends of mine” and “good men,” but he stopped short of issuing an endorsement of one over the other, at least for now.

“Well, they’re both friends of mine,” said Trump. “They’re both good men, and I don’t know. We don’t, we don’t know who else is running, but these two, you know, Ken and John, they’re both friends of mine, so I’ll make a determination at the right time.”

Since announcing his candidacy, Paxton has already garnered endorsements from Reps. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Lance Gooden, R-Texas, as well as around 250 state legislators and business leaders across the state, according to a spokesperson. 

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Those endorsing Paxton are emphasizing his pledge to double down on his conservative agenda and “take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment.”

One of Paxton’s supporters, conservative Texas Rep. Tony Tinderholt, called him “the most conservative attorney general in the nation,” saying he “will be a fantastic upgrade over John Cornyn.” 

Gooden, whose district is just east of Dallas, said he was endorsing Paxton because “it’s time for change in Texas,” adding that “Texans deserve a conservative champion who has a record of taking on the establishment, fighting to secure our border, and advancing the Trump agenda.”

Meanwhile, Cornyn, who has been in the Senate for nearly 23 years, has the support of some of the Republican Party’s top leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee. 

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Since Trump returned to the White House three months ago, Cornyn has been supportive of the president’s Cabinet nominees and agenda.

Cornyn has emphasized previous corruption and bribery charges against Paxton, which in 2023 led to the attorney general being impeached by the Texas House of Representatives. Paxton was later acquitted of all charges by the Texas Senate. 

Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges soon after taking office in 2015 and also came under investigation by the FBI over bribery and corruption allegations from former top staffers. The charges in the long-running federal corruption probe were dropped during the final weeks of the Biden administration.

A spokesperson for Cornyn’s campaign asserted that Trump would be wise to endorse the senator, emphasizing his experience helping to lead the GOP. 

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“During his first term, John Cornyn voted with President Trump more than 95% of current Senators, securing the votes for his biggest accomplishments as his Whip,” the representative told Fox News Digital. 

“Democrats are trying to destroy President Trump,” the representative went on. “And he and Texas need a battle-tested conservative who knows how to protect his agenda in the Senate and won’t be outsmarted by [Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer.”

Paxton, however, posits that Cornyn’s enthusiasm for Trump is all an act. 

“We’re all glad John Cornyn suddenly found religion and is embracing President Trump’s policies now that he’s facing a primary challenge,” Paxton told Fox News Digital. “But if he’s re-elected, he’ll immediately go back to being the same old John who said President Trump’s ‘time has passed him by’ and fought to stop the President’s America First agenda.”  

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He pointed out that he was one of only two elected officials present with Trump when he announced he was running for president for a third time. 

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“I was grateful to join my friend Troy Nehls as one of two elected officials at President Trump’s 2024 announcement and have always been proud to stand with him,” he said. “I will continue to support the President and work with him to secure our border, defend the integrity of our elections, and protect our 2nd Amendment—unlike John Cornyn who has tried to undermine President Trump every step of the way.”

“I’m incredibly grateful to have the support of over 250 conservative leaders from across our great state,” Paxton went on. “While John Cornyn is relying on the Washington establishment to save him, I’m proud that my campaign is powered by the grassroots and the people of Texas.” 

As Cornyn and Paxton vie for the GOP nomination, former Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, who launched a surprisingly competitive but ultimately unsuccessful challenge against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2024, is weighing another run in 2026. 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who last week referred to President Donald Trump as a “mofo” — an abbreviated form of the profanity ‘motherf—er’ — has continued leveling colorful attacks against him.

In a Monday night post on X she used words including “buffoon” and “orange.” 

“Y’all can keep wasting time on conspiracy theories aka lies about me OR start paying attention to things that actually impact your life like this,” she wrote when sharing a video in which wealthy investor Ray Dalio said he is concerned about the possibility of “something worse than a recession … ” 

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“PS Still Single, Childless, no granny drama, no new mysterious wealth (like those that may have engaged in INSIDER TRADING as Trump manipulated the market & produced more wealth for his rich friends), no random mansions, no shady donations (like Elon’s purchase of the Oval Office),” Crockett continued.

“Unfortunately for MAGA… their buffoon of a leader is every ethical & criminal stereotype that they attribute to me, but the only one that fits the bill isn’t black, but instead orange,” she declared. “Thank me later for trying to educate you as your leader wants you left in the dark.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett’s office on Tuesday but did not receive a comment by the time of publication.

The White House replied to a comment request on Tuesday by sending a previously reported statement from spokesperson Harrison Fields.

“Crockett and her followers in the Democratic Party are simply all hammer and no nail. When she’s leading the Democrats in ‘oversight,’ that’s when you know the party is in shambles. Her constituents should DOGE her in the next election.” 

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Crockett said on MSNBC last week that “the fact that no one is questioning” Trump’s “mental acuity or fitness to serve is beyond wild to me.” 

Contrary to the congresswoman’s comments, a memo from the physician to the president states that “President Trump exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”

However, the insults have been flying in both directions, with Trump blasting Crockett as well.

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Trump called Crockett a “very low-IQ person and a lowlife” during an interview with radio host Vince Coglianese last month. 

“She can’t speak. She can’t get the words out of her mouth,” he said of Crockett, noting that he “can’t see her going very far in politics.”

During remarks at a National Republican Congressional Committee event last week, the president said that if Crockett is the Democrats’ “new star” the party is in “serious trouble.”

A new White House memo highlighting the top 10 Supreme Court rulings federal agencies must follow has legal experts optimistic about reining in the administrative state, while some litigators remain skeptical the directive will be enforced.

“Any administration that really cares about making sure that they were following the law should be reviewing regulations,” Carrie Severino, president of Judicial Crisis Network, told Fox News Digital. “We want a government that isn’t just taking every bit of power that it can get away with, but one that wants to make sure the constitutional limits are guarded as well, which is why this memorandum is refreshing and novel in a good way.”

The administration issued a memorandum on April 9 requiring agencies to rescind regulations not in line with 10 recent Supreme Court opinions on proper administrative agency functions. 

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The memo, titled, “President Donald J. Trump Directs Repeal of Regulations That Are Unlawful Under 10 Recent Supreme Court Decisions,” says it is in line with a February executive order seeking to rein in the administrative state. 

The memo lists various Supreme Court cases aligned with Trump’s deregulatory agenda as well as the administration’s efforts to get rid of DEI initiatives. Among the cases listed are Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, West Virginia vs. EPA, and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. 

Both Loper Bright and West Virginia notably narrowed executive agencies’ authority in issuing rules and regulations affecting the American public. Likewise, Students for Fair Admissions rejected the use of affirmative action in university admissions. 

“The President is right: agencies must repeal regulations that the Supreme Court has deemed unlawful. The President continues to deliver on his promises to roll back regulations and government overreach crippling American enterprise,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

Several of the cases listed are not retroactive, meaning regulations issued prior to these decisions being handed down will not be disturbed as a result of the opinions. However, experts say agencies can re-evaluate previous rules and regulations under the new standards imposed by the Supreme Court opinions.

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“I think that that is good fodder, a good basis for a lot of agencies to go back and look, ‘Where have we created massive regulatory compliance burdens and structures that massively impact the economy or society on the basis of a very thin thread and where can we undo it?'” Daniel Huff, senior legal fellow at the American Path Initiative, told Fox News Digital. “And we can point to these elephants and mouse holes and when it’s reviewed in the future, they will say ‘Yes, that is a good rationale’ and it will be upheld.”

Kara Rollins is a lawyer for the New Civil Liberties Alliance, the nonprofit organization that argued Relentless Inc. v. Dept. of Commerce in front of the high court – Loper’s companion case that sought to scale back the reach of the administrative state. Rollins told Fox News Digital the “retrospective look” these agencies will take toward previous regulations is not “misplaced.” 

However, Rollins raised concerns about the administration’s enforcement of the directive, noting that several related cases were already underway before the Supreme Court issued its rulings.

“What happens to these cases that are currently active where DOJ or the agency is just taking the wrong position?” Rollins said. “Who’s looking at that? Who’s clearing out those cases and saying, in light of this memorandum, we’ve looked at our litigation position and we can no longer sustain it? And that’s the real sort of open question, particularly for litigators right now.”

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Rollins said that, as a litigator, her concern is agencies have yet to change positions when it comes to these Supreme Court opinions: “That sort of signals that there is a problem between what the president is saying he wants to have happen and what’s being effectuated on the ground.”

In the memo, Trump directs agencies to employ the Administrative Procedure Act’s “good cause” exception “where appropriate,” which allows agencies to do away with the usual notice-and-comment rulemaking process in the interest of the public. The usual process requires time for public input on the proposed rule. 

Huff said there is “less of a need” to impose the regular notice-and-comment rulemaking process given that agencies will likely be reviewing previous rules rather than passing new ones. 

“They’re not adding new burdens. This isn’t new to people,” Huff said. “People already sort of know what’s there and it was there before. And we’re just turning back the clock. We’re putting it back to the way it was. We’re restoring the original status quo.”

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Severino said there could be litigation over the use of the exception despite the fact that the language is “very broad.” 

“But I do think there are strong arguments for it because the laws must keep with the constitutional limits on government, and, of course, be in the public interest.”

EXCLUSIVE: Although the REAL ID deadline has been pushed numerous times, the Department of Homeland Security says stopping illegal immigration is a major reason why it’s holding firm to the current May 7 deadline.

In a memo exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, the department said part of the reason REAL ID will be enforced is to prevent those in the country illegally from flying – unless they are looking to self-deport on an international flight.

“Under Biden, illegal aliens used non-compliant IDs from sanctuary cities to board flights, but REAL ID’s higher security standards make it nearly impossible to forge legitimate documents, ensuring only verified travelers can fly,” the memo states. 

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“This closes the gaping vulnerabilities Biden’s policies created, preventing criminals and potential terrorists from exploiting our aviation system, as seen during 9/11 when fraudulent IDs enabled attacks,” the memo continues.

The agency emphasized that the measure prevents people in the country illegally from traveling within the U.S.

“DHS and TSA are clear, the only place an illegal alien should be flying is home. Under Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, illegal aliens will be barred from domestic flights, with one exception: illegal aliens self-deporting on international flights will be allowed to board without a REAL ID, encouraging their exit from the U.S.,” it states.

DHS said that during the Biden administration, 1.4 million “inadmissible aliens” were allowed into the country because of programs like CBP One and the Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans parole program, and over half a million flew into American airports as of August 2024, according to the memo.

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The department said 320,000 illegal immigrants were permitted to fly into 43 airports before flying to other parts of the country as a direct result of CBP One in 2023.

DHS cited Fox News Digital’s reporting from 2022 where the Transportation Security Administration under Biden and former Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas allowed civil arrest warrants to be used as acceptable identification.

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“For non-citizens and non-U.S. nationals who do not otherwise have acceptable forms of ID for presentation at security checkpoints, TSA may also accept certain DHS-issued forms, including ICE Form I-200 (Warrant for Arrest of an Alien),” a TSA spokesperson told Fox News at the time.

Americans looking to fly domestically and enter some federal buildings will need a form of identification, and a passport can be used as an alternative.

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The REAL ID Act was signed into law by former President George W. Bush in 2005. 

“These IDs keep our country safe because they help prevent fraud and they enhance security,” Noem said in a recent video. “Please do your part to protect our country, go today, and don’t delay.”

The memo from DHS comes as sweeping changes have occurred under the Trump administration on immigration policies, including scrapping the CBP One app and replacing it with the CBP Home app meant for self-deportations.

Meanwhile, federal immigration authorities have cracked down on alleged criminals who are in the country illegally, including sending many to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, which has led to numerous ongoing legal battles. 

Some have opposed the enforcement of REAL ID, which many people have gotten over the years if their license has a star or flag on it, for example.

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“As long as the pilot’s door is locked and no one has weapons, why do you care that someone who flies has government permission?” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., tweeted on Monday. “Real ID provides no benefit, yet presents a serious risk to freedom. If a person can’t be trusted to fly without weapons, why are they roaming free?”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. called on the head of President Donald Trump’s Social Security Administration to resign on Tuesday.

Schumer declared a “Social Security Day of Action” during a press conference in New York on Tuesday, accusing Trump, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) of cutting Americans’ social security. Schumer called on acting SSA Administrator Leland Dudek to resign.

“Dudek is bad medicine for our seniors,” Schumer said from the podium.

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have a hatchet man in Leland Dudek, an acting Commissioner with an emphasis on the ‘acting,’ because his real role is to dismantle the very office he is supposed to lead, make better, and protect,” he continued. “We have seen his audition and his work on the stage, and it is clear: Dudek is incapable of doing this job in the way it needs to be done. He won’t protect seniors. He will hurt them. Leland Dudek should resign.”

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“Republicans are trying to kill Social Security from the inside – it is a cut by another name – and we won’t let that happen,” Schumer said in another statement.

The press conference comes after Schumer feuded with Musk on social media. The Tesla founder reacted to Schumer’s criticism of DOGE by suggesting the lawmaker was “getting a piece of the action with the government fraud.”

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“Another Elon lie. He wants you to think anyone who dares to stand up to him is committing fraud, meanwhile he’s taking tens of billions from the government,” Schumer declared in a post last week.

Musk also fired off a response to a post in which Schumer suggested that Musk is slashing Social Security benefits.

“Make no mistake: What Elon Musk is doing at Social Security is cutting benefits,” Schumer said.

“The intern running Schumer’s social media account is lying,” Musk shot back.

During a Senate speech, Schumer claimed that “Elon Musk is cutting Social Security benefits.”

“When offices close down, when websites crash, when phone lines shut off, that’s no different than cutting benefits,” Schumer said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court should consider holding the Trump administration in contempt over its deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an El Salvadorian illegal migrant and former Maryland resident.

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court’s decision to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia from an El Salvador prison where federal officials sent hundreds of suspected criminals and gang members last month.

“The Supreme Court has made clear that Mr. Abrego Garcia should not have been deported,” Jeffries said at a Tuesday press conference on Democrats’ upcoming “Save Social Security Day of Action” to oppose what he claims will be cuts to social security.

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“In fact, the Trump administration has acknowledged that fact and so they need to comply with the Supreme Court’s directive or the Supreme Court needs to enforce its order aggressively, which should include contempt.”

The Supreme Court acknowledges that Abrego Garcia was subject to a 2019 withholding order forbidding his removal to El Salvador, and that the removal to El Salvador was “therefore illegal.” The Court stressed that the government must facilitate his release from custody in El Salvador and treat his case as if he were never deported.

One immigration judge in 2019 found that Garcia had not sufficiently refuted evidence of MS-13 affiliation and was thus removable to anywhere other than El Salvador because of a threat from a rival gang, this is called a withholding order.

The Trump administration has faced criticism from Democrats, left-wing media and human rights advocates for sending Abrego Garcia back to his home country. Trump officials initially acknowledged his removal was due to an “administrative error.” 

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White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Monday said that two courts found Abrego Garcia to be an MS-13 gang member, and he was deported after Trump declared the violent gang a terrorist organization. 

Miller said that when Trump declared MS-13 a terrorist organization, Abrego Garcia was no longer eligible for any form of immigration relief in the United States.

Miller said that Abrego Garcia had an outstanding deportation order, meaning he wasn’t even allowed to be present in the U.S. and had to be removed because of the foreign terrorist designation.

Abrego Garcia is married to a U.S. citizen, and they are raising three children.

Jeffries, meanwhile, added that he was supporting the efforts of Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who is trying to meet with El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele while he is here in the country. Van Hollen is trying to get Abrego Garcia sent back to the U.S.

Bukele met with Trump at the White House on Monday for a bilateral summit focused largely on immigration.

“I support the efforts and leadership of Senator Chris Van Hollen,” Jeffries said. “The president should accept that meeting request and have a real discussion as to when Mr. Abrego Garcia is going to be returned to his family in the United States of America.”

Van Hollen said he also wants to see the Trump administration held in contempt. 

“It’s absolutely unjust and illegal to have this Marylander detained one more day in a notorious prison in El Salvador,” Van Hollen said, per WBAL-TV.

“I saw that the families, the lawyers, have asked that the administration lawyers be held in contempt, and I think that’s an absolutely appropriate move to take right now. They’re absolutely snubbing their nose at the courts right now, including the Supreme Court.”

Fox News’ Kerri Urbahn contributed to this report.

Trump administration officials are slated to appear in federal court this afternoon for what’s expected to be a fiery hearing over the deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident removed to El Salvador last month in what officials have acknowledged was an “administrative error.”

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the hearing after government lawyers failed to comply with multiple court directives regarding Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. – with the Supreme Court most recently ordering the administration to “facilitate” his release from Salvadorian custody and resume his immigration proceedings as if he were never removed.

The administration’s apparent refusal to act – or even clarify Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts – has pushed the case to a boiling point, raising the prospect that Xinis could hold the Trump administration in contempt.

In addition to filing incomplete status updates and refusing to answer questions about Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts or efforts to secure his return, Trump officials suggested at the White House on Monday that the U.S. lacks the authority to bring him back.

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Xinis will weigh these developments as the court considers next steps in the case, including whether to pursue civil contempt proceedings against the administration.

Last night, the Trump administration failed to include in its daily status update to the court answers to any of the three questions sought by the judge. These included the location and custodial status of Garcia; what steps the government has taken to facilitate his return, and what steps the government is planning in order to make that happen.

Xinis previously called the government’s refusal to answer these questions “extremely troubling.” 

Tensions soared Monday during a White House visit from Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele, whose government is receiving $6 million from the U.S. to detain migrants at its sprawling maximum-security prison, CECOT – including alleged members of MS-13 and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

While Trump allies and immigration hawks have praised the removals, critics warn these rapid deportations may violate due process protections under the U.S. Constitution, and they cite concerns that the individuals deported may not have had a chance to challenge their removals in court. 

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Abrego Garcia, for his part, was deported from the U.S. to El Salvador last month without a hearing. The Trump administration, including U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer, has acknowledged in court documents his removal was an “administrative error.”

Asked Monday about progress in returning Abrego Garcia to U.S. soil, Trump officials said his return was “up to El Salvador” and that the U.S. would “provide a plane” – appearing to ignore a court order to facilitate his return.

“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters. “That’s not up to us.” 

This contention was backed by other Cabinet officials, including White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and by Salvadorian President Bukele himself.

“How can I return him to the United States? Like if I smuggle him into the United States?” Bukele told reporters Monday during a sit-down with President Donald Trump and other senior administration officials.

“Of course I’m not going to do it. The question is preposterous,” he said.

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Hours later, Trump administration lawyers breezed past a 5 p.m. court-ordered deadline set by Xinis to file a daily status update on their efforts to return Abrego Garcia to U.S. soil.

Justice Department lawyers said in a weekend filing they are not required to comply with a judge’s order to “facilitate” his return, arguing the courts, in their view, “have no authority to direct the Executive Branch to conduct foreign relations in a particular way, or engage with a foreign sovereign in a given manner.”

Trump officials continue to publicly rail against so-called “activist judges,” whom they have argued are attempting to stymie Trump’s agenda and his priorities on immigration enforcement.  

As of this writing, the Trump administration has not returned any of the individuals who have been sent to El Salvador’s sprawling, high-security prison, including any Venezuelan nationals who may have been mistakenly identified as members of the Tren de Aragua gang, as well as Abrego Garcia.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., joined 15 states and Washington, D.C., to challenge President Donald Trump’s Department of Education for revoking millions in pandemic-era education funding for their states. 

Shapiro and the group of attorneys general from across the country filed a complaint to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and the Education Department, challenging the federal government’s rescission of funding allocated to “combat the devastating and ongoing effects” of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The complaint alleges the funding was allocated through March 2026, and states were informed on March 28 “with no advance notice or warning” that the Department of Education had “rescinded extensions of time to liquidate grant funds previously approved by ED.” The complaint says the funds in question were allocated by Congress using a pandemic-era law. 

“Every Pennsylvania student deserves the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed. I’m taking action to preserve that freedom and ensure no Pennsylvania student is harmed by the federal government’s decision to go back on its word,” Shapiro said. 

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Shapiro said the $185 million in federal funding “owed to Pennsylvania” supports academic and mental health programs, implements and modernizes new technology and provides infrastructure improvements in schools. 

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The Pennsylvania governor argued that school districts and education agencies have already spent the allocated money, so canceling $185 million forces Pennsylvania taxpayers to pick up the tab on projects already underway. 

The complaint is co-signed by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, D.C. 

The state leaders claim the Department of Education could not rescind their federal funding due to the “end of the pandemic,” because the pandemic had already ended when the funding extension was granted, and they argue they were not limited to COVID-19 specific programs. 

Madi Biedermann, a spokesperson for the Education Department, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “COVID is over. States and school districts can no longer claim they are spending their emergency pandemic funds on ‘COVID relief’ when there are numerous documented examples of abuse and misuse.”

“The Department established a process to consider funding extension requests on a project-specific basis where it can be demonstrated that funds are being used directly mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on student learning. If the states suing were using these funds to remediate learning loss and support students, there would be no need for this lawsuit.”

The recession in pandemic-related federal education funding follows Trump’s fulfillment of a key 2024 campaign promise to dismantle the Department of Education. Trump signed an executive order last month directing McMahon to close the department and return educational authority to the states – a Republican idea often floated by presidential hopefuls but implemented for the first time during Trump’s second term. 

Shapiro has relied on the judicial system during Trump’s second term to unlock federal funding for Pennsylvania. Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania governor joined 22 states and Washington, D.C., in a lawsuit against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Health and Human Services for canceling public health grants that prevent the spread of infectious diseases. 

Shapiro also sued the Trump administration on Feb. 13, challenging Trump’s allegedly “illegal” federal funding freeze. Soon after, Shapiro celebrated that $2.1 billion in federal funds had been unfrozen and restored to Pennsylvania following his lawsuit and direct confrontation with the Trump administration. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is facing her constituents in a critical swing county for an in-person town hall on Tuesday, despite House GOP leaders’ warnings earlier this year to step back from such events amid progressive groups’ coordinated efforts to derail them.

Greene said she organized her event months before House Republican leaders’ guidance but that it did not dissuade her from hosting them.

“This has been on my calendar for a long time. And yes, we have seen Republican town halls targeted by Democrat protesters, and it’s well-organized by the Democrat Party,” Greene told Fox News Digital in a brief interview. 

“We even had leadership recommend to do tele-town halls. And for me that that is absolutely unacceptable. There’s no way I’m going to sit on a telephone and talk to the people in my district… I’ve done town halls ever since I was elected, starting back in 2021. So I love to do them.”

Known as a conservative bomb-thrower and close ally of President Donald Trump, Greene is hosting her event in Cobb County – an area encompassing the Atlanta suburbs that former Vice President Kamala Harris won by roughly 15% last November. 

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It’s a more moderate spot in Greene’s otherwise deep red district – but the congresswoman said its politics did not factor into her decision.

“The reason why we picked that part of the district is it’s the newest part of the district for me, because of redistricting. And so this is a new part of Cobb County that I’ve gained in my district, and I think they’re great, and I want to go down there and speak with them,” Greene said. “They just voted for me for the first time in November. I like to pay attention to my district. And so I want to do my first town hall there.”

“It has nothing to do with population or anything. Actually, I can tell you right now, I can get in much deeper red parts of my district and draw much bigger crowds. So this was about paying attention to the newest part of my district,” Greene added.

She’s one of few Republican lawmakers holding an in-person town hall during Congress’ two-week Easter break away from Washington. It comes after progressive groups like Indivisible and MoveOn staged a series of coordinated protests at GOP lawmakers’ town halls and other events.

Even town halls held by Greene’s fellow Georgia delegation members have been derailed by activists – who in some cases have traveled from other districts – jeering and booing GOP policies.

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

But Greene’s town hall will see additional security measures aimed at ensuring disruptions are at a minimum. The address is only provided to registered attendees, who must be living in Greene’s district to gain entry.

“I’m not sure how other members do it, but we only allow people that actually live in the district to come to the town hall. This isn’t a place for political grandstanding, protesting and outbursts,” Greene said. “We take their sign-up information. They have to show their ID when they come in the door and match up the sign-up list. And then we told them well ahead of time, if they want to stand up and interrupt and scream and yell, and have big outbursts, and use this as a protest, they’re going to get thrown out.”

She added that she welcomed all of her constituents, Republicans and Democrats. 

“We expect them to behave well. And we expect them to be, you know, respectful. And we’re going to have a great town hall, and I cannot wait for it,” Greene said.

The majority of coordinated protests have centered on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk – one of Indivisible’s specific protest campaigns was labeled “Musk or Us,” and one of its most recent off-shoots targeted a town hall held by Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., in his red Midwestern district.

Greene, who chairs the House Oversight Committee’s subcommittee on DOGE, said she anticipated the topic would come up, albeit under calmer circumstances.

“DOGE, I think, is going to be a big topic. And being the chairwoman of the DOJ’s subcommittee on Oversight, I cannot wait to inform my constituents about what’s happening there, as well as reconciliation, which is what Congress will be working on over the next few weeks and even further until we get that done,” she said.

Another topic Greene anticipated was Trump’s tariffs, and “how that’s helping America.”

“And I think there’ll be questions about immigration enforcement deportations. And I can’t wait to talk about that, because I think President Trump and his entire administration is literally saving our country by deporting murderers and rapists and cartels,” Greene said. 

“When I come back home to my district, I grocery shop by myself, I go to Home Depot, I go to restaurants. I literally live in my community. So I really know people here. I know what they care about. So I feel very confident to be able to answer their questions.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) vaccine advisory committee will meet on Tuesday for a two-day session to lay out new recommendations, including a proposal to scale back current COVID-19 vaccine guidelines.

Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos of the CDC is expected to present guidance on COVID-19 vaccine use for 2025–2026 and suggest the department adopt a “narrow” recommendation for it, “and only maintain this series for certain populations within these groups who we determine should be vaccinated.”

When polled on April 3, a majority of advisors – 76% – expressed support for a risk-based, rather than universal, COVID-19 vaccination recommendation for the 2025–2026 schedule, up 10% higher from February polling.

UTAH BANS FLUORIDE FROM PUBLIC DRINKING WATER, ALIGNING WITH MAHA MOVEMENT

The 70-page presentation outlines three possible policy options for COVID-19 vaccines, including a shift away from recommending annual shots for everyone over 6 months old.

Currently, annual COVID-19 shots are recommended for ages 6 months and older. One proposed policy option would continue the current universal policy, while another would recommend vaccines only for people at higher risk of severe illness, such as older adults, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers. 

A third option would blend the two, keeping universal recommendations for people 65 and older but limiting shots for younger groups to those at higher risk.

“When initially presented with 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine policy options in November 2024, the Work Group appreciated pros and cons of both risk-based and universal vaccine recommendations,” Panagiotakopoulos wrote. “At that time, there was not yet a consensus on what the recommendation for the 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine should be. The Work Group requested additional information to help inform the decision-making process on risk-factors for severe COVID-19, transmission and immunity, vaccine implementation and access, and cost-effectiveness.”

HOSPITALS WARNED THEY MUST PROTECT CHILDREN FROM CHEMICAL AND SURGICAL MUTILATION: HHS AGENCY MEMO

The presentation will also propose how to define “increased risk,” looking at both health factors and increased exposure, like living in long-term care facilities or working in high-contact jobs.

The two-day meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will examine information for members to vote on as official recommendations, which will then be passed on to the CDC for consideration in June.

The end of the presentation will include discussion questions about the pros and cons of a universal vs. risk-based COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for 2025 to 2026. Key discussion points include whether any groups should be excluded from vaccination, what data is still needed to guide decisions, and whether a risk-based approach makes sense if most people are already considered “at risk.”

HHS DOWNSIZING BEGINS AMID RFK JR. ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ PUSH: ‘WIN-WIN FOR TAXPAYERS’

According to the CDC, the vaccine committee’s agenda will also include a session about the measles outbreak and an update “on literature related to reduced number of doses for HPV vaccine.”

Members of the committee will vote on Wednesday on recommendations for the Meningococcal Vaccines, Meningococcal Vaccines VFC, RSV Adult and the Chikungunya Vaccines.

The meeting comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is overseeing a major reorganization of the CDC. Plans include transferring non-infectious disease-related divisions to the Administration for a Healthy America to focus on chronic disease management. This move follows significant downsizing under President Donald Trump’s directive, which has already reduced the CDC workforce by roughly 4,000 people.

President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Harvard University should lose its tax-exempt status and be considered a “political entity,” a day after his administration pulled $2.2 billion in funding from the Ivy League school. 

“Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. 

“Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” the president added. 

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

The Trump administration on Monday said it was freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University after the institution refused to comply with a set of terms set forth by the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration last week. 

Framed as “an expanding list of demands” by Harvard’s leadership, the administration asked the university to make changes to adhere to “merit-based” hiring and admissions practices and reform its recruitment of international students to “prevent admitting students hostile to the American values and institutions inscribed in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, including students supportive of terrorism or anti-Semitism.” 

Other requested reforms included ensuring “viewpoint diversity in admissions and hiring,” changing programs with “egregious records of antisemitism or other bias,” and discontinuing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and initiatives. 

In an April 11 letter to Harvard leadership, Trump administration officials said that U.S. government “investment is not entitlement” and “depends on Harvard upholding federal civil rights laws, and it only makes sense if Harvard fosters the kind of environment that produces intellectual creativity and scholarly rigor, both of which are antithetical to ideological capture.” 

In a statement on Monday, Harvard University President Alan Garber said the terms of agreement make “clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner.” 

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

“Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the intellectual conditions at Harvard,” Garber wrote. 

He argued the terms required an “audit” of the student body, faculty and staff “viewpoints” and to reduce the power of certain students, faculty, and administrators “targeted because of their ideological views.” 

“No government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber wrote. 

Harvard’s response was praised by Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, while conservatives mocked the Ivy League school’s outrage given its $53.2 billion endowment. 

“There is another way: Refuse taxpayer money,” Hillsdale College, a private Christian institution in Michigan, posted on X. 

“Time to defund,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, wrote on X. “And tax that $50 billion endowment.” 

Richard Grenell, a longtime Trump ally who served in multiple administration roles, had a message to Harvard: “Don’t ask for taxpayer money if you don’t want taxpayer strings.” 

“You’ve ruined my degree with your far left activism,” Grenell wrote. “As a Harvard graduate, I support the Federal government enforcing laws that you violate.”

EXCLUSIVE: The chairman of the largest House GOP caucus is using Tax Day to send a warning about the financial strain American families could face next year if Republicans fail in their plans for a massive conservative policy overhaul.

Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that millions of Americans could see their taxes increase by as much as one-fifth if Congress does not pass a budget reconciliation bill extending President Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

“If Democrats get their way and let these tax cuts expire, Americans will be crushed by the largest tax hike in history – a 22% increase hitting 40 million families and 26 million small businesses,” Pfluger said. 

“It’s time to lock in these historic tax cuts permanently to boost job creation, fuel America’s economic engine, and protect family budgets from the Left’s tax-and-spend agenda.”

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

The RSC acts as the House GOP’s de facto conservative think tank and has more than 175 members. Pfluger reiterated that the group is “fighting to make President Trump’s historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, so families can keep more of their hard-earned money instead of sending it to the IRS.”

Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, chair of the RSC budget task force, said extending the TCJA and enacting Trump’s other tax policy initiatives would help the U.S. become “the most advantageous country in which to invest, relocate, or expand a business” as well as helping families and businesses domestically.

“These vital, pro-growth tax reforms will work alongside our efforts to slash federal regulations and bureaucracy to empower economic expansion and financial security for the American people and our job creators,” she said.

Tax reform is a cornerstone of Republicans’ efforts on reconciliation, a mechanism that allows the party controlling the major levers of government to enact sweeping fiscal and budgetary changes. It does so by lowering the Senate’s threshold for advancing legislation from 60 votes to 51, provided the matters in the bill deal with taxes, spending and the national debt.

SENATE GOP PUSHES TRUMP BUDGET FRAMEWORK THROUGH AFTER MARATHON VOTE SERIES

In addition to extending the TCJA tax cuts, Trump also wants Republicans to eliminate taxes on tipped and overtime wages, as well as on Social Security benefits for retirees.

House Republicans passed a framework last week to sync up with the Senate on its budget reconciliation bill, which now allows the relevant congressional committees to begin work filling out that framework with policy.

But congressional Republicans have a long road ahead to get a bill passed in both the House and Senate, where their majorities are currently three seats each. The House version calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, while the Senate’s baseline is $4 billion – though Republicans there vowed to strive for more.

Extending TCJA alone would decrease federal revenues by $4.5 trillion, according to the Tax Foundation, and House conservatives are leading the charge in demanding steep government funding cuts to offset that.

The RSC steering group, the group’s leadership arm, released an official position earlier this year calling for reconciliation legislation to be deficit-neutral. 

At the same time, however, failing to extend Trump’s tax cuts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections could have politically devastating consequences, while stoking fears of an economic downturn when compounded with the added cost of Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

“If the tax cuts expire, the median family would lose about $1,000,” Kimberly Clausing, nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Fox News Digital earlier this month, citing a model from the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. 

And if the recently unveiled tariffs continued unabated at the time, “that would generate an average per household consumer loss of $3,800,” she added, pointing to the Yale Budget Lab’s estimate. Trump has since walked back much of his reciprocal tariff policy. 

The House Ways and Means Committee, the House’s tax-writing panel, released a memo late last year with a similar warning to Pfluger’s on a potential tax hike if TCJA is not extended.

“Congress needs to act swiftly to take this threat of a tax hike off the table and give the American people assurances that the relief they have been demanding has arrived,” the December memo said.

A Virginia-based judge has granted the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss its illegal firearm case gainst a Virginia-based Salvadoran national accused of being an MS-13 leader.

The FBI announced the arrest of Henrry Jose Villatoro Santos on March 27 in Woodbridge, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C., with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel describing him as the top MS-13 leader on the East Coast. 

Villatoro Santos was charged with an illegal firearm charge at the time of his arrest. 

DOJ ASKS TO DISMISS VIRGINIA CASE AGAINST SALVADORAN ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER SET TO BE DEPORTED

Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick said he will stay his decision until Friday morning to allow for Villatoro Santos’ counsel to explore other avenues, including appealing the decision. 

The DOJ initially moved to drop the case on April 9, shortly after his arrest. 

Villatoro Santos’ counsel responded in a court filing that he understands “the Government now intends to pursue the deportation of Mr. Villatoro Santos in lieu of prosecution.”

ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER NABBED BY PATEL’S FBI TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY FOR NOW, JUDGE RULES

“The above is a fairly straightforward procedural history,” the filing read. “But in the background of this routine legal process, the United States government, at its highest levels, has been publicly and loudly propagating allegations that Mr. Villatoro Santos ‘is one of the top leaders of MS-13’ and ‘one of the leaders for the East Coast, one of the top in the entire country,’ claims made by Attorney General Pam Bondi at a high-level press conference on March 27, 2025.”

“As a terrorist, he will now face the removal process,” Bondi told Fox News at the time.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter of the Eastern District of Virginia made an April 1 ruling to keep Villatoro Santos in custody. The defense was not seeking release at the time of the hearing. 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates. 

Fox News’ David Spunt and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is set to announce on Tuesday a $150 million federal grant to construct a new road and Port of Entry near the existing Otay Mesa facility in the San Diego-Baja, California region.

“These investments will enhance border security by providing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with state-of-the-art inspection facilities,” the U.S. Department of Transportation said in a release provided to Fox News Digital. “The new agreement also removed previous Green New Deal requirements, including a zero-emission vehicle charging provision, which was a waste of taxpayer funds and irrelevant to CBP’s national security mission.”

FLORIDA’S LARGEST VENEZUELAN STRONGHOLD POISED TO JOIN FORCES WITH ICE: REPORT

The new project will aim to build a “21st century border crossing” just east of the existing Otay Mesa facility, with the new facility featuring intelligent technologies to collect tolls, facilitate trade and increase inspection efficiency, the release notes.

In addition to being a more secure checkpoint, the new facility is also projected to reduce traffic congestion and lead to economic benefits throughout Southern California, moving freight from thousands of trucks that will pass through the facility to warehouses and distribution centers throughout the region.

BLUE STATE SHERIFFS COMBINE FORCES TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST SANCTUARY LAWS

The release notes that the Trump administration has inherited over 3,000 grants promoted during the previous administration that were never filled, leading to an “unprecedented backlog of unobligated grants delayed critical investments in communities across the country.”

“Thanks to the prior administration’s lack of focus, this critical project sat in limbo for two years. No more. We moved to finalize this deal so we can help protect our Southern border and crack down on drug trafficking while preventing tax dollars subsidizing pointless Green New Deal priorities,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy told Fox News Digital. “This department will continue to clear the previous administration’s unprecedented grant backlog and deliver results.”

Former President Joe Biden is expected to deliver what is billed as his first public speech since leaving the Oval Office, delivering the keynote address on Tuesday before the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD). 

“We are deeply honored President Biden is making his first public appearance at ACRD’s sold-out conference,” the group’s executive director, Rachel Buck, said in a press release provided to Fox Digital. The conference will be held in Chicago. 

“As bipartisan leaders have long agreed, Americans who retire after paying into Social Security their whole lives deserve the vital support and caring services they receive. As a result, we are thrilled the President will be joining us to discuss how we can work together for a stable and successful future for Social Security.”

The event is billed as the 46th president’s first public speech since leaving the White House, with the former president expected to address the conference sometime after 5 p.m. ET, Fox Digital learned. Biden, however, has delivered other public remarks since Jan. 20, Fox Digital found, including speaking before the National High School Model United Nations in March, which received little media attention, as well as joining an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers event this month. 

ACRD is an advocacy organization that works to equip “disability professionals with the tools, technology, and training to lead the industry forward,” according to its website. “Our mission is to empower and educate disability representatives by providing comprehensive training, fostering leadership skills, promoting technological proficiency, and offering valuable networking opportunities.” 

BIDEN’S TEAM HID TRUTH ABOUT HIS HEALTH ALL ALONG: WH PRESS SEC

Biden will headline the event, which will focus on strengthening Social Security, and will be joined by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and former Democrat Maryland Gov. and Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley, according to the press release.

Blunt reported in comments provided in the press release that discussions on Tuesday will focus on bolstering the Social Security system so it can meet the needs of Americans by “reducing red tape, strengthening claims processing, and ensuring unnecessary spending is eliminated.”

“Social Security is a sacred promise between generations,” O’Malley, who serves as chair of ACRD’s Advisory Board, added in the press release. “It’s a promise that ensures dignity in retirement, security after tragedy, and support for those with disabilities. We are deeply grateful to the President for joining us at ACRD to discuss how we can keep that promise for all Americans.”

BIDEN AIDES ‘SCRIPTED’ EVERYTHING, ALLOWED HIS FACULTIES TO ‘ATROPHY,’ NEW BOOK CLAIMS

Biden has been out of the public’s view since leaving the Oval Office on Jan. 20, when President Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th commander in chief. Biden attended the inauguration and was seen chatting with his successor after offering five family members pardons in the final minutes of his tenure, including to his two brothers and his sister. 

BIDEN ENDS BID FOR SECOND TERM IN WHITE HOUSE AS HE DROPS OUT OF HIS 2024 REMATCH WITH TRUMP

Biden was slated to face off against Trump for the second time during the 2024 presidential election cycle but dropped out of the running in July as concerns mounted over his mental acuity and age. Biden passed the torch to his then-vice president, Kamala Harris, who failed to rally enough support to defeat Trump after just over 100 days on the campaign trail. 

The Bidens have been spotted at various events since Trump’s Inauguration Day, including attending the opening night of “Othello” on Broadway last month in New York City and traveling to Santa Barbara County, California, immediately following the end of his administration. 

Biden has been spending his days in both Delaware and the nation’s capital since his Oval Office exit, with the 46th president working on his next memoir while meeting with various Democratic Party leaders such as DNC Chair Ken Martin, NBC News reported in March. 

Fox Digital reached out to Biden’s office for additional comment on the matter but did not immediately receive a reply.

As it aims to defend its razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is off to a fast fundraising start.

The NRCC, which is the House GOP’s campaign arm, announced on Tuesday that it “shattered records” with a $21.5 million fundraising haul last month, which it says was the committee’s best month of an off-year and the best March in NRCC history.

Last month’s fundraising fueled an overall $36.7 million haul during the January-March first quarter of 2025. The NRCC showcased that its fundraising in the past three months was its strongest off-year first quarter, outpacing by nearly $11 million what it brought in during the same period in the 2024 election cycle.

The NRCC also highlighted that it had $23.9 million cash on hand heading into April and that it had paid down its debt to $4.5 million, which it said was ahead of its pace in the 2024 cycle.

CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS TARGETING THESE HOUSE REPUBLICANS IN 2026 MIDTERM BATTLE

“The NRCC is on offense and fueled by unstoppable momentum and widespread support,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella emphasized.

Marinella claimed that “while out of touch House Democrats are fighting amongst themselves, we’re charging toward 2026 with unmatched energy, ready to grow our House majority and continue delivering results for the American people.”

The NRCC’s first-quarter haul does not include the eye-popping $35.2 million it says it brought in at a fundraiser earlier this month in the nation’s capital that was headlined by President Donald Trump. Those funds will be included in the committee’s second quarter figures.

WERE THIS MONTH’S ELECTIONS IN WISCONSIN AND FLORIDA A CRYSTAL BALL FOR THINGS TO COME IN NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERMS?

The rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) had yet to announce its first quarter fundraising at the time this report was posted. The DCCC outraised the NRCC $11.1 million to $9.2 million in February fundraising.

Republicans currently control the House with a fragile 220-213 majority, with two blue-leaning vacant seats likely to be back in the hands of Democrats when special elections in those districts are held later this year.

Fundraising is a crucial component to the GOP’s game plan to keep control.

When asked what concerns him the most when it comes to defending the House majority, NRCC Chair Rep. Richard Hudson said in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this month that “Democrats have a structural advantage when it comes to fundraising. They always seem to have just mountains of money. So I think the amount of money the Democrats raise is probably the only thing that really concerns me.”

“We have to raise enough money to keep up with the Democrats and make sure that our candidates can get their message out,” Hudson emphasized.

POLL POSITION: WHERE TRUMP STANDS WITH AMERICANS 11 WEEKS INTO HIS SECOND TOUR OF DUTY IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Hudson, a North Carolina Republican and 12-year veteran of the House, said that “the President understands that he’s got to keep the House majority in the midterm so that he has a four-year runway, instead of a two-year runway to get his agenda enacted.”

Pointing to the House Democratic leader, Hudson added, “Speaker Hakeem Jeffries would fight President Trump on every front, and it would be really difficult for him to achieve his agenda. President Trump understands it’s important to hold the House and he’s, he’s been extremely helpful to us and we appreciate it.”

The DCCC is taking aim at nearly three dozen Republican-held seats in the chamber as it aims to win back the majority. Earlier this month, the House Democrats’ campaign arm released its initial 2026 target list, which included 35 GOP-controlled seats, and launched an effort to fundraise for the party’s eventual nominees in each of the districts.

The DCCC emphasized that their moves signal that “Democrats are on offense and poised to win the majority in 2026.”

A federal judge has ordered the North Carolina Board of Elections to begin implementing a state Supreme Court decision in the last unresolved 2024 election in the country. 

The North Carolina Supreme Court issued a decision on Friday that partially overturned a ruling from a week earlier by a panel of the intermediate-level Court of Appeals that had favored Republican Jefferson Griffin. Griffin is trailing Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs by a razor-thin margin of 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast last fall in the election for a seat on the state’s highest court. Griffin formally protested more than 65,000 ballots covering three categories.

The largest category of challenged voters — roughly 60,000 — included ballots cast last fall by people who have been registered to vote since 2004, but their records lack a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number.

Friday’s prevailing opinion said the Court of Appeals got it wrong by declaring these ballots shouldn’t have been counted. The opinion said the blame rests with the State Board of Elections for failing for years to properly collect those numerical identifiers, not the voters. These voters ultimately proved their identity by complying with the state’s new photo ID law, and longtime legal precedent says such mistakes by election officials cannot result in cast votes being voided, the order reads.

FEDERAL JUDGE KICKS BATTLE OVER NC SUPREME COURT ELECTION BACK TO STATE COURT

The state board of elections said in a statement on Monday that it will provide, “as soon as possible,” detailed instructions “to the affected counties and voters on how to comply with the decision.”

“The Supreme Court decision removed from the protest voters whose voter registration forms did not include a driver’s license number or last four digits of a Social Security number (and didn’t check the box indicating they lacked these numbers). Those voters – the largest group of voters challenged by the protest – no longer must provide that information to their county boards of elections to ensure their votes for the supreme court contest count in the 2024 general election,” the state board said. 

But a majority of justices — all registered Republicans — let stand the lower court’s determination that additional ballots from two other categories that Griffin contested were wrongly allowed in the tally. Some of these voters, potentially thousands who serve in the military or live overseas, would still get a chance to turn in a photo identification or an ID exception form for their choice in the race to remain in the count, the court’s prevailing order says. 

The state Supreme Court also agreed to throw out votes from people who had never lived in North Carolina or the United States altogether. 

“The Supreme Court decision, however, would require challenged military and overseas-citizen voters who submitted an absentee ballot to provide a copy of their photo identification, or a Photo ID Exception Form, to ensure their votes for the supreme court contest count in the 2024 general election,” the state board of elections said Monday. “The decision would also require certain county boards of elections to identify and remove from the count – in the Supreme Court contest only – the votes from U.S. citizen voters who have never lived in the United States but have parental connections to North Carolina.” 

Riggs and the State Board of Elections, which had previously thrown out Griffin’s formal protests of the more than 65,000 ballots, had previously signaled plans to return to federal court if necessary, if the justices sided with Griffin to potentially plead violations of federal elections and voting rights laws. Riggs’ attorneys filed a motion late Friday in U.S. District Court in Raleigh asking a judge to issue an injunction preventing the state appeals court decisions from being carried out immediately.

DEM TAKES AIM AT TRUMP IN 2026 SENATE LAUNCH VIDEO FOR ‘TANKING OUR ECONOMY’

U.S. Chief District Judge Richard Myers – who was nominated by President Donald Trump during his first term – on Saturday ordered the state board of elections to comply with the plan set forth by the Supreme Court to resolve the election dispute. Meyers set an April 15 deadline for the state board of elections to “provide notice to the court of the scope of its remedial efforts, including the number of potentially affected voters and the counties in which those voters cast ballots.” 

The judge also gave both parties until April 20 to submit opening briefs and until April 28 to submit final briefs in the case. 

Myers ordered the state Supreme Court not to certify the election results “pending further order of this court.” It’s unknown whether the outstanding ballots that could ultimately get taken out of the count could flip the result to Griffin, himself a current Court of Appeals judge. Griffin did not sit on the three-judge panel whose majority ruled for him last week, and Riggs did not participate in the Supreme Court deliberations.

Riggs, meanwhile, hosted a “Protect Our Votes” rally in the state capital of Raleigh on Monday. 

“I will not give up on my fight to protect those fighting for us,” Riggs, whose father and brother served in the military, said, according to WRAL. “This presents a very real burden and threat to North Carolina voters in uniform, North Carolina voters who are missionaries serving on the mission field, foreign service officers, students studying abroad The threat is real, the burden is real, and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that their vote counts.”

Republican strategist Paul Schumaker issued a statement on behalf of Griffin saying Friday’s ruling “is consistent with our request, and clearly, the matter warrants a thorough review, which the Courts have set forth. “

“What is most disturbing is Justice Riggs’ desire to hold interviews and rallies to litigate this case outside of the Courts,” Schumaker said, according to WRAL. “Justice Riggs clearly is a judicial activist who believes judges should make new laws, not interpret the laws enacted by the state legislature.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has become the latest government agency to join President Donald Trump’s deportation push, showing the president’s whole-of-government approach to keeping a key campaign promise.

“This is the Trump administration using every tool it has in its toolbox to crack down on illegal immigration,” Tom Jones, the executive director of the American Accountability Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

The comments come as the SSA sifts through the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are in the country under “temporary parole” status that was granted during the Biden administration and allowed those migrants to have Social Security numbers in order to work.

FLORIDA’S LARGEST VENEZUELAN STRONGHOLD POISED TO JOIN FORCES WITH ICE: REPORT

Trump administration officials claim that more than 6,300 of those people are on the FBI terrorist watch list or have FBI criminal records, according to a report from Axios.

The SSA began moving the names of those migrants on the terrorist watch list to its “Death Master File,” its current database of dead people, the report notes, adding that the agency has since moved those names to the “Ineligible Master File.”

The move to tap the SSA comes as Trump has used every resource at his disposal to continue his deportation push, coming after the president used military forces to help secure the border and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to begin cross-checking information for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

But not everyone has been fully on board with Trump’s aggressive push, with the IRS and ICE partnerships leading to the resignation of IRS Acting Commissioner Melanie Krause last week.

BLUE STATE SHERIFFS COMBINE FORCES TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST SANCTUARY LAWS

Similar scenarios could play out at the SSA, with some of the agency’s staff expressing concern over the data-sharing agreement.

“Some agency staff have since checked the names and Social Security numbers of some of the youngest immigrants against data the agency typically uses to search for criminal history and found no evidence of crimes or law enforcement interactions,” some staffers told the Washington Post.

Jones believes the defections are an example of why Trump’s shakeup of the federal workforce is long overdue.

“The fact that IRS leadership resigned over cooperating with ICE shows exactly why there needs to be a concerned effort to ensure that the federal workforce is composed of leaders who are willing to implement the president’s agenda,” Jones said. “For every three senior officials who resign, there are dozens of civil servants below the radar screen who are in place and still able to obstruct the president’s agenda.”

Nevertheless, Jones expects Trump to continue using whatever resources possible to make good on his immigration agenda.

“The Social Security Administration is just one example. I suspect we will also see places like OSHA, which has staff on job sites, using their inspectors to target illegal alien workers and the businesses that employ them,” Jones said. “This administration has been waiting years to deploy an aggressive America First playbook they built during four years in the wilderness.”

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is working through a backlog of roughly 3,200 grant awards that did not have signed agreements to go with them, which Secretary Sean Duffy said was inherited from when former Secretary Pete Buttigieg oversaw the department.

“Since coming into office, my team has discovered an unprecedented backlog of grants leftover from the previous administration,” Duffy revealed a couple of weeks ago in a statement.

Most recently, one of these backlogged grants was the Washington Bridge in Rhode Island, which has been closed since 2023 on its westbound side until proper repairs are made, according to the Rhode Island state government.

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“This backlog, along with ridiculous DEI and Green New Deal requirements, prevented real infrastructure from being built and funded. Under the Trump Administration, we’ve ripped out this red tape and are getting back to what matters,” Duffy said. “As part of our work to deliver real results, we are pleased to announce $221 million in grants for Rhode Island’s Washington Bridge — a critical link that carries thousands of vehicles a day.”

A DOT spokesperson told Fox News Digital on background that the backlog totals $43 billion and that 1,000 grant winners were selected by the Biden administration after Trump won but before then-President Joe Biden left office, which made up for $9 billion of the total needing to be made official. 

However, the department said that “nothing was done to actually get these grant agreements signed and sent to projects.”

The DOT further noted that they are “quickly reviewing” the grants and looking at “executive grant agreements” when it comes to major infrastructure projects like roads and bridges.

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When it comes to the grant awards for roads and bridges, Duffy noted in an April 10 Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump that “most of them are good” but said that while the Biden administration announced the grants, many of those agreements did not end up getting signed and dealt with.

Duffy also reiterated that the projects also had “green and social justice requirements.”

“Take it out,” Trump said.

“We’re pulling all that out and putting the money toward the infrastructure and not the social movement from the last administration,” the secretary responded.

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“Good steel, as opposed to green paper mache,” the president quipped to laughs in the room.

The Trump administration has been adamant overall about scrutinizing federal funds that were doled out through grants, especially if they were believed to have ideological strings attached. Shortly after Duffy’s confirmation, he scrapped the DOT Equity Council and other “environmental justice” related measures.

The DOT has also notably placed the California high-speed rail project under federal investigation for its funds, as the cost of the project continues to rise, as critics of the project say little results have emerged so far. 

Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted, who was sworn in as a Senator less than three months ago, spoke to Fox News Digital about receiving the “complete and total” endorsement of President Donald Trump to run again next year.

“When Governor DeWine appointed me to the U.S. Senate, I promised that if I took the job, that I would run to keep the job and then this week, President Trump really gave me a big boost when he announced on True Social that he was endorsing me, that I had his complete and total endorsement,” Husted, who was recently appointed to replace now-Vice President JD Vance in the U.S. Senate, told Fox News Digital. 

“He said a lot of really kind things about me,” Husted continued. “And that was a great boost to the work that we’re going to do, because President Trump has been the decisive factor in the last two U.S. Senate races in Ohio.”

Husted must run again next year in a special election to earn the right to serve out the rest of Vance’s term, which runs through 2028. 

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Trump’s endorsement of Vance was widely considered the moment that put him over the top when he won the Ohio Senate seat in 2022. Trump’s endorsement was also a key factor in GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno’s toppling of longtime Dem. Sen. Sherrod Brown in November. 

“President Trump has won Ohio three times, and I’ve been a candidate and won statewide four times,” Husted said. “So the combination of my work and President Trump’s endorsement is a big boost to my election prospects.”

Husted told Fox News Digital that “a lot’s happened” since he was sworn into office.

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“I’ve never worked in Washington, but this is really a record pace for the U.S. Senate in getting a president’s confirmations done,” Husted said. “We’ve also got the reconciliation package through both the House and the Senate, which is gonna set forth the process for getting President Trump’s agenda accomplished on preserving tax cuts for working families and small businesses, towards securing the border and deporting illegal immigrant criminals.”

“All of those things are important priorities of the presidents, and we’ve leaned in hard. We’ve spent sometimes into the weekends working to get that agenda accomplished, so President Trump and the Republican team could be successful. And that’s my introduction to the U.S. Senate, and I look forward to continuing to serve.”

It is unclear who Husted will be running against in next year’s election, although some have speculated that Brown, who was defeated by Moreno in November, could be interested. 

Husted told Fox News Digital he is not “worried” about who his opponent will be in a race that will be closely watched given the 53-47 GOP majority in the Senate. 

“I just take care of my own work and what that means is spending time with the people of the state of Ohio, going to Washington, getting my work done there, and delivering on the promise of the America first agenda which means securing our border, installing common sense values, making sure that men aren’t playing women’s sports, and invading their locker rooms,” Husted said.

“It’s also focused on the economy, doing Made in America, because you can’t do Made in America without Made in Ohio, because we are the heart of it all. We make the things that people need to live and thrive. And if you can put all those things together, a great campaign, work hard, deliver on the policies, that’s good politics and that will result in an election victory.”

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Trump posted on Truth Social last week that Husted is a “wonderful man” that is “doing an incredible job.”

“Jon Husted has my Complete and Total Endorsement — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

Husted spoke to Fox News Digital about what he hopes he and the GOP Senate will continue to accomplish in the next 100 days, which includes the president’s tax package, balancing the budget, restoring fiscal sanity and adding some “predictability” to the tax code. 

“I also want to bring my own game to the Senate by showing people the work that we did in regulatory reform in Ohio,” Husted said. 

“We eliminated 5 million of 17 million words in the Ohio regulatory code. I want to do that for America. I wanna use the AI tools that we used in Ohio to do regulatory reform at the nation’s capital. If you looked at the federal regulatory code, it would be 35 feet tall if it were a book, and it would take you over three years to read. I wanna cut that down. I wanna make the regulatory code make sense to people so that average Americans can actually use it and understand it. And that will unleash the American spirit of entrepreneurship, save people time and money.”