President Donald Trump told reporters Monday afternoon that he was “looking” into potential part-specific tariff exemptions for carmakers, underscoring Trump’s stance that it is important to be “flexible” amid the current trade negotiations.

Trump’s signal about a potential reprieve for auto manufacturers comes after the administration moved to exempt electronic devices — such as smartphones, iPhones and laptops — from the president’s reciprocal tariffs on Friday. Trump’s decision to provide certain exemptions falls in line with his stance that it is crucial to be “flexible” amid the ongoing trade negotiations, but Democrats have criticized the recent exemptions for adding more uncertainty to the situation.

“I’m looking at something to help some of the car companies, where they are switching to parts that were made in Canada, Mexico and other places,” the president told reporters from the Oval Office Monday afternoon, during a meeting with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. “They’re going to make them here, but they need a little bit of time — so I’m talking about things like that.”

TRUMP, BUKELE FIND COMMON CAUSE ON TRANS SPORTS BAN AND BORDER CRACKDOWN

While talking to reporters, Trump also reiterated comments he made last week about the need to be flexible amid the ongoing tariff negotiations with various countries. 

“Look, I’m a very flexible person. I don’t change my mind, but I’m flexible, and you have to be. You just can’t have a wall, and you’ll only — sometimes you have to go around it, under it or above it,” Trump told reporters. “There will be maybe things coming… I don’t want to hurt anybody, but the end result is we’re going to get to the position of greatness for our country.”

A notice published by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol on Friday indicated that smartphones, computers and other electronics would be spared from Trump’s 145% import tariffs on Chinese goods. However, the electronics will still be subject to semiconductor tariffs and tariffs related to fentanyl, per the administration and the president. 

TRUMP’S TARIFF BLITZ NOW EXEMPTING ELECTRICAL GOODS LIKE PHONES, LAPTOPS

Trump signaled last week after he paused reciprocal tariff increases on 75 countries that showed a good-faith effort to negotiate new trade deals that he was open to providing exemptions for certain U.S. companies inordinately impacted by the tariffs. 

The president’s signal that more relief could be on the way for carmakers comes after he already provided the industry with a one-month reprieve from the 25% tariffs imposed on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico, implemented March 4, after speaking with executives with three of the country’s largest auto dealers.

While Trump has characterized his willingness to provide tariff relief as a sign he is willing to be flexible, Democrats have described the moves to provide relief for certain industries as chaotic and corrupt.

“I told Fareed Zakaria this morning: When you start giving an exemption here and an exemption there on tariffs, it’s introducing all kinds of corruption into the system,” Lawrence Summers, former Clinton and Obama administration economic advisor, said Sunday. “It’s introducing what economists call rent seeking, where it’s hugely advantageous for people to be friends of the first family and hugely advantageous for people to hire lobbyists. So, the big boom that’s being created with tariffs is in a crony capitalism.”

TRUMP VOWS NOBODY GETTING ‘OFF THE HOOK’ FOR ‘UNFAIR’ TRADE BALANCES, SAYS THERE WAS NO TARIFF ‘EXCEPTION’

“Look, there is no tariff policy. It’s just all chaos and corruption,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., added in an interview with ABC News over the weekend. “These guys are into chaos and into corruption, and this is the reason that it is time for Congress to step up and to say, under the authority that the president is currently using by declaring these national emergencies — no — the law says specifically Congress can just say, ‘There’s no national emergency across the board here,’ and revoke that authority from the president. That will mean we can go back to having actually a real tariff policy. Congress will have its position in place, and then we can negotiate where we need to negotiate, but we got to stop this craziness.”

Meanwhile, in a weekend Truth Social post following criticism from the likes of people like Warren and Summers, the president sought to defend the move to provide some relief to the electronics industry.

“NOBODY is getting ‘off the hook’ for the unfair trade balances, and Non Monetary Tariff Barriers, that other countries have used against us, especially not China which, by far, treats us the worst!” said Trump. 

“There was no tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday,” Trump declared in the post, noting that electronics will still be subject to a 20% tariff related to fentanyl. “They are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’ The Fake News knows this, but refuses to report it. We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, and to inquire about further details regarding the potential temporary tariff relief for automakers, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

During remarks in Vice President JD Vance’s home state, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., contrasted his vision for America’s “new economic patriotism” with the future of the Republican Party with Vance at the helm. 

Considered a 2028 presidential contender in an already crowded field, Khanna’s remarks at the City Club of Cleveland seemed to frame an early rivalry between the rising political leaders from opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. 

While Democratic leaders, who are likely mulling their own presidential runs, have seized opportunities to contrast President Donald Trump’s agenda, Khanna took aim at Trump’s likely successor during remarks on Monday. 

“Vance and Musk want to completely get government out of the way to usher in a new Gilded Age, so that corporate elites, particularly tech titans, can take the wheel,” Khanna said. “I say it’s time to turn the tables. It’s time to put Silicon Valley in the service of America, not America in the service of Silicon Valley. That’s why today I’m calling for a new economic patriotism. What we need in this country is a new economic patriotism, not a second Gilded Age.”

VANCE DOUBLES DOWN AFTER TRUMP ADMIN ADMITS ‘ERROR’ SENDING MAN TO SALVADORAN PRISON

Khanna, who was born in Philadelphia, touted his ties to Ohio during remarks in Cleveland, where his wife was born and raised. Khanna said Trump and Vance campaigned on restoring economic prosperity to industrial American cities but have presented “no hopeful vision, no real solutions” for manufacturing cities in the Rust Belt like Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and Warren, Ohio. Now representing California’s Silicon Valley, Khanna called for “fusing Silicon Valley’s ingenuity with Ohio’s industrial might.”

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Ohio GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou responded to Khanna’s remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital: “Ro Khanna is a far-left socialist from one of the wealthiest and wokest congressional districts in America. He served as an official surrogate for both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. This speech is nothing but another desperate plea for attention from another elitist politician wholly out-of-touch with Middle Class voters like those in Ohio.”

“His remarks remind Americans that California extremist liberals like Ro Khanna are responsible for enabling open borders, mass illegal immigration, and the out-of-control government spending of the Biden regime. He should’ve stayed in California.”

While Khanna did attack Trump’s tariffs and “propaganda,” Khanna was careful to target the joint “Trump and Vance” agenda, critique Vance individually and increasingly connect Vance to Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Khanna tied Vance to anti-democracy ideology, his “old” ideas for the United States and his tax breaks for Silicon Valley, which Khanna said they don’t need. 

With the U.S. House of Representatives on recess this week, Khanna is crisscrossing the country and visiting communities tied to his potential political opponent. Khanna visited the manufacturing town of Warren, Ohio, on Sunday, which is across the state from where Vance was born and raised in Middletown. 

Khanna will continue his Democratic rebuttal of the future of the Republican Party at Yale Law School on Tuesday, where both Khanna and Vance are graduates. 

“I’m going actually to Yale tomorrow, where JD and I both went to law school, to talk about freedom of speech because he’s been lecturing Europe about freedom of speech while sitting silently while students are snatched off campus and deported without due process.”

During the Munich Security Conference in February, Vance said free speech “is in retreat” across Europe. On Monday, Khanna called for Americans to stand up and speak out against “deportations without due process” – referring to anti-Israel protesters and illegal immigrants who have been targeted by the Trump administration. 

Khanna and Vance have already had their fair share of sparring on social media. Earlier this year, Vance accused the California congressman of acting like a “whiny” child after Khanna said a former DOGE employee should apologize for racially charged social media posts. Khanna told Vance the now-resigned staffer should apologize “for the sake of both of our kids,” who are both of Indian dissent. 

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Vance’s office did not provide a comment when requested by Fox News Digital. 

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is showcasing the backing of two powerful labor unions as he runs for mayor of the nation’s most populous city.

The former three-term Democratic governor, who resigned amid multiple scandals in 2021, was endorsed on Monday by the labor groups 32BJ SEIU and Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, which represent building service workers and hotel and casino employees.

The endorsements, which are highly coveted in heavily unionized New York City, will likely further cement Cuomo’s frontrunner status in June’s Democratic Party mayoral primary, as he runs to oust embattled Mayor Eric Adams from City Hall.

“The members of @32BJSEIU and @NYHTC are the backbone of NY. They clean our buildings, run our hotels, care for our communities, and keep this city moving. Without a strong middle class, no city can survive – let alone thrive – and right now, we are dangerously close to losing them,” Cuomo warned in a statement on social media.

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And he highlighted that “I have fought for and alongside the men and women of 32BJ and HTC for years – their faith in me is a tremendous boost for our campaign and I am proud to have their endorsement.”

The two unions, which combined have over 120,000 workers in their ranks, are the latest organized labor groups to back Cuomo.

WHO’S THE FRONT-RUNNER IN NEW YORK CITY’S MAYORAL RACE 

Cuomo’s March 1 campaign launch, into an already crowded field of contenders, rocked the race. With over two months to go until the June 24 primary, Cuomo is the clear polling and fundraising frontrunner in the race for the Democratic mayoral nomination. And the winner of the Democratic primary will be considered the overwhelming frontrunner in November’s mayoral election in solidly blue New York City.

But now that the 2025 mayoral race is Cuomo’s to lose, his rivals are zeroing in on the former governor’s immense political baggage.

Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations – which he has repeatedly denied – forced his resignation as governor in August 2021. He was also under investigation for his handling of the COVID pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes.

The former governor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

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Adams’ poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged “long-running” scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials.

The mayor made repeated overtures to now-President Donald Trump, and in February the Justice Department moved to dismiss the corruption charges, so he could seemingly work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown.

The top federal prosecutor in New York City resigned rather than comply, and argued that the mayor had agreed to a quid pro quo with the Justice Department.

In a final move, a federal judge earlier this month dismissed the Justice Department case against the mayor, but argued that the Trump administration’s grounds for having the case dropped “smacks of a bargain”.

A few days later, Adams announced that he would forgo the Democratic primary and run for re-election as an independent.

Police arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly sending threatening messages to director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and her husband.

The DOJ announced the arrest of Aliakbar Mohammed Amin on Monday, saying he had sent threatening text messages to Gabbard between March 29 and April 1.

The threats included Amin allegedly writing, “You and your family are going to die soon” and “I will personally do the job if necessary.”

“Death to America means death to America literally, Tulsi is living on borrowed time,” another text read.

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“The home you two own in Texas is a legitimate target and will be hit at a time and place of our choosing,” another said.

“Prepare to die, you, Tulsi, and everyone you hold dear. America will burn,” Amin allegedly wrote in another text.

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“Threatening to harm public officials is a criminal act that cannot be excused as political discourse,” Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. said in a statement regarding the arrest.  “Our Office, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, will vigorously prosecute individuals who commit these acts of violence.”

Police apprehended Amin in Lilburn, Georgia, on April 11. He faces charges of transmitting interstate threats to injure Gabbard.

“The FBI sees all threatening communications as a serious federal offense. We will employ every investigative tool and resource available to identify those responsible and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Let this arrest serve as a clear warning: if you engage in this kind of criminal behavior, you will be caught and you will go to prison.”

Federal agents say they also discovered similar threats allegedly made by Amin in social media posts, including an image depicting a firearm pointed at a photograph of Gabbard, and a second image of a firearm pointed at a photograph of Gabbard and her husband.

Federal agents recovered a firearm while executing a warrant to search Amin’s home.

President Donald Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele share common ground on banning biological men from women’s sports – underscoring the growing alignment between their administrations as they coordinate efforts to curb illegal immigration to the U.S.

“Do you allow men to play in women’s sports? Do you allow men to box your women?” Trump asked Bukele from the Oval Office on Monday. Trump’s comments came after discussing immigration and implementing “common sense” policies. 

“That’s violence,” Bukele said in response.

“That’s abusive… but we have people that fight to the death because they think men should be able to play in women’s sports,” Trump said. 

STATE DEPT UPGRADES TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR EL SALVADOR, CONSIDERED SAFER THAN FRANCE, OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Bukele then said that despite previous efforts to advance women’s rights and prevent abuse, new efforts would “backtrack” on these initiatives and perpetuate violence against women instead. 

“I think those laws were great because there were a lot of men abusing women, but now some of the same people are trying to backtrack and actually trying to make new laws allowing men to abuse women, as in sports,” Bukele said. “So actually, that doesn’t make sense.”

Trump signed an executive order in February barring those assigned male at birth from competing in women’s sports, titled, “No Men in Women’s Sports.” The order bans those assigned male at birth from using women’s restrooms and orders the Department of Education to spearhead investigations into cases of possible violations. 

In response, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced that it would follow the guidance and permit only those assigned female at birth to participate in women’s sports.

“The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes. We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement in February. 

Pete Marocco, the official who oversaw the dismantling of USAID, has now parted ways with the agency. 

Marocco, who served in the Defense, State and Commerce departments, was known as a conservative firebrand with a deep skepticism of foreign aid. His tenure sparked fierce protests on Capitol Hill and drew sharp criticism from Democrats, who celebrated his exit but said questions remain about the future of U.S. foreign aid.

“Pete was brought to State with a big mission to conduct an exhaustive review of every dollar spent on foreign assistance,” a senior administration official said of the departure. “He conducted that historic task and exposed egregious abuses of taxpayer dollars. We all expect big things are in store for Pete on his next mission.”

After President Donald Trump merged USAID with the State Department, Secretary Marco Rubio named Marocco acting deputy administrator of the agency, and he went to work whittling down the $40-billion, 10,000-employee USAID office. 

THOUSANDS OF USAID TERMINATIONS TO TAKE EFFECT BY SEPTEMBER IN AGENCY’S FINAL LEG OF ‘DRAWDOWN’

Of the agency’s 6,000 programs, only about 900 will now continue to operate, Rubio said on a podcast with Donald Trump Jr. last week.

In the past, USAID did not adhere to State Department authority and “did whatever they wanted,” according to Rubio. 

In a March 19 op-ed for RealClearPolitics, Marocco argued that U.S. foreign aid has “created a global welfare state, committed unwelcome political interventions, encouraged unsustainable international labor unions (communism), made countries less capable of thriving in the modern global economy, and funded international organizations that spite our great country.”

Marocco learned he would no longer be employed at the State Department late last week, sources told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news. 

USAID is now being run by a DOGE official. 

Democrats celebrated the departure of Marocco. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, ranking member of the State and Foreign Operations subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, said Marocco brought “chaos to USAID, reckless and unlawful policy to the State Department, and dismantled long-standing U.S. foreign policy.”

APPEALS COURT RULES DOGE CAN CONTINUE OPERATING AT USAID

“With his exit, serious questions still remain about the influence he leaves behind and whether or not Secretary Rubio plans to take actions that advance the mission and credibility of the United States,” Schatz added. 

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran with a master’s degree in international humanitarian law from the University of Oxford, Marocco worked in USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives in 2020 and was the subject of a 13-page memo posted in the agency’s “dissent channel,” in which employees warned that “operational capacity and strategic efficacy have been and continue to be rapidly degraded” under his leadership.

The memo said Marocco had wanted to personally approve all expenditures over $10,000 for the office with a budget of $225 million.

“He has leveraged once-routine administrative processes to reopen previously-approved plans, interrogate and redirect country programs, halt movement on programs, procurements, and people, and inject uncertainty into daily operations and office planning,” the memo said. “Intervention is urgently needed.” 

Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters Monday that it is “up to El Salvador” whether they will choose to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident deported in what Trump officials have acknowledged was an “administrative error,” saying that if the country chooses to do so, then the U.S. would “provide a plane.”

Her remarks came as President Donald Trump hosted El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele at the White House on Monday for a bilateral summit focused largely on immigration – and the hundreds of migrants deported by the U.S. to El Salvador for detention in the country’s maximum-security prison.

When asked by reporters Monday about Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was deported in error to El Salvador, Bondi said the matter was up to Bukele’s administration.

“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us,” Bondi said. 

STEPHEN MILLER DOUBLES DOWN ON DEPORTATION OF ALLEGED GANG MEMBER: ‘NOT MISTAKENLY SENT’

“The Supreme Court ruled precedent that if El Salvador wanted to return him,” she continued. “This is international matters, foreign affairs.”

Bondi said that “if they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it – meaning to provide a plane,” Bondi said.

The Supreme Court ruled last week that a lower court’s order “requires the government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.”

Bukele received a warm welcome from Trump, who praised the Salvadorian leader as a “fantastic” president who is “taking care of a lot of problems,” including accepting hundreds of U.S. migrants into their detention facility, part of a roughly $6 million deal struck by U.S. officials and El Salvador earlier this year. 

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller doubled down on Bondi’s assertion, noting that Abrego Garcia is a Salvadorian national. 

“It’s very arrogant, even for American media, to suggest that we would even tell El Salvador how to handle their own citizens as a starting point,” Miller told reporters, claiming that “two courts” had found Abrego Garcia to be a member of the MS-13 gang.

In fact, Abrego Garcia was granted temporary protection status in the U.S. by a court in 2019 from being removed to El Salvador, after it determined he would face criminal prosecution from gangs if he were removed to his home country.

Bukele, for his part, did not seem to think he had the authority to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., suggesting Monday that the move would be beyond the scope of his authorities.

“How can I smuggle a terrorist into the U.S.? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States,” Bukele said.

FEDERAL JUDGE HAMMERS DOJ ON WHEREABOUTS OF ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER FOLLOWING SCOTUS ORDER

Also in attendance at Monday’s meeting were several members of Trump’s Cabinet, including the aforementioned Bondi, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and an architect of Trump’s immigration policies. 

The meeting comes as El Salvador has received hundreds of migrants from the U.S., including more than 200 Venezuelan nationals abruptly removed in March under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, and alleged members of the Salvadorian gang MS-13.

Most recently, U.S. officials said they deported 10 more migrants to El Salvador over the weekend. 

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, and one Maryland resident whom U.S. officials acknowledged was wrongfully deported.

In March, after the first migrant flights arrived in El Salvador despite a federal judge’s order that the flights be “immediately” returned to U.S. soil, Bukele took to social media to mockingly share footage of their arrival.

“Oopsie…Too late,” he said on X, using an irreverent tone slightly emblematic of Trump’s own style. 

‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO

El Salvador has already accepted hundreds of migrants from the U.S., drawing praise from President Trump and other hard-line immigration hawks – but critics warn the removals may violate due process protections under the U.S. Constitution. Immigration advocates have also raised concerns that deported individuals have not had a chance to challenge their removals in court. 

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said on Monday that he has requested a meeting with Bukele this week to discuss the return of Abrego Garcia. He said in a letter Monday that he has met with Abrego Garcia’s family members, including his wife and brother, who expressed to him that they are “extremely concerned” about his safety. 

“If Kilmar is not home by midweek – I plan to travel to El Salvador this week to check on his condition and discuss his release,” Van Hollen said.

Most recently, a federal judge ordered Trump officials last week to provide the court with daily updates about its efforts to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia, the wrongfully deported Maryland resident.

In a court filing submitted Sunday evening, Justice Department lawyers argued they are not required to comply with a judge’s order to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia, who was sent to El Salvadorian prison in what administration officials have since acknowledged was an “administrative error.”

They argued that the order itself likely exceeds the power of the courts, arguing they “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.”

Meanwhile, 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.  

Noem on Monday praised the Supreme Court’s recent emergency ruling that upholds, for now, the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to more quickly deport certain migrants.

The Supreme Court’s ruling “was a very clear message to other judges across this country … [to] stop acting like you have the authority to dictate foreign policy and national security decisions that the president is making to protect its citizens,” she said in an interview on “Fox & Friends.”

“We need to stop this, stop allowing liberal judges to try to dictate what President Trump is doing to make America safe again,” she said. “I’m grateful for the Supreme Court’s decision, and I’m hopeful that we can have a new path forward where the president and his powers are recognized.”

Governors across the country who are rumored as fellow potential 2028 presidential candidates united behind Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Penn., after an arsonist set fire to the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg early Sunday morning.

Cody Balmer, 38, was arrested after allegedly setting fire to the residence while Shapiro and his family slept inside. Shapiro, who is Jewish, said he and his family were forced to evacuate their home after celebrating the first night of Passover.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., who is rumored to be mulling a 2028 presidential run along with Shapiro, thanked first responders and said it must have been disturbing for the governor to wake up to such a scene on the first night of Passover. 

Another potential presidential candidate, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., added that no one “should ever be targeted for doing their job or standing up for what they believe in.”

PENNSYLVANIA POLICE ARREST SUSPECT AFTER GOVERNOR’S MANSION SET ON FIRE WHILE GOV JOSH SHAPIRO, FAMILY SLEPT

Gov. Gavin Newsom, also considered a likely 2028 presidential contender, said it was “disturbing and disgusting” that someone set fire to Shapiro’s home while his family slept. 

The National Governors Association Chair, Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., another potential 2028 presidential candidate, condemned the attacks in a joint statement with Vice Chair Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., on Sunday, extending solidarity and support “on behalf of the nation’s governors” to Shapiro.

“We strongly condemn all acts of violence and ask our citizens to rise above these kinds of destructive actions,” the governors said in a statement. 

A 2023 Reuters study revealed the United States is experiencing the largest sustained increase in political violence since the 1970s. Exactly nine months before Shapiro’s family was targeted in their home – just across the critical presidential battleground state – an attempted assassin fired shots at President Donald Trump as he addressed a crowd of supporters, shooting Trump in the ear and killing Corey Comperatore, a Pennsylvania father and former fire chief. 

PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR’S MANSION ATTACK SUSPECT CODY BALMER ADMITTED ‘HARBORING HATRED’ TOWARD SHAPIRO: POLICE

Trump was the target of another assassination attempt two months later at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A more recent study by the Network Contagion Research Institute released this April revealed that 38% of respondents said it was “at least somewhat justified” to murder Trump. 

The same study analyzed the surge in attacks on Tesla cars and dealerships since Elon Musk was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency during Trump’s second term. Nearly 40% of respondents said it was “somewhat acceptable” to destroy a Tesla dealership in protest. 

“This type of violence is not okay,” Shapiro told reporters outside the damaged governor’s mansion on Sunday. “This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society, and I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another, or one particular person or another. It is not okay and it has to stop. We have to be better than this. We have a responsibility to all be better.”

“No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly,” Shapiro said, although no motive for the attack has been released by authorities beyond Balmer “harboring hatred” toward Shapiro. 

Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Penn., who have both said to expect announcements this summer on whether they will challenge Shapiro in Pennsylvania’s 2026 gubernatorial election, thanked law enforcement as Meuser condemned the violence. 

Vice President JD Vance, who could be the future of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement and could potentially face off against one of the Democratic governors in 2028, thanked God that Shapiro and his family were not harmed during the attack and called it “disgusting violence.”

Trump responded to the arson Monday, telling reporters, “Certainly, a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”

High-profile “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar effectively closed the door on rumors she would seek Minnesota’s open Senate seat in 2026, with an announcement launching a House re-election bid.

“At a time when our rights are under attack, it is more important than ever to fight back against the chaos, corruption, and callousness of the Trump Administration,” the Minneapolis Democrat told Minnesota Public Radio.

“In Minnesota, we know that organized people will always beat organized money. Our campaign is ready to build on our successful grassroots organizing efforts to have a record turnout for the midterms and help win back the majority,” she said.

She won her last race for the 5th Congressional District seat handily, defeating Iraq-born Republican journalist Dalia al-Aqidi by about 50 points.

OMAR SLAMS TRUMP, MUSK FOR CHANGES AT USAID, ACCUSES PRESIDENT OF RUNNING A DICTATORSHIP

Omar had been one of several names bandied about as potential successors to Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., who announced last month she would not seek re-election.

Almost immediately, fellow Democrat Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan threw her hat in the ring, while Omar and other top potential candidates remained silent.

One of Omar’s fellow “Squad” members, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has been rumored as a potential 2028 primary opponent to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer.

In February, Smith – who was originally appointed by then-Gov. Mark Dayton to succeed Sen. Al Franken after his resignation over sexual misconduct allegations – said in February that she was ready to spend more time with her family.

“This decision is not political, it is entirely personal, but it’s not lost on me that our country is in need of strong progressive leadership right now, maybe more than ever,” Smith said.

REP ILHAN OMAR CRITICIZES NETANYAHU’S GAZA ACTION

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also declined to seek Smith’s seat, leaving his deputy – Flanagan – as the highest-profile Democrat in the race to date.

“At this point in time, I don’t want to have my thumb on the scale in any way,” Walz said in February.

“I just know we’ve got a deep bench. We’ve got good folks,” said Walz, who may instead consider a third term in St. Paul.

If elected, Flanagan – who is Ojibwe – would be only the fifth U.S. senator of Native American heritage and the second currently in office, alongside Oklahoma Republican Markwayne Mullin.

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On the Republican side, retired Marine and Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze announced a bid and called it his “most important mission of them all.”

Additionally, former Sacramento Kings player Royce White announced his own bid. White previously lost the 2024 GOP Senate primary.

The race to succeed Smith will be the Land of 10,000 Lakes’ first open Senate race since 2006 – when Dayton declined to run for re-election and Sen. Amy Klobuchar defeated then-Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minn., by about 19 points.

Franken has endorsed Flanagan.

Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s campaign for further comment but did not immediately hear back.

EXCLUSIVE: Freshman Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno has served out his first 100 days in office, and he spoke to Fox News Digital about his biggest takeaways and what he hopes the GOP Senate can accomplish over the next 100 days.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Moreno said. “Obviously, President Trump’s moving at 100 mph. So my hope is that Congress meets that same sense of urgency and speed. I think voters expect it.”

Moreno, who defeated Ohio’s longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown last November, has been busy since being sworn in, cosponsoring 67 bills while introducing eight original ones of his own. 

Over the next few months, Moreno told Fox News Digital, he hopes to see some of his legislation become law.

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“Most important of all being the Transportation Freedom Act,” Moreno explained. “The auto industry is right now in a really, really critical juncture. Because of Joe Biden and California lunatics, there’s a lot of standards that are just not going to be able to be met.”

“The car companies are trying to figure out what kind of cars to make. So what our bill basically does is say, ‘Hey look, here’s one set of standards. It’s one set of standards for the entire country and then, most importantly, set those standards for 10 years,'” Moreno continued. “So if you’re Ford or GM or any other car company, you know, what kind of cars to make for the next decade. That’s huge. That will lower the price of automobiles.”

Continuing to address illegal immigration is going to be a priority over the next few months, according to Moreno, who said he hopes his Rules Act addressing the broken asylum system will be passed, calling it a “low hanging fruit” and an “80-20 issue” Republicans can win on.

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Since taking office, Moreno has visited constituents in all 88 counties in Ohio, taken part in over 30 interviews with Ohio media outlets, hosted over 500 Ohioans for constituent coffees in Washington, D.C., and authored 16 letters on issues affecting Ohioans.

“I think my opponent, the guy who I replaced, Sherrod Brown, was emblematic of the kind of politicians people hate and basically just go down there for the paycheck and don’t ever accomplish anything,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. “I think he passed like six bills that named post offices. That was his 30-year career high. So we just want to get stuff done. I’m not gonna be there forever. I’m gonna be there one or two terms. The second one is up to the voters of Ohio. And then that’s it.”

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Over the next 100 days, Moreno told Fox News Digital, there is a long list of things he hopes the GOP Senate gets done in a timely manner to ensure that the Trump agenda is firing on all cylinders heading into the midterms. 

“I want to make sure we get a good reconciliation bill that preserves Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits but lowers the cost because of technology that we put in place in sort of state-directed work mandates for able-bodied Americans,” Moreno said. “I think most people expect that.”

Moreno also spoke about the need to cut funding to USAID.

“We can’t afford 40-50 billion dollars in USAID-type programs, some of which are completely insane, and we need that money here in America to help Americans. Preserving Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid benefits, making the 2017 tax reform permanent so we don’t see a four-and-a-half trillion dollar tax increase.”

Additionally, Moreno said it is a priority to “codify” DOGE cuts into law so that the cuts are “in there forever.”

“I think if we can accomplish all that, combined with what President Trump’s already done with tariffs and trade and peace and the border, we will see the golden age of America by the end of the year in a way we’ve never seen.”

The Trump administration is overhauling the Coast Guard in an attempt to crack down on illegal migrant crossings and drug interdictions. 

This month, the Coast Guard unveiled its new Force Design 2028 plan to overhaul its organizational structure, personnel, acquisitions, contracting and technology—fulfilling directives from President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The proposal seeks to bolster the Coast Guard’s force, which currently consists of roughly 43,000 active-duty personnel, and assess which specialties need reinforcement to expand training, responding to Trump administration calls to ramp up efforts against illegal immigration and drug smuggling, according to a Department of Homeland Security official familiar with the plan.

“This is focusing our efforts on where do we need to make investments in our current training centers and even look at opening new training centers to support growth in the service,” the official told Fox News Digital on Thursday. 

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The Coast Guard is the only military service that falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security. However, the blueprint’s restructuring plans seek to adapt certain standards for the Coast Guard to better align with the military branches that fall under the Department of Defense. 

For example, the proposal calls for following the Department of Defense’s standards for physical fitness, body composition, and grooming standards. Unlike other military services, the Coast Guard did not enforce fitness standards unless personnel were attached to boat crews of law enforcement teams. 

However, the Department of Homeland Security is coordinating with the Pentagon to change that. The Coast Guard is still determining whether this initiative will involve an annual fitness test, but the proposal directs the Coast Guard to adhere to Department of Defense physical fitness standards as closely as possible. 

“We’ve definitely put an increased focus on what are the physical fitness requirements for the Coast Guard to be most successful in its missions for the nation,” the official said. 

Likewise, the blueprint also calls for organizational changes, including installing a secretary for the service, as well as creating a Coast Guard headquarters director of staff to enhance decision-making and other functions at a high operational level. 

The blueprint aligns with legislation introduced in the Senate that would establish a civilian secretary for the Coast Guard, akin to the structure of the Navy, Army and Air Force. Currently, the Coast Guard only has an active duty commandant that oversees the service. 

Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia introduced the measure on April 1 in an attempt to enhance the Coast Guard’s ability to adapt to its mission. 

“The establishment of a Secretary of the Coast Guard is an important step in ensuring our nation’s maritime security is led with the strength and efficiency it deserves to ensure it can fulfill its mission and adapt to any challenges,” Scott said in a statement on April 1. 

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Companion legislation is underway in the House, and Republican Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi introduced a similar measure on April 3 to “give the Coast Guard the same level of recognition and advocacy that other military branches receive,” according to a statement. 

The Coast Guard is already implementing changes included in the force design and is slated to complete the modernization effort in three years. 

“We’ve been making changes practically daily in the service to really keep moving forward,” the official said. “The goal of 2028 is that the transformation of the service will be complete by 2028.”

The plan is already rendering results, according to the official. The service is surpassing drug seizures from last year. So far, the Coast Guard has seized 11% more cocaine in FY25 than it did for all of FY24, according to DHS data. 

Additionally, the service is combating the recruiting problems that have plagued all the military services in recent years, and is already bringing in more guardsmen than last year. The service has brought in more than 4,250 new recruits this fiscal year – 1,200 more than the service did at this same point last year. 

“We are now filling out our training center to max capacity, with reservations already locked in all the way through September,” the official said. “So we went from a recruiting deficit to a recruiting surge right now, and we are on track to exceed all recruiting goals for the year.”

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele told President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Monday that he has 350 million Americans to “liberate” by ending crime and terrorism in the United States. 

“We know that, you have, crime problem and a terrorism problem that you need help with. And we’re a small country, but we can help,” Bukele said. “We actually turned the murder capital of the world — that was [what] the journalists called it – the murder capital of the world to the safest country in the Western Hemisphere.” 

“And I like to say that we actually liberated millions,” Bukele said, with the line drawing praise from Trump. 

“Mr. President, you have 350 million people to liberate,” Bukele told Trump. “You cannot just, you know, free the criminals and and think crime is going to go down magically, you have to imprison them so you can liberate 350 million Americans that are asking for the end of crime and the end of terrorism, and it can be done.” 

Trump also referenced how the left has pushed for biological men to compete in women’s sports. 

“Do you allow your men in women’s sports? Do you allow men to box women?” Trump asked Bukele. 

The president of El Salvador remarked, “That’s violence.” 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

FIRST ON FOX: A Texas-driven campaign to tackle children’s “abysmal” literacy rates over recent decades is hoping to go national, as President Donald Trump rolls back DEI initiatives and curbs progressive gender ideology that has taken center stage in recent years.

“Literacy has taken a backseat, and it’s because people don’t know our kids can’t read,” said Pete Geren, former secretary of the Army and a former Democratic congressman from Texas. “I make a lot of public presentations. I meet with elected officials, state reps, who you know it’s really a state issue. They have no awareness of this.”

At Grade Level, a Texas-based organization behind the “Have Your Child Read to You” campaign, is partnering with Geren – a former state lawmaker from the ’90s and now president and CEO of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation – who is a well-known advocate for public education.

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“The federal government has told us over and over and over that most of our kids cannot read proficiently, and it has never led to a literacy movement in this country,” Geren said.

Geren and At Grade Level are urging parents to do a simple task: ask their children to read out loud to them to see if they are learning proficiently in school. 

Only 43% of more than 170,000 students are reading at proficient grade level, according to state test scores in Fort Worth, and close to 100% of parents believe their children can read at grade level. The numbers on a national scale show a similar trend.

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“It’s our goal to build awareness,” Geren said. “The missing link in the political movement is the parents… if they know, everything will change. Parents will do anything for their kids, and they’ll fix this problem at home and at the governmental level.”

Reading proficiency among eighth graders dropped to 67%, the lowest in 32 years, while only 60% of fourth graders met basic reading standards, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Only 67% of eighth-graders met or exceeded basic reading skills on the 2024 NAEP exam, down 2 percentage points from 1992 when the testing began. The NAEP, often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, is the gold standard for measuring student academic performance.

And poor literacy rates are closely tied to crime, according to At Grade Level, reporting that approximately 80% of Texas prison inmates are functionally illiterate. 

“We’ve got the district attorney, we’ve got the county judge, and so many leaders coming out because of the connection to crime,” Geren said.

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In February, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said at a press conference that the statistics “paint a stark, tragic picture of our present situation, but that doesn’t have to be our future.”

“Many of the people incarcerated right now are there, in part, because of that lack of proper literacy levels that they did not receive when they were young,” Noakes said.

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Trump signed executive orders to eliminate DEI programs and gender ideology instruction in K-12 schools in January. Two months later, he moved to significantly downsize the Department of Education to shift more control over education back to the states.

While downsizing the department, Trump criticized the billions of dollars funneled into the public education system while students’ test scores in core subjects have continued to plummet.

“We want great education. So they rank 40 countries in education, we’re ranked dead last, but the good news is we’re number one in one category. You know what that is? Cost per pupil,” Trump told Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy at a press conference in February. “We spend more per pupil than any other country in the world.”

U.S. federal, state and local governments collectively spend about $857.2 billion annually on K-12 public education. Despite a record $190 billion in federal aid since the pandemic, students’ academic performance has seen little improvement. An analysis by The New York Times in March found that, since the pandemic, students have fallen behind by more than half a year in math and also struggled in reading and science.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa – who’s served just 16 months after a 2023 snap election – is now projected to serve a full four-year term after Sunday’s contest. 

Noboa, a 37-year-old heir to a fortune built on the banana trade, received 55.8% of the vote with more than 92% of ballots counted, according to Ecuador’s National Electoral Council. Leftist lawyer Luisa González, a protégée of former President Rafael Correa, earned 44% in Sunday’s runoff election, but she demanded a recount, alleging “grotesque” election fraud.

President Donald Trump congratulated Noboa on Truth Social, sharing a link to the BBC’s reporting of the center-right leader as the run-off election winner. 

“Congratulations to Daniel Noboa, who will be a great leader for the wonderful people of Ecuador. He will not let you down!” Trump wrote.

Noboa, considered a pro-Trump conservative, and González, an ideological ally of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, competed in the October 2023 runoff of a snap election triggered by the decision of then-President Guillermo Lasso to dissolve the National Assembly. Sunday marks the third consecutive time that the party of Correa, the country’s most influential president this century, failed to return to the presidency. 

ECUADOR RE-ELECTS PRESIDENT DANIEL NOBOA AMID NATIONWIDE UNEASE OVER CRIME

The president declared a state of emergency in seven of its 24 provinces the day before the election, citing increased cartel violence. González alleged voter suppression. 

Here are four things to know about the re-elected leader of the South American country.  

Under Noboa’s watch, the homicide rate dropped from 46.18 per 100,000 people in 2023, to 38.76 per 100,000 people in 2024. But despite the decrease, the rate remained far higher than the 6.85 homicides per 100,000 people seen in 2019.

Noboa, billed as a law-and-order president, is expected to continue applying some of his no-holds-barred crime-fighting strategies that part of the electorate finds appealing but which have tested the limits of laws and norms of governing. 

He declared Ecuador to be in a state of “internal armed conflict” in January 2024, allowing him to deploy thousands of soldiers to the streets to combat gangs and to charge people with terrorism counts for alleged ties to organized crime groups.

Ecuador started 2025 with its bloodiest beginning on record, averaging a murder every hour, according to CBS News. 

The South American country has erupted in drug-trafficking-related violence in the last five years, the New York Times reported, citing how overcrowded jails, corruption and underfunding have resulted in gangs with international backing taking hold. 

Noboa has defended ordering an April 2024 raid on the Mexican Embassy in Quito to apprehend former vice president Jorge Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive who had been hiding there for months. Further, Noboa entrusted presidential powers while campaigning earlier this year to a government official, unelected Vice President Verónica Abad, as required by the Ecuadorian Code of Democracy.

Last month, Noboa called on U.S., European and Brazilian soldiers to support the Ecuadorian police and military in their “war” against criminal gangs, according to the BBC. He called on the Trump administration, which has designated Tren de Aragua, of Venezuela, and MS-13, of Mexico, as foreign terrorist organizations, to do the same for cartels in Ecuador. 

“I would be glad if he considers Los Lobos, Los Choneros, Los Tiguerones as terrorist groups because that’s what they really are,” he told the BBC in March. 

Noboa said 70% of the world’s cocaine exits through Ecuadorian ports, arguing that “international forces” are necessary to combat what started as “criminal gangs” in the country, but have devolved into “international narco-terrorist” groups. 

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During his brief first term, Noboa has sought to establish a friendly relationship with the Trump administration. Grace Jaramillo, an Andean region expert and professor at the University of British Columbia, told the Associated Press these efforts played a role in some voters’ decisions.

“The majority of Ecuadorians have migrant relatives and know well that a scenario with González, a leftist, would be terrible for deportations,” Jaramillo told the AP. “It’s an issue that touches every middle- and working-class home… Showing closeness to Trump was crucial for many families.”

Ecuadorian officials communicated to Trump allies last month an interest in hosting a U.S. military base in the South American country, as well as negotiating a free trade deal, Reuters reported. 

Ecuador was exempt from Trump’s tariff rollout last week. In February, Ecuador levied a 27% tariff on Mexico. 

A U.S. intelligence assessment conducted days before Sunday’s runoff found that the re-election of incumbent Noboa over González, of the Citizen Revolution party, would better serve American interests over the next four years, CBS News reported. 

One U.S. intelligence official declined to detail the discussions but told CBS that “the goal of any partnership or U.S. presence in Ecuador would likely be towards kinetically going after criminal organizations, not simply just a training mission.” 

Correa ordered the U.S. military out of Ecuador in 2014, the BBC reported. Lasso, and then Noboa, resumed cooperation with the U.S. military a decade later.

Noboa is the Miami-born heir to a fortune built on the banana trade – the country’s main crop. He opened an event-organizing company when he was 18 and then joined his father’s Noboa Corp., where he held management positions in the shipping, logistics and commercial areas. His first foray into politics was his stint as a lawmaker. 

In 2023, he became the youngest person elected president of Ecuador at a time when killings, kidnappings, robberies and other criminal activities had become a part of everyday life in the country once considered the “island of peace” in South America. 

The spike in violence is tied to the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Mexican, Colombian and Balkan cartels have set down roots in Ecuador and operate with assistance from local criminal gangs.

In August 2023, then-presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated. In the months leading up to Noboa’s October 2023 runoff victory, other politicians and political leaders had been killed or kidnapped, car bombs exploded in multiple cities, including the capital, Quito, and inmates rioted in prisons. Seven men held as suspects in Villavicencio’s slaying were killed inside prisons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The city of Doral, Florida, a key hub for Venezuelan immigrants, is poised to ink an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would allow the city’s law enforcement to carry out some immigration-enforcement operations.

Members of the Doral City Council are expected to authorize a partnership with ICE through the 287(g) program on Wednesday, which would allow Doral police officers to carry out limited immigration enforcement, such as detentions, questioning and processing those suspected of breaking federal immigration laws, according to a report by the Miami Herald.

The news comes as President Donald Trump has continued his push to ramp up deportation efforts across the country, an effort that has included the courting of several local law enforcement agencies to assist federal immigration authorities.

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The inclusion of Doral in the effort would mark a seemingly surprising turn, with the city being home to one of the largest populations of Venezuelan immigrants in the country. That fact has sparked concern among many in the local population, most notably about potential racial profiling, though city officials have attempted to ease fears and said the partnership will focus strictly on lawful enforcement.

“The intention isn’t to detain anyone based on how they look,” Council Member Rafael Pineyro told the Miami Herald. “We are obligated to follow federal and state laws, but the goal is not to target individuals based on appearance. Our focus remains on lawful enforcement, not profiling.”

The 287(g) agreement being inked by Doral has seen widespread use in multiple states since Trump took office in January, allowing cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and ICE.

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One part of the program focuses on identifying and processing illegal immigrants who are already in custody and eligible for deportation. Another part allows for local law enforcement to support ICE deportation operations in the field.

The program permits some local law enforcement officers to participate in a 40-hour ICE training session, while also requiring that the local agencies keep in regular contact with ICE when carrying out immigration enforcement.

Doral’s involvement in the program comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has encouraged local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The report notes that Florida law requires enforcement agencies in charge of county jails to be enrolled in 287(g) programs.

Local activists continue to push back against the potential agreement.

“By transforming local law enforcement into instruments of the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement, Doral’s elected officials have broken the trust of the city’s large Venezuelan community,” Adelys Ferro, the executive director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, told the Miami Herald. “The community relies on the police for protection, not persecution.”

FIRST ON FOX: Consumers’ Research, a leading nonprofit dedicated to consumer information, is launching an advertising campaign against one of the top healthcare systems in the United States, accusing it of prioritizing “woke” politics over patient care. 

Consumers’ Research is targeting Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan, with a campaign called “Ford Health Exposed” that includes a website where the group says it is spotlighting “how Henry Ford is putting politics over patients by weaving discriminatory practices into everything it does, administering harmful transgender treatments on kids, and prioritizing a radical climate agenda.”

The website points out that the Henry Ford Health website is littered with examples of “woke” ideology being promoted, including DEI, which the hospital has said is “woven into the fabric of everything we do.”

“Diversity always will be the foundation on which Henry Ford Health stands,” the organization’s website states.

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The website also openly promotes its use of “unconscious bias training” as well as Employee Resource Groups to promote its “diversity” agenda that it says will “enhance the quality of care and comfort for each person that we serve.”

The healthcare system also promotes what it describes on its website as “supplier diversity,” where it prioritizes working with businesses that are at least 51% owned by LGBTQ+ persons or certain minority categories. 

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are simply not enough,” Kimberlydawn Wisdom, senior vice president of community health and equity and chief wellness and diversity officer at Henry Ford Health, said in a 2021 newsletter posted on the provider’s website. 

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion alone can only mitigate the damage of the past. To prevent the mistakes of the past from burdening our communities in the future, our ultimate destination must be justice.”

‘WOKEST HOSPITAL IN AMERICA?’: TOP HOSPITAL HIT WITH BLISTERING AD EXPOSING ‘POLITICAL AGENDA’

Dr. Maureen Connolly, a pediatrician and LGBTQ+ specialist with HFH, wrote an article promoting transgender treatment on kids, which stated, “Gender-affirming medical therapy and supported social transition in childhood have been shown to correlate with improved psychological functioning for gender-variant children and adolescents.”

Connolly also promoted “gender exploration” in another article posted on the HFH website that says, “If your daughter says she feels like a boy inside, let her cut her hair, call her by a different name and switch up her wardrobe.”

In addition to the agenda promoted on the website, Henry Ford Health is facing accusations of providing gender treatment to children. The hospital has engaged in sex change treatment, surgeries and puberty blocker treatment in recent years, according to a database compiled by Stop The Harm.

Fox News Digital reached out to Henry Ford Health for comment, but the hospital did not respond to the media inquiry. However, the hospital did delete several DEI sections from its website over the last 24 hours that were archived by Fox News Digital.

The ad campaign charges that HFH is “pushing irreversible sex changes on kids.”

In 2023, the Ruth Ellis Center nominated HFH for the Ludwig Community Benefit Award for “improving the well-being of their community by delivering integrated healthcare and social services to LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) youth in Detroit.”

“In 2022, Henry Ford providers at Ruth Ellis facilities cared for more than 700 LGBTQ+ patients, including 429 transgender young adults, over the course of more than 6,800 medical visits,” a press release touting the partnership between the two entities stated. “The health and wellness centers have been a source of primary care, gender affirming care, comprehensive sexual health services including HIV prevention and treatment, and behavioral health services for dozens of adolescents and young adults.”

HFH has also been involved in promoting a liberal climate agenda that included spending millions of dollars last year, according to its own website, to create and promote the Central Energy Hub as part of a push for net zero emissions.

HFH also partnered with an energy company in 2021, according to a press release on the website.

“Sustainability is an integral part of building strong, healthy communities,” Bob Riney, Henry Ford Health System’s president of healthcare operations and chief operations officer, said in the release.

“At Henry Ford, health equity is at the foundation of everything we do. It’s an unfortunate fact that low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by poor environmental conditions, which are exacerbated by climate change. By investing in clean, renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure, we aim to address health disparities and the growing impacts of climate change regionwide, especially in our historically marginalized communities.”

The Consumers’ Research campaign will also include mobile billboards outside of hospital locations in Detroit and Macomb, a billboard near the state capitol in Lansing, and chalk stencils around the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. 

“Henry Ford Health is prioritizing politics over patients,” Will Hild, Consumers’ Research executive director, told Fox News Digital. “Driven by gender ideology, Henry Ford has continued performing deeply harmful and irreversible sex-change treatments on children and must be stopped,”

“The hospital’s deliberate mutilation of confused children’s bodies is being done in direct defiance of President Trump’s orders to eliminate the vile practice for good. Henry Ford Health has also committed to embedding DEI into every facet of its operation, elevating a radical ideological agenda above its fundamental duty to provide excellent scientific-based care,” Hild continued. “Considering how many resources Henry Ford has squandered on needless, extreme woke programs, the hospital has rendered itself almost indistinguishable from an activist group, not only spewing radical left-wing talking points but actively imposing these ideologies onto patients and staff. Rather than change course, Henry Ford Health has chosen to wear its transgressions with pride, a chilling testament to how far it has strayed from its original purpose. Consumers’ Research will continue to put these hospitals on blast for putting a woke agenda over patient care.”

While a court ordered the U.S. government to pursue “steps to facilitate the return” of a Salvadoran man removed from the U.S. last month, the Justice Department asserted that federal courts do not have the authority to dictate to the executive branch how to handle foreign relations and that the order only requires removal of “domestic obstacles” that would hinder the man’s ability to return to the U.S.

The legal wranglings concern Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who had been living in Maryland, but was removed from the U.S. last month.

“Defendants understand ‘facilitate’ to mean what that term has long meant in the immigration context, namely actions allowing an alien to enter the United States. Taking ‘all available steps to facilitate’ the return of Abrego Garcia is thus best read as taking all available steps to remove any domestic obstacles that would otherwise impede the alien’s ability to return here,” a DOJ court filing declared.

“On the flipside, reading ‘facilitate’ as requiring something more than domestic measures would not only flout the Supreme Court’s order, but also violate the separation of powers. The federal courts 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.”

FEDERAL JUDGE HAMMERS DOJ ON WHEREABOUTS OF ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER FOLLOWING SCOTUS ORDER

Abrego Garcia has been accused of being an MS-13 gang member, but his legal challenge has denied that allegation.

“On March 15, although ICE was aware of his protection from removal to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia was removed to El Salvador because of an administrative error,” according to a DOJ court filing.

Evan Katz, who identified himself as “Assistant Director for the Removal Division, within the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO),” addressed the issue in a court filing.

“Although Abrego-Garcia has an order of removal issued by an immigration judge, I understand that he should not have been removed to El Salvador because the immigration judge had also granted Abrego-Garcia withholding of removal to El Salvador. However, I also understand that Abrego Garcia is no longer eligible for withholding of removal because of his membership in MS-13 which is now a designated foreign terrorist organization,” Katz declared. 

FEDERAL JUDGE CALLS DEPORTATION OF SALVADORAN MAN IN MARYLAND ‘WHOLLY LAWLESS’

After the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ordered the U.S. “to facilitate and effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S., the Supreme Court called for the lower court to clarify the instruction.

“The order properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador. The intended scope of the term ‘effectuate’ in the District Court’s order is, however, unclear, and may exceed the District Court’s authority. The District Court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs,” the Supreme Court noted.

The lower court then called for defendants to “take all available steps to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States as soon as possible.”

TRUMP INVITES EL SALVADOR’S BUKELE TO WHITE HOUSE FOR ‘WORKING VISIT’

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Abrego Garcia, whose wife is a U.S. citizen, is being held in El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center.

“It is my understanding based on official reporting from our Embassy in San Salvador that Abrego Garcia is currently being held in the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador. He is alive and secure in that facility. He is detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador,” Michael Kozak, senior bureau official in the bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the State Department, noted in a filing.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is visiting President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

EXCLUSIVE: As Tax Day approaches, the Senate’s DOGE leader announced a new effort Monday aimed at cracking down on federal bureaucrats who have racked up billions in unpaid taxes.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is introducing the Tax Delinquencies and Overdue Debts are Government Employees’ Responsibility (Tax DODGER) Act in response to reports of tax scofflaws within the bureaucracy the taxes themselves are supposed to bankroll.

The Tax DODGER Act would require the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to publish an annual report on tax delinquencies of current and retired federal employees, including those who failed to file a 1040 or other tax return.

“It is outrageous that while hardworking Americans fork over their money to Uncle Sam, nearly 150,000 bureaucrats refuse to pay their own taxes,” Ernst told Fox News Digital.

LAWMAKERS TAKE ACTION AFTER REPORT SHOWS BIDEN-ERA SBA FAILED TO PROBE 2 MILLION ALLEGED COVID AID FRAUDSTERS

The bill also establishes a new section in the law that could consider a federal job applicant ineligible for hire if they have “seriously delinquent” tax debt, unless already granted a hardship exemption.

“If you don’t pay taxes, you should not work for the federal government,” Ernst said. 

“I am ending the ‘rules for thee, but not for me’ mentality in Washington.”

Ernst highlighted a recent Treasury Inspector General report showing that while 96% of IRS employees were found to be tax-compliant, more than 2,000 employees had past-due balances totaling more than $12 million as of the end of last year.

Meanwhile, a 2023 IRS report found 149,000 total federal employees owed $1.5 billion in tax liabilities for fiscal year 2021.

SENATE DOGE LEADER SAYS TRUMP ‘ALREADY RACKING UP WINS’

She wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in March that Americans and many lawmakers had “lost confidence in the IRS” and that he had an opportunity as the agency’s new ultimate boss to address several issues that don’t need congressional approval.

The lawmaker referenced past political weaponization of the agency – such as when Obama-era staffer Lois Lerner allegedly targeted conservative groups – as well as upgrading the IRS’ reportedly outdated technology.

As part of her initial effort last fall to forge a working relationship with DOGE leader Elon Musk, Ernst similarly launched a call for an audit of the IRS.

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If passed, the bill would require that reports on tax-scofflaw bureaucrats be sent on an annual basis to the Office of Personnel Management, Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and House Oversight Committee.

Additionally, any agency leader may take personnel action up to and including the firing of a federal employee if there is administrative or judicial determination they understated their tax liability or failed to file a return.

Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle were quick to condemn acts of violence after a man was arrested for allegedly setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside.

“There is no place in our society for political violence and actions like this. I’m praying for Governor Shapiro and his family — and hope the heroes in PA law enforcement bring those responsible to justice,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said in a statement following the attack.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., wrote on X, “The attack on Governor Shapiro and his family on the first night of Passover is hateful and horrific. I am grateful for their safety and sending love to him and his family.”

Cody Balmer, 38, will face charges including attempted murder, terrorism and aggravated arson, officials said at a press conference Sunday.

PENNSYLVANIA POLICE ARREST SUSPECT AFTER GOVERNOR’S MANSION SET ON FIRE WHILE GOV JOSH SHAPIRO, FAMILY SLEPT

Authorities say he “actively evaded” law enforcement stationed at the mansion and “forcibly entered” to set the blaze. 

Images released publicly of the aftermath showed ash-covered rooms and extensive fire damage. 

Shapiro, who is Jewish, said he and his family were woken up around 2 a.m. to evacuate their home after celebrating the first night of Passover. 

No one was injured, however, the potential 2028 presidential nominee said.

It is notable that, in the current hyper-partisan environment, Republicans and Democrats were quick to condemn the alleged violence — and not on dissimilar lines.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., called the incident “deeply disturbing and very scary” and called for the culprit’s prosecution “to the fullest extent of the law.”

On the opposite side of the aisle, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., similarly said, “Political violence of any kind is never acceptable, and it is especially unconscionable to attack a Jewish family during the first night of Passover. Everyone responsible must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation also showed a united front, with former House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., writing on X, “Glad to learn that the Governor and his family are safe after this inexcusable and terrifying incident.”

JOSH SHAPIRO TELLS MAHER HE’S ‘DAMN PROUD’ OF BEING JEWISH, DODGES WHETHER IT FACTORED INTO VP SNUB IN 2024

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., a member of the progressive “Squad,” called for a “swift investigation.”

“This must be condemned without hesitation, and the cowardly criminals responsible must face the full force of the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. 

“We must remember: what unites us as a community — and as a country — will always be greater than anything that seeks to divide us. That is the strength of America. And together is the only way we move forward.”

Additionally, Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., responded to images of the fire damage, “This type of violence cannot be tolerated and the criminals responsible must be prosecuted for these deplorable actions.”

As President Donald Trump reshapes American foreign policy around hard-nosed deals and national self-interest, a new report warns the UK must rethink its strategy to preserve its “special relationship” – or risk being sidelined in Washington.

Darren Spinck, a fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, cautions that there will be no “business as usual” under Trump and that the “special relationship” between the U.S. and UK can no longer be taken for granted. To remain a key ally, Spinck argues in a new report, Britain must embrace Trump’s “transactional” approach to foreign policy.  

“Choosing not to retaliate” against Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs may signal a “strategic patience that may facilitate bilateral negotiations,” the report states. It outlines steps that Prime Minister Keir Starmer could take to align with the Trump administration and pursue a U.S.-UK free trade deal, including deeper security cooperation and a tougher stance on China.

Trump recently imposed 10% across-the-board tariffs on foreign nations and paused harsher levies he earlier proposed on every nation except China. 

CHINESE OFFICIALS CLAIMED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS PRC PLAYED ROLE IN US CYBERATTACKS: REPORT

Another path, the report suggests, could involve the UK seeking accession to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the North American trade bloc, as a way to deepen economic ties with the United States.

The report also urges the UK Labour Party leadership to “reduce commercial dependency on the PRC rather than deepening it,” warning that closer economic ties with Beijing could strain U.S.-UK relations under Trump.

Spinck contrasted the Trump administration’s focus on “bilateralism, economic nationalism, and Indo-Pacific security” with the Starmer government’s preference for “multilateral diplomacy, progressive trade policies, and European security commitments.”

“This policy gap threatens transatlantic cohesion, weakening their collective ability to act against common adversaries, particularly China,” he warned. 

Divergent policies on China, NATO commitments and Indo-Pacific strategy could erode Five Eyes intelligence sharing, which is key to UK national security.

Spinck called on the British government to strike a deal with the U.S. that addresses the White House’s digital privacy concerns – particularly after the UK ordered Apple to grant security agencies access to encrypted cloud data – and to launch a mineral mining partnership to bolster critical supply chains.

Whereas the previous conservative UK government deemed China its “greatest state-based threat,” the current liberal leadership has “reversed the course of the previous three Conservative Party Governments and has sought to strengthen economic ties with Beijing,” according to Spink. 

He said the UK had recently advanced Beijing’s access to Western capital markets and re-established bilateral frameworks on industrial, trade and energy policy with China. 

“​​One must wonder why London appears eager to expand economic ties with China – a country widely criticized for its human rights record – while the UK’s development finance institution has been less inclined to support international infrastructure development or mining projects in other regions.”

UK PRIME MINISTER TO ADMIT ‘GLOBALIZATION IS OVER’ IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP TARIFFS: REPORT

“As the Trump Administration seeks to further accelerate America’s decoupling from targeted CCP economic and technology sectors, the US feels that the Labour Government’s apparent rapprochement with Beijing, after years of cautious relations following the PRC’s 2020 breach of the Sino–British Joint Declaration, could unnecessarily complicate the “Special Relationship,” Spink wrote. 

He said that critical issues “requiring transatlantic cooperation,” such as a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, are “at risk” if the U.S. and the UK are not aligned on China policy.

The UK must also set aside its disagreements over U.S. domestic policy, according to Spinck, due to the more urgent need for security cooperation. 

“As the Labour Government works with President Trump’s Administration, it should realize its views on a wide range of policies, including immigration, climate policy, digital privacy and welfare benefits, are vastly different,” he wrote. 

He said such “fractures” like the UK government’s demand for backdoor access to Apple’s encrypted cloud storage “have begun to define the overall relationship between the two allies, impacting the potential for foreign policy alignment.”

“Overcoming these cultural differences requires a shift to a more transactional model of foreign policy cooperation. Britain needs to take an active role in re-setting this agenda, pushing questions of domestic ideology to the margins in favor of solid, mutually beneficial measures.”

The UK could also signal goodwill by taking a tougher diplomatic stance on Iran. Spinck urged London to help close the “transatlantic divide” on Iran policy, which he said has “disrupted attempts to forge a coherent approach to stopping Iran’s nuclear progress.”

While the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed sweeping sanctions, the UK remained a party and declined to trigger snapback sanctions – even amid reports that Iran had violated the agreement and was enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels.

Spink also urged the UK to join the U.S. in designating Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Such moves, he argued, “would also be seen as a victory for the long-established Trump policy on Iran – one that would cost the UK nothing and would generate much goodwill in Washington, D.C.”