EXCLUSIVE: Liberal Gov. Gavin Newsom is making it clear in a new campaign that Canadian tourists are welcome in the Golden State, as he looks to boost international travel following a sharp decline in U.S. tourism sparked by President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

“We get it. The White House isn’t exactly laying out the welcome mat, but Canadians should know that California will continue to welcome them and that we remain grateful for their partnership,” a Newsom administration official told Fox News Digital on Monday.

The campaign, in partnership with the nonprofit tourist organization Visit California, will roll out the campaign internationally, similar to Newsom’s call asking nations not to place retaliatory tariffs on California products this month. 

NEWSOM SIGNS $2.8B BAILOUT FOR HEALTHCARE PROGRAM OVERRUN BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Newsom’s office said that since Trump took office, tourism has dropped significantly to levels not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism from Canada, which brought in 1.8 million tourists last year and $3.72 billion in revenue, dropped 12% in February compared to last year, with that percentage expected to rise as tariffs remain in place.

The $5.2 million campaign is part of Visit California’s annual marketing investment in Canada, according to Newsom’s office.

Newsom, who has been rumored to be eyeing a 2028 presidential bid, also met with British Columbia Premier David Eby Monday to discuss opportunities for expanding California’s partnership with Canada. The two politicians discussed ways to partner in the lumber industry, national transportation corridors and housing, a Newsom official said.

NEWSOM’S ‘UNFAIR’ REMARK ON GIRLS’ SPORTS BELIES RECORD AS GOVERNOR: ‘ABSOLUTE BULLS—‘

While Trump has quipped that Canada could become the “51st state,” the U.S. remains Canada’s largest trading partner, supplying nearly two-thirds of its imports and buying over 70% of its exports. Under Trump’s new tariff rates, 25% has been levied on Canadian goods. 

Vancouver-based Travel Group reported a 90% drop in future bookings, according to a report from Politico this week. Ottawa’s Travac Tours canceled all U.S. trips through July, while Maple Leaf Tours, based in Kingston, Ontario, has seen its business dip 70% to 80%.

In mid-March, Canada issued reciprocal tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. goods.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., said she regrets hiding her face during a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last week. 

Whitmer poked fun at the now-viral moment by once again holding folders up in front of her face when asked about her trip to Washington, D.C., during an event at the Detroit Economic Club on Monday. 

“… I don’t want my picture taken, that’s all it was. I kind of wished I hadn’t put my folder up in front of my face, but whatever. You know I was there … I just wrote a book about learning to laugh at yourself, so I’m pretty good at it. We all have our moments,” Whitmer said. 

Whitmer was criticized for shielding her face as the photo became a meme on social media. Alex Meyer, deputy assistant to the president and White House director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs who was standing to Whitmer’s left in the photo, joked that it’s his new profile photo. 

WHITMER DITCHES DEM PLAYBOOK ON TRUMP’S TARIFFS AMID 2028 SPECULATION

The Michigan governor’s trip to Washington last week brought her 2028 presidential ambitions into the national conversation as she struck a diplomatic tone with Trump. She carefully criticized Trump’s tariffs while saying she understood the “motivation behind the tariffs” and even agreeing with Trump that we “need to make more stuff in America.”

DEM GOVERNORS REVOLT AGAINST TRUMP’S ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS

Whitmer’s viral Oval Office moment marked her second meeting with Trump in less than a month. As Trump signed executive orders and answered questions from the press, he said Whitmer had “done an excellent job” as governor and called her a “very good person,” a break from his typical lines of attack on her character. 

“One of her opponents will dig that clip up and put it in a television ad,” Brad Bannon, a Democrat strategist and the president of Bannon Communications Research, told Fox News Digital. 

Bannon warned that Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, getting too close to Trump could jeopardize her status as a “first-tier presidential candidate” alongside fellow governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gavin Newsom of California. 

GRETCHEN WHITMER RIBBED ONLINE FOR SEEMING TO HIDE FACE IN OVAL OFFICE

As Trump signed executive orders calling for the investigation of two first-term administration aides who were critical of his actions, Whitmer’s office said she was brought into the room “without any notice” and that her appearance was “not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made.”

But Trump called the issues “bipartisan” and jokingly added, “We’ll all stand there together and cut a ribbon. OK, Gretchen?”

Whitmer’s diplomatic moves last week seemed to put her out of step with her party as Democrat governors, many rumored to harbor 2028 presidential ambitions, spoke out against Trump’s tariffs as governors JB Pritzker of Illinois and Newsom worked independently with trade partners to try to soften the damage to their state economies. 

“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Whitmer said after her speech in Washington last week, seeming to explain her diplomatic tone. 

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Whitmer’s office explained that she was meeting with Trump to discuss recovery aid for the northern Michigan ice storm, investing in Michigan’s defense assets and building the American economy for everyday Michiganders.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

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

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.” …Read More

‘MEN ABUSING WOMEN’ Trump, Bukele find common cause on trans sports ban and border crackdown

IMMIGRATION BATTLE ‘Up to El Salvador’: Trump admin punts on return of wrongfully deported Maryland resident

‘EAGER TO HELP’ Bukele says Trump has 350 million Americans to ‘liberate’ by ending crime, terrorism

SQUAD GOALS Ilhan Omar quashes Senate bid rumors with re-election announcement

DOGE ‘DODGERS’ ‘Rules for thee’: Senate DOGE leader seeks crackdown on tax-dodging government workers

JUMPING IN First on Fox: Republican launches second straight bid to flip Democrat-held Senate seat in key battleground

‘POLITICS OVER PATIENTS’ Top US hospital hit with scathing ad campaign over ‘extreme woke’ agenda

‘URGENCY AND SPEED’ Freshman GOP senator rips predecessor while reflecting on ‘whirlwind’ first 100 days

NEW TWIST Florida’s largest Venezuelan stronghold poised to join forces with ICE: report

Harvard University’s top official told members of the community that the Massachusetts-based school will not comply with the Trump administration’s demands, despite risking the loss of grants and contracts to conduct research on “groundbreaking innovations.”

Harvard President Alan M. Garber sent a defiant letter to members of the university community on Monday, saying “no government… should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”

“For three-quarters of a century, the federal government has awarded grants and contracts to Harvard and other universities to help pay for work that, along with investments by the universities themselves, has led to groundbreaking innovations across a wide range of medical, engineering, and scientific fields,” Garber wrote. “These innovations have made countless people in our country and throughout the world healthier and safer.

“Over the last several weeks, the federal government has threatened its partnerships with several universities, including Harvard, over accusations of antisemitism on our campuses. These partnerships are among the most productive and beneficial in American history,” he continued.

TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES $1B FROM CORNELL, $790M FROM NORTHWESTERN AMID CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION: REPORT

Garber pointed to research the university has conducted, including life-changing advancements like treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons and diabetes, as well as breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, quantum science, engineering and other areas.

The university president said the federal government was risking not just the health and well-being of millions of individuals by retreating from partnerships with Harvard and other universities, but also the economic security and vitality of the country.

“Late Friday night, the administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands, warning that Harvard must comply if we intend to ‘maintain [our] financial relationship with the federal government,’” Garber wrote. “It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner. 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.”

DHS: DEPORTED BROWN UNIVERSITY DOCTOR ATTENDED HEZBOLLAH CHIEF’S FUNERAL, SUPPORTED TERROR LEADER 

He encouraged the community to read the letter, pointing out that it requires Harvard to “audit” the viewpoints of the student body, staff, and faculty, while also reducing the power of certain students, faculty and administrators due to their ideological views.

“We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement,” Garber said. “The University will not negotiate over its independence or its constitutional rights. The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge.

“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,” he added.

FOX NEWS ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ NEWSLETTER: FULL LIST OF STUDENTS DETAINED OVER CAMPUS HATE

Garber said the university has made it clear that it does not take its moral duty to fight antisemitism lightly.

Over the past 15 months, he said, the university has taken many steps to address antisemitism at Harvard, and it plans to do more.

For instance, he said the university will continue to nurture a thriving culture of open inquiry on campus and broaden the intellectual and viewpoint diversity within the community.

He also said the university will respect free speech and dissent while also ensuring protest occurs in a time, place and manner that does not interfere with teaching, learning and research.

And finally, he said Harvard will work together to find ways, consistent with the law, to foster and support a vibrant community that exemplifies, respects and embraces differences.

IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS RECEIVED $6.4 BILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING IN 2024 

“These ends will not be achieved by assertions of power, unmoored from the law, to control teaching and learning at Harvard and to dictate how we operate. The work of addressing our shortcomings, fulfilling our commitments, and embodying our values is ours to define and undertake as a community,” Garber wrote. “Freedom of thought and inquiry, along with the government’s longstanding commitment to respect and protect it, has enabled universities to contribute in vital ways to a free society and to healthier, more prosperous lives for people everywhere. All of us share a stake in safeguarding that freedom. We proceed now, as always, with the conviction that the fearless and unfettered pursuit of truth liberates humanity—and with faith in the enduring promise that America’s colleges and universities hold for our country and our world.”

President Donald Trump has suspended federal funding to every Ivy League, besides Penn and Dartmouth, over investigations into anti-Israel protests that have taken place on their campuses since October 2023. Funding for dozens of other universities has also been impacted by investigations for the same reason.

Columbia University, which had more than $400 million in federal funding taken away, was the first Ivy League to lose money over its failure to make Jewish students feel safe on campus. The university caved to demands from the Trump administration late last month in hopes of restoring the funding. 

Earlier this month, a federal antisemitism task force announced a review of Harvard’s federal grants and contracts, worth nearly $9 billion, as the university faces an investigation into campus antisemitism. 

The Trump administration has promised to be more aggressive in ending campus antisemitism after saying President Joe Biden did not hold universities accountable for their violent protests.

The administration has also made moves to detain and deport foreign students who participated in or orchestrated anti-Israel protests at American universities.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Liberal Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $2.8 billion bailout Monday to close the state’s bloated deficit in California’s Medicaid program, which surpassed projections due to the program’s expansion last year to include illegal immigrants.

The move, confirmed by Newsom’s office to Fox News Digital Monday afternoon, comes after the Democratic governor asked lawmakers last month for a $3.4 billion loan from the state’s general fund to cover some $6.2 billion in outstanding costs for Medi-Cal, one of the state’s primary healthcare programs that takes both federal and state taxpayer dollars. The additional funds will help keep the program running through June for some 15 million Californians, including noncitizens.

But Republicans have been critical of the loan, arguing the current Medicaid program isn’t sustainable with illegal immigrants included in the coverage.

NEWSOM ASKS FOR NEARLY ANOTHER $3B FOR STATE HEALTH PROGRAM OVERWHELMED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“Meanwhile, healthcare access is plummeting. Wait times are growing. Democrats have made their choice: legal residents come second,” California Republican state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones wrote on X. “We must stop new enrollments of illegal immigrants and rein in this unsustainable program before it collapses entirely.”

According to state data, roughly 1.6 million illegal immigrants are currently enrolled in Medi-Cal, part of the program’s total 15 million enrollees. The state had initially projected the expansion would cost just under $6 billion for fiscal year 2024–2025. But just one year in, the costs have surged far past that estimate.

Newsom’s latest budget proposal now puts the cost of covering illegal immigrants at $8.4 billion for 2024–2025, and $7.4 billion the following year.

NEWSOM’S ‘UNFAIR’ REMARK ON GIRLS’ SPORTS BELIES RECORD AS GOVERNOR: ‘ABSOLUTE BULLS—‘

Meanwhile, state House Republicans are pushing back. A new GOP proposal aims to cut $880 billion, primarily from Medicaid, over the next decade to rein in what they say is reckless government spending.

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

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

EXCLUSIVE: A man charged with making threats to murder President Donald Trump was also found to have threatened Rep. Nance Mace, R-S.C., a source with knowledge of the matter told Fox News Digital.

Mace’s office was informed by U.S. Capitol Police that Shawn Monper of Butler, Pennsylvania, made threats against her on social media in January, the source said.

The man allegedly wrote of Mace on YouTube, “If I ever see her unprotected in public I would live to be the one to put a bullet in her skull. What a disgusting peice [sic] of trash.”

FLORIDA CHARGES TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER, TERRORISM 

Mace appears to be the only member of Congress targeted by the suspect for now, the source told Fox News Digital.

It’s not immediately clear why Mace, an outspoken Trump ally, was threatened.

But it comes amid concerns about escalating threats against elected officials on both sides of the aisle.

Trump, who was subject to two failed assassination attempts during the 2024 election, was targeted by Monper in a series of threats on YouTube, according to a release by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

STATE-CONTROLLED IRANIAN NEWSPAPER CALLS FOR FIRING BULLETS INTO TRUMP’S ‘EMPTY’ SKULL

The FBI “received an emergency disclosure regarding threats posted to YouTube by user ‘Mr Satan'” between Jan. 15 and April 5, according to the release.

Monper also got a firearms permit “shortly following” Trump’s inauguration, and posted in Februrary under the aforementioned username, “I have bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office,” the DOJ said.

Posts in March showed Monper threatening a mass shooting.

Further posts uncovered by federal authorities show him targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and Elon Musk, the release showed.

The U.S. Secret Service was alerted to the suspect’s threats against Mace as well, the source told Fox News Digital.

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U.S. Capitol Police said it would not comment on potential investigations when reached for confirmation.

Mace’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

Taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries remain a vulnerable issue for the Democratic Party that most voters oppose, according to a recent survey by the American Principles Project (APP) targeting likely midterm voters.

“We wanted to help educate Americans, but mostly legislators, about where Americans or how Americans feel about funding for gender identity programs, specifically in healthcare services, especially in light of Congress deliberating on spending and doing the reconciliation bills and all of that,” Terry Schilling, APP executive director, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We want to make sure that they knew just how unpopular these programs are to fund by tax dollars.”

The survey, conducted in early April with 1,500 respondents, found that 43% of people who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the last election are against using taxpayer money to fund gender transition procedures, including surgeries and hormone treatments. 

WATCH: DEMS SPAR WITH WHISTLEBLOWER WHO EXPOSED CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR PERFORMING TRANS SURGERIES ON MINORS

“That was a little bit higher than we typically see for Democrat voters,” Schilling said. APP is a socially conservative nonprofit advocacy group.

During the last few months of President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, his administration released high-budget ads targeting transgender women in women’s sports that may have helped move the needle with swing voters, with one ad famously proclaiming “Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you.”

The ad focused on Harris’ track record of ushering in sex change procedures for incarcerated people in California.

The survey found that nearly 66% of Americans don’t think the federal government should be funding gender transition procedures, including puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries. The survey did not differentiate between minors and adults.

TRUMP ADMIN WARNS STATES TO COMPLY WITH HOUSING PRISONERS BY THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX OR FACE FUNDING CUTOFF

“The higher ups, like the elected officials in the Democratic Party, are going the other way, and it’s not going to work out well for them,” Schilling said. “Democrats are in a really tough spot. They have to choose between 20 to 30% of the base, which supports paying for gender transitions and surgeries with tax dollars, or the swing voters, which swing voters do not want at all.”

In 2021, former President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to expand anti-discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity, including in healthcare. He also reinterpreted Title IX to ensure those same protections applied within educational settings.

The administration supported state-level initiatives, such as Colorado’s inclusion of transgender treatments in its essential health benefits, under the Affordable Care Act.

“I think that the more Donald Trump’s been talking about it and bringing attention to it, the more people are going to the Republican side on the issue,” Schilling said.

COLORADO DEMS RAM ABORTION, TRANSGENDER BILLS THROUGH ON LIMITED SUNDAY SESSION DEBATE: ‘UNPRECEDENTED’

Another question of the survey asked respondents, “If the November 2026 general election for U.S. Congress was held today, and you knew that the Democratic candidate supports allowing federal tax dollars to pay for gender transition procedures, including puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries, would you vote for the Republican or Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress?”

Fifty-two percent of respondents said they would vote for the Republican candidate, while 39% said they would back the Democrat.

Trump has clamped down on “radical gender ideology” since taking office, cutting all federal funding for gender transition surgeries for minors and through public healthcare. He has also banned biological males from competing in women’s sports and mandated that transgender individuals serve according to their biological sex in the military.

FIRST ON FOX: Newly released video appears to show an administrator in the Florida university system bragging about the ways her school is skirting a state law prohibiting the practice of DEI.

The video, obtained by conservative watchdog Accuracy in Media (AIM) and posted online, shows University of South Florida St. Petersburg administrator Heather Klišanin explaining to an undercover investigator how the school had attempted to skirt Florida law banning public funds from promoting DEI by using a “loophole.” 

“It is a student-funded area, so it changes some things in regards to what we are able to do because student-funded things are not affected by the changes in regulation and law,” Klišanin, director of student conduct and ethical development and dean of student ambassadors at USF St. Petersburg, can be seen saying on video, suggesting that the school is using student fees to fund DEI programs.

“I was hoping it would be similar here that they weren’t totally getting rid of DEI,” the unidentified woman says to Klišanin at another point in the video.

WISCONSIN STATE AGENCIES, UNIVERSITY SYSTEM FAILED TO TRACK DEI SPENDING, AUDIT REVEALS

Klišanin responds, “Yeah, and even our students, we just have to make sure, like any of our programming and things like that, is mostly done through student government because if it’s student-funded, they can’t stop it. But like, our departments can’t spend any money on that.”

Klišanin went on to explain that she has students who do “outreach and education” on DEI issues, but the department can no longer directly fund those efforts, “but if they partnered with student government and student government paid for it, then we can.”

Klišanin described the loophole as “red tape” but said “Yeah” when asked whether the school administrators could still have a “supportive role” in the DEI efforts.

“Loopholes?” the undercover individual asked.

RED STATE LAWMAKERS WARNED ABOUT ALLEGEDLY ACCEPTING ‘DEI DOLLARS’ FROM HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION: WATCHDOG

“Yeah,” Klišanin responded.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a university spokesperson said they are complying with the law.

“The University of South Florida follows all state and federal guidance, policies, and laws related to DEI. USF does not operate a DEI office,” the spokesperson said. 

“As soon as USF was provided the hidden camera video of Heather Klišanin, we began a review of the matter, which is ongoing. Upon initial review of the edited video, it appears that she is referencing Florida law and Florida Board of Governors regulation on DEI that includes an exemption for student-led programs funded by student fees. However, after seeing the video and to ensure USF continues to comply with state and federal laws, USF will require her to complete additional training.”

The Florida law does provide a carveout for student-funded activities, but in a press release, AIM suggests that the “loophole” talked about in the video might not be legal either.

“However, this ‘loophole’ employed by USF is still likely in violation of state law, because not all student fees are paid through private sources,” the press release states. “As of fall 2022, over 74% of Florida residents enrolled at USF received a taxpayer-funded scholarship through the Bright Futures program.”

“‘Federal funds’ are those funds provided to the university or direct support organization for a university directly or indirectly by an appropriation by Congress,” the Florida regulation states on the university system’s website.

“This includes financial aid provided to the university by or on behalf of a student attending the university if that financial aid is provided to the student via a governmental aid or grant program. State and federal funds do not include student fees to support student-led organizations notwithstanding any speech or expressive activity by such organizations which would otherwise violate this section, provided that the student fees must be allocated to student-led organizations pursuant to written policies or regulations of each state university, as applicable.”

Later in the video, Klišanin says, “We’re not going to stop supporting the students that we’ve been supporting in that space and right now it’s student-funded, so even if a name changes, they won’t have to take away the support.”

The video also shows AIM President Adam Guillette confronting Klišanin, who denies she has been pushing to skirt the DEI laws.

“You’re going to need to talk to Carrie O’Brion,” Klišanin says, pointing Guillette to the school’s communications director. 

Later in the video, Guillette speaks to O’Brion, who seemingly acknowledges that something improper had taken place.

“That’s not the policy,” O’Brion said when confronted about the idea of switching DEI programs to student-funded efforts or changing the names of certain programs.

“DEI is a poisonous ideology that leads to division, hate and antisemitism,” Guillette told Fox News Digital in a statement. “It has no place in our education system, and both Gov. DeSantis and the Trump administration must ensure these programs are rooted out of public universities and K-12 schools.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, DeSantis communications director Bryan Griffin told Fox News Digital, “Circumventing state laws & rules prohibiting DEI in public universities is unacceptable. We are looking into the matter and, to the extent public dollars are being used toward DEI, there will be consequences. ‘Additonal training’ will not be a sufficient response.”

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The newly uncovered video comes weeks after Fox News Digital exclusively reported on a Florida professor bragging about how he too had found ways around the state’s DEI ban. The professor, Dr. Haywood Brown, former associate vice president of academic affairs at the University of South Florida, resigned shortly after Fox News Digital’s reporting.

“With the details of Mr. Brown’s actions and public commitments to violating state law and academic standards surfacing to our attention, our office has immediately ensured his relationship with our university system has ended,” Griffin told Fox News Digital at the time.

“This individual’s employment at the University of South Florida is over today, and he is no longer welcome to work in Florida education.”

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.”

CONGRESSMAN CALLS FOR ZUCKERBERG TO ANSWER ON CHINA DEALINGS

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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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. 

COAST GUARD AIRLIFTS CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER WHO HAD STROKES 300 MILES OFF HAWAII COAST

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.