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.

RED STATES GET IN LINE WITH TRUMP’S DEI BAN IN SCHOOLS AS COMPLIANCE DEADLINE NEARS

“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.”

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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.

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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. 

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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.”

EXCLUSIVE: On Monday, Mississippi state auditor Shad White will release a compilation of audits conducted by his office that tabulated a collective $400 million in waste over the course of his tenure.

“In the last few weeks, we’ve jokingly started calling ourselves MOGE, the Mississippi Office of Government Efficiency, like Elon Musk’s DOGE,” White told Fox News Digital, referring to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration.

“We approach our work with the same attention to every penny as DOGE, and I’m happy to be Mississippi’s Musk,” White said.

While the auditor’s office cannot cut any of the wasteful spending, it alerts state lawmakers to what it discovers.

COST CUTTING: 2 STATES AIM TO ELIMINATE PERSONAL INCOME TAXES

“We’ve been working on this project really for the last couple of years. And what’s encouraging right now is that President Trump and Elon Musk are doing DOGE, which has raised public awareness about the amount of fraud, waste and abuse in government,” White said in his exclusive interview.

“So, people are starting to look closely at what we’ve uncovered. In our time in the state auditor’s office, my team and I have uncovered about $400 million worth of waste.”

That figure will be broken down in an 800-page report, which White will make public later Monday.

He said that Medicaid is a major issue, in that tens of millions of dollars in subsidies are going to income-ineligible Mississippians.

One state agency was spending nearly $6,000 each on televisions, which the similarly bloated feds pay about $2,000 for similar tech, he said.

REEVES RALLIES AROUND PROPOSAL TO CUT MS INCOME TAX

“So, if you think the federal government is inefficient, I promise you, your state governments around the country are likely even less efficient,” he said.

Asked about slashing wasteful spending in DEI and elsewhere, White said that even in a red state like the Magnolia State, there is a lot to be discovered and trimmed down.

“[W]hen you dig into what they’re doing with all of this staff time and all of these resources, they were doing things like holding microaggression training sessions for engineers — I don’t know why we need to do that. They were handing out grants for social justice yoga for preschoolers. Just crazy stuff,” he said, as $11 million in taxpayer funding has gone to DEI at colleges alone.

In the Magnolia State, 20% of people live below the poverty line, so efficient spending of federal and other public funds is paramount, White said.

Millions of misspent dollars came from welfare appropriations, including approved community gardens that were never built, or nonprofits who pledged to use funding to help the poor but instead padded executive salaries.

“We found dollars supposed to be going to poor folks going to pay for sponsorship of beauty pageants,” he added.

“Really, I think the big-picture point here is, this kind of waste happens at every level of government. And now that DOJ is taking the lead and showing the country how much fraud, waste and abuse there is, it’s really incumbent on every single state government to take a look at their own house and make sure that that fraud, waste, and abuse isn’t happening in state government, too.”

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State auditor roles vary statutorily from state-to-state. 

When asked whether White has worked with neighboring officials or if other Deep South states have collaborated on regional DOGE-type initiatives, White said that some states like Alabama have auditor roles with more limited statutory powers than his in Jackson.

But he said that Oklahoma auditor Cindy Byrd is working on a similar endeavor to uncover government waste in the Sooner State.

“We [state auditors] are in conversation with one another — and whether it’s your state auditor or a key state legislator or the governor, really, every state needs to be starting a DOGE.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Reeves for comment on White’s past work in identifying waste, fraud and abuse.

President Donald Trump’s 13th week in office is expected to include ongoing tariff negotiations revolving around his reciprocal, customized duty tax plan, as well as a visit from El Salvador’s president. 

On Wednesday, Trump put a 90-day pause on reciprocal, customized tariffs he had imposed on dozens of nations, which was an abrupt change of course after saying there would not be a pause to them, just negotiations. Simultaneously, the Trump administration upped the ante on its tariff on China to 125%. 

Now, the administration, including Trump, is diving into negotiations with foreign nations to strike deals that are beneficial to the U.S. and lower the country’s chronic trade deficit, according to officials.  

An administration official told Fox News Digital last week that Trump will be personally involved in the negotiations, including taking direct phone calls from fellow world leaders. Trump will serve as the “final decision maker” of the negotiations, and he is “very invested” in securing the best trade deals for the U.S., the admin official said. 

‘DEAL-MAKER-IN-CHIEF’: BEHIND THE SCENES OF TRUMP’S TARIFF PAUSE, WHERE HE HAS FINAL SAY OVER NEGOTIATIONS

“The American people elected President Trump because he’s a deal-maker, and he’s going to be the deal-maker-in-chief to make this happen,” the source said.

SCOTT BESSENT SAYS UP TO 70 NATIONS WANT TO NEGOTIATE OVER TRUMP’S TARIFFS

Tariffs are expected to be a focal point of the week as Democrats continue lobbing attacks at Trump over the duty taxes and pausing the customized tariffs on the same day they took effect. 

On Monday, Trump will meet with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at the White House. Bukele has emerged as a key ally to the administration regarding immigration policies, including by accepting illegal immigrants of any nationality facing deportation in the U.S. and booking them into El Salvador’s notorious prison system. Those deported to El Salvador from the U.S. have suspected ties to vicious gangs, such as Tren de Aragua or MS-13. 

El Salvador’s CECOT prison is known as the nation’s most notorious prison. The prison, which can hold 40,000 inmates, was built to house gang members in a country that held one of the highest murder rates in the world before violence dropped in recent history. Prisoners at CECOT are blocked from receiving visitors and can only attend hearings virtually, while the prison itself blocks any cell signal to ensure gang members cannot contact criminals still on the street, various media reports have detailed. 

EL SALVADOR TAKES IN HUNDREDS OF VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS FROM US, EVEN AS JUDGE MOVES TO BLOCK DEPORTATIONS

“Looking forward to seeing President Bukele, of El Salvador, on Monday! Our Nations are working closely together to eradicate terrorist organizations, and build a future of Prosperity,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday, confirming the meeting this week. 

“President Bukele has graciously accepted into his Nation’s custody some of the most violent alien enemies of the World and, in particular, the United States. These barbarians are now in the sole custody of El Salvador, a proud and sovereign Nation, and their future is up to President B and his Government. They will never threaten or menace our Citizens again!”

The Department of Government Efficiency’s Elon Musk, as well as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, both previewed that the “Trump Gold Card” would be operational in the coming days. Trump explained earlier this year that the U.S. would offer a $5 million card that grants foreigners the ability to live and work in the U.S., as well as a path to citizenship. 

TRUMP VOWS TO REFUND, DEPORT ANY ‘UNSAVORY’ IMMIGRANTS WHO TRY FOR CITIZENSHIP UNDER POTENTIAL ‘GOLD CARD’

“We’re going to be selling a gold card,” Trump said from the Oval Office back in February. “You have a green card. This is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million and that’s going to give you green card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship. And wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card.”

“[I’m] working with Howard [Lutnick] to get that, the Trump gold card, operational hopefully in the next week or so,” Musk said during a Cabinet meeting with Trump last week. 

“That’ll be very exciting,” Trump responded. “That’s a pathway to citizenship into the United States.”

Trump is kicking off his 13th week back in the Oval Office with a clean bill of health after White House physician Capt. Sean Barbabella released the president’s annual physical results on Sunday. 

“President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and general physical function,” Barbabella said, reporting that Trump “exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit.”

The president spent the weekend in Florida, including attending a UFC match on Saturday in Miami alongside members of his cabinet, and flew back to Washington, D.C., on Sunday evening. 

FIRST ON FOX: A GOP organization dedicated to electing Republicans to state legislative and executive offices across the nation is spotlighting what it calls a “record” fundraising haul during the first three months of the year.

The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) announced on Monday that, along with its strategic policy partner, the State Government Leadership Foundation, it raked in a combined $13 million in fundraising during the January-March first quarter of 2025. 

The group, in sharing their figures first with Fox News, highlighted that it was their “best-ever first-quarter fundraising haul,” and follows what they describe as “a historic 2023-2024 election cycle,” when the two groups combined raised $102 million.

Showcasing their grassroots appeal, the group noted that they brought in over $2.2 million online, with 5,130 new online donors and an average online donation of $24.68.

THIS WELL-KNOWN REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2026

“This record-breaking fundraising achievement highlights the enthusiasm behind the results Republicans are delivering at the state level,” RSLC President Edith Jorge-Tuñón emphasized in a statement to Fox News.

 “While we’re proud of this milestone, we must stay alert. Recent elections show Democrats are ready to invest unlimited resources in down-ballot races, taking advantage of low turnout to build momentum for the 2025-2026 cycle. We need to be proactive in countering these efforts,” she added.

THIS DEMOCRATIC SENATOR IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR 

At the time this story was posted, the rival Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee had yet to report its first-quarter fundraising figures.

Two legislative chambers changed control in the 2024 elections, both in favor of the Republicans. Minnesota’s House flipped from Democratic control to a tie, and Michigan’s House flipped from the Democrats to the GOP.

CAN REPUBLICANS END THEIR TWO-DECADE-LONG ELECTORAL LOSING STREAK IN THIS STATE?

According to the nonpartisan National Conference on State Legislatures, Republicans currently control 58 of the nation’s 98 state legislative chambers (Nebraska’s technically non-partisan is not included), with the Democrats in control of 38 chambers and two divided.

Republicans control 28 of the 50 state legislatures, with Democrats in control of 18 and three legislatures divided.

Additionally, Republicans have total control (state house majority in both chambers and control of the governor’s office) in 23 states, compared to 15 for the Democrats, with 11 states divided.

EXCLUSIVE – Former Rep. Mike Rogers, who was the GOP Senate nominee in Michigan in last year’s election, is launching a second straight Republican run for the Senate in the crucial Great Lakes battleground state.

Rogers, a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress, announced his candidacy in the 2026 Senate race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters in a video that was shared nationally first with Fox News.

“As your next senator, I won’t just represent Michigan, I’ll fight for it,” Rogers emphasizes in his video announcement.

Highlighting his long career in the military, the FBI, and as an elected state and federal lawmaker, Rogers says that he is “running to serve as your next senator because service is what I’ve always done. Michigan, let’s get to work.”

A LIKELY BRUISING SENATE BATTLE IN BATTLEGROUND MICHIGAN HEATS UP AS THIS CANDIDATE ENTERS THE RACE

And in his video, Rogers also spotlights his support for President Donald Trump, saying “I’ll stand with President Trump, and we will deliver on the mandate given to him by the American people….for me it will always be America and Michigan first.”

Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats’ nominee, in last November’s election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point.

WILL THIS BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN END THE GOP’S 20-YEAR LOSING STREAK IN HIS STATE?

The Senate seat in Michigan is one of three held by the Democrats that the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is planning to heavily target as it aims to expand the GOP’s current 53-47 majority in the chamber. The other two are in New Hampshire, where longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is retiring rather than running for re-election in 2026, and Georgia, where the GOP considers a first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff vulnerable.

While Rogers is the first major Republican to enter the Senate race in Michigan, he may not have the field to himself.

Longtime Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga told Fox News last week that as soon as Peters announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t seek re-election, “my phone started to ring and it hasn’t stopped ringing.”

LONGTIME HOUSE REPUBLICAN WEIGHS SENATE BID IN KEY BATTLEGROUND

Huizenga, who was first elected to the House in 2010 and represents Michigan’s 4th Congressional District, which covers parts of the southwestern part of the state, highlighted that he’s getting “encouragement” to seek the Senate from “grassroots folks,” as well as donors.

As for his timetable, Huizenga said: “I’m still going to do my evaluation here, and need to kind of push through on the fundraising and need to make sure that I’m able to get the support that I really need to have to be able to do this kind of run.”

ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026

An endorsement by Trump, whose sway over the GOP is stronger than ever, is expected to play a significant role if there’s a contested Republican Senate primary in Michigan.

And while Trump has yet to weigh in on the race, Rogers earlier this year hired veteran Republican strategist and 2024 Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita as a senior advisor. LaCivita remains close to the president and his political team in the White House.

Rogers in 2022 and early 2023 mulled a 2024 Republican presidential nomination run of his own, and had a few critical comments of Trump at the time. But Rogers later became a strong supporter of the then-former president and Trump endorsed Rogers in the 2024 Michigan Senate race in March of last year, after clinching the GOP presidential nomination.

WHY PETE BUTTIGIEG SAID NO TO RUNNING FOR THE SENATE NEXT YEAR IN MICHIGAN

Besides Rogers and Huizenga, business executive, conservative commentator and 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon has said she’s seriously mulling another run for governor, or for the Senate, in 2026.

And Republican businessman and auto dealership executive Kevin Rinke, who ran for governor in 2022, is also thought to be considering another statewide run next year.

Earlier this month, Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow launched a campaign for the Democratic Senate nomination.

Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet and Haley Stevens are considering a run, as is Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. 

Last month, Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who later served as Transportation Secretary in former President Joe Biden’s administration, ruled out a campaign after seriously considering a bid.

EXCLUSIVE: A panel of bicameral Democrats will release a report Monday that seeks to claim substantive cuts to Medicaid could lead to more than 100,000 beneficiaries immediately losing access to subsidized medication treatment for opioid use amid the fentanyl crisis.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., the top Democrat on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, told Fox News Digital both the Trump administration and Congress agree that addiction treatment is crucial in combating the fentanyl crisis. 

“[A]s this new report highlights, Medicaid is what enables one million people to get medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, the gold standard of addiction care,” Hassan said of the minority panel’s findings.

“President Trump and Congressional Republicans have proposed gutting Medicaid— in order to pay for tax breaks for corporate special interests and billionaires — which would jeopardize addiction care just as our country is finally starting to see progress in addressing the fentanyl crisis.”

DEMOCRATIC SEN. HASSAN SPOTLIGHTS DIFFERENCES WITH BIDEN BUT SAYS PRESIDENT ‘ALWAYS WELCOME’ IN NH

Several states have laws that would go into effect and immediately halt certain Medicaid expansion subsidies if federal Medicaid funding to those states is cut.

In the report, Hassan’s caucus provided footnoted figures for several states, including her home state, where Medicaid expansion would be curtailed under any Medicaid appropriation cut.

Eight states would automatically terminate Medicaid expansion if its federal funding share falls below 90%. Arizona, as one other example, reportedly has a trigger law set at 80%.

“President Trump and Congressional Republicans have proposed gutting Medicaid— in order to pay for tax breaks for corporate special interests and billionaires,” Hassan claimed.

ZOMBIE DRUG SMUGGLED ACROSS SOUTHERN BORDER A GROWING THREAT TO AMERICANS, DOCTOR WARNS

“[That] would jeopardize addiction care just as our country is finally starting to see progress in addressing the fentanyl crisis.” 

The report also found the CDC recently announced an estimated 24% drop in overdose deaths from 2023 to 2024 – the lowest since COVID. CDC reportedly pointed to addiction patients’ access to medication and “evidence-based treatment” contributing to the decline.

Besides its high-profile immigration and trafficking enforcement endeavors, the White House last week released a dossier focusing on its drug policy priorities.

One priority includes efforts to provide “treatment that leads to long-term recovery.”

According to the policy outline, the Trump administration will seek to “increase the number of individuals receiving evidence-based treatment and achieving long-term recovery from addiction and substance-use disorders.”

“Effective treatment and robust community-based recovery support services are key to ensuring that individuals struggling with addiction and substance-use disorders can find recovery and lead productive, healthy lives,” the White House said in the document.

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“The Administration will ensure effective, timely, and evidence-based treatment is available to all Americans who need it.”

The administration will also bolster overdose prevention education and meds like Naloxone (Narcan). 

“We will encourage state and local efforts facilitating law-enforcement-assisted diversion to connect people who use drugs with supportive services that divert them from incarceration and reduce recidivism,” the White House said in its proposal.

But, Hassan’s panel warned Trump’s well-intended plans to expand access to medication-assisted opioid treatment could face a roadblock if state trigger laws nix Medicaid coverage.

President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to the Houthis by saying it was time for them to hide now that he has removed “dangerous red tape” from the Biden administration, allowing U.S. troops to protect Somalia against terrorists.

“Time for the terrorists to hide, but it won’t do them any good. Our Warfighters, the Greatest the World has ever seen, will find them, and bring them to a swift Justice,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “I just got rid of Joe Biden’s dangerous red tape, and empowered our Warfighters, once again, just like I did against our fight with ISIS, who were completely obliterated in three weeks under General Daniel Caine, our new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

“We will support the Somali People, who should not allow the Houthis to embed (which they are trying to do!), to end terrorism, and bring prosperity to their Country,” the president added.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department on the matter and is waiting to hear back.

TRUMP TOUTS AIRSTRIKE ON HOUTHIS, SHOWING VIDEO: WILL ‘NEVER SINK OUR SHIPS AGAIN’

For years, the U.S. has helped Somali forces with airstrikes and other support against the al-Shabab extremist group and an affiliate of the Islamic State, or ISIS.

Last month, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud drafted a letter to Trump offering the U.S. exclusive access to air bases and seaports, which reignited tensions between the government of Somalia and the breakaway region of Somaliland, the Associated Press reported.

In the letter, Somalia offered “exclusive operational control” over the Berbera and Baledogle air bases and the ports of Berbera and Bosaso to “bolster American engagement in the region.”

LEADER OF SOMALIA’S BREAKAWAY SOMALILAND SAYS DEAL WITH ETHIOPIA WILL ALLOW IT TO BUILD A NAVAL BASE

The letter was dated March 16 and leaked on social media during the last week of March. In it, the Somali leader spoke of “ensuring uninterrupted military and logistical access while preventing external competitors from establishing a presence in this critical corridor.”

The letter was confirmed as “an authentic draft” by a senior official in Somalia’s foreign ministry, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give press interviews.

US FORCES CARRY OUT AIRSTRIKE IN SOUTHERN SOMALIA, KILLING 3 AL-SHABAAB TERRORISTS

The official was not sure if the final letter, which made the same offer, was sent.

One of the ports, Berbera, is in a key city located in Somaliland, whose long assertion as an independent state has not received international recognition.

Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 after the collapse of the central government. It maintains its own government, security forces and currency and has held elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump vowed on Sunday that nobody was getting “off the hook” for unfair trade balances and tariff barriers, which other countries have used against the U.S.

The Trump administration announced Friday that it was exempting imported smartphones, laptops and other electronics from reciprocal tariffs, but the president wanted to clear a few things up.

“There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday,” Trump said in a post on X on Sunday. “These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and 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.

“What has been exposed is that we need to make products in the United States, and that we will not be held hostage by other Countries, especially hostile trading Nations like China, which will do everything within its power to disrespect the American People,” he continued. “We also cannot let them continue to abuse us on Trade, like they have for decades, THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!”

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

Trump closed out his post by saying the Golden Age of America will mean “more and better paying jobs” as well as making products in the U.S. and treating other countries as they have treated America.

“The bottom line is that our Country will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” he said. “We will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Customs and Border Protection issued new guidance on reciprocal tariff negotiations late Friday, noting the exemption of those goods from Trump’s April 2 executive order that declared a national emergency due to non-reciprocal trade practices and structural imbalances in the global trading system. Subsequent executive orders ramped up tariffs on China to 125%.

‘DEAL-MAKER-IN-CHIEF’: BEHIND THE SCENES OF TRUMP’S TARIFF PAUSE, WHERE HE HAS FINAL SAY OVER NEGOTIATIONS

The updated guidance, which cites a presidential memorandum issued Friday, excluded the products from Trump’s 125% China tariff and his baseline 10% global tariff on some countries. They apply to goods that left a warehouse as of April 5.

The new move will likely ease the blow for consumers while giving a boost to electronics giants such as Apple, Samsung and Dell.

A White House official confirmed to Fox News that the exemptions were put in place.

CHINA REFUSES TO BACK DOWN ON TARIFFS AFTER TRUMP THREATENED TOUGHER MEASURES

Products included in the exemption are things like hard drives, computer processors, solar cells, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, flat-panel TV displays and memory chips.

But in light of the easing of tariffs on electronics, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday the exemption would be temporary.

“They’re exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but they’re included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two,” Lutnick told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

Lutnick’s comments Sunday made clear that more changes were on the horizon.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Saturday night that he would get into more specifics on exemptions on Monday.

“We’ve been making a lot of money,” he said. “It’s been the other way around. Other countries, in particular China, was making a lot of money.”

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In a statement issued Saturday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not specifically address the exemptions but indicated the administration still plans to push for tech companies to move manufacturing to the U.S.

She said the administration has secured U.S. investments from tech companies, including Apple, TSMC and Nvidia, that are “hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible.”

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan, Brie Stimson and Sarah Tobianski, as well as the Associated Press, contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump “remains in excellent health,” according to a release from the White House physician following the president’s annual physical.

“President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function,” read the release by Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president. 

Trump underwent the physical on Friday morning at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the release noted, which included “diagnostic and laboratory testing” and “consultations with fourteen specialty consultants.”

WARREN DEMANDS SEC INVESTIGATE TRUMP FOR INSIDER TRADING, ACCUSES HIM OF UNLEASHING ‘CHAOS’ WITH TARIFFS

The release included Trump’s vital statistics, noting that the president is 75 inches tall, weighs 224 pounds, has a resting heart rate of 62 beats per minute, a blood pressure of 128/74 mmHg, a pulse oximetry of 99% on room air, and a temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Trump’s physical examination raised no red flags or significant abnormalities, though the physician noted that the president has “scarring on the right ear from a gunshot wound.”

DONALD TRUMP’S ALLIES, SUPPORTERS AND DONORS, LED BY ELON MUSK, PUSH TO END TARIFF WAR

The president’s lab results also came back normal and Trump’s “lifelong abstinence from tobacco and alcohol” was noted in his medical history.

Trump is currently on four medications, the release notes, including Rosuvastatin and Ezetimibe for cholesterol control, aspirin for cardiac prevention, and Mometasone cream as needed for a skin condition.

The release also credits Trump’s “active lifestyle” for contributing “significantly to his well-being.”

“President Trump’s days include participation in multiple meetings, public appearances, press availability, and frequent victories in golf events,” the release reads. “President Trump exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of the Commander -in-Chief and Head of State.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., took the Coachella stage on Saturday to deride President Donald Trump and “billionaires” to the crowd of luxury music festival-goers. 

Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, introduced the performance of Clairo, praising the 26-year-old artist, whose real name is Claire Cottrill, for her political activism. He was joined by Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., who the 83-year-old Sanders noted is the youngest member of Congress, and “in my view, one of the best members.” 

“This country faces some very difficult challenges and the future of what happens to America is dependent upon your generation. Now you can turn away and you can ignore what goes on but if you do that, you do it at your own peril. We need you to stand up, to fight for justice. To fight for economic justice, social justice, and racial justice,” Sanders told the crowd. 

TRUMP CHAMPIONS JESUS’ ‘MIRACULOUS RESURRECTION’ IN PALM SUNDAY MESSAGE VOWING TO ‘DEFEND THE CHRISTIAN FAITH’

“Now we got a President of the United States…” Sanders continued, as the crowd booed. 

“I Agee,” Sanders said of their opposition to President Donald Trump. 

“He thinks that climate change is a hoax. He is dangerously wrong,” Sanders said. “You and I are going to have to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and tell them to stop destroying this planet.” 

“All over this country, not in California, not in Vermont where I’m from, but in Florida where Maxwell is from, many other states, politicians are trying to take away a woman’s right to control her own body,” Sanders went on. “We need you to stand up and fight for women’s rights. We have an economy today that is working very well for the billionaire class but not for working families. We need you to help us to create an economy that works well for everybody, not just the 1%. We have a healthcare system that is broken. We are the only major country not to guarantee healthcare to all people. We need you to stand up to the insurance companies and the drug companies and understand that healthcare is a human right.” 

Sanders said he was there to support Clairo because the artists has used her “prominence to fight for women’s rights, to try to end the terrible, brutal war in Gaza, where thousands – thousands of women and children are being killed.” 

The former Democratic presidential primary candidate’s remarks against “billionaires” were condemned by critics online who noted tickets to watch Clairo’s set started at around $600. 

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

Coachella attendees typically shell out thousands of dollars to camp in the desert for the weekend in Indio, Calif.

“Bernie Sanders making a surprise appearance at Coachella to sermonize on the evils of wealth in front of a crowd of people who paid at least $600 per ticket to be there is peak 21st century Democratic Party,” one X user wrote. 

Sanders posted on X about introducing Clairo, saying, “These are tough times. The younger generation has to help lead in the fight to combat climate change, protect women’s rights, and build an economy that works for all, not just the few.” 

“Do you know the avg ticket price to attend this event bro?” Ryan Fournier, National Chairman for Students For Trump, responded. 

“Bernie, America doesn’t want your socialism. We’ve made that clear for decades now,” another user wrote. “Just retire already. Go enjoy your mansions and private flights.” 

Sanders traveled to the music festival after appearing with fellow progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for their “Fighting Oligarchy” event in Los Angeles. 

Both Sanders and AOC condemned “billionaires” and the Trump administration, namely criticizing the president’s relationship with top Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) adviser Elon Musk. 

EXCLUSIVE: All 15 Arizona counties have now begun the process of verifying and removing noncitizens from their voter rolls, including nearly 50,000 registrants who did not provide proof of U.S. citizenship.

“This settlement is a great result for all Arizonans,” America First Legal (AFL) senior counsel James Rogers told Fox News Digital after his organization’s successful lawsuit spearheaded the process in Arizona.

AFL filed the lawsuit against the 15 Arizona counties last year on behalf of EZAZ.org, and Yvonne Cahill, a registered voter and naturalized citizen, arguing that the counties had not been following a state law that requires proof of citizenship to vote in local and state elections and for the state to do monthly checks of the rolls for noncitizens.

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As a result of the lawsuit, the 15 counties have now begun working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to verify the citizenship status of all registered voters in the state who failed to provide proof of citizenship.

While a 2013 Supreme Court ruling prohibits states from imposing voter registration requirements beyond the federal requirement that registrants must check a box affirming their U.S. citizenship, Arizona residents are still required to provide proof of citizenship to vote in state and local elections.

The Arizona law also requires that county recorders perform a monthly list maintenance to confirm the U.S. citizenship of so-called “federal-only voters,” a list of nearly 50,000 individuals who failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and were not allowed to vote in state or local elections. 

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Registrants confirmed to be citizens are then moved to the regular list while those found to be noncitizens are required to have their registration canceled.

But AFL argued in the lawsuit that county recorders had not been utilizing the resources available to them to help verify citizenship status, something the Arizona law requires them to do. As a result, all 15 counties have now sent requests to DHS in order to assist their efforts to clear the voter rolls of noncitizens.

“This will help County Recorders find and remove any aliens on their voter rolls,” Rogers said. “It will also potentially enfranchise federal-only voters whose citizenship is confirmed, which would allow them to vote in state and local elections. AFL congratulates each of Arizona’s 15 county recorders for taking this bold and important step for election integrity in the state.”