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Russian border states eye exit of landmine treaty to fortify defenses and deter Putin

Eastern European countries are eyeing an exit of the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines so they can place lethal underground bombs along their border to prevent Russia from invading, Fox News Digital has learned.  Poland is expected to withdraw from the treaty, together with Lithuania and Estonia, multiple eastern European officials predicted. Latvia and Finland are considering the idea as well.  Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk asked the Ministry of Defense to initiate withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention “and possibly the Dublin Convention,” referring to both the treaty governing anti-personnel landmines and the use of cluster munitions.  Pressure among the Baltic States, together with Poland and Finland, has swelled in recent months to stop adhering to the Canada-brokered treaty as a way to bolster defenses at a time when the U.S. has said it will not offer Ukraine security guarantees to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from once again invading and pushing west. RUSSIA HITS ZELENSKYY’S HOMETOWN AS UKRAINE SIGNALS IT’S READY FOR PEACE Lithuania pulled out of the treaty banning the use of cluster munitions recently, making it the first European Union nation to pull out of an international arms treaty. It’s now expected to pull out of Ottawa as well. Russia and Ukraine both use cluster munitions and anti-personnel landmines in the current war.  Lithuanian National Security Committee Chairman Giedrimas Jeglinskas said that the “threat assessment has changed dramatically” since his nation joined the convention in 2003. Jeglinskas, who has led the charge to leave the treaty in Lithuania, said the nation had wanted to withdraw from the treaty for a long time, given it shares a border with Russian vassal state Belarus, but needed the agreement from other border nations, so Russia could not just “go around” Belarus and through Poland or Latvia.  “We hold that Latvians and Estonians will move in the same direction,” he said.  Canada urged Eastern European states to remain in the treaty, but laid blame on Russia for their moves to withdraw.  “Support for the convention and universal adherence remain a priority for Canada,” Global Affairs office spokesperson Brittany Fletcher told Fox News Digital.  “These debates are taking place as a result of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s actions in the region are forcing states to act out of necessity, not by choice,” the office said. “While we understand the need to consider all options … such measures need to be balanced with the long-term impacts, including impacts on civilians.” RUSSIA PRESENTS US WITH DEMANDS THAT NEED TO BE MET BEFORE ENDING UKRAINE WAR: REPORT Finland, meanwhile, has asked for “a couple weeks more” to come to its own decision, according to the chairman.  Estonia’s defense ministry said that its “military assessment has not changed” on the treaty. “At the same time, this is a wider political question, on which a decision has not been made in Estonia,” according to a defense ministry official.   Latvia, meanwhile, has to consider the 1,700 Canadian troops stationed within its borders as part of the withdrawal.  Finland began a report to assess the need and deterrent effect of anti-personnel land mines within its borders, which will be finalized in the spring and the Ministry of Defense will then make a recommendation to parliament on whether to leave, according to Finnish press counselor Riikka Hietajärvi. Two other European officials said behind the scenes Finnish, Estonian and Latvian officials expressed an openness to the idea of leaving the treaty.  EUROPE STEPS UP TO FUND ITS OWN DEFENSE, PROVIDE SECURITY FOR UKRAINE AFTER TRUMP THREATS For Lithuania to withdraw, the president needs to notify his defense council and then propose the withdrawal to parliament, where it needs a 60% vote. Jeglinskas said he expects such a vote would pass without widespread dissent. “There might be some lone voices expressing their concern, but it should pass without issue.”  As of now, 164 nations are party to the agreement. No EU country has ever left the Ottawa Treaty. The United Nations holds that the “number of casualties has sharply declined” since the agreement and 40 million stockpiled mines have been destroyed.  Tusk acknowledged that this is “not a pleasant” decision but insisted that Poland must consider its current security needs. “Anything that can strengthen Poland’s defense will be implemented. We will use all available options,” he stated. The U.S. is not party to the treaty and in November the Biden administration began supplying Ukraine with anti-personnel mines.  Critics of landmines argue that they are indiscriminate and can instantly kill and maim civilians who step into the wrong area.  “No matter what decision we make – and I think this decision is very, very clearly going towards withdrawal – it’s still a difficult decision,” said Jeglinskas. “Just the situation … it just does not allow us the privilege to remain part of this coalition on anti-personnel mines, and it’s with a heavy heart, I would say that, that’s unfortunate, but that’s just the military reality.”  The Russian military has the supreme edge against any of its border states on their own, necessitating lethal deterrence like land mines, according to Hudson defense analyst Can Kasapoğlu. “The Russian military has the upper hand over the Polish armed forces, and it has a gigantic, gigantic upper hand over the entire Baltic nations. So for these nations to keep being a part of the Ottawa treaty and and ditching the landmines, for the sake of some international image, it doesn’t make sense.”  The anti-personnel mines would need to be combined with anti-tank mines and artillery and drones stationed along the border to effectively deter an enemy. “It forms a kill box that the Russians can’t evade.”  He said that such mines have advanced to self-destruct after a set period of time so that the fallout does not last for generations like in wars past.  The new movement comes as Europe has moved at a rapid-fire pace to account to take charge of its own defense since President Donald Trump took office and brought along his critiques of

Pete Buttigieg expected to make major announcement regarding his political future

Pete Buttigieg is expected to rule out a run for an open Democrat-held Senate seat in his adopted home state of Michigan, according to two sources familiar with his plans. And the likely move by the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, who served four years as Transportation secretary in the Biden administration, appears to clear the path for a potential 2028 White House bid by Buttigieg. The news regarding Buttigieg was first reported earlier on Thursday by Politico. BUTTIGIEG APPEARANCE ON THIS RADIO SHOW SPARKS MORE 2028 SPECULATION Buttigieg had been eyeing a possible Senate run for months. “I’ve been looking at it,”he said earlier this month as he pointed to the emerging race to succeed Sen. Gary Peters. The two-term Democrat announced in January that he won’t seek re-election in 2026. “I’m going to continue to work on the things that I care about,” Buttigieg said as he appeared on CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” “I have not decided what that means professionally, whether that means running for office soon or not. But I will make myself useful.” THESE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028 In a sign of just how seriously he had been contemplating a Senate campaign in the pivotal Great Lakes battleground state, a source familiar confirmed to Fox News that Buttigieg recently met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, the longtime leader of the chamber’s Democrats. The 43-year-old Buttigieg, a former naval intelligence officer who deployed to the war in Afghanistan and who served eight years as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was a long-shot candidate when he launched his 2020 presidential campaign.  But his campaign caught fire, and he narrowly edged Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont to win the Iowa caucuses before coming in a close second to Sanders in the New Hampshire presidential primary. But Buttigieg, along with the rest of the Democratic field, dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden as the then-former vice president won the South Carolina primary in a landslide, swept the Super Tuesday contests and eventually clinched the nomination before winning the White House. But the millennial Democrat has maintained popularity within the Democratic Party as one of its younger stars. DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR’S TRIP TO THIS KEY STATE SPARKING 2028 SPECULATION Buttigieg in recent months has highlighted that he aims to stay involved. In a radio interview in December near the end of his tenure as transportation secretary, he said, “I will find ways to make myself useful, and maybe that’s running for office, and maybe that’s not. I’ll take the next few weeks and months to work through that.” That interview, on a news-talk program in New Hampshire – the state that has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary for over a century – sparked some 2028 Buttigieg buzz. While Buttigieg enjoys strong name recognition and is a proven fundraiser, he could have faced carpetbagger attacks if he had run for Senate in Michigan. TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY After his 2020 presidential campaign, Buttigieg and his spouse, Chasten, moved from red-state Indiana to neighboring Michigan, and have a home in Traverse City. Buttigieg wasn’t the only Democrat taking a hard look to succeed Peters. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, the majority whip in Lansing, is likely to launch a Democratic campaign. McMorrow grabbed national attention in 2022 after delivering a floor speech in the Michigan Senate that was seen as a model for countering GOP attacks. Among the other Democrats who’ve expressed interest in running are two-term Michigan Attorney General Dana Nesse and Congresswoman Haley Stevens. Meanwhile, former Rep. Mike Rogers announced at the end of January that he was “strongly considering” a second straight Republican run for the Senate in Michigan. ONLY ON FOX: SENATE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S GUNNING FOR IN 2026 Fox News confirmed on Wednesday that Rogers is likely to announce his campaign in the coming weeks, and that he’s hiring veteran Republican strategist and 2024 Trump’s co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita as a senior advisor. 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. Rogers is a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress. While Rogers was the first Republican to publicly make a move toward launching a 2026 Senate campaign in Michigan, GOP sources told Fox News last month that others who may consider running are Rep. John James – who’s in his second term in the House and was the GOP Senate nominee in Michigan in 2018 and 2020 – and longtime Rep. Bill Huizenga. The Michigan Senate race is considered a “Toss Up” by top nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report.  The Republicans currently control the Senate 53-47, after flipping four seats from blue to red in last November’s elections. The party in power – clearly the Republicans right now – traditionally faces political headwinds in the midterm elections. Nevertheless, an early read of the 2026 map indicates the GOP may be able to go on offense in some key states. Along with Michigan, Republicans will also be targeting battleground Georgia, where first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is considered vulnerable. And in swing state New Hampshire, longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced on Thursday that she won’t seek re-election next year.  The National Republican Senatorial Committee emphasized in a memo on Thursday that “the Granite State was already a great opportunity for Senate Republicans to expand the Majority, but yet another retirement vaults the seat into toss-up status, making it ripe for the taking in 2026.” The GOP is also eyeing blue-leaning Minnesota, where Democratic Sen. Tina Smith last month announced

White House pulls nomination of David Weldon as CDC director

The White House is pulling the nomination of Dave Weldon for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Fox News Digital has confirmed. Weldon was expected to have his confirmation hearing on Thursday. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee announced that it canceled its hearing in a statement on Thursday morning. However, it confirmed that lawmakers would still vote on the nominations of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for National Institutes of Health (NIH) director and Dr. Marty Makary for Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. TRUMP FDA NOMINEE TURNS VACCINE QUESTION ON DEM, RECALLING CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN DECISION​ “It became clear that the votes weren’t there in the Senate for him to get confirmed. This would have been a futile effort,” a source familiar with the nomination told Fox News Digital. However, there is no official reason for pulling the nomination at this time. WE WILL MAKE SURE ANYONE WHO WANTS A VACCINE CAN GET ONE, SAYS HHS SECRETARY Weldon, a medical doctor and former Florida congressman, has made statements against vaccines in the past, which were expected to be brought up during his hearing. In a 2007 statement, Weldon said there were “legitimate questions” about potential links between vaccines and childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism. Additionally, during his time in Congress, he introduced legislation with former Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-Ny., that would have banned mercury from vaccines. The question of vaccine skepticism came up repeatedly during now-HHS Secretary RFK Jr.’s confirmation hearing. Democrats on the Senate HELP Committee repeatedly brought up Kennedy’s claims linking vaccines to autism. They also asked about his time serving as chairman and chief litigation counsel, for Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit organization that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times. Fox News Channel’s Peter Doocy and Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

FDA chief counsel who defended abortion pill under Biden resigns two days into job

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) top lawyer, who was appointed to the position just this week, has resigned, according to a Thursday morning post on X. “Hilary K. Perkins has resigned from her position as Chief Counsel of FDA, effectively immediately,” the FDA’s official X account posted.   Perkins – a former assistant director under Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) in the consumer protection agency – was selected on Tuesday by acting general Sean Keveney in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a “reorganization” effort by the department, according to an HHS news release. FIRST STATE TO BAN FLUORIDE IN DRINKING WATER WILL HEED MAHA MOVEMENT’S CALL TO ACTION She previously defended abortion pill access in a high-profile case under Biden’s DOJ, and HHS officials were reportedly unhappy with the decision to appoint Perkins but were overruled by White House officials, according to a report from Axios this week. “We’ve been able to recruit higher quality personnel to HHS than in any time in its history,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said in a statement Tuesday at the announcement of Perkins’ assignment on Tuesday. “These are individuals who will return the agency to gold-standard science, evidence-based medicine, and recalibrate its trajectory toward public health rather than industry profiteering.” FEDERAL DIETARY GUIDELINES WILL SOON CHANGE FOR AMERICANS, HHS AND USDA ANNOUNCE Fox News Digital has reached out to HHS and FDA for comment. This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

Tom Homan warns major sanctuary state will ‘get exactly what they don’t want’

While on a visit to the New York state Capitol, President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan warned migrant “sanctuary” jurisdictions to “get out of the way” or they will “get exactly what they don’t want, more ICE agents in your community.” New York state law restricts local and state law enforcement agencies from complying with ICE detainers or holding illegal immigrants solely based on their immigration status. Another policy, known as the “Green Light Law,” allows illegal immigrants to obtain drivers’ licenses valid in the state of New York.  Surrounded by Republican state lawmakers in the state Capitol building, Homan renewed his promise to deport “the worst first” and decried non-cooperation policies such as New York’s, saying that they pose a threat to federal agents and communities. He urged local and state law enforcement authorities to “let us in the jails” voluntarily but vowed that sanctuary policies would not stand in the way of the Trump administration’s deportation plans. NEW YORK ASSEMBLYMAN TRIES TO CONFRONT TOM HOMAN OVER ARREST OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST “This is an attack on immigration enforcement, that’s plain what it is,” he said. Homan said the result of not complying with immigration authorities would be more ICE agents in the community rather than less. “You’re not going to stop us, New York state, you’ve got to change the sanctuary status. If you don’t, get out of the way, we’re going to do our job,” he said. “We’ll double the man-force if we have to. Rather than one officer arresting a bad guy, now I have to send a whole team.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Homan also slammed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who has said she supports deporting criminal illegals but has criticized much of Trump’s recent immigration actions. “She’s talking out of both sides of her mouth, saying, ‘I want criminal aliens to be deported,’ while she wants all the roadblocks [so that] it’s not happening,” he said.   TRUMP VOWS ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST MAHMOUD KHALIL WAS ‘FIRST ARREST OF MANY TO COME’ “Releasing a public safety threat back into the public is just stupid, it’s just common sense,” he said. “You have forced us into the community because you have failed to let us in the jail.” Assemblyman Matt Slater, one of the New York Republicans present for Homan’s visit, told Fox News Digital, “It is reassuring to know that we finally have partners on the federal level like President Trump and Director Homan who are prioritizing national security and public safety.” “Director Homan sent a clear message that New York’s dangerous sanctuary policies that protect criminal illegal immigrants and the Green Light Law will no longer be acceptable,” he said.  Hochul did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by the time of publication.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to where we stand to avoid a government shutdown

There is no clear path right now to avoid a government shutdown at 12:00:01 a.m. ET Saturday.  However, circumstances often accelerate matters just before a deadline on Capitol Hill. With Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., opposing the GOP plan, Republicans need at least eight Democrats to help break a filibuster on the House-passed bill.  SENATE REPUBLICANS COIN ‘SCHUMER SHUTDOWN’ AHEAD OF CRITICAL VOTE ON TRUMP SPENDING BILL Senate Republicans could then approve the bill on their own with a simple majority.  Senate Democrats are pushing their own, monthlong spending package. However, if the Senate OKs that, the House and Senate are out of sync. The House is now out of session for a week and a half.  Democrats are really torn. They do not want to support the GOP plan. They also want to make this battle a hill to die on to fight back against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.  ‘BIG WIN’: TRUMP TOUTS FEDERAL FUNDING BILL PASSAGE IN THE HOUSE However, they fear Musk could try to shutter more programs and agencies if the government shuts down.  At this stage, it is hard to see how the fight does not bleed into Friday, if not Friday night before the deadline. 

Senate Democrats say they’ll oppose GOP funding bill as government shutdown deadline looms

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday that his party would oppose the spending bill that Republicans drafted and passed through the House, as the Friday midnight deadline looms for Congress to take action to avoid a government shutdown.  “Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort. But Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their Continuing Resolution without any input from Congressional Democrats,” Schumer wrote on X, echoing comments he made on the Senate floor.  “Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to pass the House CR,” he wrote. “Our caucus is unified on a clean 30-day CR that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass. We should vote on that.”  Schumer called for a one-month spending bill to keep the government open until April 11 so that Democrats can better negotiate a deal. The continuing resolution, which passed through the House Tuesday on a nearly party-line vote of 217-213, would keep the government open for the next six months, for the rest of the fiscal year which ends Sept. 30. TRUMP CRITICIZES SCHUMER, SAYS DEM LEADER ‘HAS BECOME A PALESTINIAN’ The minority leader addressed the Senate floor after a lunch meeting with Democratic senators on Wednesday, as some were reportedly concerned that a shutdown would be more grim for their party despite them broadly being against the CR.  “There are not the votes right now to pass it,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told reporters after the meeting, according to NBC News. “Democrats had nothing to do with this bill. And we want an opportunity to get an amendment vote or two. And so that’s what we are insisting on.” “Quite frankly, both outcomes are bad,” Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., added, according to NBC. “Elections have consequences, but this is an extreme bill. If it passes, it will hurt a lot of ordinary people on the ground. If the government shuts down, that will hurt a lot of ordinary people on the ground, and so that is the dilemma in which we found ourselves.” Warnock said the additional problem he has with the bill “is that I think it advances this project that we’re seeing come from the executive branch, this power grab that does not respect that the power of the purse is with the Congress.”  Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., has not voiced whether he would support the bill in the upper chamber.    “I’m weighing the badness of each option,” Kelly said, acknowledging that supporting the six-month stopgap would set a bad precedent that Republicans can put together funding bills without Democrats involved in the negotiation process.  Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said he would support the continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown, while Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., said Democrats “are unified in not wanting to shut down the government” but should vote for a short-term bill.  SENATE REPUBLICANS COIN ‘SCHUMER SHUTDOWN’ AHEAD OF CRITICAL VOTE ON TRUMP SPENDING BILL President Donald Trump supports the six-month continuing resolution so Republicans can focus their time early in his second term on advancing his agenda on the border and taxes.  The bill, which bolsters military spending while slashing non-defense domestic programs, needs 60 votes to avoid a filibuster. Republicans hold 53 Senate seats.  Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has indicated he will reject the continuing resolution, so the GOP needs at least eight Democrats to cross the aisle in order to avoid a filibuster.  Republicans argue it is too late to swap in a one-month bill, as the House is already on recess until March 24.  Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., signaled to reporters that he is open to having conversations with Democrats on adding potential amendments to the CR.  Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., torched Republicans for keeping Democrats from the negotiation table thus far. “Republicans are in charge of the Senate, in charge of the House, and have the White House. The American people know who’s in charge,” he reportedly said. “It’s ridiculous for Republicans to try to blame the party that’s the minority everywhere.” Politico reported that multiple White House sources say that Schumer will allow enough centrist Democrats to join Republicans in supporting the continuing resolution, despite his vocal opposition of the measure on the Senate floor Wednesday.  “They’re 100 percent gonna swallow it,” one White House official reportedly told the outlet. “They’re totally screwed.”

Trump must ditch Biden-era memo pushing ‘racially discriminatory’ discipline, says parents group

FIRST ON FOX: Grassroots parental rights advocacy group Parents Defending Education (PDE) is urging the Trump administration to reverse “unconstitutional” Biden-era policies that penalize schools for racial disparities in discipline, as outlined in a Dear Colleague letter issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (DOE) in 2023.   The Biden-era document pushes schools “to adopt racially discriminatory discipline policies” or face the loss of federal funding, according to PDE. “Despite clear Supreme Court precedent holding that disparate impact alone cannot support a Title VI violation, the School Discipline Letter states that racial disparities in school discipline outcomes are prima facie evidence of racial discrimination, even when a school’s disciplinary code is race neutral,” the group wrote to the Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Thursday morning. “Moreover, the letter threatens school districts with the loss of federal funds if they do not adjust their procedures to eliminate such disparities.” Biden’s DOJ and the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released the guide in 2023 for schools to address racial discrimination in K-12 student discipline. OHIO COLLEGE ‘ILLEGALLY FORCING STUDENTS’ TO SHARE BATHROOMS WITH OPPOSITE SEX: WATCHDOG “Discrimination in school discipline can have devastating long-term consequences on students and their future opportunities,” then-Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a DOJ release.  “The Justice Department Civil Rights Division uses our federal civil rights laws to protect students from discriminatory discipline, including discrimination in suspensions and expulsions, law enforcement referrals and school-based arrests. The investigations that we describe demonstrate how students may experience discrimination based on multiple facets of their identities and reflect our joint commitment to fully protect all students.” In the letter, the DOE and DOJ agencies wrote that their agencies engaged in “decades of enforcement activity” demonstrating “that discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in student discipline was, and continues to be, a significant concern.” “Discrimination in student discipline forecloses opportunities for students, pushing them out of the classroom and diverting them from a path to success in school and beyond. Significant disparities by race – beginning as early as preschool – have persisted in the application of student discipline in schools,” the Dear Colleague letter reads. “While racial disparities in student discipline alone do not violate the law, ensuring compliance with Federal nondiscrimination obligations can involve examining the underlying causes of such disparities.” TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE PDE spokesperson Erika Sanzi told Fox News Digital it’s “hard to believe” that the previous administration “thought it was noble, let alone legal, to instruct schools to adopt racially discriminatory discipline policies in order to eliminate racial disparities in their discipline data then threaten them with loss of funds if they didn’t fall in line.” At the time of the guide’s release, the agencies completed investigations into 14 school districts across 10 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California and others. The investigations focused on whether the schools were unfairly disciplining Black, Latino and Native American students. Concerns included the use of suspensions, expulsions, school-based arrests and other actions the administration deemed discriminatory. “Not surprisingly, districts got skittish about suspending too many students from certain racial groups for chronically disruptive and even violent behavior, and schools descended into chaos,” Sanzi said. “It’s long overdue that we rescind this letter … it shouldn’t be controversial to state unequivocally that school policies must be race neutral.” OHIO TRANSGENDER BATHROOM LAW TAKES EFFECT AS TOP PROPONENT CALLS IT ‘VICTORY FOR SAFETY & COMMON SENSE’ The DOE, which President Donald Trump hopes to fully dismantle, has reversed course on much of the previous administration’s “woke” and DEI-related policies during his first three months in office. It also launched an investigation this week into 60 universities due to allegations of antisemitism and violence against Jewish students since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Justice and the Department of Education for comment.

Trump continues to push alternative to controversial visa amid concerns about Chinese influence

President Donald Trump is continuing to push for a “gold card” visa that would allow foreign nationals to buy their way into the U.S., replacing a controversial visa scheme that has been dogged for years by concerns about potential abuse by China. Trump again touted his plan for the gold card, which would allow people to buy a pathway to citizenship for $5 million, on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “I believe that Apple and all these companies that can’t get people to come out of college and come because they get thrown out, I think of it, you graduate number one at the Wharton School of Finance or Harvard or Stanford, and you get thrown out of the country. You can’t stay more than one day. And they want to hire these people, but they can’t. They’ve complained to me about it. Now they can buy a gold card, and they can take that gold card and make it a part of their deal to get these top students,” Trump said on Sunday. “You’re going to have a lot of companies buying gold cards. So for $5 million now, it’s a lot of money when you add it up, if we sell a lot of them,” he said, later describing it as a “green card on steroids.” TRUMP TOUTS $5 MILLION ‘GOLD CARD’ AS NEW PATH TO CITIZENSHIP  Host Maria Bartiromo asked Trump about concerns that the Chinese may exploit it. “They may, and they may, but they don’t have to do that. They can do it in other ways,” Trump said. The visa would replace the EB-5 investor visa program. That program was established in the 1990s and typically required an investment of $1 million, but that could be as low as $500,000 in areas classified as high poverty, and the creation of at least 10 jobs. There had been unsuccessful efforts to reform the program in both the Obama and Trump administrations amid concerns that the program had been used by the Chinese Communist Party. “Although the EB-5 program’s goal of stimulating capital investment and job creation in the United States is laudable, it has become clear in recent years that the CCP may be abusing the program to gain access to U.S. permanent residency for their members,” Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee said in 2020. TRUMP DECLARES ‘AMERICA IS BACK’ IN SPEECH BEFORE CONGRESS They cited statistics that show that between 2012 and 2018, nearly 80% of nearly 10,000 visas went to Chinese-born investors and that the majority of investors in the backlog were Chinese. It also involved the creation of “regional centers” that pooled the visa money and funded large investments across the country. While intended to promote growth in poor or rural areas, the drawing of regional maps around specific impoverished pockets was used to pump money into luxury projects in places like New York City and San Francisco. A bipartisan attempt to reform the program was blocked in 2021 and funding for the program was allowed to expire. It was later resurrected in 2022 with reforms introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. The reforms aimed to tackle fraud, and included audits, background checks and site visits for EB-5 projects, as well as tighter definitions of terms like “capital” to prevent abuse. It also increased the level of funding needed for high poverty areas to $800,000. Of the 10,000 EB-5s made available each year, 2,000 will be earmarked for rural or high poverty areas. Provisions also include increased Department of Homeland Security (DHS) powers to vet foreign capital to make sure it is lawfully sourced, and requiring foreign agents and third-party promoters of the program to register with DHS.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE However, the EB-5 continues to draw criticism, with some immigration hawks saying it did not solve the fundamental issues with the program. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently described the program as “poorly overseen, poorly executed.” Lora Ries, director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation, shared those concerns about EB-5. “With any immigration benefit in America, if you offer it, they will come, and too often seek or use the benefit fraudulently. The EB-5 investor visa program is no exception, as Commerce Secretary Lutnick mentioned. Examples of fraud that program sees include false job creation claims, bogus projects, and pyramid investment schemes,” she said. “Aliens view immigration benefit fraud as low risk, high reward because it is so rarely investigated, let alone punished. It is one reason we have over 9 million immigration benefits applications pending at DHS and another nearly 4 million immigration cases pending at DOJ,” she said.  “It is important to scrutinize the current backlogs for immigration benefit fraud, deny those cases, and deport the alien applicants, which helps accomplish an administration priority – mass deportations,” she added.

GOP gears up to challenge Georgia’s Dem senator in state Trump won by 2%

Republicans have identified Georgia’s U.S. Senate election in 2026 as an opportunity to widen their margin over Democrats in the U.S. Senate. After Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s announcement that she will not seek re-election in New Hampshire, all eyes are on Georgia’s Senate race. “Every battleground state — Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire and Minnesota – is in play, and we play to win,” Nick Puglia, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) regional press secretary, said in a statement to Fox News Digital after Shaheen’s announcement Wednesday.  Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., the first-term senator who helped secure a Democratic majority in 2021, is one of the only Democratic senators up for re-election in a state President Donald Trump won in 2024. Trump won battleground Georgia by just over two percentage points in 2024.  “Jon Ossoff is a Democrat with extreme and reckless policies,” Puglia added. “Ossoff wants biological males to be allowed to compete in women’s sports, took a backseat after the tragic murder of Laken Riley and is too weak to stand up to pro-Hamas radicals in his party. Georgians deserve better.”  LONGTIME DEMOCRATIC SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN NOT SEEKING RE-ELECTION IN 2026 IN KEY NORTHEASTERN SWING STATE Ossoff’s office did not reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by the deadline of this article.  Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, the popular term-limited Republican, is the GOP’s ideal candidate in 2026 as it challenges Ossoff and seeks to expand its 53-47 Senate majority.  While the governor has not announced a formal bid for the U.S. Senate in 2026, Kemp acknowledged in an interview with Fox News Digital last month, “We’ll have something to say on that down the road.” TOP GOP RECRUIT FOR CRUCIAL 2026 SENATE RACE HINTS WHEN HE WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT “We need to flip that seat,” Kemp said. “We should have a Republican in that seat, and I believe we’ll have one after the ’26 election.” Ossoff, 38, became the first millennial elected to the U.S. Senate in 2021, unseating former Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in a runoff election.  During his fourth year in office, Ossoff highlighted “historic upgrades for Georgia’s infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law,” his commitment to supporting Georgia veterans, efforts to secure relief after Hurricane Helene, his public safety initiatives and work to expand healthcare across the state.  Ossoff has issued a series of press releases countering Trump’s executive actions since he returned to the White House in January. Ossoff has led efforts to unfreeze federal funding, raised concern over programs cut by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and rejected the Department of Veterans Affairs’ plans to cut 80,000 jobs.  The Georgia senator voted against a bill last week that would have prevented biological males from participating in women’s and girls sports, telling The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement, “This bill was overreach.”  The New York Times reported last month that a bipartisan group of Jewish leaders in Atlanta asked Kemp to consider running for Ossoff’s senate seat. The letter came after Ossoff voted to block a weapons transfer to Israel and criticized Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza. Ossoff is Georgia’s first Jewish senator.  Ossoff was one of 12 Senate Democrats who voted to pass the Laken Riley Act, named for the 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant while jogging at the University of Georgia last year. The Laken Riley Act imposes increased penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes in the United States. Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Ossoff narrowly lost his campaign to represent Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017.  In addition to Georgia, the NRSC has identified New Hampshire, Michigan and Minnesota as key battleground states for the 2026 midterm elections.  NRSC CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY GOP SENATE SEATS HE’S GUNNING FOR DURING 2026 MIDTERMS Shaheen’s announcement that she will not seek re-election in New Hampshire could further complicate the Democrats’ efforts to regain control of the U.S. Senate. However, it has been 15 years since Republicans last won a Senate election in New Hampshire.  “Another one! Shaheen’s retirement is welcome news for Granite Staters eager for new leadership. New Hampshire has a proud tradition of electing commonsense Republicans and will do so again in 2026,” Sen. Tim Scott, the NRSC chair, said in a statement to Fox News after her announcement.  Republicans also have their eyes on Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced he will not seek re-election next year. Trump won Michigan by just over a percentage point in 2024. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also took her name out of the running for another term in the U.S. Senate. Trump lost Minnesota by over four points to former Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz, Minnesota’s governor.