Nearly half of Department of Education staff will be eliminated imminently
Department of Education staff will receive “reduction in force” notices Tuesday before nearly half of the department’s workforce is terminated, Fox News Digital has learned. Earlier Tuesday, a memo was sent to all Education Department employees informing them that Department of Education offices will be closed Tuesday evening through Wednesday due to “security reasons.” Employees were instructed to leave the offices by 6 p.m. ET Tuesday. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would like to see the states control education. He campaigned on the issue ahead of the 2024 election. DRAFT OF TRUMP ORDER SEEKS TO ELIMINATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: REPORT “I want to close up Department of Education, move education back to the states,” Trump said in August 2024, while noting left-wing states such as California could struggle if he does eliminate the Department of Education. “Of the 50 (states), I would bet that 35 would do great. And 15 of them, or, you know, 20 of them, will be as good as Norway. You know, Norway is considered great.” RANDI WEINGARTEN SAYS QUIET PART OUT LOUD: FEARS ED DEPT CLOSURE WILL BOOST SCHOOL CHOICE FUNDS The expected “reduction in force” notices come after reports spread in recent days that Trump was readying to sign an executive order to abolish the federal agency. The Wall Street Journal recently reported it had reviewed a copy of a draft executive order that would order Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” based on “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” “The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars — and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support — has failed our children, our teachers, and our families,” the draft order said, according to the Journal. McMahon additionally sent a letter to all staff on her first day on the job in March saying she will lead a “momentous final mission” to send education back to the states. TRUMP ADMIN TACKLING BIDEN ‘BACKLOG’ OF CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM COMPLAINTS: ‘IMMEDIATE PRIORITY’ “Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the President they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education — a momentous final mission — quickly and responsibly,” McMahon wrote to employees in a letter shared first with Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The secretary said that the reconstruction of the department will “profoundly” alter staff, budgets and agency operations. Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Who is Mahmoud Khalil, the anti-Israel Columbia University activist ICE arrested?
President Donald Trump announced Monday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil — and cautioned that other “terrorist sympathizers” would meet a similar fate. ICE agents arrested Khalil — who is a Palestinian raised in Syria and a permanent U.S. resident — from his university-owned apartment on the city’s Upper West Side Saturday and told him they were revoking his green card and student visa, according to Khalil’s attorney, Amy Greer. The Department of Homeland Security said in an X post that it conducted the arrest to protect U.S. national security, and claimed that Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.” Khalil played a major role in the protests against Israel at Columbia University and met with university officials on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a group of student groups urging the university to divest from Israel, according to CNN. ICE AGENTS ARREST ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST WHO LED PROTESTS ON COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FOR MONTHS The groups’ main goal is to “challenge the settler-colonial violence that Israel perpetrates with the support of the United States and its allies,” according to an op-ed published in the Columbia Spectator in Nov. 2023. “We reject the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency’s weaponizing of the United States’ racist immigration laws to prevent our international comrades and peers from speaking up,” the group wrote. “We reject the violence of the Israel Defense Forces-trained, police-industrial complex that chokes our communities and disproportionately enacts brutality against people of color.” Khalil’s LinkedIn profile says he studied computer science at the Lebanese American University in Beirut before starting his master’s degree at Columbia in public administration in January 2023. His profile says he graduated in December 2024, although Columbia’s media affairs would not confirm Khalil’s status at the university to Fox News Digital. Other work experience listed on Khalil’s LinkedIn profile includes completing an internship with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which assists Palestinian refugees and descendants. UNRWA has faced scrutiny after a U.N. investigation found that UNRWA employees may have been involved in Palestinian-militant group Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The U.S. temporarily halted funding for UNRWA in January 2024 in response to the report. The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and State Department are investigating Khalil as a possible national security threat, according to White House officials. The investigation so far has unearthed “antisemitic and hateful” posts on Khalil’s social media, and determined he organized multiple antisemitic protests on Columbia’s campus, according to the officials. Even so, Khalil previously has made public statements backing the liberation of both the Palestinian and Jewish people, and spoke out against antisemitism. “There is, of course, no place for antisemitism,” Khalil told CNN in April 2024. “What we are witnessing is anti-Palestinian sentiment that’s taking different forms, and antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism (are) some of these forms.” Trump unveiled Khalil’s arrest Monday, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the administration would revoke the green cards of any Hamas supporters in the U.S. and deport them. FEDERAL AGENCIES TO REVIEW COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S CONTRACTS, GRANTS AFTER ‘FAILURE’ TO PROTECT JEWISH STUDENTS “Following my previously signed executive orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a radical foreign pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University,” Trump posted Monday on Truth Social. “This is the first arrest of many to come.” “We will find, apprehend and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again,” Trump stated. “If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests and you are not welcome here.” In response, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee labeled the move as “straight up authoritarianism” in a post on X. Additionally, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., spearheaded a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem urging the Trump administration to release Khalil immediately. Tlaib is the first Palestinian–American woman to serve in Congress. “Khalil has not been charged or convicted of any crime,” Tlaib and other Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter released Tuesday. “We must be extremely clear: this is an attempt to criminalize political protest and is a direct assault on the freedom of speech of everyone in this country.” Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration’s decision to arrest Khalil and claimed that he distributed pro-Hamas propaganda fliers on campus. “This administration is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying in our country and then siding with pro-terrorist organizations that have killed Americans,” Leavitt told reporters Tuesday at a White House press briefing, noting that on her desk were the “pro-Hamas propaganda fliers with the logo of Hamas” on them that Khalil allegedly was distributing. “We have a zero tolerance policy for siding with terrorists period.” ANTISEMITIC RIOT AT COLUMBIA REACHES BOILING POINT AS AGITATORS TAKE OVER ACADEMIC BUILDING, BARRICADE DOORS She also defended Rubio’s right to revoke Khalil’s green card. “Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the secretary of state has the right to revoke a green card or a visa for individuals who serve or are adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States of America,” Leavitt said Tuesday. Khalil is being held at a detention facility in central Louisiana. However, a federal judge in New York blocked the Trump administration from deporting him while legal proceedings remain active. District Judge Jesse Furman from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is slated to hear Khalil’s case Wednesday. His attorneys have filed motions asserting that ICE violated Khalil’s constitutional rights and are also requesting his return to New York. Khalil’s wife is currently eight months pregnant, according to his lawyer. “We will vigorously be pursuing Mahmoud’s rights in court, and will continue our efforts to right this terrible and inexcusable — and calculated — wrong committed against him,” Greer said.
Europe steps up to fund its own defense, provide security for Ukraine after Trump threats
European defense leaders are meeting in Paris this week to discuss their plans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees as the continent steps up after decades of relying on the U.S. French President Emmanuel Macron led with an address to the Tuesday gathering of defense chiefs from 30 European and NATO countries after the U.S.’ new “America first” policy direction jolted the Europeans into action. Macron said it was time to “move from concept to plan,” and told French newspaper Le Figaro that France would boost its defense spending from 2% to 3.5% of GDP, amounting to around €30 billion annually. Details of any peacekeeping force are still widely in flux, but some officials said to expect a targeted deterrence force aimed at protecting key infrastructure rather than a wide blockade of the front lines. LITHUANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: ONLY WAY TO NEGOTIATE WITH RUSSIA IS WITH A ‘GUN ON THE TABLE’ Europeans were dismayed last week when the U.S. announced it would pause all aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but that pause was lifted Tuesday after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire. All eyes are now on Russia to see if Russian President Vladimir Putin accepts the deal, which came after U.S.-brokered talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. The U.S. has insisted that it is Europe’s responsibility to offer military resources to help Ukraine deter Russia from invading again once a ceasefire is reached. President Donald Trump has flirted with the idea of not protecting European nations under NATO’s Article 5 if they refuse to meet their defense spending obligations under the treaty. The new call for Europe’s defense was a welcome development for NATO’s eastern flank, where tiny nations have for years beaten out their larger European counterparts in defense spending as a percentage of their GDP. “We should not be panicking about [Trump statements],” said Giedrimas Jeglinskas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliament’s national security committee. “Europeans need to think about what sort of troops to put in Ukraine,” he told Fox News Digital. “Europeans need to hold most of [our security] now. We need to show good will. Next to good will, you need to show numbers. How many troops can we generate, what sort of troops can we generate, what support we’re going to need from the U.S.” “I’m not going to provide security guarantees beyond very much,” Trump had said at his first Cabinet meeting on Feb. 26. “We’re going to have Europe do that.” The United States – NATO’s most militarily powerful member – wasn’t invited to the Paris talks because European nations wanted to show that they are able to shoulder a large part of the job of safeguarding Ukraine once a truce is in effect, a French military official told the Associated Press. But Jeglinskas said Europe should acquiesce to U.S. demands to pour more into its own defenses as it needs the U.S. for air defenses like the Patriot missile. “People who are complaining about the U.S. – there’s an abundance of that in Europe – yeah, show me the alternative. There’s nothing.” Over the weekend, top Trump advisor Elon Musk posted on X that the U.S. “really should” leave NATO. “Doesn’t make sense for America to pay for the defense of Europe,” he wrote. TRUMP SAYS INTEL PAUSE ON UKRAINE HAS BEEN ‘JUST ABOUT’ LIFTED; SAYS TARIFFS WILL MAKE AMERICA RICH “It’s common sense, right,” Trump told reporters of the NATO alliance last week. “If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.” Jeglinskas said that in his meetings behind closed doors, U.S. officials have expressed America’s commitment to Article 5 is “as strong as ever.” “Sometimes Trump goes way over to get people to come to a position of reality,” said Jonathan Bass, foreign affairs expert and Argent LNG CEO. “The fact that he went so far to what they considered crazy, [the Europeans] actually took him seriously and did what they needed to do.” Lithuania is currently spending 4% on defense and plans to bump that figure to 5-6% next year, which is why Defense Minister Dovile Šakalienė told reporters her nation plans to pay U.S. defense manufacturers “at least $8 billion” more in “the coming years” to boost defenses. Russian aggression that could extend beyond Ukraine, including potentially into Baltic States like Lithuania, “worries us,” she said. “That’s why we are really pushing forward with our military capability plans, with our defense capacity-building, infrastructure and personnel and acquisitions, from weapons to ammo, building factories, defense industries.” Europe has offered Ukraine around $139 billion in aid since the start of the war, while the U.S. has offered around $128 billion. But the European Union last week proposed an $841 billion plan to “rearm Europe,” which included a $158 billion emergency loan proposal to arm European capacities in vulnerable areas like air defense and ammunition. The plan also calls for relaxing strict debt ceilings agreed to by the bloc for defense spending. “This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up,” said European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen last week. Šakalienė said “strengthening the northeastern flank” of Europe was the “joint goal,” which could mean stationing hypersonic missiles aimed at Russia in Baltic states like Lithuania. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Social media explodes after Dem senator makes ‘insulting’ remark about brains of Trump voters
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin was ripped by conservatives on social media on Tuesday after an interview where she likened President Donald Trump‘s election to the “angry teenage years” of the United States where voter brains are still being formed. “Representing a state here, people voted for Trump and voted for me, I have a responsibility to represent my entire state,” Slotkin said on ABC’s “The View.” “But I don’t think there’s anyone who feels like what’s going on right now is normal. Even if you voted for Trump, right?” “I think there is a feeling in the country, and I often say this, you know, we’re about to turn 250 years old, right? We’re still pretty young for a country. These are, like, our angry teenage years. We are going through this push and pull where we’re happy, we’re sad. We want this, we want that, and what do you do when you have a teenager threatening themselves and others? You just try to get them through this period alive so that their brain can fully form and you can come back to kind of what,” Slotkin said before being cut off by Joy Behar. “Are you talking about Trump?” Behar asked. ‘MODERATE’ DEM GIVING REBUTTAL TO TRUMP’S JOINT ADDRESS PROMOTED STAFFER WHO BOOSTED FARRAKHAN “No, I’m talking about our country,” Slotkin said. “We’re a pendulum swinging. We are a pendulum swinging. I don’t think there is an American that thinks this is normal.” Slotkin’s comments were widely interpreted by conservatives on social media as a slight to Trump voters. “Ah yes, we’ve reached the point post-election loss where Democrats just revert to calling Americans stupid for voting against them,” Abigail Jackson, communications director for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., posted on X. “Not a single ounce of self-awareness to be found.” “Slotkin says this while literally sounding like a teenager…” Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted on X. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR SAYS PARTY IS LACKING LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY FOLLOWING DEFEAT TO TRUMP “This is supposedly their smart, reasonable messenger?” Fox News contributor Guy Benson posted on X. “Interesting to compare this to their arguments on transitioning teenagers,” Spectator contributing editor Stephen L. Miller posted on X. “Wow!” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. “What a fresh, novel take. No one has ever said this before. Elissa Slotkin is truly the future of the Democratic Party.” “This is monumentally insulting to the millions of Americans that voted for a change last November,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., posted on X. Slotkin, elected as a Democrat to the Senate in Michigan in November despite Trump carrying the state, was selected to give the party’s response to Trump’s recent joint address to Congress. In a Sunday interview with “Meet the Press,” Slotkin acknowledged that the Democratic Party has been “on their heels” since Trump’s election. “I don’t think that’s something hidden,” she said of the Democratic Party’s loss of confidence following its defeat to Trump. “I think it’s on us to be clear about not only leadership – and there’s lots of leaders in both parties – but also a strategy. I think that’s something that, as Trump has been successful in flooding the zone and, like every day, 15 things happening, we are still finding our footing, and I think you can’t get better until you admit you have a problem.” Slotkin’s office pointed to her full remarks when Fox News Digital reached out for comment. Fox News Digital’s Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report
Trans inmate in prison for killing baby must get gender surgery at ‘earliest opportunity’: judge
A federal district judge in Indiana has once again ordered the state Department of Correction (IDOC) to arrange a sex reassignment surgery for a transgender inmate convicted of reckless homicide of a baby, marking the latest development in the ongoing legal saga challenging an Indiana law banning the procedure. The case, now in its second year, involves inmate Autumn Cordellioné’s request for sex reassignment surgery. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) first filed the lawsuit against the Indiana Department of Corrections in 2023 on behalf of Cordellioné, challenging an Indiana law that prohibits the Department of Corrections from using taxpayer funds to cover sex reassignment surgeries for inmates. The ACLU argues the law is a violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of “cruel and unusual punishment.” “The court ordered that the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction should be preliminarily enjoined to take all reasonable actions to secure Ms. Cordellioné gender-affirming surgery at the earliest opportunity,” Judge Richard Young, a Clinton appointee, wrote in a March 5 filing. “Ms. Cordellioné seeks to extend the injunction for the second time. For the reasons that follow, her motion to renew or extend preliminary injunction… is granted.” INDIANA JUDGE RULES PRISON MUST PROVIDE TRANSGENDER SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO KILLED BABY Cordellioné, born Jonathan Richardson, sought out another injunction as the one issued in December last year expired on March 6, court documents show. “In its Order granting the motion for preliminary injunction, the court acknowledged that ‘surgery may take time as it will be provided by a surgeon who is not affiliated with either IDOC or its contracted medical provider. It is therefore the court’s intention… to renew this preliminary injunction every 90 days until the surgery is provided,’” the document states. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has been defending the state’s law and submitted a brief in January to a court of appeals defending Indiana’s law barring sex-change operations for inmates. The attorney general argued that the Eighth Amendment doesn’t require the state “to provide experimental treatments generally, and it certainly doesn’t here, when multiple doctors have said this inmate is a poor candidate for surgery,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The brief also contends that the Indiana law, which went into effect in 2023, is not “sex discrimination” under the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause because it bans sexual reassignment surgeries across the board. “Convicted murderers don’t get to demand that taxpayers foot the bill for expensive and controversial sex-change operations,” Rokita told Fox News Digital. “It lacks all common sense. We won’t stop defending our state’s ban on using taxpayer funds to provide sex-change surgeries to prisoners.” ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH In the ongoing case, a key issue was the evaluation by psychologist Kelsey Beers, who was tasked with assessing Cordellioné’s eligibility for sex-change surgery. Beers concluded that Cordellioné was not a suitable candidate for the surgery, stating that Cordellioné’s distress was not due to gender dysphoria but rather stemmed from her diagnoses of antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. Beers further noted that Cordellioné “displays an established pattern of attention-seeking behavior.” Despite Beers’ conclusions, the court ruled that her report did not justify reconsidering its decision and questioned Beers’ qualifications. “In summary, the court finds that Dr. Beers’ report does not present a significant factual development that would cause it to reconsider its grant of injunctive relief as to Ms. Cordellioné’s Eighth Amendment claim,” Young wrote. TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB The ACLU’s original lawsuit on behalf of Cordellioné asserts that the inmate was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2020, and has been prescribed female hormones and testosterone blockers, which Cordellioné has “consistently taken since that time.” The lawsuit further claims that Cordellioné has been provided with accommodations such as “panties, makeup, and form-fitting clothing” while incarcerated. The lawsuit states that gender-affirming surgery is now necessary for Cordellioné to alleviate the gender dysphoria. “She believes that the only remedy for her persistent gender dysphoria, and the serious harm it causes her, is to receive gender-affirming surgery, specifically an orchiectomy and vaginoplasty,” the filing explains. According to the ACLU, Cordellioné, who has identified as a woman since age 6, is “a woman trapped in a man’s body.” In 2001, Cordellioné was convicted of strangling his then-wife’s 11-month-old daughter to death while she was at work. During an initial interview with police, Cordellioné was described as “calm and unemotional” while recounting the incident, according to court documents from Indiana’s Court of Appeals. Fox News Digital has reached out to IDOC for comment.
US agriculture supply chain to be protected from Chinese Communist Party in Hinson, Ricketts bipartisan bill
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Ashley Hinson and Sen. Pete Ricketts are rolling out a bicameral bill with bipartisan support that would secure agriculture supply chains in the United States from vulnerabilities and potential Chinese Communist Party exploitation, Fox News Digital has learned. Hinson, R-Iowa, will introduce the Securing American Agriculture Act in the House of Representatives, while Ricketts, R-Neb., will introduce the measure in the Senate. FLASHBACK: HOUSE DEMS, REPUBLICANS TEAM UP TO BLOCK CCP ENCROACHMENT ON US FOOD SUPPLY The Securing American Agriculture Act would require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct an annual assessment to identify supply chain vulnerabilities, domestic production gaps and potential CCP exploitation. It also would direct the secretary of Agriculture to recommend ways to strengthen U.S. reliance and reduce China’s influence in the industry to mitigate potential threats. The bill would ensure that the USDA accurately accounts for U.S. dependence on China for critical agricultural inputs and guarantee access for American producers. “China has intentionally captured a significant market share of America’s agricultural inputs — which is vital to our food supply chain — ceding leverage to our top adversary,” Hinson told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “Iowa farmers have told me firsthand that if China decides to shut off U.S. access to these critical inputs, our food production would be in jeopardy. I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill that exposes and counters China’s grip on agricultural inputs to strengthen domestic manufacturing and food security.” Hinson added: “Plain and simple: We should bring our agriculture supply chain home.” And Ricketts told Fox News Digital Tuesday that “Communist China’s strategic control over crucial sectors of our food and agricultural supply chains poses a serious national security threat.” CHINA THREATENS OUR FARMERS AND FOOD SUPPLY. STATES NEED TO STEP UP “Losing access to key inputs could reduce productivity, increase food prices and undermine food security,” Ricketts told Fox News Digital. “My bill will bolster and protect these supply chains and reduce our reliance on foreign adversaries.” The bill is also supported by House China Committee Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who said the bipartisan bill is “a critical step forward in protecting our nation’s food supply and farmers from foreign adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party, who threaten our agricultural security.” “America’s farmers are the backbone of our economy, and we must ensure they have the resources and safeguards needed to compete on a level playing field while securing our nation’s agricultural supply chains,” Krishnamoorthi told Fox News Digital. The bill is also supported by House China Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich.; Rep, Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii; Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas; and Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Fla., among others. In the Senate, Democrat Sen. Elissa Slotkin; Republican Sens. James Risch, R-Idaho; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., also support the bill. Slotkin told Fox News Digital that “food security is national security.” “We need to treat threats to our food supply chain just like any other security risk,” Slotkin said. “This legislation requires us to assess those risks so we can protect our food supply. Bottom line: We need to make sure America’s agriculture supply chain is secure and stays right here at home.”
FACT CHECK: TRUMP CHANGES COURSE ON UKRAINE
[unable to retrieve full-text content] In this Fact Check, Al Jazeera’s @khalidmajzoubofficial examines claims made by Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine
Deadly Pakistan train hijack: What happened, and what’s next?
Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s security forces are locked in what they describe as a “complex operation” against a group of separatists who attacked a train earlier on Tuesday. The train was traveling from Quetta, the provincial capital of the southwestern province of Balochistan, to Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Fighters belonging to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group seeking Balochistan’s secession from Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. They targeted the Jaffar Express as the train was passing through a series of tunnels near Sibi city, about 160km (100 miles) from Quetta. While security sources have said that their military operation was under way, authorities also confirmed that a group of passengers safely made their way to a smaller station near the site of the attack. Rana Farrukh, a Pakistan Railways official in Quetta, said that nearly 70 passengers, including women, children, and the elderly, reached the Panir railway station, approximately 6km (4 miles) from the attack site. Advertisement “They completed the journey on foot, following the railway track,” Farrukh told Al Jazeera, without providing further details about the passengers. The train was passing the Bolan Pass area, which is a rugged, mountainous region, when it was attacked. Here is what we know so far about the attack, the current situation and what is the background behind the decades-long conflict between separatist groups and the Pakistani state in Balochistan. What happened to the Jaffar Express? The train was carrying more than 400 passengers, including many women and children, as well as dozens of security personnel. It departed from Quetta at 9am (04:00 GMT) on Tuesday morning, embarking on a journey of more than 1,600km (994 miles) through Punjab to reach its final destination in Peshawar. The trip takes roughly 30 hours, with stops at around 30 stations across the country. Railway officials said the attack occurred around 1pm (08:00 GMT) as the train passed through the Bolan Pass. The area is home to several tunnels, originally constructed during British colonial rule. Who claimed responsibility, and how has the government responded? The BLA, which has carried out numerous attacks in the province over the past several years, claimed responsibility for the assault. In a statement, the group claimed they had killed at least six military personnel and blown up the railway track, forcing the train to a halt. The BLA warned that any military operation in response would have “severe consequences”. The attackers claimed that passengers on the train were hostages now — though dozens of passengers later reached Panir. Advertisement The Pakistani military has not so far issued any official statement regarding the claims, and it did not respond to queries from Al Jazeera. Shahid Rind, a provincial government spokesperson, said authorities had imposed an emergency in hospitals in Sibi, the nearest city, in essence placing all medical professionals there on alert to attend to any victims of the attack. Government officials also strongly condemned the attack. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed prayers for the recovery of the injured. “The beasts who fire on innocent passengers do not deserve any concessions,” Naqvi’s statement read. What do we know about casualties, and how is the government responding? Hospitals in Quetta and Sibi are on high alert, but no injured passengers had been brought there until late on Tuesday night. Railway officials said mobile connectivity in the remote, rugged terrain is virtually nonexistent, making it difficult to get timely updates. Security sources claim the attackers are using some women and children as human shields, preventing an all-out offensive against them. Authorities have also warned of an online disinformation campaign aimed at spreading panic. Why has there been a surge in attacks in Balochistan? Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by area but the least developed, with a population of 15 million people. Despite being rich in minerals and natural resources, including copper and gas, the province has long been the site of conflict between the local population and the government. Advertisement Baloch separatists, who demand independence from Pakistan, accuse the state of abducting and persecuting those who speak out against it. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $62bn mega-development project launched a decade ago, has added another layer of complexity to the conflict. The BLA has carried out numerous attacks on Chinese interests, including at Gwadar Port, the flagship project of CPEC. Several Chinese citizens have been killed in these attacks. In recent months, Balochistan has witnessed a dramatic surge in violence. Last month, at least 18 soldiers were killed in a BLA attack in Kalat city. Earlier in March, a female suicide bomber detonated herself, also in Kalat, killing a law enforcement officer. The Jaffar Express has also been targeted multiple times. Last year, BLA fighters blew up a section of the track, halting the train service for two months. In November, a suicide bombing at Quetta’s railway station targeted the train just before departure, killing at least 30 people, including security personnel. How has the BLA enhanced its capabilities? Analysts believe the BLA’s growing strength reflects the state’s failure to counter BLA fighters and its reliance on outdated strategies. Malik Siraj Akbar, a Balochistan specialist based in Washington, DC, said the BLA has evolved from carrying out small-scale attacks, such as targeting individuals or sabotaging pipelines, to large-scale operations. “The group now undertakes major attacks, like the recent assault on a passenger train. This shift reflects both its increasing audacity and its confidence that the government lacks the capability to contain them, let alone pursue them effectively after such high-profile acts of terrorism,” Akbar told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Rafiullah Kakar, a political analyst specialising in Balochistan affairs, said the BLA has strengthened its command structure, giving field militants more direct control over operations. “Additionally, access to advanced weaponry, some of which was left behind by US forces in Afghanistan, has enhanced the group’s firepower, making their attacks more lethal and sophisticated,” Kakar told Al Jazeera. Why has the state failed to curb the
TribCast: Fights, scandals and still half a legislative session to go
The gang discusses a legislator’s lash out, a lottery scandal, and some big news from one of our own.
High-profile Dem jumps into crowded California governor’s race amid past office controversies
Democratic former Rep. Katie Porter announced her bid for governor of California on Tuesday via an Instagram video saying the Golden State needs “a little bit of hope and a whole lot of grit, fresh blood and new ideas [and] leaders with the backbone to fight for what’s right.” Porter, 51, served three terms in Congress – winning her Orange County seat by upsetting GOP Rep. Mimi Walters in 2018. She ran unsuccessfully for the Senate seat now held by Sen. Adam Schiff, D–Calif., and her district is now represented by Dave Min, a Democrat. The former congresswoman was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and grew up on a farm before moving to the Pacific coast. Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited, though all eyes in California are on whether former Vice President Kamala Harris also jumps into the race. PORTER DENIES FIRING STAFFER FOR CATCHING COVID-19 AS TEXT MESSAGES SURFACE AND GO VIRAL Porter told the Los Angeles Times that a Harris bid could clear the left flank of those assembled thus far. “If Vice President Harris were to choose to run, I am certain that that would have a near field-clearing effect on the Democratic side,” Porter said. Harris is said to be seriously considering a run in Sacramento after losing the 2024 presidential election. A source close to Harris previously told Fox News Digital the ex-veep has told allies she will decide by the end of summer on whether to launch a gubernatorial campaign. The Times also described Porter as a prolific fundraiser, while the former lawmaker’s gregarious nature was projected to make inroads among Californians upset at President Donald Trump’s election. In her announcement, Porter referenced Trump and alleged he would seek to enrich himself and his circle while in the White House. California has a unique “jungle primary” system where the two top vote-getters, regardless of party, will face off in the general. Sometimes that results in two Democrats competing in November. In Schiff’s case, former MLB star Steve Garvey gained enough Republican support to challenge the Burbank Democrat – only to strike out in the end. Porter’s entry also brings with it her colorful history in the House of Representatives. Sasha Georgiades, a Wounded Warrior fellow who had worked in Porter’s office, alleged she had made rude and racist comments to staff and “ridiculed people for reporting sexual harassment.” KATIE PORTER USED ‘RACIST LANGUAGE’, RIDICULED PEOPLE FOR REPORTING SEXUAL HARASSMENT, EX-STAFFER CLAIMS Georgiades also said Porter ridiculed people after they had reported sexual harassment in her office as well as “made fun of individuals whose parents passed away from COVID.” “Basically told the individual to grow up,” Georgiades said regarding the case of a staffer who had reported sexual harassment in Porter’s office. Reports also surfaced in late 2022 that Porter “made multiple staffers cry” and that one staffer was allegedly fired after she and the lawmaker caught COVID-19. “Sasha – I cannot allow you back in the office, given your failure to follow office policies,” Porter wrote the next day on July 9, in texts shared on a “Dear White Staffers” X page and previously reported by Fox News Digital. “Cody will be in touch about having your personal effects shipped or delivered to your home, and will lay out your remote work schedule and responsibilities for your last few weeks.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Porter reportedly denied the allegations at the time. Porter also wore a “Batgirl” costume to the House of Representatives while lawmakers were voting on Trump’s first impeachment on Oct. 31, 2019 – Halloween. Other top names include Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on the Democratic side and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco as the first major Republican – amid a dozen or so candidates total. When reached for comment, the Porter campaign directed Fox News Digital to its previous statements on the matter. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.