State Dept says data on Ukrainian orphans is ‘secure’ despite concerns it was lost following Trump funding cut
The State Department said Monday that data tracking tens of thousands of Ukrainian children allegedly abducted by Russian forces remains “secure,” despite concerns it had been deleted or poorly protected following funding cuts to the program by the Trump administration. The data initiative, spearheaded by the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab, was part of a larger program known as the Yale Conflict Observatory, which served to track various war crimes, including those committed by Russia during its war with Ukraine. Yale confirmed last week that the funding for the work it had been doing on the war in Ukraine was “discontinued.” Pages on the Conflict Observatory were removed from the State Department’s website as well. News about the Trump administration cutting funding to the program raised fears that the data had been lost, or was not being adequately protected from tampering, after the State Department indicated it was being held on a database controlled by the primary contractor for Yale’s Conflict Observatory – the MITRE Corporation. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENDS PROGRAM TO TRACK KIDNAPPED UKRAINIAN CHILDREN IN RUSSIA, LAWMAKERS SAY “The data exists … we know it is secure,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters during a Monday briefing. “Just because something has changed – as this has – [doesn’t mean] that it disappears, or stops, or becomes something that we can’t use.” Bruce refused to comment any further about the federal government’s continued role, or lack thereof, with regard to protecting the data. “I would just remind you that there is a variety of dynamics that are occurring when it comes to the world knowing about those missing children,” she said to reporters. US PEACE TALKS WITH UKRAINE, RUSSIA GET UNDERWAY IN SAUDI ARABIA The data in question was reportedly compiled by Yale researchers to be shared with Europol and the International Criminal Court to potentially bring war crimes charges against Russia following the end of the war, according to The New York Times. About 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia and hidden in its adoption system, Democratic lawmakers warned in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They raised concerns that funding cuts to the Yale program could lead to permanent data loss. The letter also noted that since the war began, more than 700,000 people from Ukraine have been relocated to Russia. During Monday’s briefing, Bruce emphasized the president’s concern over the missing children and said their return from Russia to Ukraine has been part of ongoing U.S.-Russia discussions aimed at ending the war. TRUMP ENVOY DOESN’T BELIEVE PUTIN WANTS TO TAKE OVER EUROPE The State Department declined to provide any comment on this story, and referred all questions about the data to MITRE. In response to Fox News Digital’s questions about the data’s location, a MITRE spokesperson said that the research into Ukrainian children “is currently maintained by a former partner on [the Conflict Observatory] contract.” However, the spokesperson would not indicate which specific partner it was referring to, as there are several. The spokesperson added that, as a result of the Trump administration’s move to cut funding to the Yale program, the research being done there to track abducted Ukrainian children has been halted. “While we are not in a position to comment on the State Department’s decision, we do recognize the importance of HRL’s work and its contributions to international efforts to protect vulnerable populations, including Ukrainian children,” a Yale University spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Yale remains supportive of its researchers pursuing work that sheds light on urgent global issues.”
A timeline of Israel’s weaponisation of aid to Gaza
Israel is again starving Palestinians in Gaza as its renewed bombardment kills hundreds, many of them children. Israel has repeatedly used food and international humanitarian aid as a tool of collective pressure against Palestinians over 17 months of its devastating war on the Gaza Strip. Civilians in the enclave have been subjected to extreme food shortages and famine-like conditions throughout the war. Dozens of children have died of starvation, and countless others have succumbed to wounds or preventable illnesses during a deteriorating man-made humanitarian disaster. Israeli authorities continue to starve Palestinians in the besieged enclave, which is home to 2.3 million people, after having blocked the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid once again in early March. And on March 18, Israel unilaterally broke a ceasefire that had held since January, relaunching attacks across Gaza, and killing hundreds more Palestinians. The combination of the bombs and debilitating humanitarian situation is rapidly worsening conditions for the people of Gaza, but it has been a constant since the beginning of the war in October 2023. Here’s a closer look at how Israel has used aid to punish Gaza: Advertisement October 2023 October 9: Israel announces a “total blockade” on the Gaza Strip, halting the entry of all food, water, medicine, fuel and electricity. Then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant promises action against “human animals”, and orders a “complete siege”. Thirteen months later, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issues an arrest warrant against Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges that include the “war crime of starvation as a method of warfare”. October 21: The first aid truck enters Gaza via a land route from Egypt as the Israeli military carries on with two weeks of deadly bombing. The Israeli military eventually allows an extremely limited number of aid trucks to enter the enclave after international pressure. November 2023 November 24: A temporary truce is reached between Israel and Hamas, allowing a slight increase in the humanitarian aid entering Gaza. The United Nations and international aid agencies report that the amount of aid entering Gaza is highly inadequate to meet the needs of the population, most of whom are children. The temporary cessation of attacks enables several limited exchanges of captives held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, but there is no promise for an end to the war or for the return of Palestinians forced out of their homes as a result of the fighting. A Palestinian girl inspects damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on March 25, 2025 [Ramadan Abed/Reuters] The Gaza truce then ends a week after it started, and relentless Israeli attacks restart, killing more civilians, journalists, aid workers and doctors along with Hamas figures. Advertisement February 2024 February 29: Israel kills at least 112 Palestinians and wounds more than 750 when it opens fire on Palestinians waiting for food aid southwest of Gaza City in what is called the “flour massacre”. The Israeli military carries out numerous similar attacks on life-saving aid convoys, often saying “terrorists” are being targeted but without providing evidence. The UN and other international agencies and aid workers repeatedly report that the Israeli authorities intentionally block many aid trucks meant to enter the enclave. Israeli attacks along with blocked aid and dire conditions created by Israeli ground offensives and destruction across Gaza also lead to aid convoys being attacked and looted. Far-right Israelis also on numerous occasions either attack aid convoys or try to stop them from entering Gaza. April 2024 April 1: Israeli drone strikes target an aid convoy with the World Central Kitchen (WCK), killing six international aid workers and a Palestinian driver. The WCK is forced to halt its humanitarian operations, similar to many other international aid organisations that temporarily or permanently stop their assistance to Palestinians. An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification agency finds that the three WCK vehicles were intentionally hit, adding to a record death toll of hundreds of mostly Palestinian aid workers killed since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. October 2024 October 6: The Israeli military commences a massive siege on northern Gaza, designating the entire area a combat zone and issuing forced evacuation orders to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Advertisement The siege on the north, which is accompanied by Israeli attacks across other parts of Gaza, lasts until a ceasefire with Hamas comes into effect on January 19, 2025. The entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza is heavily restricted by Israel throughout the winter amid low temperatures. Far-right Israeli government ministers, chief among them Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, call for the blockage of all humanitarian aid and for a military occupation of Gaza, preferring this to the option of a ceasefire. Ben-Gvir, left,, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, and Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionist Party, have been against all ceasefire efforts and say Israeli settlements should be built in Gaza [File: Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP] January 2025 January 19: The implementation of the ceasefire allows a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, something relief organisations say would need to persist for a long time before life could return to any semblance of normality. Israel allows more trucks to enter Gaza in the days after the truce comes into effect, but the volume of aid is much less than what had been agreed upon in the ceasefire. As babies die from the cold, the Israeli government prevents the entry of thousands of mobile homes meant to shelter displaced Palestinians along with heavy equipment required to clear the rubble of destroyed homes and infrastructure. March 2025 March 2: For the second time since the start of the war, Israel halts the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza, an order that currently remains in effect. March 10: Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), warns that another hunger crisis looms in Gaza and accuses Israel of
Russia and Ukraine agree to halt Black Sea strikes, US says
Ukraine defence minister says Kyiv will view movement of Russian military vessels beyond eastern Black Sea as violation. Russia and Ukraine have agreed separately to avoid military strikes on vessels in the Black Sea, the United States has announced after talks in Saudi Arabia. In parallel statements, the White House said on Tuesday that each country “agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea”. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who was a member of his country’s delegation in Riyadh, confirmed Kyiv had agreed to the partial ceasefire, specifying that it included attacks on Black Sea shipping and energy infrastructure. He warned in a Facebook post that Kyiv would view any movements of Russian warships “outside the eastern part” of the Black Sea as a violation of the agreement to stop the “use of force”. In such an instance, Ukraine would have the “full right to exercise right to self-defence”, he said. Umerov also called for “additional technical consultations” as soon as possible to agree on “all the details and technical aspects of the implementation, monitoring and control of the arrangements”. Advertisement There was no immediate comment from Russia. The announcement came after US negotiators held separate talks with Russian and Ukrainian teams that were primarily focused on ending attacks on Black Sea shipping with a view to usher in a broader ceasefire in the more than three-year Russia-Ukraine war. During a 12-hour session on Monday, US and Russian officials discussed the possible resumption of the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement that was supposed to allow Ukraine to ship millions of tonnes of grain and other food exports from its ports. Moscow pulled out of the initiative, brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations, in 2023, accusing the West of failing to uphold its commitments to ease sanctions on Russia’s own exports of farm products and fertilisers. The US said on Tuesday that it would support the resumption of Russian fertiliser exports. “The United States will help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions,” a White House statement said. Adblock test (Why?)
Renewed fighting in DR Congo as regional powers step up ceasefire efforts
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels battle pro-government fighters in North Kivu and South Kivu province after regional mediators hold truce talks. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and pro-government fighters have clashed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo despite pressure from regional mediators to halt the fighting. The rebels battled pro-government fighters known as Wazalendo on Tuesday in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, a day after 24 members of two regional blocs – the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community – held virtual talks aimed at reviving faltering ceasefire initiatives. The M23’s swift advance since January has seen it take eastern Congo’s two largest cities – Goma and Bukavu – resulting in thousands of deaths and forcing hundreds of thousands more from their homes. On Monday, the conflict flared up again, with rebels reneging on a pledge to withdraw from the strategic town of Walikale in North Kivu province. Muhindo Tafuteni, a local civil society activist, told the news agency Reuters that clashes in North Kivu were taking place on Tuesday near the banks of Lake Edward, which straddles the border between Congo and Uganda. Advertisement In South Kivu, fighting reportedly took place in several towns north of the provincial capital, Bukavu, which M23 captured in February. Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance of rebel groups that includes the M23, pledged to continue fighting “like people who got nothing to lose in order to secure the future of our country”. The rebel leader also rejected the outcome of last week’s meeting between Congolese and Rwandan leaders in Qatar, saying any moves to achieve peace without his group’s involvement would fail. “Anything regarding us which are done without us, it’s against us,” Nangaa told The Associated Press news agency. Regional peacemakers Leaders from the EAC and the SADC met on Monday to advance a ceasefire plan aimed at ending the conflict, which is rooted in the long fallout from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and competition for control of mineral riches. Congo’s mineral resources are estimated to be worth $24 trillion and are critical to much of the world’s technology. In a statement afterwards, they said they had appointed five former heads of state to facilitate the peace process. The appointees are Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, South Africa’s Kgalema Motlanthe, Ethiopia’s Sahle-Work Zewde, Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta and Central African Republic’s Catherine Samba Panza. Congo’s presidency said the new panel would name a mediator to replace Angolan President Joao Lourenco, who withdrew from the role on Monday following years of efforts to ease tensions between Rwanda and the DRC. Advertisement A meeting had previously been scheduled in Angola after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi dropped his longstanding refusal to negotiate with M23, but the rebels withdrew in protest at new European Union sanctions. Tensions with Burundi As fighting continues in DRC, President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, whose troops have fought in support of DRC’s army against M23, alleged that Rwanda had a plan to attack Burundi. Burundi says it believes Rwanda is supporting the resurgent Red Tabara rebel group, claiming that it is aimed at destabilising the country in the same way M23 has sown mayhem in the DRC. “They would say it’s an internal problem when it’s Rwanda [who is] the problem,” Ndayishimiye said in an interview with the BBC. “Burundians will not accept to be killed as Congolese are being killed. Burundian people are fighters.” Rwanda’s government spokesperson Yolande Makolo expressed surprise at Ndayishimiye’s comments, saying that “Rwandan and Burundian defence and security institutions” had been meeting “to discuss how to secure our common borders”. Adblock test (Why?)
Democrat decries FBI task force to crackdown on Tesla attacks: ‘Political weaponization of the DOJ’
Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., suggested that the FBI’s launch of a task force to crackdown on Tesla-related attacks represents “political weaponization” of the U.S. Justice Department. The FBI’s task force was created in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and will coordinate investigative activity. “The FBI has been investigating the increase in violent activity toward Tesla, and over the last few days, we have taken additional steps to crack down and coordinate our response,” FBI Director Kash Patel noted Monday in a post on X. “This is domestic terrorism. Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice.” KASH PATEL SHARPENS WARNING MESSAGE FOR TESLA ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’ PERPETRATORS AHEAD OF ‘DAY OF ACTION’ Tesla vehicles and facilities have been targeted with vandalism, arson, and even gunshots. But amid the onslaught of crime against the popular electric vehicle manufacturer and its customers, the Rep. Goldman is suggesting that the formation of the task force represents a political maneuver. TESLA TROUBLE IN ONTARIO: DOZENS OF VEHICLES DAMAGED IN ONE LOCATION “This is the political weaponization of the DOJ. Trump uses his official authority to defend his benefactor Elon Musk. The FBI then creates a task force to use our law enforcement to ‘crack down’ on adversaries of Musk’s,” he tweeted when sharing a Fox News Digital article about the task force launch. “Where are the Republicans so opposed to ‘lawfare’?” he asked. Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk, who strongly supported now-President Donald Trump last year ahead of the presidential election, is spearheading an effort to expose waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. He is widely criticized and vilified by the political left. SUSPECTED TESLA ARSONISTS HIT WITH FEDERAL CHARGES IN ACTS OF ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’: AG CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong. Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks,” Musk tweeted this month when sharing a post that featured footage of vehicles ablaze in Las Vegas. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report
Trump admin cuts additional $1M in federal funding for ‘transgender animal’ experiments
First on Fox: President Donald Trump‘s National Institute of Health on Friday quietly cut over $1 million in federally funded research evaluating if rats going through hormone therapy were more likely to overdose on a popular party drug. The DEI-funded NIH grant was first exposed in December 2024 by the White Coat Waste Project, a nonprofit organization that researches and reveals the misuse of taxpayer dollars for animal testing. The nonprofit last year revealed over $10 million in taxpayer money was spent on research creating “transgender animals.” As Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) expose and cut mismanaged federal funds, the Trump administration has now cut nine “transgender animal” research grants unveiled by the White Coat Waste Project. “This is a great victory for taxpayers and animals,” Anthony Bellotti, president and founder of White Coat Waste Project, said. “We’re proud that our blockbuster investigation has prompted the Trump administration to slash millions in DEI funds and other wasteful spending earmarked for creating transgender lab animals through sterilization, hormone therapies, and invasive surgeries and then subjecting them to drug overdoses, open wounds, electroshocks, and other painful and deadly experiments.” $10M IN TAXPAYER FUNDS SPENT CREATING TRANSGENDER ANIMALS: REP. NANCY MACE “Despite the mainstream media’s shameful misinformation campaign, transgender animal experiments are real – and really wasteful,” Bellotti added. “The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!” DOGE SAYS SEVEN GRANTS FOR TRANS ANIMAL TESTING CANCELED, AUDITS EXPANDED: ‘SHADY EXPENDITURES HAPPENING’ The University of Pacific Stockton was granted over $1 million for the project, “GHB Toxicokinetics: Role of sex hormone dependent monocarboxylate transporter regulation and potential for altered overdose risk in transgender men and women,” running from April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2025. DOGE cut the program early on March 21. The grant was funded by the NIH’s Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Program, which aims to increase research at institutions that have “an explicitly stated mission or historical track records in graduating students from groups nationally underrepresented in biomedical research.” The White Coat Waste Project obtained the project’s grant application through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which revealed plans to castrate male rats and inject them with estrogen, remove female rats’ ovaries and inject them with testosterone, and then inject the rats with Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB). GHB is used as a recreational party drug and is associated with “chemsex” for its euphoric and sedative effects. The project set out to “characterize GHB toxicokinetics and toxicity in the absence of sex hormones and in response to sex and cross-sex hormone therapy in males and females” to determine if hormone replacement increased overdose risk in transgender men and women. The White Coat Waste Project has worked with legislators to inform the public and received recognition from the president in the process. The nonprofit testified before the House Oversight Committee last month during the hearing, “Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer-Funded Animal Cruelty.” While delivering opening remarks on the misuse of taxpayer money funding “gender-affirming care” for animals, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., mentioned the latest “transgender animal” research funding cut by the Trump administration. “We spent over $1 million to find out if female rats receiving testosterone therapy were more likely to overdose on a date rape drug,” Mace said last month. “At our House Oversight Committee hearing last month, we exposed cruel, taxpayer-funded transgender animal experiments,” Mace told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We uncovered how NIH wasted over a million dollars studying whether female rats – after having their ovaries removed and being injected with testosterone to mimic transgender men – were more likely to overdose on a date rape drug. President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency are now shutting down these appalling and inhumane experiments the Biden administration chose to fund with your hard-earned tax dollars,” Mace added. Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, celebrated the $1 million in federal funding cut for transgender research on animals, thanking Trump and DOGE for eliminating this “wacky pseudoscience.” “Since last year, I’ve exposed how the Biden administration got caught in the woke mousetrap and wasted millions of tax dollars on transgender animal experiments,” Ernst said. “I’m grateful that President Trump and DOGE are eliminating this wacky pseudoscience. Together, we are ending the silly science and ensuring that all studies funded by tax dollars are squeaky clean.”
GOP senator threatens ‘real consequences’ if universities hire illegal immigrants
EXCLUSIVE: New legislation aims to claw back federal funding to colleges and universities if they hire illegal immigrants. The College Employment Accountability Act would stop schools that hire illegal immigrants from getting student aid from the federal government, as well as other federal aid for the entire institution. “American jobs belong to Americans. Those who unlawfully hire illegal aliens undermine our workers and drive down wages. This commonsense bill finally adds real consequences to existing law and will help ensure taxpayer dollars don’t support colleges and universities that hire those in our country illegally,” Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said about the bill he is sponsoring. KRISTI NOEM, SCOTT TURNER ESTABLISH EFFORT TO END ‘EXPLOITATION OF HOUSING PROGRAMS’ BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS The legislation would require universities that receive federal funding to participate in the E-Verify program to ensure the legal status of employees. Additionally, it would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1986 to condition federal aid based on how the institution follows the law. “Colleges and universities that knowingly hire illegal immigrants have no business receiving taxpayer money,” Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., said in a statement. “The College Employment Accountability Act puts an end to this abuse by requiring schools to follow the law or lose access to federal funds. If an institution can’t be bothered to verify the immigration status of its employees as is legally required, it shouldn’t receive the support of American tax dollars.” CONGRESS ‘ENTITLED’ TO ‘REGULATING THE CONDUCT’ OF VISA HOLDERS, EXPERT SAYS AMID DEPORTATION PUSH The bill is meant to be an effort to counter pushes in places like California, where the university system has put a pitch on the back burner to hire students who are in the country without the correct legal documentation, arguing that state government systems did not need to comply with the aforementioned 1986 act, according to LAist. Since the system’s regents pumped the brakes on enacting the policy, it faced legal action with hopes of allowing those students to get jobs on campuses, according to The Center Square. In September, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation to permit the hiring of illegal immigrants for campus jobs statewide, EdSource reported. JUDGE CLAIMS ‘NAZIS GOT BETTER TREATMENT’ THAN VENEZUELANS DEPORTED BY TRUMP The bill would task the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security to track and enforce the law. The proposal is not the first time the GOP senator has cracked down on which universities receive federal funds. Banks recently introduced legislation that would pull funding from schools that do not properly address encampments, which were a popular method of protest as a wave of anti-Israel demonstrations hit college campuses last year.
Anti-Israel protesters interrupt Huckabee hearing, attack Trump nominee’s faith
A series of boisterous protests broke out at the start of the Senate confirmation hearing for Mike Huckabee, the nominee to be U.S.ambassador to Israel. Capitol Police officers forcibly removed several protesters at three separate moments during the few minutes as Huckabee delivered his opening statement. The activists shouted messages like “Jews say no” and “free Palestine” and claimed Huckabee “misuses Christianity to justify ethnic cleansing.” “Israel and U.S. have desecrated the Holy Land, stop the ethnic cleansing,” shouted another protester. IVY LEAGUE ANTI-ISRAEL RINGLEADER MAHMOUD KHALIL WITHHELD DETAILS OF FOREIGN TIES FROM VISA APPLICATION: FEDS “The good news is they’re not members of my family, which might be the case protesting me sometimes,” Huckabee quipped. Later on, a fourth set of protesters interrupted the hearing, prompting an annoyed Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, to sigh and say, “alright, out!” Huckabee is set to answer questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, alongside Kevin Cabrera, nominee for ambassador to Panama, and Reed Rubinstein, nominee for legal adviser to the Department of State. Trump nominated Huckabee, a staunch Israel supporter and evangelical Christian who served as governor of Arkansas, to take up the critical post as he works to end the 17-month war in Gaza. Huckabee has described himself as an “unapologetic, unreformed Zionist.” FINDING GOD IN GAZA: FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE FOUND FAITH TO HELP HER SURVIVE HAMAS TERROR During his opening statement, he described Israel as “holy ground to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.” It comes as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas fell apart last week and Israel renewed its bombing campaign after it said Hamas was unwilling to negotiate on the next phase of a deal. Huckabee expressed support for Trump’s return to a “maximum pressure” policy on Iran as the regime draws closer to building a nuclear weapon. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and it is better to bankrupt them than it is to bomb them,” he said. Asked about his previous comments supporting Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, Huckabee emphasized that he would be serving at the prerogative of the president. “I have previously supported it. Yes, sir. But it would not be my prerogative to make that the policy of the president.” He was then asked if he supported Israel annexing Gaza. “Once again, it would be the prerogative of the president.” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., pressed Huckabee on whether he agreed with Israel withholding food aid to Gaza. “You don’t believe in collective punishment, do you?” he asked. “I don’t believe in collective punishment. If the Palestinians in Gaza have participated in the holding of hostages and in the torture –” Huckabee said. “There are 2 million people there,” Van Hollen interrupted. “Finance Minister Smotrich suggested. And I’m quoting it might be justified in moral to starve 2 million Palestinians in Gaza as part of a strategy to free the hostages. Simple question: Do you disagree with Finance Minister Smotrich?” “As you know, an ambassador doesn’t get to argue with the people of the country,” Huckabee said.
Trump reveals who was behind Signal text chain leak
President Donald Trump revealed that a staffer with national security advisor Mike Waltz’s office included the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic in a Signal group chat with senior Trump officials who were discussing plans for an upcoming strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. “It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there,” Trump told NBC in a phone interview when asked how Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, was added to the high-profile chat. The president added that Goldberg’s inclusion in the group chat had “no impact at all” on the strike in Yemen. Goldberg published an article on Monday detailing how he was added to a Signal group chat on March 11, reportedly dubbed “Houthi PC Small Group,” which included high-profile government officials, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance and others. TRUMP OFFICIALS ACCIDENTALLY TEXT ATLANTIC JOURNALIST ABOUT MILITARY STRIKES IN APPARENT SECURITY BREACH Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. Those in the group reportedly discussed targeting the Iran-backed terrorist group, the Houthis, in Yemen, including timing. WILL CAIN SHARES HIS TAKEAWAY ON THE ATLANTIC’S STORY ON THE TRUMP ADMIN’S ‘WAR PLANS’ TEXT “According to the lengthy Hegseth text, the first detonations in Yemen would be felt two hours hence, at 1:45 p.m. eastern time,” Goldberg wrote in his first-hand account of the chat. “So I waited in my car in a supermarket parking lot. If this Signal chat was real, I reasoned, Houthi targets would soon be bombed. At about 1:55, I checked X and searched Yemen. Explosions were then being heard across Sanaa, the capital city.” IRAN’S LEADER WARNS US COULD RECEIVE ‘SEVERE SLAPS’ FOLLOWING TRUMP’S THREATS TO HOUTHIS The inclusion of a journalist in the group chat has sparked outrage from Democrats, with some calling on Hegseth and Waltz to resign from their security roles, and others demanding they testify before Congress on the matter. Trump defended Waltz during his interview with NBC on Tuesday. “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” Trump said in the phone interview. Trump separately defended Waltz in comment to Fox News on Tuesday, saying the national security advisor will not be fired over the incident. “He’s not getting fired,” Trump told Fox News. The president said the incident was a “mistake,” though there was “nothing important” in the Signal text thread. TRUMP NOT PLANNING TO FIRE WALTZ AFTER NATIONAL SECURITY TEXT CHAIN LEAK White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt added in a social media post on Tuesday that “No ‘war plans’ were discussed” in the group chat, and that “no classified material was sent to the thread.” “Jeffrey Goldberg is well-known for his sensationalist spin. Here are the facts about his latest story,” she posted to X. “The White House Counsel’s Office has provided guidance on a number of different platforms for President Trump’s top officials to communicate as safely and efficiently as possible.” “As the National Security Council stated, the White House is looking into how Goldberg’s number was inadvertently added to the thread. Thanks to the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump, and everyone in the group, the Houthi strikes were successful and effective. Terrorists were killed and that’s what matters most to President Trump,” she added. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for additional comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. Fox News’ David Rutz, Danielle Wallace and Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
‘Futile exercise’: House GOP push to impeach judges blocking Trump fizzles out
There appears to be little appetite within the House GOP to pursue the impeachment of judges who have blocked President Donald Trump’s agenda. Republican lawmakers are instead coalescing around a bill led by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to limit the ability of U.S. district court judges to issue nationwide injunctions, which is due for a House floor vote next week. One House GOP lawmaker at Tuesday morning’s closed-door Republican conference meeting said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., signaled that Issa’s bill would be a more effective message against who they view as “activist” judges. “There was some innuendo there that, you know, impeachment has been reserved for judges with high crimes and misdemeanors, not because you disagree with his decisions,” the lawmaker said of Johnson’s message. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? House GOP Policy Conference Chair Kevin Hern, R-Okla., said, “I don’t think so,” when asked if impeachment was a realistic effort. “I think it’s probably a mixed bag out there right now,” he said, adding that Issa’s bill was the best option he could see. Johnson himself did not directly comment on impeachment when asked during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, but he said the House Judiciary Committee was “looking at alternatives.” “One of the bills that I really like, that’s already been through committee, was authored by Representative Darrell Issa. And that would limit the scope of federal injunctions,” Johnson said. “It would be, in my view, a dramatic improvement on that.” Several conservatives have introduced resolutions to impeach various judges who have blocked Trump’s agenda. One such effort that has garnered significant attention is a resolution by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, to impeach U.S. District Judge James Boasberg. Boasberg is currently locked in a legal showdown with the Department of Justice over the Trump administration’s deportation of suspected Tren De Aragua gang members under the Alien Enemies Act. Trump previously called for Boasberg’s impeachment but has said little on the specific issue since then. He has been adamant that Republicans should take on activist judges, however, and Fox News Digital was told last week that he was in favor of Issa’s bill. Conservatives could attempt to force House GOP leaders to act by classifying their impeachment legislation as a “privileged resolution,” meaning the House must hold at least a chamber-wide procedural vote on the measure within two legislative days. Gill told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning that he had no current plans to make his resolution privileged, and he was supportive of Johnson and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in handling the matter. “I don’t think we should take anything off the table. But right now, we’re working with leadership. Johnson’s doing a great job, and so is [Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas] and Jim Jordan on the Judiciary Committee,” Gill said. Support for his resolution has continued to grow, however. Three Republicans signed on to formally support Gill’s push on Monday. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., who has introduced his own impeachment resolution, told Fox News Digital, “I think we should hold impeachment regardless of what the Senate does or doesn’t do…we should do the people’s work, which is impeach those bastards.” ‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO However, even people who said they would back impeachment are skeptical it will pass. “It’s kind of a futile exercise, because we don’t have the votes in the Senate [to remove a judge],” a conservative House GOP lawmaker said Monday night. “It’s more of a ‘Hey, stay in your lane, you’re not the president.’ And I think if anything, let’s put some pressure on the Supreme Court to take up one of these injunctions.” That conservative added that they would “absolutely” vote for impeachment if it came to the floor. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., who co-signed Gill’s resolution, told Fox News Digital on Monday night that he would support both impeachment and Issa’s bill moving to the House floor, but he was skeptical of the former succeeding. “I think impeachment obviously is unlikely because of the Senate…but it signals that, you know, these judges are out of control and not following the law,” Hamadeh explained. “I think it’s the smart approach to do both right now, but it seems like the solution, [the No Rogue Rulings Act], that’s likely to get broad support.” Additionally, with House Republicans’ razor-thin majority, it is not clear that an impeachment resolution would even succeed. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We shouldn’t lower the standard for impeachment, but we should – ‘we’ meaning Congress – should provide a remedy for district court judges who totally overreach,” Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., said. Another House Republican who declined to be named said they were “totally opposed” to impeachment. “That’s what the appeals process is for,” they said. The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing early next week on activist judges, and that’s expected to be followed by a House-wide vote on Issa’s bill.