Republican senators threaten not to boost Texas public universities’ funding over DEI ban
In a letter, Sens. Brandon Creighton and Paul Bettencourt said they found “numerous” violations of the law, but didn’t provide specifics.
Trump is sending migrants from the U.S. to Guantanamo. One mother speaks out about her son’s detention.
Yoiker Sequera’s mother reflects on her fears after finding out her son had been detained in the infamous prison in Cuba for two weeks before being deported to Venezuela.
Texas leaders defend Black official after lawmaker’s public interrogation of DEI policies left her in tears
The topic was a budget request from a state agency. The exchange grew emotional when a lawmaker pressed for answers about a strategic plan that praises diversity.
Trump says Zelenskyy can ‘come back when he is ready for Peace’ after fiery White House exchange
Conversations about a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia came to a screeching halt Friday, after a tense meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy led to a canceled press conference and a minerals deal off the table, a White House official confirmed. Trump accused Zelenskyy of “disrespecting” the U.S. during their Friday meeting, and said the Ukrainian leader was not ready to secure peace for his country. “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Friday. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.” Zelenskyy visited Washington amid negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and was expected to sign a minerals agreement that will allow the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals — in exchange for support the U.S. has provided the country since Russia’s invasion in 2022. But things took a turn south, and Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of not being grateful for the support the U.S. has provided over the years and said that the Ukrainian leader was in a “bad position” at the negotiating table. “You’re playing cards,” Trump said. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country.” Additionally, when asked if Zelenskyy believed Trump was on Ukraine’s side, Zelenskyy told reporters at the Oval Office that he believed the U.S. is on Ukraine’s side and reiterated the importance of stopping aggression from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy also emphasized the importance of Europe’s assistance during the conflict with Russia — prompting Trump to interject and claim U.S. contributions were more significant than Europe’s. But Zelenskyy pushed back and said that wasn’t true. TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE RARE EARTH MINERALS DEAL WILL LEAD TO ‘SUSTAINABLE’ FUTURE BETWEEN US, UKRAINE Exact numbers on financial assistance to Ukraine vary slightly, depending on what is considered aid. However, Congress has appropriated $175 billion since 2022 for aid to Ukraine, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Meanwhile, all European assistance to Ukraine between January 2022 and December 2024 totals roughly $138.7 billion, the German-based think tank the Kiel Institute estimates, with the U.S. contributing $119.7 billion in that same time frame. Tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump have increased in recent weeks as the U.S. has worked with Ukraine and Russia to advance a peace negotiation. After U.S. officials met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia Feb. 18 without Ukraine, Zelenskyy told reporters that “nobody decides anything behind our back.” Trump and Zelenskyy then traded barbs at one another, with Zelenskyy accusing Trump of advancing Russian “disinformation” and Trump labeling Zelenskyy a “dictator” that has failed his country. TRUMP SAYS MINERALS DEAL HAS BEEN ‘PRETTY MUCH’ NEGOTIATED WITH ZELENSKYY, MEETING SLATED FOR FRIDAY On Thursday, Trump didn’t double down on that statement though. When asked if he stood by his statement, he told reporters: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question.” Trump also told reporters while meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Thursday that a peace negotiation was in the final stages, but he exercised caution about sharing details concerning a peacekeeping force in the region until a deal was finalized. “I think we’re very well advanced on a deal,” Trump said. “But we have not made a deal yet. So I don’t like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal. I like to get things done.” Trump also said he didn’t expect Putin to violate any agreement to create peace with Ukraine. “I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word,” Trump said Thursday. “I don’t think he’ll be back when we make a deal. I think the deal is going to hold now.”
US-Zelenskyy meeting shows cracks over Europe’s importance to Ukraine and whether Trump is ‘on our side’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dodged directly answering whether he believed President Donald Trump backed Ukraine while visiting the White House on Friday. Zelenskyy is visiting Washington amid negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and is expected to sign a minerals agreement on Friday that will allow the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals — in exchange for support the U.S. has provided the country since Russia’s invasion in 2022. When asked if Zelenskyy believed Trump was on Ukraine’s side, Zelenskyy told reporters at the Oval Office that he believed the U.S. is on Ukraine’s side and reiterated the importance of stopping aggression from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy also emphasized the importance of Europe’s assistance during the conflict with Russia — prompting Trump to interject and claim U.S. contributions were more significant than Europe’s. But Zelenskyy pushed back and said that wasn’t true. TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE RARE EARTH MINERALS DEAL WILL LEAD TO ‘SUSTAINABLE’ FUTURE BETWEEN US, UKRAINE Exact numbers on financial assistance to Ukraine vary slightly, depending on what is considered aid. However, Congress has appropriated $175 billion since 2022 for aid to Ukraine, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Meanwhile, all European assistance to Ukraine between January 2022 and December 2024 totals roughly $138.7 billion, the German-based think tank the Kiel Institute estimates, with the U.S. contributing $119.7 billion in that same timeframe. Tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump have increased in recent weeks as the U.S. has worked with Ukraine and Russia to advance a peace negotiation. After U.S. officials met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia Feb. 18 without Ukraine, Zelenskyy told reporters that “nobody decides anything behind our back.” Trump and Zelenskyy then traded barbs at one another, with Zelenskyy accusing Trump of advancing Russian “disinformation” and Trump labeling Zelenskyy a “dictator” that has failed his country. TRUMP SAYS MINERALS DEAL HAS BEEN ‘PRETTY MUCH’ NEGOTIATED WITH ZELENSKYY, MEETING SLATED FOR FRIDAY On Thursday, Trump didn’t double down on that statement though. When asked if he stood by his statement, he told reporters: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question.” Trump also told reporters while meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Thursday that a peace negotiation was in the final stages, but he exercised caution about sharing details concerning a peacekeeping force in the region until a deal was finalized. “I think we’re very well advanced on a deal,” Trump said. “But we have not made a deal yet. So I don’t like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal. I like to get things done.” Trump also said he didn’t expect Putin to violate any agreement to create peace with Ukraine. “I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word,” Trump said Thursday. “I don’t think he’ll be back when we make a deal. I think the deal is going to hold now.”
Here’s who Biden blames for his 2024 election loss, Trump divulges after private convo
Former President Joe Biden blamed “Barack” and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for his political ousting amid the election cycle in 2024, President Donald Trump shared in an interview reflecting on his conversations with the 46th president. “I went to the White House a few months before this all happened. … But I went there and he asked for a meeting, and I went and we talked for a little while, and at first I couldn’t… You couldn’t… He talked so low,” Trump said in an interview with The Spectator’s Ben Domenech Thursday afternoon at the White House. Trump’s comments came after Domenech asked about Biden’s apparent warm attitude toward Trump following the November 2024 election. He explained that Biden invited Trump to the White House following his electoral win over former Vice President Kamala Harris and asked him whom he “blamed” for the loss. “I asked him, I said, ‘So who do you blame?’ Because he was very angry, you know, he was a very angry guy, actually,” Trump said. “And he said, ‘I blame Barack.’ And I never think of him as ‘Barack.’ You know, you always hear ‘Obama.’ You say, you have to think about that for a second. And he said, ‘and I also blame Nancy Pelosi.’” DEM PARTY BLAME GAME: ACCUSATIONS FLY AS TO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HARRIS’ MASSIVE LOSS TO TRUMP Biden noted in his conversation that he did not blame Harris for the disarray in the Democratic Party during the election year, Trump said. “I said, ‘What about the vice president?’ He said, “No, I don’t blame her,’ which was interesting,” Trump said. “He didn’t blame her. He blamed … he told me he blamed those two people.” 5 MISTAKES THAT DOOMED KAMALA HARRIS’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST TRUMP The year 2024 kicked off with Biden in the driver’s seat of the Democratic Party as he keyed up a re-election effort in what was shaping up to be a second match-up against Trump. In February 2024, however, Biden’s 81 years of age and mental acuity fell under public scrutiny after years of conservatives questioning the commander in chief’s mental fitness. Special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents as vice president, announced he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” NANCY PELOSI FIRES BACK AT BERNIE SANDERS FOR COMMENTS ON DEMS’ SWEEPING ELECTION LOSS: NO ‘RESPECT’ The report renewed scrutiny over Biden’s mental acuity, which rose to a fever pitch in June 2024 after the president’s first and only presidential debate against Trump. Biden faced backlash for a handful of gaffes and miscues in the days leading up to his ill-fated debate against Trump, including Obama taking Biden’s wrist and appearing to lead him off a stage during a swank fundraiser, and also abroad when Italian Prime Minister Giogia Meloni guided Biden back to a group of world leaders when he appeared to wander off to give a thumbs-up to a parachutist during the G-7 summit. THE ‘SQUAD,’ WARREN AND SANDERS AMONG PROMINENT POLITICAL FIGURES WHO CRUISED TO RE-ELECTION VICTORIES When the big debate day arrived, Biden missed his marks repeatedly, tripping over his responses and appearing to lose his train of thought as he squared up against Trump. The disastrous debate performance led to an outpouring from both conservatives and traditional Democrat allies calling on the president to bow out of the race in favor of a younger generation. On July 21, 2024, Biden issued a post announcing he would bow out of the race. He endorsed Harris to take the reins of the election in a follow-up post. Pelosi’s relationship with Biden hit the rocks amid the speculation and the ultimate decision to bow out of the race, with Pelosi revealing on MSNBC earlier in February that she still has not spoken to Biden or former first lady Jill Biden in months but hopes to patch up their yearslong friendship. ‘ABANDON HARRIS’ MOVEMENT FLIPPED DEARBORN TO TRUMP ON ELECTION DAY Some Democrats and insiders have pointed to Obama for the 2024 loss, after Obama reportedly worked in the background in summer 2024 to encourage Biden’s ouster from the race. A handful of Obama’s allies and former advisers helped lead the charge in calling on Biden to drop out of the race earlier in the summer of 2024, including former Obama adviser David Axelrod saying that Biden was “not winning this race;” longtime Obama friend George Clooney calling on the president to drop out of the race in a bombshell op-ed; and Jon Favreau, who served as former director of speech writing for Obama, also calling on Biden to drop out of the race ahead of his eventual departure. Fox News Digital reached out to the respective offices for Pelosi, Obama and Biden regarding Trump’s comments but did not immediately receive replies.
NY corrections officers want Dem prison-reform repeal, say deal ending strike ‘slap in the face’
New York officials have reached an agreement to end a two-week unsanctioned strike by correctional officers over Democrat-backed prison reforms that they say have made conditions “unsafe,” but a GOP lawmaker argued the deal fails to address “the basics of what people are angry about.” “The things that they’re most upset about are things that are the subject of legislation,” Republican state Sen. Daniel Stec told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday. The mediated deal was reached late Thursday between the New York State Correctional Officers, the government-affiliated corrections officers union, Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) and the state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). However, since some 15,000 correction workers have been on a “wildcat strike,” they were not present during negotiations, and a spokesperson for the striking workers told CBS the deal does not go far enough. ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS ALLEGEDLY ASSAULT EMPLOYEE DURING BUILDING TAKEOVER AT BARNARD COLLEGE IN NEW YORK CITY “The issues have always been there,” Stec said. “Officer safety mandated overtime, some of these guys are working so much overtime that they’re never home, and it’s thrust upon them. On top of that, during the nature of their job, they’re working, sometimes they are forced to work 24 or more hours consecutively.” At issue is a piece of prison reform legislation, the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT), that strikers want repealed. The law restricts solitary confinement and instead focuses on other rehabilitation methods, but since it went into effect in 2022, GOP lawmakers, citing department stats, say it has led to a 169% increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults, a 76% increase in inmate-on-staff assaults and a 32% jump in contraband cases. Stec said “it’s not safe for the officers, it’s not safe inside for anybody” and said “this has been pointed out to the administration time and time again since before they put HALT into effect.” One mom of a corrections officer told Fox News Digital on Friday, “These are things that our governor doesn’t care about.” “She doesn’t care, she cares about the inmates and their rights,” she said. “[The deal] is a slap in every officer’s face.” Upon the released agreement, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in part, “My top priority is the safety of all New Yorkers, and for the past 11 days, I have deployed every possible State resource to protect the well-being of correction officers, the incarcerated population and local communities across New York.” “Working with a mediator, we have reached a consent award to address many of the concerns raised by correction officers, put DOCCS back on the path to safe operations, respect the rights of incarcerated individuals and prevent future unsanctioned work stoppages,” she said. MEET THE FAR-LEFT GROUPS FUNDING ANTI-DOGE PROTESTS AT GOP OFFICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY In a letter alongside the agreement, Mediator Martin F. Scheinman proposed a binding “Consent Award” that would formalize agreements reached in mediation and be enforceable by court order. He noted the enforcement of such an agreement is complicated by a temporary restraining order, which renders judicial enforcement difficult while the strike continues. He said the Consent Award will only be signed once the court order is complied with. “I will not issue a CONSENT AWARD I believe will be unenforceable judicially,” Scheinman wrote. The mediation agreement temporarily suspends key provisions of the HALT Act for 90 days, with a review by the DOCCS commissioner after 30 days to determine if the suspension should continue. Following the suspension, a “circuit breaker” staffing metric will be implemented to prevent mandatory 24-hour overtime shifts, requiring facility adjustments if staffing falls below 70%. The agreement also says protesting officers will be shielded from disciplinary action if they return to work by March 1, but those involved in illegal activities will face penalties. Other provisions include pay increases, referral bonuses, mental health support and security screening to curtail drugs in the prison mail system. Additionally, the National Guard – which Hochul requested after thousands of officers did not show up to work – will remain onsite. Stec said corrections officers see the deal as something the state is seeking to “shovel money at.” “In reading the agreement, there’s a lot of discussion in there about overtime and money, and people are always going to talk about money, but the impetus to this has always been about their safety,” he said. BLUE STATE GOVERNOR’S ‘GROSS MISMANAGEMENT’ COST TAXPAYERS $1.6B FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE: AUDIT Beginning on Feb. 17, two officers from the New York Department of Corrections began striking over “unsafe” conditions in their facilities, and support quickly cascaded across 38 of the state’s 42 prisons, leading to thousands of workers participating in the strike without union approval, which is prohibited under New York law. Days before the strike, officials at the Collins Correctional Facility in Erie County implemented a lockdown following an inmate uprising. Hochul threatened legal action earlier this week against striking correctional officers, announcing during a press conference that proceedings have commenced against nearly 400 officers, with New York State Police serving restraining orders to 380 individuals. Hochul said officers remaining on strike are considered absent without leave (AWOL), resulting in the loss of state health benefits and legal representation previously provided by their union. “They know they are in violation of the New York State Taylor law,” Hochul said during the press conferece. “They are also in violation of a temporary restraining order to return to work. We offered an amnesty period where they could go back to work, no questions asked.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s office and the NYSCOPBA for comment.
Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy spar over Russian war in tense exchange: ‘very disrespectful’
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sparred during their meeting at the White House to end the Russia-Ukraine War, including Vance asking Zelenskyy if he’s “said thank you once this entire meeting.” Amid Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House, Vance said that a path to securing peace between Russia and Ukraine was through the U.S. engaging in diplomacy. “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance told Zelenskyy. “Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for bringing it, to bring it into this country.” TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE RARE EARTH MINERALS DEAL WILL LEAD TO ‘SUSTAINABLE’ FUTURE BETWEEN US, UKRAINE “Have you’ve ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have?” Zelenskyy shot back. “I’ve actually watched and seen the stories and I know that what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour,” Vance continued. “Mr. President. Do you disagree that you’ve had problems bringing people into your military? And do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to trying to prevent the destruction of your country?” Zelenskyy continued that under war, “everybody has problems, even you” and that the U.S. would feel the war “in the future.” TRUMP SAYS MINERALS DEAL HAS BEEN ‘PRETTY MUCH’ NEGOTIATED WITH ZELENSKYY, MEETING SLATED FOR FRIDAY “You don’t know that,” Trump responded as Zelenskyy said “God bless you” to Trump. “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” Trump continued. “You are in no position to dictate that, remember that,” Trump said, as Zelenskyyy defended that he was simply answering Vance’s questions. “I feel we’re going to feel very good, very strong,” Trump said. “You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.” “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards,” Trump continued, as Zelesnkyy said, “I’m not playing cards.” TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY WAR OF WORDS HEATS UP EVEN AS US LOOKS TO WIND DOWN WAR IN UKRAINE “Yeah you’re playing cards,” Trump said. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country.” Vance interjected, asking Zelenskyy if he’s “said thank you once this entire meeting.” “You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October, offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country,” Vance continued. The Ukraine leader argued Vance was speaking “loudly,” before Trump shot back that Vance was not speaking loudly. “Your country is in big trouble,” Trump said. “Wait a minute. No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.” TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE RARE EARTH MINERALS DEAL WILL LEAD TO ‘SUSTAINABLE’ FUTURE BETWEEN US, UKRAINE Zelenskyy traveled to the U.S. Friday to meet with Trump at the White House after Trump said Thursday that a peace negotiation to end the war between Ukraine and Russia is in its final stages. The Trump administration is also working to ink an agreement with Ukraine that would allow the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for support the U.S. has offered the nation since war broke out in 2022, as part of the peace deal. Trump also remarked during his remarks to the media that a trilateral meeting between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the U.S., would be no “love match” and likely be difficult. “They don’t like each other, I can tell you that, it’s not a love match,” Trump told the media when asked how he envisions a trilateral meeting between the U.S.-Russia-Ukraine. Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
Kolkata house of horror! 14-year-old narrates how his father, uncle killed their wives as part of suicide pact, says ‘they came for me too but…’
Nearly a week after the brutal murder of two women and a minor girl in West Bengal’s Kolkata, a 14-year-old teen from the family has come up with shocking claims, alleging that “it was his uncle Pranay Dey and Prasun Dey who killed the women as part of a suicide pact”.
Virginia gov promises ‘full cooperation’ with ICE to deport illegal immigrants
Virginia became the latest in a handful of mostly GOP states that are compelling their law enforcement officers to work with federal authorities to deport illegal immigrants. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 47 on Tuesday afternoon, mandating that state law enforcement and correctional agencies enter into formal agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pledging “full cooperation” when it comes to helping them identify and deport undocumented illegal immigrants. The governor cited federal law under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which allows state and local law enforcement officials to enter into agreements that “federally deputize” them to perform certain actions in support of federal immigration enforcement. “Dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should not be let back into our communities to assault, rape and murder,” Youngkin said in an announcement about the new mandate. “They should be sent back where they came from.” TRUMP’S ‘GOLD CARD’ VISA PLAN A BOON FOR AMERICAN ECONOMY, EXPERT SAYS: ‘MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL’ While Virginia is just the latest among a handful of mostly GOP states to compel its law enforcement to work with ICE, the scope of these new cooperation requirements varies slightly from state to state. Some states, like Tennessee, have implemented compelled cooperation to focus specifically on pursuing criminal undocumented immigrants. Others, like Virginia, are instructing their police to assist with apprehending and deporting any undocumented immigrants living illegally in their state. Under Youngkin’s new order, Virginia State Police will enter into a “287(g) Task Force Model Memorandum of Understanding” with ICE, creating a “State Police Task Force” to help with identifying and apprehending “criminal illegal immigrants” who pose a risk to the public. The agreement gives these federally deputized officers special authority to perform immigration enforcement functions under ICE’s supervision that they typically would not otherwise engage in. In addition to mandating compliance from state law enforcement officials, Youngkin’s Executive Order tasks the state’s secretary of public safety and homeland security, Terrance Cole, to request “certification” from local and regional jail authorities that they will provide full cooperation with ICE and the newly deputized state task force. This agreement will allow Virginia Department of Corrections facilities to be used for immigration matters, such as processing and detention. SIX-TIME DEPORTED GANG MEMBER WANTED FOR MURDER BUSTED IN TEXAS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION STING Cole is also required under the new order to contact every director, sheriff or other official in charge of a local or regional jail in Virginia to certify that they will fully cooperate with ICE and the newly deputized Virginia State Police task force supporting them. “I am a legal immigrant and now a naturalized citizen. Working together, the Governor, Attorney General, and I have made Virginia safer. We supported more funding for law enforcement and tackled violent crimes in our cities. Now, working with President Trump, we can take on the scourge of dangerous and violent illegal immigrants,” said Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running for governor to succeed Youngkin, who is term-limited. “We’ve seen too many tragic stories after dangerous criminals in this country illegally were put back on the streets, and this executive order will make sure we send them back to where they came from,” Earle-Sears concluded.