Kansas law invalidates transgender driver’s licenses and birth certificates
Kansas has officially invalidated driver’s licenses and birth certificates for transgender residents who changed their sex designation on government documents under a law that took effect Thursday. Roughly 1,700 individuals in Kansas will be required to obtain a new standard driver’s license at a cost of $26, according to the House Substitute for Senate Bill 244. The state’s vehicle division informed residents that no grace period will be offered for those who need to update their IDs, according to The Kansas City Star. “Please note that the Legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials. That means that once the law is officially enacted, your current credentials will be invalid immediately, and you may be subject to additional penalties if you are operating a vehicle without a valid credential,” the Kansas Department of Revenue’s vehicle division said. JUDGE ORDERS KANSAS TO STOP CHANGING TRANS PEOPLE’S SEX LISTING ON THEIR DRIVER’S LICENSES The law also establishes clear rules for shared private spaces in government buildings, restricting their use to a single sex. This applies to facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms and shower rooms where individuals may be partially or fully undressed. The bill further reinforced a strict definition of sex and gender as an “individual’s biological sex, either male or female, at birth.” Consequently, individuals or entities who violate the space restrictions may face significant civil penalties or potential criminal charges. KANSAS JUDGE SAYS TRANSGENDER RIGHTS NOT VIOLATED BY STATE’S REFUSAL TO CHANGE SEX ON DRIVER’S LICENSES Individuals are also given the right to take legal action if someone of the opposite biological sex violates their privacy in these spaces. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, whose veto of the bill was ultimately overridden by the Republican-led Kansas Legislature Feb. 18, had previously called it a “poorly drafted bill with significant, far-reaching consequences.” “It is nothing short of ridiculous that the Legislature is forcing the entire state, every city and town, every school district, every public university to spend taxpayer money on a manufactured problem,” she said. “Kansans elected them to focus on education, job creation, housing and grocery costs.” SUPREME COURT CONSERVATIVES SIGNAL SUPPORT FOR STATE TRANSGENDER SPORTS BANS DURING ORAL ARGUMENTS Under the bill, entering a multiple-occupancy space designated for the opposite sex constitutes a violation. After a first warning, a second offense could result in a $1,000 civil penalty and a third or subsequent violation is treated as a class B misdemeanor. Anyone who believes their privacy has been violated in such a setting may bring a civil lawsuit against the violator and seek $1,000 in liquidated damages, according to the bill. Government entities, such as state agencies or local districts, that fail to align with the new regulations are subject to steep fines. Entities face a $25,000 civil penalty for a first violation and $125,000 for each subsequent violation. The law provides specific exceptions for entering spaces designated for the opposite sex, including custodial or maintenance work, medical or emergency aid, law enforcement duties, assisting someone who needs help or children under 9 accompanied by a caregiver.
Denver mayor orders ICE agents detained if they ‘assault or shoot’ residents
Denver Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston announced an executive order Thursday directing city authorities to detain an ICE agent considered to have used excessive force against or who “assaults or shoots or kills” civilians in the Mile High City. The announcement comes weeks after Philadelphia’s top prosecutor made headlines by likening ICE agents to Adolf Hitler’s Geheime Staatspolizei and warning of similar repercussions that have yet to be put into practice, as Johnston’s now have. “To protect Denver, our first responders will always provide life-saving aid to anyone who is injured, no matter who injured them,” Johnston said on the steps of the city government’s plaza downtown. “No ICE officer gets to stand in our way of saving someone’s life. To protect Denver, if we see any ICE officer using excessive force against a Denver resident, we will step in to detain that officer and remove them from the situation,” Johnston said, adding federal agents should be held to the same standard as city police officers. PHILADELPHIA’S THREAT TO PROSECUTE ICE COULD TRIGGER LANDMARK COURT FIGHT OVER AUTHORITY, EXPERTS WARN “Regardless of what the federal government does, we will not abdicate our responsibility to prosecute crimes in our city.” Johnston said the order was drafted by his appointed city attorney, Michiko “Miko” Brown. He said Brown is a descendant of Japanese Americans who were collectively detained and sent to internment camps under an executive order signed by Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II. Johnston gestured to the courthouse behind him, noting it was named for former Colorado Republican Gov. Ralph Carr. In 1942, Carr took a different tack than many Western state governors and opposed Roosevelt’s internment of Japanese, German and Italian Americans across the region. Johnston went on to say he would not abide by “abduction[s]” of residents, remarking that “no one will have to worry if their dad will be abducted when he heads to the store.” SOROS-BACKED PHILADELPHIA DA VOWS TO ‘HUNT’ DOWN ICE AGENTS: ‘WE WILL FIND YOU’ “[I]n Denver, we have proven time and time again that we are stronger than any obstacle we face because we are a city that turns to each other and not on each other. Through fires and floods, booms and busts, and tournaments and raids, we have stayed true to the values of the West: All are welcome. All are valued. All are protected.” In Philadelphia, District Attorney Larry Krasner recently took to the podium in Penn Square to denounce ICE as “a small bunch of wannabe Nazis” and pledged that “if we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities.” That remark led to a congressional warning. House Intelligence Committee member Greg Steube, R-Fla., requested that Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate Krasner’s remarks under a federal statute that prescribes up to 10-year felony charges for threatening federal officers. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.
Travis County DA faces renewed ‘soft on crime’ criticism after career criminal charged with murder
A Texas-based career criminal with a lengthy rap sheet is behind bars in Travis County after he was charged with murdering a father of five outside a 7-Eleven in Austin, reviving scrutiny of Travis County District Attorney José Garza and what critics call his controversial prosecutorial record and “soft on crime” approach. Caleb Anthony Jenkins, described by police as a career criminal, was charged with murder in connection with a shooting last year that left a 25-year-old father dead outside a 7-Eleven. According to Austin police, Jenkins allegedly shot the victim and drove off. But critics argue the killing may have been preventable. Garza’s office previously dismissed or declined to prosecute three separate gun charges against Jenkins in incidents dating back to 2022. He was also arrested in 2023 on a domestic violence charge and failed to appear in court, as Fox News reported. Most recently, he was re-arrested and released after his bond was raised. Taken together, the developments have intensified public criticism of Garza, the Democratic district attorney backed by liberal mega-donor George Soros, AUSTIN CRIME WATCHDOG CALLS ON DA GARZA TO STEP ASIDE IN CASE AGAINST 19 INDICTED OFFICERS Garza, who was elected Travis County DA without prior experience as a prosecutor, has faced criticism from police advocacy groups and victims’ families since taking office. They have accused him of deliberately slow-walking certain cases and embracing lenient sentencing policies. The criticism has sparked national attention in years past. In 2023, the family of 25-year-old Doug Cantor, who was shot and killed in the 2021 Sixth Street mass shooting in downtown Austin, criticized Garza for slow-walking the trial of the gunman. Family members told Fox News Digital in an interview at the time that they believed Garza had put the case on the “back burner.” “It’s very clear that his focus and attention is not on this case,” Nick Kantor told Fox News Digital in an interview reflecting on the two-year anniversary of his brother’s death — and the way Garza, who has been widely criticized for soft-on-crime policies, has handled the case. AUSTIN DA GARZA CREATES CONFUSION WITH ANNOUNCEMENT OF IMPENDING INDICTMENTS AGAINST MULTIPLE POLICE OFFICERS “He’s doing things that are clearly causing distress on the trial and on the overall outcome of the case and for getting justice for my brother,” Kantor said. Other victims’ families cited similar behavior from Garza’s office in interviews with Fox News Digital. While overall reported crime in Travis County has declined, opponents argue dismissal rates have been “political,” and could further endanger public safety. It “appears that Garza has now become more of an advocate for the criminal than he has for the victim,” Dennis Farris, president of the Austin Police Retired Officer’s Association, previously told Fox News Digital. “The prosecution is acting more like defense attorneys than they are prosecutors,” Farris said in an interview roughly one year after Garza took office. “Whatever his skewed view of what criminal justice reform is, it isn’t working. It sure isn’t working for the victims.” CRIME EXPERTS RESPOND TO SOROS DEFENDING SUPPORT FOR PROGRESSIVE DAS AMID CRIME WAVE: ‘DISASTROUS’ “It used to be that they got the victims’ buy-in before offering plea bargains. Now it doesn’t appear he’s even doing that, because they’re not even communicating with them, and that’s what’s leading to the revictimization of these families.” Current and former local law enforcement officers have criticized Garza’s actions and his alleged “war on cops,” after the Soros-backed district attorney campaigned on indicting police officers and “reimagining” policing in Austin. Soros contributed $652,000 to the Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC in the months leading up to the 2020 Travis County DA election, according to campaign finance records. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP That same PAC spent almost $1 million on digital and mail advertisements to help Garza’s campaign, as Fox News reported. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Oregon Dems block effort to alert ICE before illegal immigrant murderers are released
Oregon Senate Democrats unanimously voted to kill an effort to require that federal authorities be notified when an illegal immigrant convicted of a violent felony is about to be released from prison, leading the chamber’s top Republican to say the majority is choosing ideology over common sense. In Oregon’s legislature, the minority caucus is permitted to file an alternative “minority report” to a majority party-led bill, which would then replace the majority’s legislation before it heads to the governor as a “last-ditch” effort to amend or stop a proposal, according to a source familiar with Salem’s processes. This particular minority report would have directed state officials to notify federal authorities when an illegal immigrant convicted of a violent felony, such as murder, was about to be released. That would give ICE an opportunity to transfer the person to its custody without the kind of expansive resource deployment seen in some uncooperative blue cities. The Oregon State Senate voted down the minority report for Senate Bill 1594, 18-12, along party lines, with one lawmaker excused, as Republicans warned of the tally’s public safety consequences. ANTI-ICE LAW SET TO TAKE EFFECT IN MAINE AS GOVERNOR FACES INCREASED CRITICISM FOR ALLOWING IT AMID SENATE RUN The original and active SB 1594 would require Oregon’s Justice Department to consult with the state Office of Immigration and Refugee Advancement on updated “model policies” at immigration facilities. State Sen. Mark Meek, D-Oregon City, who is considered a moderate, defended his vote on the floor in Salem by saying that ICE should instead “sit outside” state prisons because recapturing subjects would be like “fishing in a pond; in a barrel.” “If the federal government wants to be serious about taking care of that business, then that’s the place you should be,” Meek said. Critics of that view said it would run counter to the left’s tendency to protest broad ICE operations in certain localities. DEM GOVERNOR’S ‘DANGEROUS’ ANTI-ICE LAW IGNITES BACKLASH AFTER ALLEGED BOX CUTTER ATTACK BY ILLEGAL ALIEN Oregon’s corrections department previously tracked the immigration status of those convicted of felonies but has not run a check since 2022, after a 2021 bill restricted the tracking of whether an inmate has an ICE detainer, according to a source familiar with the matter. “The vote runs contrary to the clear will of Oregonians and Americans across party lines, who overwhelmingly support the removal of illegal immigrants convicted of violent or serious crimes across multiple reputable polls,” the minority caucus said in a statement on the minority report’s failure. State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, called the bill “as common sense as common sense gets.” “Do we want violent felons who have no legal right to be present in Oregon to remain here, or should there at least be an opportunity for federal authorities to take custody?” “The effect of voting ‘no’ today is to affirm that a person who is here illegally and commits a felony in Oregon should remain here as the felon is released from prison,” added state Sen. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte. Fox News Digital reached out to Oregon Senate President Robert Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, and Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama, D-East Portland, for comment.
Hillary Clinton tells House ‘I do not recall ever encountering’ Jeffrey Epstein
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is accusing the GOP-led House Oversight Committee of using her to “distract” from President Donald Trump during her high-stakes testimony in Congress’ Jeffrey Epstein probe. “A committee endeavoring to stop human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008,” she is telling the panel, according to her opening remarks. “But that’s not happening. Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.” Clinton is telling lawmakers, “As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities.” CLINTONS CAVE: COMER SAYS BILL AND HILLARY TO TESTIFY IN EPSTEIN PROBE “I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that,” her remarks state. “Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes. It’s unfathomable that Mr. Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in 2008, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade.” The House Oversight Committee’s deposition is officially kicking off on Thursday morning after months of back-and-forth. “No one’s accusing, at this moment, the Clintons of any wrongdoing. They’re going to have due process,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters shortly before it began. “But we have a lot of questions, and the purpose of the whole investigation is to try to understand many things about Epstein.” SON OF NORWAY’S CROWN PRINCESS TO FACE RAPE CHARGES AS NEW EPSTEIN FILES MENTION HER HUNDREDS OF TIMES Hillary Clinton’s deposition comes a day before her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will testify before the panel as well. “Today will be a long deposition, I would assume, and tomorrow will be an even longer deposition,” Comer said. Both Democrats and Republicans on the committee, as well as the panel’s staff, traveled to the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, New York for the two-day affair. It’s part of an agreement struck between the GOP-led panel and the former first couple’s lawyers in order for them to appear in person. Lawmakers on either side will have the opportunity to question Hillary Clinton in addition to their staffs. Fox News Digital was told that Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., will be the first lawmaker to question the former first lady and Obama administration official. Mace was one of four House Republicans who successfully forced a vote late last year on getting the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release files on Epstein, despite pressure from GOP leaders. The South Carolina Republican, who is running for governor of the Palmetto State, told reporters on Thursday that she would also be questioning Hillary Clinton on Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, among other names that have been mentioned in relation to Epstein. Comer told reporters she would also be questioned on her ties to Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, pointing out that Maxwell was present at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010, after the first allegations against Epstein surfaced. He also suggested that Epstein and Maxwell’s ties to the nonprofit Clinton Foundation would also see scrutiny. “Again, we’re not accusing Hillary Clinton of wrongdoing. We know that Jeffrey Epstein said many times in emails that he was the first person to raise money for the Clinton initiative, the Clinton Foundation, that he solicited money at some of his properties for the Clinton Foundation,” Comer said. “Again, that’s not saying anything illegal, but there are a lot of questions pertaining to Secretary Clinton with respect to Epstein and his involvement in the Clinton initiative and her relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell.” But Clinton’s prepared remarks show her accusing Republicans of going on a “fishing expedition” to find information that is not there. “If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press giggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement. It would ask him directly, under oath, about the tens of thousands of times who showed up in the Epstein files. If the majority was serious, it would not waste time on fishing expeditions. There is too much that needs to be done,” her remarks said. Neither of the Clintons has been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein, nor has Trump. But both the current and former president’s names appear in the Epstein files numerous times, alongside other well-known figures like Bill Gates and Leslie Wexner.
Trump admin asks Supreme Court to end temporary protected status for Syrian migrants
President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing for the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it to nix temporary protected status for Syrians. “This application marks the third time that the government has been compelled to seek a stay from this Court after lower Courts have baselessly blocked the Secretary of Homeland Security’s determinations regarding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) just before they took effect,” the filing declares. The filing notes that the high court previously issued stays amid legal wranglings pertaining to the administration’s move to terminate TPS for Venezuela. “Both times, this Court’s orders reflected that the government is likely to succeed on the merits of its purely legal arguments—including that 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(5)(A) expressly bars judicial review of direct or indirect challenges to the Secretary’s TPS determinations.” “And both times, the Court’s orders reflected that the government established irreparable harm and that the balance of the equities weighed in its favor,” the administration argued. “The lower courts’ arrogation of core Executive Branch prerogatives irreparably harms the government, and respondents’ alleged harms were inherent in the temporary nature of the program that Congress designed.” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s attempt to terminate TPS for Syria last year was stymied in court. The move was supposed to take effect in November, according to the notice in which Noem declared that “the designation of Syria for Temporary Protected Status is terminated effective at 11:59 p.m., local time, on November 21, 2025.” This is a breaking news article and will be updated.
Dem governor doubles down on transgender protections after Trump State of the Union
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vowed to veto any legislation targeting the LGBTQ community just one night after President Donald Trump talked about banning minors’ gender transition surgeries without parental consent. “I want you to know that you are welcome in Michigan,” Whitmer said in her State of the State Address on Wednesday night. “You belong, you matter, and no matter who comes after you, I’ll stand in the way.” The Democrat leader added: “In Michigan, we look out for each other. That’s why I’ll always fight for your freedom and safety. And I’ll veto any legislation that diminishes your humanity. I got your back.” NEWSOM STOP IN KEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY STATE SPARKS MORE 2028 SPECULATION Trump vowed to ban sex changes for minors without parental consent in his State of the Union, while Whitmer’s remarks spoke right past parents’ rights – flash points in both the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential election cycle – with a presumptive vow to veto any sex change bans. “Surely we can all agree, no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will,” Trump said in his State of the Union on Tuesday night. “Who would believe that we’re even talking about it? We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.” Trump’s effort to ban gender transitions for minors without parental consent puts the political onus on the parents’ rights to decide their children’s fate. Any Whitmer vow to veto legislation of such a ban would pit the state’s rights against the parent. MICHIGAN PARENT WANTS TRUMP TO ACT AFTER DAUGHTER SHARES LOCKER ROOM WITH TRANS-ATHLETE Whitmer is term-limited, opening up the key battleground state of Michigan as the top of the 2026 midterm election cycle, potentially setting her up to get an early start on a 2028 Democratic presidential primary campaign. “Gretchen Whitmer’s vow to veto protections for children facing irreversible sex-change procedures is beyond extreme — it’s outright deranged,” Republican National Committee national press secretary Kiersten Pels told Fox News in a statement. “While President Trump and Republicans are fighting to protect minors, including the young girl he recognized at the State of the Union who was saved from mutilation surgery, Whitmer is siding with radical activists pushing permanent medical procedures on children. Democrats would rather defend the sterilization and castration of minors than stand with parents and basic common sense, and Republicans will continue fighting to stop this dangerous agenda.” NEWSOM PUSHES THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO BE ‘MORE CULTURALLY NORMAL’ IF THEY WANT TO WIN Fox News reached out to Whitmer’s office for a response, but they did not immediately answer. With Whitmer termed out, the 2026 Michigan gubernatorial race is shaping up to be a defining test for both parties. Democrats face the challenge of defending one of five governorships in states carried by Trump in 2024. The primary battle lines are already drawn, with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson currently leading the Democrat charge and Rep. John James, R-Mich., fronting the Republican ticket. While the last two cycles saw decisive Democrat victories, the 2026 gubernatorial contest introduces a new variable: former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Running as an independent, his presence on the ballot could fracture traditional voting blocs and turn a once-predictable race into a three-way toss-up.
GOP pushes to hold sanctuary jurisdictions’ ‘feet to the fire’ in state where Laken Riley was killed
Georgia Republicans are introducing a bill to hold sanctuary jurisdictions financially accountable for damage and crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Nearly two years since nursing student Laken Riley was killed by an illegal immigrant at the University of Georgia, Republican state Rep. Houston Gaines said the bill would help hold local governments’ “feet to the fire” when they refuse to enforce the law. “You’ve seen these issues all across the country, in Minneapolis, certainly in Los Angeles … where you have really liberal local governments that just simply aren’t enforcing the law, and so we’re going to put an end to it here in Georgia,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. Gaines, who is running for Congress represents the district where Riley was killed, is one of six Republicans co-sponsoring the bill. The state already bans sanctuary policies at the local level. If passed, the measure would allow citizens to help crack down on jurisdictions attempting to subvert Georgia’s ban by enabling property and business owners to seek financial compensation from local governments for damages caused by sanctuary-style immigration policies. GEORGIA REPUBLICANS HAMMER OSSOFF OVER SILENCE AFTER ICE DETAINER IN ALLEGED CHILD RAPE CASE Under the bill, property owners and leaseholders can claim compensation from jurisdictions that adopt a “policy, pattern, or practice” of failing to comply with state immigration enforcement laws, declining to enforce laws against activities such as illegal public camping or shoplifting, or allowing a public nuisance that harms the property. Gaines said that while Georgia does not come immediately to mind when thinking of sanctuary jurisdictions, cities such as Atlanta and Athens, where Riley was killed, have previously been lax in enforcement. “Georgia is a red state, but we do have blue jurisdictions,” he explained. “I get calls all the time in Athens of a business or a family who’s woken up to someone in their front yard or at a business where they’ve had someone break in overnight. There’s all sorts of issues where these liberal local governments frankly just aren’t doing their job and not enforcing the law.” “What we’re doing here is making sure that people across the state know that if your local government is not doing their job, it’s time for the state to step up and make sure they do it, and the way to do that is hit them in the pocketbook.” TRUMP MAKES ENDORSEMENT IN CONTEST TO FILL HOUSE SEAT VACATED BY EX-ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE Georgia is not the first state to make such a move. In 2024, Arizona voters approved a proposition to let property owners apply for property tax refunds if their local city, town, or county fails to enforce certain public nuisance laws and the owner incurs documented expenses as a result. The Georgia bill, however, would allow citizens to file directly for reimbursement through lawsuits. Gaines said the intent of the bill is to serve as a deterrent for liberal jurisdictions considering not enforcing the law. “Our whole goal here is not for all these refunds to occur, it’s just for local governments to enforce the existing law on the books,” he said. “If a local jurisdiction is getting complaints, they simply clean it up and fix what they’re doing wrong so that you don’t see repeated complaints.” GRIEVING ILLINOIS FATHER CONDEMNS SANCTUARY ‘CHAOS,’ PLEADS FOR ‘COMMON SENSE’ AFTER DAUGHTER’S DEATH Gaines said that he believes his bill could serve as a model for other states. “I would encourage other states to do this because it is something that I believe will work and will hold local governments accountable if they’re failing to enforce their own laws and putting their own citizens in dangerous situations … that’s what we’re trying to avoid with this legislation.” Gaines is running to replace Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., who is running for U.S. Senate.
FBI subpoena of phone records leaves Trump chief of staff ‘in shock’: report
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was reportedly in shock after hearing that the FBI under former President Joe Biden subpoenaed her and current FBI Director Kash Patel’s phone records in 2022 and 2023. Wiles — who ran President Donald Trump‘s 2024 campaign — reportedly told associates, “I am in shock,” Axios reported on Thursday. Reuters first disclosed the subpoenas, which were issued during the Biden administration, while special counsel Jack Smith was investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The subpoenaed toll records included phone numbers and the dates and times of calls, but not the content of the conversations, Fox News has learned. BIDEN’S FBI SUBPOENAED KASH PATEL’S AND SUSIE WILES’ PHONE RECORDS DURING FEDERAL TRUMP INVESTIGATION Smith eventually charged Trump in 2023 with multiple felony offenses related to alleged efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election and his handling of documents. The election interference case was later dismissed by a federal judge after Smith moved to drop it following Trump’s re-election. Smith also dropped the Justice Department’s appeal of a separate ruling that dismissed the classified documents case. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in both matters. In 2023, the FBI recorded a phone call between Wiles and her attorney, two FBI officials told Fox News. Additionally, the officials said Wiles’ attorney was aware that the call was being recorded and consented, but the now-White House chief of staff did not. “It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records — along with those of now White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight,” Patel told Fox News on Wednesday. GOP LAWMAKER ACCUSES JACK SMITH OF ‘SPYING’ ON CONGRESS AT TENSE HOUSE HEARING OVER TRUMP PROBE Patel has said he recently ended the FBI’s ability to categorize files as “Prohibited.” At least 10 FBI employees were also fired Wednesday, Fox News was told. Names were not given due to privacy reasons. Eric Daugherty, assistant chief content officer for RightLine, an offshoot of Florida’s Voice, applauded the firings, telling Patel to “keep purging.” Additionally, conservative influencer Nick Sortor wrote on X, “The amount of ROT in the FBI is INSANE.” The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) later issued a scathing statement criticizing the firings. “The FBIAA condemns today’s unlawful termination of FBI Special Agents, which — like other firings by Director Patel — violates the due process rights of those who risk their lives to protect our country,” the organization said in a statement. “These actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the Bureau’s ability to meet its recruitment goals — ultimately putting the nation at greater risk.”
Melania Trump to take the gavel at UN Security Council in historic first
FIRST ON FOX: Melania Trump is set to make history as the first first lady to preside over the United Nations Security Council, with a speech focused on peace through education, Fox News Digital has learned. The United States assumes the United Nations Security Council presidency Monday. GOOGLE CEO, MAJOR TECH LEADERS JOIN FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE AI MEETING The first lady’s speech will mark the first time a first lady from any country — and the first time a sitting U.S. first lady — will preside over the security council as its members consider education, technology, peace and security. The first lady is expected to stress the importance of education and knowledge in creating ongoing and everlasting peace, a source close to the first lady told Fox News Digital. “The first lady is reinventing her role and this marks just another groundbreaking achievement for her,” the source told Fox News Digital. “It is the first time in history a first lady will address the security council, keeping to her mission of empowering the next generation with education and technology.” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz told Fox News Digital that it is “fitting that the first lady, a passionate and tireless advocate for children, will preside over the first day of America’s presidency of the Security Council.” “Her message of helping the helpless through education and technology fits exactly with our mission at the U.N., to achieve meaningful and lasting peace,” Waltz told Fox News Digital. “As a green beret and now diplomat, I have seen firsthand that peace prevails where children are taught and not terrorized.” MELANIA TRUMP LAUNCHES PRESIDENTIAL AI CHALLENGE FOR STUDENTS The U.N. Security Council’s presidency rotates among its members on a monthly basis. The U.N. Security Council consists of 15 member states, with five permanent members: the United States, China, France, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms, including Bahrain, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia. The speech comes as the first lady continues her push as a champion of online protection of children and youth through her “Be Best” initiative launched during the first Trump administration. In 2025, the first lady garnered support on Capitol Hill for the passage of the Take it Down Act, which was signed into law by the president in May 2025. The law punishes internet abuse involving nonconsensual, explicit imagery. The first lady also launched a nationwide Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge, which invited every student and educator across the nation to “unleash their imagination and showcase the spirit of American innovation” by visiting AI.gov to sign up. The first lady also recently launched an audiobook of her memoir, using AI audio technology in multiple languages. “Today, the world is poised to have greater access to humanity’s knowledge base because of artificial intelligence,” a source close to the first lady told Fox News Digital.