California Dem says flight attendant told him party looked ‘heartless’ for not standing for boy with cancer
A California Democrat said he was “politely chased down” by a flight attendant at an airport this week who told him his colleagues looked “heartless” for not standing for Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, the 13-year-old boy with cancer who was honored during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress. Rep. Ro Khanna said the interaction with the flight attendant, whom he identified as Jim Barrett, unfolded in Chicago. “Sir, I am a Democrat but the way the party behaved was embarrassing. Made us look heartless. I don’t care who is up there, you stand for the boy with cancer,” Khanna recalled Barrett as saying. “Be more rational and get your act together.” “I replied that a few of us did stand and clap and we must be the party that still believes in kindness, decency, and trying to bring people together,” he added on X. BOY HONORED BY TRUMP SAYS CANCER WON’T SLOW HIM DOWN UNTIL ‘GOD CALLS’ HIM HOME Daniel stole the show during Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night when the president introduced him to the audience and officially swore him in as a member of the Secret Service. “Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police,” Trump told the crowd. “His name is DJ Daniel [and he] is 13 years old, and he has always dreamed of becoming a police officer. But in 2018, D.J. was diagnosed with brain cancer. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago.” SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODES AFTER DEMOCRATS DO NOT STAND FOR 13-YEAR-OLD CANCER SURVIVOR Daniel received a standing ovation from a majority of the crowd, although some Democrats were seen on camera sitting at various times while Trump was speaking about the 13-year-old. “Quite frankly, there were moments where I feel like anger at some of the actions that have happened over the past month-and-a-half prevented some of my colleagues from being able to stand up to support the little DJ Daniel,” Rep. Laura Gillen, a Democrat from New York, also told News12 Long Island this week. “I stood up and applauded this little boy, who is getting over cancer, wants to be a police officer — and I was disappointed that I was not joined by any of my colleagues,” she added. Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
John Fetterman takes aim at his own party in tweet about ‘#TheResistance’: ‘Hold our beer’
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. — who, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s address before a joint session of Congress, accused his own party of “a sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance” — issued a tweet on Friday in which he once again called out Democrats. “#TheResistance,” he wrote, going on to list, “Snub a 13 year-old cancer survivor,” “Joint Address Protest Paddle Bonanza” and “Bizarre ‘Pick Your Fighter’ videos.” “Hold our beer: Government Shutdown!” he continued, cautioning, “Never, never, never vote for a shutdown—ever.” FETTERMAN DISMAYED BY DEMS DISSING ‘TOUCHING MOMENT’ AT TRUMP SPEECH Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman’s office to request a comment from the lawmaker on Friday, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Trump honored 13-year-old DJ Daniel during the address this week, noting that Daniel, who wants to become a police officer, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018. “I am asking our new Secret Service Director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service,” Trump told the young man. It was a “touching moment,” Fetterman told Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital earlier this week. ‘COULDN’T CLAP FOR A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY’: GOP SLAM ‘CHILDISH’ DEM SILENCE ON SUPPORTING CANCER SURVIVOR During the president’s speech, some lawmakers held up signs with messages including “FALSE,” “SAVE MEDICAID,” “PROTECT VETERANS” and “MUSK STEALS.” A viral video posted this week by social media influencer Sulhee Jessica Woo features Woo and several Democratic congresswomen posing in fighting stances, like video game characters — text on screen at the beginning of the video reads, “CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER.” The video has been widely mocked, including by the White House. “Democrats Not Be Cringe Challenge. Level: Impossible,” the White House’s “Rapid Response 47” X account quipped. SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODES AFTER ‘CRINGE’ TIKTOK VIDEO OF AOC, HOUSE DEMS GOES VIRAL: ‘COULDN’T GET ANY LAMER’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fetterman’s post featured a screenshot of a Politico headline that read, “Senate Democrats’ impending choice: Shutdown or surrender.” President Donald Trump has been advocating for using a continuing resolution to avert an approaching government shutdown. “I am working with the GREAT House Republicans on a Continuing Resolution to fund the Government until September to give us some needed time to work on our Agenda,” he noted in a Truth Social post. Getting enough votes to move a continuing resolution through the Senate will require some Democratic support. “I’m never going to be a part of any vote that shuts the government down,” Fetterman said, according to Politico. “The fact that anyone on our side would even rattle those sabers, that’s bulls—,” he reportedly declared. “To think I’m going to burn the village down to save it, that’s bonkers.”
Fort Bragg is back: Army renames NC base to honor WWII hero
With cannon fire and a rendition of “The Caisson Song,” Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was officially rededicated to its original name, now honoring a World War II hero instead of an Army officer from the Mexican-American War who later became a Confederate general. Under the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Army held a ceremony at the 260,000-person-strong base outside Fayetteville on Friday to reverse Democrats’ change to “Fort Liberty” – and to honor a Mainer whose bravery in Bastogne saved the lives of his fellow U.S. service members. The descendants of PFC Roland L. Bragg – who died in 1999 – were on hand as Lt. Gen. Gregory Anderson offered remarks on the late veteran’s service and ushered in the renaming. It had previously been named after CSA Gen. Braxton Bragg. “Today we gather on an installation that is the largest in our Army per capita, covering 164,000 acres, supporting over 48,000 soldiers, 80,000 family members, 2000 Department of Defense civilians, and nearly 100,000 retirees and their families,” said Anderson, commanding officer of the 18th Airborne Corps at the base. LAWMAKERS RIP ARMY BRASS OVER TRAINING SLIDES SUGGESTING PRO-LIFE GROUPS COULD HAVE TERRORISM RISKS “Fort Bragg is just not any base. It is our nation’s premier force projection platform. It is a culture of toughness and warfighting, and it is a way of life. We refer to Fort Bragg as the center of the universe, the beating heart of our Army’s ability to deploy, without warning, anywhere across the globe, to help and assist others to respond to crises, to deter conflict and, if necessary, to fight and win our nation’s wars,” he continued. Roland Bragg’s granddaughter also offered remarks, speaking about how her grandfather never publicized his military service and was a quiet, loving patriarch of his family. She told one story about his enjoyment of grilling pancakes for his grandchildren in whatever shape the children wanted, no matter how complex. Bragg had been taken prisoner by the Germans in 1943, and – as Anderson retold – somehow convinced a Nazi officer to let him and fellow prisoners go, as both men were Freemasons. Under the condition that a Nazi sergeant be knocked out – so as to provide a sign of a struggle – Bragg happily obliged, and he and his men were set free. Bragg then commandeered a Nazi ambulance and drove it through fierce fire toward and through American lines, later thinking all the other wounded paratroopers had been killed in the crossfire. It was not until he received a letter from a California veteran decades later that he found out some had survived the day. For about four years, Fort Bragg had been “Fort Liberty” – one of several bases, mostly in the South, that Democrats renamed to remove Confederate vestiges. In a successful veto override of then-President Donald Trump, the 2021 National Defense Authorization Bill, sponsored by Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., included a provision creating a commission that ultimately stripped Braxton Bragg’s name from the North Carolina base. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., who represents the base and that piece of the US-421 corridor, previously expressed support for Braxton Bragg’s name being removed – though underlined the decision and result should have been made by the Cumberland County community. NY REPUBLICAN COMPARES SANCTUARY STATES TO THE CONFEDERACY “I recognize the name Fort Bragg has meaning that transcends Braxton Bragg,” he wrote in a 2021 Fayetteville Observer column. “This is a very tough issue for many in our community and I appreciate that there is a lot of passion on both sides. On Friday, Hudson told Fox News Digital exclusively that the change to honor Roland Bragg “honors these brave soldiers” who have passed through its gates “as well as their families.” “When leaders around the world hear the name Fort Bragg, they know it represents the men and women of our Airborne and Special Forces stationed there. These are some of the most dynamic, capable, and elite troops in our military. When President Trump needs a rapid military response, he calls Fort Bragg,” Hudson said. Fort Moore, Georgia, near the Chattahoochee River’s Alabama border, is the next base primed to be redesignated in a similarly creative way to Fort Bragg. Long known as Fort Benning – after Gen. Henry Benning of Appling, Georgia – Hegseth’s Pentagon is primed to rename it Fort Benning albeit after a World War I recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross of the same surname. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Other 2021 changes included Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia – named for a close friend of Gen. Stonewall Jackson, who hailed from nearby Culpeper and had been killed by a Pennsylvania officer during the Third Battle of Petersburg as the Confederacy began to collapse. Fort Lee in Petersburg, Virginia, is now Fort Gregg-Adams. Fort Hood, Texas, is now Fort Cavazos. Fort Rucker, Alabama, is now Fort Novosel. Fort Pickett in Nottoway, Virginia, is now Fort Barfolk. It remains to be seen if the Pentagon will seek to rename the remaining redesignated installations. As for Hegseth’s stated view on base name changes, he hinted to The Associated Press that more changes are coming at the behest of Trump and the administration. “I never called it Fort Liberty because it wasn’t Fort Liberty. It’s Fort Bragg,” he said.
Trump says ‘something’s going to happen very soon’ with Iran as he pushes to negotiate nuclear deal
President Donald Trump signaled that a nuclear deal with Iran could emerge in the near future, just over a month after his administration reinstated a “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. Trump on Friday told reporters that the U.S. is “down to the final moments” negotiating with Iran, and that he hoped military intervention would prove unnecessary. “It’s an interesting time in the history of the world. But we have a situation with Iran that something is going to happen very soon, very, very soon,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “You’ll be talking about that pretty soon, I guess. Hopefully, we can have a peace deal. I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness, I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal than the other. But the other will solve the problem.” Trump revealed he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pushing for Tehran to agree to a nuclear agreement — or face military consequences, according to a clip released Friday from an interview with FOX Business that is set to air Sunday. TRUMP REINSTATES ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN “I would rather negotiate a deal,” Trump told FOX Business. “I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily.” “But the time is happening now, the time is coming up,” he said. “Something is going to happen one way or the other. I hope that Iran, and I’ve written them a letter, saying I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.” Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Iran program, said that it seemed Trump was “putting all options on the table, from good to bad.” “But the President should be careful,” Ben Taleblu said in a statement. “Tehran has set a trap for him, hoping to lure him into endless diplomacy that is used to blunt maximum pressure and dampen the credibility of an American or Israeli military option while buying time to creep towards a nuclear weapon.” Trump’s remarks also come days before the 18th anniversary of the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert “Bob” Levinson from Kish Island, Iran, on Sunday, which also marks National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. TRUMP’S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL The FBI has continued to offer up to a $5 million reward for information that leads to Levinson’s recovery, while the State Department has offered $20 million for such information, as well as details on those who are wanted for their alleged involvement in his disappearance. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump told reporters in February he believes Iran is “close” to developing a nuclear weapon, but that the U.S. would stop a “strong” Tehran from obtaining one. He also signed an executive order instructing the Treasury Department to execute “maximum economic pressure” upon Iran through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran’s oil exports. “They’re very strong right now, and we’re not going to let them get a nuclear weapon,” Trump said Feb. 4. Trump’s first administration also adopted a “maximum pressure” initiative against Tehran, issuing greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations.
Potentially vulnerable Dem senator close to making re-election decision in key swing state
Longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire is the last remaining Democrat up for re-election in the 2026 midterms in a competitive seat who has yet to publicly announce her intentions. But that decision may be coming shortly. Shaheen is expected to announce later this month whether she will seek a fourth six-year term representing the key New England swing state in the Senate, sources in New Hampshire confirm to Fox News Digital. The Washington D.C.-based Punchbowl, which covers Congress, was first to report the news. The sources add that Shaheen will hold a major fundraiser on March 20 in Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city. The senator will likely come to a decision regarding her political future and have some kind of announcement by the time of the fundraising event. SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026 There is intense speculation regarding whether the 78-year-old Shaheen, a former governor who first won election to the Senate in 2008 and who this year became the first woman in history to hold one of the top two positions on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will seek another term in office. Shaheen raised a paltry $170,000 in the final fundraising quarter of 2024, which sparked buzz that the senator might not be preparing for another re-election campaign. But sources in Shaheen’s political orbit noted that the senator did not emphasize fundraising in the fourth quarter of last year, which included the final month of the 2024 presidential election. Then there’s the timing. At this point six years ago, during the 2020 cycle, Shaheen had already announced her re-election. Her busy schedule may be one reason. The senator recently attended a major foreign policy summit in Munich, Germany, and then visited Ukraine in a show of support for the embattled nation, which has been fighting for survival following a Russian invasion three years ago. TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY With Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer anxious to know where his senators facing elections in 2026 stand, a Democrat source on Capitol Hill tells Fox News that “the pressure in Washington for Sen. Shaheen to make a decision is growing.” National Republicans see opportunities to flip the Senate seat in New Hampshire from blue to red, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee has already run ads targeting Shaheen over her defense of USAID funding that the Trump administration is axing. “The vast majority of Democrats want Jeanne Shaheen to run one more time, and they’re extremely anxious for her to make the decision, because the political climate is so challenging right now, and she would be the strongest chance of retaining the seat,” a Democratic source in New Hampshire told Fox News. FORMER TRUMP AMBASSADOR EYES SENATE RETURN Former Sen. Scott Brown, the former senator from Massachusetts who later narrowly lost to Shaheen in New Hampshire in the 2014 election, is seriously considering a 2026 run, in a possible rematch against Shaheen. Brown, who served four years as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand during President Donald Trump’s first administration, has been holding meetings with Republicans across New Hampshire for a couple of months and has met with GOP officials in the nation’s capital. It has been 15 years since Republicans last won a Senate election in New Hampshire, with Democrats victorious in the past four elections. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told Fox News Digital recently that “the great thing about Jean Shaheen is she is in her community every week, talking to people about the things she works on, on their behalf. She’s common-sense, she’s bipartisan, and so I’m optimistic we will hold her seat.” Republicans flipped four Democrat-held Senate seats in last November’s elections to win back control of the chamber. They now control the chamber and are aiming to expand their majority in 2026. Besides New Hampshire, the GOP is targeting battleground Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced in January that he would not seek re-election. Also on their 2026 radar is Georgia, another key battleground state where Republicans view first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff as vulnerable. Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota announced last month that she would not bid for another term in next year’s midterms, giving the GOP hope that it might be competitive in the blue-leaning state. But Republicans are also playing defense in the 2026 cycle. Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026. And Democrats are looking at red-leaning Ohio, where Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was appointed in January to succeed now-Vice President JD Vance in the Senate. Husted will run next year to finish out Vance’s term.
New report reveals illegal immigrant population hit new high during Biden-era crisis
FIRST ON FOX: The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is estimated to have surged to more than 18 million after the Biden-era border crisis, according to a new research report by a hawkish immigration group, which also found an 11% increase in less than two years. The report was produced by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which argues for lower levels of immigration overall. It estimates that, as of March 2025, there are approximately 18.6 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. That is 11% higher than an estimate the group published in June 2023, when it found that there were 16.8 million illegal immigrants. Overall, it estimates that the population has grown by 4.1 million or 28.2% since December 2020. VANCE TAKES VICTORY LAP IN BORDER VISIT AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT NUMBERS PLUMMET “As of 2025, American population growth comes almost entirely from unsustainably high levels of immigration, both legal and illegal,” the report says. FAIR estimates that there were around 11.7 million illegal immigrants in 2013. The group includes, as an illegal immigrant, anyone who does not have legal status like a visa or permanent residency, and notably also includes those who may be in the country illegally but given a lawful presence, like Temporary Protected Status or humanitarian parole. The Biden administration dramatically expanded the use of humanitarian parole as a way to curb skyrocketing illegal border crossings. It allowed migrants to cross the border after scheduling an appointment on the CBP One app for parole, and had parole programs where migrants could fly in having obtained travel authorization. FAIR argues that even though they are described as having a “lawful presence,” they do not have legal status and therefore cannot be counted as being in the country legally. TRUMP HONORS LIVES OF LAKEN RILEY, JOCELYN NUNGARAY WHILE CELEBRATING STRIDES ON SECURING BORDER “Counting individuals in these situations as ‘legal immigrants’ or ‘lawful residents’ would be both incorrect and a biased mischaracterization of immigration law,” the group argues. The report estimates the total number of illegal immigrants by using Census Data and compensating for what it argues is a history of undercounting those who arrive illegally, calculating an undercount of around 40%. The report also concedes that “estimating the size, distribution, and characteristics of the illegal alien population is an inexact science.” “In truth, we do not know exactly how many people cross the border illegally and evade immigration authorities, nor can anyone accurately quantify overstays or gotaways. We can only estimate these figures based on annual and monthly census data,” the report says. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE It argues that key factors driving the surge in numbers were Biden-era policies, including at the border, the release of migrants into the U.S. and what it claims was an “abuse” of parole authority. The Trump administration, which took office in January, has reversed a number of Biden policies and has shut down the parole policies and the use of the CBP One app. It has also launched a mass deportation campaign in the interior, while also deploying the military to the border and declaring a national emergency. The administration has since been touting a sharp drop in numbers at the border. In February, there were just 8,326 southern border encounters, down from 189,913 in February 2024. The administration has so far removed more than 55,000 illegal immigrants from the U.S. “Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border and I deployed the U.S. military and Border Patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done. As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded, ever,” President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. “They heard my words, and they chose not to come.”
Stranded astronaut says he believes Musk’s claims that Biden refused to conduct rescue mission
Barry “Butch” Wilmore, one of the astronauts stranded at the International Space Station, said statements from SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggesting that former President Joe Biden declined to rescue them are factual — although he admitted he did not know the nature of the closed-door discussions. Wilmore and fellow astronaut Suni Williams launched from their Boeing Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 for a mission set to last only eight days. However, after the spacecraft encountered technical issues, and NASA determined it unsafe for it to arrive back to Earth with the astronauts on board, Wilmore and Williams have remained stuck at the International Space Station for months. Wilmore said he trusts Musk, who previously told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Feb. 18 that Biden left the astronauts in space for “political reasons.” “I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual … I believe him,” Wilmore said Tuesday during an in-orbit press conference, according to the New York Post. Even so, Wilmore later admitted that he had no first-hand knowledge of any talks that occurred to secure their rescue. NASA ASTRONAUT SAYS STARLINER CREW LIKELY TO CHANGE EXERCISE ROUTINE DURING EXTENDED ISS STAY “We have no information on that, though, whatsoever,” Wilmore said. “What was offered, what was not offered, who it was offered to, how that process went. That’s information that we simply don’t have.” A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. SpaceX’s Dragon is slated to kick off a rescue mission Wednesday and arrive at a space station to retrieve Wilmore and Williams, according to NASA. BOEING’S STARLINER SPACECRAFT LANDS BACK ON EARTH WITHOUT A CREW “Elon (Musk) is right now preparing a ship to go up and get them,” President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday. “We love you, and we’re coming up to get you, and you shouldn’t have been up there so long.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you, but this president won’t let that happen,” Trump said. Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Trump cuts more than $400 million in grants to Columbia over antisemitism concerns, potentially more to come
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration announced on Friday that it will rescind more than $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, citing concerns over rising antisemitism on campus and the school’s failure to address it. Earlier this week, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education (DoED) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the initiation of a “comprehensive review” of more than $5 billion in federal grant money that goes to Columbia, “in light of ongoing investigations for potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act” related to antisemitism on campus. It has only been four days since the Trump administration’s announcement of this review, but the agencies have already begun slashing funds. Sources familiar with the matter, who asked to remain anonymous, say that more than $400 million in federal grant funds from HHS and DoED will be rescinded from Columbia as a result of the antisemitism that is allegedly continuing on campus. FOX NEWS ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ NEWSLETTER: A PROFESSOR STANDS UP TO COLUMBIA’S TOLERANCE OF HATE As the review of Columbia’s grant dollars continues, additional federal funding could be rescinded, sources familiar with the review said. The university faced ongoing anti-Israel protests this week reminiscent of the student encampments that enveloped Columbia, and subsequently campuses across the country, following Hamas’ attack on innocent Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023. Students swarmed and attempted to take over a library on campus, leading to nine arrests Wednesday, according to the New York Post. Linda McMahon, the Trump administration’s Secretary of Education, visited the campus on Friday to meet with university leaders and discuss the ongoing concerns related to antisemitism. THERE IS A ‘DOUBLE STANDARD’ FOR ANTISEMITISM IN COLLEGES AND HOLLYWOOD: DR. SHEILA NAZARIAN “Americans have watched in horror for more than a year now, as Jewish students have been assaulted and harassed on elite university campuses—repeatedly overrun by antisemitic students and agitators. Unlawful encampments and demonstrations have completely paralyzed day-to-day campus operations, depriving Jewish students of learning opportunities to which they are entitled,” McMahon said in a statement earlier this week. “Institutions that receive federal funds have a responsibility to protect all students from discrimination. Columbia’s apparent failure to uphold their end of this basic agreement raises very serious questions about the institution’s fitness to continue doing business with the United States government.” The move to slash more than $400 million in grant funds to Columbia is in line with President Donald Trump’s executive orders calling for a crackdown on antisemitism, particularly on college campuses. As part of the EOs, the Trump administration established a multi-agency Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. Its first major action was the review of Columbia’s grant funds. “We are reviewing the announcement from the federal agencies and pledge to work with the federal government to restore Columbia’s federal funding,” a spokesperson from Columbia said in a statement. “We take Columbia’s legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.”
US continues to share data to protect Ukrainians against Russian strikes, despite intel pause: sources
FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. is continuing to share some defensive intelligence with Ukraine to protect against incoming Russian strikes, despite an announced pause in intel sharing that raised alarm bells, Fox News Digital has learned. Three sources familiar with the decision confirmed that intelligence related to force protection and incoming threats would continue. Federal intelligence, the work of the CIA, FBI and human intelligence, has ceased, as has data that helps with offensive Ukrainian strikes against Russians. Another intelligence source said to expect the pause to be “very temporary in nature,” and that the sharing of all data could resume in the coming days. The intelligence pause had prompted confusion and alarm from Ukraine and its allies, as its parameters were not entirely clear. However, U.S. intelligence has been a lifeline for Ukraine’s forces: defense experts say that ceasing all data-sharing would be a bigger blow to Ukrainian forces than losing military aid from the U.S. TRUMP THREATENS SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA, DEMANDS PEACE AFTER MAJOR HITS IN UKRAINE “Ukraine had one single advantage on Russia: information superiority. With that gone, Kyiv would be in trouble,” said Can Kasapoglu, a defense fellow at the Hudson Institute. “Europe does not have enough strategic enablers capacity to fill in the vacuum,” said Kasapoglu. The National Security Council declined to comment on what military intelligence was still being shared, as did the Pentagon. A pause in offensive military intelligence means “The selective sharing of intelligence creates a strategic imbalance, forcing Ukraine into a primarily defensive posture.” former military intelligence officer Matthew Shoemaker said. “Even if Ukraine would still receive intelligence for incoming threats, the lack of offensive intel limits their ability to preemptively neutralize potential threats. This puts Ukraine in a more reactive posture, potentially increasing their vulnerability to Russian attacks,” he continued. “It restricts their capacity to disrupt Russian supply lines, command centers, and staging areas behind enemy lines.” However, if intelligence sharing resumes quickly, it was likely a tactic to put pressure on Ukrainians at the negotiating table. “It suggests that it was more a signal to Ukrainian policymakers that the U.S. can turn off assistance at will.” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Wednesday that President Donald Trump had asked for the pause on intelligence sharing but said it could be lifted as soon as Ukraine signaled it was ready for a ceasefire. “I think if we can nail down these negotiations and move toward these negotiations and, in fact, put some confidence-building measures on the table, then the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause,” National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said. U.S. intelligence is believed to be used to track Russian movements and identify targets, as well as for operating U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and U.S. Army Tactical Missile Systems. France and the United Kingdom have said they would step in to fill the gaps where U.S. intelligence has ceased, but the U.K. said it would not share data that originated with the U.S. but is shared through the Five Eyes alliance. ZELENSKYY CONFIRMS UKRAINE WILL ATTEND US PEACE TALKS IN SAUDI ARABIA, 1 WEEK AFTER OVAL OFFICE CLASH After a blow-up fight in the Oval Office last week between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. officials have agreed to meet with a Ukrainian team in Saudi Arabia next week. Trump also teased possible new sanctions on Russia on Friday, his first public threat against the Kremlin since taking office. The president has grown increasingly frustrated with Russia ramping up its strikes on Ukraine at the same time he has been pushing for a ceasefire. “Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP However, the president seemed optimistic about the prospects for peace on Thursday. “I think what’s going to happen is Ukraine wants to make a deal, because I don’t think they have a choice,” he said. “I also think that Russia wants to make a deal, because in a certain, different way, a different way that only I know, only I know, they have no choice either.”
Congress exposes China’s potential loophole for Trump tariffs: ‘Drawing a line in the sand’
FIRST ON FOX: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are coming together to crack down on Chinese-backed companies’ ownership of land in the continental U.S. It comes as the Trump administration appears on the precipice of a trade war with Beijing, as China promises to retaliate against what its foreign minister called “arbitrary” tariffs from Washington. “It is in the interest of the United States to review purchases of American farmland by foreign entities to protect our farms and agricultural production from our foreign adversaries, especially China,” Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, the House Republican leading the bill, told Fox News Digital. “But for far too long, our government has repeatedly failed to enforce the laws on the books, monitor foreign purchases of our farmland, or assess financial penalties on those who break our laws.” GOLDMAN SACHS HIGHLIGHTS TARIFF WARS WINNERS AND LOSERS The bill is also being led by Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich., and in the upper chamber by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. It would direct the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a body tasked with analyzing the national security implications of specific foreign investments in the U.S., to review any purchase of American farmland by a foreign entity that exceeds 320 acres or $5 million. The bill is also aimed at establishing a public database on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and requires the Secretary of Agriculture to partner with the Secretary of Homeland Security on an annual threat assessment report on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland. “Allowing China or other foreign competitors to buy up large swaths of American farmland puts our national security and food supply at risk,” McDonald Rivet told Fox News Digital. “This bill is a key step towards protecting American interests from falling into the hands of bad actors abroad, especially China.” Ernst blamed the U.S. government’s “outdated system” for allowing “China’s malign influence to threaten our security by buying up our nation’s land.” “I’m drawing a line in the sand to overhaul this flawed way of doing things, increase reporting and transparency, strengthen oversight of the influence of our foreign adversaries, and force the sale of foreign-owned land,” Ernst said. No foreign country directly owns U.S. land, but Chinese-backed companies own a small fraction of American farmland – a number that has risen considerably in recent years. A 2023 plan by Chinese company Fufeng Group to buy land near a sensitive military base in Grand Forks, North Dakota, alarmed lawmakers and other federal officials, and was blocked over national security concerns. CANADIANS ARE ‘FED UP,’ SAYS ALBERTA LAWYER LEADING DELEGATION TO WASHINGTON FOR STATEHOOD TALKS Chinese entities’ ownership of U.S. farmland went up 30% between 2019 and 2020, according to a 2021 USDA report. Meanwhile, China recently warned it was ready for a war over export taxes with the U.S. after President Donald Trump levied an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods just days after returning for his second term. “If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” China’s embassy posted on X. Chinese-backed companies currently own 384,000 acres of U.S. farmland, according to the most recent government data.