Trump floats dragging Congress back during spring recess to end shutdown — but one hurdle stands in the way
President Donald Trump floated cutting Congress’ two-week spring recess short as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues, but the move is unlikely as lawmakers are still negotiating, Fox News Digital has learned. “It’s something that’s under consideration,” Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday, floating the possibility of calling lawmakers back to the nation’s capital as a 45-day partial DHS shutdown continues. A GOP Senate source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that while it’s possible Trump will call Congress back to the nation’s capital for a special session, it is unlikely, citing that lawmakers need legislative text to vote on — not a “show vote.” “You don’t need senators on the floor until you have that something figured out, and that product text ready to go,” the source said. “And if we do have to call people back, they can get here pretty quickly.” SCHUMER, DEMS BLOCK DHS FUNDING AGAIN, TRUMP INTERVENES TO PAY TSA AGENTS Last week, the House passed its own version of a bill to restore Department of Homeland Security funding, ensuring all personnel are paid and “critical operations are resourced and ready” through May 22. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer swiftly called the bill “dead on arrival” in the Senate, meaning GOP lawmakers in the upper chamber do not have legislation to consider after Democratic colleagues rejected it. HOUSE CONSERVATIVES RAGE AGAINST SENATE DHS SHUTDOWN DEAL The Constitution grants the president the power to call Congress into a special session. The last time Congress was called into a special session was by President Harry Truman. Congress is on recess until April 14. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told colleagues over the weekend that he would only bring senators back for DHS action if there were legislative text to vote on, not merely another procedural exercise. Thune is continuing negotiations during the congressional recess. On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested during a press briefing that Congress’ recess should be cut short. “But again, Congress needs to come back,” Leavitt told the briefing room. “Democrats need to fund the Department of Homeland Security so we can formally and fully get these great employees paid long into the future.” Fox News Digital reached out to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for response to Trump’s comments. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for further comment on potentially calling lawmakers back to the capital but was referred to Trump’s remarks to the New York Post.
Man wearing ICE uniform brutally beaten in Honolulu not affiliated with agency, DHS says
The Department of Homeland Security said that a man recently filmed dressed in what resembles a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement uniform being beaten next to a Honolulu street is not affiliated with the agency in any way. A recent viral video showed a man wearing a tactical vest with the word “ICE” being punched and kicked on a street in Honolulu’s Waikiki neighborhood Saturday night. The video caused an uproar on social media amid heightened concerns about rising assaults on ICE agents and debate over whether officers should wear masks to protect their identities. The video shows the man confronting a small group that throws liquid at him. Three individuals grab him, pull him to the ground and begin punching and kicking him. He eventually goes limp as one individual continues to pound his face while two others hold him. The man later gets up and stumbles away, appearing to have a bloody nose. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that despite the vest, “this person is NOT an ICE agent and is not connected to DHS in any way.” WATCH: MASKED AGITATOR SPRAYS MESSAGE TARGETING ICE AGENTS ON FEDERAL BUILDING DURING LA PROTEST The spokesperson did not offer any details on the true identity of the man but emphasized that “anyone caught impersonating a federal immigration agent will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” They added that “impersonating a federal immigration officer endangers public safety and erodes trust in law enforcement.” The Honolulu Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that a 15-year-old male is being charged with attempted assault in connection with the incident. The department shared a report that stated the suspect was originally arrested for second-degree assault, but that his charges were reduced to attempted assault. The report lists the time of assault at 8:12 p.m. on Saturday. The age of the victim listed on the report is 52. Neither the suspect’s nor the victim’s identities are listed. ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTERS ARE ‘VERY SELECTIVE IN THEIR OUTRAGE,’ CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR SAYS A spokesperson for the department noted they were not able to offer any additional information “as this investigation is active and ongoing.” The attack occurred the same day a “No Dictators” protest opposing the Trump administration took place. The protest, held in conjunction with “No Kings” demonstrations across the continental U.S., occurred several miles from Waikiki in downtown Honolulu earlier that morning. Local outlet Big Island Now reported that organizers changed the name of the Honolulu No Kings protest to No Dictators “out of respect for Hawaiʻi’s history of aliʻi (chiefs and kings).” HOMELAND SECURITY VOWS DEPORTATION OPERATIONS ‘WILL CONTINUE’ AS ICE AGENTS HELP TSA, AGENCY DEFUNDED Though the individual in this instance was not an ICE agent, DHS has reported a dramatic rise in assaults on its officers. Earlier this year, DHS reported a 1,300 percent increase in assaults against ICE officers and a 3,200 percent increase in vehicular attacks. The agency also said ICE officers have experienced an 8,000% increase in death threats. During a No Kings protest in Los Angeles over the weekend, a protester was seen spray-painting a federal building with the message, “Kill your local ICE agent,” along with two targets.
Federal judge blocks Trump executive order to cease funding for NPR and PBS, cites First Amendment
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration‘s efforts to defund PBS and NPR. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington, D.C., pertains to President Donald Trump’s executive order to cease federal funding for both entities, an action the judge ruled was unlawful and unenforceable. “It is difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the President does not like and seeks to squelch,” wrote Moss, an Obama appointee. NPR CEO KATHERINE MAHER VENTS ‘DEEP FRUSTRATION’ OVER GOP CUTS, SAYS IT WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE “The Federal Defendants fail to cite a single case in which a court has ever upheld a statute or executive action that bars a particular person or entity from participating in any federally funded activity based on that person or entity’s past speech,” the judge wrote. Republicans have long campaigned on ending federal funding for public media, citing left-wing political bias and wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. “The message is clear: NPR and PBS need not apply for any federal benefit because the President disapproves of their ‘left-wing’ coverage of the news,” Moss wrote. The White House called Tuesday’s ruling “ridiculous.” “This is a ridiculous ruling by an activist judge attempting to undermine the law,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “NPR and PBS have no right to receive taxpayer funds, and Congress already voted to defund them. The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.” NPR claimed that Trump wanted to cut off access to public funds as punishment for its reporting. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Katherine Maher, NPR’s president and CEO, called Tuesday’s ruling a win for a free and independent press. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS VOICE OF AMERICA MASS TERMINATIONS IN SCATHING RULING AGAINST LAKE “The court made clear that the government cannot use funding as a lever to influence or penalize the press, whether as a national news service or a local newsroom,” Maher said. “Public media exists to serve the public interest—that of Americans—not that of any political agenda or elected official.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and PBS for comment. While the government argued some legal claims were moot because of the organizational shifts following the initial defunding attempts, Judge Moss disagreed. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “But that does not end the matter because the Executive Order sweeps beyond the CPB,” Moss added. “It also directs that all federal agencies refrain from funding NPR and PBS—regardless of the nature of the program or the merits of their applications or requests for funding.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kagan turns on liberal ally Jackson with footnote jab over free speech
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson drew fire from an unlikely colleague on Tuesday over her lone dissent in the Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision finding Colorado’s ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors violated free speech rights. Fellow liberal Justice Elena Kagan criticized Jackson for failing to acknowledge case law that governs when speech can be regulated in the medical field, marking a rare public break between two justices typically aligned in cases centered on high-profile cultural issues. “Justice Jackson’s dissenting opinion claims that this is a small, or even nonexistent, category,” Kagan wrote in a footnote of a concurring opinion, which Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined. “But even her own opinion, when listing laws supposedly put at risk today, offers quite a few examples.” Kagan, an Obama appointee, said Jackson’s view “rests on reimagining—and in that way collapsing—the well-settled distinction between viewpoint-based and other content-based speech restrictions.” SUPREME COURT SKEPTICAL OF “CONVERSION THERAPY” LAW BANNING TREATMENT OF MINORS WITH GENDER IDENTITY ISSUES The 8-1 decision on Tuesday arose from a lawsuit brought by Kaley Chiles, a licensed Christian therapist, who argued her conversations with youth clients were a form of protected speech. The Colorado government had said the conversations amounted to professional conduct that the state was allowed to regulate. Jackson’s fiery 35-page dissent, which she read from the bench when the high court announced the opinion, was longer than the majority opinion and Kagan’s concurrence combined. “Professional medical speech does not intersect with the marketplace of ideas: ‘In the context of medical practice we insist upon competence, not debate,’” Jackson, a Biden appointee wrote, later adding, “Treatment standards exist in America.” Jackson issued an ominous warning about national implications of the case, as about two dozen other states have laws similar to Colorado’s and will now need to take into account the high court’s ruling. SUPREME COURT BLOCKS COLORADO’S SO-CALLED ‘CONVERSION THERAPY’ BAN ON FIRST AMENDMENT GROUNDS “Ultimately, because the majority plays with fire in this case, I fear that the people of this country will get burned,” Jackson said. “Before now, licensed medical professionals had to adhere to standards when treating patients: They could neither do nor say whatever they want.” One conservative lawyer on social media observed that Kagan seemed “exasperated” by Jackson, who has become known as a verbose justice inclined to tack on lengthy solo dissents to the majority’s opinions in prominent cases. Manhattan Institute’s Ilya Shapiro agreed. “That should be a separate descriptor of an opinion: concurring, dissenting, expressing exasperation with Justice Jackson,” Shapiro wrote on X. Kagan joined the eight justices in finding that the Colorado government erred in regulating Chiles’ practice because the state used a 2019 law that only banned therapists from counseling minors if the therapy entailed advising them on how to resist becoming transgender or gay. That amounted to restricting one viewpoint, in violation of the First Amendment, the majority said. Kagan said that if the law were “content-based” rather than “viewpoint-based,” it would present less of a free speech problem. “Because the State has suppressed one side of a debate, while aiding the other, the constitutional issue is straightforward,” Kagan said. “It would, however, be less so if the law under review was content-based but viewpoint neutral.” Jackson argued that Chiles was “not speaking in the ether; she is providing therapy to minors as a licensed healthcare professional.” The Supreme Court’s ruling was narrow, as Justice Neil Gorsuch explained in the majority opinion, as it directed the lower court to reexamine the Colorado law and ensure it did not interfere with Chiles’ speech rights. “The First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country,” Gorsuch wrote. “It reflects instead a judgment that every American possesses an inalienable right to think and speak freely, and a faith in the free marketplace of ideas as the best means for discovering truth. However well-intentioned, any law that suppresses speech based on viewpoint represents an ‘egregious’ assault on both of those commitments.”
Trump admin eases asylum freeze for vetted migrants, keeps bans on ‘high-risk’ nations
The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday it is slackening restrictions on asylum applications set in place after an Afghan asylee allegedly murdered one West Virginia National Guardsman and gravely wounded another in Washington last fall. The November incident near Farragut Square led President Donald Trump to crack down on allowing asylum seekers into the country, and the administration hammered more lax Biden-era policies that allowed Afghans such as the suspect into the country. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the stringent screening process itself will not change, nor will restrictions on emigrants from a list of “high-risk” countries. “Under the leadership of President Trump, maximum screening and vetting for all aliens continues unabated,” the spokesperson said. DOJ ACCUSES COURTS OF UNDERCUTTING EXECUTIVE POWER IN HIGH-STAKES SUPREME COURT BORDER CASE “USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) has lifted the adjudicative hold for thoroughly screened asylum seekers from non-high-risk countries. This move allows resources to focus on continued rigorous national security and public safety vetting for higher-risk cases.” Some of the 39 countries the administration deemed lacking in the provision of adequate screening and vetting information to U.S. officials still include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Niger, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and Sierra Leone; the latter being where two different migrants named Jalloh, accused of recent violent crimes in Virginia, hailed from. JUSTICE JACKSON AUTHORS UNANIMOUS SCOTUS OPINION HANDING TRUMP AN IMMIGRATION WIN “Since taking office, President Trump has prioritized national security and public safety by implementing a series of executive orders and proclamations that mandate strict screening and vetting of foreign nationals seeking entry or immigration benefits,” USCIS said in a statement. The agency said that security gaps in applications for naturalization or permanent residency exposed serious public safety risks and endangered the integrity of the U.S. immigration system. “[A]pplications were approved and individuals were naturalized who should not have been,” the agency said. The latest move is expected to have limited impact on the situation, according to The Hill newspaper, but will still ease the overall restrictive environment.
NYC Dem, Hochul aide under investigation over alleged migrant shelter bribes
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether a New York City councilmember and her sister, a top aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul, accepted bribes or kickbacks tied to city funding steered to a migrant shelter provider, according to a search warrant obtained by The Associated Press. The March 19 warrant seeks evidence of possible criminal conduct involving Councilmember Farah Louis, a Brooklyn Democrat; her sister, Debbie Louis, Hochul’s assistant secretary for New York City intergovernmental affairs; and Edu Hermelyn, husband of Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. A spokesperson for Hochul said Debbie Louis was placed on leave last week after the governor became aware of the federal corruption probe. Someone answering a phone number associated with Louis ended the call when asked by the AP about the investigation, and the AP reported messages left for Farah Louis and Hermelyn were not returned. SEC SCOTT BESSENT: HOW TO STOP FRAUD IN MINNESOTA—AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY According to the warrant, investigators are examining whether the three received benefits in exchange for actions taken on behalf of BHRAGS Home Care Inc., a Brooklyn nonprofit that historically provided in-home care for sick and elderly clients. As New York City’s migrant influx intensified in 2022, BHRAGS broadened its work to include emergency shelter operations for asylum seekers and other homeless services. Since then, public records show the group has been awarded more than a dozen contracts worth upward of $200 million from the city’s Department of Homeless Services. “This is political persecution driven by the far-right, targeting immigrants and the leaders who stand with them,” a political insider tied to Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn told the New York Post on Monday. “There are no charges at this time, and the facts will ultimately lead to this case being dropped on its merits.” DEPUTY AG TODD BLANCHE SHEDS LIGHT ON NEW DOJ FRAUD DIVISION TO ADDRESS ‘INSANE’ PROBLEM An attorney for BHRAGS Executive Director Roberto Samedy declined to comment to the AP. The warrant also seeks records of money transfers and communications involving Edouardo St. Fort, a former New York Police Department sergeant who retired in 2023. That same year, records indicate his firm, Fort NYC Security, secured a $3 million contract from the Department of Homeless Services. AP calls and emails seeking comment from St. Fort were not returned. TRUMP’S FRAUD CZAR NOMINEE TOUTS MINNESOTA BLUEPRINT TO ROOT OUT OBAMACARE FRAUD, SENIOR SCAMS The warrant’s existence does not mean charges are imminent. It indicates only that federal investigators convinced a judge they had sufficient grounds to search for and seize potential evidence. The probe lands amid broader scrutiny over how New York City awarded emergency shelter contracts during the migrant crisis, when the arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers strained the city’s shelter system and prompted officials under then-Mayor Eric Adams to rapidly expand housing capacity through outside providers. Some of those arrangements have drawn criticism from watchdogs and political opponents, who questioned the speed, scale and oversight of the contracting process. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR CALLS NEWSOM ‘KING OF FRAUD’ AS TRUMP LAUNCHES CALIFORNIA CORRUPTION PROBE The figures named in the warrant are all connected to Brooklyn’s Democratic political establishment, which has been rocked by a series of ethics controversies in recent years. Hermelyn, who once served as a senior adviser to Adams, stepped down after questions were raised about whether his role as a Brooklyn district leader conflicted with rules barring certain dual government positions. He also went on to advise former Gov. Andrew Cuomo during Cuomo’s unsuccessful mayoral campaign. The Trump administration, led by fraud investigation czar Vice President JD Vance, has prioritized federal law enforcement investigations nationwide. VANCE SAYS BIDEN ADMIN ‘TURNED OFF’ ANTI-FRAUD PROTECTIONS, DEBUTS NEW TASK FORCE WITH FOCUS ON SOMALI SCHEMES Just this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s Treasury Department announced it is offering whistleblowers a major financial incentive to help expose fraud, directing would-be tipsters to the Treasury.gov website, telling Fox News on Monday that the administration has already received more than 700 leads. The Treasury’s whistleblower page says eligible tipsters can receive between 10% and 30% of monetary sanctions collected for successful actions. While Minnesota fraud among the state’s Somali community has made headlines thus far thanks to independent journalist Nick Shirley’s reporting, Bessent actually praised that state for having some level of transparency that is not permitted in California or New York. “That’s why that young man, Nick Shirley, was able to go to see the scams, because it was: This is the name of the facility; this is the address; this is how much money they got,” Bessent said. “Oh look, it’s an empty storefront. There’s no one here. New York, California are hiding it.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrats pounce on $4 a gallon gas, blame Trump’s Iran war for ‘broken promise’
The House Democrats’ campaign committee chair charges that “skyrocketing” gas prices sparked by the Iran war are “another broken promise” by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene told Fox News Digital that House Democrats will keep spotlighting gas prices as part of their affordability messaging as they aim to win back the chamber’s majority from Republicans in this year’s midterm elections. The average price of gasoline in the U.S. topped $4 per gallon on Tuesday, according to national averages from AAA and GasBuddy, the highest level in four years. The surge in gas prices comes amid the monthlong attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. In response, Iran has targeted energy facilities with missile and drone attacks in a number of Persian Gulf nations. It has also made the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable to commercial shipping, bringing roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply to a halt and sending global fuel prices sharply higher. FOX BUSINESS: GAS PRICES TOP $4 PER GALLON The White House says the surge in prices is temporary. “When Operation Epic Fury is complete, gas prices will plummet back to the multiyear lows American drivers enjoyed before these short-term disruptions,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Tuesday. OIL HAS SURGED SINCE THE IRAN CONFLICT BEGAN, BUT GAS PRICES MAY NOT BE DONE RISING Leavitt emphasized that “President Trump remains committed to fully unleashing American energy dominance, lowering costs, and putting more money back in the pockets of hardworking American families.” The gas price surge is giving Democrats more political ammunition to target the GOP. “BREAKING: National Gas Prices Skyrocket to $4 Per Gallon,” read the headline from an email Tuesday morning from the Democratic National Committee. The DCCC last week launched digital ads showing prices at the pump going up and an image saying “D.C. Republicans Did That!” Sources say to expect another round of ads on gas prices in the coming weeks. FIRST ON FOX: SPEAKER JOHNSON’S ALLIES LAUNCH $10 MILLION AD CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHTING TRUMP TAX CUTS DelBene argued that “Trump went into this war without thinking through the implications, and we’ve seen gas prices skyrocket across the country, on top of prices going up for families, housing, food, healthcare, all going up because of actions taken by this President and Republicans in Congress.” As they fight to hold their slim majorities in both the House and Senate, Republicans are battling stiff political headwinds, as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in the midterms. They also face a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns over persistent inflation, an unpopular war with Iran, and Trump’s underwater approval ratings. A spotlight on inflation helped fuel sweeping victories by Trump and Republicans in the 2024 elections, when they won back the White House and Senate and successfully defended their slim House majority. A laser focus on affordability by Democrats has fueled a slew of victories and overperformances in 2025’s off-year elections and in special elections in the 14 months since Trump returned to the White House. “Affordability is a huge issue,” DelBene emphasized. “Folks are angry, they’re upset, and they’re struggling, and they need folks who are going to actually stand up and look out for them.” TRUMP BOOSTS HOUSE GOP’S WARCHEST AS MIDTERMS IN BATTLE FOR CHAMBER’S MAJORITY DelBene argued that “this is yet another broken promise from the President saying that he’s going to lower costs on day one. That’s been a broken promise… And he promised no forever wars, that he wouldn’t get involved in a conflict like this.” But DelBene’s counterpart at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) welcomes the fight over affordability. NRCC’s chair, Rep. Richard Hudson, in a Fox News Digital interview, pointed to tax cuts in the Working Families Tax Cuts, the name of the sweeping GOP domestic policy bill passed along party lines and signed into law by Trump last summer. With the tax filing deadline quickly approaching, Hudson said, “Folks who work overtime, folks who work for tips, they’re going to see a lot more money in their pocket thanks to no tax on tips, no tax on overtime.” “Our policies are making the American people more prosperous, and they’re going to start feeling it more and more,” Hudson emphasized. “And these are promises that President Trump made. These are promises that we’ve kept.” Fox News’ Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
WATCH: Masked agitator sprays message targeting ICE agents on federal building during LA protest
A masked agitator was caught on video graffitiing the side of a federal building in Los Angeles with the message “kill your local ICE agent,” along with two targets. The agitator, who was wearing a scarf that covered their neck and face save for their eyes, was seen spray-painting the message as several thousand protesters marched in the “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles. The graffiti message led many, such as conservative commentator Greg Price, to respond that such threats are the reason U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers must remain anonymous during operations. Price commented on X that “this is why ICE agents wear masks… because they’re perfectly okay with people like this being able to harm and kill them.” ICE also responded, posting on its official X account that “if you threaten ICE, or their families, you WILL face the full force of federal law.” HOMELAND SECURITY VOWS DEPORTATION OPERATIONS ‘WILL CONTINUE’ AS ICE AGENTS HELP TSA, AGENCY DEFUNDED The agency added that “our courageous men and women face death threats, just like this, every day.” It vowed that “individuals making the threats will be held accountable.” Another, Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet, reacted, “The Mostly Peaceful are at it again.” Conservative independent journalist Nick Sortor called the message “INFURIATING.” He asked, “Why the H*** are they being allowed to wreak havoc totally unchecked,” predicting, “It’s only going to get WORSE when the summer gets here.” This comes as the Department of Homeland Security is experiencing a lapse in funding from a partial government shutdown due to disagreements in Congress over immigration enforcement tactics. Democrats have made renewed funding for ICE and Border Patrol contingent on several reforms. Among their demands, some Democrats are pushing to bar federal immigration officers from wearing masks during operations. AIRPORTS BEG FLIGHT PASSENGERS TO CHANGE THEIR TRAVEL HABITS AFTER DHS SHUTDOWN JAMS LINES In February, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., urged Republicans to order the unmasking of ICE agents, describing the step as one of many “guardrails” needed to protect the public and earn their support in resolving the DHS shutdown. White House border czar Tom Homan has defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by ICE officers as necessary to protect agents from a rise in assaults and violent threats reported by DHS. Homan admitted, “I don’t like the masks, either,” but said, “These men and women have to protect themselves.” In an interview with Fox News Digital last year, a special agent working deportations, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said immigration enforcement officials “wouldn’t wear masks if they didn’t care” about their families. ‘AMERICANS FIRST’: ICE SWEEPS UP CHILD PREDATORS, RAPISTS ACROSS US AS MULLIN TAKES HELM OF DHS The agent said increased protests and resistance from politicians have made carrying out their duties difficult. They also said attempts to dox agents have made many worry about their families’ safety. DHS has criticized efforts to unmask ICE agents as “irresponsible, reckless and dangerous.” The agency has said, “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by this unconstitutional ban.”
Supreme Court blocks Colorado’s so-called ‘conversion therapy’ ban on First Amendment grounds
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Colorado cannot enforce its so-called “conversion therapy” ban regarding conversations between therapists and minors, saying the law likely violates the First Amendment by allowing some viewpoints but not others. In an 8–1 decision, the high court said the law favors one viewpoint by allowing therapists to affirm a minor’s gender identity or sexual orientation, but not help them to change it if they want to. The decision stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Kaley Chiles, a licensed Christian therapist, who argued her conversations with youth clients were a form of protected speech. The Colorado government had said the conversations amounted to professional conduct that the state was allowed to regulate. SUPREME COURT SKEPTICAL OF “CONVERSION THERAPY” LAW BANNING TREATMENT OF MINORS WITH GENDER IDENTITY ISSUES At issue in the case was a law Colorado passed in 2019 that banned what the state government described as conversion therapy. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, saying the question before the high court was a “narrow one” and that Chiles did not seek to toss out the Colorado law but rather consider whether it could apply to therapy that was strictly conversational. “The First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country,” Gorsuch wrote. “It reflects instead a judgment that every American possesses an inalienable right to think and speak freely, and a faith in the free marketplace of ideas as the best means for discovering truth. However well-intentioned, any law that suppresses speech based on viewpoint represents an ‘egregious’ assault on both of those commitments.” SUPREME COURT REJECTS SOUTH CAROLINA’S BID TO ENFORCE TRANSGENDER BATHROOM BAN In the lone dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the majority “plays with fire in this case” and that she feared “the people of this country will get burned.” “Before now, licensed medical professionals had to adhere to standards when treating patients: They could neither do nor say whatever they want,” Jackson wrote. “Largely due to such State regulation, Americans have been privileged to enjoy a long and successful tradition of high-quality medical care.” About two dozen states and Washington, D.C., have laws in place that are similar to Colorado’s that could be affected by the Supreme Court’s decision. Chiles’ lawyers had said in court papers that she believed that people “flourish when they live consistently with God’s design, including their biological sex.” They said Chiles used faith-based counseling to “reduce or eliminate unwanted sexual attractions, change sexual behaviors, or grow in the experience of harmony with one’s physical body.” Colorado Solicitor General Shannon Stevenson had countered during oral arguments in October that no court had ever held that a law like Colorado’s implicated the First Amendment, saying the law applied only to treatments. “A state cannot lose its power to regulate the very professionals that it licenses just because they are using words,” Stevenson had said. Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Jim Campbell, who argued the case on behalf of Chiles before the Supreme Court, called the ruling a “significant win.” “Kids deserve real help affirming that their bodies are not a mistake and that they are wonderfully made. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today is a significant win for free speech, common sense, and families desperate to help their children,” Campbell said in a statement. “States cannot silence voluntary conversations that help young people seeking to grow comfortable with their bodies.” Fox News’ Bill Mears contributed to this report.
Swalwell threatens FBI with legal action as Patel reportedly weighs ‘Fang Fang’ files release
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is threatening legal action against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as it reportedly considers releasing potentially damaging files just weeks before he faces voters in California’s wide-open gubernatorial race. Lawyers for Swalwell sent a cease-and-desist letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, warning the bureau would violate federal privacy law if it moves ahead with releasing records regarding the congressman’s decade-old relationship with a suspected Chinese spy named Christine “Fang Fang” Fang. “[Y]our attempt to release the file is a transparent attempt to smear him and undermine his campaign for Governor of California,” Swalwell’s attorneys, Sean Hecker and Norm Eisen, said in a recent letter to Patel obtained by The Associated Press. “Your actions threaten to expose you, others at the FBI, and the FBI itself to significant legal liability. Indeed, disclosure of the investigative file would violate federal law in several respects.” The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ADAM SCHIFF MAKES ENDORSEMENT IN CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE The letter comes as The Washington Post first reported that Patel is weighing the release of investigative records related to Swalwell’s past relationship with Fang, who is accused of cultivating ties with Swalwell and other California Democrats for espionage purposes. The suspected Chinese spy operative helped fundraise for Swalwell’s 2014 House re-election campaign and placed at least one intern in his office. Swalwell cut off ties with Fang in 2015 after the FBI alerted him to the suspected Chinese influence campaign. The Justice Department did not pursue criminal charges at the time and Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing. A probe launched by the House Ethics Committee also concluded in 2023 without accusing Swalwell of any violations. SWALWELL GOVERNOR BID HIT WITH RESIDENCY QUESTIONS AFTER COURT FILING ALLEGES HE DOESN’T LIVE IN CALIFORNIA Swalwell’s lawyers also accused Patel of potentially violating long-maintained DOJ policy that prohibits law enforcement from taking any public investigatory action against political candidates in the two months prior to an election. Early voting for California’s June 2 gubernatorial primary begins in early May. Swalwell is vying to be among the top two vote-getters that advance to the general election after jumping into the race in late 2025. “It’s not lost on me that we’re 34 days until Californians start voting,” Swalwell told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on Monday. “We’ve consistently been in the lead in this governor’s race. And the president wants a Western White House.” Swalwell is a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and served as an impeachment manager during the president’s second impeachment in 2021, following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The California Democrat has also been criminally referred to the DOJ for alleged mortgage fraud. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has also blasted Patel for reportedly advocating for the release of the so-called “Fang Fang” files. “What the hell does that have to do with law enforcement?” Raskin said Saturday. “This is plain weaponization of the FBI for partisan political purposes.”