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President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced Iran wants to “make a deal” with the U.S., noting the country’s leadership gave the U.S. a “significant prize” related to the Strait of Hormuz and the flow of oil.

While speaking to reporters in the White House Oval Office, Trump said Iranian leadership sent the gift on Monday, and it arrived on Tuesday.

“They’re going to make a deal. They did something [Monday] that was amazing, actually. They gave us a present,” Trump said. “The present arrived today, and it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money.”

IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS ‘DIDN’T PASS THE SMELL TEST’ BEFORE TRUMP LAUNCHED STRIKES, SAYS VANCE

Trump said he could not disclose what the gift was, but said it was “oil and gas-related” and was connected to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian regime was previously charging some tankers millions of dollars to pass through the global shipping choke point, according to a report from Iran International.

WHY TRUMP INVOKED REGIME CHANGE IN ATTACKING IRAN, AND THE MEDIA MUST LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES

Trump added the unspecified present was “very significant.”

“That meant one thing to me — we’re dealing with the right people,” Trump said. “… It was a very nice thing they did. … They said they were going to do it, and it happened. And they’re the only ones that could have done it.”

When asked about control of the Strait of Hormuz, he said the U.S. will “have control of anything we want.”

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“They can’t have certain things,” Trump said. “It starts with no nuclear weapons, and they’ve agreed to that. … They’re not going to have enrichment — any of those things. … We are in about the best bargaining position. We’re way ahead of schedule.”

Negotiations are being headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, according to the president.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

EXCLUSIVE: Despite the ongoing conflict in Iran, President Donald Trump’s “energy czar,” Doug Burgum, is confident the “temporary blip up” in gas and energy prices facing Americans will come back down very soon as the president’s “drill baby drill” agenda takes effect.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Burgum, who leads the Interior Department and chair of Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, said: “It’s all about supply.”

“You want prices to go down? Supply has got to go up,” he said. To this end, he said his agency approved a record 6,000-plus drilling permits on U.S. soil, reversing the Biden administration’s trend of increased regulation that he said had stunted the country’s energy independence.

“We have a temporary blip up now because of the conflict in the Middle East, but as you heard the news earlier this morning, energy prices dropped a lot today, and stock markets [are] up and energy prices down; those are all positive things for working Americans to have those two things happening simultaneously,” he said.

TRUMP’S IRAN STRATEGY SHOWCASES ‘DOCTRINE OF UNPREDICTABILITY’ AMID STRIKE THREATS AND SUDDEN PAUSE

Despite criticism of the president’s actions on the global stage, Burgum said these moves, such as the military intervention in Venezuela and negotiations with leadership, are going to help reduce prices for Americans.

“What happened in Venezuela actually helps Americans a lot because now we’ve got Venezuelan oil flowing towards Gulf of America refineries in Louisiana and Texas,” he said.

Another major policy shift Burgum said he expects to make a big difference for Americans is the administration’s actions to “unleash Alaska.”

“The Biden administration had taken over 70 legal actions, executive orders from President Biden to regulatory actions, which were essentially sanctioning Alaska more than we sanctioned Iran during the last administration,” he explained.

Pressed on when Americans can expect to start seeing prices tick back down, Burgum said, “I think we started to see how they were happening and they happened quite effectively over the first year of the Trump administration.” He also pointed out that prices “vary a lot” depending on which state you live in and the extent of regulation and taxes placed on oil and gas production.

“Consumers need to understand that it is not just federal action, but it’s state and local action that’s often driving up the cost of your energy,” he said. “It’s not quite as simple as red state versus blue state. But if you take a look at gas prices before the war, red states were among all the lowest states in the country, blue states were among the highest in terms of that. And it was a reflection of the policies of those state legislatures and those governors that were driving energy prices up.”

US AND IRAN SEND CONFLICTING SIGNALS ON TALKS TO END THE WAR

As an example, he said that just a month ago, gas prices in Iowa were under $2 per gallon, while the price in California was $5.

“California imports 63 percent of its oil from foreign countries,” he explained, adding, “At the time of this breakout with Iran … California, by their own data, provided by the state of California, the number one country they were importing oil from in California was from Iraq.”

“They always brag about, ‘Oh, if we were a country, we’d have one of the world’s largest economies.’ And if they were a county, they would have designed for themselves one of the most energy-dependent and energy-expensive economies,” he said of California.

“They’re not saving the planet by using foreign oil in California when you could have been getting clean, reliable, affordable energy, say from the Permian Basin in Texas or New Mexico,” he continued. “When you think you’re saving the planet by blocking U.S. infrastructure, you artificially raise the prices.”

To push back on this, Burgum said that, authorized by Trump’s energy emergency declaration, Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently ordered California to reopen its Santa Ynez pipeline system to resume pumping domestic offshore oil. The order is being challenged by California in court; however, oil has already begun being pumped.

IRAN CHOKES STRAIT OF HORMUZ WITH REPORTED $2M TANKER TOLL, REGIME THREATENS GLOBAL OIL SUPPLY

He framed the administration’s “energy abundance” agenda as a move back to reality after four years of “climate fantasy” under former President Joe Biden. This move, he said, stands in stark opposition to policies still being pursued in blue states like California.

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“We’re focused on energy reality, which is all Americans deserve and need to have reliable, affordable, and secure energy,” he said. “We’re fighting for every citizen in the country, regardless of what state regime they’re under. Because like I said, every American, no matter where you live, deserves to have affordable, reliable, and nationally secure energy.”  

Fox News Digital reached out to spokespeople for Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Senate Republicans have landed on a funding framework for Homeland Security that they hope will end the shutdown.

Now, they just need Senate Democrats to agree.

The framework, which was developed over the weekend and finalized early this week, would reopen and fund most of the agency, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

It follows the first face-to-face meetings between Republicans and Democrats during the shutdown, as well as a last-minute meeting at the White House on Monday after President Donald Trump demanded that the GOP combine DHS funding with his prized Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.

CORNYN TARGETS LAWMAKERS’ AIRPORT FAST PASS AS TSA LINES GROW DURING DHS SHUTDOWN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the framework would fund most of DHS, except for roughly $5.5 billion designated for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Senate Democrats previously tried to fund everything except for ICE, but were blocked by Republicans who desired to reopen the entirety of DHS. 

It also includes initial compromises from the original bill, such as millions for body-worn cameras, but not the stricter reforms Senate Democrats had demanded.

“If you’re not going to have funding, I don’t know how all of a sudden you can demand reforms,” Thune said.

“A lot of the reforms are contingent on funding for ICE. And now, since the ERO office is not going to be funded through ICE, Democrats have basically given up on reforms,” he continued. “I never thought that was serious.”

DHS SHUTDOWN TIED FOR SECOND-LONGEST EVER AS DEMS AGAIN BLOCK FUNDING AMID AIRPORT CHAOS, TERRORISM CONCERNS

Still, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats must agree to the framework before Republicans can move forward.

Schumer said on the Senate floor that Republicans would “hopefully now come back to the table and get serious about reaching a solution to pay” Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers quickly, after Trump’s demands nearly derailed progress made over the past several days.

“We await a written proposal that we will review, because right now the situation in our airports is untenable,” Schumer said.

Key Senate Republicans who were at the White House on Monday or have been involved in negotiations huddled in Thune’s office to discuss the framework. They said Republicans had sent the legislative text to Democrats for review.

“We’re ready to go,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said. “The Democrats need to join us now. We bent over backwards negotiating with them. We talked to the White House and folks on our side, and they need to stop moving the goalposts.”

It also appears the White House is on board with the framework. A White House official told Fox News Digital, “Conversations are ongoing, but this deal seems to be acceptable.”

MULLIN CONFIRMED AS DHS CHIEF AS LAWMAKERS NEAR SOLUTION ON SHUTDOWN STANDOFF

Another part of the framework would fund immigration enforcement — and include portions of the SAVE America Act — through budget reconciliation. That party-line process nearly divided Republicans last year when they passed Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

Not all Republicans support the plan as it stands, meaning Thune will need as many Senate Democrats as possible to reopen the agency.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that he was a “no” on the deal, arguing the framework “doesn’t make any sense to me.”

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“And this idea that it will get funded through a reconciliation package is a pipe dream. We’re not going to get a reconciliation package done,” Scott said.

“Look at the last one — the only reason it got done is because of the tax cuts. There are no tax cuts in this, there’s no pressure,” he continued.

House conservatives are firing a warning shot at their Republican counterparts in the Senate as a deal begins to take shape on ending the six-week Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. 

Senate Republicans are eyeing a second “big, beautiful bill” via the budget reconciliation process aimed at funding portions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would likely get little to no Democratic support.

That bill would also include parts of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE America) Act, legislation to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast ballots in federal elections.

But a growing contingent of House Republicans who are refusing to vote for any Senate-led legislation are crying foul on that portion of the plan.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE ‘TALKING FILIBUSTER’ AND THE SAVE ACT

“Senate Republicans refused to force a talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act because it would have allowed Democrats to offer unlimited amendments. Now, Senate R’s claim they will pass SAVE America Act via reconciliation (which may not even be possible under the Senate’s arcane rules), which would… checks notes …allow Democrats to offer unlimited amendments,” the conservative House Freedom Caucus said in a statement posted to X on Tuesday.

“This is gaslighting. The American people are not stupid and will not accept more failure theater from Republicans in Congress.”

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., who led a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., vowing to oppose Senate bills until the SAVE America Act was passed, signaled he would reserve final judgment until a legislative proposal was released. But he did signal some skepticism in comments to Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH JOHNSON TO GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER SAVE ACT

“It will not resolve my issue. I mean, look, they can say they’ll put it in reconciliation if they want. But I will continue to vote no on all Senate bills until the SAVE America Act is passed,” Fine said.

He made an exception for funding DHS, however, particularly if the final Senate bill was a modified version of that which the House already passed in January.

Republican senators huddled with President Donald Trump and others at the White House late on Monday, and emerged hopeful that an end to the shutdown could be in sight.

MULLIN CONFIRMED AS DHS CHIEF AS LAWMAKERS NEAR SOLUTION ON SHUTDOWN STANDOFF

The working framework would see ICE funding carved from the broader DHS spending bill, something Senate Democrats have tried to do in recent weeks but were blocked by Senate Republicans. That means most of the agency would be reopened, and ICE would be dealt with in the future through budget reconciliation, the process that nearly ripped the GOP apart last year when they passed the “big, beautiful bill.” And part of the deal would also see Republicans pair portions of the SAVE America Act tossed in with ICE funding, which some Senate Republicans are already skeptical of.

Only parts of ICE would be left to reconciliation, however, with the majority of the agency, save for its enforcement and removal operations, being funded in the initial compromise deal, according to PBS.

The remainder of DHS would be funded via a bipartisan deal that could be released as soon as Tuesday.

But the budget reconciliation process is a long and politically arduous path that could take months — a particularly difficult feat in an election year.

There’s also been skepticism in both the House and Senate that Republicans’ razor-thin majorities could unite enough to pass another massive bill, like the one signed into law by Trump in July that mainly dealt with his tax plans.

Conservatives have also noted that there’s little chance many of the SAVE America Act’s provisions could survive the strict guardrails around what can be included in reconciliation.

A source familiar with the House Freedom Caucus’s thinking also panned the prospective deal to Fox News Digital.

“Radical progressive Democrats shut down Homeland Security to protect criminal aliens. Why on earth would we hand them exactly what they want by keeping the deportation wing unfunded?” the source said on Tuesday. “We hold the leverage. Don’t surrender it. No more kicking immigration enforcement down the road, so Democrats can take a victory lap.”

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It would put the group at odds with not only Republican leaders in the Senate, but potentially the White House as well.

A White House official told Fox News Digital before the deal became official that, “Conversations are ongoing, but this deal seems to be acceptable.”

And a source familiar with negotiations on DHS retorted to Fox News Digital that the Freedom Caucus’ argument comparing the talking filibuster with reconciliation was “not even close to being the same.”

The key difference is that during reconciliation there is limited debate and only amendments that deal directly with what’s in the package can be offered, while in a talking filibuster there is unlimited debate and unlimited amendments.

The Senate GOP wanted to avoid the latter scenario, given that they aren’t unified to block every Democratic amendment that could have drastically altered the SAVE America Act.

Nearly a dozen Illinois Democrats are declining to defend their votes against the Laken Riley Act after the killing of a Loyola student allegedly by an illegal immigrant who, under the law, could have been detained following a prior arrest.

Sheridan Gorman, 18, was shot and killed by Jose Medina-Medina, authorities allege, who had previously been picked up for shoplifting in Cook County. That charge would have qualified him to be held for federal detention and processing instead of being released back onto the streets, where he could reoffend, under the act named for a Georgia college student slain by another illegal immigrant repeat offender.

DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that Gorman’s death could have been prevented if not for sanctuary state and city policies and if a law like the Laken Riley Act had been in effect sooner.

“Sheridan Gorman — just like Laken Riley and countless other American victims — would still be with us today and with their families if it were not for sanctuary politicians’ refusal to cooperate with ICE,” Bis said.

CHICAGO LAWMAKER RIPPED OVER ‘DISGUSTING’ RESPONSE TO COLLEGE STUDENT KILLED BY ALLEGED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

The Illinois delegation voted 11-5 against the Laken Riley Act, with Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider not voting due to a medical emergency but later saying he would have voted “no.”

All three Republicans, along with Democratic Reps. Nikki Budzinski and Eric Sorenson, voted for the act, but 11 other Democrats opposed it, along with Schneider.

“While I firmly believe that the government has a responsibility to keep our communities safe and do everything in its power to keep dangerous criminals off our streets, this bill, as written, opens the door to the targeting and detention of innocent people, something clearly prohibited by our Constitution,” Schneider said in a January 2025 statement, going on to say he would support something more along the lines of the Lankford-Sinema immigration bill opposed by President Donald Trump.

Schneider said at the time the Laken Riley Act used the student’s death to “score cheap political points.” He did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Nine of the 11 Democrats who voted “no” did not respond or did not provide comment, except Reps. Jonathan Jackson of Chicago and Jan Schakowsky of Evanston.

Jackson, the son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, told Fox News Digital that Gorman’s murder is a “senseless tragedy.”

“My deepest condolences go out to her family, friends, and the entire community who are mourning this unspeakable loss. The person responsible for Sheridan’s murder must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“But let’s be clear: this is about more than a single piece of legislation,” Jackson said in reference to the Laken Riley Act.

DEM GOVERNOR UNDER FIRE AFTER ILLEGAL ALIEN ALLEGEDLY STABS WOMAN TO DEATH AT BUS STOP: ‘HEINOUS’

“I encourage my colleagues to prioritize bills that strengthen, not divide, our communities and policies which would build safer, thriving communities, and save lives, by investing in effective community-based violence interventions.”

A Schakowsky spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to a public statement by the retiring Democrat:

“There are no words for a loss like this. Sheridan Gorman was just 18 years old, with her whole life ahead of her. My heart is with her family, her friends, and every member of the Loyola community mourning this senseless tragedy,” Schakowsky said, while however offering no comment on the Laken Riley Act itself.

DHS was adamant that Gorman’s death was preventable had the Laken Riley Act been made law.

“These politicians would rather release criminal illegal aliens from jails into our communities to perpetuate more crimes and create more victims. Sheridan Gorman was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who released this illegal alien twice before he went on to commit this heinous murder,” Bis told Fox News Digital.

She called on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago leaders to stop releasing criminal illegal immigrants back on the streets and said Trump signed the Laken Riley Act to prevent cases just like Gorman’s.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN COLLEGE STUDENT’S MURDER HAULED INTO COURT IN LATEST ARREST

She said 21,400 illegal immigrants have been arrested or detained thanks to the Laken Riley Act in one year since its passage.

Meanwhile, nine other Illinois Democrats remained officially mum on their no votes.

A representative for Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago said the congressman was on another call when a reporter followed up earlier, but Fox News Digital never received a call back.

Requests for comment were sent to Reps. Delia Ramirez, Robin Kelly, Mike Quigley and Jesus Garcia of Chicago; Bill Foster of Aurora; Lauren Underwood of Naperville; Sean Casten of Downers Grove; and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg.

Sens. Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth also voted “no” and did not respond to requests for comment.

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Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., who authored the House version of the Laken Riley Act, said in a statement that he did so to get criminals like Medina-Medina off the streets.

“This young woman (Gorman) had her whole life ahead of her, and it was taken away by an illegal alien who had already been arrested in a sanctuary city,” Collins said. “If [the act] had been law in 2023, she would still be alive today.”

This is cobbled together talking to senior Senate Republican sources.

Senate Republicans are developing a plan to fund most aspects of DHS — leaving out controversial programs like certain ICE operations — to end the five-and-a-half week partial government shutdown. This emerged after a meeting at the White House last night. There is a lot to sort out at the GOP Conference luncheon at the Capitol today.

However, Fox is told that the Senate could start to move forward on a plan to end the DHS shutdown “as early as tonight.”

SCHIFF, BOOKER DEFLECT ON SHUTDOWN BLAME AMID TERROR CONCERNS, THOUSANDS OF DHS WORKERS WITHOUT PAY

The new plan would fund ICE investigations — like cartels, traffickers and child predators. But they will leave unfunded programs for “enforcement and removal.”

Ironically, this idea would mirror what Democrats have tried to do on multiple occasions. Democrats have asked unanimous consent on the floor to pass bills to fund DHS — sans ICE.

So, Republicans have come around to the position that this is the only way out of this cul-de-sac — even if it reflects the Democratic position.

Still, Republicans contend they are “calling the Democrats bluff.”

“We’re going to have to move forward and give them what they want,” said one Senate Republican source, referring to the Democrats.

THUNE REVEALS REASON DEMOCRATS ARE ‘SCARED’ TO REOPEN DHS

But the question is whether Democrats will balk — especially since this was their idea. Regardless, this approach would still need Democratic buy-in and need 60 votes to clear a filibuster.

Fox is told that this is NOT pre-baked with House Republicans. The House and Senate would have to sync up to end the shutdown. Lawmakers on both sides are increasingly freaked out about the possibility of a terrorist attack — to say nothing of watching lengthy lines at airports.

Now the question is what Republicans can do with the SAVE America Act.

SEN KENNEDY SAYS HE WOULD ACCEPT DEMOCRATS’ OFFER TO ‘OPEN UP EVERYTHING’ BUT ICE

Fox is told that Republicans hope to extract a promise from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to come off the SAVE America Act — and resume that debate after the Easter/Passover recess.

But that bill lacks the votes to pass.

In addition, Republicans are looking at stuffing some provisions from the SAVE America Act into a budget reconciliation package. By nature, a reconciliation package is NOT subject to a filibuster and only needs a simple majority to pass. However, reconciliation requires bills be fiscal in nature and deal with numbers, not policy.

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It is possible Republicans could fund the enforcement and removal programs at ICE under budget reconciliation. But portions of the SAVE America Act are dicey. Fox is told that Republicans could try to focus on the “money” aspects of the SAVE America Act — such as withholding dollars from states which don’t require photo ID, et al. But getting those provisions past the Senate umpire, Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, is challenging. MacDonough could rule out of order policy provisions pertaining to the SAVE America Act in a reconciliation measure.

A federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2023 has ruled that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overreached in his December declaration that “sex-rejecting procedures” for children were “neither safe nor effective.”

U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai in Oregon ruled that RFK Jr. exceeded his authority and failed to follow required administrative procedures when HHS issued the declaration.

The ruling grants preliminary relief to health professionals who provide the treatments. The judge also denied the government’s motion to dismiss the case, which was brought by 20 blue states and Washington, D.C., that had legalized controversial “sex-rejecting” health services, including “puberty-suppressing hormones, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures.”

RFK Jr. used “comprehensive evidence review of “documented risks of significant harm, markedly weak evidence of benefit, unfavorable risk-benefit profiles, inadequate existing clinical guidelines, growing international consensus among countries conducting rigorous evidence reviews, and applicable medical ethics principles” to issue the declaration rejected by Kasubhai as an overreach.

HOUSE APPROVES MTG-SPONSORED BILL TO CRIMINALIZE GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR MINORS

“Sex-rejecting procedures for children and adolescents are neither safe nor effective as a treatment modality for gender dysphoria, gender incongruence, or other related disorders in minors, and therefore, fail to meet professional recognized standards of health care,” the declaration read. “For the purposes of this declaration, ‘sex-rejecting procedures’ means pharmaceutical or surgical interventions, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries such as mastectomies, vaginoplasties, and other procedures, that attempt to align an individual’s physical appearance or body with an asserted identity that differs from the individual’s sex.”

The ruling prevents the federal government from immediately enforcing the declaration against hospitals and health professionals.

CALIFORNIA AG SUES HOSPITAL THAT ENDED GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR MINORS TO COMPLY WITH TRUMP POLICIES

The lawsuit argued the declaration was unlawful and an attempt to override established medical standards without public notice or comment. The federal government said the general statement of policy was exempt from legal rule-making requirements.

The declaration was “the Secretary’s non-binding policy position on the safety and efficacy of certain pediatric and adolescent treatment modalities for gender dysphoria, gender incongruence, or other related conditions,” the government argued Feb. 10.

“Secretary Kennedy, just like anyone else, is entitled to articulate his opinion on the safety and efficacy of emerging and controversial medical practices. The Declaration summarizes Secretary Kennedy’s independent evaluation of the cited medical literature and expresses his opinion that certain treatment modalities are not safe and effective and fail to meet professionally recognized standards of health care.”

NEW YORK AG ORDERS MANHATTAN HOSPITAL TO RESUME GENDER-TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR TRANSGENDER YOUTH

Kasubhai’s ruling was at the end of a roughly six-hour hearing and will be followed by a written decision.

“There’s a theme of ‘Break it and see what others will do,’ and that’s not a system or method committed to the rule of law,” Kasubhai said. “That notion that ‘I will go forward, issue a declaration and see if we can get away with it,’ that is not a principle of governance that adheres to the overarching commitment to the democratic public that requires the rule of law to be regarded and respected and honored as sacred.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the case, said the ruling protects patients, families and providers from federal intimidation.

TRUMP-SIGNED SHUTDOWN BILL SENDS $4M TO CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS UNDER FEDERAL PROBE FOR TRANSGENDER CARE

“So much of the conversation around transgender health care has lost sight of the real people harmed by the federal government’s attacks,” James wrote in a statement last week, praising the opinion. “Young people are losing access to life-saving treatment, families are being left in the dark, and medical providers are being threatened just for doing their jobs and following standards of care.

“Today’s win breaks through the noise and gives some needed clarity to patients, families, and providers. Health care services for transgender young people remain legal, and the federal government cannot intimidate or punish the providers who offer them.

“It is my duty and my privilege to stand with trans New Yorkers and their families. I will always fight for the LGBTQ+ community.”

CHLOE COLE ACT AIMED AT BLOCKING MINORS FROM UNDERGOING LIFE-ALTERING TRANSGENDER SURGERIES, GOP LAWMAKER SAYS

The case was brought by Oregon, New York, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washington and Pennsylvania.

The ruling comes as President Donald Trump has sought to tag a 2024 presidential campaign vow to “protect children from transgender mutilation surgeries” to the 2026 SAVE America Act currently being debated in the Senate.

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Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., formally introduced an amendment to attach the added Trump priorities to the election-integrity bill.

“I’ve worked closely with President Trump and the White House to introduce a substitute amendment that will save our elections, save women’s sports, and save our children from gender mutilation surgeries,” Schmitt wrote in a statement last week. “It’s time to get this done.”

A new House bill would ensure members of Congress feel the pain of the ongoing partial government shutdown the same way as many Americans across the country.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is introducing the End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act, which is a House counterpart to legislation that sailed through the Senate last week.

Hinson argued that members of Congress should be held to the same standards as their constituents at airports during the funding stalemate, despite lawmakers generally being eligible for expedited screening and security escorts to bypass lines.

“Thanks to Democrats’ political games, TSA agents are working without pay, and many American families are facing 4-plus-hour wait times at airports during spring break,” Hinson told Fox News Digital.

HOUSE GOP TARGETING VULNERABLE DEMS OVER DHS SHUTDOWN, TSA CHAOS

“Some Members of Congress are avoiding the chaos they’ve created by getting preferential treatment and skipping the lines at airports,” she added. “My bill with Senator John Cornyn will eliminate these perks and ensure they face the consequences of inaction.”

The Iowa Republican’s bill would ban the use of taxpayer dollars to give lawmakers special treatment and require them to go through the same security screenings as everyday Americans. The measure would keep restrictions for lawmakers in place even after DHS funding is restored.

SCHUMER KNOCKS TRUMP ON IRAN, PLAN TO SEND ICE TO AIRPORTS: ‘ASKING FOR TROUBLE’

The bill’s introduction comes as the 38-day shutdown — the second-largest in U.S. history — continues to wreak havoc on U.S. travelers across the country due to staffing shortages at airports.

This Friday will mark the second full pay period in which Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents will miss their paychecks, leading thousands to call off work to make ends meet.

More than 400 TSA agents have quit their jobs since the shutdown began on Feb. 14, the department said last week.

Major airport systems across the country from Houston to New York reported hours-long wait times in security lines on Monday. The spring break travel season has appeared to worsen airports’ staffing constraints.

TRUMP SAYS ICE WILL DEPLOY TO AIRPORTS MONDAY TO ASSIST TSA AMID FUNDING STANDOFF

Hinson’s legislation is likely to get widespread support in the House, though it is unclear when it would receive a floor vote.

“I’m grateful to Congresswoman Hinson for joining my effort to restore fair practices for all airport travelers by introducing companion legislation in the House, and I urge other Members to support our mission to stop this unfair perk,” Cornyn said in a statement.

The Senate approved the Texas Republican’s bill by unanimous consent last Thursday. 

TSA has paused lawmaker escorts since the beginning of the funding lapse. However, members of Congress could still be receiving special assistance at airports from other entities.

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Though DHS talks have picked up in recent days, the funding standoff could still fail to reach a resolution this week.

Democrats have largely refused to support a full-year DHS spending bill as the party demands reforms to immigration enforcement. Republicans, by contrast, have opposed Democrat-led efforts to fund specific DHS subagencies while leaving the department’s immigration and border security functions unfunded.

Hinson is running for an open Senate seat vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is retiring. She is backed by President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans’ campaign arm.

A brewing fight over privacy rights and national security will come to a head in the House of Representatives in the coming weeks, shaping up to be the latest test for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and his razor-thin GOP majority.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is set to expire on April 20 pending congressional reauthorization. A planned vote on a “clean” extension of the measure this week, however, has been delayed amid a growing rebellion.

A vast swath of lawmakers, along with the intelligence community, have argued the provision is critical to preventing another Sept. 11-style terror attack. But privacy hawks in Congress — a mix of conservatives and progressives — say it gives the federal government too much power to spy on private U.S. citizens.

“This is a privacy issue,” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “It’s a very important tool, don’t get me wrong, against terrorists. But you cannot, in my mind, continue to warrantlessly surveil U.S. citizens that don’t have an immediate nexus or tie to some terrorists.”

GOP RIPS FISA COURT FOR TAPPING EX-BIDEN ‘DISINFORMATION’ LAWYER TO ADVISE ON SURVEILLANCE 

Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., argued to reporters after a classified briefing on FISA last week, “There have been countless terrorist attempts that have been stopped because of the FISA process.”

“The administration’s been very clear how important this process is to keeping Americans safe at home. It’s why they’ve requested the renewal,” Scalise said. “It was created after September 11th. We surely don’t want to go back to a Sept. 10 mentality. A pre-Sept. 11 attitude, where we just hope that nothing bad happens.”

Section 702 is a provision that allows the federal government to conduct warrantless surveillance of a foreign national outside the U.S. if they’re suspected of ties to terrorism — even if the person on the other end of the communication is an American citizen.

The Trump administration is asking Congress to approve a “clean” extension after significant reforms were made to the process in 2024, but conservatives have said those guardrails are not enough. 

“There were some much-needed changes made two years ago, but there may be some additional ones that I think that we ought to make,” Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., who is running for an open Senate seat, told Fox News Digital. 

House GOP leadership has said they will put an 18-month FISA extension on the floor without any changes. While the underlying bill is likely to get support from a majority of the House chamber, Johnson could run into trouble during a procedural hurdle known as a rule vote.

TWO DOZEN HOUSE REPUBLICANS GO TO WAR WITH SENATE GOP OVER SAVE AMERICA ACT

A “rule vote” is effectively a test vote which, if successful, allows lawmakers to debate and then weigh a given measure. But rule votes traditionally fall along partisan lines, meaning the speaker will only be able to lose one GOP vote to still advance the Section 702 reauthorization without support from Democrats.

At least two House Republicans, Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., are already threatening to vote against the rule. Both are leveraging their support on Senate passage of the SAVE America Act, an unrelated Trump-backed election integrity measure.

“I’m a NO on FISA as it stands. I’m a NO on the rule for FISA to boot. Swamp isn’t happy but that’s where I’m at. Pass the SAVE America Act and I MIGHT feel differently,” Boebert posted on X last week.

Luna posted on the site, “The Speaker, who is a very nice man, is completely WRONG on his perspective of a CLEAN FISA Reauthorization WITHOUT SAVE AMERICA ATTACHED (SAA). Mike can and SHOULD tell the rules committee to attach SAA to FISA.”

Some conservatives have also groused about the sharp reversal on FISA from some Republicans, who previously supported more surveillance guardrails under the Biden administration.

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“It’s the position that the speaker used to hold before he became speaker,” Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital, referring to Johnson’s past support for warrant requirements.

Trump notably urged Republicans to “KILL FISA” when Section 702 was last up for reauthorization in April 2024, arguing he had been a victim of its warrantless surveillance powers. Johnson, who was just months into his speakership, opposed a push for new warrant requirements sought by privacy hawks.

As congressional Democrats continue to vote to defund the Department of Homeland Security, the agency is calling out the “dangerous derangement” of sanctuary state leaders who it says are “putting American lives at risk” by releasing illegal immigrant pedophiles, murderers and gang members.

A spokesperson for DHS slammed Democratic governors Gavin Newsom of California and JB Pritzker of Illinois, both rumored 2028 Democratic presidential candidates, and also Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.

“Governor Newsom and his fellow sanctuary politicians—including Pritzker and Healey—are releasing murderers, pedophiles, and drug traffickers back into our neighborhoods and putting American lives at risk,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The spokesperson cited statistics showing that seven out of 10 of the safest cities in the U.S. cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They issued a personal appeal to the Democratic governors, saying, “If we work together, we can make America safe again.”

MASK-FREE ICE AGENTS BEGIN PATROLLING US AIRPORTS; TRUMP FLOATS NATIONAL GUARD

“Criminal illegal aliens should not be released from jails back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans,” the spokesperson continued, adding that the agency is “calling on sanctuary politicians to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring ICE arrest detainers.”

Most of the 10 safest cities on U.S. News & World Report’s list are located either in states or counties that have laws directing municipal authorities to cooperate or coordinate directly with federal immigration enforcement. That cooperation often occurs through 287(g) agreements, which allow local law enforcement agencies to work directly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The cities also share other traits, such as high median incomes and a lack of mixed-use zoning or transient rental housing, underscoring the ongoing debate over whether immigration enforcement cooperation plays a meaningful role in public safety.

According to the DHS, there are over 33,000 criminal illegal aliens in California’s custody.

The spokesperson cited several illegal immigrants with criminal records arrested by ICE in the last year who were released in California despite ICE detainers, including child predators and gang members.

One of these individuals, Hector Grijalba-Sernas, from Mexico, was previously arrested for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old. DHS said that despite ICE lodging a detainer against Grijalba-Sernas, he was released last year. He is currently in federal custody.

Another, Xujin An, from China, who was arrested for sexual penetration with force and sexual battery in Westminster, California, was arrested by ICE after its detainer was not honored, according to DHS. An is currently in ICE custody pending judicial proceedings.

CRITIC SLAMS CHICAGO’S ‘REVOLVING DOOR’ AS LOYOLA STUDENT KILLING SPARKS OUTRAGE

A third, Angel Navarro Camarillo, who DHS said is a member of the La Familia street gang, was arrested by ICE following an arrest by local authorities for a sex offender violation. Likewise, the detainer against Navarro Camarillo was not honored, according to DHS. He has since been removed from the United States.

Carmelo Corado Hurtado, from Guatemala, was arrested by ICE following an unheeded detainer request and his conviction of first-degree murder, driving under the influence and second-degree robbery. ICE removed Corado Hurtado from the U.S. last year.

In Illinois, DHS said that ICE arrested illegal immigrant Jose Manuel Fuentes-Vargas, from Mexico, after its detainer against him was not honored and following his conviction of sexual assault of a victim less than 13 years of age. Fuentes-Vargas is currently in ICE custody.

Another, Leonardo Ignot-Osto, a Mexican national who illegally entered the U.S. at least four times and was convicted of child abduction of a victim less than 17 years old, was arrested by ICE last year after its detainer was not honored. He was removed from the U.S.

A third, Jaime Mandujano-Nunez, from Mexico, was arrested by ICE late last year after he was released by authorities on an unknown date following his conviction of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. He has also since been removed from the U.S.

HOMAN FIRES BACK AT CNN HOST OVER ‘HOW WELL-THOUGHT-OUT’ ICE AIRPORT DEPLOYMENT PLAN IS

This comes amid mass outrage over the killing of Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman, allegedly by an illegal immigrant, Venezuelan national Jose Medina-Medina.

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According to DHS, Medina-Medina, 25, entered the U.S. during the Biden administration and had been previously arrested for shoplifting in Chicago, marking a prior criminal incident before the alleged murder.

On Sunday, the Chicago Police Department formally charged Medina-Medina with murder in the shooting of Gorman. In a statement, the department said Medina-Medina was currently facing six felony charges, including a count of first-degree murder.

A spokesperson for Pritzker’s office told Fox News Digital, “Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and Loyola University community grieving the senseless murder of Sheridan Gorman.”

Pritzker’s spokesperson said that “violent crime has no place in our streets, and we expect the alleged perpetrator to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

They added that the Trump administration “needs to stop politicizing heinous tragedies and instead focus on real solutions, like reinstating federal funds to prevent violence that support our public safety efforts.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to the offices of Newsom and Healey. 

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz, Matt Finn, Emma Bussey and Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump paused planned U.S. strikes on Iran just hours before a self-imposed deadline, citing diplomatic progress that Tehran immediately denied, even as U.S. forces continued moving into position, a split signal that leaves the next move uncertain.

The move creates a narrow five-day window in which the administration is signaling diplomacy while preserving the ability to strike, raising the stakes for whether talks materialize — or whether the delay simply sets up near-term escalation.

The abrupt shift follows a weekend ultimatum in which Trump warned the U.S. would begin targeting Iran’s power infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened, a threat that rattled global oil markets and heightened fears of imminent conflict.

By Monday morning, however, Trump announced a five-day delay, pointing to what he described as “very good and productive conversations” tied to a broader framework that includes nuclear disarmament.

TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY REVEALS WHAT LED TO BREAKDOWN IN IRAN TALKS BEFORE OPERATION EPIC FURY

The rapid shift from ultimatum to pause in less than 48 hours resets the clock, opening a five-day window for diplomacy before a decision on strikes.

The whiplash shift, from strike threat to sudden pause, adds to the uncertainty around Washington’s next move.

The White House and the Iranian mission to the United Nations could not immediately be reached for comment.

Iranian officials quickly rejected the claim that negotiations were underway, dismissing Trump’s comments as “psychological warfare” and accusing Washington of using the appearance of diplomacy to buy time.

Even as the White House points to diplomacy, the Pentagon has continued to expand its military footprint in the region.

In recent days, thousands of U.S. Marines have been deployed aboard amphibious warships, adding rapid-strike and ground-operation capabilities near Iran, with additional naval assets positioned to support escalation if ordered.

The posture suggests the United States is maintaining, and in some cases increasing, its readiness to act, even as Trump signals a potential opening for negotiations.

TRUMP DELAYS XI MEETING AS IRAN CONFLICT LETS US STRONG-ARM CHINA’S OIL SUPPLY

Iranian officials argue the two tracks are linked.

Tehran has accused Washington of using talk of diplomacy to influence oil markets and buy time for military repositioning, deepening uncertainty over whether the pause reflects a genuine diplomatic opening or a temporary delay before further action.

The dual-track approach is also being echoed by key U.S. allies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Trump sees “an opportunity to leverage the substantial achievements” of recent military operations to advance war objectives through a potential agreement.

“At the same time, we continue to strike both in Iran and in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said.

Some analysts say the approach reflects a strategy of applying military pressure while testing whether diplomacy produces concessions.

“I think that there’s definitely a method to the president’s decision-making here,” Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital. 

“He is testing to see what concessions the Iranian regime would be prepared to make,” Brodsky said. “The president can be testing diplomacy. The president can also be buying time. … All these things can be true at the same time. It’s not either-or.” 

Still, Brodsky expressed skepticism that the current moment will produce a breakthrough. 

“I remain skeptical that we’re anywhere near a point where the Iranian regime will make significant concessions,” he said.

With the five-day window now underway, attention is shifting to what comes next.

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If negotiations fail to materialize, the administration could move forward with the strikes it has already threatened or escalate to a ground operation — with forces now in position to carry them out. If talks do take shape, the pause could mark the start of a broader diplomatic effort.

A central unresolved issue is Iran’s nuclear stockpile, which Trump and Israeli officials have signaled remains a key objective of the operation. Securing or neutralizing highly enriched uranium could prove critical in determining whether the conflict moves toward a diplomatic resolution or further military action.

In the coming days, key indicators will include whether any indirect talks emerge through intermediaries, whether U.S. force posture continues to expand, and whether Iran takes steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or signals willingness to negotiate.

President Donald Trump on Monday said he wants to tie the SAVE America Act to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding as the stalemate between lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle continues.

Speaking at a roundtable in Memphis, Tennessee, to tout the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF), a multi-agency, federal-led law enforcement initiative launched in late 2025 to combat violent crime in the city, Trump spoke of the chaos unfolding at airports across the country amid a lapse in DHS funding. 

He also called for the passage of the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote.

“We want voter ID, we want proof of citizenship as part of our funding,” he said. “We want to merge them so that we can get the great, big, beautiful bill in action.”

SEN KENNEDY SAYS HE WOULD ACCEPT DEMOCRATS’ OFFER TO ‘OPEN UP EVERYTHING’ BUT ICE

“I’m suggesting very strongly that the Republicans, in going for the SAVE America Act, that you welded into exactly this because voter ID is part of Homeland Security,” he added. “Think of it. We’re talking about two separate items, but they’re really the same. Voter ID is part of Homeland Security and citizenship. Proof of citizenship is part of homeland security. So I think it should be welded in. I think it should be together.”

Trump urged Republicans to put the pressure on Democrats to include voter ID requirements with legislation to reopen the DHS. 

“I’m suggesting strongly to the Republican Party, don’t make any deal on anything,” he said. “The most important thing we can have is what’s called the SAVE America Act. Don’t make any deal on anything unless you include voter ID, and you have to be a citizen to vote.”

GOP TRIGGERS MARATHON SENATE FIGHT TO EXPOSE DEMS’ OPPOSITION TO TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID BILL

Republicans have pushed for voter ID in an effort to shore up the federal election system. Democrats remain opposed, saying the requirement would disenfranchise millions of voters. 

Meanwhile, many airports across the country have seen long security lines after Congress failed to reach an agreement on DHS funding.

While most other federal agencies are fully funded and open, DHS has been operating without a budget for more than one month. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers have not been paid, leading to increased callouts and longer security lines, sometimes up to three hours in major hubs.

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On Monday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were deployed to airports to assist the TSA with managing crowds and other duties. 

“We’re trying to release TSA resources to get into positions where they really have expertise,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We’re going to relieve TSA and augment TSA… and hopefully it will move the lines quicker.”

EXCLUSIVE: A key lawmaker charged with oversight of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) believes President Donald Trump’s new plan addressing the partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown will reduce hours-long airport delays nationwide.

“I think it will help and it’ll speed up the process greatly,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee’s subcommittee on transportation, told Fox News Digital.

“Right now, we’re losing TSA agents not only due to sickness, but some of them are actually getting up, you know, basically saying, ‘That’s it, I’ve had enough. Every six months I’ve got to put up with this stuff.’ And they say, ‘This is not for me.’ We need to stop this.”

Trump announced Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would be deployed to airports across the country to help ease travel chaos brought on by the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, which is now in its 37th day.

TRUMP SAYS ICE WILL DEPLOY TO AIRPORTS MONDAY TO ASSIST TSA AMID FUNDING STANDOFF

“On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting hard line criminals who have entered our Country illegally, are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long ago agreed to with signed and sealed contracts, and all,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

He followed it with another post Monday calling on ICE agents working at airports to do so without wearing face coverings. Masks have been a point of fierce contention in DHS funding talks, with Democrats demanding that they conduct immigration enforcement operations without them while Republicans insist they are critical to agents’ safety.

“I started out in the private sector. And in the private sector, the customer is always right. …The U.S. citizen is our customer, and so we can’t allow them to go through these long waits because we have less and less TSA agents,” Gimenez said.

FLIGHT PASSENGERS ARE WARNED THINGS COULD GET WORSE AMID DHS SHUTDOWN, DELAYS AND CALLOUTS

“In light of the fact that the Democrats will not do the right thing and fund DHS, then I think you have to do what you have to do. And if their plan is to use ICE agents in order to supplant and speed up the lines at the airports, I’m fine with that.”

Tens of thousands of TSA agents have been forced to work without pay for weeks as the shutdown draws on with no end in sight. It’s led to hours-long delays at airports in Houston, New Jersey, New York, and Louisiana, among other major hubs.

While they’re guaranteed to get back pay when the shutdown is over, the current lack of regular paychecks has forced scores of agents to call out sick and find other means of making ends meet.

Democrats have balked at Trump’s plan given ICE’s controversial tactics on immigration in the past. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., for example, called it “unacceptable morally, legally, politically” in a statement on X.

But Gimenez pointed out that DHS, and therefore ICE, will be under new leadership soon, with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., poised to replace Kristi Noem as Cabinet secretary. 

He also said he was “heartened” about ICE’s direction after a recent conversation with border czar Tom Homan.

“I think you’re going to see a different emphasis by ICE when they are helping TSA agents,” Gimenez said. “If [Democrats] are worried about ICE agents now at TSA facilities, why don’t you just fund DHS and then you don’t have to worry about having ICE agents at TSA facilities?”

The government was plunged into a partial shutdown earlier this year after Democrats walked away en masse from a bipartisan deal to fund DHS in protest of Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and other parts of the country. They’ve insisted on stricter guardrails on federal agents conducting immigration enforcement, several of which the GOP has dismissed as non-starters.

The president himself later threw a wrench into negotiations for a new deal, urging Republicans to reject any plan until Democrats pass an unrelated election integrity bill called the SAVE America Act.

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Republicans have also rejected Democrats’ demand to fund all of DHS excluding agencies responsible for immigration enforcement.

Unlike last year’s full government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, the current shutdown solely affects DHS — a wide-ranging department that includes a variety of agencies including ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the TSA, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Jet fuel prices in the U.S. have more than doubled in a matter of weeks as Middle East tensions squeeze supply, fueling concerns airlines could run short of fuel.

Prices jumped from about $2.17 to $4.56 per gallon by March 20, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index. Airlines warn inventories could run dry within weeks, raising the risk of higher airfares and flight cancellations.

Airlines are already adjusting. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the carrier will cut about 5% of planned flights in the near term as fuel costs surge, warning that if prices persist, jet fuel alone could add $11 billion in annual expenses.

OIL, GAS PRICES JUMP AS TRUMP FLIRTS WITH STRIKING IRANIAN OIL INFRASTRUCTURE

United is also scaling back service during off-peak periods and suspending select international routes, including Israel and Dubai due to the conflict.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said on Tuesday the jet fuel spike added as much as $400 million in costs in March alone. Speaking at a J.P. Morgan industrial conference, Bastian said airlines are moving quickly to pass those higher costs on through fare increases.

American Airlines expects fuel to add about $400 million to its first-quarter expenses. 

The impact is also spreading beyond U.S. carriers.

TRUMP PROMISED LOWER COSTS; THE IRAN CONFLICT NOW THREATENS THAT PLEDGE

European airline chiefs, including executives from Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, warned Thursday that a prolonged conflict in the Middle East will push fares higher and strain already tight fuel supplies, with some cautioning that jet fuel could run out if disruptions persist.

Airlines are already acting on those pressures. Air France-KLM plans to raise long-haul ticket prices, while Cathay Pacific and several Asian carriers are increasing fuel surcharges. SAS said it will cancel about 1,000 flights in April due to rising costs, while Qantas and Thai Airways are also adjusting fares and schedules.

Jet fuel, one of airlines’ largest expenses, is especially volatile due to thin inventories, specialized storage and limited spot trading, which can amplify price swings when supply tightens.

That sensitivity is now in focus as traders watch the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has slowed to a crawl as regional tensions intensify.

THE UNLIKELY TOOL TRUMP IS EYEING TO TACKLE RISING OIL PRICES AMID THE IRAN CONFLICT

Just 21 miles wide at its narrowest, the waterway between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman is a critical energy choke point.

The waterway carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day and about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas, along with significant volumes of jet fuel.

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The Middle East exports about 1.1 million barrels per day of jet fuel—roughly 17% of global consumption—according to Jaime Brito, executive director of refining and oil products at OPIS.

With supplies already stretched, even minor disruptions could quickly tighten the market and keep fuel prices elevated.

An Oregon man is back in police custody after threatening to “kill the president” in a slew of text messages to his probation officer.

Diedrich Holgate, 47, was convicted and sentenced last July after making threats on social media and placing several direct calls to the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office, threatening to kill then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and then-President Joe Biden.

In a June 2024 call to the Secret Service, Holgate said, “I have the right to kill the president.”

“I will kill everyone,” Holgate said, according to the federal indictment. “The president is going to die. I don’t care if it is Trump or Biden. I will hang everyone for treason.”

MAN ACCUSED OF PLOTTING TRUMP ASSASSINATION CLAIMS IRAN FORCED HIM TO

Two months later, Holgate called the field office again, threatening to “hang his a** for treason” and saying that no one was safe from him, including the First Lady and Supreme Court justices.

Holgate was released from custody on January 21 and was ordered to live in a halfway house.

Just weeks after being released from prison, Holgate’s probation officer filed a petition to revoke his probation for several violations, including continued death threats toward the president.

NEW MEXICO MAN JAILED FOR THREATENING TRUMP ON SOCIAL MEDIA

“Holgate has made multiple threatening statements via text message to his probation officer,” the petition alleged. “Probable cause has been established that a violation of supervised release has been committed.”

Holgate sent his probation officer several text messages that included “Trump’s gonna fkn pardon me or I’ll kill him!!!!”

“You’re with me or You’re a traitor & infidel that’s taken the Mark of the beast. & Hell? That won’t last forever. Second death. You’ll be erased,” Holgate wrote in another message to his probation officer.

A magistrate judge ruled in a preliminary hearing that there was probable cause to believe Holgate violated the conditions of his release. In addition to making threats, Holgate failed to report to a meeting with his probation officer and left the halfway house. He also violated house rules by smoking a vape.

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Holgate will remain in custody until his next hearing is scheduled on March 26.

He was previously convicted in 2018 for sending threatening voicemails to two Texas judges in Travis County.

The White House has installed a 13-foot statue of Christopher Columbus after the monument was torn down by rioters and tossed in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor nearly six years ago amid the 2020 riots. 

“As we celebrate our Nation’s 250th anniversary of independence, the White House is proud to honor Christopher Columbus’s legendary life and legacy with a well-deserved statue on the White House grounds,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital on Monday of the new addition to the White House’s grounds. 

The one-ton statue, spearheaded by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, is part of the Trump administration’s America250 celebrations and sits on the north side of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. 

WASHINGTON MONUMENT TO BECOME ‘BIRTHDAY CANDLE’ AS US MARKS START OF 250TH YEAR

Rebuilt in part from salvaged pieces, the statue was installed at the White House on Sunday after Baltimore officials declined to restore it to the city’s Little Italy neighborhood, according to COPOMIAO, which is a national coalition of Italian American groups that advocate for their communities.

President Donald Trump sent a letter thanking COPOMIAO President Basil M. Russo for the statue. He said the tall figure was placed next to another piece of art called Freedom’s Charge, which he said is “a life-size sculpture representing the revolutionary struggle to win America’s independence.”

“These statues represent the inspiring historical progression of the American story and will stand as an eternal memorial to courage, adventure, and the noblest aspirations of the human spirit as well as the extraordinary pride of our wonderful Italian American community,” he said.

In the letter, President Trump also praised Columbus’ role in shaping the nation’s history.

WHITE HOUSE FIRES BACK AT CRITICS CALLING TRUMP’S MASSIVE ARCH ‘TOO BIG’

“Christopher Columbus was the original American hero and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the Earth,” he said. “Guided by steadfast prayer and unwavering fortitude and resolve, Columbus’ voyage in 1492 carried thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason, and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas—paving the way for the ultimate triumph of Western civilization less than three centuries later on July 4, 1776.”

“I am truly honored that this magnificent statue will now sit on the grounds of the White House,” he added.

In the wake of George Floyd’s death in May 2020, statues and monuments identified by rioters as “racist” were vandalized, toppled, and destroyed across the country. A George Washington statue in Portland, Oregon, was toppled and set on fire, while Confederate monuments in Richmond, Virginia, including those of Jefferson Davis and Williams Carter Wickham, were also targeted during the protests.

Russo, in coordination with the Italian American Organizations United, led the months-long project to honor “Italian American history and culture.” The original statue, unveiled in 1984 by Former President Ronald Reagan, was torn down decades later on Independence Day amid criticism over Columbus’ 1492 arrival and the deaths of millions of Indigenous people.

WHITE HOUSE TOUTS TRUMP’S ‘BOLD VISION’ FOR TOWERING INDEPENDENCE ARCH FOR AMERICA 250

“Columbus statues have long stood as symbols of pride and cultural identity for more than 18 million Americans of Italian descent,” Russo said. “For over a century, Columbus’s legacy helped Italian immigrants navigate prejudice and hardship, serving as a source of unity and belonging as they built new lives in this country. Columbus Day itself emerged in the aftermath of the 1891 New Orleans lynching, when 11 Italian immigrants were killed by a mob of thousands, an event that prompted a national effort to promote the acceptance and assimilation of Italian Americans. This history remains central to why these monuments matter.”

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Ingle added that the administration will continue its efforts to preserve Columbus’ legacy.

“President Trump has rightly hailed Christopher Columbus as ‘the original American hero, a giant of Western civilization, and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the Earth,'” he said. “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he’s honored as such for generations to come.”

A progressive Chicago alderwoman is being widely panned on social media over her response to a local college student being allegedly shot and killed by an alleged illegal immigrant over the weekend. 

Shortly after Sheridan Gorman, 18, of Westchester County, New York, was gunned down while taking a walk with friends around 1:30 a.m. Thursday along Chicago’s lakefront, Alderwoman Maria Hadden suggested in an interview wiwth Fox 32 Chicago that Gorman was in the “wrong place at the wrong time” and that she may have “startled” the individual who shot and killed her.

The comments quickly sparked outrage on social media from commenters making the case that Hadden’s video was not only insensitive, but shows the lack of concern from local Democrats when it comes to crime. 

“Unbelievable,” Manhattan Institute’s Rafael Mangual posted on X. “Perhaps these politicians can put out a comprehensive list of the places we should avoid and the times we should avoid them so as not to get shot to death by strangers.”

GIANNO CALDWELL: MY BROTHER WOULD HAVE BEEN 22 TODAY. WE MUST DEFEAT THE VIOLENT CRIME EPIDEMIC

“Imagine being an alderman, having a college freshman murdered in your ward, and, before the suspect is even identified, posting a video in which you brainstorm an excuse that maybe the victim ‘startled’ the guy who killed her,” reader-funded public safety news outlet CWB Chicago posted on X. “God Almighty.”

“This is disgusting,” comedian Tim Young posted on X.

“This is how most Democrats think about crime, she’s just saying it out loud,” New York City Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino posted on X. “They have no interest in taking any kind of action, because they don’t think any of it is a big deal. Criminals have a right to be criminals, don’t get in their way, and who are we to judge.”

“That’s what we’re up against here,” Paladino added.

DHS TOUTS 10 STRAIGHT MONTHS OF ZERO ILLEGAL ALIENS RELEASED AT BORDER AS CROSSINGS PLUNGE

“The only person who was in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ was the illegal immigrant who should have never been allowed into our country,” former Trump campaign deputy communications director Caroline Sunshine posted on X.

“‘Wrong place’ = anywhere in Chicago, ‘Wrong time” = 24 hours, 7 days a week,” conservative influencer account End Wokeness posted on X. 

“This is who’s running your city,” conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok posted on X.

Hadden’s comment also drew pushback from Gorman’s family, who released a statement referencing Hadden’s remarks and said the slain college student “deserved the future that was stolen from her.”

“What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to the idea of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is not an abstraction. This is the loss of a daughter. The loss of a sister. The loss of a future filled with milestones that will now never come. Our family is forever changed.”

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The family added: “We cannot accept a world where moments like this become something people grow used to. We cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to violence. When we begin to accept these tragedies as inevitable, we all become vulnerable to them. Apathy is not harmless—it allows these moments to repeat.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Hadden’s office for comment.

The illegal immigrant charged with the murder of the Loyola University Chicago student entered the U.S. during the Biden administration before being apprehended and released into the country, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Sunday.

DHS also confirmed that Jose Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan national, had been previously arrested for shoplifting in Chicago, marking a prior criminal incident before the alleged murder.

A top Virginia Democrat appeared to admit that state Democratic lawmakers’ effort to redraw the commonwealth’s congressional map is more about stopping President Donald Trump and his agenda than about ensuring fairness for voters in the Old Dominion.

A referendum drafted by Richmond’s Democratic majority and set to go before voters in April would allow the assembly to redraw Virginia’s congressional map in a way that Richmond Democrats signaled would draw out four of five Republican congressmen and draw the populations of most new districts from dense, left-wing Fairfax County.

In comments to NBC News, Rep. Donald Beyer, an Alexandria-Fairfax Democrat, appeared to admit redistricting’s true purpose while commenting on early voting figures that appeared to lean in the GOP’s favor.

Beyer said the redistricting effort is “not a done deal by any means” and that Democrats need to “effectively make the case that even though this seems unfair in Virginia, it’s totally fair for America, for those of us who believe that taking back the House is the most significant thing we can do to stop Donald Trump.”

NEW DEM STAR’S QUICK HARD-LEFT TURN AFTER ‘MODERATE’ CAMPAIGN WON HER COVETED RESPONSE TO TRUMP: LAWMAKER

“Don said the quiet part out loud,” Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, told Fox News Digital on Monday.

“This is manifestly unfair for the Commonwealth of Virginia. We’re a 51-49 state, not a 90-10 state. If they’re willing to silence nearly half the Commonwealth’s voters in the name of ‘fairness,’ what else are they willing to do?” Kilgore said. His legislative seat in the far southwest would sit in the sole Republican-favored congressional district under the new map.

“Last November, Democrats sold Virginians a fake ‘affordability’ agenda that is false, a total hoax, and a con job,” Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, said.

“Now they are back at it, trying to shove another partisan power grab down our throats, this time wrapped in the phony label of ‘fairness,’” he told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to Beyer for further comment and to Gov. Abigail Spanberger for her take on his admission.

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The text of the amendment facing voters next month asks whether the Constitution of Virginia should be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections.

The tagline “restore fairness” has become a clarion call for critics who claim exactly what Beyer appeared to admit: that the definition of “fairness” used is questionable at best.

“Representative Beyer said the quiet part out loud. This isn’t about fairness, transparency, or representing Virginians,” Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., said. His Shenandoah Valley district stands to be chopped into several Fairfax-connected pieces under the new map.

“It’s about political power and Democrats’ determination to rig the map to ‘take back the House.’ When Democrats admit they’re willing to defend an unfair process in Virginia for the sake of national political power, it exposes exactly what’s driving this effort, and it has nothing to do with the people they’re supposed to represent,” Cline told Fox News Digital.

Five of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts would originate in Arlington or Fairfax counties and encompass meticulously drawn swaths of the state’s conservative interior, including one district ridiculed for resembling a lobster or scorpion, as it begins at the Potomac River and winds southwest through Democratic suburbs before splitting into two halves. One half includes rural Greene, Rockingham, and Augusta counties closer to West Virginia, while the other stretches down the Zachary Taylor Highway into Goochland and Powhatan counties west of Richmond.

In turn, a likely Democrat-majority district would form, narrowly connecting the independent cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, and Waynesboro within Rockingham and Augusta counties and linking them via conservative areas like Nelson County with Lynchburg and Roanoke far to the south.

Beyer’s current district would likely become the new 8th and stretch down the west bank of the Potomac River through current Rep. Rob Wittman’s, R-Va., rural 1st District in the Northern Neck, collecting nearly a dozen small red counties in the state’s oyster country anchored by the deep-blue city.

The only Republican deemed safe under the map would be Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., in the far southwest, which would become an overwhelmingly Republican seat.

Rep. Jennifer Kiggans’ evenly split Eastern Shore and Hampton Roads district would draw in just enough urban and suburban population to potentially turn blue.

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Since early voting began this month, yard signs emblazoned with “VOTE NO” have begun popping up in several red counties threatened by the new map, including Culpeper, Shenandoah, Highland, Orange, and Page, home to Luray Caverns.

“VOTE YES” signs were, in turn, observed in rural Clarke and suburban Prince William counties over the weekend.

A group giving a voice to victims impacted by illegal immigrant crime says that more than 300 families who have been the victim of weak border policies are urging members of Congress to support the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. 

The American Border Story (TABS), which works to give a platform for those who have lost loved ones as the result of crimes committed by individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States, wrote a letter to GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday, shortly before the Senate is expected vote to confirm Mullin. 

“For the families we represent, border security is not an abstract policy debate,” TABS said in its Monday letter. “Senator Mullin has demonstrated a clear understanding of these stakes. Throughout his time in Congress, he has consistently engaged on issues related to border security, public safety, and the operational challenges facing federal and local authorities. Just as importantly, he has shown a willingness to listen directly to impacted families and elevate their concerns in policy discussions. We believe Senator Mullin would bring to the Department of Homeland Security strong leadership, practical experience, and a clear commitment to protecting American communities.” 

TOP TSA WATCHDOG BACKS TRUMP’S ICE AIRPORT MOVE AS SHUTDOWN SNARLS TRAVEL

The group praised Mullin’s background, “coupled with his direct engagement on border-related issues,” and said that the families they represent “are not focused on politics.”

“They are focused on ensuring that no other family has to endure the same tragedy,” the letter concluded, adding that their consensus is Mullin understands “that responsibility” and “the seriousness” that the role DHS Secretary demands. 

The U.S. Senator from Oklahoma survived a key test vote this weekend, largely along party lines, on his way to becoming the next Homeland Security Secretary. Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and John Fetterman, D-Pa., were the only Democrats who strayed from the party line and voted to confirm Mullin.

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Tapped by President Donald Trump for the role, Mullin still has one more vote to go, and likely won’t be confirmed until Monday evening at the earliest. 

Should Mullin survive the final confirmation vote, he will replace DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who Trump fired following explosive hearings on the Hill and after the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti during immigration operations in Minnesota. He would take the reins of an agency that is currently shut down, as Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have blocked DHS funding five times in their quest to get stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Mullin has suggested he would be willing to put limits on some ICE activity, such as requiring a judicial warrant for the agency to go into houses, or places of business.

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“Judicial warrants will be used to go into houses, into place of businesses, unless we’re pursuing someone that enters in that place,” Mullin said amid questions about his confirmation. “I have not mixed words with that, and I haven’t changed my opinion about that.”

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

The Senate confirmed Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as the ninth Homeland Security secretary, capping a sprint to replace embattled outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem.

It also caps off a 13-year career in Congress that began in the House and saw Mullin score a seat in the Senate in 2021 where he became the de facto bridge between both chambers, helping to build trust between the House and Senate during last year’s push to pass the “big, beautiful bill.” Ahead of the vote he arrived flanked by his family, and was excited to cast his final vote on himself.  

Mullin, who was picked by President Donald Trump earlier this month to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was confirmed on a largely party-line vote. Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., joined nearly every Republican to clinch his nomination.

Heinrich said he bucked his party because he has seen that Mullin — who co-chairs the Senate Legislative Branch spending committee with him — “is not someone who can simply be bullied into changing his views.”

MULLIN’S CONFIRMATION SURVIVES KEY TEST VOTE AS DHS REMAINS SHUT DOWN

“And I look forward to having a secretary who doesn’t take their orders from Stephen Miller,” Heinrich said.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the only Republican to vote against Mullin, citing their chilly relationship and Mullin’s past comments that his 2017 assault was “justified.”

Mullin’s confirmation also saw the close of a whirlwind month in which Noem was reassigned after an explosive pair of hearings on Capitol Hill, as well as the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

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Still, Noem’s ousting and Mullin’s ascension have done little to shift Senate Democrats from their position. They continue to demand sweeping reforms to ICE and have so far blocked funding to the agency five times, along with several GOP attempts to temporarily extend funding to DHS.

The path to ending the shutdown appeared to become more complicated over the weekend.

Both sides began meeting for the first time during the shutdown, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., characterizing the talks as “productive.”

However, Trump threw a wrench into negotiations Sunday night, writing on Truth Social: “I don’t think we should make any deal with the Crazy, Country Destroying, Radical Left Democrats unless, and until, they vote with Republicans to pass ‘THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.’”

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“In other words, lump everything together as one, and VOTE!!! Kill the Filibuster, and stay in D.C. for Easter, if necessary,” Trump said.

That comes after Thune suggested to the president that Republicans could carve out ICE and Customs and Border Protection funding from a broader DHS package and instead fund those agencies through budget reconciliation.

Canceling recess may be a hard sell in the upper chamber, given that votes this past weekend were plagued by absences. When asked if he would cancel the upcoming two-week break, Thune said, “We’ll see.” 

A cohort of Senate Republicans met with Trump ahead of Mullin’s confirmation vote. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told reporters after that the meeting went “really well.” 

When asked if Republicans had a solution to end the closure, she said, “We do.” 

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Still, Senate Democrats remain unified in their opposition to the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

“We’re ready to meet with the White House today to keep talking,” Schumer said. “In fact, we were going to meet this morning with Tom Homan. But apparently the White House pulled that meeting because of Donald Trump’s temper tantrum. They’re all scrambling around there in the White House. They don’t know what to do.”