Pam Bondi threatens prosecution amid DOGE’s findings about fraud: ‘We’re coming after you’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a stern warning to those engaged in government fraud at the most recent Cabinet meeting on Monday.

Speaking with President Donald Trump present at the meeting, Bondi thanked Tesla CEO Elon Musk for uncovering "fraud, waste and abuse" through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative.

"A lot of waste and abuse, but there is a tremendous amount of fraud," Bondi began. "And, Elon, thank you for your partnership. Thank you for your team. You have uncovered so much fraud in our government."

Bondi then revealed that an internal task force is involved with bringing those accused of fraud to justice.

DOJ INSISTS EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS DID NOT VIOLATE COURT ORDER

"We will prosecute you," the attorney general warned. "We have an internal task force now working with every agency sitting here at this table. And if you've committed fraud, we're coming after you. Thank you, Elon."

Bondi also mentioned that, under Trump's directive, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will begin seeking the death penalty for those convicted of violent crimes.

"All of these horrible violent criminals that you're hearing about around the country, they will face the death penalty federally within our country," Bondi said. "And the drug dealers need to get out of here, because we are coming after you. We're going to have 94 great U.S. attorneys around this country, and everyone will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The topic of government fraud was mentioned throughout the meeting, with Musk claiming that he found $330 million worth of waste within the Small Business Administration (SBA).

IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES HIT JUDGE WHO ORDERED TRUMP TO STOP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

"[We found] a case of fraud and waste with the Small Business Administration, where they were handing out $330 million worth of loans to people under the age of 11," Musk said. "I think the youngest was a nine month year [sic] old who got a $100,000 loan."

"That's a very precocious baby we're talking about here," he joked.

Trump expressed appreciation to both Musk and the rest of the Cabinet for uncovering waste and fraud.

"We've had many fraudulent contracts that were caught by the work that Elon and his people are doing," the president said. "And working with our people, it's been brought to light. The fraud, not just waste and abuse, the fraud has been incredible."

Here’s where cosplaying homeland security chief will be performing next

Posted on by Alix Breeden

It seemed like the Trump administration couldn’t go much lower than defying a court order and shipping hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to a notoriously inhumane prison in El Salvador. 

But always eager to find a new bottom, Trump has decided to send Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem south of the border to continue her cosplay parade alongside the prisoners. 

Noem is visiting Mexico, Colombia, and El Salvador this week to "underscore the importance of our partner countries to help remove violent criminal illegal aliens from the United States,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement obtained by Bloomberg. She will tour CECOT, the mega-prison in El Salvador now housing the alleged gang members for a cool $6 million in U.S. taxpayer dollars.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earned the moniker “ICE Barbie” after her widely ridiculed video.

The former South Dakota governor has been working overtime to get the best photo ops possible as she gallivants around the country doing anything other than her actual job. In January, Noem went viral in all the wrong ways for the perfect blowout and impeccable makeup she sported while dressed up as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

“ICE Barbie” continued her career day shenanigans on March 17, when she was photographed as a firefighter operating a water hose. 

Even the usually Trump-friendly tabloid Daily Mail piled on to Noem’s PR stunts and said she was cosplaying as a “Border Patrol cowgirl” while visiting the southern border in February.

But while the unrepentant puppy-killer makes sure the cameras get her best angles, human beings are being held in CECOT, a so-called terrorism confinement center with a history of abuse. These immigrants are being shaved, shackled, dehumanized, and detained far away from their homes. 

While Donald Trump and his team are calling this a win and claiming the inmates are all members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang, one woman is crying out for help and insisting her imprisoned brother is innocent. 

“He was asking for help. And that help didn’t come from the lips. It came from the soul,” Jare Yamarte Fernandez told the Miami Herald after she recognized her brother Mervin in a video shared on social media. 

Adding that her brother has no previous criminal record, she told the outlet, “You know when someone has their soul broken.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem participates in a firefighting drill at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak on March 17 in Kodiak, Alaska.

Over 200 Venezuelans were sent to the maximum security prison without a trial after Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, which was last used to send Japanese Americans to internment camps after Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. He later denied invoking the 1798 law to send the immigrants to El Salvador—but paper doesn’t lie, and his signature was seen on official documents available to the public.

After U.S. District Judge James Boasberg blocked Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, all hell seemed to break loose between the judicial system and Republicans. 

The president and his allies in Congress have been calling for Boasberg’s impeachment and disbarment, while the judge refuses to let up on his block. As of Monday afternoon, a federal appeals court was considering the Trump administration’s argument to overturn the initial ruling as they push to ship more undocumented immigrants to other prisons. 

"There were plane loads of people. There were no procedures in place to notify people," Judge Patricia Millett said during the hearing. "Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act."

Related | Dog killer Noem pushes immigration and wildfire lies at Senate hearing

As for Noem, the disconnect in perspective is stark. During a Cabinet meeting Monday, she claimed that the intention of the Trump administration’s ongoing sweeping deportation effort is to “get people out of this country that don’t belong here and take them home.”

But when it came to those who have allegedly committed crimes, Noem turned cold. 

“We’re not only getting the worst of the worst out, we’re making sure there are consequences for being here and committing crimes in our communities,” she said. 

“If you are thinking about coming to America illegally, don’t do it,” Noem warned. “You are not welcome. America has changed, because we are putting Americans first.”

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Trump nominates Susan Monarez to become the next CDC director, says Americans ‘lost confidence’ in agency

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Donald Trump has named Susan Monarez as his nominee for the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calling the candidate "a dedicated public servant."

Monarez, who is currently acting director of the CDC, replaces Trump's original nominee for the role, Dr. David Weldon. The Trump administration never gave an official reason why Weldon's nomination was withdrawn earlier this month, but a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that it would have been a "futile effort."

"It became clear that the votes weren't there in the Senate for him to get confirmed," the source explained. "This would have been a futile effort."

In a Truth Social post published on Monday, Trump wrote that Monarez "brings decades of experience championing Innovation, Transparency, and strong Public Health Systems."

DOJ INSISTS EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS DID NOT VIOLATE COURT ORDER

"She has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, and PostDoctoral training in Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine," the president wrote. "Dr. Monarez understands the importance of protecting our children, our communities, and our future."

Trump also claimed that Americans have "lost confidence" in the CDC, citing "political bias and disastrous mismanagement," as reasons why.

IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES HIT JUDGE WHO ORDERED TRUMP TO STOP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

"Dr. Monarez will work closely with our GREAT Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr," the president continued. "Together, they will prioritize Accountability, High Standards, and Disease Prevention to finally address the Chronic Disease Epidemic and, MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!"

According to Monarez's CDC biography, she previously worked at the White House in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and on the National Security Council.

"[She led] efforts to enhance the nation's biomedical innovation capabilities, including combating antimicrobial resistance, expanding the use of wearables to promote patient health, ensuring personal health data privacy, and improving pandemic preparedness," the biography states. "She has also held leadership positions at the Department of Homeland Security and has led numerous international cooperative initiatives to promote bilateral and multilateral health innovation research and development."

Fox News Digital's Rachel Wolf and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.

Fox News Politics: House takes on judges

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Here's what's happening…

-US moves to extradite 3 alleged Tren de Aragua members to Chile

-Democrats on possible Biden political reemergence: 'his time has passed'

-New report sounds the alarm on 'staggering' amount of foreign money being poured into U.S. universities

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a hearing early next week looking into the issue of "activist judges," three people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital.

It comes as the Trump administration has faced more than a dozen injunctions from various district court judges across the country on a range of policy decisions. The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments in one of those cases Monday after President Donald Trump called for the impeachment of U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also confirmed on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" that he intended to hold hearings on "activist judges" opposing the administration. He said he expects a House-wide vote next week on a bill by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to block district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions…Read more

'NONSENSICAL' SPENDING: From 'food justice' to 'useless surveys,' Trump's cabinet reveals 'nonsensical' contracts it has canceled

FREE SPEECH: Biden admin's 'vast censorship enterprise' with help of NGOs slated for key hearing, lawmaker says

CANDID CLOONEY: George Clooney says he dropped support for Biden after seeing him up close, condemns Democratic 'cowardice'

'A HARMLESS VISIT': Greenland PM slams upcoming visit from Usha Vance as 'very aggressive' provocation

IMPEACHMENT OVERTURNED: South Korean PM Han Duck-soo reinstated as acting president after impeachment overturned

'CONSTRUCTIVE' DISCUSSION: US peace talks with Ukraine, Russia get underway in Saudi Arabia

BUDGET BRAWL: Battle of the chambers: House and Senate tensions boil over as Trump budget hangs in limbo

RED AND BLUE: Trump-district Democrat warns party brand 'in trouble' ahead of 2026 midterms

'PROFOUND IMPACT': Clean air mandates exacerbating dearth in gas tax revenues used for roads, bridges, infrastructure

'DISRUPTIVE': Bush-era education secretary wary about FAFSA disruptions as department faces dismantling

DEI DIES: Youngkin efforts lead slew of VA colleges to nix DEI, as Hokie alums reportedly push back'

'CLEARLY A PATTERN': Maine Dems push for tampons in boys' bathrooms amid ongoing debate over trans sports participation

'ABSOLUTELY EGREGIOUS': Boston releasing serious criminal illegals on very low bail

'DEEPLY HONORED': Top GOP governor makes key endorsement in border state gubernatorial race: 'Deeply honored'

NOT FINISHED?: RFK Jr.'s former running mate rules out 2026 CA governor run, hints at activism

MAP QUEST: Supreme Court hears pivotal Louisiana election map case ahead of 2026 midterms

LEARNING NOTHING: Columbia faculty hold 'emergency vigil,' urge students to wear masks, skip class

THE SHOW MUST GO ON: Judge blocks enforcement of Texas A&M system's drag show ban, allowing 'Draggieland' event on campus this week

TESLA TERROR: FBI tells Tesla owners to be vigilant as authorities pinpoint their focus to stop violence: former agent

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

SCOOP: House to hold hearings next week on ‘activist judges’ blocking Trump agenda

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a hearing early next week looking into the issue of "activist judges," three people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital.

It comes as the Trump administration has faced more than a dozen injunctions from various district court judges across the country on a range of policy decisions.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, confirmed on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" that he intended to hold such hearings minutes after Fox News Digital reported on the news.

Jordan also said he expects a House-wide vote next week on a bill by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to block district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions. 

Two sources told Fox News Digital they expected that vote next week or the week after, but one source stressed that conversations were still ongoing.

That comes as some conservatives push for impeachment as a way to punish judges blocking Trump's agenda. 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to how Congress may try to discipline judges who rule against Trump

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Congressional Republicans are searching for a way to discipline or rein in federal judges, whom they believe have exceeded their authority. 

House Republicans will have to wrestle with a push by some conservatives to impeach judges who have ruled against President Donald Trump. 

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, has drafted an article of impeachment for Judge James Boasberg over his suspension of some deportations.

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: IMPEACHAPlOOZA IS HERE TO STAY 

Some conservatives are pushing impeachment for Boasberg and several other judges they believe exceeded their authority. 

The House Republican leadership does not want to deal with impeachment, and it’s unclear if the House would ever have the votes to impeach. Conservatives could try to go over the heads of the GOP brass and put impeachment on the floor by making the resolution privileged. However, Republican leaders could try to euthanize that effort by moving to send the impeachment articles to committee. Thus, the vote is on the motion to send the articles to committee, not on impeachment. 

BUSH DOJ LAWYER WARNS TRUMP ADMIN AGAINST ‘TERRIBLE MISTAKE’ IN JUDICIAL STANDOFF

That said, the administration appears to prefer a remedy offered by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. Issa’s bill would limit the scope of rulings by these judges. 

Moreover, it’s unclear that the House would ever have the votes to impeach, and even if they did, a Senate trial would end without conviction. It takes 67 votes to convict in an impeachment trial. 

‘Corrupt, dangerous’: GOP Rep moves to impeach judge who blocked Trump federal funds freeze

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde is formally introducing his articles of impeachment against a Rhode Island judge who previously ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze federal funds. 

The articles, first shared with Fox News Digital, charge Chief U.S. District Judge John James McConnell Jr. with abuse of power and conflicts of interest, stating he "knowingly politicized and weaponized his judicial position to advance his own political views and beliefs."  

If McConnell is found guilty of such charges, the articles read, he should be removed from office. 

SCOOP: IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES HIT JUDGE WHO ORDERED TRUMP TO STOP TREN DE ARAGUA DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

McConnell is currently overseeing a lawsuit brought by 22 states and the District of Columbia that challenges the Trump administration's move to withhold federal grant funds. After McConnell ordered the administration to comply with a restraining order, the government appealed to the First Circuit – which refused to stay the orders. 

"The American people overwhelmingly voted for President Trump in November, providing a clear mandate to make our federal government more efficient," Clyde told Fox News Digital. "Yet Judge McConnell, who stands to benefit from his own injunction, is attempting to unilaterally obstruct the president’s agenda and defy the will of the American people. Judge McConnell’s actions are corrupt, dangerous, and worthy of impeachment."

COURT ORDER HALTING DEPORTATION FLIGHTS ‘UNCONSTITUTIONALLY IMPEDES’ EXECUTIVE BRANCH, TRUMP ALLIES ARGUE

Clyde announced plans to draft impeachment articles in early February, after McConnell ordered the Trump administration to reinstate paused federal grants and loans. The articles formalize the charges. 

McConnell has also come under fire from Trump supporters and conservatives in recent weeks after a 2021 video resurfaced in which he warned that courts must "stand and enforce the rule of law … against arbitrary and capricious actions by what could be a tyrant or could be whatnot." 

The articles cite that video, claiming McConnell "has allowed his personal, political opinions to influence his decisions and rulings," and that he has demonstrated a "bias that would warp his decision" in the federal freeze case. 

In a statement, Clyde said "judicial activism" is "the Left’s latest form of lawfare."

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: IMPEACHAPALOOZA IS HERE TO STAY

"Congress bears the responsibility and the constitutional authority to hold activist judges accountable through impeachment," he continued. "I applaud the work of my colleagues to hold other rogue judges accountable, and I hope we see swift action on this critical matter in the House very soon."

When contacted, the court declined to comment. 

Clyde's impeachment resolution follows a similar move by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who earlier filed articles of impeachment against U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg. The Washington, D.C.-based federal judge is overseeing a separate case challenging President Donald Trump's use of an 18th-century wartime law to deport Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador who were linked to the violent gang Tren de Aragua. 

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Gill accuses Boasberg of abusing his power by pausing the deportation order under the 1789 law. 

The mounting criticism of lower court judges who have ruled against the Trump administration prompted U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue an unusual statement in response this month.

"For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision," Roberts said. "The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose."

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

Why Republicans plan to impeach judges who haven’t done anything wrong

Posted on by Emily Singer

Congressional Cowards is a weekly series highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—no matter how disgraceful or lawless his actions.

Republicans in the House and Senate were quick to follow Donald Trump's March 18 orders to impeach federal judges who ruled against his illegal actions.

But when pressed about which high crimes and misdemeanors the judges committed to warrant such an extreme measure, Republicans had no good answer.

Instead, the only "crime" they came up with was that the judges didn't let the lawless president trample over the Constitution to do whatever he wants, whether that be deporting immigrants without due process; letting co-President Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency bros access sensitive government systems, shut down federal agencies, and chaotically fire federal employees; or remove health data from government websites because it was tangentially related to “gender identity.”

For example, CNN host Kasie Hunt asked Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio what “high crimes or misdemeanors” these judges committed. 

Jordan replied with what can only be described as verbal diarrhea. 

“All I’m saying is, if you’re acting in a political fashion and not just following the law, the ruling on the law, and I would argue that frankly just his ruling in and of itself, remember the Constitution is pretty clear, Article II Section I, very first sentence, says the power in the executive branch shall be vested in a president of the United States. The president has the authority,” Jordan said.

YouTube Video

Of course Jordan left out that Article III of the Constitution says that judicial power extends to “all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States”—which is what the judges were doing when plaintiffs argued that the Trump administration was violating U.S. laws while carrying out its destructive agenda.

Rep. Brendan Gill of Texas, who filed articles of impeachment against the judge who tried to stop Trump’s illegal deportations of Venezuelan immigrants (an order the Trump administration ignored), was also asked which impeachable offenses the judge committed—and had a terrible response.

“This is for usurping the executive's authority, for demeaning the impartiality of the court by making a politicized ruling, and forcing a constitutional crisis,” Gill said on Newsmax. “That is a high crime and misdemeanor.”

YouTube Video

Other Republicans also backed Trump and Musk’s call to impeach judges who rule against the administration.

“America is a Republic, not a dictatorship of the judiciary. It's time to get rid of the political activists masquerading as judges and re-establish proper separation of powers,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida wrote in a post on X. “That's why I'm proud to announce that I will be joining my colleagues in impeaching ALL the activist judges who are unconstitutionally blocking President Trump's agenda.”

And Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said he was going to introduce a law that would ban judges from being able to order nationwide injunctions.

“District Court judges have issued RECORD numbers of national injunctions against the Trump administration - a dramatic abuse of judicial authority. I will introduce legislation to stop this abuse for good,” Hawley said, without acknowledging that maybe it’s because no other administration has ever initiated so many lawless actions that violate the Constitution.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley didn’t explicitly say he supported impeaching the judges, but he made it clear he believes what the judges did was wrong—and will use his powerful committee to go after those judges.

“Another day, another judge unilaterally deciding policy for the whole country. This time to benefit foreign gang members,” Grassley wrote in a post on X. “If the Supreme Court or Congress doesn’t fix, we’re headed towards a constitutional crisis. Senate Judiciary Cmte taking action.”

And it seems that Musk read Grassley’s comment as being supportive of impeachment, because after Trump’s demand to impeach the judges, Musk donated to Grassley and six other Republicans who have supported the effort to boot them, The New York Times reported.

From the Times’ report:

Mr. Musk contributed on Wednesday to Representatives Eli Crane of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Brandon Gill of Texas. He also donated to Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, according to two of the people briefed on the matter.

“This is a judicial coup,” Musk wrote on X of a court ruling that blocked Trump from banning transgender people from the military. “We need 60 senators to impeach the judges and restore rule of the people.”

Of course, it takes 67 senators to impeach—a fact you’d think Musk, who Trump and Republicans have framed as a genius, would know.

Ultimately, this impeachment effort is futile.

Even if House Republicans somehow succeed in impeaching these judges, there is no way that Democratic senators would vote to convict and remove them in an impeachment trial.

The end result of this ridiculous posturing: making judges fear for their own safety as they receive death threats for their legally sound rulings, thanks to Republicans’ vile rhetoric.

Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.

Here’s what happened during Trump’s ninth week in office

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Donald Trump signed more executive orders this week — including one to upend the Department of Education — battled the judicial branch, and spoke to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

On Thursday, Trump announced plans to work with Congress to upend the Department of Education. Closing down an agency requires the approval of Congress, according to the U.S. Constitution. 

"We're not doing well with the world of education in this country, and we haven't for a long time," Trump said Thursday before signing the executive order. 

A White House fact sheet on the executive order said the directive aims to "turn over education to families instead of bureaucracies" and instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely."

Trump said Thursday programs for Pell Grants, student loans for undergraduate students, and others that provide resources for children with special needs would continue to exist, just under different agencies.

"They're going to be preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will take very good care of them," Trump said.

Those in favor of shuttering the agency have pointed to the "Nation’s Report Card," the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released every two years, released on Jan. 27. The exam tests fourth and eighth grade students and found almost stagnant math scores for eighth graders compared to 2022. Reading scores dropped two points at both grade levels.

As a result, Trump said without evidence that new efforts to upend the Department of Education would allow states like Texas to provide education comparable to countries like Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

"And then you'll have some laggards, and we'll work with them," Trump said. "And we can all tell you who the laggards will be, right now, probably, but let's not get into that."

Here’s also what Trump did this week: 

Trump called for the impeachment of Judge James Boasberg of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in a social media post Tuesday, prompting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare statement condemning Trump’s remarks.

Trump’s pushback stems from Boasberg issuing an order on Saturday halting the Trump administration from deporting migrants allegedly part of the Tren de Aragua gang under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The law permits deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing.

The flights carrying the migrants continued to El Salvador, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Sunday the order had "no lawful basis" since Boasberg issued it after the flights departed from U.S. airspace.

JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP'S ORDERS ARE ACTING ‘ERRONEOUSLY,' WHITE HOUSE SAYS

In response to Boasberg’s order, Trump said the judge should be impeached. However, Roberts said that "it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision." 

Boasberg’s order is one of multiple injunctions issued against the Trump administration, blocking various executive orders he’s signed since taking office in January. The White House has accused judges of behaving as partisan activists to stop Trump’s agenda. 

"I would like to point out that the judges in this country are acting erroneously," Leavitt said in a Wednesday news briefing. "We have judges who are acting as partisan activists from the bench."

Trump also announced that Boeing had won out among defense companies for a contract to build the Air Force’s next-generation fighter jet, known as the F-47. 

"I’m thrilled to announce that at my direction the United States Air Force is moving forward with the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet," Trump said Friday in the Oval Office at the White House. "Nothing in the world comes even close to it, and it’ll be called the ‘F-47,’ the generals picked that title." 

BOEING TO BUILD NEXT-GEN ‘F-47’ US FIGHTER JET, TRUMP ANNOUNCES

The Next Generation Air Defense initiative that the Biden administration put on the back burner will oversee the effort. The Trump administration revived the program, a move that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Friday "sends a very direct, clear message to our allies that we're not going anywhere, and to our enemies that we will be able to project power around the globe." 

An experimental version of the jet has been covertly flying for "years," according to Trump. 

"The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built," Trump said. 

Trump also spoke with both Putin and Zelenskyy this week over the phone, amid ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. 

Following the calls, both Russia and Ukraine agreed to a limited ceasefire against energy. The next step is for respective teams to conduct meetings to navigate how to reach a full ceasefire, according to the White House. 

"Technical teams will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to discuss broadening the ceasefire to the Black Sea on the way to a full ceasefire," the White House said in a statement Thursday. "They agreed this could be the first step toward the full end of the war and ensuring security. President Zelenskyy was grateful for the President’s leadership in this effort and reiterated his willingness to adopt a full ceasefire."

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report. 

Reporter’s Notebook: Impeachapalooza is here to stay

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

And you thought they just wanted to impeach former President Joe Biden.

Maybe former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – whom the House did impeach last year.

How about former FBI Director Christopher Wray? Former Attorney General Merrick Garland? Former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin?

That is so 2023.

INJUNCTION LIFTED ON TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS SLASHING FEDERAL DEI SUPPORT

This is 2025. The Biden administration is long gone.

But the concept of impeachment hasn’t waned for some House Republicans. And even for President Donald Trump.

D.C. Circuit Court Judge James Boasberg ordered a two-week halt to the deportation of Venezuelan gang members after Trump leaned on the Enemy Aliens Act of 1798 to remove them from the U.S.

The president didn’t mention Boasberg by name, but he whipsawed the jurist on social media.

"This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!" wrote President Trump. He characterized Boasberg as a "Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama."

Elon Musk has pushed for the removal of judges whose rulings run afoul of the administration. But freshman Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, introduced articles of impeachment for Boasberg, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors."

Gill argues that Boasberg "has done exactly what the Supreme Court commanded not be done." Gill’s resolution asserts that Boasberg "illegitimately tried to substitute his own judgment for the elected President of the United States."

There are a total of four federal judges who could face articles of impeachment in the House.

It’s unclear whether this effort could pick up steam. If conservatives wanted to go to the mat, they could try to make their impeachment resolutions "privileged" in the House. That would compel the House to consider such a proposal immediately. It also would go over the head of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW BAN ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., filed articles of impeachment for Biden two years ago. After inaction, Boebert attempted to fast-track her plan, circumventing the GOP leadership – to say nothing of hearings and preparation of the articles in committee. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., argued that impeachment was "too serious" to sidestep the rigorous steps usually undertaken. So, Republican leaders intervened.

Once Boebert’s resolution was up, they moved to euthanize the plan by sending it to the Homeland Security Committee. The full House actually voted on the motion to dispatch the resolution to committee – not on impeachment. Otherwise, the House would have voted on impeaching Mr. Biden on the spot – committee investigation or not.

The motion to send the resolution to committee actually inoculated a lot of Republicans from political angst. They wanted to talk about impeaching Biden. But few actually wanted to impeach Biden.

Impeachment works the same with federal judges as it does with presidents or cabinet secretaries. The House has only impeached four federal judges in the past 36 years. The most recent impeachments were for the late Judge Thomas Porteous and former Judge Samuel Kent – both in 2009.

After the House impeached Porteous, the Senate conducted a short trial and convicted him. That removed Porteous from the bench. The House also impeached Kent, but he resigned before the Senate could conduct a trial to remove him.

Porteous was accused of accepting cash and bribes from lawyers arguing cases before him. A court convicted and sentenced Kent to nearly three years in jail for sexually abusing female employees. The Senate removed neither based on their judicial rulings.

But here is what to watch:

How much pressure will Trump and Musk apply on Johnson to advance the articles of impeachment?

Johnson may have to finesse this. But Gill and other conservatives could attempt to go over the head of the Speaker, making their resolution "privileged." That is what Boebert did, and it would force the House to tangle with the impeachment articles in some fashion. Republican leaders could move to table the resolution or try to send it to committee. Thus, the actual vote would not be on impeachment but on an issue two steps removed from that.

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts took the extraordinary step of publishing a statement about impeachment threats.

"For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision," said Roberts this week.

Fox is told House GOP leaders are anxious about what to expect from conservative lawmakers, stoked by the possibility of impeachment. GOP leaders simply don’t want to burn valuable time on this issue.

But they’d like to talk about it.

Trump supports a bill crafted by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., titled the "No Rogue Rulings Act." The bill limits the scope of rulings by U.S. district judges, preventing their decisions from carrying nationwide weight.

"The President wants this," two White House sources told Fox News' Liz Elkind.

Issa characterized impeachment as a rather "dull tool" that should be restricted to actual criminality or malfeasance in office – such as the cases with Kent and Porteous. House Republican leaders could also shop the Issa bill to conservatives itching for impeachment as an alternative. However, even if the House were to OK Issa’s legislation, it would likely die in the Senate. It would need 60 votes to clear a filibuster.

By the same token, if the House were to impeach Boasberg or any other judge, pressure mounts on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to hold an impeachment trial. That could chew up valuable floor time as the Senate tries to wrestle with the complex "budget reconciliation" process to avoid a filibuster on President Trump’s plan to cut taxes and reduce the size of government.

Moreover, a Senate impeachment trial certainly would not result in removal. It takes 67 votes to convict a federal judge and extract them from the bench. That is not going to happen.

But the controversy over rulings of federal judges and President Trump’s executive orders won’t dissipate any time soon. Depending on your metric, federal courts have issued around 50 injunctions to halt various administrative moves by the President. There are anywhere from 130 to 140 total legal challenges floating about the court system.

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In 2023 and 2024, lots of conservatives chattered actively about the possibility of impeaching then-President Biden. Some saw it as retribution for the dual impeachments of President Trump. Others knew they could fundraise off impeachment. Maybe score some plaudits on social media. Still, others saw it as good politics in their district. They were happy to talk about impeachment for Biden but not necessarily vote for it. That’s why members looked at low-hanging fruit like Mayorkas. They considered targeting Lloyd Austin and the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Some of the loudest voices in the Republican Party will now clamor for the impeachment of "activist judges." That is what they say publicly, but public conversations are very different from private ones. And that is why "impeachapalooza" is here to stay in the 119th Congress.