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Judge Blocks Trump Order To Shutter Dept. Of Education

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Just in…

A district judge on Thursday blocked President Trump’s executive order calling for the closure of the Department of Education — as well as against the reduction in force that laid off half of the agency’s workers.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun’s order blocks the Trump administration from carrying out the mass-firing at the DOE announced in March and orders that any employees who were already fired be reinstated.

The ruling is a blow to Trump’s efforts to eliminate the department and the quick actions taken by Education Secretary Linda McMahon to make that campaign pledge a reality.  

The plaintiffs “have provided an in-depth look into how the massive reduction in staff has made it effectively impossible for the Department to carry out its statutorily mandated functions,” District Judge Myong Joun said.  

“Defendants do acknowledge, as they must, that the Department cannot be shut down without Congress’s approval, yet they simultaneously claim that their legislative goals (obtaining Congressional approval to shut down the Department) are distinct from their administrative goals (improving efficiency). There is nothing in the record to support these contradictory positions,” his ruling continues.

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The ruling comes just a day after another federal judge blocked Trump’s administration from firing two Democrat members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton found that allowing unilateral firings would prevent the board from carrying out its purpose.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Report: Trump Administration Secures Release Of US Veteran Held In Venezuela

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President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

An American patriot is coming home…

The family of a U.S. Air Force veteran who was wrongfully detained in Venezuela since November 2024, on Tuesday, said he was released.

St. Clair served four tours in Afghanistan. He was honorably discharged in 2019, however struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression while trying to reenter civilian life. He sought treatment in South America, and was arrested by Venezuelan authorities on the border of Venezuela and Columbia in October.

“This news came suddenly, and we are still processing it—but we are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude,” said Scott and Patti St. Clair, Joseph’s parents.

The details surrounding St. Clair’s release were not disclosed.

The family also thanked President Donald Trump, as well as his administration, for securing St. Clair’s release. Trump, Ambassador Ric Grenell, Adam Boehler and Sebastian Gorka, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, had worked to secure Joseph’s release.

“We remain in prayer and solidarity with the families of those who are still being held,” the St. Clairs added per Fox News. “We will never stop loving and supporting them as they continue their fight to be reunited with their loved ones.”

“Joe St. Clair is back in America,” Grenell posted to social media along with photos of himself and the Air Force veteran. “I met Venezuelan officials in a neutral country today to negotiate an America First strategy. This is only possible because @realDonaldTrump puts Americans first.”

In February, St. Clair’s father got a call from the Colombian consulate telling him neighboring Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime had his son hostage.

St. Clair is the seventh American to be released from Venezuela since January. Six others were released from the South American nation on Jan.31, 2025, after Grenell met with Maduro.

Nine other Americans remain in Venezuelan custody. St. Clair and eight of the remaining prisoners were declared wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department on March 3. The ninth is expected to be designated wrongfully detained soon, WSJ reports.

Justice Department Opens Investigation Into Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Photos from the opening of the new Delta Air Lines terminal in LaGuardia Airport in Queens, NY, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019. (Chris Rank for Rank Studios) (Photos from the opening of the new Delta Air Lines terminal in LaGuardia Airport in Queens, NY, o

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for allegedly lying to Congress about his decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic while serving as governor, a source familiar with the probe confirmed to Fox News.

The New York Times first reported that the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington opened the inquiry into Cuomo about a month ago after senior officials in the DOJ demanded an indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams for corruption charges be dismissed.

Cuomo is running in the Democratic primary to serve as the next mayor of New York City, while Adams is seeking re-election as an independent candidate.

“We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple—something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against,” Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesperson told Fox News. “Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political.”

Last year, Republican lawmakers questioned Cuomo about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. House Republicans subsequently recommended the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against him. They accused him of intentionally lying to Congress during the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the excessive number of nursing home deaths.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) referred Cuomo to President Donald Trump’s Justice Department for criminal prosecution. 

Cuomo, who was governor at the time, issued a March 2020 directive that initially barred nursing homes from refusing to accept patients who had tested positive for COVID-19. The directive was aimed at freeing up beds for overwhelmed hospitals. 

More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients were released from hospitals into nursing homes under the directive, which was later rescinded amid speculation that it had accelerated outbreaks. Cuomo has previously said that the directive was based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance at the time.

A report released in March 2022 by the New York state comptroller found Cuomo’s Health Department “was not transparent in its reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes” and it “understated the number of deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%” during some points of the pandemic. 

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi last month, Comer said, “to our knowledge, the Biden Administration ignored this referral despite clear facts and evidence.” He requested that Bondi review the referral and “take appropriate action.” 

“Andrew Cuomo is a man with a history of corruption and deceit, now caught red-handed lying to Congress during the Select Subcommittee’s investigation into the COVID-19 nursing home tragedy in New York,” Comer said in a statement Monday. “This wasn’t a slip-up – it was a calculated cover-up by a man seeking to shield himself from responsibility for the devastating loss of life in New York’s nursing homes. Let’s be clear: lying to Congress is a federal crime. Mr. Cuomo must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The House Oversight Committee is prepared to fully cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation into Andrew Cuomo’s actions and ensure he’s held to account.” 

Biden Cancer Diagnosis Spurs White House Coverup Accusations

Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

The news of former President Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis has sent shockwaves across America.

Biden’s team announced Sunday that he’d been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already metastasized to the bone, adding his family would examine suitable treatment for the “management” of the disease.

The shocking news comes amid heightened scrutiny surrounding the Bidens potential coverup of former President Biden’s mental and physical decline while in office.

On Monday, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) accused the Biden White House of a “political cover up” and lashed out at Biden’s then-White House doctor, though not by name, and accused the physician of having failed to deliver “world class care” to Biden and engaging in a “cover up.”

President Donald Trump posted a message to his Truth Social app on Sunday from himself and First Lady Melania Trump expressing their sympathy and well-wishes for Biden, after it was announced that the former president is battling very serious prostate cancer.

Trump Jr. likewise initially offered an expression of sympathy, by way of reposting a message on his account at X.

Sharing a screenshot that included the message “Politics aside, we wish [President Biden] a speedy recover,” Trump Jr. commented “Agreed 100%.”

In another post three hours later which also included a screenshot, Trump Jr. had a more critical take on the tragic news.

His screenshot showed a message on the nature of Biden’s particular cancer, and calling into question the timeline of when Democrats, or at least the White House, knew about it.

“What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???” he said, with a sarcastic jab at former First Lady Jill Biden.

The hosts of Fox & Friends were in disbelief Monday morning at Joe Biden’s advanced cancer diagnosis despite the “fantastic medical care” that he receives as a former president.

“These are the types of things you look for when you get older,” Kilmeade added. “And very curious to see and somewhat discouraging to think someone could have this type of medical attention and have this get to this point.”

Co-host Charles Hurt added: “Especially because it’s a fairly advanced form so much so that it has metastasized to a bone. And you would think that would give you a lot more time to catch it.”

Later in the show, the curvy couch welcomed Fox News medical expert Dr. Marc Siegel, who echoed their surprise.

“Really, really surprising that it’s this advanced at the time of diagnosis,” he said. “Now, you can miss prostate cancer but most of the time regular screening picks it up. A sitting president I would expect to have advanced screening should not be subject to debate what kind of screening.”

Trump Taps Jeanine Pirro For Top DC Attorney Role

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By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Jeanine Pirro, CC BY-SA 2.0,

President Trump has appointed Jeanine Pirro, a Fox News host and former judge, to serve as the top prosecutor in the District of Columbia.

Trump announced on Truth Social that he was appointing Pirro to the role of U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., on an interim basis.

“In addition to her Legal career, Jeanine previously hosted her own Fox News Show, Justice with Judge Jeanine, for ten years, and is currently Co-Host of The Five, one of the Highest Rated Shows on Television,” Trump posted. 

“Jeanine is incredibly well qualified for this position, and is considered one of the Top District Attorneys in the History of the State of New York,” he continued. “She is in a class by herself. Congratulations Jeanine!”

In a statement to The Hill late Thursday, a Fox News spokesperson said “Jeanine Pirro has been a wonderful addition to The Five over the last three years and a longtime beloved host across FOX News Media who contributed greatly to our success throughout her 14-year tenure. We wish her all the best in her new role in Washington.”

Pirro is just the latest in a slew of Fox hosts, including Pete Hegseth and Sean Duffy, to be plucked from the cable channel to serve in the president’s Cabinet. 

Trump previously nominated Ed Martin, a former defense attorney who represented Americans charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, for the role. Martin has taken on the responsibilities of the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., since January. 

On Thursday, Trump suggested he would put forward another candidate who would receive broader backing than Martin. 

“He wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday. “You know, he’s done a very good job. Crime is down 25% in DC during this period of time … I can only lift that little phone so many times of the day. But we have somebody else.”

“I have to be straight. I was disappointed,” Trump said. “A lot of people were disappointed. But that’s the way it works. Sometimes, you know, that’s the way it works. And he wasn’t rejected, but we felt it would be very — it would be hard. And we have somebody else that will be announcing over the next two days who’s going to be great.” 

The Senate has held up confirming Martin amid concerns from lawmakers.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced Tuesday he wouldn’t endorse Martin. 

Letitia James Leading Charge On New Multistate Lawsuit Over HHS Cuts

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Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Longtime Trump rival Letitia James announced she is leading a coalition of 20 states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s cuts to public health funding and the Department of Health and Human Services,

The lawsuit, filed by James and other state attorneys general, accuses the Trump administration of violating “hundreds” of laws and regulations in attempting to dismantle the Department of Health and Human Services, both by firing thousands of HHS employees in an effort to slash its overall workforce by 20,000 people and shuttering crucial health programs across the U.S.

Their lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of erasing “decades of public health progress” and leaving HHS “unable to execute many of its most vital functions.”

“This administration is not streamlining the federal government; they are sabotaging it,” James said Monday

“When you fire the scientists who research infectious diseases, silence the doctors who care for pregnant people and shut down the programs that help firefighters and miners breathe or children thrive, you are not making America healthy; you are putting countless lives at risk,” James said. 

“This is not how government is supposed to work. These actions are dangerous, cruel and illegal. They defy Congress’s authority and they violate federal law. And that is why today I am leading a lawsuit joined by Democratic attorneys general across the country to stop this administration from tearing down our public health infrastructure.”

The plaintiffs, who filed the lawsuit Monday in the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, are asking the court “to halt the unlawful dismantling of HHS, to stop the mass firings, and to restore the life-saving programs that millions of Americans depend on,” James said.

New York is joined in the lawsuit by the attorneys generals of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

Her remarks come after HHS announced thousands of layoffs in March and April, including at the FDA, the CDC and NIH. 

The lawsuit is not the first time James, a longtime foe of the current president, has sparred with Trump since the start of his second presidential term. She’s joined Democrat attorneys general in more than a dozen other lawsuits challenging his early actions

Former ABC News Anchor Suggests Replacement For Ousted National Security Official

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By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159

Former ABC News journalist Mark Halperin suggested a replacement for President Trump’s National Security Council after Thursday’s shakeup.

Halperin said Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff was Waltz’s likely replacement.

Trump administration National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and other staffers are out at the National Security Council, sources confirmed to Fox News.

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Fox News confirmed Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were purged Thursday. 

Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists. 

Waltz took responsibility for the inclusion of a journalist in the group chat in April, telling Fox News’ Laura Ingraham: “I take full responsibility. I built the group. … It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”

Alex Wong served as Waltz’s principal deputy national security advisor, who was detailed in the Signal chat leak earlier this year as the staffer charged with “pulling together a tiger team” in Waltz’s initial message sent to the Signal group chat in March, the Atlantic reported at the time. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital earlier Monday when asked about reports claiming Waltz and other would be shown the door: “We are not going to respond to reporting from anonymous sources.”

President Donald Trump held a meeting with members of his Cabinet Wednesday, following his 100th day back in office on Tuesday, with Waltz attending the meeting. 

Report: Rubio Says State Had Dossier Accusing Trump Cabinet Member Of Disinformation

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(Miami - Flórida, 09/03/2020) Presidente da República Jair Bolsonaro durante encontro com o Senador Marco Rubio..Foto: Alan Santos/PR

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department under President Biden had labeled one of President Trump’s now-cabinet officials as a purveyor of disinformation and had collected a dossier on their social media posts. 

Rubio did not identify the individual, revealing the information during a round-table meeting of Trump’s cabinet officials, but said it was someone at the table. He said he would hand over the information to the person and allow them the decide whether to make it public.

An unidentified person in the room shouted out, “Was it me or Elon?” referring to Elon Musk, owner of the X social media site, who has used his platform to amplify conspiracy theories and promote falsehoods on political, social and foreign policy issues. 

“We had an office in the Department of State whose job it was to censor Americans,” Rubio said, referring to previous administrations.

“And by the way, I’m not gonna say who it is, I’ll leave it up to them. There’s at least one person at this table today who had a dossier in that building of social media posts to identify them as purveyors of disinformation,” he added.

“We have these dossiers. We are going to be turning those over to these individuals.”

Rubio appeared to be referring to the now-shuttered Global Engagement Center, initially a bipartisan effort to track foreign disinformation online campaigns abroad, but that Republicans accused of policing Americans’ social media activity.

Canadian Conservative Poised To Lose Seat After 20 Years In Stunning Fall From Grace

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A stunning loss for Canadian conservatives…

Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is projected to lose the parliamentary seat he has held for more than 20 years in a stunning defeat to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a state-owned outlet, projected the loss on Tuesday morning following Monday’s federal election.

However, Elections Canada’s decision to pause the counting of special ballots means it remains unclear whether the Liberals, led by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, will walk away with a minority or majority mandate.

Fanjoy, who is projected to take Poilievre’s seat in Parliament, worked in business and marketing and lives in a carbon-neutral house in Manotick, a suburb of Ottawa, according to CBC.

“We have to look out for ourselves, and we have to take care of each other. Let’s get to work,” Fanjoy wrote in a post on X.

In his victory speech, Carney appeared to criticize the U.S. for President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which he called a “betrayal.”

“We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” Carney said in his victory speech. “America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never … ever happen.”

In late 2024, just before Trudeau’s resignation, Poilievre was up 25 points over the unpopular then-prime minister, according to Politico. However, Trump’s tariffs and comments about making Canada the 51st state took over the Great White North’s election cycle, likely fueling Carney and the Liberals’ victory. 

President Trump has repeated remarks referencing Canada potentially becoming the 51st state.

“What I’d like to see — Canada become our 51st state,” Trump said in February in the Oval Office when asked what concessions Canada could offer to stave off tariffs.

Despite Canada being one of the United States’ top trade partners Trump asserted the U.S. did not need Canada’s lumber or automobile production.

The president suggested it’s unlikely the U.S. will annex Canada, partly because neither side would be willing to put up with the economic pain that would be required for that to happen.

“We don’t need them. As a state, it’s different. As a state it’s much different. And there are no tariffs,” Trump said. “So I’d love to see that. Some people say that would be a longshot. If people wanted to play the game right, it would be 100 percent certain that they’d become a state. But a lot of people don’t like to play the game. Because they don’t have a threshold of pain.”

Trump Indicates Plan To Lower or Eliminate Income Taxes Thanks To Tariffs

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This could be huge…

President Donald Trump said that some people’s income taxes will be lowered or perhaps even completely eliminated due to tariffs.

“When Tariffs cut in, many people’s Income Taxes will be substantially reduced, maybe even completely eliminated. Focus will be on people making less than $200,000 a year,” he declared in a post on Truth Social.

“Also, massive numbers of jobs are already being created, with new plants and factories currently being built or planned. It will be a BONANZA FOR AMERICA!!! THE EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE IS HAPPENING!!!” the president added.

The president touched on the subjects of income taxes and tariffs while addressing reporters on Sunday.

“And eventually we’ll be reducing taxes very substantially for the people of our country, because the money is so great coming in from tariffs that I’ll be able to reduce taxes … to a very large extent, and maybe almost completely,” he said.

“And it’s possible we’ll do a complete tax cut, because I think the tariffs will be enough to cut all of the income tax,” he noted. 

The president indicated Americans will be given “a tremendous tax cut,” starting “with people making less than $200,000 dollars a year.”

Trump, who has been in the Oval Office for nearly 100 days, has moved at breakneck speed to revitalize America.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Fox News exclusively that President Donald Trump has accomplished more in the first 100 days of his tenure than “most politicians or presidents accomplish in their entire lifetimes.”

“So much of what we’ve done is leading up to the big reconciliation bill, and that is the legislative vehicle, as I’ve explained to people, it will help us, through which we will deliver the president’s America First agenda,” Johnson told Fox News Digital.

“We’ve done it with arguably the smallest margin in the history of the Congress, so challenges every day, but it’s been very rewarding to lead us through that.”

 The speaker also acknowledged that Trump has acted quite a bit on his own, as well.

“He’s issued, I think, 110 executive orders and many other executive actions. And we’ve been working to codify so much of that. It’s been kind of a partnership,” Johnson said.

“I don’t think we’ve ceded any authority. I think that he’s doing what is within his scope to do. There’s an assumption made by Congress that the administration, whoever is in the administration, will use the money that is appropriated to the executive branch as a good steward, that they will take every measure possible to prevent fraud, waste and abuse,” Johnson said. 

“And tariffs as well – the president, whomever is president, has a responsibility and I think an expectation from Congress that they will deal with unfair trade partners around the globe.”

However, while many conservatives have praised Trump’s recent accomplishments, many Democrats have openly decried the moves and spurred concerns they will seek to impeach Trump if they regain control of Congress.

CNN host Dana Bash recently asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer if he agreed with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) who signaled recently that he would support an impeachment effort against Trump.

“Would that be a priority if Democrats were to take back Congress?” Bash asked. 

“President Trump is violating rule of law in every way. And we’re fighting him every single day in every way. And our goal is to show the American people over and over again, whether it’s the economy, whether it’s tariffs, whether it’s Russia and overseas and whether it’s rule of law, how bad he is. And you know, two years is too far away to predict. Our job is day to day to day, to show who Trump is, what he is doing, and it’s having an effect,” Schumer said.

Bash pressed him further and said, “You’re not saying ‘no.’”

“Look, it’s too far away to even judge,” Schumer responded.

Ossoff signaled support for impeaching Trump during a town hall event in Georgia.

“I saw just 48 hours ago, [Trump] is granting audiences to people who buy his meme coin,” Ossoff said. “There is no question that that rises to the level of an impeachable offense. And the reality is that that’s just one of many [examples] — defying a federal court order, for example.”