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President Donald Trump isn’t ‘trolling’ when it comes to efforts to acquire Greenland and make Canada the 51st state. 

Trump has discussed acquiring Greenland, Canada and Panama for months — and regularly has referred to Canada as the 51st U.S. state. Despite skepticism from some, Trump said in an interview with TIME magazine published Friday that he’s serious about these proposals. 

When asked by TIME’s Eric Cortellessa whether Trump was ‘trolling a bit’ suggesting Canada join the U.S., Trump replied, ‘Actually, no, I’m not.’

 

Cortellessa then asked if Trump intended to ‘grow the American empire,’ prompting Trump to double down on the significance of acquiring these key pieces of territory. 

‘Well, it depends as an empire, it wasn’t, these are not things that we had before, so I’d view it a little bit differently if we had the right opportunity,’ Trump said. ‘Yeah, I think Greenland would be very well off if they I think it’s important for us for national security and even international security.’

Trump also claimed the U.S. is ‘losing’ money supporting Canada, and the only solution on the table is for it to become a state. 

‘We’re taking care of their military,’ Trump said. ‘We’re taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don’t need them to make cars for us. In fact, we don’t want them to make cars for us. We want to make our own cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state.’

The TIME piece was published a day after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters that Trump routinely discusses Canada becoming a state, claiming that Trump brings it up ‘all the time.’ Carney has previously shut down any notions that Canada will become a U.S. state. 

Meanwhile, Trump has emphasized that Greenland is key for national security purposes. While the Danish territory has said it is seeking independence from Copenhagen and isn’t inclined to join the U.S., Trump has voiced a strong desire to secure Greenland amid increase Russian and Chinese presence in the Arctic.

‘If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that,’ Trump told reporters in March. ‘We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody to take care of that situation. And we’re not talking about peace for the United States, we’re talking about world peace, we’re talking about international security.’


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A federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked a portion of President Donald Trump’s executive order on election integrity that is popular among Americans, according to a Gallup poll.

The portion of the order that Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia struck down included provisions related to requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Less than two weeks before the 2024 election, Gallup found that 84% of U.S. adults were in favor of requiring voters to show identification and 83% supported requiring proof of citizenship when registering for the first time. 

When broken down by party, 67% of Democrats, 84% of Independents and 98% of Republicans were in favor of mandating voter ID. The party breakdown over proof of citizenship was similar, with 66% of Democrats, 84% of Independents and 96% of Republicans supporting the idea.

Kollar-Kotelly, however, argued that Trump did not have the authority to issue such an order, as the Constitution delegates control of election regulations to Congress and states.

‘Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would affect many of the changes the President purports to order,’ Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton appointee, wrote in her order. ‘No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.’

Earlier this month, the House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require states to obtain proof of citizenship for those registering to vote in a federal election. Additionally, the act mandates that all non-citizens be removed from voter rolls. The Senate still needs to pass the measure before it can reach Trump’s desk.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who sponsored the bill in the House, wrote, ‘In order to preserve this republic, we must uphold what it means to be able to vote in a U.S. election. I am grateful that my colleagues answered the call and passed the SAVE Act, as this serves as a critical first step to ensure that we maintain election integrity throughout our country.’

So far in 2025, five states have enacted voter ID requirements, and one has mandated proof of citizenship for registration, according to Voting Rights Lab. Additionally, 25 states are considering bills that would mandate proof of citizenship, while 40 are mulling legislation requiring voter ID.


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President Donald Trump’s message for Russian President Vladimir Putin to ‘STOP!’ airstrikes on Ukraine echoes a comment made by former President Joe Biden in 2022 in which he repeatedly warned Putin against using chemical or nuclear weapons in the conflict. 

‘I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the peace deal DONE,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday as Russian airstrikes rocked Kyiv. 

Three years ago, during an interview with CBS News, Biden was asked, ‘As Ukraine succeeds on the battlefield, Vladimir Putin is becoming embarrassed and pushed into a corner — And I wonder Mr. President what you would say to him if he is considering using chemical or tactical nuclear weapons?’ 

‘Don’t. Don’t. Don’t,’ Biden responded. ‘It will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II.’ 

The Thursday attack on Ukraine killed at least 10 and injured at least 90, including children, Ukraine said. 

Trump’s message to Putin to ‘STOP!’ was criticized on the Friday cover of the New York Post, which featured the headline ‘Words aren’t enough.’

On Friday morning, as Trump was leaving the White House to fly to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, he told reporters ‘I think Russia and Ukraine — I think they’re coming along, we hope. It’s very fragile.’

‘We’re working on plenty of things that shouldn’t be worked on, because none of this stuff should have happened. This should have been taken place by Biden. It should have been fixed by Biden. But he couldn’t do it. Nor could he come close to doing,’ Trump added.

He also said he has ‘no deadline’ to resolving the war in Ukraine, but that he just wants to do it ‘as fast as possible.’

Trump administration officials claimed they had productive talks with Putin, but they have yet to secure a deal that would end the war that has been raging since Russia’s February 2022 invasion. 

Recently, several members of the administration suggested that the U.S. could end its efforts to secure a peace deal if Ukraine and Russia do not start making significant moves toward ending the war. 

White House envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow on Friday to meet with Putin. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also told CBS News that the Kremlin is ‘ready to reach a deal’ to end the war. In an excerpt of an interview that is set to air in full on Sunday, Lavrov said he agreed with Trump’s assertion that talks between Ukraine and Russia were ‘moving in the right direction.’ 

However, Lavrov added there were ‘some specific points, elements of the deal, which need to be fine-tuned,’ but did not explain what was being negotiated.

Lavrov also apparently made it clear to CBS News that Russia would not give up Crimea, which the country seized from Ukraine in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that his country would not recognize Russian control of Crimea, as it would go against Ukraine’s constitution. Trump slammed Zelenskyy over the ‘inflammatory’ remark and said in a post on Truth Social that the comment was ‘very harmful’ to peace efforts.

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report. 


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Did they or didn’t they?

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he has spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping ‘many times’ but did not say if any of those communications took place since he imposed stiff tariffs on the communist nation. 

Asked for details about those communications, Trump responded by saying ‘I’ll let you know at the appropriate time.’

Trump’s latest comments, which took place before he boarded Marine One to travel to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, come after days of back and forth between the countries over whether they are in direct talks about reducing the tariffs – and whether Trump and Xi have spoken directly to one another since the tariffs were rolled out. 

Trump’s tariffs on China, which have rattled global stock markets and upended supply chains, have ballooned to 145% while China has responded by slapping a 125% tariff on its U.S. imports. 

In a newly published TIME article published Friday morning, Trump is quoted as saying that Xi personally called him to discuss trade matters. 

‘. And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf,’ Trump is quoted as saying, without providing specifics about the timing or content of the call.

When asked what Xi said, Trump sidestepped his response by saying ‘We all want to make deals. But I am this giant store. It’s a giant, beautiful store, and everybody wants to go shopping there. And on behalf of the American people, I own the store, and I set prices, and I’ll say, if you want to shop here, this is what you have to pay.’

‘You have to understand, I’m dealing with all the companies, very friendly countries,’ he said, when asked about trade adviser Peter Navarro, saying 90 deals in 90 days is possible. ‘We’re meeting with China. We’re doing fine with everybody. But ultimately, I’ve made all the deals.’

The TIME interview took place on Tuesday, with Trump saying publicly on the same day that things were going ‘fine with China’ and that the final tariff rate on Chinese exports would come down ‘substantially’ from the current 145%.

Trump also told reporters earlier in the week that ‘everything’s active’ when asked if he was engaging with China, although his treasury secretary had said there were no formal negotiations.

Those comments led to Beijing on Thursday denying any suggestion that it was in active negotiations with the administration.

Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, said during a daily briefing on Thursday that, ‘For all I know, China and the U.S. are not having any consultation or negotiation on tariffs, still less reaching a deal.’

‘China’s position is consistent, and we are open to consultations and dialogues, but any form of consultations and negotiations must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and in an equal manner,’ Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong said.

Asked Thursday about China denying there were any conversations ongoing with the United States, Trump said, ‘We may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning, and we’ve been meeting with China,’ before adding, ‘it doesn’t matter who they is.’

Trump said Tuesday that the hefty tax rate of 145% Americans must currently pay for Chinese imports will likely be reduced significantly.  

While Trump said the rate ‘won’t be zero,’ he expressed optimism over a potential trade deal with China. 

‘One hundred forty-five percent is very high, and it won’t be that high,’ Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office. ‘It will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.’ 

Fox News’ Greg Norman, Bonny Chu and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.


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On April 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced their bold initiative to remove eight petroleum-based synthetic dyes in our nation’s food supply over the next two years, putting us more in line with our friends in the European Union, who have had many of these petroleum-based synthetic dyes banned for years. 

And all I can say is – it’s about time!

From M&Ms to Doritos, many of the foods we snack on contain one or more of the artificial food dyes now on the ‘chopping block’ in the U.S. In fact, a recent Wall Street Journal analysis discovered that 1 out of every 10 food products contains at least one synthetic dye. This means that foods we may not even expect to contain synthetic dyes – such as certain pickles or pre-made pie crusts – include them. 

But does it matter for our health and the health of our children?

In full transparency, the research is not conclusive. There are no clear causal studies showing that these petroleum-based artificial food dyes directly lead to cancer, mental health issues or obesity, among other health conditions. However, as U.S. FDA Commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, and other health experts have highlighted, the growing body of scientific literature shows a clear correlation. 

For example, a report released by the state of California in 2021 suggested that synthetic food dyes are associated with hyperactivity and neurobehavioral issues in some children. Additionally, scientific research examining FD&C Red No. 3 found that it can cause cancer in rats; with no high-quality, human-based studies on the topic, do we really want to ignore this finding and risk FD&C Red No. 3 being a cancer-causing agent in family and friends?

It’s important to remember that a lack of causal studies does not mean these artificial food dyes are safe. The shortage of this level of scientific literature is not because of limited interest, but because such studies are incredibly challenging to conduct, with many environmental and other confounding factors at play that are extremely hard to account for appropriately in a robust way. 

So, while we may only have preliminary studies demonstrating a correlation between synthetic food dyes and health conditions, we must use common sense.

Petroleum-based synthetic food dyes offer no nutritional value. No one can argue they add a health benefit to food products, and – in fact – they are often used in ultra-processed foods that may be addictive and negatively impact an individual’s health and well-being. 

‘The Five’ talks RFK Jr’s. plans to ban some artificial dyes

The goal of synthetic food dyes is to draw in customers to the attractive, long-lasting vibrant colors not found in nature. The use of these dyes may drive up sales for corporate America but – it seems – at the expense of our health and the health of the next generation of Americans.

While the process to remove petroleum-based synthetic food dyes from our food products has commenced officially in full force, we will not wake up tomorrow with grocery store shelves rid of these concerning chemicals. In the interim, we must work to be more educated and thoughtful consumers. 

By making it a habit to look at the ingredient list on food packages, we can know which foods have these artificial dyes and seek alternative products or forgo them altogether. I would urge all of us reduce our intake of products that include these synthetic dyes and focus on adding more whole foods and natural herbs to our diets.

Removing dyes is something ‘every other developed nation’ has already done, says MAHA advisor

The leadership shown by addressing this problem at the national level with clear guidelines and expectations provides much-needed clarity to all stakeholders, including not just companies who make food products but families as well. 

Importantly, the policy doesn’t ban foods or reduce choice; it simply works to make us a healthier nation. We will still have Froot Loops, for example, but the colors we have come to love will need to be created using natural alternatives like turmeric for yellow, beetroot for red, spirulina for blue-green, and carrots for orange, among others.

The Trump administration should be applauded for this important step forward in their ongoing effort to Make America Healthy Again, but there remains much to do to ‘fix’ our nation’s health and healthcare system. 

The opinions, thoughts, and ideas expressed in this article are those of the authors only and not necessarily those of any employers or institutions of which they are affiliated.


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The Trump administration is applauding a major move by a key South American ally in the global fight against terrorism.

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement congratulating Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña for officially labeling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization – a decision the U.S. calls a critical blow to Iran’s terror network in the Western Hemisphere.

‘The United States welcomes President Santiago Peña’s designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization,’ said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

In addition to the IRGC designation, Paraguay also expanded its 2019 designations of the armed wings of Hezbollah and Hamas to include the entirety of both organizations. The Trump administration hailed it as a firm stand against Iranian-backed extremism.

‘Iran remains the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world and has financed and directed numerous terrorist attacks and activities globally, through its IRGC-Qods Force and proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas,’ Bruce said.

The decision is particularly significant in the Tri-Border Area, the region where Paraguay borders Argentina and Brazil, which has long been considered a financial hub for Hezbollah-linked operatives. The State Department said Paraguay’s action will help cut off the Iranian regime’s ability to fund terrorism and operate in Latin America.

‘The important steps Paraguay has taken will help cut off the ability of the Iranian regime and its proxies to plot terrorist attacks and raise money for its malignant and destabilizing activity,’ Bruce added, highlighting the Tri-Border Area as a critical front in this effort.

The Trump administration said it plans to build on this momentum and continue working with allies to confront Iran’s global influence.

‘The United States will continue to work with partners such as Paraguay to confront global security threats,’ Bruce said. ‘We call on all countries to hold the Iranian regime accountable and prevent its operatives, recruiters, financiers, and proxies from operating in their territories.’

This isn’t a one-off. Since his first term, Trump has made confronting Iran’s terror apparatus a cornerstone of his foreign policy. 

In 2018, he pulled the U.S. out of the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), calling it ‘one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.’

Now, the Trump administration is back at the negotiating table, but on its own terms. Two rounds of nuclear talks have already taken place this month, with a third scheduled for later this week. A senior administration official said the discussions have made ‘very good progress,’ though the details remain closely guarded.

As Bruce emphasized, Washington is calling on ‘all countries’ to follow suit in holding ‘the Iranian regime accountable.’


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Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are pushing back against a report saying they have discussed lifting sanctions on Russian energy assets, calling the anonymously sourced article from Politico ‘totally fictitious’ and ‘fake crap.’

The outlet released a report citing internal White House officials Thursday, indicating Witkoff and Rubio had been in discussions about potentially lifting energy-related sanctions as part of a wider peace negotiation to end the war in Ukraine.

‘This is false,’ Rubio and Witkoff said in a joint statement released by the White House. ‘Neither of us have had any conversations about lifting sanctions on Russia as part of a peace deal with Ukraine. This is just totally fictitious and irresponsible reporting from Politico, a fifth-rate publication. If they have an ounce of journalistic integrity, they will fully retract this piece of fiction.’

The report from Politico claimed ‘five people familiar with the discussions’ said Witkoff has been a ‘main proponent’ of lifting sanctions against Russian energy assets, including the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, one of the country’s main natural gas pipelines that goes to Europe. 

The Politico report claimed Rubio has tried to derail the efforts, saying there is an ongoing rift between U.S. energy export proponents and those who want to improve ties with Russia. 

When reached for comment, a Politico spokesperson said the outlet stands by its reporting.    

‘There isn’t even a kernel of truth to this story – Politico was played by their ‘sources’ yet again,’ Witkoff said in a separate statement posted by his X account after the report was published. ‘It’s embarrassing that they print this type of fake crap.’

‘More bulls— from the liars at Politico smearing Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff with pure fake news,’ Donald Trump Jr. posted on X. ‘How do they get away with continuing to run these fake stories????’

‘I hope Politico has good defamation insurance coverage,’ Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee wrote on social media. ‘Or maybe I don’t.’

‘Politico is a C-rated tabloid, fraught with poor sourcing and a TDS epidemic, pretending to be serious news,’ White House spokesperson Anna Kelly added. ‘This story is one of many pathetic tall tales that have been debunked, but their reporters are too desperate to report fake drama to discern truth from fact.’

Sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline were established during the first Trump administration and waived by President Joe Biden a few months after he entered office. However, Biden reinstituted the sanctions after Russia’s decision to enter into war with Ukraine. 

The energy sector has played a central role in the ongoing negotiations for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. has reportedly proposed taking control of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and is pushing to ink a critical minerals deal to help repay America’s military assistance. The U.S. has also reportedly floated the idea of taking over Ukrainian natural gas pipelines to help with the repayment. 

Russia and Ukraine recently ended a U.S.-brokered temporary truce, agreeing not to attack each other’s energy infrastructure, earlier this month.

But the negotiations reached a critical point after Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. is prepared to walk away from further ceasefire negotiations if the two sides do not strike a deal. Vance’s remarks were followed up by a post on Truth Social by the president, who blasted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing to accept the annexation of Crimea as part of a peace deal.

‘We are very close to a Deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,’ Trump said of Zelenskyy in his post. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on this story but did not receive a response in time for publication.   


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Leaders of a progressive group in the New York City suburbs are looking to protest a front-line House Republican’s town hall on Sunday night – and Fox News Digital got an inside look at their plans.

Footage from the Indivisible Rockland Organizing Committee’s monthly meeting on Wednesday shows one of the group’s leaders discussing ‘potentially [having] thousands of people out front’ of the event in West Nyack being held by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., this weekend.

‘It is a long street, and we’re trying to fill the entire street, so everyone coming into the rally will see people there and recognize it’s not going to be all, like, sunshine and daisies,’ organizer Pascale Jean-Gilles can be seen saying.

Jean-Gilles is also a local elected official in Lawler’s district, serving on the Nyack Village Board of Trustees and as deputy mayor.

‘We want to be able to push back on some of the rules that we feel like are really cutting and chilling our First Amendment rights, like saying that we can’t record it. It’s a public meeting,’ Jean-Gilles said.

The demonstration outside Lawler’s town hall will be a joint-organized effort as well, Jean-Gilles said, with ‘local unions’ and other groups.

And while she made clear that her group was only behind the demonstration outside Lawler’s rally, the local elected official appeared to endorse disruptions inside the event as well.

She said the rally rules made it ‘very clear you cannot whoop or shout or yell,’ but added, ‘There will be things we’re not gonna want to hear from him, and we should be able to make it known.’

‘I think that it looks poorly upon him if he’s kicking people out for just booing him, because that is, as people have seen through thousands of Supreme Court cases, that’s an acceptable form of dissent, and it’s covered under First Amendment rights,’ Jean-Gilles said. 

‘Now, if people are shouting slurs and hate speech, that’s where I absolutely draw the line . . . that only feeds into his argument that we’re all crazy leftists and liberals, as opposed to people who live in this community.’

Jean-Gilles said she and other activists would also prepare suggested questions for town hall attendees.

‘We are prepared, and this will be something we may hand out on the day of – a couple of us have been working on just questions that we think that folks will either want to ask, or maybe want to add their own personal twist to,’ the official said. ‘So we’ll have those prepared for people, that just in case their number gets called, if you didn’t already think of one yourself, have a question that you can be prepared to ask.’

Indivisible is a national left-wing organization whose local offshoots have been targeting Republican town halls for much of this year, encouraging activists to disrupt the events from both inside and outside.

An event listed by Indivisible on the organizing platform Mobilize is advertising a full-day event beginning in New York City and ending at Lawler’s town hall on Sunday.

‘Republicans are planning to cut Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs to fund massive tax cuts for billionaires. Congress will be home for April Recess and must hear from us,’ the event summary read.

‘Join other activists to inform constituents in NY17/Tarrytown of this outrageous bill, urge them to phone Rep. Lawler to oppose it as well as attending Rep. Lawler’s Town Hall on April 27. We’ll be taking Metro North to Tarrytown.’

Democrats are poised to pour enormous time and resources into New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Lawler is widely seen as one of the most vulnerable House Republicans of the 2026 election cycle.

When reached for comment on plans to disrupt the upcoming town hall, Lawler spokesman Ciro Riccardi told Fox News Digital, ‘It is deeply disappointing that far-left radical groups like Indivisible Rockland are planning to disrupt the upcoming town hall.’

‘These actions undermine our democratic process by stifling civil debate, harming the very constituents who attend to discuss critical voter issues. We remain committed to fostering open, respectful dialogue and will take precautions to ensure a safe environment for all attendees,’ Riccardi said.

Jean-Gilles referred Fox News Digital to the Indivisible Rockland Organizing Committee for comment. 

When reached, the group’s steering committee said it had received ‘hundreds’ of messages from constituents who could not get into Lawler’s town hall.

‘In response, we decided to organize a peaceful demonstration outside the venue. This demonstration is meant to give voice to those who were excluded from the room but still want to be part of the democratic process. We want to make it clear that we are not organizing or endorsing any protest activity inside the town hall,’ Indivisible Rockland said. 

‘It is also important to recognize the truth of the matter: This so-called town hall offers very limited opportunities for real public engagement. That is not right, it is not fair, and, in fact, it goes against the spirit of the Constitution.’

Regarding Jean-Gilles, specifically, the group noted she was hosting the event in a personal capacity unrelated to her government role.

‘Her comments during what was a private organizing meeting reflected the consensus of our group and not her official role or anything related to the governance of Nyack. She accurately underscored our values of free expression and clear boundaries against hate speech and harassment,’ the group said.

‘We hope Congressman Lawler does more than just see this demonstration. We hope he listens. The people showing up are his constituents. They are families, workers, students and neighbors who care deeply about this community and are demanding to be heard. This demonstration is not just a sign of civic involvement, it is a message: We are watching, we are engaged, and we expect better from those in power.’


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A federal judge in New Hampshire on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from cutting funding to public schools that maintain diversity programs, a setback to its broader crackdown on DEI.

U.S. District Judge Landya McCafferty said the effort by Trump’s Education Department to block federal funding to public schools that continue to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs likely violates the First Amendment, presenting what she described as ‘textbook viewpoint discrimination.’

At issue is a memo sent by the Education Department this month to public schools nationwide, threatening to withhold Title I federal funds from public schools that continue to ‘unfairly’ promote DEI views or programs.

The effort sparked an immediate wave of concern, and lawsuits, across the country from education groups that cited the importance of Title I funds as a critical source of funding for many low-income public schools.

 

The DEI-slashing effort was met with a wave of court challenges, including a lawsuit filed by the National Education Association, the group’s New Hampshire affiliate chapter, and the Center for Black Educator Development, who challenged the case in New Hampshire’s federal court.

Two other U.S. courts are slated to hear similar challenges to the Education Department’s effort, with one case in Washington, D.C., expected to be heard as early as this week.

McCafferty’s ruling stopped short of issuing a nationwide injunction to block the policy in all 50 states. 

Rather, it blocks the Trump administration from halting the disbursement of Title I funds to any schools that employ or contract with plaintiffs in the lawsuit. 

‘The right to speak freely and to promote diversity of ideas and programs is … one of the chief distinctions that sets us apart from totalitarian regimes,’ McCafferty said in her 82-page opinion, adding that the actions taken by the Education Department ‘threate[n] to erode these foundational principles.’

She also said the Trump administration failed to provide the court with a sufficient definition of the DEI programs that were at risk as a result of the anti-DEI push.

The order comes after the Trump administration and the plaintiffs in the lawsuit reached a short-term agreement to delay the policy from taking force.

That agreement was slated to expire Thursday, prompting the court to rule on the matter.


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A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Thursday blocked a portion of President Donald Trump’s executive order on election integrity, specifically provisions related to providing documentary proof of citizenship before being allowed to register to vote.

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia handed down the order in response to lawsuits filed by three separate groups of plaintiffs over five different provisions in a March 25 Trump executive order relating to election integrity. While Kollar-Kotelly dismissed requests to block three of the provisions, requests to block two other provisions pertaining to a proof of citizenship requirement for voters were granted. 

The first blocked provision sought to compel the Election Assistance Commission to amend standardized national voter registration forms to require documentary proof of citizenship. The second sought to require federal agencies offering voter registration to people on public assistance to ‘assess’ the individual’s citizenship status before doing so.

‘Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States – not the President – with the authority to regulate federal elections. Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would effect many of the changes the President purports to order,’ Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton-appointee, wrote in her order. ‘No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.’

Kollar-Kotelly said she would not block the other provisions that the groups sought to challenge, which cover mail-in ballots and data collection on citizenship status, calling the challenges ‘premature’ and indicating they would be best challenged at the state level.

Earlier this month, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a bill requiring proof-of-citizenship to vote in federal elections. The measure still must pass the Senate, however, before the president can sign it into law. 

Meanwhile, 25 states are considering some form of proof-of-citizenship legislation, according to the Voting Rights Lab, which is tracking such legislation. In total, 15 state constitutions have explicit prohibitions against non-citizen voting.

In addition to Trump’s proof-of-citizenship orders getting shot down, two other federal judges from Maryland and New Hampshire also shot down additional orders from the president related to ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in K-12 public schools on Thursday.

The rulings followed lawsuits filed by the National Education Association, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Maryland chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. The groups argued that making federal funding contingent on whether educators squash their DEI programs violates First Amendment rights granted by the Constitution.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on this article but did not receive a response in time for publication. 


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