Author: NOVA Corp

Lawyers for a coalition of medical groups on Tuesday urged a federal judge to block the Trump administration’s effort to access data on transgender procedures for minors, arguing the FTC demand is unconstitutional and retaliatory.

The case marks a high-stakes legal clash over the Trump administration’s investigation into transgender treatments for minors, with the FTC arguing it is policing potential consumer harm while medical groups say the probe is politically motivated and unconstitutional.

At issue in the lawsuits, filed by the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics, is the FTC’s demand for information from the groups regarding “pediatric gender dysphoria treatment[s]” they provided, according to the FTC, and whether the organizations engaged in false advertising or unfair practices as part of the process.

FLORIDA EXECS SENTENCED IN $233M OBAMACARE FRAUD THAT TARGETED HOMELESS, HURRICANE VICTIMS

The FTC in January launched an investigation into the medical groups, and issued the Civil Investigative Demand, or CID, that prompted the lawsuit.

During back-to-back hearings Tuesday, lawyers for the medical groups urged U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the FTC’s wide-ranging demand for information.

Plaintiffs argued the effort by the FTC was not a legitimate consumer protection effort, but rather a political effort to crack down on transgender procedures for minors and retaliate against the organizations for providing them. 

“Unable to prevail in the marketplace of ideas, the FTC has resorted to burdening AAP with an intrusive and expensive investigation that is unconstitutional and outside the scope of the FTC’s statutory authority,” lawyers for the pediatricians’ group told the court. 

Lawyers for the Trump administration sharply disputed that notion, however. They argued that the FTC has a mandate to ensure consumers are not misled — including in cases when medical procedures are provided to minors. 

Boasberg used the hearing to grapple with concerns about the scope of the FTC’s wide-ranging demand, broader constitutional concerns, as well as the administration’s assertion that the court lacked reviewability to consider the matter entirely.

100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT

Justice Department lawyer John Bailey said any concerns about the scope or limitations of the FTC action should play out via the typical “agency administrative agency process” recognized by the Supreme Court. 

“So the answer is no, that I must quash it or let it proceed — that I have no power to narrow?” Boasberg asked, clarifying.

“My answer, respectfully, would be that you have to let this proceed within the typical agency administrative process,” Bailey responded. 

Boasberg ultimately adjourned court without ruling from the bench, though he indicated he would move quickly on the matter.

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT

The hearings come as Trump takes steps to limit gender transition procedures for minors in his second term.

Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which cut off federal support for transgender procedures for minors. Last year, the Health and Human Services Department proposed a new rule to strip federal Medicare and Medicaid funding for hospitals that provide “sex‑rejecting procedures” for children under the age of 18. 

Concerns over the regulations have prompted dozens of hospitals to shutter their transgender treatment programs in fear of losing federal funding.

A former top official in the Biden administration slammed Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger as wrongly following Joe Biden’s playbook, squandering “goodwill” and allowing the GOP to define her, demanding she “come out of her Biden bunker.”

The swipe comes as former Gov. George Allen offered to debate her virtually on the subject of redistricting if timing was an issue in her original rejection, and Spanberger briskly avoided a Fox News Digital reporter who confronted the tight-lipped governor in Richmond this week.

Michael LaRosa, former first lady Jill Biden’s longtime top aide and spokesperson, slammed Spanberger on Tuesday, unfavorably comparing her to former President Joe Biden and calling a Washington Post poll showing her as the governor with the highest unfavorables dating back to Allen’s era “entirely self-inflicted and avoidable.”

LaRosa called Spanberger’s fall from a landslide-winning candidate to a controversial chief executive “a classic, but all too familiar tale.”

WHO IS ABIGAIL SPANBERGER, AND WHY DID DEMOCRATS CHOOSE HER FOR TO THEIR STATE OF THE UNION RESPONSE?

“[She] came in with a mandate and genuine goodwill, and within months, the GOP succeeded in branding her a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” he said.

“Instead of confronting it, the governor defaulted to the old 1990s ‘don’t give it oxygen’ playbook prescribed for Biden throughout his four years: duck and cover.”

Biden remained out of public view during some controversial points in his tenure, leading pundits to claim he was hiding or stowed away in a “bunker.”

LaRosa added on X that ignoring “attacks, smears and misinformation” doesn’t make them disappear but instead creates a vacuum for Spanberger and allows her opponents to define her.

“What started as silly right-wing noise is now a mainstream narrative, and it’s reflected in her first report card. She needs to channel the badass, confrontational Abby Spanberger from that Nov[ember] 2020 caucus call — spicy, direct and pragmatic.”

‘GIVE ME LIBERTY’ FOUNDING FATHER’S DESCENDANT BLASTS SPANBERGER’S REDISTRICTING PUSH

He suggested she hold regular pressers, get combative with reporters and accept interviews with mainstream media.

“She has to show and tell and climb out of the Biden bunker,” LaRosa said, before borrowing a line President Donald Trump used toward African American voters unsure of whether to break with Hillary Clinton and Democratic Party orthodoxy in 2016:

“What the hell does she have to lose?”

Spanberger’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did representatives for Biden.

After she declined Allen’s invitation to an in-person debate on the merits of the redistricting effort — what some call gerrymandering — being put in front of voters, the Republican said Monday he would re-up his offer with even more favorable terms for Spanberger.

“All of this is a bit confusing; it’s unusual, and it helps the people to hear both sides of it,” Allen said of the redistricting referendum while speaking with Rich Herrera on Richmond’s WRVA radio.

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

Allen, son of Washington Redskins icon George H. Allen, said Spanberger declined his invitation, citing her busy schedule and a pile of bills to review.

He told Herrera that he responded in a letter telling her he fully understands that experience and instead would like to debate virtually, but televised, for one hour, at a time and date and with a moderator of her choosing before the April 21 election.

The last time Democrats held this much power in Virginia, the “Byrd Organization,” led by segregationist former Gov. Harry F. Byrd, maintained it for decades. The Post’s poll shows Spanberger similarly swept Republicans out of Richmond but has already lost much of her political capital just four months in.

Forty-six percent of Virginians disapproved of her job performance, while 47% approved, only four months into her term.

In contrast, predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin saw a 54-39 job approval at this point in his term, with the highest favorability going to Democrat Mark Warner – now Virginia’s senior senator — with a 78-20 rating.

President Donald Trump will meet with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte Wednesday at the White House, just as transatlantic relations within the alliance have frayed during U.S. operations in Iran. 

Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw the U.S. from NATO and slammed European nations for blocking base access and providing limited help to the Iran offensive known as Operation Epic Fury. 

Despite a good relationship with the head of NATO, who once called him “daddy” of the alliance, Trump has said he views NATO as a “one-way street.” 

“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” he said to the alliance in a Truth Social post March 31.

TRUMP PRESSES NATO PARTNERS ON SUPPORT AS HEGSETH BLASTS HESITATION

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also meets with Rutte on Wednesday, told Fox News recently: “After this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to reexamine that relationship. We’re going to have reexamined the value of NATO in that alliance for our country.” 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez closed Spanish airspace to any aircraft — including U.S. bombers departing from the U.K. — involved in strikes against Iran and denied the U.S. use of its in-country bases, the Rota Naval Station and Morón Air Base for any combat, refueling or staging missions related to the Iran conflict.

EX-NATO AMBASSADOR WARNS US AND ALLIES MUST ‘STOP THE SNIPING’ AND UNITE TO END IRAN CONFLICT

President Emmanuel Macron blocked Israeli aircraft from using French airspace to transport U.S.-made munitions intended for the war in Iran, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told Trump in a phone call a “more European NATO” is taking shape.  

European nations have felt the brunt of the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for its natural gas supply and expressed frustration that they were not consulted prior to the start of the Iranian conflict. 

“I am not the commentator on an operation that the Americans decided on with the Israelis alone. They can later regret not being supported in an operation they decided on by themselves. This is not our operation,” Macron told reporters April 2.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth declared a “decisive military victory” in Iran on Wednesday after President Donald Trump agreed to a two-week truce.

Hegseth made the comments during a press conference at the Pentagon, telling reporters that the War Department had succeeded in decimating Iran’s military capabilities.

“This morning, a big day for world peace. Iran wants it to happen. They’ve had enough. Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield. A capital V,” Hegseth said.

“In less than 40 days, one of our combatant commands…CENTCOM, using less than 10% of America’s total combat power, dismantled one of the world’s largest militaries,” he continued. “The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable of defending itself, its people or its territory.

IRAN’S TALLEST BRIDGE COLLAPSES AFTER REPORTED US AIRSTRIKES, IRAN THREATENS AMERICAN ALLIES IN RETALIATION

“We utilized just a fraction of our strength, and Iran suffered a devastating military defeat. Together with our Israeli partners. America’s military achieved every single objective on plan, on schedule, exactly as laid out from day one,” he said.

Trump agreed to a two-week truce with Iran on Tuesday night, saying Iran had agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz while wider negotiations continue.

In a Truth Social post early Wednesday, Trump suggested Iran was ready to reach a peace agreement and said the U.S. would help manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

TRUMP REVEALS IRAN MADE ‘SIGNIFICANT PROPOSAL’ AFTER ULTIMATUM, BUT ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’

“A big day for World Peace! Iran wants it to happen, they’ve had enough! Likewise, so has everyone else! The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote. “There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process.”

Trump said the U.S. will be “loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin’ around’ in order to make sure that everything goes well.” He added, “I feel confident that it will.”

“Just like we are experiencing in the U.S., this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!!!” Trump added.

Trump later referenced a 15-point peace agreement the U.S. is negotiating for. Iran has previously proposed a 10-point plan.

Fox News’ Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.

Vice President JD Vance says the current ceasefire with Iran is “fragile” but could hold if Tehran negotiates in good faith.

Vance made the comments during a conference in Hungary on Wednesday, saying President Donald Trump won’t hesitate to use drastic tools if Iran breaks the truce. Trump has agreed to a two-week ceasefire predicated on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“This is why I say this is a fragile truce,” Vance said. “You have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal, and then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we’ve already struck.”

“If the Iranians are willing in good faith to work with us, I think we can make an agreement,” Vance continued. “If they’re going to lie, if they’re going to cheat, if they’re going to try to prevent even the fragile truce that we’ve set up from taking place, that they’re not going to be happy.”

TRUMP TO ADDRESS NATION ABOUT IRAN AS HE SIGNALS WAR COULD END WITHIN WEEKS

“What the president has also shown is that we still have clear military, diplomatic and, maybe most importantly, we have extraordinary economic leverage,” he added. “So the President has told us not to use those tools. He’s told us to come to the negotiating table. But if the Iranians don’t do the exact same thing, they’re going to find out that the president of the United States is not one to mess around. He’s impatient. He’s impatient to make progress.”

News of the truce came Tuesday night, barely an hour before Trump’s 8 p.m. ET deadline, at which he had threatened to begin targeting Iranian energy infrastructure.

The president said the postponement is subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.”

VANCE SAYS IRAN HAS ‘2 PATHWAYS’ AS 12-HOUR DEADLINE LOOMS, PRAYS US ON ‘GOD’S SIDE’ IN NIXING NUCLEAR THREAT

The administration also received a 10-point proposal from Iran for a wider peace deal, and officials “believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

The Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran responded in a statement, thanking Pakistani mediators for their “tireless efforts” to end the war in the region, and agreeing to cease defensive operations if attacks against Iran are halted.

For a period of two weeks, Iran said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz “will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces” and with “due consideration of technical limitations.”

MARCO RUBIO WARNS IRAN WANTED TO BE THE ‘NEXT NORTH KOREA’ AS HE SEES ‘FINISH LINE’ IN CONFLICT

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote in a statement the ceasefire will apply “everywhere,” including Lebanon, effective immediately.

“I warmly welcome the sagacious gesture and extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes,” Sharif said. “Both parties have displayed remarkable wisdom and understanding and have remained constructively engaged in furthering the cause of peace and stability. We earnestly hope, that the ‘Islamabad Talks’ succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in coming days!”

Further talks between the U.S. and Iran are set to begin on Friday.

Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

Photos obtained by Fox News Digital offer a rare glimpse into the high-end lifestyle of the niece and grandniece of the late Iranian terror mastermind Qasem Soleimani.

Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, 47, identified as Soleimani’s niece, and her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, 25, were taken into custody last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after the State Department revoked their green cards, according to an announcement over the weekend from the State Department. 

Afshar, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has been an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime, celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to the United States as the “Great Satan.” Afshar and Hosseiny are just a few relatives of Iranian regime clerics and IRGC commanders embedding themselves in the Western societies their relatives regularly denounce and fight against.

“These women are posting in bikinis, on yachts, they are wearing v-neck dresses down to their bellybuttons, they are wannabee Instagram influencers. All on the blood money – money that was embezzled, stolen from the Iranian people. And there’s thousands of them, not just two, there’s thousands in the U.S. and in Canada and in London,” Sheila Nazarian, who fled Iran as a child, told Fox News’ Dana Perino. 

MAJOR NATIONAL SECURITY VULNERABILITY EXPOSED AS DHS REVEALS HOW RELATIVES OF TERROR ARCHITECT ALLOWED INTO US

“And, they are such hypocrites. You can show a few strands of hair in Iran, get 74 lashes – I’ve seen women kicked to the ground, kicked in their head while on the ground for violating the hijab policy in Iran,” she continued. “Women have been raped, women have been killed for showing their hair. Much less, these women showing – like if you look at their Instagram it’s infuriating – they’re on yachts, they’re on helicopters, they’re shopping on Rodeo Drive half-naked, and it’s almost like rules for thee but not for me on full display.”

Photos taken shortly after federal officials intercepted Afshar and her daughter at their home several miles outside of downtown Los Angeles, provide a glimpse into the pair’s life and the home they were residing in and renting out to tenants. Images of the roughly half-a-million dollar property, which, according to the New York Post, was bought by Afshar in 2021, show the small Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Afshar resided in, the main property it was attached to, and a Model 3 Tesla she reportedly drove. 

Afshar lived in a small ADU behind that main property, while her daughter handled leasing obligations virtually for her mother, who reportedly does not speak English well enough to do so herself. Photos of the main property showed furniture laid out in the front lawn.

Inside the ADU, a selfie ring-light, a flat-screen television mount, a box for a flat-screen television, and a life-sized female mannequin can be seen. On the outside, the ADU looks modest and rather unexciting, but the main property can be seen with furniture and other items strewn across the front of the property.  

In addition to photos of the exterior of the main residence and its ADU, photos were also captured at the property of a Model 3 Tesla stuffed with luxury brand-name goods, which reportedly belonged to Afshar, or her daughter. Prior to Afshar deleting her Instagram page, she could reportedly be seen posing in designer outfits, next to a helicopter, in scantily clad swimwear showing off stomach tattoos and lounging on a jet-ski, and more.

PARENTS OF MACDILL BOMB SUSPECTS ARE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, DHS WARNS OF BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP DANGERS 

Inside the Tesla, photos showed a Miss Dior bag on one of the seats, designer cushions, a Sephora makeup bag, and other bags stuffed with things. Papers, including what appeared to be parking tickets, as well as something with Arabic writing on it, were also pictured inside the vehicle. 

The move to arrest Afshar and Hosseiny is just one of the latest targeting Iranian-regime counterparts and their families for living comfortable lives within the United States. Earlier this month, the State Department also terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of a former senior Iranian official, and her husband. Both are no longer in the U.S. and are barred from reentry.

Meanwhile, Eissa Hashemi, the son of a former Iranian-regime spokesperson dubbed “Screaming Mary” by the American media when she led the communications drive for a group of Iranian militants in 1979 when they stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held dozens of Americans hostage for over a year, is also facing calls to be investigated and deported, according to online petitions. His life in Los Angeles was described by the New York Post as “affluent.” 

Acting Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that both Afshar and her daughter entered the U.S. in 2015. Afshar entered on a tourist visa in June, while her daughter, Hosseiny, entered in July on a student visa. Both were granted asylum status by a judge in 2019.

Bis added that Afshar became a green card holder under the Biden administration in 2021, giving her permanent lawful status. Two years later, in 2023, Hosseiny also got her green card, gaining permanent lawful status. 

According to Bis, Soleimani Afshar even filed a naturalization application last July. On her application, she disclosed that she had traveled to Iran at least four times since being issued a green card. Bis said these trips to Iran “illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent.”

FIRST ON FOX: A far-left activist group with ties to anti-ICE protests, Antifa, and broader left-wing organizing is openly calling for a “political revolution” and a sweeping overhaul of the American system that includes pressure on college campuses, according to newly obtained training materials.

Slides from a March 2026 Sunrise Movement membership meeting, obtained by Defending Education, lay out a vision to “structurally change the foundations of this country” in pursuit of “eco-socialism” and a “multi-racial democracy.”

The internal presentation outlines what the group describes as its “grand objective,” including the passage of Green New Deal legislation and dismantling what it calls the “billionaire 2 party system.”

In a slide called “On the road to revolution,” the group outlines the top three goals of “Phase 1,” which include: “‘Stop Trump’s grip on power,” “build up to mass noncooperation” with protests like May Day, and “use the 2026 midterms to to build toward electoral breakthrough — win big.”

SCATHING REPORT REVEALS ANTIFA-LINKED ORG PASSING OUT MATERIAL TO K-12 STUDENTS: ‘POLITICAL REVOLUTION’

The plan for Phase 2, which takes place in 2028, includes “MASS strikes,” “Huge historic 2028 turnout for our candidate,” “biggest tentpole of masses against Trump + his billionaires.”

The Phase 3 “political revolution” is planned for 2029 to 2031, and Phase 4 in 2032 and beyond is titled “The New System,” which the presentation says will include: “Happiness (maybe).”

The materials highlight specific actions to target corporations, including hotel chains. One slide outlines tactics such as “booking and cancelling reservations at Hilton Hotels” as part of a broader pressure campaign, while another calls on college students to push schools to cut ties with companies labeled as “ICE enablers like Hilton” in an effort to “topple the corporate pillar.”

The strategy ties campus activism directly to national objectives, encouraging students to use institutional relationships, such as university vendor contracts, to drive corporate boycotts and broader disruption.

DOZENS ARRESTED AFTER PROTESTERS TAKE OVER NYC HOTEL LOBBY DURING ANTI-ICE DEMONSTRATION

In addition, the presentation lays out three potential political scenarios the group says could unfold in the coming years. One, labeled a “full dictatorship,” envisions Trump allegedly “steal[ing]” future elections, using the military to suppress opposition, and ending free speech.

A second scenario, described as a “seesaw democracy,” predicts Democrats could win elections but be unable to govern effectively due to institutional constraints, leading to shifting public opinion and the eventual return of “authoritarians.”

The third and preferred outcome outlined in the slides calls for “mass noncooperation and huge electoral turnout” to remove Trump and his allies from power, followed by broad public support to dismantle the current political system and enact sweeping economic and social reforms.

“While calls for a ‘political revolution’ by left-wing activist groups are not unique, these coordinated plans to put economic and social pressure on universities to achieve a socialist ‘democracy’ should raise serious concerns,” Rhyen Staley, director of research at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital. “Our academic institutions should be places of higher learning, discovery, and robust debate around ideas and policies, not weaponized or punished to achieve a ‘structural change’ to the political foundations of this country.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Sunrise Movement for comment. 

Sunrise Movement’s far-left ties were enough to spark concern from the House Judiciary Committee chairman in November, Fox News Digital first reported, particularly its links to Antifa, a movement the Trump administration has labeled a terrorist organization.

Far-left activist groups like the Sunrise Movement have been calling for a nationwide strike on May 1, the traditional May Day holiday that has long been embraced by communist and socialist movements as a day of mass political action.

At a No Kings Rally in St. Paul, Minnesota, in late March, Fox News Digital reported that Ezra Levin, the co-founder of Indivisible, the protest’s key organizer, joined the communist call for a national strike and urged protesters to prepare for economic disruption on May Day, similar to a shutdown that saw limited success in Minneapolis during protests on Jan. 23 against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I want everyone here to put this on their calendar… It is a tactical goal, an escalation… It is an economic show of force, inspired by Minnesota’s own day of truth and action,” Levin told the crowd.

Levin continued, “On May 1, on May Day, we are saying, ‘No business as usual.’ No work, no school, no shopping. We’re going to show up and say, ‘We’re putting workers over billionaires and kings.’”

Fox News Digital’s Asra Q. Nomani contributed to this report.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., continued calling for President Donald Trump’s ouster on Tuesday even after the president announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran.

“This statement changes nothing,” she asserted in a post on X, referring to the president’s Tuesday evening ceasefire announcement. “Whether by his Cabinet or Congress, the President must be removed from office.”

Prior to the ceasefire announcement, Trump, who had been threatening to unleash a devastating attack against Iranian power plants and bridges, sent the following warning in a Tuesday morning Truth Social post: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”

Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the progressive cadre of lawmakers known as “The Squad,” responded by declaring in a post on X, “This is a threat of genocide and merits removal from office. The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted. To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat.”

But then on Tuesday night, Trump announced a two-week ceasefire.

TRUMP AGREES TO 2-WEEK CEASEFIRE IF IRAN OPENS STRAIT OF HORMUZ

“Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!” the president wrote in part of a Truth Social post. “Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.”

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in part of a statement, “If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations. For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.”

But even in light of Trump’s ceasefire announcement, Ocasio-Cortez asserted that the president’s “statement changes nothing.”

“The President has threatened a genocide against the Iranian people, and is continuing to leverage that threat. He has launched a massive war of enormous risk and of catastrophic consequence without reason, rationale, nor Congressional authorization – which is as clear a violation of the Constitution as any. Each day this goes on, the risk and criminality of these actions escalate for our nation and the world,” she wrote in the post on X.

EX-TRUMP ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE JOINS LEFT-WING CALLS FOR THE 25TH AMENDMENT AS IRAN DEADLINE NEARS

“Moreover, this administration’s self enrichment, insider trading, and pure corruption off this chaos – from crypto currencies to predictive trading markets to bribe ‘settlements’ – has placed the Trump administration’s pursuit of personal wealth squarely against the wellbeing of our nation and its people. All of these incidents, and plenty more, have clearly driven our country past the threshold for impeachment or invocation of the 25th amendment,” she continued.

“We cannot risk the world nor the wellbeing of our nation any longer. None of these considerations should be partisan, but shared in good faith by Americans of all backgrounds who care for the safety and stability of the United States. Whether by his Cabinet or Congress, the President must be removed from office. We are playing with the brink,” she wrote.

AOC TELLS TROOPS TO REFUSE ‘ILLEGAL’ ORDERS AHEAD OF TRUMP’S LOOMING IRAN DEADLINE

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment early on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump’s support for his war with Iran began to publicly fray within his own party, as some in the GOP bucked the president’s threat Tuesday morning.

Trump has for several days suggested he would order the military to destroy much of Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including energy sites and bridges, if the country does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump planted that flag again Tuesday morning, declaring that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not act before his 8 p.m. Eastern deadline. While the threat was reversed shortly before the deadline in a Truth Social post revealing a two-week ceasefire after talks with Pakistani leaders, Trump’s strategy is unpredictable.

“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,” Trump wrote. “On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution.”

EX-TRUMP ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE JOINS LEFT-WING CALLS FOR THE 25TH AMENDMENT AS IRAN DEADLINE NEARS

He added the administration received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and officials “believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

While Republicans have largely kept quiet about the war, many are refusing to use the term despite Trump referring to it as such on several occasions. But his latest threat has rattled some in the GOP, who view it as a betrayal of how America operates in wartime.

Still, they aren’t calling for Congress to reassert itself as Operation Epic Fury continues in the Middle East. 

“So, let me be clear: I do not support the destruction of a ‘whole civilization,’” Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, wrote on social media Tuesday afternoon. “That is not who we are, and it is not consistent with the principles that have long guided America.”

“I have and will continue to support a strong national defense—one that is focused, disciplined, and firmly rooted in protecting the safety and security of the American people,” the Texas Republican added. “But, how we protect the lives of the innocent is just as important as how we engage the enemy.”

And Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has bucked Trump on Venezuela but largely toed the party-line on Iran, called for the saber-rattling to end. 

She charged that his threat “cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran.”

“This type of rhetoric is an affront to the ideals our nation has sought to uphold and promote around the world for nearly 250 years,” Murkowski said on X. “It undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home.”

DEMOCRATS THREATEN TO GRIND SENATE TO A HALT TO FORCE PUBLIC IRAN HEARINGS

Others, like Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a close ally of the president’s, hoped that Trump’s threat was “bluster.” 

“I do not want to see that we are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them,” Johnson said. 

Though they are publicly breaking with the latest threat, none have called for legislative action. Both Murkowski and Johnson have repeatedly voted against war powers resolutions pushed by Senate Democrats seeking to block Trump’s authority in Iran.

Still, Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, has vowed to oppose more funding for the president’s Iran campaign until Congress votes to authorize the war, and former Republican-turned independent Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., wants Congress to conduct oversight of the president’s Iran campaign. 

Neither chamber has conducted an oversight hearing so far. 

“The United States does not destroy civilizations. Nor do we threaten to do so as some sort of negotiating tactic,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., who recently left the Republican Party ahead of a potentially bruising reelection bid, wrote on social media.

Congressional Democrats erupted against Trump’s threat Tuesday with many lawmakers calling for the president’s impeachment or removal via the 25th Amendment. Some Democrats, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., have said those proposals are “unrealistic” in the face of widespread GOP opposition.

The House and Senate are not scheduled to return to Washington until the week of April 13.

Armstrong County Sheriff Frank Pitzer said multiple people fled federal agents and abandoned vehicles in the street during a chaotic scene outside a PennDOT licensing center near Kittanning, Pennsylvania, where more than a dozen illegal immigrants were ultimately arrested.

“It went even as far as people exiting their vehicles and abandoning them on the street,” Pitzer told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

Authorities said the incident followed tips from the public reporting numerous suspected immigrant drivers — many operating tractor-trailers — outside the West Kittanning Driver’s Licensing Center.

One witness told Fox News Digital he contacted DHS and filmed the scene Friday morning after noticing an “unusual amount” of people gathered outside the facility.

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Pitzer said he received reports that multiple individuals attempted to flee when agents arrived, as eyewitness accounts described brief chaos in the area. The sheriff told the paper he supports Trump’s enforcement efforts but wanted to see a “better plan” in situations like Friday’s, where he said only a “handful” of agents tried to handle “over 100 people.”

Zach Scherer, a Butler-area firefighter and activist who was in attendance when President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated in that adjoining county in 2024, told Fox News Digital he filmed video early Friday showing an unusually large number of people outside the DLC.

“I reached out to local law enforcement as well as a call to DHS Pittsburgh [to] let them know,” Scherer said.

“That’s when police came, as well as ICE. Later in the afternoon when I got to the DMV, there was still ICE present and 13 illegals were arrested,” said Scherer, who also shared video from the DLC he took himself.

Another man walked into the DLC and began filming and asking those in line where they were from. One man said “China,” which the videographer suggested was a sarcastic remark, while others said “Pakistan.” It remained unclear if any of the men in the original videos that prompted the tips were the illegal immigrants ultimately captured by the feds.

DLC neighbor Gary Klingensmith also recounted the scene to KDKA, saying that when officers opened big-rig cab doors, “like 10 people came out” of some of them.

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People began running through yards to escape ICE and there were “multiple” big rigs in the DLC lot, he said.

A DHS spokesperson confirmed much of the situation to Fox News Digital on Monday, adding that the East Franklin Township Police Department also called ICE after several citizens reported an “abnormally large amount of individuals outside the [DLC] in Kittanning.”

The spokesperson said 13 illegal immigrants — including individuals from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan — were arrested, and one may also face additional charges of resisting arrest and assault on an officer.

“Residents thanked ICE for investigating their concerns and responding to their calls. The incident remains under investigation,” the spokesperson said.

Alexis Campbell, a spokeswoman for PennDOT, told Fox News Digital the agency did not coordinate with federal officials in “any capacity in relation to this activity” and suggested the rush of truckers to the DLC was likely spurred by a coincidental mass expiration or required adjustment of key records.

“The West Kittanning Driver License Center was processing medical form updates for current holders of non-domiciled commercial learner’s permit or driver license holders, which resulted in a large number of customers at West Kittanning.”

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Campbell said PennDOT follows all state and federal laws to issue licenses to “lawfully present individuals” and that it uses the federal SAVE system to verify legal presence.

The Shapiro administration has been at odds with DHS after multiple Pennsylvania-issued licenses were found during arrests of illegal immigrant non-domiciled truckers around the country.

An illegal immigrant with a Northeast Philadelphia address was arrested during a roadside immigration operation in Oklahoma, sparking a dispute between the Trump administration and Gov. Josh Shapiro over who was the negligent party.

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Harrisburg officials previously told Fox News Digital that then-Secretary Kristi Noem needed to better upkeep her database of lawful residents.

Campbell noted PennDOT remains under a federal pause on issuing new non-domiciled CDLs by USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

“Per the direction of FMCSA, no non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits or driver licenses were issued or reissued. PennDOT remains steadfast in following state and federal law and there is no activity or transaction occurring at West Kittanning or elsewhere that violates state or federal law.”

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USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy’s office declined comment, while a representative for Shapiro told Fox News Digital that PennDOT’s statements speak for the governor.

Duffy has been highlighting the scourge of illegal immigrants holding non-domiciled CDL licenses in the time since an Indian national allegedly killed a carload of people on Florida’s Turnpike last year while navigating an illegal U-turn near Port St. Lucie last year.

The news in Kittanning came as ICE separately arrested more than 800 people due to tips and records provided by TSA officials for the first 12 months of President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a Reuters report.

The report cited the TSA’s Secure Flight Program as the source for the 31,000 total traveler records reviewed by authorities. That database was created in 2007 to help DHS check for potential passengers on terrorist and other federal watch lists.