Author: NOVA Corp

  • WATCH: Trump goes viral for illustrating how to cut government waste with his favorite White House pen

    President Donald Trump turned heads again this week for a viral Cabinet meeting tangent about a favorite custom White House Sharpie. He said the marker is an example of how he can get “better” results for less cost.

    The president brought up the pen while criticizing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over a new headquarters, which he said costs the government $4 billion.

    “If it was properly done and planned, you would have done that building for — I would have done it — for $25 million, and it would be better,” he said. 

    He then reached for a marker on a table and said, “See this pen right here? This pen is an interesting example.”

    TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ENSURING TSA WORKERS ARE PAID DURING DHS SHUTDOWN

    Trump said he was having issues with the old Oval Office pens, which he said were inlaid with gold and silver, running out of ink. He said he also felt “guilty” about wasting money by handing them out to as many as 40 people every time he signed an executive action. 

    So, he decided to replace the expensive pens with customized White House Sharpies.

    “It’s the same thing,” he told his Cabinet and members of the press. “This pen is very inexpensive, but it writes well; I like it.

    “I came here, and they have thousand-dollar pens, and you hand pens out. You’re signing, and you’re handing them out. You’re handing them out with all these people. Sometimes, you have 30, 40 people, and they were a thousand dollars apiece,” he said. 

    “Beautiful pen, ballpoint, a thousand. There was gold, silver. Gorgeous. But I’m handing it out to kids that don’t even know what they are. ‘What is this, Mommy?’ It’s kids, they’re getting a pen for a thousand dollars, and they have no idea what it is.”

    He said he felt “guilty” because “I want to save money.”

    “So, I’m saying this is crazy,” he explained. “And it had another problem. They didn’t write well.”

    However, despite his preference for Sharpies, Trump said he couldn’t “have the pen the way it was.”

    TRUMP FIRES BACK AT REPORTER WHO QUESTIONED HIM ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS

    The president said he considered signing documents in a separate room, or “I could do like Biden did, you know, give it to somebody else to sign or an autopen.

    “This is when I called the guy. I said, ‘I’d like to use your pen, but I can’t have a grey thing with a big ‘S’ on it saying ‘Sharpie’ as I’m signing a trillion-dollar airplane contract to buy brand-new fighter jets – brand new B-2 bombers, of which we just ordered plenty. I can’t do that with the press, use your pen, but I like the pen the best.”

    According to Trump, a Sharpie representative then said, “Well, I could make it nicer.”

    “I said, ‘What can you do?’ He said, ‘I’ll paint it black.’ I said, ‘That’s nice,’” Trump related.

    TRUMP SPEAKS OUT ON IRAN’S EXECUTION OF 19-YEAR-OLD WRESTLER SALEH MOHAMMADI

    The president said the representative even offered to paint the White House and Trump’s signature on it “in gold, almost real gold, not bad.”

    After relating the story, Trump noted, “By the way, this was not staged.”

    “I just saw the pen sit there; I thought that this is an example of how $25 million spent by me at the Federal Reserve building would be a better job than the $4 billion that they’re spending.” 

  • White House slams ‘trash reporting’ over claims ICE chief hospitalized for stress, yelled at by Trump admin

    The White House pushed back hard Friday amid a news report that Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been hospitalized at least twice for stress-related issues with the Trump administration that left him visibly upset and strained. 

    The pushback came following a Politico report that said Lyons was hospitalized at least twice for stress-related issues while carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. 

    The stress has left Lyons unable to carry out key decisions, the report states, citing two current and two former administration officials, who were unnamed. 

    ICE ASSAULTS SPIKE 1,500% AS DEMS DRAW ‘HARD RED LINE’ TO UNMASK AGENTS IN DHS BATTLE

    “He would be visibly upset and struggling to make the decisions that were needed to be made by the director,” one former unnamed official told the news website. 

    “Trash reporting from a trash “reporter” pushing tabloid b*******in an attempt to divide and distract. Todd Lyons is an American Patriot,” the White House Rapid Response X account said in response to the story. 

    The episodes were attributed to pressure from above for Lyons to ramp up deportations and from top adviser Stephen Miller, who allegedly yelled at Lyons during morning phone calls with administration officials, Politico reported. 

    “This is b******* and more of the trash that Daniel Lippman has peddled over the years in the name of clicks and clout,” Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, wrote on X in response to Politico reporter’s story. 

    White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Politico was given “on record” denials prior to the story being published. 

    WHITE HOUSE BLASTS TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT AS A ‘BUFFOON’ AFTER JEFFRIES BRANDS STEPHEN MILLER A ‘HATEFUL BIGOT’

    “Shame on Politico for publishing such inaccurate trash,” Jackson wrote on X. “Todd Lyons is an American patriot who has worked tirelessly to undo Biden’s disastrous immigration policies that wreaked havoc on American communities. And the American people are deeply appreciative for his hard work making our country safer. Despite multiple on record denials and sources refuting their pathetic ‘reporting’ and *still* ran with this absurd article.”

    The reported hospitalizations took place over several months. In one incident, Lyons was driven to a hospital by his security detail and he was admitted overnight. 

    In September, Lyons became distressed that ICE agents were unable to locate an illegal immigrant in Los Ángeles during a ride along with top administration officials. 

    One of his bodyguards took a portable defibrillator from a nearby government office to Lyons in case he needed medical intervention, the report said. 

    After heated calls with Miller, Lyons expressed frustration that the White House was often mad at his agency, according to the current official and former official who heard such comments.

    “Todd, Stephen, and the entire White House team have a great working relationship and coordinate closely to deliver on the president’s many promises,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “Todd Lyons is an American patriot who has worked tirelessly to undo Biden’s disastrous immigration policies that wreaked havoc on American communities.”

    Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE and Politico. 

  • Mamdani endorses planned NYC ‘No Kings’ rally, derides ICE as ‘rogue agency’

    New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished, blasting the federal agency as “rogue” and “reckless” as questions mount over the city’s handling of illegal immigration following the fatal subway killing of an elderly veteran.

    During a news conference announcing new street safety efforts, the mayor said he has spoken to President Donald Trump about immigration enforcement operations in the city, claiming ICE a “rogue agency.”

    “We’re making clear that no one is above the law in this city, that everyone has to follow the rule of law,” Mamdani said. “I have made clear to the president, both in our private conversations and our public conversations, about the fact that I believe that ICE is a rogue agency.”

    Mamdani added that he believes ICE is “reckless” and “delivers nothing toward the furthering of the cause of public safety.”

    SHANGHAI SABOTAGE: INSIDE SINGHAM’S SECRET STRATEGY TO DEMONIZE AMERICA

    “I’ve also been public about my belief that ICE is an entity that should be abolished, and that is critically important in our city, where we’ve seen too many New Yorkers living in fear of even going to what would otherwise be routine immigration check ins,” he said. “… What we’ve had in the interim is a federal entity that has been operating with a level of impunity, and that has to come to an end.”

    The mayor went on to support protests against the Trump administration, endorsing the “No Kings NYC” protest planned for Saturday in Manhattan.

    “I think that rallies are an incredibly effective way for New Yorkers to both organize together and make it clear what their vision is for the city, for the state, for this country,” Mamdani said. “I think that what we’ve seen is that there’s an attempt to make many in our city feel as if they are alone, when they believe that ICE has no place in our city, when they believe that every single New Yorker who lives in this city belongs in this city, and should be made to feel as if such.

    DHS EXPOSES BACKGROUND OF NYC CITY COUNCIL EMPLOYEE AFTER MAMDANI FUMED OVER ARREST

    “What these rallies are — are also an opportunity to realize that you are not in the minority when you have those beliefs. You are, in fact, one of a growing coalition of people who want to see a shred of decency, dignity and humanity come back to our city and our country’s politics.”

    Reporters did not question Mamdani about the recent murder of 83-year-old Air Force veteran Richard Williams, who died after he was allegedly shoved onto New York City subway tracks by an illegal immigrant from Honduras. Mamdani has yet to publicly comment on the killing.

    When asked if Honduran national Bairon Posada-Hernandez, 34, would be turned over to ICE, the mayor’s office referred Fox News to the Department of Corrections (DOC).

    HOMAN SAYS NYC MAYOR MAMDANI ‘MADE IT CLEAR HE’S NOT GOING TO WORK WITH ICE’ ON IMMIGRATION

    A DOC spokesperson said the agency processes ICE detainers “consistent with local law,” which limits cooperation.

    Under city law, ICE is only notified if there is a detainer backed by a judicial warrant (I-200 or I-205), and the person has a qualifying recent conviction for a violent or serious crime.

    It is unclear if ICE will be notified or take custody of Posada-Hernandez, who has been deported from the U.S. four times, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

    DHS officials have asked New York City to cooperate, saying, “Posada-Hernandez is a serial criminal and four-time deported illegal alien who NEVER should have been able to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans. He is now facing murder charges. We are calling on New York sanctuary politicians to not release this murderer. Please join us in praying for Mr. Williams’ family, friends, and loved ones.”

  • Johnson accuses Democrats of taking government hostage over ‘crazy’ immigration agenda

    House Speaker Mike Johnson chastised congressional Democrats Friday, saying Republicans will not be part of any effort to reopen America’s borders and stop the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants. 

    Johnson held a two-hour conference call with House Republicans Friday, saying they were all “united” in the party’s position to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end the partial government shutdown that has injected chaos into air travel. 

    “They have taken hostage the funding processes of government so that they can impose their radical agenda on the American people,” Johnson told reporters of Senate Democrats.  

    REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP EYES DHS DEAL FUNDING ICE PROBES, BUT NOT REMOVALS, AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS

    “The Senate Democrats have foisted upon this appropriations process their radical, crazy agenda,” he added. “We call it crazy because that’s what it is. They want to reopen the borders, and they want to stop the deportation of dangerous criminal illegal aliens. We have to do these basic functions of government.”

    On Friday, the Senate advanced a bill to fund much of DHS, except for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol.

    “The only thing standing between ending this chaos or not are House Republicans,” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. “There’s a bipartisan bill that emerged from the Senate with uniform support, and it should be brought to the floor immediately so we can pay TSA agents, so we can end the chaos at airports across the country and stop inconveniencing millions of Americans.”

    Democrats have refused to fully fund DHS unless Republicans agree to new restrictions on federal immigration authorities. 

    JOHNSON TURNS UP HEAT ON SCHUMER AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON, AIRPORT DELAYS MOUNT

    “This gambit that was done last night is a joke,” Johnson said of the bill. “It is unconscionable to me that the Democrats would force some sort of negotiation at three o’clock in the morning and try to hoist this upon the American people and then get on their jets and go home for their holiday and pretend and think that we’re going to go along with that.”

    Lawmakers have come under increased pressure to strike a deal to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents after many have resigned and lines at airports across the country have swelled daily because of staffing issues. 

    On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pay TSA agents despite Congress having not appropriated the funds for it. 

    Johnson said Republicans will put forward a continuing resolution for all agencies under DHS to keep operating at their current funding levels. 

    “The reason that we can’t accept this ridiculousness is because we’re not going to risk not funding the agencies that keep the American people safe,” he said. 

    The shutdown began in February, weeks after federal agents shot and killed two people in separate incidents during immigration raids in Minnesota. Democrats have demanded changes to ICE and DHS and have refused to fund the agencies. 

  • Miller pledges new Vance fraud task force will ‘demolish’ social services corruption

    Top White House aide Stephen Miller joined Vice President JD Vance to launch the White House anti-fraud task force Friday, pledging to “demolish” the kind of corruption that unfairly burdens taxpayers and gives a free ride to bad actors.

    Earlier this month, President Donald Trump launched the task force via executive order, saying the administration will “use all available resources and authorities to fight fraud, close loopholes, enforce eligibility rules, and protect benefits for eligible Americans, while ensuring States administering Federal benefits programs do the same.”

    Vance serves as its chairman and kicked off the White House event Friday, while FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson serves as vice chair.

    Miller said the panel could not come at a better time, with Medicaid and other fraud rings making national headlines in Minnesota and beyond.

    MINNESOTA HUMAN SERVICES OFFICIALS SKIP FRAUD HEARING AS WALZ PROMISES REFORM

    “I think what’s important for Americans to understand about how pervasive and widespread the fraud is, [and] that all of our systems were set up and established for a high-trust society. I think that most citizens probably assume that there’s some verification process that takes place for the receipt of most federal benefits. The reality is, is that there is not,” Miller said.

    The outspoken aide added that the high-trust framework in place for decades is woefully inadequate for Democrat-run states, where verification processes are “willfully” lacking and often run on the honor system.

    “Imagine in a community, a working-class community in the Twin Cities, say a native Minnesotan who works as a lineman or works as a construction worker; works in any job that requires hard work, dedication, focus; who’s worried about his ability to support for or provide his family,” Miller said.

    “And then imagine that he has a neighbor who’s a Somali refugee who arrived two years ago and has a Mercedes, and no financial stress and no worries at all in the entire world that never seems to ever go to work at all because he just went to an office in the state, lied on a piece of paper and got unlimited free money forever for life.”

    “That situation repeats itself innumerable times across the country,” he said, “and is exactly what the task force aims to take on.”

    DEPUTY AG TODD BLANCHE SHEDS LIGHT ON NEW DOJ FRAUD DIVISION TO ADDRESS ‘INSANE’ PROBLEM

    “That is the corruption that this task force under the leadership of the vice president is going to demolish.”

    Vance agreed with Miller in earlier comments, saying that Somali-born fraudsters have operated at “an industrial scale” to steal Americans’ tax dollars.

    “We think fraud has been a problem for a long time,” he said. “We’re going to do a number of things. First of all, we’re going to turn back on those anti-fraud protections so that all of these cabinet officials are looking at what’s going on and focusing on it.”

    He said the key to the task force will be communications between cabinet offices, so that, in his example, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins can communicate on shared concerns with a colleague like HUD Secretary Scott Turner.

    “This is not just theft of the American people’s money. This is also theft of critical services that the American people rely on,” Vance said.

    “Some of you have heard me tell the story before, but I think that the autism scam that we’ve seen in the Somalian parts of Minnesota really illustrates well what’s been going on across whole layers of our government.”

  • US eyes seizing Iran’s oil lifeline — but it may not cripple Tehran

    U.S. officials and analysts are weighing whether seizing Iran’s main oil export hub could deal a crippling financial blow — but experts warn the high-risk move may not shut off Tehran’s revenue as quickly or completely as expected.

    Analysts say U.S. planners face a high-stakes decision: whether seizing Kharg Island would actually disrupt Iran’s oil revenue or leave key export flows intact while exposing American forces to sustained attack. Options under discussion range from interdicting tankers at sea to striking export infrastructure from the air, approaches some argue could pressure Tehran’s finances without putting troops on the ground.

    “There’s a big debate going on right now,” R.P. Newman, Marine veteran and counterterrorism analyst, told Fox News Digital. 

    Kharg Island handles the vast majority of Iran’s crude oil exports, making it one of the most strategically significant energy nodes in the region and a central pressure point for any effort to economically squeeze Tehran.

    US TROOPS BRACE FOR ‘HIT-AND-RUN’ GUERILLA ATTACKS AS 82ND AIRBORNE DEPLOYS TO IRAN, MILITARY ANALYST WARNS

    “We certainly have the ability, military wise, to take it,” said R.P. Newman, a Marine veteran and counter-terrorism analyst. 

    Some analysts argue that taking Kharg could deliver an immediate economic shock, cutting off the regime’s primary source of oil revenue and potentially giving Washington leverage in broader negotiations. 

    But such an operation would not be simple.

    “It would take thousands to do that,” he said.

    U.S. forces already have struck the island hitting more than 90 Iranian military targets, including missile and naval mine facilities, earlier in March while deliberately avoiding oil infrastructure, leaving export operations largely intact.

    Retired Adm. Kevin Donegan, former commander of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, said the same objective could be achieved without putting U.S. forces on the island.

    “You could achieve that desired outcome just by constraining the flow that comes out of Kharg after it gets outside the Gulf,” Donegan said.

    “You could stop every ship that comes out,” he added.

    Robbins said the U.S. could also disable Kharg’s export capability with air power rather than seizing it outright.

    An influx of thousands of troops from Marine expeditionary units and the Army’s 82nd airborne division has raised speculation that a ground operation could be on the way. 

    But Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday U.S. operations could wrap in “weeks, not months” and without ground troops. 

    “We are ahead of schedule on most of (the objectives), and we can achieve them without any ground troops, without any,” Rubio told reporters during a trip to Paris for a meeting of G-7 foreign ministers.

    Even if U.S. forces were able to seize the island, some analysts warn the economic impact would not be immediate.

    “The desired full economic effect of taking Kharg Island is going to be a delayed effect if you don’t also seize underway tankers,” said Gregory Brew, analyst at the Eurasia Group, said. 

    Any operation targeting Kharg would strike at one of Iran’s most critical economic assets.

    “Sales of petroleum products have generally covered between 30 and 40% of the official state budget,” Brew said. “There’s no question the state budget will take a significant hit.”

    But a loss of oil revenue would not necessarily cripple the regime’s core power structure.

    “The IRGC has what is in effect a shadow budget,” Brew said. “If anything, its relative position may improve.”

    That means that while the government’s official budget would shrink, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could retain a larger share of the country’s remaining resources through its independent revenue streams.

    Even if Kharg were taken offline, Iran would retain other ways to keep exports flowing.

    “Iran does have four other export facilities,” Brew said.

    Its terminal at Jask, Iran, located outside the Strait of Hormuz, “can handle around one-fifth of the volume of oil that can be exported from Kharg.”

    “Stopping completely would require interdicting that traffic as well,” Brew added. 

    That means any effort to fully choke off Iran’s oil exports would likely extend beyond Kharg, requiring action against multiple export routes and facilities.

    US MOVES AIRBORNE TROOPS, MARINES AS IRAN REJECTS CEASEFIRE, RAISING GROUND WAR POTENTIAL

    Sustaining the island would prove difficult as well, putting U.S. forces on a sea-locked target within range of Iranian drones, rockets and missiles from the mainland.

    “Any deployment to the island will be vulnerable to Iranian counterattack,” Brew said.

    “They would be a very small force, very exposed,” said James Robbins, dean of the Institute of World Politics and a former adviser to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

    Beyond the initial assault, sustaining forces on the island would present additional challenges.

    “Once the guys are on the ground, then you have to support them and that would be extremely hard,” Robbins said.

    Some analysts also question what a successful seizure would ultimately achieve.

    “To what end would be the question,” Robbins said. “I don’t see an endgame to that, to seizing Kharg.”

    President Donald Trump has publicly announced a reprieve on strikes on energy infrastructure until April 6, citing “progress” in negotiations with Iran. 

    But Iranian officials have accused the president of “psychological warfare” and expressed skepticism. 

    Iran already has begun preparing for a potential Kharg invasion, moving additional forces, bolstering air defenses and laying mines and other traps around the island, including along potential landing areas, sources familiar with the intelligence told CNN.

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

  • WATCH: Senate hearing goes silent after Angel Father confronts top Dem over daughter’s death

    A Senate hearing got tense and quiet after Illinois father Joe Abraham confronted retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., for not acknowledging his daughter, Katie, who was killed by an illegal immigrant drunk driver.

    After Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, expressed his condolences to Abraham, the grieving father thanked him and then proceeded to drill into Durbin.

    “I appreciate it. I also appreciate Ranking Member Welch and Mr. Padilla for recognizing that. What I don’t understand is why my senator of Illinois, Mr. Durbin, [I] haven’t heard two words from him toward me,” he said, pointing in Durbin’s direction.

    “It’s kind of amazing,” Abraham added.

    ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF KILLING CHICAGO COLLEGE STUDENT TO FACE COURT AFTER TUBERCULOSIS DELAY

    In the suddenly quiet hearing chamber, Cruz said, “I think it is a fair question to ask.” Abraham answered, “Kind of happy he’s calling it quits.”

    After the tense exchange, Abraham again called out Durbin, writing, “You had the chance to show basic humanity, to acknowledge Katie’s life and death, as other senators in your own party did. Instead, silence. Not a call, not a statement, not even basic human acknowledgment.”

    Abraham stated that “silence in the face of tragedy isn’t neutrality. It’s indifference.”

    “You’re retiring, but for many of us, that comes 30 years too late. And whoever you choose to endorse should be rejected just as quickly, because Illinois cannot afford more of the same,” he added, writing, “Illinois families deserve better than leaders who look away when the consequences don’t fit their narrative.”

    He also criticized Durbin for supporting sanctuary policies, saying, “My daughter died in a system shaped by policies you continue to defend.”

    “You chose sanctuary policies that give special privileges to those here illegally, while law-abiding Illinois citizens like my family are left unprotected,” wrote Abraham. “That’s not compassion. That’s a failure of leadership.”

    COLLEGE STUDENT’S ALLEGED MURDER BY ILLEGAL WENT EXACTLY AS DEMS ‘INTENDED,’ HOUSE SPEAKER SAYS

    Abraham’s 20-year-old daughter, Katie Abraham, was killed by an illegal immigrant in a drunk-driving incident while standing at a stoplight in the college town of Urbana, Illinois. The federal government’s immigration crackdown in the Chicago area was launched in Katie’s honor. Dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” the effort resulted in more than 4,500 illegal immigrant arrests, according to DHS.

    In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abraham, a lifelong Illinois resident, described his family as navigating a “dark wilderness” in the wake of Katie’s death.

    “We have been in a dark wilderness, wandering, trying to find our new purpose … without Katie, who we thought would be with us the rest of our lives,” he said.

    ANGEL PARENTS SLAM ILLINOIS SANCTUARY LAWS AFTER ‘PREVENTABLE’ TRAGEDY IN STUDENT’S DEATH

    “She was a beautiful soul,” he added, lamenting, “We thought we’d have our children the rest of our lives.”

    Addressing other Illinoisans, Abraham warned, “If anything, God forbid, happens to you, your state under this regime will turn its back on you, 100%.”

    “That’s what they’ve done with us and Katie,” he said. 

  • Biden judge freezes Trump admin move against AI firm, fueling battle over security authority

    A federal judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from banning AI firm Anthropic from Department of War use is igniting a debate over whether the ruling pushes courts into national security decision-making.

    The ruling, issued late Thursday by U.S. District Judge Rita Lin, a Biden appointee to the Northern District of California, pauses the administration’s broader effort to bar the company while the case proceeds, though it does not explicitly require the Pentagon to use Anthropic. The judge also gave the government one week to appeal.

    Under Secretary of War Emil Michael wrote on X that the ruling contained “dozens of factual errors” and was issued “during a time of conflict,” arguing it “seeks to upend the (president’s) role as Commander in Chief” and disrupt the department’s ability to conduct military operations.

    A BRAVE MARINE COLONEL TOOK ON THE PENTAGON — AND PAID THE PRICE FOR IT

    Michael said the administration views Anthropic as still designated a supply chain risk pending appeal, signaling officials are disputing the scope and effect of the court’s injunction.

    Lin said the Pentagon’s move to designate Anthropic as a national security risk was “likely both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.”

    “Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the U.S. for expressing disagreement with the government,” Lin said.

    “Can a judge order the Department of War to use a vendor that is a security risk? No, but also yes? Judge Lin (Biden N.D. California) tries to stop President Trump/Secretary Hegseth from banning Anthropic. But acknowledges they can choose not to use it?” one X user Eric Wess wrote on the social media platform. 

    Others described the ruling as “pure judicial activism” and accused the judge of interfering in a national security decision.

    But supporters of the decision — including a bipartisan group of nearly 150 retired federal and state judges — say the administration overstepped, warning the Pentagon’s use of a “supply chain risk” designation appeared improperly applied and could chill free speech and legitimate business activity.

    In a March 3 letter, the Pentagon had notified Anthropic it would be designated a supply chain risk to national security. That designation ordered that no contractor, supplier or partner doing business with the United States military may conduct commercial activity with Anthropic.

    PALANTIR EXECUTIVE SAYS AI ENABLING RAPID BATTLEFIELD PLANNING AND HIGH-SPEED US STRIKE OPERATIONS

    The legal fight follows a broader dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic over how the company’s AI system, Claude, can be used in military operations. Claude is the only commercial AI system approved for classified use. 

    War Secretary Pete Hegseth had warned Anthropic it would face termination of its $200 million contract, awarded in July 2025, or be designated a supply chain risk if it did not allow its AI platform to be approved for all lawful uses. 

    Anthropic insisted it would not allow Claude to be used for fully autonomous weapons or mass surveillance of Americans. 

    Pentagon officials say such uses already are not permitted, emphasizing that humans remain in the loop for lethal decisions and that the military does not conduct domestic surveillance, but maintain that private companies cannot dictate how their systems are used in lawful operations.

    Lin pointed to the breadth of the measures — including a government-wide ban and contractor restrictions — saying they did not appear “tailored to the stated national security concern” and instead “look(ed) like an attempt to cripple Anthropic.

    Anthropic welcomed the decision, saying in a statement: “We’re grateful to the court for moving swiftly, and pleased they agree Anthropic is likely to succeed on the merits.”

    Hegseth described CEO Dario Amodei and Anthropic of a “master class in arrogance” and a “textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government” in a Feb. 27 post on X. 

    OpenAI has emerged as a key alternative, securing a Pentagon deal to deploy its models on classified systems as tensions with Anthropic escalated. 

    Still, Anthropic has not been fully displaced — its Claude system remains deeply embedded in military workflows, and replacing it would take time.

  • Trump signs executive order ensuring TSA workers are paid during DHS shutdown

    President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order directing federal officials to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees receive back pay during the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.

    Trump described the situation as an “emergency,” citing severe strain on airport security operations. 

    “Accordingly, I hereby direct the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to use funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations to provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them if not for the Democrat-led DHS shutdown, consistent with applicable law, including 31 U.S.C. 1301(a),” Trump said.

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

  • Trump rolls out plan to back farmers amid rising costs, pledging ‘golden age’

    President Donald Trump announced a series of actions Friday aimed at assisting farmers and food suppliers to help cut costs amid rising energy prices, promising a new “golden age” for the agricultural industry. 

    Trump shared guidance on farm equipment regulations in an effort to cut costs and increase government loan guarantees for agricultural products, including tractors, among other reforms. 

    He said much farm equipment has become unaffordable for many farmers.

    “Every day we’re looking for new ways to support our farmers, reduce your costs, and to help lower the price of food for the American family,” Trump said on the South Lawn of the White House. “We’re going to prove that the golden age of American agriculture is right here and right now.”

    I’M AN AMERICAN FARMER — EMPTY USDA OFFICES MEANS FEWER FAMILY FARMS

    The Biden administration crippled the farming industry, Trump said, with harsh restrictions and a lack of trade deals. 

    To help them, Trump said his administration recently used tariff money to give farmers $12 billion in relief. 

    “I’m also asking Congress to quickly pass the new farm bill,” he said. “And today, I’m promising to request additional farm relief for our great patriots in the next funding bill.”

    AMERICA’S QUIETEST CROP IS SET TO TAKE CENTER STAGE IN TRUMP–XI TALKS

    In addition, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) will alter guidelines around a system designed to limit diesel emissions that will save farmers billions of dollars, Trump said. 

    He also announced new guidelines to limit Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) rules, which mandate that modern diesel engines use selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.

    “It was a basic disaster,” Trump said. 

    Trump also highlighted the EPA’s efforts to boost renewable fuels from agricultural products, while criticizing environmental activists. 

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    “What they’ve done to you, and the country – what they’ve done to the country – is just incredible,” he said. “They are terrorists.”

    Trump also announced new loan guarantees from the Small Business Administration (SBA) for small business in the agricultural industry, including food suppliers, farmers – including vegetable farmers, grain farmers and seed farmers – cattle, pig and poultry producers and grocery wholesalers.