Author: NOVA Corp

Illegal immigrants staying in homeless shelters in California have undergone sex change procedures and cross-sex hormone therapy treatments on the taxpayers’ dime, a watchdog alleges.

Manhattan Institute fellow Chris Rufo reports in a video that some illegal immigrants have accessed transgender medical procedures through California’s Medi-Cal program, which provides healthcare coverage to low-income residents regardless of immigration status. The state spends roughly $9 billion in taxpayer dollars to provide healthcare for illegal immigrants, which also includes transgender care according to The California Department of Health Care Services.

Roughly 1.7 million illegal immigrants received full-scope coverage in California’s Medicaid program, which in some instances included “gender affirming care.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded the state’s Medicaid program known as Medi-Cal to all immigrants — regardless of legal status — in January 2024.

Rufo filmed his encounters with illegal immigrants who are also transgender outside of taxpayer-funded homeless shelters in San Francisco. The video shows one illegal immigrant, a transgender woman from Honduras, talking about how they received cross-sex gender therapy treatment through the state’s Medicaid program.

REPUBLICANS RIP 4 BLUE STATES FOR KEEPING TAXES ON TIPS, OVERTIME AFTER TRUMP REPRIEVE

Another migrant interviewed, who claimed to have legal status, said they were able to get taxpayer-funded breast implants.

White House Communications director Steven Cheung slammed Newsom.

“This is like the holy trinity of woke, liberal, out-of-touch, perverse ideology from Scumbag Gavin Newsom,” Cheung wrote on X.

California DHCS said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Rufo’s video and accompanying article contains “significant factual errors and mischaracterizes both Medi-Cal eligibility and covered benefits.”

“It suggests that the State broadly provides gender-affirming surgeries to specific populations without limitation, which is completely false. Medi-Cal is a needs-based program with strict eligibility requirements,” DHCS said in a statement.

DHCS added that Medi-Cal coverage for transgender care is granted if it’s deemed “medically necessary.”

WHO IS TOM STEYER? ANTI-ICE BILIONAIRE IN CA GOVERNOR’S RACE FACES SCRUTINY OVER DETENTION INVESTMENTS

“Medi-Cal covers gender-affirming care for members with full-scope Medi-Cal only when it is medically necessary, based on established clinical standards and consistent with nationally recognized clinical practice guidelines,” the agency said.

But, a Medi-Cal manual reported by Rufo outlined that medical intervention is necessary if the treatment will alleviate symptoms of gender dysphoria. For instance, reconstructive surgery would be approved for coverage if it’s “determined to be medically necessary for the treatment of gender dysphoria.”

State Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation, known as Senate Bill 1422, which would ensure all illegal immigrants in the state receive coverage under the state’s Medicaid program known as Medi-Cal.

The legislation comes in response to California pausing new enrollment in Medi-Cal in January for all adults over the age of 19 without legal immigration status in the United States. The pause in coverage comes amid rising costs as the state faces a $21 million budget deficit for the 2027 fiscal year.

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.

Fox News’ William La Jeuenesse contributed to this report.

Susan Wilkerson was gone for just more than one hour when her husband, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William “Neil” McCasland — who once oversaw some of the military’s most advanced and highly classified research programs — reportedly vanished from their Albuquerque home.

McCasland, 68, left his phone behind, but his wallet and a .38-caliber revolver were missing, according to the Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Sheriff’s Office.

The general previously had said he was experiencing what he described as a “mental fog,” according to investigators, but authorities stressed there was no indication he was disoriented at the time of his disappearance.

“Arguably, he would still be the most intelligent person in the room,” Albuquerque police Lt. Kyle Wood said March 16.

McCasland’s disappearance is one of 10 recent cases involving scientists tied to U.S. military and government research that have drawn attention, including at the White House, where officials said they are looking into the matter after being asked about a potential pattern. 

“I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “I just left a meeting on that subject.”

Here’s what we know about the scientists who have disappeared or died under a range of circumstances over the past three years. 

McCasland disappeared Feb. 27 and police have found no trace of him since. His phone, prescription glasses and wearable devices were found at home, but his hiking boots, wallet and a .38‑caliber revolver were reported missing, according to the Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Sheriff’s Office.

McCasland held senior roles in space research and acquisition, including leadership positions at the Air Force Research Laboratory and the National Reconnaissance Office, according to the Air Force. He held senior roles at the Pentagon and commanded the Phillips Research Site of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, according to the Air Force.

McCasland’s name also surfaced in an unexpected place years earlier — the 2016 WikiLeaks release of emails from Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. In those messages, musician and UFO enthusiast Tom DeLonge described working with McCasland on discussions related to unidentified aerial phenomena, noting that the general had previously led the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — a facility long tied in UFO lore to the alleged 1947 Roswell crash.

“Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt,” his wife, Susan, wrote on Facebook shortly after his February disappearance. 

The 1947 Roswell incident involved debris later identified by the U.S. government as part of a classified military balloon program, though it has long been the subject of UFO and extraterrestrial conspiracy theories.

Susan Wilkerson also noted that her husband retired in 2013. 

“It seems quite unlikely that he was taken to extract very dated secrets from him,” she said on Facebook. 

Reza, 60, was hiking with a friend in the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles on a well-traveled trail around 9 a.m. on the morning of her disappearance, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The friend was about 30 feet ahead, and told police he turned around to check on her and she smiled and waved, indicating she was doing fine. The friend turned back to continue hiking, and when he looked back again moments later, she was gone, according to, according to case details released during the search.

He immediately alerted authorities who sent out a search party. Since then, there have been no sightings or any trace of Reza or her belongings. 

Reza, an aerospace engineer, was the co-creator of Mondaloy, a nickel-based alloy capable of withstanding the extreme heat of rocket engines. At the time of her disappearance, she was the Director of Materials Processing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Reza’s work in advanced rocket materials was funded in part by the Air Force Research Laboratory — the same organization McCasland later led — placing the two in overlapping corners of the U.S. defense research ecosystem, though no direct relationship between them has been publicly confirmed.

Garcia, 48, was last seen leaving his home in Albuquerque around 9 a.m., captured on surveillance footage walking away on foot while carrying a handgun. He left behind his phone, wallet, keys and car, and has not been seen since, according to Albuquerque police.

Garcia was a government contractor tied to the Kansas City National Security Campus, a key facility responsible for producing the vast majority of non-nuclear components used in the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. His role reportedly gave him high-level security clearance and oversight of sensitive assets.

Authorities initially warned Garcia “may be a danger to himself,” raising concerns about his mental state. But an anonymous source familiar with the case pushed back on that assessment to the Daily Mail, describing him as “a very stable person” and disputing suggestions that he was suicidal or experiencing mental health issues. 

Both Garcia and McCasland lived in the same region of New Mexico, a hub for U.S. nuclear and defense research, though authorities have not confirmed any connection between the cases. 

Grillmair, 67, a California Institute of Technology astrophysicist known for his work on exoplanets and the discovery of water on distant worlds, was shot and killed outside his home in Llano, California, early in the morning. Deputies responding to a call found him on his front porch with a gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities later arrested a 29-year-old suspect in connection with the killing, charging him with murder as well as carjacking and burglary in separate incidents. Investigators said the suspect had previously been reported for trespassing on Grillmair’s property in the weeks leading up to the shooting.

Grillmair had spent decades working on major NASA-backed missions, including the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, contributing to research on galactic structure, dark matter and the search for habitable planets.

Loureiro, 47, a renowned MIT physicist and director of the university’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, and died from his injuries the following day.

His killing came within months of both the disappearance of McCasland and the fatal shooting of Grillmair, adding to growing attention around a series of cases involving scientists tied to defense and aerospace research.

Loureiro was a leading figure in fusion energy research, studying plasma physics and working on technologies aimed at harnessing near-limitless clean energy.

Authorities later linked his killing to a suspect connected to a separate mass shooting at Brown University days earlier. Investigators said the suspect, who had previously attended university with Loureiro in Portugal, died by suicide after the attacks, effectively closing the case.

Despite early speculation online, officials have not indicated Loureiro’s death was connected to his research or to any broader pattern.

Maiwald, 61, a longtime engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died in Los Angeles on Independence Day. 

The only widely available public record of Maiwald’s death is a brief online obituary.  No cause of death has been publicly disclosed, and reporting indicates no autopsy was performed.

Maiwald spent decades at JPL developing advanced instruments used to study Earth and distant planetary environments, including tools capable of detecting chemical signatures such as water and organic molecules.

His work focused on building instruments capable of detecting chemical signatures including water, organic molecules and other indicators scientists use to assess whether environments beyond Earth could support life.

Casias, 53, was last seen on June 26, 2025, in Taos County, New Mexico, walking alone along State Road 518 near the community of Talpa. 

Earlier that day, Casias, an administrative employee with security clearance at Los Alamos National Laboratory, had left work and spent time in Taos. At one point, her niece told local media, she picked up a Subway sandwich and dropped it off for her daughter, who was working at a coffee shop in the Taos Plaza area. 

When family members returned home, they found her car, purse, keys and both her personal and work-issued phones inside. The phones had been factory reset, wiping recent data and communications.

Family members have strongly pushed back on the idea that she left voluntarily. “All of her friends keep telling us this is not like her… she wouldn’t leave her daughter,” her sister, Trudy Najera, said. The family added that Casias had been preparing to care for their mother during an upcoming surgery.

Despite multiple searches, no confirmed trace of Casias has been found since that afternoon.

Chavez, 78, a retired Los Alamos National Laboratory employee, is believed to have last been seen around May 4, 2025, at his home in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He was reported missing four days later, May 8.

When authorities and family members searched his home, they found his wallet, keys and other personal items left behind inside, while his car remained locked in the driveway. There were no signs of forced entry or a struggle, according to the Los Alamos Reporter.

Investigators reviewed hours of surveillance footage from nearby homes and businesses but have not publicly identified any confirmed footage showing Chavez after he left his residence.

Chavez had worked for decades at Los Alamos National Laboratory before retiring in 2017, placing him within the same northern New Mexico defense corridor as others who later vanished.

Thomas, 45, an associate director of chemical biology at pharmaceutical company Novartis, was reported missing in December 2025 after leaving his home in Wakefield, Massachusetts, late at night. Surveillance footage captured him walking near train tracks shortly after midnight, and he left behind his phone and wallet.

Thomas worked in chemical biology, a field at the intersection of chemistry and biology that uses small molecules to study and manipulate biological systems — work that plays a central role in modern drug discovery and the development of new treatments.

At Novartis, he focused on identifying and testing compounds that could target disease-related proteins, part of a broader effort to develop new medicines for complex conditions.

In the months after his disappearance, authorities conducted extensive searches but found no trace of him. On March 17, 2026, a body believed to be Thomas was recovered from Lake Quannapowitt after the ice thawed. Officials said no foul play was suspected, though the cause and manner of death have not been publicly disclosed.

The overlap in timing and profession has fueled questions about whether something more is at play. But investigators have not identified any evidence of a broader pattern, and the cases themselves, ranging from confirmed homicides to disappearances and natural deaths, point in different directions.

A group of House Republicans defied President Donald Trump on Thursday to support shielding more than 350,000 Haitian nationals from deportation. 

Ten GOP lawmakers joined Democrats and one independent to approve legislation that would allow Haitians to be eligible for the temporary protected status (TPS) program for another three years.

Those Republicans included Reps. Mike Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Maria Elvira Salazar, Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Carey and Mike Turner of Ohio. Many in that cohort have large Haitian diaspora communities in their districts.

The TPS program allows foreign nationals, whose home countries face humanitarian crises or dangerous conditions, to temporarily live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. It does not provide a pathway to citizenship.

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR TRUMP CHALLENGE TO PROTECTED STATUS FOR SYRIAN, HAITIAN NATIONALS IN US

The successful vote comes as the Trump administration has sought to revoke the TPS program for Haiti, arguing that conditions have improved in the country and that granting Haitians legal protections runs counter to American interests. The effort is currently stalled as the TPS termination works its way through the nation’s courts. 

The measure is largely symbolic due to resistance from Senate Republicans, who are not expected to hold a vote on renewing TPS for Haitians. Trump would almost certainly veto a TPS extension bill that clears Congress. 

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., a member of “the Squad,” used a legislative maneuver known as discharge petition to force a chamber-vote on the TPS extension bill. The effort would have been futile without the support of a handful of Republicans who signed Pressley’s discharge petition to reach the necessary 218 signatures and trigger a vote.

Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., sponsored the resolution on the House floor.

JUDGE HALTS HOMELAND SECURITY PLAN TO END TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR SOUTH SUDAN

The president has also spotlighted the recent killing of a Florida woman by a Haitian illegal immigrant earlier in April. The man, Rolbert Joachim, 40, reportedly received TPS status during the Biden administration.

“An Illegal Alien Criminal from Haiti, who was released into our Country by the WORST President in History, Crooked Joe Biden, and the Radical Democrats in Congress, just beat an innocent woman to death with a hammer at a gas station in Florida,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “This one killing should be enough for these Radical Judges to STOP impeding my Administration’s Immigration Policies, and allow us to END THIS SCAM ONCE AND FOR ALL,” he added.

Proponents of the measure argued that Haitians, who have been granted work authorization as a result of the TPS program, have a positive economic impact on communities.

“I’ve heard from healthcare providers and business leaders across Nebraska who are concerned about the impact this would have on patient care and our economy,” Bacon, who is retiring, told Fox News Digital. “I don’t see the goodness of deporting people who are here legally, who are working, and who contribute to our country.”

But the majority of House Republicans have stood by the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the TPS program for Haiti. 

“Members of Congress have a sacred and exclusive duty to our American constituents, not to foreign nationals,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who is running for governor, told Fox News Digital.

The U.S. is preparing to take on Iran’s fast-attack boats using a playbook it already has tested in another theater — lethal strikes on small vessels tied to drug trafficking networks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Since September 2025, U.S. forces have conducted dozens of deadly strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels, part of a broader military campaign targeting cartel-linked networks. The U.S. campaign against drug-trafficking boats offers a glimpse of how American forces handle small, fast-moving targets at sea.

Officials now suggest similar tactics could be used against Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump made that link explicit in a Truth Social post Monday, warning that any Iranian boats approaching the blockade would be “immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea … It is quick and brutal.”

EX-OBAMA ADVISOR SAYS IRAN COULD TARGET GULF OIL FACILITIES AS TRUMP BLOCKADE SQUEEZES REGIME

Since the campaign began, U.S. Southern Command has carried out dozens of strikes on vessels, killing more than 160 people and destroying dozens of boats. Those operations rely on surveillance, rapid targeting and precision strikes, capabilities that could also be used in the Gulf.

But in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, U.S. forces are targeting nonstate actors with limited ability to respond. In the Strait of Hormuz, they would be confronting Iran’s military — armed, organized, and operating in one of the most strategically sensitive waterways in the world.

Applying that approach in the Persian Gulf, against a state-backed military force, carries far higher risks.

The Trump administration’s blockade of Iranian ports, which began Monday, has pushed U.S. forces into close proximity with the one part of Iran’s navy that has largely survived weeks of strikes: its fast-attack boat fleet.

U.S. and Israeli operations have effectively gutted Iran’s conventional navy, with more than 155 vessels sunk during the conflict, according to U.S. assessments.

Still, what’s left of Iran’s naval threat looks very different from what the U.S. has already destroyed.

Large surface ships — frigates, corvettes and other major vessels — have taken the brunt of the strikes. But those ships were never the centerpiece of Iran’s strategy in the Gulf.

The focus has long been on smaller, faster platforms.

“We should think in the thousands,” said Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “If you include very small boats up to more capable fast-attack craft, the total could reach 3,000 to 4,000 vessels.”

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Of those, he said, roughly 800 vessels to 900 vessels are capable of carrying anti-ship missiles, making them the most dangerous segment of the fleet.

“They are dispersed along the coastline and islands, and protected in hardened tunnel complexes,” Nadimi said.

Some boats are stored in underground facilities and launched directly into the water. Others are kept on trailers in dry tunnels — or moved inland entirely.

“Some of these boats have been dispersed into civilian areas, in buildings that are large enough to hide them,” he said.

Mobility, concealment and hardened infrastructure make the fleet far harder to eliminate than larger, fixed naval assets.

The environment only makes the problem harder.

Iran also has developed tactics to complicate targeting, including dispersal, deception and the potential use of drones and coordinated swarm attacks.

The Strait of Hormuz narrows to roughly 20 miles at its tightest point, forcing ships into predictable lanes. Tankers, cargo vessels, and military ships all move through the same space, often with little time to determine whether an approaching boat is a threat.

Iran’s fast boats are designed for exactly that kind of environment.

They can blend into civilian traffic, disperse along the coastline, and regroup quickly — turning what looks like routine maritime activity into a potential confrontation.

So far, Iran appears to be holding back.

“They are now in a very defensive mode … trying to preserve what they have and keep them away from U.S. surveillance,” Nadimi said.

That includes dispersing vessels, limiting movements, and avoiding detection by U.S. drones and other intelligence assets. But as peace negotiations drag on, that posture may not last.

When Iranian fast boats move toward U.S. or commercial vessels, the encounter can unfold quickly.

U.S. forces rely heavily on surveillance — tracking movements from the coastline and identifying potential threats before they reach open water.

That’s where the comparison to drug-boat operations begins to make sense.

U.S. forces are likely monitoring Iran’s coastline closely, allowing them to detect and potentially strike fast boats as they mobilize.

In some cases, that could mean hitting boats before they ever reach the shipping lanes.

“These boats are vulnerable to air power, but they are also armed and can use tactics to limit that vulnerability,” said Nadimi. 

Unlike drug-trafficking vessels, Iranian fast boats are part of a state-backed military force and may carry rockets, anti-ship missiles, or defensive systems such as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapons.

“We can assume many of these boats carry systems like MANPADS,” Nadimi said. MANPADS — short for man-portable air defense systems — are shoulder-fired missiles capable of targeting aircraft.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical shipping routes, and even limited disruption can ripple through global energy markets.

With Iran’s fast-boat fleet still largely intact and U.S. forces now enforcing a blockade, the next phase of the conflict may hinge on fast-moving encounters at sea.

Iran has not publicly responded to Trump’s comments about targeting fast boats using tactics used in counter-narcotics operations, and a ceasefire remains in effect while the U.S. and Iran attempt to negotiate a longer-term peace deal. 

A U.S. judge on Thursday rebuked the Trump administration’s attempt to proceed with construction of its $400 million White House ballroom project, clarifying in a sharply worded order that any above-ground, physical construction of the site is blocked unless deemed strictly necessary for national security purposes.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said his order applies to all above-ground construction of the White House ballroom project, except for actions that are explicitly necessary to protect national security facilities or protecting White House personnel.

Still, he made clear that the exception was not a blank check to proceed for the administration to continue the entire 90,000-square-foot project. “National security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity,” Leon said Thursday. 

He also sharply criticized the Justice Department’s “brazen” interpretation of the “safety and security” exception he granted in his original order, citing their claim that the entire project is a matter of national security,

Leon described that read as “incredible, if not disingenuous.”

APPEALS COURT LETS TRUMP RESUME WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION, SEEKS LOWER COURT CLARITY

Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, had issued a preliminary injunction in March blocking construction of the ballroom in March. 

He concluded then that the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to proceed with building the sprawling White House ballroom without congressional approval, and that the administration had not shown it had clear authorization to replace parts of the East Wing with a privately funded structure.

Lawyers for the Trump administration quickly kicked the order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, arguing that completing the 90,000-square-foot project on the site of the demolished East Wing is critical to the safety and security of the “president, his family, and White House staff.”

US APPEALS COURT HALTS TRUMP CONTEMPT PROBE ORDERED BY BOASBERG, FOR NOW

Trump first announced plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom in July, initially estimating the cost at around $200 million. He has said the project would be funded “100% by me and some friends of mine.”

Lawyers for the administration have also pushed back on the lawsuit, arguing the president has authority over White House construction decisions and that past White House expansions, including the East and West Wings, did not require congressional involvement in their design or construction. 

The National Trust, meanwhile, has maintained that the project cannot move forward without complying with federal law and proper review processes.

TRUMP ADMIN FIGHTS IN COURT TO KEEP WHITE HOUSE EAST WING DEMOLITION, $300M BALLROOM BUILD ON TRACK
 

Last week, judges for the three-member D.C. Circuit ruled 2-1 to grant the Trump administration’s request for a temporary stay, clearing the way for the administration to continue construction on the project for now, or seek emergency relief via the Supreme Court.

But the circuit court also kicked the case back down to Leon to provide additional clarity, due to what judges cited as the need for a more detailed explanation on what types of construction should be blocked. 

Specifically, the judges asked Leon to clarify whether stopping the project would harm national security, as the Trump administration claims.

Leon’s amended order Thursday reiterates that any below-ground construction at the site that is tied to national security— such as construction of bunkers, or other protected facilities, may proceed.

The administration is permitted to take all measures necessary to physically secure the site, Leon said, including protecting the White House, and ensuring the safety of the president and his staff.

But he sharply rejected the administration’s argument to the appeals court that the entire project falls within the scope of national security efforts outlined above. 

Leon said the government’s arguments “are in direct conflict with [their] prior representations.”

“In my view, these arguments fail to justify Defendants’ extraordinary, if not disingenuous, reading of my preliminary injunction,” he added.

Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the Roman Catholic church, decried people who twist religion for military, economic or political benefit.

“Jesus told us, blessed are the peacemakers. But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” he declared.

He also called out “The masters of war,” during the remarks in Cameroon on Thursday.

“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often, a lifetime is often not enough to rebuild. They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing, on devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education, and restoration are nowhere to be found,” the pope said.

POPE LEO SAYS HE’S UNAFRAID OF THE TRUMP ADMIN AFTER PRESIDENT CALLS HIM ‘TERRIBLE’ ON FOREIGN POLICY

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Thursday regarding the pontiff’s comments in Cameroon.

But the president himself spoke about the pope on Thursday after he was asked about the religious figure’s comments.

TRUMP REJECTS AMERICAN BISHOP ROBERT BARRON’S CALL TO APOLOGIZE TO POPE FOR ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ COMMENTS

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it is “very important that the Pope understands” that “Iran killed 42,000 people that were totally unarmed, they were protesters.”

“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” the president asserted, saying that if the foreign nation did possess such a weapon, every nation in the world, including Italy, “would be in trouble.”

“But the pope has to understand, Iran, very simple, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The world would be in great danger,” he declared.

Asked if he would meet with the pope to iron out their differences, Trump responded, “I don’t think it’s necessary.”

TRUMP ACCUSES POPE LEO OF BEING ‘TERRIBLE’ ON FOREIGN POLICY OVER PONTIFF’S ANTI-WAR COMMENTS

Trump blasted the Catholic figure in a Truth Social post on Sunday night, declaring that the man “is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” and that he should “stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”

“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country,” Trump declared in part of the lengthy post.

“And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History,” he added.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, the president wrote, “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. AMERICA IS BACK!!!”

Conservatives on social media erupted with outrage on Thursday after Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota united to block a Republican effort to investigate further and impeach Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.

A resolution taken up by the Minnesota House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee to launch an impeachment investigation and allow the committee to hold hearings, issue subpoenas, and further investigate the massive fraud scandal was blocked after all 8 Democrats on the committee voted against it, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported.

The lawmakers deadlocked 8-8 on a straight party-line vote.

“This is a fundamentally unserious proposal by a fundamentally unserious party who isn’t interested in governing,” Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) Rep. Michael Howard said about the move. “Gas prices are rising because of Trump’s illegal war in Iran. Health care, housing, and childcare costs are spiking. We have hospitals closing, yet this is what we’re going to do today? A bill that’s absolutely going nowhere, dead on arrival.”

COMER TO SAY TIM WALZ ‘ENABLED FRAUD,’ FAILED WHISTLEBLOWERS IN BOMBSHELL MINNESOTA HEARING

On social media, conservatives blasted the Minnesota Democrats for not taking the unfolding fraud scandal, which is estimated to have cost taxpayers a total of up to $19 billion, seriously. 

“Despite years of whistleblower reports, dozens of hearings &  local news stories, & court convictions, Democrats CONTINUE  to block any investigation of Tim Walz,” MN House Fraud Committee Chair Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Minn., who is running for governor, posted on X. “They protect each other to protect their political base.  @amyklobuchar is just part of the protection racket.”

“Minnesotans lost $9B in taxpayer dollars to just 14 Medicaid programs under Tim Walz’s administration,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X. “Today, every single Democrat in Rules Committee voted to block an investigation into that fraud. Absolutely disgusting.”

TAFOYA RIPS WALZ ‘DODGING’ ACCOUNTABILITY IN HEARING, UNVEILS PLAN TO FIGHT FRAUD: ‘FULL WEIGHT OF THE LAW’

“Look at their campaign contributions,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., posted on X. 

“They’re panicked and don’t want anyone finding out how this was allowed to happen,” conservative influencer Eric Daugherty posted on X. “REMOVE WALZ FROM OFFICE and start the criminal proceedings for complicity!”

“You don’t block investigations into fraud unless you’re benefiting from the fraud,” conservative commentator Shawn Farash posted on X.

“When one party does not want accountability or transparency, When one party knows that massive fraud exist but refuses to investigate that fraud, the people must stand up and demand they be held accountable,” Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker who is running for Congress as a Republican in Arizona, posted on X.

AUDIO OF ELLISON MEETING WITH CONVICTED FRAUDSTERS RESURFACES AS LAWYER ALLEGES WALZ, AG SHARE BLAME

“This is why all spending and every program at the federal level and state level should be on Blockchain for everyone to see.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Democratic leadership on the committee for comment.

Walz dropped his bid for re-election in January as pressure to address the systemic fraud mounted, and he testified in front of Congress months later, along with Ellison, in a fiery hearing that left conservatives unsatisfied on the answer to the question of what the two elected officials knew about the fraud and what they did to stop it.

Walz has rebuffed calls for him to resign, prompting Minnesota Republicans to take various actions to further investigate or impeach him.

Impeaching or removing either Walz or Ellison would be an extremely difficult uphill battle for Republican lawmakers in Minnesota, given the current makeup of the Minnesota Legislature. Impeachment requires a simple majority vote in the House. However, the House is currently evenly split, making it nearly impossible for Republicans to pass articles of impeachment without significant Democratic defections or a major shift in control.

Removing an official from office requires a two-thirds supermajority vote in the Senate, where the DFL currently holds a narrow one-seat majority.

Graham Platner’s past controversial comments are once again garnering negative attention for the surging progressive candidate in a crucial Senate race in Maine that could determine the chamber’s majority.

Platner, a U.S. Marine and Army veteran who served four combat tours of duty in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, praised the military tactics used by Hamas in comments he made on Reddit about a graphic video posted online of a 2014 Hamas raid in which terrorists killed at least five Israeli soldiers.

The archived posts from Platner’s now-deleted Reddit profile under the username “P-Hustle” were reported this week by the Jewish Insider.

Commenting on the deadly raid by Hamas, Platner wrote, “Looks like an all around well executed and successful small unit raid to me.” His comments appeared on the Reddit forum r/CombatFootage, a discussion board for video and photographs of past and current military actions.

WHAT SUSAN COLLINS TOLD FOX NEWS AS SHE LAUNCHED HER RE-ELECTION BID

The Jewish Insider highlighted in their report that Platner, responding to another Reddit user who criticized the Hamas “execution” of the Israeli soldiers, said “Pragmatically I have little problem with killing an enemy combatant who you attempt to capture but for whatever reason cannot. From a strictly professional standpoint, this was a damn fine looking and successful raid against a superior opponent, I dig it.”

Fox News reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment, but didn’t receive a response at the time this story published.

Platner, an oyster farmer who is backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, is the clear polling and fundraising frontrunner as he faces off in a June primary against two-term Gov. Janet Mills, who enjoys the support of Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The winner of the Democratic primary will take on moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November’s midterm elections. Democrats view Collins as vulnerable as she seeks a sixth six-year term in the Senate in the left-leaning Northern New England state, and the race is considered a must win for Democrats as they try to claw back the chamber’s majority from the GOP.

Platner, 41, has campaigned in front of large and energetic crowds across Maine since launching his outsider campaign, thanks to support from a Democratic base angry with President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda and mad at their party’s leaders in the nation’s capital. Platner is being advised by Morris Katz, who was a top consultant last year on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s historic campaign.

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The conflict between Israel and Hamas dates back four decades, with the fighting persisting to the present day.

Hamas killed roughly 1,200 people in a sneak attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza over the past two and a half years has resulted in more than 72,000 people being killed, according to health officials in the Palestinian territory.

Platner has joined other progressive Democrats in labeling the Israeli attacks on Palestinians living in Gaza a genocide, and in criticizing ongoing U.S. military support for Israel.

“History is going to remember what our leaders did not do, the power they did not use to save the lives of innocent people. They’re going to be remembered for it, and as we move forward, we’re going to have to get people in positions of power who do not believe that the mass slaughter of children is an acceptable behavior of an ally,” he said at a recent candidate forum.

Past Platner comments on Reddit regarding rape have also stirred controversy. Among them is one from 2013, which Platner later deleted, that people concerned about rape should not “get so f—ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.”

Platner apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after they made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign.

“For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry,” he said in a video that went viral.

Platner also grabbed plenty of negative attention for a tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. The candidate said last fall that he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said that he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning it resembled a Nazi symbol.

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Pointing to the multiple controversies, Platner campaign manager Ben Chin said that month that “Mainers know that Graham should not be defined by the worst thing he said on the internet over a decade ago.”

But National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell on Thursday told Fox News Digital in a statement, “When someone shows you who they are believe them: Graham Platner has a Nazi tattoo and cheers on Hamas as they murder Israeli soldiers.”

Platner, in an interview last week, attributed some of his prior views to the “culture” he experienced during his military service.

“I came out of a hyper-masculine, hyper-violent place,” Platner told host Major Garrett on CBS News’ “The Takeout” podcast. “We have a crude sense of humor in the infantry… we certainly have a, I would say, narrow view of a lot of topics. And that colored my opinions and my beliefs.”

“Once I left and came out and interacted in the civilian world with lots of different people with very different experiences than my own,” Platner explained. “Many of those beliefs and thoughts and even just language changed significantly over time.”

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The remarks drew criticism from Republican officials with military backgrounds, who pushed back on the suggestion that such views are reflective of American military culture.

Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska a retired Air Force general, responded to the comments on social media by rejecting the characterization outright.

“I served nearly 30 years and never saw a Nazi tattoo on one of our servicemen or women,” Bacon said.

 Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana, a former Navy SEAL, also criticized Platner’s explanation in a post on X.

“I must have missed the day in basic training where they taught us to get Nazi tattoos and say women deserve to be raped,” Sheehy said.

Fox News’ CJ Womack contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced two Arctic Security Cutters will be homeported in Alaska by the end of 2028 and will serve to strengthen American maritime in the Arctic region.

The USCG, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, could potentially award up to 11 Arctic Security Cutter contracts in 2026 using roughly $3.5 billion in funding provided by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“Homeporting these two Arctic Security Cutters in Alaska is a decisive step forward in securing America’s Arctic frontier,” Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Fox News Digital in a statement.

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“I want to thank President Trump for his bold leadership and vision in directing this critical investment, as well as Senator Sullivan and the entire Alaskan Congressional delegation for championing the funding that made these icebreakers possible,” he said.

“These vessels will deliver the enduring operational presence our nation needs to protect sovereignty, deter foreign adversaries, and safeguard vital resources for the American people,” Mullin added. 

Arctic Security Cutters create opportunities for operations in frozen regions where ship transport is normally challenging or impossible to navigate. The vessel is structured with a rounded and sloped bow, allowing the ship to ride up on top of the surface of the ice and smash through using the weight of the ship. 

Where most ships would get stuck, icebreakers use reinforced hulls, high-powered engines and special propellers to plow through dense ice fields, creating a passageway after the ice separates. 

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Coast Guard Arctic District has a total of 16 cutters homeported in Alaska, according to the USCG

The move also comes as Russia and China have both increased interest in the Arctic and icebreaker production.

Russia has roughly 40 icebreakers in the polar region, according to multiple reports, and has been developing the Northern Sea Route (NSR) using the vessels in an effort to establish a potentially dominant trade route as ice melts and paths are cleared. 

The China Research Center reported that the NSR would be a 40% faster trading route than the Suez Canal traditionally used for trade between China and Europe. 

The Arctic is known to have high levels of oil, gas, minerals, hydrocarbons and rare elements, sparking moves from prominent countries to have more presence in the region.

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Reports indicate that China and Russia are collaborating on patrols, research and shipping in the Arctic, as China is reliant on the Russians for access to Arctic routes.

Last October, President Donald Trump signed a $6.1 billion agreement with President Alexander Stubb of Finland to acquire four icebreakers for the U.S. 

“We need these ships very badly because we have a lot of territory, more than anybody. And so, I’m very honored to have this deal. And thank you very much. It’s going to be great,” Trump said.

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U.S. defense officials have identified the Arctic as a top national security priority, noting the importance of early-warning systems and missile detection networks.

“Homeporting Arctic Security Cutters in Alaska underscores the United States’ leadership as a maritime power in the Arctic,” USCG Commandant Adm. Kevin E. Lunday told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

“By strategically positioning these state-of-the-art icebreakers in Alaska, the Coast Guard will maximize our ability to defend our northern border and approaches, while reinforcing America’s maritime dominance in a crucial region of strategic importance,” Lunday explained.

The USCG said that a revitalized icebreaker fleet will also counter malign influence in the Arctic as well as allow for faster response to crises and contingencies in the region.

Allegations of misconduct against an unnamed senator were sent to the Senate Ethics Committee on Thursday.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., made the announcement on X Wednesday night, but the nature of the allegations and who they are against are unclear. Fox News Digital reached out for comment from Luna’s office but did not immediately hear back.

“[It] seems like the Senate has its own trash to take out,” Luna wrote. “[Senate Majority Leader John Thune] You need to look into the allegations against one of your Senators, it’s very disturbing. My chief will be contacting your chief.”

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Thune, R-S.D., confirmed that his office received the information Thursday morning.

“I don’t know what the particulars are about this,” Thune said. “I have not — all I know is that we referred it to the proper authorities, which, in this case, would be the Senate Ethics Committee.”

Fox News Digital reached out for comment from the Senate Ethics Committee but did not immediately hear back.

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Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who chairs the ethics panel, declined to comment on Luna’s post and said, “I talk zero about ethics.”

When asked if lawmakers have strayed from the massive overhaul of sexual harassment reporting and accountability procedures passed in Congress in 2018, Lankford said, “No, none of that’s changed” on his ethics panel.

“We still do our work, as we always have,” he said.

Luna’s allegations come in the wake of a scandal that rocked the lower chamber and has again forced a reckoning in Congress over lawmakers and their conduct following the #MeToo movement that began in 2018.

Former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., resigned Tuesday from the House shortly after ending his gubernatorial campaign following a bombshell report from The San Francisco Chronicle that the ex-lawmaker allegedly sexually assaulted a former staffer.

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Since that report last week, five women have stepped forward and accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct and rape.

He has repeatedly denied the allegations and vowed to fight back against them.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who was close friends with Swalwell but has vehemently denied any knowledge of his alleged activities, said lawmakers need to go back and make the 2018 revamp of conduct and reporting rules “better.”

“Because clearly there’s holes in this, or number two, that we haven’t created an environment through the legislation to make women, especially staffers, feel that they could come and talk to somebody and not have any repercussions,” Gallego said.

Swalwell is not the only lawmaker to exit after sexual misconduct allegations.

Former Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, also resigned from Congress on Tuesday after he admitted to having an affair with a former staffer who later died by setting herself on fire. However, he has not acknowledged a second allegation of sexual misconduct.