Category: USA Politics

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.

SOME STATES HAVE LET UNQUALIFIED FOREIGN DRIVERS ON THE ROAD AND AMERICANS PAY THE PRICE

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.

HOMELAND SECURITY VOWS DEPORTATION OPERATIONS ‘WILL CONTINUE’ AS ICE AGENTS HELP TSA, AGENCY DEFUNDED

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.”

EXCLUSIVE: CAMERAS CAPTURE TRUCKERS UNABLE TO READ ROAD SIGNS, ANSWER BASIC QUESTIONS DURING FLORIDA CRACKDOWN

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.

SEMI-TRUCK DRIVER HELD ON ICE DETAINER AFTER 4 KILLED IN HEAD-ON CRASH

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.”

DOT CLOSES MAJOR COMMERCIAL TRUCKING LOOPHOLE BLAMED FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUSING FATAL CRASHES

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.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., urged U.S. service members to “refuse illegal orders” Tuesday after President Donald Trump threatened to wipe out Iran’s “civilization.”

“The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in response to Trump’s Truth Social post. “To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat.”

Trump appeared to issue a warning about bombing some of Iran’s civilian infrastructure in an effort to persuade the country to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, among other demands. The president set a deadline of 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Ocasio-Cortez’s denunciation comes as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers on the party’s leftward flank have called for Trump to be impeached, though that effort will likely face an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled House. Some Democrats have also urged the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment in an attempt to remove Trump from power — a highly unrealistic outcome.

WHY TRUMP FACES AN AGONIZING DECISION ON OBLITERATING IRAN’S OIL SUPPLY IF HE CAN’T GET A DEAL

Ocasio-Cortez, a leading progressive lawmaker, joined Democrats Tuesday in supporting Trump’s removal from power.

House Democratic leadership notably stopped short of calling for Trump’s ouster in a statement issued Tuesday. 

The Democratic leaders instead urged House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to immediately reconvene the House and vote on a war powers resolution to block Trump from further military action. The chamber is currently in a district work period until the week of April 13.

TRUMP’S APOCALYPTIC IRAN WARNING RAISES STAKES FOR SWEEPING US STRIKE THREAT

“It’s time for House Republicans to put patriotic duty over party loyalty and join Democrats in stopping this madness,” the group, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wrote. 

The White House fired back at Democrats’ messaging in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“This is pathetic. Democrats have been talking about impeaching President Trump since before he was even sworn into office,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. “The Democrats in Congress are deranged, weak, and ineffective, which is why their approval ratings are at historic lows.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s plea to U.S. service members comes after the Department of Justice opened an investigation in 2025 into six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video urging troops and members of the intelligence community to reject “illegal” orders from the government. The lawmakers included Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., as well as Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Chrissy Houlahan and Chris DeLuzio, D-Pa.

TRUMP SAYS ‘LOSERS’ SCHUMER, DEMS WOULD HAVE CRITICIZED ANY DECISION HE MADE ON IRAN

A grand jury in Washington, D.C., declined to indict those lawmakers in February in a notable setback for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.

Kelly warned Trump earlier this week against moving forward with targeting non-military infrastructure in Iran.

“Illegal orders to make civilians suffer would be a black mark on our military and our country,” the Arizona Democrat wrote on social media.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment.

Hours before President Donald Trump announced a two-week delay in attacking Iran, Pope Leo issued a rare and pointed condemnation, denouncing Trump’s Tuesday morning threat against the country as “truly unacceptable.”

Speaking to journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics spoke out against the escalating war and called for an immediate end to the conflict.

“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” the pope said. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population.”

The comments were seemingly in reference to one of Trump’s earlier Truth Social posts, where he wrote, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

TRUMP VOWS US WILL STRIKE IRAN’S POWER PLANTS, BRIDGES IF STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS NOT REOPENED

Trump later said that, based on conversations with Pakistani leaders, he would delay the “bombing and attack of Iran” for two weeks.

The postponement is subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post.

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

Pope Leo had warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure are “against international law” and serve as a “sign of the hatred, the division [and] the destruction the human being is capable of.”

The pontiff went on to describe the conflict as a war many are calling “unjust” that is “not resolving anything.”

“In fact, we have a worldwide economic crisis, energy crisis situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world,” he said. “So come back to the table. Let’s talk let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way.”

The pope also took the unusual step of calling on everyday citizens to “contact the authorities — political leaders, congressmen — to ask them to work for peace and to reject war always.”

A clash between the sovereign of the Vatican City State and world leaders is highly unusual, though the pope made his first direct appeal to Trump last week, urging him to find an “off-ramp” to end the war with Iran, according to a report from Reuters.

Pope Leo on Tuesday pleaded for the protection of the innocent, urging the world to remember “the children, the elderly, the sick,” who he said “have already become, or will become, victims of this continued warfare.”

A federal judge allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to continue being distributed by mail nationwide for now, but warned the Biden-era policy could soon face major legal changes as a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety review of the drug unfolds.

The legal challenge to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s January 2023 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) seeks to end the “certified pharmacies” regulation that allows for the drug to be mailed across state lines while the federal agency continues its review.

U.S. District Court Judge David C. Joseph, appointed by President Donald Trump, ruled against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on Tuesday, citing what he referred to as a “government by lawsuit.”

“…It is the completion of FDA’s promised good faith, evidence-based, and expeditious review of the mifepristone REMS, not “government by lawsuit,” that this Court finds to be in the public interest,” Joseph wrote in his ruling.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD ATTACKS HAWLEY EFFORT TO STRIP FDA APPROVAL OF MIFEPRISTONE

Joseph also cited a letter from both Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary asking their respective agencies to “conduct a comprehensive safety review” of the 2023 mifepristone REMS.

Murrill told Fox News Digital she plans on taking Joseph’s ruling to the Fifth Circuit despite the ongoing mifepristone REMS review from both agencies.

“Judge Joseph concluded that Louisiana has standing to sue and is likely to succeed in showing that the 2023 REMS is unlawful,” Murrill said to Fox News Digital in a statement.

YOUNG, GOP SENATORS URGES TRUMP TO REINSTATE ‘PROTECT LIFE RULE’ TO BLOCK TITLE X FUNDS FROM ABORTION CLINICS

“He also concluded that Louisiana suffers irreparable harm every day that the 2023 REMS remains in effect,” she added. “Accordingly, under binding Fifth Circuit precedent, the only thing left to do is vacate the 2023 REMS pending the outcome of this litigation. We will ask the Fifth Circuit to do so.”

The ruling sets up a high-stakes legal fight over abortion pills, with a federal appeals court showdown looming and the FDA under pressure to justify rules that dramatically expanded access in recent years.

In the past year, many red states nationwide have taken the 2023 REMS mail-order regulation to the courts. 

In one notable incident last year, a Texas man who fathered an unborn child sued a California doctor who prescribed his ex-girlfriend mifepristone through the organization “Aid Access.” His case, Rodriguez v. Coeytaux, is still ongoing.

HAWLEY INTRODUCES BILL TO STRIP FDA APPROVAL FROM ‘INHERENTLY DANGEROUS’ ABORTION PILL

In the State of Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Murrill seeks a full rollback of the REMS policy regardless of the findings of the review.

Joseph denied injunction without prejudice in the suit that Louisiana brought to the court, but also granted stay of the case. His ruling orders the FDA to complete their safety review, which had been postponed through the November midterm elections, and to report back in six months.

“Should the agency fail to complete its review and make any necessary revisions to the REMS within a reasonable timeframe, the Court’s analysis – and the weight accorded to these factors – will inevitably change,” Joseph wrote in his ruling.

Joseph did point to Louisiana’s standing in the suit, claiming the state is suffering “ongoing harm” after the Dobbs decision in 2022 allowed the state to ban abortion.

“Thus, in that post-Dobbs regulatory environment, there is evidence that the 2023 REMS was approved without adequate consideration, at least in part, as part of an effort to circumvent anti-abortion states’ ability to regulate abortion,” Joseph wrote. “Likewise, there is evidence that the consequences of this action were predictable – out-of-state providers and related entities would expand access to mifepristone in ways designed to reach into jurisdictions like Louisiana.”

PRO-LIFE ORGANIZATION CALLS ON HHS AND FDA TO SUSPEND ABORTION PILL APPROVAL, TIGHTEN SAFETY RULES

However, Joseph pointed to the FDA as the ultimate decision maker on the issue, as a matter of “public health judgment.”

Mifepristone was first approved by the FDA in 2000 under strict guidelines, requiring a pregnancy at seven weeks’ gestation or fewer, and only administered in-person after being seen by a prescribing physician. 

The guidelines were first relaxed in 2016, where the gestational age of the proposed pregnancy was lengthened to 10 weeks, and required fewer in-person visits to obtain a prescription.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, where mifepristone was prescribed and sent via mail under unprecedented circumstances, the same rules were legalized under the FDA’s REMS in 2023.

Reuters reported that mifepristone is the single-most popular method of abortion in the U.S., representing about 60% of all abortions.

HAWLEY LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO ABORTION DRUG MANUFACTURERS OVER ‘GRAVE RISKS’ TO WOMEN

Joseph’s ruling orders the FDA to finish their review, which may revise rules under the 2023 REMS guidelines. It also allows the court to act if the agency continues to delay its safety review more than six months.

“Should the agency fail… the Court’s analysis… will inevitably change,” Joseph concluded.

Joseph maintained mifepristone access in Louisiana for now, but signaled the legal and scientific basis for those rules may not hold.

“This is one of the many reasons why the investigation into the FDA must be sped up so that states can begin to regulate abortions if the feds don’t,” 40 Days for Life President Shawn Carney told Fox News Digital. “This was one of the great promises by RFK that they initiated last year, because we now know how dangerous these abortion drugs are.”

“The investigation into the FDA must be sped up because every abortion pill sent through the mail is a huge, unregulated danger that has been a disaster since Biden deregulated it,” Carney added.

The FDA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

California gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell’s, D-Calif., campaign broke their silence on allegations circulated by Cheyenne Hunt, a former Capitol Hill staffer and a political media personality, fiercely denying any sexual misconduct towards former staffers or interns.

“This false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before an election begins by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race,” Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for Swalwell, told the New York Post.

Hunt, who now runs a youth political engagement group called Gen-Z for Change, a left-leaning group, began highlighting accusations that Swalwell had a practice of making sexual advances with women on his staff last week.

SWALWELL’S ‘I SHOULD BE WORKING’ GYM, POOL VIDEOS RESURFACE AS DEM RIVAL HAMMERS HIS MISSED HOUSE VOTES

“The Democratic candidate currently leading in the California governor’s race has a known history of being predatory towards women,” Hunt claimed in a post to social media.

Hunt showed the image of a message sent to her through a private message.

“You know, Eric Swalwell has slept with many of his interns and makes them all sign [non-disclosure agreements] so they don’t speak up, right? And when I was 19, he tried hitting on me and sliding into my DMs,” the quote read.

Since posting her original video detailing Swalwell’s alleged advances, Hunt said she has been contacted by a number of other women sharing similar experiences.

UNEARTHED PHOTO OF SWALWELL MEETING WITH TOP CCP OFFICIAL RAISES ALARM BELLS: ‘VERY DISTURBING’

“I am personally working with a group of women who want to come forward and share their stories. I am also aware of a much larger group that is also in this process that I am not personally working with,” Hunt said.

Hunt has not provided names for the other women or indicated which other groups she is referring to. In addition to Hunt, multiple other Democratic operatives have posted about Swalwell, including Democratic strategist Bhavik Lathia, who told Democrats to take the allegations “seriously.”

“Hey, I just got off the phone with a trusted friend. This is real. Take it seriously. Eric Swallwell cannot be our nominee. There is going to be a lot more coming out soon. I can’t say more right now, but stay tuned,” Lathia said.

“Beasley challenged Hunt’s assertions, noting a lack of controversy surrounding Swalwell up to this point,” he continued.

“In 13 years, no one in Eric Swalwell’s Congressional office has ever been asked to sign an NDA. Ever. In 13 years, not a single ethics complaint by any staff in his office or any other office has ever been lodged. Ever,” Beasley told the Post.

In a post to X, Hunt struck back at Swalwell’s framing of her allegations.

SWALWELL THREATENS FBI WITH LEGAL ACTION AS PATEL REPORTEDLY WEIGHS ‘FANG FANG’ FILES RELEASE

“Smearing survivors with claims that they ‘teamed up with MAGA’ is morally repugnant,” Hunt said in a post to X.

“These women are brave and deserve to be heard. We are working with legal counsel and the investigative team of a highly reputable outlet to ensure that those stories are told the right way,” she added.

Mail-in voting for the primary begins on May 4, according to California’s Secretary of State. The gubernatorial primary is June 2.

Swalwell’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Liberals expanded their majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in an election Tuesday, strengthening control in a key battleground state, in a ballot box showdown that drew limited nation attention but had plenty riding on the results.

Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, a former democratic state representative, defeated Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar, a conservative, the Associated Press reports.

Taylor will succeed a retiring conservative justice and with the victory, liberals will expand their majority on the state Supreme Court to 5-2.

While officially a non-partisan contest, state Supreme Court elections in Wisconsin have become extremely partisan in recent election cycles.

PRIMARY PAUSE, POLITICAL FIRESTORM: HIGH-STAKES ELECTIONS THIS MONTH TAKE CENTER STAGE

With the court’s majority on the line in last year’s contest, outside money poured in and out-of-state door knockers blanketed Wisconsin. One of the biggest spenders was Trump ally Elon Musk, who headlined a rally days before the election and donned a cheesehead hat worn by fans of the Green Bay Packers. Musk also personally handed out $1 million checks to voters.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

The liberal candidate won that election by a larger-than-expected margin to capture a 4-3 majority on the state Supreme Court.

Since the majority wasn’t at stake in this year’s showdown, the campaign battle wasn’t showered with national resources, money, or attention.

Liberals took control of the state Supreme Court in 2023, ending a decade and a half of conservative control. Since taking the majority, the liberals have reversed several election-related rulings by the prior conservative majority, including one that banned absentee ballot drop boxes.

This year’s campaign focused on abortion rights, congressional redistricting, and union rights cases that will likely come in front of the state Supreme Court.

The judicial ballot box showdown also came six months ahead of November’s elections, when Democrats in Wisconsin aim to keep control of the governor’s office and potentially flip the state legislature, which Republicans have controlled for 15 years.

RINGGOLD, GA — Republican congressional candidate Clay Fuller just gave House Speaker Mike Johnson a little bit of breathing room as the GOP clings to a razor-thin majority in Congress.

Fuller, who was backed by President Donald Trump, on Tuesday defeated Democrat Shawn Harris in a special election to fill the empty U.S. House seat in Georgia’s solidly red 14th Congressional District, the Associated Press reports.

The seat was left vacant when MAGA firebrand Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stepped down at the beginning of January. Greene quit Congress with a year left in her term, after a bitter falling out with Trump.

The special election came as Republicans cling to a razor-thin 218–214 majority in the House. The GOP was under the gun to make sure the Democrats didn’t pull off an upset in the special election, in a district in northwest Georgia that Trump carried by a whopping 37 points in his 2024 presidential victory.

PRIMARY PAUSE, POLITICAL FIRESTORM: HIGH-STAKES ELECTIONS THIS MONTH TAKE CENTER STAGE

“It’s extremely crucial, and we need the reinforcements,” Fuller told Fox News Digital on the eve of the runoff election.

Fuller, a local district attorney and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard who’s served in the Air Force since 2009, added, “I think the voters in Georgia 14 understand that, and they’re looking forward to sending a MAGA America first fighter up on Capitol Hill to support that agenda.”

TRUMP HITS CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN KEY BATTLEGROUND AS RACE TO REPLACE MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE HEATS UP

Asked if he was concerned that MAGA supporters would sit out what was expected to be a low turnout election since the president is not on the ballot, Fuller said Trump voters “would crawl through glass to make sure they have a representative up there that fight for them and fight for President Trump.”

Harris, a cattle farmer who spent four decades in the military and retired as an Army brigadier general, needed the support of crossover Republicans in order to pull off an upset.

“I am a Democrat, but I’m not tied to the party,” Harris highlighted as he spoke with Fox News Digital on Monday. And Harris argued, “My opponent, Clay, cannot say that. He actually sold his soul to President Trump.”

Harris narrowly edged Fuller amid a field of 17 candidates, including 12 Republicans, in the first round of voting in early March. Since no candidate topped 50%, Harris and Fuller advanced to Tuesday’s runoff.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

The congressional seat — which stretches from Atlanta’s outer suburbs to the state’s northwest borders with Alabama and Tennessee — was left vacant when Greene quit Congress with a year left in her term, after a very public falling out with Trump mostly over her push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.

While Greene remains popular among Republicans in the district, Fuller said the voters he talked with on the campaign trail were “focused on the fights of the future, not anything that had happened in the past.”

Asked if he spoke with Greene, Fuller said he “reached out to Rep. Greene, had conversations with her and got advice on the district, and I’ll keep those conversations confidential.”

Harris, who as a first-time candidate lost to Greene by nearly 29 points in her 2024 re-election, emphasized that he wasn’t “running against Marjorie Taylor Greene anymore,” and that his name “carries more weight than any other name in this district.”

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that, based on conversations with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, he will delay the “bombing and attack of Iran” for two weeks.

Trump said the decision came after the leaders requested the U.S. “hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran,” which the president previously threatened would start at 8 p.m. eastern time if a deal was not reached.

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.”

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

“This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.”

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

“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.”

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

The Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran responded in a statement, thanking Sharif and Munir 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.”

Israel has also agreed to suspend its bombing campaign in Iran as part of the last-minute deal.

The White House cautioned nothing is confirmed while addressing reports that further talks would happen in Pakistan on Friday.

“There are discussions about in person talks, but nothing is final until announced by the President or the White House,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Iran-backed Houthi forces are raising the prospect of a second global shipping choke point in the Red Sea, threatening to deepen pressure on energy markets and global trade as the conflict with Iran intensifies.

The Houthis entered the conflict in early April with missile and drone strikes on Israel and have since warned they could target shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb — a narrow corridor linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden — raising concerns the war could expand beyond the Strait of Hormuz and further disrupt global trade.

Analysts warn that if Houthi forces begin targeting vessels again, it could open a second maritime front in a conflict that has already choked off traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, adding pressure to global energy markets and supply chains.

The Bab al-Mandeb is one of the world’s most critical shipping choke points, handling roughly 12% of global seaborne oil trade and serving as a key gateway for cargo moving between Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal.

TRUMP SEEKS WARSHIPS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO HELP SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are an Iran-backed armed group that controls much of northern Yemen and has been fighting a yearslong civil war against the country’s internationally recognized government.

Houthi leaders, in coordination with Iran, have framed the potential escalation as part of their response to U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran and its allies, warning they could target shipping or restrict access to the Red Sea if the conflict intensifies.

Iranian official Aliakbar Velayati posted on X on Sunday: “Today, the unified command of the Resistance front views Bab al-Mandeb as it does Hormuz. If the White House dares to repeat its foolish mistakes, it will soon realize that the flow of global energy and trade can be disrupted with a single move.”

The Red Sea has taken on added importance as the conflict disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing more cargo and energy flows toward alternative routes. That shift has increased reliance on the Bab al-Mandeb — a choke point that handles roughly $1 trillion in goods annually — raising the stakes of any renewed disruption.

Traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb is already running well below normal levels after earlier Houthi attacks pushed major shipping lines to reroute vessels around Africa. Ship-tracking data shows daily transits have fallen to roughly half of typical levels, underscoring that the route is already under strain even before any renewed escalation.

“It’s less about what they can actually do and more about the threat,” former Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan told Fox News Digital. “Once that risk is there, shipping companies decide not to take it.”

Even limited attacks or threats can drive up insurance costs and push major carriers to reroute vessels around Africa, effectively reducing traffic through the strait without a formal blockade.

The U.S. launched a major air and naval campaign in 2025 — known as Operation Rough Rider — to counter Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, after the group began targeting commercial vessels in opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza.

U.S. and allied forces carried out hundreds of strikes on missile launchers, drones, radar systems and other Houthi infrastructure across Yemen in an effort to restore freedom of navigation through the Red Sea.

RUSSIA, CHINA VETO UN RESOLUTION AIMED AT REOPENING STRAIT OF HORMUZ, HOURS BEFORE TRUMP DEADLINE

The campaign degraded parts of the group’s capabilities but failed to fully eliminate the threat, as shipping companies continued to avoid the route due to ongoing security risks.

Both U.S. and regional experts say the Houthis lack the capability to fully shut down the Bab al-Mandeb, but retain the ability to harass vessels with missiles, drones and small boats — tactics that have previously disrupted shipping across the Red Sea.

The Houthis field a growing arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship weapons and drones, much of it derived from Iranian designs. While Iran has long supplied key components through smuggling networks, the group has also developed the ability to assemble and produce weapons inside Yemen — though analysts say those supply lines may now be constrained by the broader conflict.

“They do have the ability to pester international maritime traffic,” Middle East analyst Gregg Roman said, warning that broader attacks could trigger “a severe international response” from the U.S., Israel and Gulf allies.

So far, the Houthis have limited their involvement to strikes on Israel, avoiding the kind of sustained maritime attacks that disrupted global shipping in previous years — a sign analysts say reflects both strategic restraint and pressure from regional actors.

Officials and analysts say Iran could still encourage the group to escalate attacks on Red Sea shipping if the conflict deepens, positioning the Houthis as a secondary pressure point in the broader war.

That dynamic has raised concerns the conflict could evolve into a multi-chokepoint crisis, testing the ability of the U.S. and its allies to keep critical global trade routes open.

Beyond the immediate threat to shipping, Donegan warned that efforts by Iran or its proxies to influence who can safely transit key waterways could challenge long-standing norms of free passage — raising concerns about how similar tactics could play out in other global choke points.

RICHMOND, VA — Virginia’s Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday ignored questions on whether she would entertain calls from the Department of Homeland Security to end sanctuary policies in the state.

“Governor Spanberger must end her sanctuary policies that allow these illegal aliens onto our streets and work with DHS to protect the citizens of the commonwealth,” the agency said in a post to social media.

Virginia — and in particular Fairfax County — has made headlines in recent weeks for a string of deadly attacks carried out by illegal aliens.

DHS BLASTS SPANBERGER ON POTENTIAL RELEASE OF ILLEGAL MIGRANT WITH 30+ ARRESTS CURRENTLY CHARGED WITH MURDER

Earlier this month, authorities charged 28-year-old Guatemala native Misael Lopez Gomez with the murder of his 3-month-old daughter. His arrest comes on the heels of an attack by Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, 38, another Guatemalan charged with fatally stabbing a man in his home. The county was also where repeat offender and Sierra Leone national Abdul Jalloh, 32, stabbed a victim to death at a bus stop in February.

DHS noted that three of the four suspects charged with murders in Fairfax County so far in 2026 are illegal aliens.

Spanberger did not comment on the figure.

MIGRANT ACCUSED OF GROPING MULTIPLE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS FACES CHARGES AS DHS WARNS SPANBERGER AGAINST RELEASE 

At the beginning of her term, Spanberger joined a handful of Democratic governors like California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker who have made it harder for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.

On Jan. 17, Spanberger rescinded local-federal coordination requirements, arguing that Virginia’s resources would be better spent enforcing its own laws.

“Virginians have been deprived of critical public safety and local law enforcement to divert their limited resources for use in enforcing federal civil immigration laws,” Spanberger said in a press release.

“Federal authorities should enforce federal civil immigration laws — law enforcement in the Commonwealth should prioritize the safety and security of all residents in Virginia, the enforcement of local and state laws and coordination with federal entities on criminal matters,” she added.

Another illegal alien who has gotten attention in Virginia is Israel Flores Ortiz, 19, who is facing nine counts of assault and battery for groping girls at a Fairfax County high school he was attending. Victims and parents have alleged that Ortiz approached about 12 girls from behind in crowded hallways, grabbed them between the legs and groped their private areas, according to 7News.

DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said last month that the agency is “calling on Fairfax County sanctuary politicians to NOT release this predator from jail back into our communities to assault more teenage women.”

She went on to slam Spanberger for ending former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s policy of cooperation with ICE, saying it is “siding with criminal illegal aliens over American citizens.”

NEW POLL REVEALS SPANBGERGER’S POPULARITY IS PLUMMETING AMID BACKLASH OVER GERRYMANDERING

DHS explained in a statement to Fox News Digital that it depends on partnerships to coordinate detention and removal of illegal aliens like Gomez, Muy and Jalloh.

“ICE can only detain illegals for the purpose of removal,” a DHS spokesperson said when asked how the agency coordinates handovers of suspects.

Fox News’ Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.