Category: USA Politics

First lady Melania Trump delivered a plea to lawmakers on Wednesday, demanding “action over awareness” to secure the futures of America’s foster children by turning her recent executive action into permanent law.

During a bipartisan congressional committee meeting, Trump outlined her vision to transform vulnerable youth into financially independent business owners, explaining the American dream should be “their birthright.”

While describing the Fostering the Future executive order she signed in November as a “transformative vision,” she said Congress now has an opportunity to create a lasting, positive impact by passing permanent legislation.

Since the start of her nationwide initiative, Fostering the Future, in 2021, the program has a footprint in more than 20 universities across the country, including major institutions like LSU, the University of Virginia, University of Texas and Ohio State University.

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP: AI COULD IMPROVE TEACHING AND HELP DELIVER A WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION TO OUR CHILDREN

Rather than relying on perpetual government assistance, Trump said her goal at the university level is to prepare those in foster care to secure entry-level jobs, become financially independent, create new businesses and generate employment opportunities.

She also highlighted roadblocks within the current system, noting that only roughly 3% of people in the foster care community earn a college degree.

“We can close this gap, but still, foster youth face a special set of challenges outside the classroom that have a serious impact on their academic performance,” Trump said.

“These issues include housing instability, educational advocacy, financial barriers [and] transportation continuity,” she continued.

“New legislation for the foster care community is a moral imperative.”

The first lady added that safeguarding foster children’s well-being helps “shape the integrity of our nation” and reminded bipartisan lawmakers that “America’s children are our moral equals.”

“As parents and leaders, it is our ethical obligation to ensure American children develop emotionally and physically within a safe environment,” Trump said. 

“As a community, we strive to nurture our children’s curiosity, protect their innocence and guide them with hearts full of care. … But to get there, a strong knowledge base is required. Education is the cornerstone of a child’s future.”

EXCLUSIVE: The Office of the Director of National Intelligence sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department for the whistleblower whose complaint helped trigger President Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment and for the former intelligence community inspector general who notified Congress of the allegations, Fox News Digital has learned.

“I want to refer information that may constitute possible criminal activity in violation of federal criminal law committed by one or more former employees of the intelligence community,” ODNI’s general counsel wrote in the referral to the Justice Department.

Fox News Digital on Wednesday reviewed the referrals ODNI sent to the Justice Department. 

“The possible criminal activity concerns the circumstances described in the following congressional briefings: Discussion with Intelligence Community Inspector General, House Permanent Select Comm. on Intel., 116th Cong. (2019); Briefing by the Intelligence Community Inspector General, House Permanent Select Comm. on Intel., 116th Cong. (2019),” it continued.  

GABBARD CLAIMS ‘COORDINATED EFFORT’ BY INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TO ADVANCE NARRATIVE TO IMPEACH TRUMP 

The referrals come after DNI Tulsi Gabbard released documents earlier this week exposing what was described as a “coordinated effort” by elements within the intelligence community—including then-Inspector General Michael Atkinson, to “manufacture a conspiracy” that was used as the basis to impeach Trump in 2019.

An intelligence official told Fox News Digital that the language in the referral is broad, but that it’s specifically directed at Atkinson and the whistleblower who reported concerns about President Trump’s July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

FLASHBACK: NUNES THREATENS TO REFER WATCHDOG’S HANDLING OF WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT TO DOJ

ODNI directed Fox News Digital to a recent X post from Gabbard when asked for comment on the referrals. 

“Newly-declassified records expose how deep state actors within the Intelligence Community concocted a false narrative that Congress used to usurp the will of the American people and impeach duly-elected President @realDonaldTrump in 2019,” Gabbard posted to X on Monday. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Justice on Wednesday afternoon regarding the referrals. 

The documents Gabbard released earlier this week include transcripts from Atkinson’s closed-door testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which were withheld from the House Judiciary Committee during the first impeachment trial. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., led a vote to release the transcripts in March.

ODNI said the documents confirmed that Atkinson “failed to conduct basic due diligence and willfully exceeded his statutory jurisdiction to mischaracterize the president’s phone call with Zelensky as an ‘urgent concern’ to Congress.”

Atkinson, during his investigation, found that the whistleblower showed indications of “political bias” and was “in favor of a rival political candidate,” while still deeming the complaint a matter of “urgent concern.”

Atkinson received a complaint in August 2019 from the whistleblower, who was raising concerns about Trump’s July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pressing him to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine. The president specifically suggested Zelensky look into Hunter Biden’s ventures with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings and former President Joe Biden’s successful effort to have former Ukrainian prosecutor General Viktor Shokin ousted.

Hunter Biden was quietly under federal investigation, beginning in 2018, at the time of the call, a probe prompted by suspicious foreign transactions.

Trump’s request was regarded by Democrats as a quid pro quo because millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Ukraine had been frozen. Democrats also said Trump was meddling in the 2020 presidential election by asking a foreign leader to look into a Democrat political opponent.

Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings and Hunter had a highly lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month. The then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

“I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion.’ … I looked at them and said, ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’” Biden recalled telling then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Biden recollected the conversation during an event for the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018.

FLASHBACK: HOUSE INTEL REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING ICIG HANDLING OF WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT

“Well, son of a b—-, he got fired,” Biden said during the event. “And they put in place someone who was solid at the time.”

Biden allies maintain the then-vice president pushed for Shokin’s firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption, and they say that his firing, at the time, was the policy position of the U.S. and international community.

Meanwhile, House Republicans, back in 2019 and 2020, sought to refer Atkinson and the whistleblower to the DOJ for investigation. 

Republicans, at the time, complained that the whistleblower made contact with the staff of then-Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., in advance — though Schiff downplayed the nature of that contact.

The White House, under Trump’s first term, released a declassified version of the whistleblower complaint, which revealed that the whistleblower’s concerns stemmed from the secondhand accounts of “more than half a dozen U.S. officials.”

The declassified whistleblower complaint, though, stated: “I was not a direct witness to most of the events described. However, I found my colleagues’ accounts of these events to be credible, because, in almost all cases, multiple officials recounted fact patterns that were consistent with one another.”

Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives in December 2019. He was acquitted by the Senate in February 2020. 

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

FIRST ON FOX: Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is being asked not to release yet another criminal illegal immigrant as Northern Virginia, a major suburb of Washington, D.C., continues to be rocked by a migrant crime spree.

Fox News Digital has learned that the Department of Homeland Security has asked Spanberger and “sanctuary politicians” in Arlington, Virginia, to honor a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer on a Guatemalan illegal immigrant charged with attempted rape.

The illegal immigrant, Luzvin Orvando Garcia Moran, 28, faces charges of abduction of a person with intent to defile, sodomy by force or victim helplessness, and assault in connection with an attempted rape, according to DHS.

Local outlet ABC7 reported that Garcia Moran allegedly approached a woman waiting on a rideshare around 6 a.m. on Sunday and attempted to force himself on her. She attempted to escape multiple times but was grabbed, shoved against a wall, and assaulted. The outlet reported that two good Samaritans intervened to stop the assault but that the assailant escaped.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASED UNDER BIDEN CHARGED WITH GROPING FEMALE STUDENTS AT VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL

Garcia Moran was arrested in connection to the assault and is being held without bond.

Since Arlington has several sanctuary policies limiting local cooperation with ICE, DHS said the agency lodged a detainer request with the Arlington County Jail to ensure that Garcia Moran is not released back into the community.  

DHS said that Garcia Moran entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date. Citing Arlington County Court records, the agency said he has “at least” 25 prior charges dating back to 2020, including nine counts of being intoxicated in public, assault and battery, disorderly conduct, attempting to disarm a law enforcement officer and several probation violations.

SPANBERGER DODGES QUESTIONS ON WHETHER SHE WOULD REVERSE SANCTUARY POLICY AS DHS TURNS UP HEAT

This comes as Spanberger is facing mounting pressure from ICE and local citizens to reverse her executive order limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities in the face of a slew of attacks and a sexual assault in nearby Fairfax County.

Recent crimes by illegal aliens in Fairfax County include multiple murders by stabbing, a baby killing and a string of gropings by an 18-year-old of minor girls at a high school. Illegal aliens committed 75 percent of the murders in Fairfax County thus far in 2026, according to DHS.

Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis charged that it is “Virginia’s sanctuary policies [that] allowed this illegal alien to go on a crime spree.”

“Despite prior arrests by law enforcement, this criminal was released from jail multiple times before he went on to commit this heinous rape,” said Bis. “We are calling on Arlington County sanctuary politicians and Governor Abigail Spanberger to commit to not releasing this criminal from jail back into our communities.”

ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANT CHARGED WITH STRANGLING WIFE AND DUMPING BODY NEAR OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY

She asked, “How many more times must they release criminals into our neighborhoods to create more innocent victims?”  

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office and Arlington County for comment.

Deputies from the United State’s Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USADC) showed up earlier this week, unannounced, at the Federal Reserve’s construction site in Washington, D.C., which is part of an investigation tied to congressional testimony from Chairman Jerome Powell.

After speaking with construction workers, two prosecutors from the USADC were reportedly turned away and told they could not be permitted access because they had not gotten preauthorized clearance, the Wall Street Journal first reported. They were then reportedly given the contact information of the appropriate Fed staff to reach out to.

The visit underscores U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro’s view of the case the Trump administration launched in November against Powell. In January, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas amid an investigation into the Federal Reserve’s multi-billion dollar D.C. headquarters renovation that began in November and is tied to whether Powell lied to Congress about the $2.5 billion renovation or failed to comply with the appropriate permitting rules.

BOASBERG BLOCKS SUBPOENAS AGAINST FED CHAIR JEROME POWELL

A Fed spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry and it declined to comment when contacted by the WSJ.

“Any construction project that has cost overruns of almost 80% over the original construction budget deserves some serious review,” Pirro said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “And these people are in charge of monetary policy in the United States?”

An outside attorney for the Federal Reserve, Robert Hur, reportedly objected to the visit in a letter to Pirro’s office.

Hur, in his letter, pointed to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s ruling last month that threw out the subpoenas in a 27-page ruling describing them as an effort to “harass and pressure Powell.” Boasberg is an appointee of former President Barack Obama.

TRUMP’S PICK TO LEAD THE FEDERAL RESERVE MEETS GOP SENATOR HOLDING UP HIS CONFIRMATION

Powell has been pressured by President Donald Trump to lower interest rates and to step down as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. His term as chair ends in May, but the probe also threatens President Trump’s pick to replace him, Kevin Warsh.

Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has said he would withhold his vote to confirm Warsh if the Fed investigation is not dropped.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., head of the Senate Banking Committee, proposed that Pirro’s investigation would be completed in a few weeks during an interview with Fox News. However, when pressed on whether he knew for sure the investigation would end, Scott indicated he did not have any evidence of that.

President Trump, meanwhile, thanked Pirro and others for having “courage” to persevere in the investigation.

“We have a moron at the Fed. Who wouldn’t be lowering interest rates right now?” Trump said last month. “I want to thank Jeanine Pirro and Pam and her group for having the courage to bring this suit. And I believe that the contractor on that job is probably one of the richest men in the country right now. I believe that it’s not possible to spend that kind of money — $3 billion, $4 billion — nobody knows, nobody has any idea what it is. But it’s over $3 billion and it’s probably going to be over $4 billion by the time they finish and it may never get finished, unless I take it over. I’ll get it finished. But it can never be what it was.”

Former first son Hunter Biden has reportedly moved out of the United States just a year after his father left the presidential office in 2025. 

Hunter’s attorney, Barry Coburn, disclosed his client’s current living situation in an April 6 court filing tied to a civil lawsuit over unpaid legal fees.

“Mr. Biden lives abroad,” the document stated. “He cannot pay his current lawyers.” 

It remains unclear where Hunter Biden has relocated. However, he indicated late last year that he had been visiting Cape Town in South Africa, where his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, is originally from.

PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONS HIS SIBLINGS JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE 

“When all of the political and personal stuff came to an end in the last six months, I had always promised that we would spend some time over here,” Biden said during an interview on The Wide Awake Podcast, based in South Africa. “We’re trying to be between Cape Town and the States, go back and forth.” 

“I’ve fallen madly in love with Cape Town,” he added. “You guys do not know how good you have it here. It’s the most beautiful city in the world.”

DAVID AXELROD QUESTIONS BIDEN’S MASCULINITY AFTER LAST-SECOND FAMILY PARDONS: ‘MAN UP’

The recent filing was submitted in a Washington, D.C., civil court by Winston & Strawn LLP, which is suing Hunter Biden for unpaid legal fees tied to its prior representation of him in a felony gun trial in Delaware and a tax crimes prosecution in California. 

Former President Joe Biden pardoned him on all federal charges before leaving office in 2025. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt closed Wednesday’s daily press briefing with more renderings of President Donald Trump‘s new 250-foot “United States Triumphal Arc.”

The Interior Department will submit plans for the “architectural masterpiece” to honor the “enduring triumph of the American spirit” in Washington, D.C., as part of the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations, Leavitt told the White House press corps.

“It’s quite beautiful, as you can see,” Leavitt said, sharing poster renderings. “And this monumental arch will beam at 250 feet tall in honor of 250 years.”

It will rise on vacant green space at Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, a National Park Service-managed island in the Potomac River, according to Leavitt, adding that plans would be submitted Thursday.

AMERICA 250 ORGANIZERS UNVEIL SWEEPING PLANS FOR THE COUNTRY’S HISTORIC BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

“The United States Triumphal Arch will be outfitted with beautiful artwork and depictions celebrating the success of the American people over our 250 year history and the enduring triumph of the American spirit,” she continued.

“Long after everyone in this room is gone, our children and grandchildren will remain inspired by this national monument. Beginning construction this year on the architectural arch is a fitting way to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.”

While Trump has faced obstruction on his building of his privately funded $400 million White House ballroom, Leavitt said the arch project should draw bipartisan backing.

FAMED NATIONAL PARK DROPS ‘ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANT’ BAN AHEAD OF AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY

“Great nations build beautiful structures that cultivate national pride and love of country, and this Triumphal Arch should be a project that all Americans of all political persuasions can support, because it’s a monument for every American to celebrate 250 years of our nation’s proud history,” Leavitt concluded.

The announcement adds a large-scale capital project to the White House’s expanding Freedom 250 agenda, which the administration has been promoting across official White House channels in recent weeks.

Leavitt did not disclose a cost estimate, construction timeline beyond this year, or details on how the project would be reviewed under federal planning and preservation rules. She also did not say whether Congress would need to authorize funding.

The proposed site, Memorial Circle at the northern end of Columbia Island, sits just off the approaches to Arlington Memorial Bridge and near the George Washington Memorial Parkway, placing the project in a prominent ceremonial corridor linking Washington and Arlington.

Leavitt said the administration would have “many more announcements” tied to the 250th anniversary in the coming months.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Democrats on Wednesday over mounting sexual assault allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell, questioning what they knew and why no one spoke out sooner.

“I think the accusations and allegations against former Representative Swalwell are despicable and disgusting,” said Leavitt.

“It’s also quite plausible that there were many other Democrats in this town on Capitol Hill who knew about his, perhaps illegal behavior, certainly his disgusting and inappropriate behavior,” said Leavitt.

Swalwell announced Monday that he would step down from the House after four women came forward accusing the longtime congressman of assault. The mounting allegations, which ultimately derailed his political future, followed his decision to exit California’s 2026 gubernatorial race just a day earlier. 

KASH PATEL TAUNTS SWALWELL WITH FBI SIT-DOWN AS RESIGNATION FALLOUT GROWS

Leavitt urged journalists to press lawmakers on why no one spoke out sooner, specifically calling out Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.

“Ask Democrats in power how they knew about such despicable behavior from one of their elected representatives for so long, but never said or did anything about it,” said Leavitt.

Gallego on Monday accused his close congressional ally and longtime friend of living a double life.

“I want to be clear: I had no knowledge of the allegations of assault, harassment, and predatory behavior against Eric Swalwell,” Gallego said in a statement following Swalwell dropping out of California’s 2026 gubernatorial race.

5TH ACCUSER COMES FORWARD AGAINST REP ERIC SWALWELL AHEAD OF EXPECTED RESIGNATION

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also denied having any knowledge of Swalwell’s alleged behavior, saying she had “none whatsoever” in response to a reporter.

Pelosi added Swalwell’s resignation announcement Monday was a “smart decision” and the “right thing to do” after a wave of allegations threatened to force his ouster.

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

Fox News Digital’s Adam Pack contributed to this report.

Republicans aren’t ready to jump ship against President Donald Trump’s Iran war, as evidenced by another failed attempt to handcuff his war powers in the Middle East, but they also aren’t lining up to support a prolonged conflict.

Senate Republicans blocked another war powers resolution from Senate Democrats for a fourth time on Tuesday as Operation Epic Fury entered its 46th day. It comes as a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is nearing its end, and talks toward a broader peace agreement remain tenuous.

Democrats initially started their war powers strategy to compel Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth to testify publicly on the administration’s rationale behind the conflict. They argued that Iran posed no imminent threat, making the war unconstitutional without congressional approval under the War Powers Resolution.

ROGUE DEM BUCKS PARTY ON TRUMP WAR POWERS, CALLS IRAN ‘47-YEAR-OLD WAR CRIME’

Now, they’ve loaded up six new resolutions to continue that push.

“We’re going to have a debate and a vote every week in the United States Senate until either this war comes to an end or our Republican colleagues decide to do their constitutional duty,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said.

Most Republicans, for now, aren’t breaking with the president. But a 60-day deadline that will require either Congress to weigh in or Trump to cease hostilities is fast approaching, and it’s raising questions among some in the GOP.

Under the War Powers Resolution, Trump has 60 days until Congress is required to weigh in and either authorize or disapprove of the war. If the latter, the administration has 30 days to draw down forces in Iran.

SCHUMER BLASTS TRUMP’S IRAN WAR AS FAILURE, MOVES TO REIN IN HIS WAR POWERS AMID CEASEFIRE

“The president needs to come to Congress in the absence of some imminent threat to the country or an attack on the country, to seek an authorization,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said. “Otherwise, it’s illegal to make war as he’s doing.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has bucked Trump before on Venezuela but toed the party line on Iran, is drafting an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) on the war in Iran, describing the effort in an interview with The New York Times as a way to put parameters around Operation Epic Fury.

When asked by Fox News Digital if she was still working on the AUMF, she said, “Uh huh, I’m working on so much.”

Whether Republicans will support the administration and authorize the war remains an open question. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has sided with Senate Democrats on each effort to handcuff Trump’s war powers, wouldn’t say how he’d vote on a potential AUMF.

TOP GOP HAWK GRAHAM WARNS IRAN DEAL HAS ‘TROUBLING ASPECTS’ AS CEASEFIRE BEGINS

“I’m not for the war in Iran, I think it’s a war of choice but not my choice,” he said.

Others see an AUMF as a potentially useful tool, if successful, for Trump and his efforts in the Middle East.

“I think maybe an AUMF could be an advantage for the president, to say, even Congress is here for the long time, removing the political calculation that maybe the president doesn’t have Congress’ support,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said.

Still, the economic toll at the pump and on goods is making Republicans’ constituents feel the immediate pain of the conflict.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged the crunch that the war was having on the cost of fertilizer in his agriculture-heavy state, but he questioned the authority of the War Powers Resolution.

“If you accept the war powers as being constitutional, it would be the threshold under which that law would apply,” Thune said. “But I think, you know, at least right now, the steps that have been taken so far I think have been very effective and successful. But we do, they need a plan out, how to wind this down, how to get an outcome.”

Democrats still argue that the war was illegal to begin with and have no plans of letting up on their war powers push, even as the deadline nears.

“If the president has a plan, he can come to Congress and ask for authorization, and we can have the debate we should have had beforehand,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said.

President Donald Trump said he is “prepared” to appoint up to three Supreme Court justices if vacancies arise, signaling he is ready to further reshape the high court as speculation swirls around a potential retirement from Justice Samuel Alito.

Trump told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo that Alito, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, could retire and that he has a shortlist of nominees in mind, though he did not mention any names. 

The remarks sharpen the stakes around any potential vacancy, as Trump signaled he is ready to seize the opportunity to deepen the court’s conservative majority. With retirement speculation around Alito intensifying and Republicans eyeing the window before the 2026 midterms, the prospect of an opening is already putting fresh focus on succession politics. 

“In theory, it’s two — you just read the statistics — it could be two, could be three, could be one,” Trump said. “I don’t know. I’m prepared to do it. But when you mention Alito, he is a great justice.”

JONATHAN TURLEY: KAMALA HARRIS BACKS RADICAL PLAN TO BLOCK TRUMP SCOTUS PICKS

Rumors about Alito, 76, potentially retiring have grown because of his age, his two-decade tenure on the bench and speculation that he may want to make sure a conservative successor is confirmed by the current Republican-led Senate, especially before the upcoming midterm elections in which Republicans are at risk of losing or seeing a diminished majority.

The rumors were further fueled when it was revealed Alito was treated last month for dehydration after becoming ill at a Federalist Society dinner. A Supreme Court spokesperson clarified at the time that the justice was “thoroughly checked” and returned to the bench the following Monday.

TRUMP DISMISSES CALLS FOR ALITO, THOMAS TO STEP DOWN FROM SUPREME COURT, CALLING THEM ‘FANTASTIC’

Justice Clarence Thomas, an appointee of President George H.W. Bush, has drawn less retirement speculation despite being one year older than Alito at 77 and his own lengthy tenure. Thomas has been a conservative fixture on the court for more than three decades and holds a record as the second-longest serving justice in history.

Trump noted what he viewed as an upside to replacing Alito, who sides with him on nearly every high-profile court case, but said it would come at a cost.

“Justice Alito is an unbelievable justice, and a brilliant justice, and he gets the country,” Trump said. “He does what’s right for the country. It’s the law, and he goes by it as much as anybody, but he gets to the point. That’s good for our country. So … one way you should be, ‘Oh, I’m thrilled,’ but he’s so good.”

While many prominent conservative judges, from appellate court Judge James Ho to Florida-based federal Judge Aileen Cannon, have been floated as options in legal circles, Trump has not publicly revealed any of his preferences at this stage.

Senate Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told reporters this week he would recommend Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, or Mike Lee, R-Utah, as top candidates if Alito were to retire. Grassley emphasized that he hoped Alito would not step down but said his committee is “fully prepared” to process a nominee before the upcoming midterm elections if needed.

Cruz said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital that having his name in the mix was a “high honor” but that he did not want the job.

“The reason I’ve said no is that a principled federal judge stays out of policy fights and stays out of political fights. … But I don’t want to stay out of policy fights. I don’t want to stay out of political fights,” Cruz said. “I want to be right in the middle of them.”

Lee’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

No president since Ronald Reagan has influenced the Supreme Court more than Trump, who secured three appointments during his first term, underscoring how Trump has shaped the 6-3 ideological divide on the court in favor of conservatives. 

George H.W. Bush appointed two, as did George W. Bush and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Former President Joe Biden appointed one, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg signaled clear limits on the alliance’s role in the Iran conflict, saying it should not be pulled into supporting U.S. military operations even as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on European allies — exposing a growing divide over what NATO is meant to do.

“NATO is a defensive alliance,” Stoltenberg, now Norway’s finance minister, told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday. “The strikes or the war against Iran were never an attempt to make that into a NATO operation.”

Stoltenberg framed the disagreement not over whether Iran poses a threat, but over how to confront it, with European governments favoring sanctions and diplomatic pressure over direct military involvement.

“We all agree the Iranian nuclear program is dangerous,” he said. “The question is how we achieve that goal.”

NO RETREAT AT HORMUZ — IRAN MUST NOT CONTROL THE WORLD’S ENERGY LIFELINE

The divide reflects a deeper mismatch between Washington and its allies: Trump has treated the conflict as a test of NATO support — urging countries that benefit from the Strait of Hormuz to help secure it militarily — while European governments have largely rejected that approach, arguing the war falls outside the alliance’s mandate.

Trump has sharply criticized NATO allies for refusing to back U.S. operations tied to the conflict, at times questioning the alliance’s value and warning it had failed a key test as tensions escalated in the Strait of Hormuz.

“NATO wasn’t there for us, and they won’t be there for us in the future,” Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social. 

The president has alternated between pressuring allies to step up and downplaying their importance, at one point calling NATO’s response a “very foolish mistake” while also insisting the United States “doesn’t need any help.”

Major European powers have resisted Trump’s push to provide military support. 

“The feeling is, this is not Europe’s war,” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters in an interview published March 17. 

NATO CHIEF SIGNALS ALLIES MAY ACT ON HORMUZ, WARNS OF ‘UNHEALTHY CODEPENDENCE’ ON US

Spain blocked U.S. aircraft involved in the Iran conflict from using its airspace and denied access to key bases at Rota and Morón, forcing American forces to reroute missions. France has provided limited logistical support but restricted certain overflight requests tied to military operations, reviewing them on a case-by-case basis.

Stoltenberg pushed back on the idea that Europe has broadly abandoned the United States, arguing most allies have still provided logistical support behind the scenes.

“The majority of European allies have made sure that their bases and infrastructure were available for the United States,” he said. “There are some exceptions, but most have contributed.”

Countries like the United Kingdom and Romania have allowed U.S. forces to use bases for refueling, surveillance and defensive operations even as they declined direct combat roles.

The tension underscores a broader split inside the alliance: Trump has framed the Iran conflict as a test of NATO support, while NATO leadership has drawn a clear distinction between formal obligations and political expectations, maintaining the war falls outside the alliance’s core mission.

Asked whether he would pull the U.S. out of NATO, Trump said the move was “beyond reconsideration” in an interview with The Telegraph April 1. 

The Iran conflict began in late February after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets triggered retaliation from Tehran, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping lane that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s energy supply. The U.S. has since launched airstrikes and imposed a naval blockade aimed at increasing pressure to reopen the strait.

The economic fallout from the conflict is also shaping how European countries view the war and their role in it.

European natural gas prices surged — jumping around 50% early in the conflict and, at times, nearly doubling as LNG supply disruptions intensified.

For Norway, however, the impact is more mixed. As one of Europe’s largest oil and gas exporters, the country stands to benefit from higher prices even as broader economic instability creates risks at home.

“There are two effects,” Stoltenberg said. “When prices are going up, our oil and gas revenues will increase. But at the same time … when inflation increases and economic growth slows, it will affect our economy.”

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.