Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger broke her relative silence on multiple controversial issues during her first three-plus months in office, claiming the Old Dominion is not a sanctuary state and poking holes in the context surrounding a damning favorability poll.

Spanberger has been under fire for undoing predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s 287(g) cooperation agreement with the Department of Homeland Security. Multiple heinous crimes have been committed in Virginia, allegedly by illegal immigrants and often under the auspices of sanctuary prosecutors.

Spanberger also faces criticism over an April 21 redistricting effort she backed that would draw out all but one Republican congressman.

HOMAN WARNS SPANBERGER BLOCKING ACCESS TO VIRGINIA JAILS COULD FORCE MORE ICE STREET OPERATIONS: ‘DO THE JOB’

“Virginia is not a sanctuary state — full stop,” Spanberger said shortly after exiting the executive mansion in Richmond.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there. Certainly, everything that you might read on Twitter is not real, but it’s actually pretty outrageous some of the things that have been reported along the way,” she said, pointing to her executive order on immigration enforcement cooperation.

She said her directive was simply for state agencies, including VSP, not to place their troopers under DHS supervision.

“And I feel very strongly about that because [VSP] is a top-notch law enforcement agency. And I don’t think it is responsible for us or me as governor or the Commonwealth of Virginia to put Virginia State Police under the supervision or direction of ICE.”

According to a policy in neighboring West Virginia, only participating law enforcement personnel who are nominated, trained, certified and authorized have the authority to conduct delegated immigration officer functions under a 287(g) agreement. Only then will immigration enforcement functions be carried out under the supervision or direction of ICE.

Spanberger also pushed back on reports that she has banned Virginia law enforcement from any ICE cooperation or localities from entering into their own 287(g) agreements with ICE.

“That is not correct. My predecessor said they had to. I simply said I was not forcing them to,” the governor said. 

While Spanberger’s statement is accurate, a bill that would enact such a ban arrived on her desk March 31 from Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Dunn Loring.

GOP OVERPERFORMS IN VIRGINIA SPECIAL ELECTION, FUELING EARLY MOMENTUM TALK IN BLUE-TRENDING STATE

Salim’s bill bans any law enforcement agency in Virginia from engaging in 287(g) agreements unless an officer is presented with a judicial warrant, subpoena or detainer for a suspected illegal immigrant that has been signed by a judge.

Spanberger said her Department of Corrections still provides a monthly list to DHS of noncitizens in its custody and that the press has incorrectly reported that Virginia can no longer coordinate with federal agencies at this juncture.

“It was only the 287(g) agreements that I said state agencies cannot enter into. … Task forces work together. All of that continues to be the case, [including] JTTF.”

Spanberger said that if ICE asks Richmond for help and has a warrant related to a suspect’s actions, Virginia will be glad to assist.

She also pushed back on concerns over a Washington Post poll showing her with the lowest net favorability rating of any governor dating back to the 1990s.

“I would say if everybody hated me, why is everybody putting my face on their mailers for the referendum would be question No. 1,” she quipped.

Spanberger has been criticized for opposing gerrymandering in support of a 2019 referendum currently in effect, but she again on Wednesday endorsed Virginia Senate President L. Louise Lucas’ controversial redraw.

She added that her election, a “seventeen-point swing,” is “the only poll that matters. And now I’m doing the work for Virginia.”

SPANBERGER REFUSES TO HONOR ICE DETAINER IN MURDER CASE, ESCALATING SHOWDOWN WITH TRUMP DHS

“What matters to me in the end is what I am delivering for people. I knew when I first was elected that I would have a big target on me,” she said.

The governor added that the critiques of her work are at odds with the fact that “everybody thinks I’m a convincing character” in festooning her likeness on innumerable redistricting mailers.

“I voted yes, and encourage others to do so,” she said, dismissing claims she should be “barnstorming” Virginia in favor of the redraw as Gov. Gavin Newsom did in California and saying she is a first-term governor closing out her inaugural legislative session versus a last-term governor with national aspirations.

On Thursday, ICE Director Todd Lyons was asked about Spanberger and told Fox News Spanberger should “read the headlines” about what’s going on in Fairfax and elsewhere before breaking with ICE.

“I never I thought, in my whole career, someone would campaign on going against law enforcement, right. … Elected officials like the governor want to give me a call and work with us, that’s what we want.”

Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is facing increased scrutiny over allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with female staffers and other women, as several rivals take swipes at him ahead of the state’s June gubernatorial primary election.

“I’m very disappointed in Eric Swalwell,” former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said on social media Wednesday. “As more and more women come forward with sexual harassment allegations, Swalwell skipped town to avoid facing tough questions about these allegations.”

“If Swalwell wants voters to trust him, he needs to show up, stop hiding behind his campaign staff and social media accounts, and answer every question from reporters and the public. Voters deserve nothing less,” he added. 

The Swalwell campaign fired back in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling Villaraigosa’s claims that the Democratic lawmaker is inaccessible “false” and “absurd.”

ADAM SCHIFF MAKES ENDORSEMENT IN CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE

“Congressman Swalwell spoke to more than 1,000 town hall attendees for nearly 90 minutes Tuesday in Sacramento,” Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for the Swalwell campaign, said. “Afterward, he met with members of the media to answer their questions.”

Beasley added that Swalwell was unable to attend Wednesday’s candidate forum due to prior commitments, but had met with the group previously.

Villaraigosa’s social media post referenced a series of accusations circulated by former Democratic congressional staffer and attorney Cheyenne Hunt and other left-leaning politicos who have alleged, without evidence, that Swalwell made sexual advances toward women employed in his office.

The allegations threaten to shake up California’s gubernatorial primary, where Swalwell is vying to be among the top two vote-getters who will advance to the November general election. The crowded field also includes Trump-backed former Fox News host Steve Hilton, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and progressive billionaire Tom Steyer.

Former Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., another candidate in the race, has described the allegations as “troubling” and said she is committed to supporting the accusers, who have yet to go public.

“It is those women’s stories to tell when they are ready, and I hope that they feel safe and supported if they choose to do so,” Porter told CNN on Tuesday. “I believe women. I think that has to be the starting place here. So when those women speak up, I will be there, helping to amplify their truths.”

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

Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing, and his campaign has characterized the sexual misconduct allegations as “outrageous” and implied that the accusers are tied to MAGA.

Hunt, executive director of Gen-Z for Change, said she is working with multiple women to go public with their allegations against Swalwell. Hunt has not provided verifiable evidence to support the allegations, and no woman has yet come forward.

“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 in March.

She posted an image of a direct message sent to her privately containing an allegation against Swalwell. 

“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.

Bhavik Lathia, a Democratic operative, has also called on his party to take the allegations against Swalwell “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 wrote on social media Monday.

Swalwell, 45, has served in the House of Representatives since 2013, where he has emerged as a frequent Trump critic. He launched a campaign in late 2025 to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., as the Golden State’s next governor.

A foreign fugitive who illegally entered the U.S. and is wanted for killing a woman in Mexico was caught near the southern border after evading notice for possibly years.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Mexican illegal immigrant Jose Gustavo Angulo Bernal outside a residence in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, last week. Though Angulo Bernal had no criminal record in the U.S., he is wanted in the Mexican state of Sinaloa on homicide charges connected to the 2018 murder of a woman. He was arrested during a targeted traffic stop while driving a vehicle registered in his name.

In a public statement, the Department of Homeland Security mockingly referred to Angulo Bernal as “one of the Media’s ‘Non-Criminals.’” The agency emphasized that while nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of crimes in the country, those with foreign charges are not part of that statistic.

DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis commented that while “nearly 70% of ICE arrests have been convicted or charged with a crime in the United States,” the “actual arrests of public safety threats and criminals is much higher.”

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

“Jose Gustavo Angulo Bernal is a cold-blooded killer and an example of who the media often refer to as a ‘non-criminals,’ [sic] because they only have heinous convictions in their home country,” said Bis.

According to DHS, Angulo Bernal is charged with participating in the murder of a woman alongside two other accomplices in Nov. 2018. The agency said that after killing her, the trio allegedly dumped the woman’s body in the town of El Tamarindo, Sinaloa.

Then, Angulo Bernal entered the U.S. at an unknown date and time.

He evaded detection until recently. On March 31, ICE officers staking out a residence in Lake Havasu City observed Angulo Bernal entering his vehicle around 5:50 a.m. The federal officers conducted a targeted vehicle stop, during which Angulo Bernal was positively identified through his Mexican identification card. He was arrested and taken to ICE’s field office in Phoenix for processing.

VICTIM’S FAMILY THANKS TRUMP FOR DEPORTING MIGRANT CRIMINAL

DHS said he will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his immigration proceedings.

“Thanks to ICE law enforcement, this monster wanted for murdering a woman in Mexico is off our streets.

From foreign fugitives, gang members, and terrorists, ICE is getting the worst of the worst off our streets and out of our country.”

MEET THE FAIRFAX KILLERS: TOP VIOLENT ILLEGAL ALIEN CRIMINALS WREAKING HAVOC ON MAJOR AMERICAN SUBURB

This comes as DHS continues to undergo a lapse in funding due to a partial government shutdown. The shutdown has been brought on by disagreements in Congress over ICE and Border Patrol enforcement tactics, with Democrats making renewed funding contingent on significant changes to the agency’s current posture.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is leading a lawsuit against Virginia, accusing the state of violating state law by allegedly accepting ballots from people who have never resided in the state.

Under federal law, military service members stationed overseas and their spouses are allowed to cast absentee ballots based upon the state of their last residence, but a Virginia statute allows for voters who have never lived in the state to cast a ballot based on Virginia being their parent’s last eligible voting location.

The lawsuit comes just months away from a contentious midterm election cycle as the Republican Party fights to keep control of both chambers of Congress.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT PROBE PUTS MINNESOTA ELECTIONS UNDER SCRUTINY OVER NONCITIZEN VOTING CONCERNS

This lawsuit is the fourth filed by the RNC contesting loopholes in state laws that allow both children of military service members and children of former Virginia residents living abroad to vote in elections, even if they have never lived in the state. In addition to Virginia, 27 other states permit “nonresidents” to vote in both state and federal elections based on their parents’ last place of residence.

“The Virginia Constitution clearly states you must show proof of residency in order to vote in Virginia elections, so what we’re trying to do here at the RNC is make sure that Virginia elections are truly for Virginians and close that loophole where people who have never even lived in the state or sometimes even the country so they cannot register to vote in Virginia,” RNC Election Integrity Communications Director Ally Triolo told Fox News Digital.

Roughly 2.8 American citizens over the age of 18 live abroad, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program. It is uncertain how many of them voted who have never lived in the United States, but the RNC said it is actively looking state voter rolls.

The RNC, RITE PAC and conservative grassroots organizer Matthew Hurtt filed for injunctive relief in the Circuit Court for the city of Richmond, Virginia, against the Virginia State Board of Elections and the Virginia Department of Elections Monday.

“People who have never lived in Virginia — or even in the United States — should not be voting in Virginia’s elections,” Republican Party Chairman Gruters said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Virginia officials are ignoring the Virginia Constitution and allowing ineligible voters to cast ballots. The RNC and RITE PAC are taking this action to enforce the law and ensure non-residents are not diluting the votes of Virginians.”

Hurtt, who also serves as the Chairman of the Arlington GOP, referred Fox News Digital to an email he sent to the Arlington GOP committee members, explaining why he joined the lawsuit.

“Through this lawsuit, we are asking the court to declare the relevant statutes unconstitutional and to require election officials to limit voting to individuals who meet Virginia’s residency requirements,” Hurtt wrote. “This effort is about ensuring that Virginia elections are conducted in accordance with the Constitution and that the rules governing voter eligibility are applied consistently and lawfully.”

VOTER-ROLL SCRUTINY ESCALATES IN MINNESOTA AS BIGGEST COUNTIES FACE SWEEPING RECORDS DEMANDS

The lawsuit named seven elected officials as defendants as well, including Fairfax County, Virginia, Electoral Board General Registrar Eric Spicer. Fairfax, Virginia, GOP chairman Steve Knotts previously praised Spicer for his efforts to strengthen election integrity in the county.

“Defendant Spicer has registered voters who stated on their registration forms: ‘I am a U.S. citizen living outside the country, I have never lived in the United States.’ This practice violates the Virginia Constitution,” the lawsuit stated.

The RNC did not provide an estimate when Fox News Digital asked how many people may have voted this way in Virginia.

Similar lawsuits have been filed by the RNC against Michigan, Arizona and North Carolina over election officials counting ballots from “never residents.” 

During litigation state officials in North Carolina pointed to both the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), a federal law, and a state law Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act (UMOVA) in support of allowing nonresidents to vote. The UMOVA granted a provision allowing for individual born overseas to former North Carolina residents to vote in the state.

But, in April 2025, an appeals court in North Carolina ruled in favor of the RNC, determining that the state’s election board was violating state Constitution by allowing voters who never resided in the state. State officials appealed the decision to North Carolina’s Supreme Court, but the case was dismissed.

“We fought this in North Carolina,” Triolo said. “We had a successful win, and we have two more active cases fighting the same fight in Arizona and Michigan. We are committed at the RNC to stopping any abuse of our elections. We know that voters deserve free, fair, and secure elections. So the RNC is confident with its win that we already had on this issue. We’ll continue to see more wins moving forward.”

Triolo shared with Fox News Digital that the RNC has more than 120 active lawsuits across the country in its fight to close loopholes and strengthen election integrity.

“The RNC is fighting tooth and nail to protect the ballot box. This is one of our key priorities here, which is ensuring that our elections are fair, they’re free, they’re transparent, they are secure,” Triolo said.

The Virginia Department of Elections declined to comment.

Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is taking aim at Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger as he helps steer Republican efforts to defeat a Democrat-backed congressional redistricting referendum that would create up to four additional left-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterm elections.

“She told voters in August of 2025 that she had no plans, no intention to do redistricting. And then the very first bill that she signed into law was the enabling legislation for this monstrosity of gerrymandering to go forward,” Miyares told Fox News Digital on Thursday, as he pointed to Spanberger.

Miyares’ comments come as early voting is underway in Virginia ahead of an April 21 election on the ballot initiative, which, if passed, would give the Democrat-controlled legislature — rather than the current nonpartisan commission — redistricting power through the 2030 election. It could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in the state’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.

Republicans call the Democrats’ redistricting effort an “unconstitutional power grab.” Democrats counter that it’s a necessary step to balance out partisan gerrymandering already implemented by Republicans in other states under the urging of President Donald Trump.

SPANBERGER ONCE BLASTED GERRYMANDERING AND NOW BACKS AMENDMENT CRITICS SAY COULD ERASE VIRGINIA GOP

Spanberger, a former CIA officer who served three terms in Congress, won election last year by a larger-than-expected 15-point margin in a state that is usually competitive between Democrats and Republicans.

But a poll last week from The Washington Post indicated that the new governor’s approval rating was barely above water, with the highest unfavorable rating for a new Virginia governor in two decades.

Miyares, speaking with Fox News Digital, argued that Spanberger “is the most unpopular governor in modern Virginia political history.”

OBAMA ENDORSES VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT THAT COULD HELP DEMS GAIN 4 SEATS

“She’s an unpopular governor with an unpopular agenda and she lied to the voters,” he charged as he pointed to her comments on the gubernatorial campaign trail last year regarding redistricting.

And in a social media post on Wednesday, Miyares took aim at Spanberger, writing, “Governor ‘Bait and Switch’ is what people hate about self serving politicians.”

Miyares is co-chair for Virginians for Fair Maps, a GOP-aligned group that is working to defeat the redistricting referendum.

The group is currently running an ad statewide on TV and online that uses a 2019 quote from Spanberger, in which she wrote, “gerrymandering is detrimental to our democracy.”

“Trust me, we will be putting your face on a bunch of mailers reminding voters how you lied & previously stated you wouldn’t gerrymander Virginia into oblivion and then promptly did the opposite,” Miyares wrote in his social media post.

SOROS-BACKED GROUP AMONG LIBERAL ORGS PUMPING EYE-POPPING CASH INTO VIRGINIA GERRYMANDERING EFFORT

Along with former President Barack Obama, Spanberger has become one of the most visible faces in support of the amendment.

“I’m voting yes on Virginia’s redistricting amendment,” the governor says in an ad by Democratic-aligned Virginians for Fair Elections, the top political group backing the ballot initiative. The group is spending seven figures to run the ad statewide.

In the spot, Spanberger says she’s supporting the referendum because “it’s directly in response to what other states decide to do and a president who says he’s quote entitled to more Republican seats before this year’s midterms. Our approach is different. It’s temporary. It preserves Virginia’s fair redistricting process into the future.”

Virginia is the latest battleground in the high-stakes fight between Trump and the GOP versus Democrats over congressional redistricting.

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE RUNS THROUGH VIRGINIA AS COURT OKS HIGH-STAKES REDISTRICTING VOTE

Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterms, Trump last spring first floated the idea of rare, but not unheard of, mid-decade congressional redistricting.

The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Trump’s first target was Texas.

When asked by reporters last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map.

But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country.

SPANBERGER DENIES ‘DEAL’ WITH SWING-DISTRICT DEMOCRAT AS GERRYMANDERING CLAIMS ABOUND STATEWIDE

Among those leading the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.

California voters in November overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that temporarily sidetracked the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and returned the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.

That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps.

The fight quickly spread beyond Texas and California.

Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio, and swing state North Carolina, where the GOP dominates the legislature, have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push.

In blows to Republicans, a Utah district judge late last year rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the midterms.

Meanwhile, Republicans in Indiana’s Senate in December defied Trump, shooting down a redistricting bill that had passed the state House. The showdown in the Indiana statehouse grabbed plenty of national attention.

Florida’s next up.

Two-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers in the GOP-dominated legislature are hoping to pick up an additional three to five right-leaning seats through a redistricting push during a special legislative session that kicks off on April 20.

Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, a crucial case that may lead to the overturning of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act.

If the ruling goes the way of the conservatives on the high court, it could lead to the redrawing of a slew of majority-minority districts across the county, which would greatly favor Republicans.

But it is very much up in the air — when the court will rule, and what it will actually do.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Wednesday rejected Anthropic’s request to block the Department of War from blacklisting use of the AI company’s technology, a move that conflicts with an order a different federal court issued last month in a separate lawsuit regarding the same issues.

“In our view, the equitable balance here cuts in favor of the government. On one side is a relatively contained risk of financial harm to a single private company. On the other side is judicial management of how, and through whom, the Department of War secures vital AI technology during an active military conflict. For that reason, we deny Anthropic’s motion for a stay pending review on the merits,” the April 8 order states. “Nonetheless, because Anthropic raises substantial challenges to the determination and will likely suffer some irreparable harm during the pendency of this litigation, we agree with Anthropic that substantial expedition is warranted.”

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Thursday, an Anthropic spokesperson noted, “We’re grateful the court recognized these issues need to be resolved quickly and remain confident the courts will ultimately agree that these supply chain designations were unlawful. While this case was necessary to protect Anthropic, our customers, and our partners, our focus remains on working productively with the government to ensure all Americans benefit from safe, reliable AI.”

ANTHROPIC’S DEMOCRATIC TIES UNDER FIRE AS TRUMP ADMIN SEVERS PENTAGON CONTRACTS

The War Department referred Fox News Digital to a Wednesday social media post from Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Today’s D.C. Circuit stay allowing the government to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk is a resounding victory for military readiness. Our position has been clear from the start — our military needs full access to Anthropic’s models if its technology is integrated into our sensitive systems. Military authority and operational control belong to the Commander-in-Chief and Department of War, not a tech company,” Blanche noted in the post on X.

The War Department in January requested “unrestricted use” of Anthropic for “all lawful purposes,” but the AI company drew two red lines, saying it would not be used for domestic surveillance or lethal autonomous weapons.

The administration framed the refusal as corporate insubordination, and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in February that the War Department “has no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans (which is illegal) nor do we want to use AI to develop autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement.”

President Donald Trump said in February that the U.S. would never allow “the radical left, woke company to dictate how our great military fights and wins wars.”

In a February 27 Truth Social post, Trump said he was “directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology.”

“There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels,” Trump indicated in the post.

DC COURT RULINGS STALL TRUMP AGENDA ACROSS IMMIGRATION, POLICING, FED — RAISING STAKES ON EXECUTIVE POWER

War Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed Anthropic in a post on X the same day, declaring that he was “directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security.”

A letter in March notified Anthropic that the War Department had determined that use of the company’s products posed a “supply chain risk,” according to a copy of the letter attached to a court filing.

But then in a case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, a judge issued a preliminary injunction order last month blocking the government from implementing those moves against Anthropic.

TECH COMPANY REFUSES PENTAGON DEMANDS ON UNRESTRICTED USE OF ITS AI

“This Order restores the status quo. It does not bar any Defendant from taking any lawful action that would have been available to it on February 27, 2026, prior to the issuances of the Presidential Directive and the Hegseth Directive and entry of the Supply Chain Designation. For example, this Order does not require the Department of War to use Anthropic’s products or services and does not prevent the Department of War from transitioning to other artificial intelligence providers, so long as those actions are consistent with applicable regulations, statutes, and constitutional provisions,” the March order from U.S. District Judge Rita Lin stated.

NATO’s chief signaled Thursday that European allies may move to help secure the Strait of Hormuz following talks with President Donald Trump — even as the White House declared the alliance had already “failed” and was not being asked to assist.

Secretary-General Mark Rutte, speaking at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Washington a day after meeting Trump at the White House, pointed to a potential coalition effort among allied nations to keep the critical waterway open.

“If NATO can help, obviously, then there is no reason not to be helpful,” Rutte said.

But a White House official pushed back sharply on the notion that the alliance would play any role.

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

“As President Trump said yesterday, NATO was tested, and they failed,” the official told Fox News Digital Thursday. “He has zero expectations for NATO at this point and did not ask them for anything, even though it’s a fact that they benefit from the Strait of Hormuz far more than the United States.”

The split messaging underscores a growing rift between Washington and its European allies over how — or whether — NATO should be involved in the escalating Iran conflict.

Rutte framed the tension as part of a deeper structural imbalance, warning Europe’s reliance on U.S. military power had created what he called an “unhealthy codependence.”

MORE KEY US ALLIES BLOCK MILITARY FLIGHTS AS IRAN WAR RIFT WIDENS WITH TRUMP

A European diplomat confirmed to Fox News Digital that Rutte conveyed Trump expects a plan from allies within days, underscoring the urgency behind U.S. demands — even as the White House publicly denies seeking NATO’s involvement.

NATO also signaled the U.S. is pressing for concrete commitments.

“The secretary-general is in contact with allies about his discussions in Washington,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart told Fox News Digital. “It’s clear that the United States expects concrete commitments and action to ensure the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Rutte suggested the disagreement reflects a broader divide among allies rather than a failure of NATO as an institution.

“It’s not so much NATO, it is the allies,” he said, pointing to what he described as obligations by individual countries to support U.S. operations when prior agreements are in place.

The dispute highlights a deeper clash over NATO’s role, with the Trump administration pressing allies to back U.S.-led military action against Iran while several European governments have resisted, arguing the conflict falls outside the alliance’s core collective defense mission.

NATO HEAVYWEIGHTS BALK AT HORMUZ MISSION AS TRUMP WARNS ALLIANCE AT RISK

That friction had already surfaced during the early stages of the conflict. 

Spain denied Washington access to key military bases at Rota and Morón and blocked U.S. aircraft involved in strikes against Iran from using its airspace, complicating American operations. France also restricted some airspace access tied to military logistics during the conflict, including denying Israeli aircraft permission to transport U.S. weapons, drawing pushback from U.S. and Israeli officials. 

French officials said overflight requests are handled case by case.

Several European countries also have said the Iran conflict is “not our war,” declining to deploy naval forces to reopen the Strait of Hormuz during active fighting and instead signaling support for maritime security efforts only after hostilities ease.

Trump repeatedly has criticized NATO allies for what he sees as insufficient support, warning the alliance risks becoming a “one-way street.”

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

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has similarly warned that Washington may “reexamine the value of NATO” following the conflict, citing frustration over European restrictions on U.S. basing and operational access.

Despite the tensions, Rutte emphasized that many European allies have provided support — including access to bases, logistics and overflights.

“He is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies, and I can see his point,” Rutte said. “But… the large majority of European nations has been helpful with basing, with logistics, with overflights, with making sure that they lived up to the commitments.”

Rutte also pointed to an emerging coalition model outside NATO’s formal structure, with countries coordinating directly to maintain security in the Strait of Hormuz.

“When it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, what you see now is countries coming together to make sure that the strait stays open,” he said. “If countries work together with the United States, that is a shared commitment that we cannot accept the strait being closed.”

He said the United Kingdom has taken a leading role in organizing that effort.

“This is about practical support,” Rutte added. “Each country is now looking at what they can do to contribute — whether that is minehunters, frigates, or surveillance and technology.”

Rutte returned to that broader critique of Europe’s defense posture, arguing the alliance had grown too dependent on Washington.

“Western European forces shrank, and defense budgets shriveled… in favor of what I would call an unhealthy codependence,” he said.

Still, he argued that the alliance is beginning to shift.

“This is a move from codependence to a transatlantic alliance grounded in true partnership,” Rutte said. “There will be no going back.”

FIRST ON FOX: Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is pushing back on the idea that he supports defunding the police, calling it a “flat-out lie.”

Republicans are confronting Talarico with resurfaced comments from a 2019 episode of the Trey Blocker Show, in which he suggests that a heavy police presence in schools without sufficient mental health professionals contributes to a “culture of violence.”

Democrats believe they have a shot at flipping the critical Senate seat blue for the first time in decades. But the GOP hopes to defend its Senate majority by highlighting Talarico’s more controversial stances to undermine his moderate appeal.

The latest to be unearthed is from the 2019 interview, in which Talarico decried plans to increase police officer presence in schools without also placing more emphasis on mental health.

FLASHBACK: DEM SENATE NOMINEE CALLED ILLEGAL ALIENS ‘CONSTITUENTS,’ GAVE ADVICE ON EVADING ICE

“We’re all concerned about school safety and recent school shootings, and that concern, in some ways, has been channeled unproductively toward militarizing schools and toward kind of leaning into a culture of violence and adding more law enforcement officials into campuses,” he posited.

As a solution, Talarico, a former middle school teacher, touted the first bill he introduced as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, which would have mandated a set ratio of mental health workers for every police officer placed in a school. He stressed that “if a crime has been committed, a law has been broken or there’s an immediate danger to students, of course, we want our law enforcement officials to address it,” but emphasized that “law enforcement officials shouldn’t be conducting behavior interventions.”

Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft called the bill “a scary combination of two of James Talarico’s favorite things,” which he said are “defunding the police and pushing his woke agenda on kids.”

Kraft told Fox News Digital that “Texans will have the same answer for Talarico at the ballot box that he had for police: ‘We don’t want you here.’”

TALARICO CONFRONTED ON PAST TWEETS ACCUSING WHITE PEOPLE OF SPREADING ‘VIRUS’ OF RACISM

However, JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, characterized the GOP criticisms as a falsehood. 

“James opposes defunding the police and has a proven track record voting to send billions of dollars to support law enforcement,” Ennis told Fox News Digital.

Explaining his bill on the Trey Blocker Show, Talarico said it “directly addresses the school-to-prison pipeline” and “hopefully will create a balance between security and hardening, which has been proposed in some of the proposed school safety plans, and what has been proven to be effective, which is creating a safe and healthy school climate.”

“Everybody from the Department of Education to Secret Service has said that’s the best way to prevent school shootings, is to have relationships with your students on campus, not to create a moat around your campus,” he said.

He stressed that police “shouldn’t be counseling students.”

“They’re not trained to do that, nor should they. They have a tough enough job on their own, and we shouldn’t be adding to their plate,” he went on, noting, “Just like, as a certified educator, they wouldn’t want me roaming the streets in a cruiser, you don’t want that, and I don’t want you in my school doing discipline.”

JAMES TALARICO’S PAST ANTI-MEAT STANCE GOES VIRAL, DRAWS REPUBLICAN FIRE FROM ACROSS TEXAS POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

Despite some bipartisan support, Talarico’s bill stalled in committee. If passed and signed into law, the measure would have required school districts to hire four mental health professionals for every law enforcement official in districts or schools with an enrollment of 5,000 or more students. Districts and schools with between 5,000 and 500 students would have been required to have three mental health workers per police officer. Those with fewer than 500 students would need two mental health workers per law enforcement officer.

Ennis said the bill “supports the police by adding desperately needed mental health officials to help prevent tragic events like the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.”

Talarico was recently propelled to the national scene after years in state politics, culminating in a stunning upset victory for the Democratic Senate nomination over an established name, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas. With the nomination secured, he is set to face either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, depending on which candidate wins the May GOP primary runoff.

Though Democrats are hopeful he can flip the seat blue, Talarico’s campaign has been marked by intense controversy over his history of progressive statements, including claiming “God is nonbinary.” Despite this, he is running a competitive race for a Senate seat critical to both parties’ hopes of securing a majority in the upper chamber.

Ennis said that “while John Cornyn, Ken Paxton and the billionaires who prop them up play politics with school shootings by presenting a false choice between funding law enforcement and funding mental health resources for kids, James will continue standing up against both political parties to fix this broken, corrupt political system.”

In response, Matt Mackowiak, Cornyn’s campaign senior advisor, doubled down, telling Fox News Digital that “James Talarico is a ‘defund the police’ radical who wants to make our schools and our streets less safe.”

Meanwhile, Mackowiak said Cornyn “has always backed the blue and has been endorsed by the largest statewide law enforcement organizations in Texas.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Paxton’s campaign for comment.

Senate Republicans are meeting with President Donald Trump Friday to crystallize a plan to fund immigration operations that would cut out Democrats altogether.

Congressional Republicans are turning to the party-line budget reconciliation process to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for years to come in a move that can’t be blocked by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Republicans have a short timetable to get the job done given that Trump has set a deadline for the bill to be on his desk by June 1.

‘WE DIDN’T CAVE’: THUNE HIGHLIGHTS SCHUMER, DEMS’ LOSSES IN DHS FUNDING DEAL

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said he and Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are meeting with Trump on Friday to prepare the framework of the package.

“We’re going to have to go it alone because Democrats aren’t interested in funding national security at a time of increased concerns around the world,” Barrasso said.

Republicans will first have to produce a budget resolution to provide guardrails for the forthcoming package. Barrasso said Senate Republicans plan to do it in a “targeted way, focused and get it done fast.”

A key hurdle in the process, however, is getting both House and Senate Republicans aligned on a plan. Senate Republicans want to keep a reconciliation package as narrow as possible, while some in the House are eyeing funding the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in one massive bill.

GOP RAILS AGAINST ‘S— SANDWICH’ DEAL AS ALL EYES TURN TO HOUSE TO END DHS SHUTDOWN

Graham said recently that he envisions two reconciliation bills in 2026, one targeting ICE and CBP and another serving as a vehicle for several GOP priorities, including portions of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and provisions to tackle fraud.

“Reconciliation has limits, but we’re going to make a down payment on the SAVE Act in reconciliation in the fall,” Graham said Monday on a South Carolina radio show, “Straight Talk with Bill Frady.”

But a key House GOP voice won’t be there.

A source told Fox News Digital House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, Graham’s counterpart in the process, will not attend the White House meeting Friday.

Barrasso said there would likely be discussions on a “number of topics” for reconciliation, but the end goal for Senate Republicans remains funding ICE and CBP.

GOP RACES TO PASS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING BILL AS PRIORITIES PILE UP, DIVISIONS EMERGE

“What I’m telling you today is we’re moving ahead in spite of incredible obstruction by the Democrats,” Barrasso said. “We’re focusing immigration and funding, immigration custom enforcement and border patrol, with Republican votes alone using reconciliation.”

Senate Democrats aren’t backing down from their shutdown position. Their demand for reforms to immigration operations, like requiring judicial warrants to search people’s homes and unmasking DHS agents in exchange for funding ICE and CBP has led the ongoing shutdown to stretch beyond 50 days.

Despite being cut out of the funding process altogether under Republicans’ reconciliation plan, Democrats still view their position as a winning strategy.

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., argued that, as with the creation of the 2025 “big, beautiful bill,” Republicans will likely look for areas to cut spending to fund ICE and CBP, a move that could come back to bite them in the midterm elections.

Kim told Fox News Digital Republicans bypassing Democrats to fund immigration operations does not make their shutdown posture “moot.”  

“We’re trying to make sure we’re standing up for the voice of the American people. If Republicans want to go around the American people, then they will answer to voters in November,” Kim said.

“And the Democrats, we will find our way back into gavels and power, and we will do what we can at that point to do what the American people wanted from the start, which is to focus on their concerns and not have this, you know, army of masked ICE agents without identification, without judicial warrants, terrorizing our neighborhoods.”

First lady Melania Trump delivered a brief statement Thursday afternoon at the White House, coming out swinging at those who have linked her to Jeffrey Epstein, calling them “devoid of ethical standards.”

The remarks lasted roughly three minutes and did not include questions from the press.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said. “I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”

A White House official told Fox News ahead of the event that the appearance would be a “statement” rather than a formal announcement.

VOGUE’S ANNA WINTOUR TAKES SWIPE AT MELANIA TRUMP’S STYLE WHILE PRAISING LIBERAL FAVORITES

Trump clarified the history between herself, her husband, President Donald Trump, and Epstein, during her remarks.

“I [have] never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time. Since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach,” she said.

The first lady called on Congress to act on Epstein’s circle, saying ‘each and every woman’ should have her moment to share testimony.

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“I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors,” she said. “Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony. Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record.”

This is a developing story, check back later for updates.