Illinois’ Democratic Governor JB Pritzker recently highlighted the calm of Chicago’s shore with Lake Michigan in a video he posted across his social media platforms — a nearby area where an illegal alien shot and killed a college student last week.

“Lots of runners coming by,” Pritzker said in a video he posted to Facebook last September.

“Lakefront path, Lakefront Trail — absolutely gorgeous. Just gorgeous. Look at that overpass. A great lakefront.”

The tone of the resurfaced clip clashes with the death of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University student who was shot to death near Tobey Prinz Beach Park, an area included in Chicago’s Police District 24.

CHICAGO LAWMAKER RIPPED OVER ‘DISGUSTING’ RESPONSE TO COLLEGE STUDENT KILLED BY ALLEGED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

Pritzker’s walk went viral on social media when several viewers online criticized the governor for his characterization of the shoreside area.

“Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker & Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson haven’t posted anything about the murder of Sheridan Gorman, allegedly at the hands of a Venezuelan illegal alien,” Fox News Congressional Correspondent Bill Melugin posted on X. “Last year, Pritzker made a video from the lakefront she was killed at, mocking claims that it wasn’t safe.”

“Governor JB Pritzker posted this video of the Chicago lakeside to brag about how safe it is. Sheridan Gorman was just killed there by a Venezuelan immigrant his state law PROTECTED,” End Wokeness, a popular conservative account, wrote in a X post.

“> crosses the border illegally > released into the country by Biden > arrested for shoplifting > released back onto the street > murders an innocent girl,” former Trump White House staffer Greg Price wrote.

“Pritzker posted this video bragging about how safe Chicago’s lakeside is — right where Sheridan Gorman was just killed by a Venezuelan illegal his state law protected. Unreal,” another account wrote.

MY DAUGHTER WAS KILLED, AND I WARNED SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES WOULD COST LIVES AGAIN

The area has improved in the categories of thefts, burglary and motor vehicle theft in recent years, according to recent police reports. However, reporting for murder, sexual assaults and aggravated battery have gone up, according to crime stats from March.

District 24 has reported three murder cases, 19 sexual assaults and 32 aggravated battery incidents so far in 2026.

The district has the second-most murders of any district of the six districts included in Chicago’s Area 3, which covers a significant chunk of the city’s northern side.

In Gorman’s case, authorities charged Jose Medina, a Venezuelan national, with her murder.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Medina had already been apprehended for shoplifting in Chicago but had been released in June 2023.

Even before that, Medina had been apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in May 2023. He was also allowed to walk free then.

“Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life. She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who RELEASED this illegal alien TWICE before he went on to commit this heinous murder,” Acting Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.

“We are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods.”

The office of Governor Pritzker did not respond to a request for comment on the Chicago shoreside area and its crime rates.

Senate Republicans again didn’t budge against Senate Democrats’ bid to handcuff President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran.

Senate Democrats again forced a vote on a war powers resolution to rein in Trump’s military authority in Iran, which Senate Republicans again blocked. It’s also been less than a week since Democrats triggered a war powers resolution in their bid to force the Trump administration to publicly explain the ongoing conflict.

The resolution, this time from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., was blocked on a largely party-line vote, save for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who joined all Senate Democrats to advance the measure.

It’s part of a flood-the-zone strategy Senate Democrats are taking to force Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to testify publicly before the Senate. Earlier this month, Murphy and a cohort of Senate Democrats unveiled their plan to force votes on five war powers resolutions.

DHS SHUTDOWN TIED FOR SECOND-LONGEST EVER AS DEMS AGAIN BLOCK FUNDING AMID AIRPORT CHAOS, TERRORISM CONCERNS

“We’re not going to let the Senate be silent until they make at the very least that commitment,” Murphy said at the time. “I don’t think they can defend this war.”

Whether either Hegseth or Rubio is forced to testify before the Senate Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations panels, respectively, remains in the air, given that neither committee chair has made the move to request the administration officials appear.

TOM COTTON PUTS BIDEN ON NOTICE WHILE DEMANDING ANSWERS ON DRAINING OF NATION’S OIL STOCKPILE

The latest attempt to cuff Trump’s war powers comes as his strategy in Iran dramatically shifted in a moment of whiplash from the weekend to Monday.

Over the weekend, Trump warned that unless Iran fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. would “hit and obliterate” the nation’s power plants. 

But then Trump shifted gears Monday and announced that the U.S. and Iran had been engaged in “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” which the Iranian government denied. 

MULLIN CONFIRMED AS DHS CHIEF AS LAWMAKERS NEAR SOLUTION ON SHUTDOWN STANDOFF

Meanwhile, Congress is still awaiting a supplemental funding package from the administration that could be to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. Some Republicans want to cram that funding, which could be as high as $200 billion, into another reconciliation package.

That vehicle could get busy fast, given that they are also eyeing reconciliation as a means to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to pass portions of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who has led the charge on several war powers resolutions in the last several months, said that “the numbers that they’re talking about are pretty staggering in the sense of what they say about how this is going to go on.”

And as far as letting up on war powers, Kaine said Democrats were ready to keep going round for round.

“But we’re going to keep forcing war powers resolution votes,” Kaine said. “Have you seen enough? Have you seen enough? Have you seen enough? … We’ll probably have at least one a week, and continue to ask our colleagues, ‘okay, have you seen enough yet?’”

Some Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents are selling their blood plasma to make ends meet as the 38-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown drags on, acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told reporters Tuesday.

“We got folks sleeping in cars,” Stahl told reporters at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, referring to TSA employees. “I talked to a single mother recently who has a three-year-old child with special needs and can’t afford to pay for childcare for that three-year-old child.”

Stahl also said some agents are having “blood drawn to afford gas to come to work.”

The bleak situation comes as TSA agents nationwide have been forced to report to work without pay during the prolonged funding lapse. More than 50,000 TSA personnel will miss their second full paycheck of the shutdown if the funding lapse is not resolved by Friday.

TRUMP SAYS ICE WILL DEPLOY TO AIRPORTS MONDAY TO ASSIST TSA AMID FUNDING STANDOFF

Though talks to end the shutdown have ramped up in the past 24 hours, Stahl warned that the impact funding lapses have on TSA agents would continue to worsen if the shutdown does not end soon.

“It’s a dire situation,” Stahl said. “The longer our folks don’t get paid, the more they’re going to not be able to come into work and the more they’re going to quit altogether.”

The shortage of TSA workers at major travel hubs across the country has led to hours-long wait times at airport security checkpoints. Stahl said the ongoing spring break travel season could exacerbate airports’ staffing constraints.

More than 400 TSA agents have quit since the shutdown began on Feb. 14.

“This again is going to get worse before it gets better if Senate Democrats particularly don’t act and don’t act soon,” he said, adding that a mass exit of TSA workers hurts the agency’s ability to prepare for the upcoming FIFA World Cup later this summer.

LIZ PEEK: VOTERS TELL CONGRESS ‘DO YOUR JOB’ AND END THE DHS SHOWDOWN

GOP lawmakers have blasted their Democratic colleagues for withholding support for a full-year DHS funding bill as the party demands reforms to immigration enforcement. They argue that TSA agents — in addition to thousands of other DHS workers employed by various sub-agencies — are victims of Democrats’ hardball tactics.

“The men and women who work for TSA agents are American heroes,” Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., said at Reagan National airport Tuesday. “Would you still be at your job if you were facing a third paycheck of not getting paid?” 

TSA agents were also forced to work without pay during the record-breaking 43-day shutdown in fall 2025.

Democrats, by contrast, have blamed Republicans for opposing legislation that would fund DHS — including TSA — minus the department’s immigration enforcement functions. 

President Donald Trump laid into Democrats Tuesday when asked about TSA agents working for over a month without their salary.

“They’ll do anything to hurt our country so they can try and win the midterms,” Trump said

Fox News Digital reached out to TSA for comment.

Conservative critics are accusing former special counsel Jack Smith of improperly coordinating with two federal judges after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released documents Tuesday showing Smith’s team interacted with the pair during the Trump investigations.

“Democrat DC U.S. district judges illegally worked in secret with Biden Special Counsel Jack Smith to bring charges against President Trump,” Article III Project founder Mike Davis claimed on X as details of the documents emerged on Tuesday. 

Smith’s investigations led to criminal charges against President Donald Trump over the 2020 election and alleged retention of classified documents. Trump called the investigations a “witch hunt,” while Republicans widely condemned the charges as an abuse of power designed to take out the then leading Republican presidential candidate.

The documents released by Grassley included notes about a briefing Smith’s team gave Attorney General Merrick Garland on Jan. 13, 2023, just after Garland appointed Smith as special counsel. The notes referenced meetings with Judges Beryl Howell and James Boasberg of Washington, D.C., both Obama appointees and Trump nemeses known for their high-profile adverse rulings against the president.

MIKE DAVIS: WHY DC’S TRUMP-HATING JUDGE BOASBERG MUST BE IMPEACHED

“She liked our approach of pursuing the executive privilege litigation in an omnibus fashion,” Smith’s team wrote in reference to Howell, according to the documents. Omnibus motions allow for consolidated, rather than piecemeal, litigation and are typically used by lawyers to streamline court filings. Smith’s team frequently sought permission from the court to pierce executive privilege, a presumptive right that a president and his aides have that gives their communications a layer of legal privacy.

The briefing notes also referenced a forthcoming meeting with Boasberg on March 18, 2023, the day after he was set to become chief judge, succeeding Howell. The White House responded in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“We have long known that Judge Boasberg is a far-left judicial activist trying to undermine the President’s lawful authority, this is just further proof,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. “President Trump has restored integrity to the Department of Justice that Joe Biden and his administration weaponized to target their political opponents – including President Trump himself.”

Sen. Ted Cruz’s office told Fox News Digital the Texas Republican thought the meetings with the judges were significant, a remark that came after Cruz led a Senate hearing on the Trump cases on Tuesday. Cruz in the hearing declared Smith’s work a “modern Watergate” scandal that was expansive and hyper-political, sweeping up personal information, such as phone records, belonging to hundreds of Republican entities and individuals.

A Republican congressional investigator told Fox News Digital the meetings with the judges merited further scrutiny.

JACK SMITH DEFENDS SUBPOENAING REPUBLICAN SENATORS’ PHONE RECORDS: ‘ENTIRELY PROPER’

Smith’s team wrote in the briefing notes for Garland that Howell was aware that an omnibus executive privilege motion was coming “and loves the idea.” Smith’s team listed out nearly a dozen former Trump officials, such as Mark Meadows and Ken Cuccinelli, who would be included in the consolidated motion. The notes referenced five other, separate executive privilege motions that were already making their way through the court process, signaling that an omnibus motion would be a reduction in paperwork for the court.

The briefing notes also mentioned recent meetings between the special counsel’s team and top FBI officials. The FBI “has been very responsive,” Smith’s team wrote. The team mentioned “precedent-setting issues we face in areas of executive privilege [and] Speech or Debate,” a possible reference to Smith testing the separation of powers by seeking the potentially privileged material from those in Trump’s orbit.

Independent journalist Julie Kelly, an outspoken critic of the Biden DOJ, observed on X that Smith’s team interacted with the judges. Kelly suggested the judges were “in cahoots with Biden DOJ to rubber stamp, even advise, any strategy set forth by Jack Smith.”

Attorney Bill Shipley, a longtime federal prosecutor who represented dozens of Jan. 6 defendants, wrote on X that he did not find much about the memo “noteworthy,” saying it was “clearly” designed to bring Garland up to speed following the holidays and Smith’s new appointment. Shipley also noted how Howell and Boasberg were chief judges, meaning any grand jury matters were required to go through their offices.

Shipley noted, however, that he felt Howell notoriously ruled against the Trump administration and that her eager approval of an omnibus motion represented a desire for her to make decisions before her tenure as chief judge expired in March 2023.

“What troubles me in the text of the memo is the suggestion — which was borne out by events that followed — that Judge Howell desired to resolve all the issues involving witness privilege before she stepped down as Chief Judge,” Shipley wrote, though he noted that her decisions were appealable.

CRUZ DEMANDS IMPEACHMENT OF BOASBERG AND JUDGE WHO SENTENCED KAVANAUGH’S ATTEMPTED ASSASSIN

Smith has repeatedly stood by his work, testifying to Congress that it was aligned with DOJ policies and nonpartisan. 

A Smith representative declined to comment on the latest document release.

Howell’s and Boasberg’s chambers did not respond to requests for comment.

A Virginia murder case is fueling a political fight over immigration enforcement, as the victim’s family and Republican officials blame Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s policies and a progressive local prosecutor for failing to stop a suspect with dozens of prior arrests and a standing removal order.

Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, the victim’s mother, Cheryl Minter and local officials said failures by prosecutors, Fairfax County policies and federal immigration enforcement allowed the suspect to remain free. They spoke at a Tuesday press conference hosted by The American Border Story in Richmond.

At a State Capitol vigil, Miyares blamed liberal leaders in the Old Dominion, including Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, for creating the environment that led to the murder of Stephanie Minter of Fredericksburg at a Hybla Valley bus stop.

“A federal judge had issued a final order for his removal six years ago. A detainer was lodged, and Fairfax County refused to honor it. Police warned Steve Descano not once, but twice, writing repeatedly that this man would kill someone. They were right. He was a ticking time bomb, and that time bomb went off, and Stephanie was the casualty,” Miyares said, listing other similar cases.

CRITICS SLAM CHICAGO’S ‘REVOLVING DOOR’ AS LOYOLA STUDENT KILLING SPARKS OUTRAGE

Miyares, now a partner at William Barr’s Torridon Law Firm, said Jalloh has 30 prior arrests and that Fairfax police remain stymied by Descano, who has refused to honor ICE detainers. He also criticized Spanberger for revoking Youngkin-era cooperation between state, local, correctional and federal authorities, arguing the administration is forcing rural departments to follow Fairfax’s lead.

“The sheriff of Bedford, or the sheriff in Galax, or Grayson County, or Washington County, have to adopt the same criminal-first, victim-last mindset adopted in Fairfax that has harmed so many innocent Virginians,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.

Miyares called Cheryl Minter “one of the bravest people that we’ve all ever seen to talk about her pain and the loss of her daughter among total strangers.”

Minter’s daughter, Stephanie, and her accused killer, Abdul Jalloh, both exited a Fairfax Connector bus at the same stop on U.S. 1 near George Washington’s Mount Vernon on Feb. 23, according to surveillance footage obtained by the Fairfax County Police Department.

The next day, officers responded to a suspicious person call on Route 1 and charged Jalloh with larceny. He was charged with Minter’s murder the following day after being identified, according to FCPD.

HOUSE PANEL SUMMONS SOROS-BACKED FAIRFAX PROSECUTOR OVER RELEASES TIED TO VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CASES

In her remarks Tuesday, Cheryl Minter fought back tears as she cried, “I miss her so much,” speaking of Stephanie.

“I had her for 41 years. And I don’t know what I’m going to do without her. She was [a] joy to my life. She was a joy to everybody. Family, friends; she loved so many things and had so many goals.”

Minter said Stephanie was an artist and loved to cook and serve food for people.

“Always that smile, that amazing smile could just lift anybody up no matter how down they were. She did it to me a lot. I wish I could see it now,” Minter said before turning her attention to elected officials in Virginia.

“Change has got to happen — I don’t know where all these political people are. They stopped serving citizens. They just stopped. I’m not quite sure how they get voted in.”

“It’s got to stop from a court level up, all of it. Judges are part of it, lawyers are part of it, and it goes up the ladder. I couldn’t even name them all because I don’t know them.”

Nicole Kiprilov, director of The American Border Story, who was hosting the vigil, then read a statement from the lone Republican official remaining on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Pat Herrity, supervisor for the Springfield District, condemned Stephanie Minter’s murder and blamed the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney and the Board of Supervisors Democratic majority.

“My heart goes out to the family of Stephanie Minter. The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney and the Board of Supervisors majority failed her,” his statement said.

VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR’S RECORD ON VIOLENT OFFENDERS SCRUTINIZED AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN MOM’S MURDER

He also criticized the county’s Trust Policy, saying it undermined efforts to remove repeat offenders.

The Trust Policy, enacted in 2021, is intended to ensure “immigrant residents” can access county services without fear of information sharing with federal officials.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay told Fox News Digital, in response to criticism, that the situation has “nothing to do with the Trust Policy.”

“Any loss of life is tragic, and my thoughts are with Ms. Minter’s loved ones,” McKay said.

“Our police department, which is under the purview of the Board of Supervisors, and the independent Sheriff’s Office did their jobs by arresting this individual multiple times and advocating that the judicial system keep him in custody.”

McKay said ICE had Jalloh in custody in 2018 after a felony conviction and allowed him to remain in the U.S.

“The focus of ICE needs to be on violent individuals, yet recent evidence shows it appears to be more focused on apprehending nonviolent individuals,” McKay said.

“We should all be asking why enforcement actions did not result in removal by ICE when this dangerous offender was in their custody, not questioning a policy designed to build trust between law enforcement and the community. That trust is one of the many reasons Fairfax County is the safest jurisdiction of its size in the United States.”

Descano’s office declined comment, citing the open criminal case against Jalloh.

Descano has been criticized for lax prosecution of illegal immigrant suspects and has also been summoned to Capitol Hill in April by Reps. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to testify on systemic criminal justice issues in Fairfax.

The Senate confirmed Colin McDonald on a 52–47 vote to serve as the Justice Department’s first assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement on Tuesday, as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to crack down on abuse of taxpayer-funded programs.

The confirmation comes as federal officials continue investigating large-scale fraud schemes, including a Minnesota daycare fraud probe involving millions in taxpayer-funded federal dollars, while House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has alleged whistleblowers warned state leaders about the issue for years.

President Donald Trump created the new National Fraud Enforcement Division to target systemic fraud across federal programs, pointing to cases such as Minnesota, which officials say have both exposed widespread abuse and helped shape the federal government’s response.

“My Administration has uncovered fraud schemes in states like Minnesota and California, where these thieves have stolen hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars,” Trump said. “Together, we will end the fraud and restore integrity to our federal programs.”

EXCLUSIVE: SENATE BILL TARGETS MINNESOTA-STYLE ‘RUNAWAY FRAUD’ TO FORCE SCAMMERS REPAY TAXPAYERS

The new role is intended to centralize enforcement efforts and expand the Justice Department’s ability to investigate and prosecute complex fraud schemes tied to public assistance programs.

During his confirmation hearing, McDonald said the work in Minnesota had been “pivotal” spotlighting fraud in taxpayer-funded programs and that the new division would seek to “scale” similar efforts nationwide.

Attorney General Pam Bondi called McDonald an “experienced, skilled, and tough prosecutor” who will “continue doing incredible work to root out fraud across America.”

FEDERAL FRAUD FACES SENATE SHOWDOWN AS THUNE TAPS ERNST TO LEAD REFORMS AFTER MINNESOTA SCANDAL

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described McDonald as “one of the most effective attorneys” he has worked with and said the American people should have confidence in his leadership of the new division.

Vice President JD Vance said McDonald has an “exceptional prosecutorial track record” and is well positioned to take on the role.

McDonald currently serves as an associate deputy attorney general at the Justice Department, where he has worked on major enforcement initiatives under Blanche.

GOP SENATOR PUSHES TO CREATE ANTI-FRAUD SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL AFTER MINNESOTA FRAUD REVELATIONS

During his testimony, McDonald emphasized the scale of the problem, citing estimates that hundreds of billions of dollars are lost to fraud annually, and said the Justice Department would work with federal, state and local partners to investigate and prosecute cases, adding that “no fraud is too big” and “no fraud is too small” for enforcement.

The Minnesota daycare fraud investigation has drawn particular scrutiny as part of the broader crackdown, with federal investigators and lawmakers examining allegations that funds intended for childcare and meals for children were diverted or misused.

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A recent state audit found Minnesota officials failed for years to properly investigate fraud-related allegations, concluding the Department of Human Services had the authority to pursue cases but did not act, according to the report.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion, Andrew Mark Miller, Emma Colton and Max Bacall contributed to this reporting.

The state of Minnesota is suing the Trump administration for access to evidence related to a series of shootings involving federal agents that sparked condemnation from Democrats during a federal crackdown on illegal immigration. 

The lawsuit, filed in Washington D.C., by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO), the state, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, names the Justice Department, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, as well as the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem as defendants. 

The suit seeks evidence related to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and non-fatal shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, an illegal immigrant, saying federal authorities are intentionally withholding the materials. 

TRUMP CONFIRMS FEDERAL REVIEW OF MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING THAT KILLED NURSE: ‘REVIEWING EVERYTHING’

Federal and local authorities have sparred over information about the shootings, which occurred during the administration’s massive crackdown. 

“It is extraordinary that we need to file this lawsuit at all,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said. “Cooperation between federal and state law enforcement in Minnesota is entirely routine: local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies on the ground in Minnesota have decades of relationships with each other and share a desire to solve crime and keep people safe.”

“It should go without saying that we share jurisdiction with the federal government in this case: these incidents happened in Minnesota and fall under state law, regardless of the fact that federal agents are involved,” he added. 

Minnesota officials have blamed federal agents for the shootings, despite immigration authorities facing opposition from anti-ICE agitators while trying to arrest criminal illegal immigrants.

“These shootings are just three examples of the violent actions committed by federal agents in Minnesota during the Surge,” the complaint said. “Federal agents also carried out illegal stops, sweeps, arrests, and dangerous raids in sensitive public spaces. The Surge created widespread fear among Minnesota residents, both citizens and noncitizens.”

GOP SEN. CASSIDY BREAKS WITH TRUMP OVER DEADLY SHOOTING BY BORDER PATROL AGENT IN MINNEAPOLIS

Good was shot and killed on Jan. 7 when she attempted to ram her vehicle into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, DHS said. 

Pretti was fatally shot on Jan. 24 while confronting agents, which sparked outrage among critics of the surge. Sosa-Celis was shot on Jan. 14 after authorities said he attacked them with a shovel.

However, charges against the Venezuelan national were dismissed after video evidence suggested the officers involved may have made “untruthful statements,” ICE Director Todd Lyons said at the time. 

Operation Metro Surge ended soon after the Pretti shooting and federal agents were pulled out of Minnesota in February. 

The lawsuit alleges that the federal government’s policy of withholding evidence is unlawful and prevents local authorities from fulfilling a core duty to the people of Minnesota.

“That responsibility rests primarily with Minnesota’s law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities — in this case, Plaintiffs — who must gather the evidence, evaluate the facts, and decide whether Minnesota criminal law was violated,” it states. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is calling for a national framework to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) — but cautioned it should not go too far.

“America will win the AI race. We will win it, if two things happen —  if government resists the siren song of control, and if industry steps up as our patriotic partner,” Johnson said. “I think we can do both of those things.”

The leader of the House of Representatives spoke at the Hill & Valley Forum on Tuesday, an annual bipartisan meeting of lawmakers and private sector leaders to discuss American AI innovation.

TRUMP SAYS EVERY AI PLANT BEING BUILT IN US WILL BE SELF-SUSTAINING WITH THEIR OWN ELECTRICITY

He told attendees on Capitol Hill that Congress had “three things” it needed to accomplish regarding AI.

“The first thing is, we have to deliver a single national framework that protects children, safeguards communities, supports creators, and avoids a patchwork of state regulations,” Johnson said. “We recognize that constant shifts in policy don’t just confuse the market, they run contrary to our national interest.”

He said lawmakers “will utilize existing structures to establish safeguards and rules of the road, so to speak, without smothering the whole marketplace with red tape.”

The second thing, Johnson said, was to treat AI technology as a matter of national security in keeping it in the hands of the U.S. and its allies rather than the country’s adversaries.

CHINA RACES AHEAD ON AI —TRUMP WARNS AMERICA CAN’T REGULATE ITSELF INTO DEFEAT

The final task the speaker mentioned is a duty to “move at the speed that victory demands.”

It comes days after President Donald Trump released his own framework for AI regulations that includes more guardrails against self-harm and sexual exploitation for AI platforms accessed by children, streamlining permitting for AI data centers, and preventing AI from being used to silence free speech, among other measures.

The proposal would need to be drafted as legislation by congressional lawmakers and passed by both chambers to be able to affect any meaningful change.

Trump also issued a moratorium on states’ abilities to enact their own AI regulations late last year.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is taking her political star power among Democrats across the country in a midterm power play.

Sherrill, one of the Democratic Party‘s biggest winners in last year’s elections, is launching a new political committee to boost fellow moderates in the party who are running in this year’s elections.

The move by Sherrill, who also plans to head out on the campaign trail later this year as part of her effort to help fellow Democrats, comes amid ongoing face-offs between moderates and progressives in the party’s 2026 primary showdowns.

SETBACK FOR PROGRESSIVES AS THEY BATTLE MODERATES FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTROL

Sherrill is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who spent more than nine years on active duty in the Navy as a helicopter pilot and later served as a federal prosecutor before winning election and re-election to Congress four times.

She defeated Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli in November’s gubernatorial election. And she made history as the first female Democrat elected governor of blue-leaning New Jersey.

BLUE STATE DEMOCRAT ON FAST TRACK TO SENATE DEFIES SCHUMER

Sherrill, who ran as a moderate, topped Ciattarelli by more than 14 points, which was a much larger than expected margin in a race where the final public opinion polls indicated a significantly closer contest.

The governor’s new group, named “Mission to Deliver PAC,” is a federal political action committee that will support candidates running in both federal and statewide races, according to a release shared with Fox News Digital. News of the PAC was first reported earlier Tuesday by Axios.

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“Americans are sick and tired of the status quo, and they want leaders who are ready to take on the tough missions to make their lives better and protect our fundamental freedoms,” Sherrill emphasized in a statement.

Democrats are aiming to win back the House and Senate majorities in the midterm elections, as Republicans battle stiff political headwinds as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in the midterm elections. The GOP is also facing a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns amid persistent inflation and President Donald Trump’s underwater approval ratings.

“The 2026 midterms are a critical moment as we look to stand up to the Trump administration’s reckless policies that are driving up costs and threatening our shared values as Americans,” Sherrill argued. “Our race in 2025 charted what a different path forward looks like, and I’m ready to support candidates who share that same sense of service and the urgency to take action.”

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced Iran wants to “make a deal” with the U.S., noting the country’s leadership gave the U.S. a “significant prize” related to the Strait of Hormuz and the flow of oil.

While speaking to reporters in the White House Oval Office, Trump said Iranian leadership sent the gift on Monday, and it arrived on Tuesday.

“They’re going to make a deal. They did something [Monday] that was amazing, actually. They gave us a present,” Trump said. “The present arrived today, and it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money.”

IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS ‘DIDN’T PASS THE SMELL TEST’ BEFORE TRUMP LAUNCHED STRIKES, SAYS VANCE

Trump said he could not disclose what the gift was, but said it was “oil and gas-related” and was connected to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian regime was previously charging some tankers millions of dollars to pass through the global shipping choke point, according to a report from Iran International.

WHY TRUMP INVOKED REGIME CHANGE IN ATTACKING IRAN, AND THE MEDIA MUST LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES

Trump added the unspecified present was “very significant.”

“That meant one thing to me — we’re dealing with the right people,” Trump said. “… It was a very nice thing they did. … They said they were going to do it, and it happened. And they’re the only ones that could have done it.”

When asked about control of the Strait of Hormuz, he said the U.S. will “have control of anything we want.”

“They can’t have certain things,” Trump said. “It starts with no nuclear weapons, and they’ve agreed to that. … They’re not going to have enrichment — any of those things. … We are in about the best bargaining position. We’re way ahead of schedule.”

Negotiations are being headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, according to the president.

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