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College basketball 'fixer' pleads guilty in massive NCAA, CBA bribery and point-shaving scheme
One of the 26 people charged in an alleged bribery and point-shaving scheme to fix NCAA Division I men’s basketball games and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) games has pleaded guilty, United States Attorney David Metcalf announced.
Jalen Smith, a 30-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro on Monday in connection with the scheme, as well as charges related to an unlawful possession of a firearm.
Smith pleaded guilty to bribery in sporting contests, and aiding and abetting, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
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An unsealed indictment back in January noted Smith was engaged in the scheme to influence or fix NCAA and CBA men’s basketball games from at least "in or about September 2022 through at least in or about February 2025."
Co-conspirators enlisted Smith as a "fixer," where they would work together with others to recruit and bribe NCAA Division I men’s basketball players to underperform and ensure their team failed to cover spreads during games from the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
"Through various sportsbooks, Smith helped to arrange for large wagers to be placed on those games, betting against the team whose player or players they had bribed to engage in this point-shaving scheme," the United States Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
"Smith and other fixers approached and communicated with the players, in person and through social media, text message communications, and cellular telephone calls, offering the players bribe payment, usually ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game."
With today’s college athletes being paid via name, image and likeness (NIL) brand deals, Smith and other fixers "specifically targeted college players for whom the bribe payments would meaningfully supplement."
It was found that more than 39 players on more than 17 different NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams were involved in the bribery and point-shaving scheme, with fixing or attempted fixing on more than 29 NCAA games.
The fixers were making "wagers totaling millions of dollars," with players who were involved collectively receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe payments.
Smith faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for the bribery in sporting contests charge, up to 20 years for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and a maximum 15 years for the firearms charge.
NCAA president Charlie Baker responded to the point-shaving scheme in January.
"Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA. We are thankful for law enforcement agencies working to detect and combat integrity issues and match manipulation in college sports," NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement.
Baker said the indictments were "not entirely new information to the NCAA," as it had conducted "integrity investigations into approximately 40 student-athletes from 20 schools over the past year."
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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Cannabis compounds could reverse disease affecting one-third of adults
Compounds found in cannabis could provide a new roadmap for treating the world’s most common chronic liver disorder, according to a study released by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The research, published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, found that cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) significantly reduced liver fat and improved metabolic health in experimental models.
CBD is the more widely studied non-intoxicating cannabinoid, while CBG is a less common "precursor" cannabinoid from which CBD is formed.
MYSTERIOUS MARIJUANA-LINKED VOMITING DISORDER GETS OFFICIAL WHO CODE AS ER CASES JUMP
Unlike THC, the primary psychoactive component in cannabis, these compounds do not produce a "high," making them viable candidates for long-term medical treatment, the study suggests.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) currently affects approximately one-third of the global adult population, according to health data.
The condition, which is closely linked to obesity and insulin resistance, has few approved pharmaceutical treatments, the researchers said, leaving patients to rely largely on lifestyle changes that can be difficult to maintain.
"Our findings identify a new mechanism by which CBD and CBG enhance hepatic energy and lysosomal function," said lead study author Joseph Tam, director of the Multidisciplinary Center for Cannabinoid Research at Hebrew University, in a press release.
MARIJUANA COMPOUND MAY HELP PREVENT DEMENTIA WHEN PAIRED WITH COMMON DRUG
The study highlights a process called "metabolic remodeling," in which the cannabis compounds created a "backup battery" for the liver by increasing levels of phosphocreatine, a high-energy molecule stored in muscle cells.
This energy reserve helps the organ function under the stress of a high-fat diet, which was an unexpected discovery, the team noted.
The researchers also found that CBD and CBG restored the activity of "cellular cleaning crews" known as cathepsins, enzymes that work within the cell’s recycling centers to break down harmful fats and waste.
With this process, the liver was better able to clear out dangerous lipids, including triglycerides and ceramides, which are known to trigger inflammation, the study showed.
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While both compounds were effective, CBG showed more robust results in certain areas, such as reducing total body fat mass, lowering "bad" LDL cholesterol and improving insulin sensitivity.
Researchers say this study opens a new path for using plant-based compounds to treat metabolic diseases by focusing on how cells manage energy and waste.
Despite the promising results, the research team cautioned that the study was conducted in a controlled experimental environment. Further clinical trials are necessary to determine the proper application for human patients.
Other recent studies have pointed to potential issues with using cannabis as a medical tool.
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A major analysis published in JAMA examined more than 2,500 scientific papers from the last 15 years, including other reviews, clinical trials and guidelines focused on medical marijuana.
The 2025 review highlighted significant gaps between public perception and scientific evidence regarding cannabis' effectiveness for most medical conditions.
The researchers concluded that there are very few conditions for which cannabinoid therapies have clear, well-established benefits backed by high-quality clinical data.
"Whenever a substance is widely used, there is likely to be a very wide set of outcomes," Alex Dimitriu, MD, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, previously told Fox News Digital. "This study points to the reality that this widely used substance is not a panacea."
The strongest evidence supports FDA-approved cannabinoid medications for treating specific conditions, including HIV/AIDS-related appetite loss, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and certain severe pediatric seizure disorders, according to the review.
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Anyone interested in using marijuana for medical purposes should speak to a healthcare provider to discuss potential risks and benefits.
Savannah Guthrie spotted in NYC as search for missing mother enters sixth week with few answers
TUCSON, Ariz. — "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie is back in New York City as the search for her missing mother enters its sixth week with little publicly known progress in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona.
Guthrie was photographed in public for the first time since her mother's suspected abduction, alongside husband Mike Feldman and their young son in the Big Apple Sunday, days after an emotional reunion with her NBC colleagues and more than a month after her 84-year-old mother Nancy was last seen.
Nancy's disappearance shocked the country — especially when the FBI released disturbing surveillance video of a masked man on her doorstep.
Savannah Guthrie spent weeks in Tucson with her siblings as the investigation played out — before she and her older sister, Annie, added bouquets of yellow flowers to a growing display at the foot of their mother’s driveway. She quietly flew home to New York last week.
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Sunday marked five weeks since the suspected kidnapping.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is leading the investigation, which is now being overseen by a task force consisting of local detectives and FBI agents.
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No suspects have been publicly identified.
A masked man who appeared on Nancy Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera around the time authorities said she was taken is described as being of average height and build and carrying a black Ozark Trail backpack.
He appeared to be armed with a handgun as well. Law enforcement sources said he visited Nancy Guthrie’s home at least once in advance of her disappearance, wearing a similar disguise.
Other identifying details are scarce.
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The use of cadaver dogs is also on hold, according to authorities, who re-canvassed Nancy Guthrie's neighborhood as recently as last week.
When asked if that meant they believed she is still alive, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos declined to discuss evidence in the case.
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"Anything is possible," he told Fox News Digital.
Authorities have said they won't consider the case cold until they run out of viable leads to follow up on — and tens of thousands have come in so far.
There’s a reward of more than $1.2 million in play for information that leads to Nancy’s recovery.
Savannah Guthrie has asked anyone with information to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Trump, Thune clash on voter ID ultimatum as GOP remains divided on path forward
President Donald Trump's declaration that he won’t sign any new bills until the Senate passes voter ID legislation threatens to derail his own legislative priorities and sideline confirmation of the newest addition to his Cabinet.
Trump wants Senate Republicans to ram the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act through the upper chamber with the talking filibuster, even at the cost of the Senate's most valuable commodity: floor time.
"It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed," Trump said on Truth Social.
SCHUMER ONCE BLOCKED TRUMP'S MOVE TO FILL THE NATION'S OIL RESERVES, NOW HE WANTS THEM OPENED
But that comes as the Senate is wrestling with reopening the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which entered its fourth week of being shut down. A White House official told Fox News Digital that Trump was "referring to other bills, not DHS funding."
"If the Democrats do the right thing and pass funding for DHS, the president will, of course, fund the agency," the official said.
Trump's edict and push for the Senate to turn to the talking filibuster has intensified the pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who has vowed to have a vote on the bill, but could not guarantee it would pass.
When asked about the growing campaign from both Trump and social media to use the talking filibuster, Thune said, "A lot of that is, it's in that kind of, you know, paid influencer ecosystem."
"But there's a lot of support for it," Thune said. "Like I said, we're, I think, for the most part, not everybody, but there's a lot of really strong support among Republican senators for the policy. But the process and how do you ultimately try and get a result is still unclear to me."
SCHUMER, DEMS HOLD FIRM ON DHS FUNDING DESPITE NOEM'S BOMBSHELL OUSTING
Republicans are also working to advance a massive affordable housing package that Trump backs, to consider a likely supplemental spending package to resupply munitions for the conflict with Iran, and go through the confirmation process for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., the president’s latest pick to lead DHS.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., noted that the top priority for the GOP right now is funding DHS.
"The Democrats have blocked that right now," Barrasso told Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures." "And the greatest threat to the American people today is terrorism."
And while the SAVE America Act is supported by most Senate Republicans, it’s not an easy bill to pass in the upper chamber, given the hardline stance Senate Democrats have taken against it.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reiterated that the bill is "Jim Crow 2.0. It would disenfranchise tens of millions of people."
"If Trump is saying he won’t sign any bills until the SAVE Act is passed, then so be it: there will be total gridlock in the Senate," Schumer said on X. "Senate Democrats will not help pass the SAVE Act under any circumstances."
Turning to the talking filibuster is unlikely, too, because of a major fear among Republicans it would dominate floor time for hundreds of hours of debate. But another factor is that there may not be unity among Republicans to kill amendments put forth by Senate Democrats.
Further complicating matters is which version of the SAVE America Act Trump wants.
House Republicans advanced the SAVE America Act last month, which would require voter ID to vote, proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, mandate states to actively verify and remove noncitizens from voter rolls, expand information sharing with federal agencies, including DHS, to verify citizenship and create new criminal penalties for registering noncitizens to vote.
But Trump asked Republicans to "GO FOR THE GOLD" with a bill to show voter ID and proof of citizenship, nix mail-in ballots except for military service members or people with illnesses, disabilities or travel issues, no men in women’s sports and "NO TRANSGENDER [MUTILATION] FOR CHILDREN!"
That version of the bill would again have to go through the House before making its way to the Senate. Whether it could survive either chamber is an open question. Thune acknowledged that Trump wanted a modified iteration of the bill, but still remained firm that the talking filibuster, or nuking the current filibuster, likely weren't going to happen.
"The one thing I've said all along is, and I've told him and others that I can't guarantee an outcome. I can't guarantee a result," Thune said. "If the result is only achieved by nuking the legislative filibuster, we don't have the votes to do that. And so that's just not a realistic option. And I've made that clear to anybody who's asked."
‘90 Day Fiancé’ alum's boyfriend on trial for attempted murder over wild ‘Boca Bash’ accusations
The boyfriend of a reality TV star who appeared on "90 Day Fiancé" faces trial this week on charges he tried to murder her while they were boating in South Florida.
Cole Goldberg was initially charged with domestic battery by strangulation. The charge was upgraded more than a year after the incident to attempted second-degree murder, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said Goldberg and Caroline Schwitzky, 32, got into a heated argument while the two were attending the annual boat party event, "Boca Bash" on April 24, 2022. At the time, the couple had been dating for about a year.
‘90 DAY FIANCÉ’ REALITY STAR CAROLINE SCHWITZKY SURVIVES ALLEGED MURDER ATTEMPT BY BOYFRIEND
When Schwitzky attempted to escape the vessel, Cole "was grabbing her very aggressively" to keep her on the boat, according to a police report obtained by Law&Crime.
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Schwitzky, the CEO of Miami talent agency Urge and a mom of three, allegedly punched Goldberg's arms to free herself during the struggle, which lasted roughly 20 minutes. She jumped into the water to swim to a nearby boat, a witness told authorities.
Goldberg went after her and allegedly tried to drown her. A bystander named Matt Paris jumped in and intervened.
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Schwitzky appeared on "90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?" in 2016 as talent agent to Paola Mayfield.
According to CourtTV, prosecutors offered Goldberg a plea agreement that would have required him to serve six months in jail and three years of probation, as well as write a 500-word letter of apology. He turned down the offer, saying he would not accept a plea to a felony.
Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Elizabeth Hurley wows in plunging Versace dress she first wore 27 years ago
Elizabeth Hurley dug into her archives to re-wear the Versace dress she wore 27 years ago at the 1999 Met Gala.
On Sunday, Hurley, 60, shared a side-by-side image of herself wearing the dress in 1999 and again during an adventure in India in 2026.
"Viva Versace! For this weekend’s adventure in India, I dug into my archives and unearthed one of my favourite pieces, which I last wore to the Met Gala in 1999 😳 27 years may have passed, but some loves never fade💋 #Versace #shoppingfrommycloset @versace @donatella_versace," Hurley captioned her post on Instagram.
The dress, which Hurley first wore when she was 33, has a low neckline that's pulled together with a flower embellishment. The black dress also has a high slit. According to InStyle, Hurley paired her look with a $50,000 Bulgari necklace. The necklace is encrusted with 2.07 carats of diamonds on their signature snake design.
Fans quickly hopped into her comment section to give the English actress praise.
"Looking even better now than then. ❤️," one user wrote. Another added, "What elixir do you take? I mean seriously 🔥."
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"Just like a very fine wine. @elizabethhurley1 YOU ARE AMAZING!" a third user wrote. "BRAVA!!! You look even better now if that’s possible — and so natural! What a true beauty you are! 💖," another added.
According to Good Housekeeping, Hurley recently revealed the answer to the "one question" the world has been dying to know.
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"One question I get asked all the time is, how do you stay in shape and what do you eat?" she recently wrote on Instagram, according to the outlet.
"So here goes. My mantra is: don’t eat too much, too fast, too often or too late. Or, put another way, eat smaller meals, chew properly, ban snacking and eat dinner earlier… Other than diet, my other advice is to move more. I don’t go to the gym or do any set exercise but I’m extremely active. There endeth the sermon," she wrote.
James Van Der Beek’s daughter, 9, offers moving advice about grief: ‘I just tell him about my day'
Emilia Van Der Beek, 9, reflected on navigating grief after the death of her father.
James Van Der Beek died Feb. 11 after a courageous battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer. He was 48.
To honor what would have been his 49th birthday, Kimberly Van Der Beek shared a video their daughter recorded to post on social media.
"As you all know probably now, my dad has passed away, but I'm just going to tell you little tips, or anything that helps you getting through anybody you love who's passing," the little one began.
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"So today is my dad's birthday, and the No. 1 thing for somebody's passing is to talk to them and let your emotions out. If you miss them, you can cry, you can talk to them. I talk to my dad every day and I start with a sentence and I say, ‘Hi dad, I miss you and I love you so much, and I’ll never stop loving you.'"
JAMES VAN DER BEEK'S FAMILY RAISES OVER $2M AS HOLLYWOOD STARS DONATE BIG AFTER ACTOR'S DEATH
"And I just tell him about my day, how I'm feeling, and I tell my family how I'm feeling, and I know he can hear me, but I can't hear him. My mom can," she continued. "You just, you have to feel them in your heart, because they're in your heart. They're watching over you. They are a part of your body, and in a good place. I know that my dad's in a good place. He's not in pain anymore. He's in heaven."
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Emilia noted that her dad is "above the clouds with God," and told her mother's followers that it was OK to cry.
"Be sad because you miss them. You can be angry but don't blame yourself. Blaming yourself – it's not a good strategy for someone's passing," she said. "And if somebody also lost their dog, or like, somebody they love, and you did too, and they try to tell you, ‘I know how you feel. I felt worse.' They don’t know how you feel.
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"Everybody has different emotions in their body and they express it in different ways, many, many different ways."
"Something my dad told me was, if this didn't work out the way he wanted it to and the way we wanted it to, for him living, I still have to believe in miracles," Emilia added. "Miracles can still happen just later on in life, and they'll keep coming. But maybe when you want them to come, they might not. But if they do pass, if they do go – just remember, they have some work to do on the other side."
Emilia said she prays to her dad, and knows that "he was a good man." She kept one of his hats because it smelled like the "Dawson's Creek" actor.
"A lot of people loved him, and people prayed for him, and he was loved by many, many hearts and many, many people," she said.
The "Varsity Blues" star publicly shared his stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024, more than a year before his death. He had first received his diagnosis in August 2023.
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Kimberly, 44, revealed last month that she hosted a "simple and beautiful and moving" vow renewal ceremony with Van Der Beek, family and friends over Zoom shortly before his death.
"We decided two days beforehand and our friends got us new rings, filled our bedroom with flowers and candles and we renewed our vows from bed," she told People magazine.
James and Kimberly, (née Brook), first met while they were both vacationing in Israel in 2009. The couple tied the knot on Aug. 1, 2010, during a small ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel, at the Kabbalah Centre near Dizengoff Square.
They share six children together, including daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, and Gwendolyn, 7, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 4.
Virginia Dems send Spanberger bill that could let some repeat offenders out without secured bond, expert warns
A top national figure in the bail industry warned of the dangers behind a Virginia bill heading to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk that would remove bond requirements for previously convicted felons.
Virginia state Del. Katrina Callsen, D-Charlottesville, drafted HB 357, which critics say makes it easier for criminals to get out of jail on an unsecured bond. The bill passed both chambers in Richmond along party lines.
In comments to Fox News Digital on Monday, National Association of Bail Agents President Michelle Esquenazi said she was familiar with the Virginia legislation and that it will only serve to erode public safety.
"We believe any time recidivist offenders are released due to unsecured bail policies, it puts communities in direct danger," Esquenazi said. "Many are unaware of how secured bonds insulate public safety throughout the United States of America."
"This bill is in direct contrast to the needs of all communities in Virginia, whether they are Republican, Democrat, or Independent."
Esquenazi said criminals don’t choose victims based on political ideology and that policymakers have failed to understand that bringing criminals to justice should be nonpartisan.
While Callsen did not respond to requests for comment, similar legislation in recent years has often come about as a wish for offenders to receive "second chances" — a dynamic Fox News Digital asked Esquenazi about.
"The secured bail industry is an industry of second chances," she said.
"However, if you're going to continue to commit crime, policymakers have to understand and take into account that committing crime is not a mandate. It's a career choice."
VIRGINIA GOV SPANBERGER CUTS TIES WITH ICE IN FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION
Policies like HB 357 serve to give recidivists more than just second but third and subsequent chances because a second chance is "only a title," which the policies themselves far exceed, she said.
Justice Forward Virginia, a progressive criminal justice reform group focused on advancing related legislation, listed the bill in its section of 2026 priorities. The group did not respond to a request for comment.
Callsen’s bill removes language from Code of Virginia § 19.2-123 governing "Release of accused on unsecured bail or promise to appear" that currently states any person arrested for a felony or who is on bond for an unrelated arrest or on parole may only be released upon securing a secured bond.
Instead, it retains only language providing preestablished conditions of release for that offender.
Other critics took to X, including Club For Growth’s Andrew Follett, who posted a passage from Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn about a civilian being punished more for being caught with a concealed knife than a felon for whom it would be "mere misbehavior; tradition" — and commented that "Democrats have a crush on criminals — it isn’t more complicated than that."
"Under leftist ideology, society is responsible for crime, not individuals," Follett said.
"Or, [Virginia House] Speaker Don Scott is preparing for his next arrest," quipped another X user.
Scott, D-Portsmouth, served more than 7 years of a 10-year 1994 sentence for federal crack cocaine-related charges — and was one of thousands of convicts who had their rights to vote and serve in office restored by GOP Gov. Robert F. McDonnell in 2013.
After former President Biden pardoned him in 2025, Scott said that his "journey from being arrested as a law student to standing here today as the first Black Speaker of the House of Delegates in Virginia’s 405-year history is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and transformative power of second chances," according to Hampton Roads’ ABC affiliate.
Katie Britt blasts Democrats for playing 'political games' with shutdown amid airport chaos
Senate Republicans are accusing their Democratic counterparts of playing "political games" as the caucus appears ready to escalate the standoff over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
There’s been little movement to reopen DHS during the weekslong partial shutdown, leading to outcry from Republicans over long wait times and missed flights at airports across the country. Some Democrats are threatening to continue their blockade of DHS funding unless serious action is taken to rein in President Donald Trump’s war powers in the Middle East.
"We shouldn’t let Republicans debate other legislation until they bring a war authorization to the United States Senate," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told NOTUS on Monday.
Murphy, the top Democrat on the appropriations panel overseeing DHS funding, has helped lead his party’s push to withhold funding for the department absent sweeping reforms to immigration enforcement.
SENATE DEMS REFUSING TO BUDGE ON DHS FUNDING MAY CAUSE HEADACHE FOR WORLD CUP TRAVELERS
His new threat to freeze Senate business over Trump’s Iran strikes underscores that some Democrats are prepared to extend the funding fight despite mounting impacts on air travel.
The Senate rejected a bipartisan resolution last week that would have narrowed Trump’s ability to launch future strikes on Iran. However, Murphy is signaling that Democrats’ attempts to limit the president’s power to wage war against Iran are just getting started.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., the chair of the Senate Homeland Security funding panel, scoffed at Murphy’s edict.
"The delay tactics we’re seeing from Democrats don’t change the fact that, because of their political games, lines at airports are growing, and the people tasked with keeping our homeland safe are being forced to do so without a paycheck," Britt said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Britt, who Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., tapped to lead DHS negotiations with Senate Democrats, accused her counterparts of refusing to sit down with Republicans as the partial shutdown enters its fourth week.
"I urge my Democratic colleagues to stop putting politics above people and do what’s right for the security of our nation," she said. "That starts with having a conversation so that we can find a pathway forward."
DHS SHUTDOWN TRIGGERS TSA ‘EMERGENCY MEASURES’ AS LAWMAKER WARNS AIRPORTS COULD FEEL ECONOMIC PAIN
Airports nationwide reported a spike in absences among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees on Monday. Roughly 50,000 TSA personnel — who are employed by DHS — are reporting to work without pay after receiving just a fraction of their salaries last week.
The agents will not receive another paycheck until the partial shutdown ends.
The New Orleans airport on Monday advised passengers to arrive at least three hours before their flight, citing a shortage of TSA employees. Passengers traveling through the Houston airport system have also been urged to arrive four to five hours before their departure.
"The shutdown is having very real consequences, and hardworking federal aviation workers, the airline industry and our passengers are being used as a political football once again," Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines for America and former New Hampshire governor, said in a statement. "This is simply unacceptable and un-American."
TSA employees were also forced to forgo pay during the record-breaking government shutdown in late 2025.
A majority of Democratic lawmakers in both chambers voted to continue the DHS shutdown last week despite new security concerns over Trump’s military operation in Iran. The bipartisan measure that Democrats overwhelmingly opposed would fund DHS through the remainder of the fiscal year.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has demanded that federal immigration officers stop wearing masks and obtain judicial warrants before entering homes and businesses, among other reforms, in order to unlock funding for the agency.
Senate Democrats and the White House have been negotiating, but a deal has yet to materialize. The last counteroffer from the administration came nearly two weeks ago but has so far not been accepted by congressional Democrats.
Some Republicans hoped that Trump’s decision to tap Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to lead DHS could soften Democrats’ opposition, but the party has continued to take a hard line against funding the agency. Democrats had advocated for outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s ouster as part of their numerous demands.
A Democratic blockade of Senate business would jeopardize the passage of a bipartisan housing bill aimed at growing the supply of affordable homes, which is currently under consideration in the upper chamber. Trump-endorsed voter ID legislation would also be impacted, but Democrats were already expected to widely oppose the measure, known as the SAVE America Act.
Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office for additional comment.
Whoopi Goldberg erupts over Trump’s Iran strategy, claims he’s ‘sending people in to lose their lives’
Whoopi Goldberg and her fellow co-hosts of "The View" blasted President Donald Trump’s military actions in Iran, warning on Monday that they believe it will be a disaster for Americans at home and abroad.
"Basically, we are sending people in to lose their lives," Goldberg warned. "Because we have seen how fighting goes. We knew we shouldn’t have gone into Afghanistan. We knew that, and they decided to do it anyway. So now we are in the same position where someone who doesn’t seem to care that human beings are being sent to war and people’s sons and daughters. His kids aren’t going."
"So I don’t want anybody’s son and daughter to go," she continued. "I don’t want anybody to go because this is not what we should be doing."
Goldberg then appeared to rhetorically address Trump, saying, "And you said you weren’t going to do this."
HEGSETH WARNS ‘MORE CASUALTIES’ EXPECTED IN OPERATION EPIC FURY AGAINST IRAN
"I think one of the things that’s really troubling me is how flippant, nonchalant, cavalier Trump has gotten about war, military operations, regime change," said co-host Ana Navarro. "He’s turned into the Oprah Winfrey of regime change. ’You get regime change, and you get regime change, and you get regime change!’"
She shared how concerned she is about Trump comparing his actions in Iran to Venezuela, warning that these are not at all comparable scenarios.
"Venezuela is a country that did not have missiles, did not have drones, did not have the military capability of fighting back and making it a war," she said. "Venezuela was ‘grab Maduro, one and done.’"
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Co-host Sunny Hostin agreed, noting that Trump had run on the message of "America first," and that people voted for him because they wanted him to fix problems Americans have at home rather than get involved in distant conflicts.
"He ran on fixing this country, and I think people have been duped," she said. "I think people are disappointed. And it’s really easy to start a war. We’ve seen that. It’s really difficult to end a war."
She worried further that Trump "said on the airplane maybe we will have boots on the ground. Our military, we are the biggest, the best-trained military in the world, but you’re going to be fighting in Iran’s backyard. That is guerrilla fighting. That is a street fight. Our soldiers, many of them, will not come home."
Navarro reiterated her point that Iran is not Venezuela, arguing that while Maduro’s Venezuela was a kleptocracy, Iran is a theocracy that will be bringing in a new, religiously motivated leader to rally the people against any invasion.
The Trump administration’s actions in Iran have been met with mixed reviews, even among some of the president’s supporters.
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White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital, "Whoopi Goldberg and Ana Navarro are a pair of useful idiots that have no talent and a very poorly rated TV show. President Trump is courageously protecting the United States from the deadly threat posed by the rogue Iranian regime — and that is as America First as it gets."
"Under the evil hand of the Ayatollah, this terrorist regime has killed and maimed thousands of Americans for nearly 50 years — but, with Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is putting America first, eliminating the threat to our people, and securing our Nation and world for generations to come," the statement added.