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Melania Trump adviser turns up the heat on Kimmel after ‘expectant widow’ fallout
First lady Melania Trump’s senior adviser Marc Beckman is calling on advertisers of late night host Jimmy Kimmel to boycott the show in the wake of his "expectant widow" joke aimed at the first lady.
"Why would ABC stand behind that? That's the question. Furthermore, not just for the ABC brand, but why do the advertisers for Kimmel's show stick with him," said Marc Beckman. "It's kind of strange."
The first lady called out Kimmel for "hateful and violent rhetoric" after he made a White House Correspondents' Association Dinner parody, calling her "an expectant widow" days prior to the assassination attempt. Kimmel has defended his skit, saying it was a joke about age difference and not a call for an assassination.
Beckman said while the first lady was selective with her words, "Kimmel should be fired. ABC should terminate his employment."
KAROLINE LEAVITT SAYS OBAMA 'HAS NO IDEA WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT' AFTER KIMMEL COMMENTS
The first lady slammed Kimmel in an X post on Monday, including calling him a "coward" and calling on "ABC to take a stand."
"His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate," she wrote.
Beckman, CEO of advertising agency DMA United, said that, from his perspective, "it's not about freedom of speech. It's about branding."
"Why would ABC and the parent company, Disney, want to be affiliated with an individual that's entering all of our homes, America's homes, night after night [in] our living rooms, our bedrooms, and spewing such divisive, vile political rhetoric?" he asked. "It leads to nowhere good."
Beckman cited reporting from The Wall Street Journal that analyzed terrorism incidents compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, data showing that, in 2025, left-wing terrorist attacks and plots outnumbered right-wing ones for the first time in more than 30 years.
MELANIA TRUMP DECLARES 'THE MOMENT IS NOW' FOR NEW GLOBAL CHILDREN'S INITIATIVE AT UN
"The amount of political violence, physical political violence from the left to the right is at a higher level," said Beckman. "The trend is that from left to right, political violence is greater than that from right to left."
He says the first lady is always paying attention, watching everything while continuing to be one of the hardest working people.
"She pays attention to what people are saying in the media, but she doesn't care so much. I think what she's focused on is how could she continue to create great achievements for the country," said Beckman.
Kimmel drew backlash last year over remarks about Charlie Kirk’s killing that critics said mischaracterized the suspect and politicized the case. The ABC host was then briefly suspended from the airwaves before returning and apologizing.
The first lady has recently used her position to expand children’s access to technology and education while inviting 45 countries for the inaugural "Fostering the Future Together" global summit in March.
"So what is she focused on? She's focused on American children, American families, taking care of the nation as first lady. She's not going to really care about all the gossip, lies and innuendo," added Beckman.
Fox News Digital reached out to ABC and representatives for Kimmel but did not immediately receive responses.
Senate quietly bans lawmakers from betting on prediction markets
Senators can no longer use insider information to profit on emerging prediction market platforms.
The Senate, before leaving Washington, D.C., for a weeklong recess, quietly passed legislation that would prevent senators and their staff from betting on prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket.
On those platforms, users can bet on nearly anything, from world events and political races to the outcome of a war or whether a notable figure will get a divorce.
CONGRESS EXTENDS CONTROVERSIAL SPY LAW FOR 45 DAYS AFTER SENATE REJECTS HOUSE BILL
The move, pushed by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, passed the upper chamber unanimously and immediately changed the Senate’s rules.
Moreno said his legislation was meant to erase concerns of "side hustles" by lawmakers and increase faith in the institution. It comes as lawmakers have tried and failed to police themselves with bans on stock trading while in office.
"I don't believe we should trade stocks at all. It’s completely insane," Moreno said. "I think we should focus on our jobs and have our voters go, ‘Hey, this guy's voting this way, because this is the right thing for the state.’"
DEMOCRATS FAIL TO SHATTER REPUBLICANS' RESOLVE ON EVE OF CRUCIAL IRAN DEADLINE
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., lauded the move on the Senate floor and called for similar guardrails to be installed in the House.
"Speaker Johnson should immediately do the same thing in the House," Schumer said.
There is an effort bubbling in the House to do the same, led by Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, who is running to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
HEGSETH TESTIFIES AT SENATE AS IRAN WAR'S $25B PRICE TAG AND 60-DAY WAR POWERS DEADLINE LOOM
The most popular prediction market companies are backing the move, too. Polymarket said in a statement on X, "We’re in full support of this."
"Our Rulebook & Terms of Service already prohibit such conduct, but codifying this into law is a step forward for the industry," the company said. "Happy to help move this forward however we can."
Tarek Mansour, the co-founder of Kalshi, similarly pushed for the House to do the same.
"Kalshi already proactively blocks members of Congress and enforces against insider trading," Mansour said on X. "This is a great step to increase trust in our markets by making it an industry standard."
Trump announces 'Project Freedom,' Iran threatens attacks, Pakistan announces US release of seized cargo ship
As the tensions between the United States and Iran persist, including an ongoing U.S. blockade against the Islamic Republic, President Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social post that the U.S. would launch "Project Freedom" to help ships from other nations escape the Strait of Hormuz.
"Countries from all over the World, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz, on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with — They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!" the president declared in a Sunday Truth Social post.
"This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time," he noted.
But Iran has threatened to attack.
"We have repeatedly said the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands and that the safe passage of vessels needs to be coordinated with the armed forces," Iran's Ali Abdollahi, declared in a statement, according to Reuters. "We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive U.S. Army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz."
TRUMP'S IRAN CRACKDOWN 'SUFFOCATING' REGIME AS OIL WELLS COULD SHUT WITHIN DAYS, BESSENT SAYS
U.S. Central Command noted that 15,000 service members will be involved in the effort.
"U.S. military support to Project Freedom will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members," CENTCOM noted in a press release on Sunday.
TRUMP'S 'ECONOMIC FURY' SQUEEZES IRAN — BUT CAN TEHRAN OUTLAST THE PRESSURE?
An Iranian-flagged ship seized last month by the U.S. will be returned to its owners, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.
"As a confidence-building measure by the United States of America, twenty-two crew members held aboard the seized Iranian container ship, 'MV Touska', have been evacuated to Pakistan. The individuals, who were flown to Pakistan last night, will be handed over to the Iranian authorities today. The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs," the statement noted.
CARGO SHIP ATTACKED BY SMALL CRAFT NEAR STRAIT OF HORMUZ, UK MARITIME AGENCY SAYS
"These returns are being coordinated in tandem with the support of both the Iranian and U.S. sides. Pakistan welcomes such confidence-building measures and will continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy while pursuing ongoing mediation efforts for regional peace and security," Pakistan's statement added.
Fox News' Bryan Llenas contributed to this report.
OnlyFans model interrupts play at World Snooker Championship in Britain
An OnlyFans model was revealed to be the person who interrupted the World Snooker Championship on Sunday in the United Kingdom.
Sasha Swan came down from the stands and entered the area where Shaun Murphy was competing against Wu Yize. Referee Rob Spencer was able to keep Swan from going any further, pinning her against the barrier before security swarmed.
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She was heard yelling, "Who f---ing pays for their TV license anyway?" in an apparent shot at the BBC, which was broadcasting the tournament and reaps the benefits of the TV license fee, according to Give Me Sport.
Swan revealed herself to be the snooker intruder in a video posted to her X account.
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"So, if you’re watching this, I just got kicked out of snooker for streaking there. So, here we are," she said. "It didn’t go the way I wanted to because I would have loved it to have been my actual t---es out in the place, but I still got kicked out."
Separately, Murphy was also upset with another disruption during his championship match as a phone began to ring as he missed a shot.
"Make sure your phones are on silent or switched off. Don't be the person that has to be thrown out," he said in frustration, via Sky Sports.
Wu held a 10-7 lead when the first day of the World Championship came to an end.
California leaders mum on $1B high-speed rail detour aimed at preserving disgraced labor leader's memorial
California taxpayers may be on the hook for a roughly $1 billion detour project as part of the state's new high-speed rail construction meant to prevent disruption of a monument honoring the disgraced labor leader Cesar Chavez.
Despite tearing down and vacating memorials for Chavez, top California lawmakers did not immediately respond when asked if taxpayers in their state should still be on the hook for a roughly billion-dollar detour project meant to prevent the state's new high-speed rail from coming near the monument nestled in the mountains. The detour, according to 2020 estimates from the California High Speed Rail Authority, would cost taxpayers close to $1 billion when accounting for inflation.
California leaders, universities and beyond immediately began stripping honors they had bestowed on the late labor leader after news of him sexually abusing and grooming minors and adults, including one girl who was as young as 13 at the time of the abuse and another who became pregnant twice following their encounters.
CALIFORNIA TO CHANGE CESAR CHAVEZ DAY TO FARMWORKERS DAY AFTER SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL
The Chavez-founded labor union, United Farm Workers, called the allegations "profoundly shocking" and decided earlier this year to cancel its upcoming annual celebrations honoring him. Meanwhile, the César Chavez Foundation opted to do the same, describing the allegations as "disturbing" and noting they were "deeply shocked and saddened."
The Chavez Foundation, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, successfully lobbied for the roughly $1 billion detour known as the "Refined César E. Chávez National Monument Design Option," which moved the high-speed rail track roughly three-quarters of a mile from the Chavez monument's boundary. The monument, part of the National Park Service, is a sprawling 187 acres and includes Chavez's and his wife's burial spots. It is also reportedly the location where Chavez founded his labor movement.
The monument already sits along a key transportation corridor with a single track looping around the site that carries dozens of freight trains a day. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the train creates a constant rumble for those walking around the site.
"I have been to the monument," Adriana Rizzo, a member of Californians for Electric Rail, told the San Francisco Chronicle. She noted it "is right next to a freight corridor" leading her to question "why this quieter, less-polluting train would have to be invisible."
"This is a billion dollars we don’t have. There are a lot of other things we need. If there is a better route, we’re always open," California High Speed Rail Authority board director, Ernest Camacho, said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Martha Escutia, another board director, reportedly said she is "always willing to reopen current commitments to ensure we get the best savings for taxpayers."
Estimates for the high-speed rail project have been north of $200 billion, but the rail authority has challenged those estimates, telling CBS47 and KSEE24 the estimate is closer to $125 billion.
Fox News Digital reached out to top California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom's office, to inquire whether there should even be a debate over whether to get rid of the detour plans, particularly when many of them have taken actions to strip honors and memorials to the disgraced labor leader. However, none of them replied in time for publication.
Vision problem leads to man's stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis, new drug extends survival
A former Ironman triathlete was stunned to learn that his vision problems were actually the first sign of stage 4 lung cancer.
Dave Nitsche, 57, was initially given just 12 to 24 months to live – but an experimental drug has helped him surpass that timeframe by several years.
"In 2019, I noticed that I was having trouble seeing with my left eye," the Canadian man shared during an interview with Fox News Digital. "I went to the optometrist, and they said it was probably a detached retina."
DOCTOR AND CANCER SURVIVOR GEARS UP TO RUN 7 MARATHONS ON 7 CONTINENTS IN 7 DAYS
After scans revealed fluid buildup and rising pressure, doctors determined that Nitsche had lost vision in the eye — and ultimately removed it. A biopsy of the fluid revealed that it was cancerous.
Next, Nitsche saw more specialists, who extracted fluid from his lungs for more testing. "The next day, the oncologist told me that I had stage 4 lung cancer," he said.
Nitsche said his doctors were "very shocked" to find that his initial eye issues had stemmed from lung cancer – particularly because he had never been a smoker.
Azam J. Farooqui, MD, a hematology and oncology physician at Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers in Chandler, Arizona, agreed that Nitsche’s case was "very surprising."
LUNG CANCER RISING AMONG NON-SMOKERS — HERE'S WHY
"Cancer can find its way to some very odd locations, but the eye is a very, very rare one," Farooqui, who did not treat Nitsche, told Fox News Digital. "Usually cancer will get there via a nerve channel or blood vessel, but it’s very uncommon."
Nitsche, an ex-triathlete who has done multiple Ironman races, hadn’t experienced any other symptoms other than the eye issues. "I was running quite a bit at the time," he shared. "I had a little bit of back pain here and there, but lung cancer definitely wasn’t on my radar."
His first treatment was a targeted therapy called afatinib, which lasted about three months. When doctors found that the cancer had spread to Nitsche’s brain, he began taking another medication called Tagrisso (osimertinib), which crosses the blood-brain barrier.
HIDDEN FACTOR IN CANCER TREATMENT TIMING MAY AFFECT SURVIVAL, RESEARCHERS SAY
After six years, when those drugs stopped working, Nitsche started taking a chemo drug called Rybrevant (amivantamab), which he receives via IV infusion every three weeks in a supervised medical setting. After a year on the drug, which is manufactured by Janssen Biotech, Inc. in Pennsylvania, his scans are looking "very, very good," he said.
"Science is catching up to me perfectly with all these drugs that I'm on," Nitsche said. "Now, we'll just wait for the next thing to come along, and we'll jump onto that. But for now, the Rybrevant is working perfectly."
Nitsche has experienced a few side effects, primarily skin irritation and fingernail infections, but said for the most part, the drug is "very tolerable."
Compared to the full-dose chemo and other lung cancer treatments, Farooqui agreed that Rybrevant is "very manageable."
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Other common side effects can include infusion reactions, muscle and joint pain, mouth sores, swelling, fatigue, nausea, bowel changes, vomiting, cough, shortness of breath and low appetite, according to FDA prescribing information.
In rare cases, serious effects can include lung inflammation, blood clots, severe skin reactions and eye problems. Pregnant women should not take the drug due to fetal risks.
"If somebody is having too many side effects, or if it is feeling too aggressive, we can do dose reductions," Farooqui noted. "In my experience, we've had patients do really well on it, and we've been able to manage their side effects without any major concerns."
Rybrevant has now been approved to treat certain types of non-small cell lung cancer in the U.S. and Canada, and Nitsche said a few of his friends are also taking the drug.
"Doctors gave me a year to two years – they told me to get my affairs in order. And it's been seven years now," he said. "I’ll take it."
Nitsche is now preparing for a 600-mile biking expedition in June to raise awareness for lung cancer. He credits his endurance training and high fitness level with helping to extend his survival.
"There are days that you feel strong and there are days that you’re a little weaker, but you just adjust accordingly," he said.
Embracing his role as an advocate, Nitsche now speaks openly about his experience and what others should know.
"If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer – but at this point, for almost any type of cancer, a diagnosis is not a death sentence," he said. "They're doing so much research on it, especially with lung cancer … I've known people who have lasted 12 to 18 years, so for me, seven years is great. So I'll just keep going."
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Farooqui echoed the importance of patients "advocating for themselves and getting the most up-to-date therapy there is."
Trump’s Middle East energy victories are a huge reminder of America's dominance
In May 2025, the first foreign trip of President Donald Trump’s second term took him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Widely credited with cementing regional support for the military operation against Iran known as Midnight Hammer, less well recognized is how that trip positioned the United States at the center of a reset of global energy markets.
Three momentous events over the last two months suggest these efforts are bearing fruit: Saudi Arabia’s 20-year natural-gas contract with Louisiana producer Caturus Energy, Qatar’s participation in the opening of the Golden Pass natural gas export facility in Texas, and the UAE’s announcement that it is leaving the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC.
On Feb. 24, just days before the conflict with Iran began, Saudi Arabia announced a 20-year contract to import natural gas from the American producer Caturus’s Commonwealth liquefied natural gas (LNG) division. No longer will the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, two of the world’s largest energy producers, have a straightforward — if sometimes fraught — relationship between an importer and exporter, as has been the case for the last eight decades. They are instead embarking on an era of energy coordination that can be of tremendous mutual benefit.
Saudi national identity, not to mention wealth, has flowed from their role as a massive energy exporter with the critical swing capacity to increase production as needed with the turn of a dial.
TRUMP SQUEEZES IRAN WITH MAXIMUM PRESSURE — WHY IT HASN’T FORCED A BREAKTHROUGH
Historically, the kingdom has fiercely resisted importing any energy. For this reason, the crude burning electricity generating plants, notably on the Red Sea, have been retained even though converting them to natural gas would not only make them more efficient, but also free up more Saudi oil for export.
Why this change in posture? Largely because the Saudis can see that their energy needs will grow exponentially if they realize their ambitions to become an artificial-intelligence hub, and they desire to be a tech partner to the United States in this effort.
Now, the world’s two largest energy producers are embarking on a new partnership that can offer plentiful, reliable, reasonably priced flows of energy to partners from Europe to Latin America to Southeast Asia, and even, when desirable, to each other.
WHITE HOUSE SAYS OIL PRICE SPIKE IS TEMPORARY AS TRUMP PUSHES ENERGY DOMINANCE AMID IRAN WAR
Then, on March 30, after a construction process that survived a lead contractor bankruptcy, Golden Pass LNG in Sabine Pass, Texas produced its first cargo — departing for Europe on April 22. Golden Pass is a joint venture in which QatarEnergy holds a 70% stake and ExxonMobil 30%, with Qatar’s trading arm taking the lion’s share of the output. It represents Qatar’s largest foreign energy investment to date, and is a clear signal that Qatar sees the United States as a natural gas partner, not a rival.
The irony could not be sharper: just weeks before Golden Pass opened, Iranian missile strikes devastated Qatar’s home LNG facility at Ras Laffan, knocking out capacity that analysts value at roughly $20 billion in annual revenue — with repairs expected to take up to five years.
Golden Pass Train 1 came online three weeks later, and Qatar now has American-produced gas flowing to its customers at the precise moment its home facilities are dark. A decade of investment in a Texas terminal, pursued over the objections of skeptics who questioned why the world’s largest gas exporter needed an American facility, has been vindicated in a single month.
Finally, after bearing the brunt of the reckless Iranian attacks on its Gulf neighbors, the UAE announced that it would leave OPEC effective May 1. The departure of a longstanding member and one of the cartel’s three largest producers is nothing less than seismic for the organization and will significantly weaken its power.
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But laboring under OPEC’s rules, the UAE has been held to about 3 million barrels a day despite having the capacity to approach 5 million — a quota designed to regulate prices artificially, stifling the UAE’s output and making new infrastructure investments difficult to justify.
This decision moves the UAE ever closer to the United States and Trump, who has frequently railed against OPEC, accusing it of "ripping off the rest of the world" by controlling prices and supply. Liberated from OPEC’s oversight, the UAE will be free to engage in the sort of energy coordination with the U.S. that we are seeing with Saudi Arabia and Qatar on a level playing field, all of which will result in more product on the market to soften the impact of the Iran energy shock. Other dissatisfied OPEC members should take note of the UAE’s strategic vision.
All of which makes for an extraordinary trifecta of geopolitical energy wins for America in the course of about two months. While clearing the Strait of Hormuz remains a necessary challenge for President Trump, and the world needs that energy to flow freely again, he can approach this action from a position of strength rather than of desperation.
Throughout Operation Epic Fury, the powerful energy might of the United States has been on full display, and we have the potential to come through the conflict in a much stronger position, in coordination with Gulf partners and allies, to continue to supply the global energy needs that Iran has tried to hold hostage.
Iran issues threat after Trump announces Strait of Hormuz 'humanitarian gesture' and more top headlines
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Celtics star accuses referees of having an ‘agenda’ against him after playoff exit
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown accused NBA officials of having an "agenda" against him in the team’s playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, which ended in a Game 7 defeat.
Brown touched on 76ers center Joel Embiid getting calls after Boston lost to Philadelphia on Saturday night. He further went after referees in a livestream.
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"They keep saying there are push-offs and stuff like that," he said, via MassLive. "Do you know how many players do that? That’s the common play, a basketball play. Every player does it. So why are you targeting me? They clearly had an agenda. Maybe because I had spoken and was critical of the refs in the regular season. So you know how they responded? You’re going to lead the playoffs in offensive fouls. That was the response from the officiating crew.
"I actually spoke to some refs and there was an agenda going into each game. Anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, just call it. Paul George does the same thing. Jalen Brunson does the same thing. I can go down the list. It’s a basketball play, whether y’all believe it or not. Everybody does that when you drive, especially when you got bodies on you. Philly took advantage of it, and they took advantage of the officiating, and it cost us to some degree."
Philadelphia won the final game of the series, 109-100. Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Embiid made nine of his 11 free-throw attempts.
Brown made critical comments toward Embiid.
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"Embiid put a lot of pressure on us, like on all our bigs and our guards," he said. "We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things and he just, he’s a big body, and also he was flopping around. He got some extra calls and stuff like that, and they rewarded him for that. That’s the league that we’re in. So, that’s all I got to say."
Brown averaged 25.7 points per game and shot 45.5% from the floor.
He was the best Celtics' player all season as the team was without Jayson Tatum for most of the season. He played in 71 games and averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Boston was 56-26 and finished second in the Eastern Conference.
State Department fires back at accusations of ‘empty planes’ rescuing Americans from conflict zones
FIRST ON FOX: The State Department's account of its evacuation efforts is at odds with on-the-ground reports from private rescue teams who helped extract U.S. citizens from conflict zones during the opening days of the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Bryan Stern, founder and CEO of Grey Bull Rescue, a nonprofit evacuation service, is contesting claims that the State Department offered assistance to every American who asked for it, asserting instead that thousands of U.S. citizens were left trapped by missiles, bombs and security threats crowding airspace in the region.
"It’s not for lack of effort. Our State Department colleagues are tremendous. But their process doesn’t work. There is also no one — there's no job specialty," Stern told Fox News Digital, noting a lack of a dedicated government position for handling evacuations.
The contrasting assertions raise questions about the logistical efficiency of American rescue efforts while prompting calls from lawmakers for more specialization to get U.S. citizens out of conflict zones in the future.
Stern believes slow-moving bureaucracy is preventing the government from fully utilizing its rescue options.
As one data point, Stern pointed to a video sent to Fox News Digital depicting a mostly empty flight from Israel to Florida near the start of the conflict.
A source, who recorded the video, confirmed they had been evacuated by the State Department from Israel on flight LY1017 from Tel Aviv to Miami, Florida, on March 8 — a point at which Stern said Grey Bull Rescue was being flooded with hundreds of evacuation requests.
In response to inquiries about the video, State Department officials did not address why they had only booked a handful of seats. While the government sometimes purchases individual tickets on a commercial flight for evacuations, they rarely buy the entire aircraft’s capacity, sources familiar with the Department’s evacuation practices told Fox News Digital.
Beyond that particular instance, Department officials said their offers of assistance exceeded the demand on the ground.
"The State Department has reached out to every American who has registered interest in our support," a State Department official said. "Most Americans who requested assistance have declined seats when offered, opting either to remain in country or book commercial flight options which offer greater flexibility in terms of destination and luggage."
Stern believes the answer is misleading.
"That answer is inaccurate in totality," Stern said.
"There’s a difference between a State Department-contracted aircraft that is filled with Americans to come out and getting them to safety. That’s an evacuation. That’s different from: ‘Hey, go book a commercial ticket. Good luck to you,’" Stern said.
PRIVATE SECURITY FIRM HELPING AMERICANS EVACUATE THE MIDDLE EAST AMID WAR WITH IRAN
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who joined Grey Bull Rescue’s operations in Israel last month, applauded government efforts but believes there is room for reform.
"It really opened my eyes to some of the challenges that we have, the bureaucracy that we have," Mace said.
"I'm going to come back to Washington with some ideas on how to streamline what we currently have and how to ensure that we're allocating resources to the State Department, to [the Department of Homeland Security]."
Like Stern, Mace suggested that part of the problem stems from a lack of a single position in the State Department that deals with rescue efforts.
Stern, whose group has worked on over 800 missions to evacuate Americans from Afghanistan, Israel and Venezuela, believes current operations have too many moving pieces.
He said his team’s efforts allow him to communicate more directly with Americans requesting assistance.
"We know them, we talk to them 10 times a day. The current manifest we're working right now has 338 people on it. We do a Zoom call once a day with all the families. Because of that kind of thing, the chain between the person and the airplane is zero, because it's us," Stern said.
"With [the Department of State] you’re calling a center in West Virginia, talking to somebody reading a script who doesn’t know anything; they refer you to a website that goes to a data processing thing somewhere which gets [put] onto an Excel spreadsheet."
Over 43,000 Americans have safely returned to the United States since late February, according to the Department of State. Of those, government operations directly assisted 30,000 Americans.