Operation to return stranded astronauts begins as crew prepares to undock
President Donald Trump provided an update on the stranded NASA astronauts set to make their way back to Earth in a social media post on Monday.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said that he recently conferred with Janet Petro, the acting administrator of NASA, who is coordinating the return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
“She is coordinating our Team of highly respected Scientists, Space Engineers, and various other ‘geniuses,’ who has agreed to let our Astronauts come home long prior to the two week period originally approved by NASA,” Trump wrote.
“Janet was great. She said, ‘Let’s bring them home NOW, Sir!’ — And I thanked her.”
ELON MUSK’S SPACEX LAUNCHES CREW TO RESCUE STUCK NASA ASTRONAUTS FROM ISS
The president also took a swipe at his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, and accused him of “forgetting” about Wilmore and Williams. Trump also spoke about Elon Musk and Space X’s involvement in the return mission.
“This began when I asked Elon Musk to go up and get the abandoned Astronauts, because the Biden Administration was incapable of doing so,” Trump claimed. “They shamefully forgot about the Astronauts, because they considered it to be a very embarrassing event for them – Another thing I inherited from that failed group of incompetents.”
“Elon and I have taken on the project, sending up the SpaceX Dragon, which has successfully docked and, hopefully, while there is always danger involved in such a mission, they will soon be on their way home — Taking off tomorrow, and landing on Wednesday,” he continued.
SPACEX MAKES HISTORY WITH SUCCESSFUL TEST OF ‘MECHAZILLA ARMS’
Trump also added that officials will release more information about the astronauts’ return in the coming days.
“Safety always comes first, and maximum standards are being adhered to. But after eight long months for a mission that was supposed to be eight days, IT IS TIME,” he concluded. “I look forward to seeing Butch and Suni, and thank you again to NASA and Janet Petro!”
Williams and Wilmore have been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) since June of last year. Originally planning to only be in space for a week, they have patiently waited for a return to Earth after issues forced NASA to bring the Boeing Starliner back empty last summer.
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On Sunday, SpaceX’s Crew-10 arrived at the ISS to relieve Williams and Wilmore, who will enter their own SpaceX capsule on their way back to Earth.
Splashdown for Williams and Wilmore’s long-awaited return to Earth is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:57 p.m., if everything goes according to plan.
Trump ends Secret Service protection for Biden’s adult children
President Donald Trump on Monday announced that former President Joe Biden’s adult children will no longer receive U.S. Secret Service protection.
In a Truth Social post, Trump remarked that Hunter Biden has received Secret Service protection for an “extended period of time.”
“There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous!” Trump wrote. “Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection.”
WHO IS SEAN CURRAN? HEAD OF TRUMP’S PERSONAL DETAIL TO BE NOMINATED FOR SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR
Ashley Biden, Hunter’s sister, will have her Secret Service protection revoked as well. Trump noted that 13 agents were assigned to her security detail.
“We are aware of the President’s decision to terminate protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden,” the Secret Service told Fox News Digital. “The Secret Service will comply and is actively working with the protective details and the White House to ensure compliance as soon as possible.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hunter Biden’s lawyers.
Former presidents and their spouses receive life-long Secret Service protection under federal law, but the protection afforded to their immediate families over the age of 16 ends when they leave office, though both Trump and Biden extended the details for their children for six months before leaving office, the Associated Press reported.
Former President Biden allowed Baron Trump to keep his Secret Service protection after his 16th birthday.
SECRET SERVICE STRUGGLE TO PROTECT PRESIDENTS WON’T SEE ‘IMMEDIATE’ END EVEN WITH MORE MANPOWER: RETIRED AGENT
In his post, Trump said Biden was vacationing in South Africa, which has come under intense pressure from the administration over its land exploration law that allows the government to make land seizures without compensation and its support for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and Iran,
Trump said the seizures discriminate against White land owners.
“Because of this, South Africa has been taken off our list of Countries receiving Economic and Financial Assistance,” Trump wrote.
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said South Africa’s ambassador to the United States “is no longer welcome” in the country. In a Friday webinar, Ebrahim Rasool talked of the Trump administration’s crackdowns on diversity and equity programs and immigration.
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“The supremacist assault on incumbency, we see it in the domestic politics of the U.S.A., the MAGA movement, the Make America Great Again movement, as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct, but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the U.S.A. in which the voting electorate in the U.S.A. is projected to become 48% white,” the South African ambassador said.
Rubio accused Ebrahim Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who hates Trump. In a post on X, Rubio declared the South African diplomat “persona non grata.”
Judge who ordered illegal gang members returned to US faces calls for impeachment
After Obama-appointed Judge James Boasberg issued an order Saturday halting President Donald Trump’s rapid deportation of Venezuelan gang members, Texas GOP Rep. Brandon Gill swiftly announced plans to file articles of impeachment in an effort to remove him.
Gill made the announcement on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday, noting he would be filing the motion this week. In a subsequent tweet from Elon Musk, the entrepreneur turned Trump advisor responded simply, “Necessary.”
“The very worst judges – those who repeatedly flout the law – should at least be put to an impeachment vote, whether that vote succeeds or not,” Musk followed up in a separate post on X Monday.
TOM HOMAN CALLS OUT ‘RADICAL’ JUDGE FOR ‘DEFYING LOGIC’ WITH RULING TO STALL TRUMP DEPORTATIONS
Republicans have been piling on Boasberg after he issued a 14-day restraining order halting the Trump administration from deporting violent Venezuelan gang members who entered the U.S. illegally, via powers laid out in the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act.
Last used during World War II, the Alien Enemies Act was passed by Congress in 1798 in advance of a potential war with France, due to fears that immigrants would sympathize with the French. The law provides the president broad powers to imprison or deport noncitizens during a time of war.
“Another day, another judge unilaterally deciding policy for the whole country. This time to benefit foreign gang members,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, posted on X. “If the Supreme Court or Congress doesn’t fix, we’re headed towards a constitutional crisis. Senate Judiciary Cmte taking action.”
TRUMP THANKS EL SALVADOR FOR TAKING IN ALLEGED GANG MEMBERS DEPORTED FROM US: ‘WE WILL NOT FORGET’
Boasberg’s ruling came in response to a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and left-wing legal advocacy group Democracy Forward. The lawsuit alleged that Trump’s intent to use his “wartime authority” to deport dangerous illegal immigrants was unlawful, since the U.S. is not in the midst of a “declared war.”
The lawsuit followed a proclamation signed by Trump on Saturday, which alleged that violent gang members belonging to the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang were “conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.” Last month, Trump moved to designate a slew of Mexican drug cartels, including TdA, as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Gill to glean more exact details about when he plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Boasberg, but did not hear back in time for publication of this story.
Trump border czar turns tables on reporter who asked about ‘200-year-old’ immigration law
Border czar Tom Homan turned the tables on a reporter after being questioned about the Alien Enemies Act used by the Trump administration.
In order to address dangerous migrants, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing. This law has been invoked three times, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.
As a result, all Venezuelan citizens 14 years or older who are members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), who are within the United States and are not naturalized, or lawful permanent residents, may be apprehended, restrained, secured and removed as “alien enemies,” according to Trump’s proclamation.
TOM HOMAN WARNS MAJOR SANCTUARY STATE WILL ‘GET EXACTLY WHAT THEY DON’T WANT’
“What do you say to those who claim you’re using a 200-year-old law to circumvent due process?” a reporter asked Homan on Monday.
“An old law?” Homan asked. “Not as old as the Constitution. We still pay attention to that, don’t we?”
Homan then proceeded to shake his head and walk away from the gaggle of reporters.
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The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 was created 227 years ago, while the Constitution of the United States was ratified approximately ten years earlier in 1788.
Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, cheered Homan for the confrontation, noting that the exchange speaks volumes.
“It’s ironic that the left screams about the Constitution… until WE start enforcing it,” he wrote.
Chancellor sides against own college after governor flags eyebrow-raising job posting
Hunter College in New York City is reworking its “Palestinian Studies” professorship job after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the City University of New York (CUNY) constituent college to take down its posting over antisemitism concerns.
“Hunter College took down the job listings following the concerns raised about the language used in the online posting,” the college told Fox News Digital when reached for comment. “We will be reviewing the posting process and look forward to adding scholars with expertise in this subject matter to our distinguished faculty.”
The original posting for the job was taken down, but a screenshot detailed the position, the New York Post reported.
“We seek a historically grounded scholar who takes a critical lens to issues pertaining to Palestine including but not limited to: settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, migration, climate and infrastructure devastation, health, race, gender, and sexuality,” part of the listing read, Fox News Digital previously reported.
The posting went on to explain that the faculty member’s duties would have involved “research, teaching and service to the department and college.”
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“Governor Hochul has directed CUNY to immediately remove this job posting and conduct a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom,” a spokesperson for the governor told The New York Post. “The governor has continued to strongly condemn all forms of antisemitism and has made clear that hateful rhetoric of any kind has no place at CUNY or anywhere in New York State.”
CUNY’s Chancellor Felix Matos and Board of Trustees Chairperson William Thompson shared a joint statement in response to the governor’s order, stating they “strongly agree” with Hochul’s decision, noting that they “find this [posting’s] language divisive, polarizing and inappropriate.”
“CUNY will continue working with the Governor and other stakeholders to tackle antisemitism on our campuses and combat hate in all of its forms,” they added.
However, proposed courses are evaluated by the college, the Board of Trustees and the state, according to the university’s guidelines for new program approval.
The hiring committees at Hunter College have reportedly resubmitted the Palestinian studies job posting, the Nation reported. “Faculty are still determined” to fill the position, according to the report. Before the updated posting can be published, Hunter’s dean of diversity and compliance must determine whether the role is consistent with the school’s legal antidiscrimination obligations.
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Jeffrey Lax, a CUNY law professor and founder of S.A.F.E. Campus, an organization dedicated to combating antisemitism within the public college system, criticized the CUNY trustees’ approval of the curriculum in an interview with The College Fix.
“They’re the most classic [antisemitic] tropes of the modern time and developing a curriculum like that is abhorrent and should never have gone through,” he said.
CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICIALS PROBE FOUR US MEDICAL SCHOOLS OVER ANTISEMITISM AT 2024 COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES
Since Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,100 people and sparking a war in the Gaza Strip, antisemitism concerns have dominated the education space.
Anti-Israel protests have continually erupted at U.S. colleges with demonstrators shouting their demands for a ceasefire and voicing their vehement opposition to Israel.
In February, CUNY rescinded its resolution in support of “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions” one month after it first passed, The College Fix reported.
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Mom takes action after teen was reportedly asked to change in front of trans student
An Illinois mother has filed a civil rights complaint with the Justice Department after claiming that school administrators attempted to force her 13-year-old daughter to change in front of a transgender student in the girls locker room last month.
Nicole Georgas revealed the complaint during a Board of Education meeting for Deerfield Public Schools District 109 last week, claiming that the incident took place last month after her daughter refused to change into her uniform during physical education because a biological male student was present at the time.
“The girls want their locker rooms and bathrooms back. They want their privacy back. This is why I’m here tonight. My 13-year-old daughter’s well-being, mental health, and privacy are at stake,” Georgas said during her speech at the board meeting on Thursday.
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According to Georgas, her daughter was “frightened” and “extremely upset” when on Feb. 5 she was using the girls bathroom and noticed that a transgender student was also using the facilities at the same time.
“She was told by the administration that a student can use the bathroom as well as a female locker room because they now identify as female,” Georgas said of the explanation administrators allegedly provided to her daughter.
Georgas then raised the issue to the school’s administration, noting to them that she believed it was a direct violation of President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” executive order. She said in her speech that the administration informed her that, under the direction of their legal counsel, the student was free to use both the girls bathroom and the girls locker room.
Fox News Digital reached out to the school district for comment.
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“That day, I filed a civil rights complaint, on behalf of my daughter, with the Department of Justice. It has now been referred to the Department of Education. A federal complaint has been filed with the district to protect the students.”
Georgas said the situation worsened when, days later, her daughter and other classmates refused to change into her uniform during physical education because the transgender student was present.
She claimed that the following day, school administrators pulled the girls aside and later made them change into uniform.
“That day, [Assistant Superintendent for Student Services] Joanna Ford, [Assistant Principal] Cathy Van Treese, and multiple teachers all came into the girls locker room, making them change into uniform. This went on all week,” she said, adding that her daughter still “refused to take part.”
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As part of Georgas’ speech, she “demanded” the district move forward with designating facilities for biological males and biological females.
Georgas appeared on “America Reports” last week when she expressed her biggest concern regarding the situation.
“This sets such a dangerous precedent for girls everywhere by allowing men into safe places. My biggest concern is that an adult, biological male — that hasn’t transitioned — can freely access women’s bathrooms [and] locker rooms, putting their safety and privacy at risk. This is common sense.”
Fox News Digital contacted the Justice Department and the Education Department for comment on the complaint.
Actress doesn’t hold back on the ‘problem’ she has with Meghan Markle, Prince Harry
Justine Bateman is tired of what she calls Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s “Victim Olympics campaign.”
The “Family Ties” actress weighed in on Markle’s new Netflix show, “With Love, Meghan,” and shared her thoughts on why people may not be interested in watching the lifestyle series.
In a blog post titled, “The Problem With Meghan Markle: It’s Not What She’s Doing, It’s the Victim Olympics Road She Took to Get There,” Bateman wrote that the world doesn’t want to watch “someone playact at something they didn’t earn.”
PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE SLAMMED BY JUSTINE BATEMAN FOR BEING ‘DISASTER TOURISTS’ AMID CALIFORNIA FIRES
“The problem with Meghan Markle (and her husband, Harry) is that every opportunity they have explored or exploited over the past few years has been due to their very aggressive Victim Olympics campaign,” she wrote.
“The difference between doing that two years ago and doing it now is immense. It’s 2025, and no one wants to see victims anymore,” Bateman continued.
“No one wants to watch someone playact at something they didn’t earn.”
“The problem with Meghan Markle (and her husband, Harry) is that every opportunity they have explored or exploited over the past few years has been due to their very aggressive Victim Olympics campaign.”
Bateman doesn’t believe “anyone wishes [Markle] ill,” but people also have the right to not “go along with another’s ‘narrative’ anymore.”
“It’s 2025 now and people want you to earn your spot,” she emphasized.
“The public doesn’t want to listen to people who bemoaned their lack of privacy, and yet take every opportunity to be extremely public with whatever they’re doing.”
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She continued, “They are two people riding the fumes of a past Victim Era, in a new era now where victimhood has fallen far out of favor.”
Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
This is not the first time Jason Bateman’s sister has shared her opinions on Meghan and Harry.
During the devastating Los Angeles fires in January, Bateman called the couple “disaster tourists” after they were seen visiting Pasadena with the city’s mayor, Victor Gordo.
“Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers,” an unsettled Bateman, 58, wrote to X, formerly known as Twitter. “What a repulsive ‘photo op’ they achieved.”
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“They are ‘touring the damage’?” she asked, referring to media footage she had reposted on the social platform. “Are they politicians now? They don’t live here; they are tourists. Disaster Tourists.”
WATCH: PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE APPEAR AT PASADENA EVACUATION SITE
Video captured by Fox 11 Los Angeles showed Harry and Markle in Pasadena.
Fox News Digital additionally learned that Prince Harry and Markle had opened their home to friends and family forced to evacuate at the time, also donating clothing, children’s items and other essentials to help the affected community.
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Missing college student seen in new security footage before disappearance
Missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki is seen in recently released security camera footage obtained by local news from the hotel where she was staying in the Dominican Republic before she vanished.
Konanki, 20, was last seen on the beach with a witness identified as 22-year-old Joshua Riibe of Iowa around 4:50 a.m. on March 6. The pair had been out drinking with friends at the RIU Republica in Punta Cana before Riibe said they went for a swim during a red-flag warning.
The footage obtained by Noticias SIN from a hotel bar shows Konanki and Riibe drinking before the Pitt student vanished. No suspects have been named in connection with her disappearance, and Riibe has only been identified as a witness and has not been accused of any crime.
Konanki can be seen wearing the white, sorong-style dress that authorities found on a beach chair after she vanished.
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Other footage obtained by Noticias SIN from the RIU Republica lobby shows Konanki with her friends before her disappearance.
Konanki and Riibe were both staying at the RIU Republica on separate trips to Punta Cana. Riibe had arrived with a friend on March 1, and Konanki had arrived with five friends from Pitt on March 3.
AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT DISAPPEARS IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: TIMELINE
Around 4:15 a.m. on March 6, Konanki was part of a group of six women and two men, including Riibe, seen on surveillance video approaching the beach. Six of them came back around 6 a.m., leaving Konanki alone on the beach with Riibe. He came back alone around 10 a.m.
He sat with police for multiple interviews, including one Wednesday that is recorded on a transcript obtained by Fox News.
According to the document, Riibe said he and Konanki were talking in the water when a “big wave” hit them, the transcript reads. There was a red-flag warning on the beach at the time, indicating a warning for people not to go swimming in rough surf.
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“[W]ith the water’s pullback, it dragged us further into the sea,” he said. “As soon as we surfaced, we tried to call for help, but no one was there.”
Riibe is a former pool lifeguard. He said he struggled to pull Konanki ashore, according to the transcript. Once they were on their feet, he said she walked away to get her belongings and he threw up and passed out. He told police she was walking in knee-deep water when he last saw her.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia said it could not validate Wednesday’s transcript but that it was consistent with what Riibe told two Loudoun detectives sent down to assist in the investigation.
“Mr. Riibe is not a suspect in any way shape or form,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital, adding that the Dominican Republic is leading the investigation.
MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: NO SUSPECTS AS SEARCH FOR SUDIKSHA KONANKI REACHES ONE WEEK
Riibe’s lawyer, Beatriz Santana, declined to comment on the case or her client’s interviews with police. Riibe’s parents issued a statement through their attorney on Friday taking issue with Dominican authorities’ handling of the case.
“Despite his full willingness to cooperate, Josh has been detained under irregular conditions and subjected to extensive questioning without the presence of official translators or legal counsel until Wednesday, March 12,” his parents, Albert and Tina Riibe, said through their attorneys.
His parents said the 22-year-old “has remained in his hotel room under police surveillance and has been repeatedly taken to the police station since March 6, where he has been interrogated for long hours.”
“This situation has raised serious concern within his family, which has led us to retain legal counsel to initiate legal actions ensuring his safety and the protection of his rights throughout this process,” they said.
The family said they were willing to continue cooperating with search efforts and wanted to share their “deep sorrow and solidarity” with Konanki’s family.
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“Above all, we wish to contribute to the search efforts and understand the anguish and uncertainty they are going through and we share the hope that Sudiksha will be found as soon as possible,” they said. “Joshua Riibe is deeply dismayed by her disappearance and has fully cooperated in the search and clarification of the facts from the very beginning.”