Judge convenes hearing on deportation flights as ACLU appeals to Supreme Court

The American Civil Liberties Union appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, asking for an emergency injunction against the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan nationals held in Texas back to South America under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act. 

The Supreme Court previously ruled there are restrictions on how the government can use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, including that those targeted under it are entitled to a hearing before being deported. 

Hours before appealing to the Supreme Court on Friday, the ACLU had asked two federal judges for an injunction on the deportations. 

One of the judges, James E. Boasberg, scheduled a Friday evening hearing over the request. 

SENATOR CALLS FOR PROBE INTO JUDGE BOASBERG AFTER DEPORTATION CLASH

Boasberg, who originally ruled on the Alien Enemies Act, previously found probable cause that the Trump administration committed criminal contempt in disobeying his ruling on the deportations. 

The Supreme Court then ruled that only judges in the areas from where migrants are set to be deported have jurisdiction over their cases. 

Boasberg is in Washington, D.C. 

He told ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt on Friday evening at the emergency hearing, “I’m sympathetic to everything you’re saying, I just don’t think I have the power to do anything about it.”

Later Friday, another Washington, D.C.-based circuit judge issued an “administrative stay” on Boasberg’s contempt finding, “to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motion for a stay pending appeal or a write of mandamus.”

The order said it should not be considered a ruling “on the merits” of the Trump administration’s motion again the contempt proceedings. 

Judges in Colorado, New York and south Texas have temporarily halted deportations in those areas, but there’s no ban for the Venezuelan nationals facing possible deportation from the Bluebonnet Detention Center in northern Texas. 

TRUMP REVEALS THE ONLY DETAIL HE HASN’T DECIDED IN HIS SELF-DEPORTATION PROGRAM

The ACLU has called for a deportation ban on two Venezuelans being held at the center2, saying the administration is accusing them of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and any immigrants in the region. 

Separately, on Friday, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a bid by the Trump administration to strip around 350,000 Venezuelan migrants of their Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which would make them eligible for deportation. 

TPS lasts six to 18 months and applies to people from countries that are war-torn or have a natural disaster or some other event that makes returning dangerous. 

The court upheld a March ruling from a lower court that stayed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s efforts to remove the protected status from some Venezuelans in the country. 

President Trump on Friday also commented on the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who had been living in Maryland and had protections against deportation, who was mistakenly deported to a prison in the county last month. 

“This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States, because he is such ‘a fine and innocent person,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social with a picture of him holding a photo that shows tattoos on Garcia’s knuckles. The photo says the symbols on Garcia’s knuckles spell out MS-13. 

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He continued: “They said he is not a member of MS-13, even though he’s got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles, and two Highly Respected Courts found that he was a member of MS-13, beat up his wife, etc. I was elected to take bad people out of the United States, among other things. I must be allowed to do my job. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Slain track star’s dad terrorized at home after tense press conference showdown

Jeff Metcalf, the father of slain Frisco, Texas, track star Austin Metcalf, told Fox News Digital his home was swatted Thursday night. 

“I can confirm that last night our officers responded to a gunshot call in the 8000 block of Hickory Street involving the Metcalf family, which turned out to be swatting,” the Frisco Police Department (FPD) confirmed. 

It happened a few hours after an incendiary press conference hosted by the spokesman for the family of Metcalf’s alleged killer, Karmelo Anthony.

Anthony is charged with murdering Metcalf after the two 17-year-olds got into a dispute under a tent at a high school track meet April 2. Anthony allegedly stabbed Metcalf, who died in his twin brother’s arms.

MOURNING MOTHER, TWIN BROTHER OF SLAIN TEXAS TEEN SPEAK OUT: ‘LOST MY BEST FRIEND IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE’

Swatting is when a 911 call is made, usually to report a fake violent crime, to get police and sometimes even SWAT teams, to respond to the address given by the caller. It has increasingly been used as an intimidation tactic to target high-profile individuals and political rivals. 

Thursday’s press conference was scheduled after Anthony was released from the Collin County Jail Monday when his bond was reduced from $1 million to $250,000. The controversial decision led to questions about how hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for the Anthony family online were being spent. 

Jeff Metcalf attended the press conference, which quickly devolved into chaos after Dominique Alexander, head of the activist group Next Generation Action Network retained to speak on behalf of the Anthony family, criticized Metcalf’s presence there at the outset of the event. 

“What we’ve seen at the beginning of this press conference, of the father being at this press conference, these are my words — don’t quote anybody — is a disrespect to the dignity of his son,” Alexander said. 

Metcalf arrived at the press conference at its scheduled start time but was threatened with criminal charges if he did not leave. He left with a police escort from the Dallas Police Department. 

“Next Generation Action Network from the beginning has respected the loss of life, no matter our opinion of it. We have kept our opinion close,” Alexander said. “We have not attacked. We have not shared the information that was shared with us about Austin Metcalf because we respect the dignity of life and loss.”

Alexander later brought race into the discussion.

GRIEVING TEXAS FATHER SPEAKS OUT AFTER SON WAS STABBED TO DEATH AT HIGH SCHOOL TRACK MEET

“What [Jeff Metcalf] has felled [sic] into is the political operatives that want to make this thing a political thing of hate and yet bigotry and yet racism,” he said. “We have conservative operatives that have been posting nonstop about this case.” 

Those comments largely overshadowed the purpose of the press conference, which was to set the record straight on how more than $475,000 from a GiveSendGo fundraiser raised for the Anthony family will be spent. 

Alexander said none of the money has been spent, and Anthony’s mother, Karla Hayes, whose reading of a statement prepared by the family attorney was also supposed to be a focus of the conference, confirmed that.

“Our family has been under attack,” she said. “Whatever you think, what happened between Karmelo and the Metcalf boy, my three younger children, my husband and I didn’t do anything to deserve to be threatened, harassed and lied about.

“Our address and my husband’s previous employer’s address has been put on all social media platforms. My husband had to take a leave of absence because he’s afraid of what may happen to our family.”

Alexander later called Anthony’s opponents bigots. 

“Because these racist bigots try to prevent us from standing up for our baby, our boy, he should be afforded the same rights that Kyle Rittenhouse had, Daniel Penny and all the people who have claimed whatever their defense was. He should be afforded the same right,” Alexander said.

TEXAS TRACK MEET STABBING SUSPECT TOLD RESPONDING OFFICERS HE ‘DID IT’: DOCS

“Nobody in the public media has one video, but we got the video of Kyle Rittenhouse with an AK-47 shooting three people in the back,” he said. “We got that, and he raised more than $2 million publicly, and nobody said anything about that.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Alexander. 

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Metcalf has tried to tone down the political rhetoric since the April 2 stabbing.

He previously told Fox News, “I want to clarify something right off to start because I’ve already heard some rumors and gossip. This was not a race thing. This is not a political thing.

“Do not politicize this. It’s not … this is a human being thing. This person made a bad choice and affected both his family and my family forever.”

College student charged with allegedly firebombing Tesla dealer while on spring break

A college student was arrested by federal authorities in Boston after allegedly launching a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla dealership in Missouri while home on spring break.

Owen McIntire, 19, of Kansas City, was arrested and made an initial court appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.

McIntire, a college student in Boston, was charged with unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious damage by fire of any property used in interstate commerce, according to court documents filed in the Western District of Missouri.

FBI INVESTIGATING AFTER WASHINGTON TESLA CHARGING STATION DAMAGED FOLLOWING ‘LOUD NOISE’

A Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCMOPD) officer who was near the Kansas City Tesla Center March 17 saw smoke rising from a Cybertruck parked in the parking lot.

The officer also found a Molotov cocktail that was still in tact near the burning Cybertruck just before midnight, according to an affidavit.

Kansas City Fire Department crews responded to extinguish the fire, which had spread from the Cybertruck to a second vehicle in the lot, according to court documents. The Cybertrucks had sale prices of $105,485 and $107,485. 

Two Tesla charging stations were also damaged by the fire, each with an approximate value of $550.

TESLA VEHICLES, DEALERSHIPS TARGETED WITH ARSON, GUNFIRE AND VANDALISM IN AT LEAST 9 STATES: FBI

Agents and forensic experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recovered and analyzed key evidence, including Molotov cocktails allegedly used in the arson.

Authorities later found video footage of a person who they believe to be McIntire, wearing a large hat, lighting the devices and throwing them at the Cybertrucks before walking away.

The hat was later found by authorities near the dealership, with DNA evidence confirming it matched that of a man.

TESLA VEHICLES, CHARGING STATIONS TARGETED AS PROTESTERS DENOUNCE DOGE, ELON MUSK

“Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: You will not evade us,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest was the second of the week for crimes targeting Tesla.

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“These actions are dangerous, they are illegal and we are going to arrest those responsible,” Patel said. “We will work with our partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes.”

The FBI Kansas City and Boston field offices, the ATF and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department are investigating.

Trump admin proposes new rule for thousands of career federal employees

President Trump on Friday said that career government employees working on policy matters for the administration will be reclassified “Schedule Policy/Career,” – or at will employees – and will be fired if they don’t adhere to his agenda.

“Following my Day One Executive Order, the Office of Personnel Management will be issuing new Civil Service Regulations for career government employees,” the president wrote on Truth Social Friday afternoon. 

He added, “Moving forward, career government employees, working on policy matters, will be classified as ‘Schedule Policy/Career,’ and will be held to the highest standards of conduct and performance.”

This comes as the Trump administration continues to fire federal employees in an effort to shrink the government. 

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS HALT TO TRUMP ADMIN’S CFPB TERMINATIONS

The administration’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) estimated the rule change in Trump’s executive order “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce” would affect around 50,000 employees or 2% of the federal workforce, the White House said in a Friday memo. 

The regulations for civil service employees “with important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties” will now be considered “at-will” employees, “without access to cumbersome adverse action procedures or appeals, overturning Biden Administration regulations that protected poor performing employees.” 

Trump added in his post: “If these government workers refuse to advance the policy interests of the President, or are engaging in corrupt behavior, they should no longer have a job. This is common sense, and will allow the federal government to finally be ‘run like a business.’ We must root out corruption and implement accountability in our Federal Workforce!” 

SUPREME COURT RULES ON STATUS OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FIRED PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES

The White House said the “rule empowers federal agencies to swiftly remove employees in policy-influencing roles for poor performance, misconduct, corruption, or subversion of Presidential directives, without lengthy procedural hurdles.”

The employees aren’t required to personally support the president, but “must faithfully implement the law and the administration’s policies.”

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The proposed rule won’t change the status of affected employees’ jobs until another executive order is issued, the White House said. 

Tributes pour in for beloved family men killed in Florida State rampage

The two victims killed Thursday in a mass shooting at Florida State University (FSU) have been identified as Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba, beloved family men and food service employees.

Morales and Chabba were among eight people wounded during the Tallahassee shooting just before noon. Hospital officials confirmed the six other victims are expected to make a full recovery. 

Phoenix Ikner, 20, an FSU student and stepson of a Leon County Sheriff’s Office deputy, has been identified by authorities as the suspect. He was shot by Tallahassee police officers after refusing to comply with commands.

FSU SHOOTER IDENTIFIED, USED SHERIFF DEPUTY MOM’S WEAPON IN KILLING: POLICE

Leon High School’s athletics department released a statement Friday confirming Morales’ death, noting he was a former assistant football coach.

“Coach Morales was a beloved member of our athletic community and served as an assistant coach for Leon Football with dedication, integrity, and a true passion for mentoring young athletes,” the school wrote in the statement. “His commitment to the game and to shaping the lives of his players extended far beyond the field.”

The school added he was a “trusted coach, a respected colleague, and a cherished friend to many.”

A GoFundMe has been created for Morales’ family, raising more than $31,000 as of Friday afternoon.

It was created by friends of his wife, Betty Morales, according to the site.

“Robert leaves behind a wife and daughter,” fundraiser organizers wrote. “We invite you to help us provide financial assistance to the Morales family as they navigate the road ahead.”

FSU STUDENT: EVERYONE STARTED RUNNING ‘SUDDENLY’

Ricardo Morales Jr. shared family photos on X, remembering his younger brother.

“He loved his job at FSU and his beautiful Wife and Daughter,” Ricardo Morales wrote in the post. “I’m glad you were in my Life. Him with our Dad on the left and with our other Brother Sister, Gma and cousin.”

The Strom Law Firm, which is representing Chabba’s family, confirmed his death in a news release provided to Fox News Digital Friday.

The 45-year-old father of two, from Greenville, South Carolina, was on the FSU campus working as an employee for a campus vendor, according to the release.

FSU SHOOTING SUSPECT’S CHILDHOOD INCLUDED ALLEGED FAMILY KIDNAPPING ABROAD, CUSTODY FIGHT, DOCUMENTS SAY 

He is survived by his wife and two children.

“Tiru Chabba’s family is going through the unimaginable now,” the firm wrote in the statement. “Instead of hiding Easter eggs and visiting with friends and family, they’re living a nightmare where this loving father and devoted husband was stolen from them in an act of senseless and preventable violence. We ask you to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers as we fight to ensure they see justice that honors the memories of Mr. Chabba and all the victims of Thursday’s shooting.”

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY SHOOTING SUSPECT: WHO IS PHOENIX IKNER? 

Bakari Sellers, a national civil rights attorney with Strom Law, announced on X he and colleague Jim Bannister will represent the family in future legal proceedings.

“He was a husband and father whose life was tragically taken on the campus of Florida State University this week,” Sellers wrote on X. “We are prayerful for a complete and thorough investigation and pray for all families affected.”

Aramark Collegiate Hospitality, where Chabba worked as a regional vice president, confirmed the death of one of its employees to Fox News Digital.

“We are heartbroken to confirm that an Aramark employee was among those killed at FSU yesterday in that senseless act of violence,” according to a statement from Aramark. “We are absolutely shaken by the news and our deepest sympathies are with the family and our entire Aramark community.”

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FSU canceled classes through Friday and athletic events through the weekend. 

The university held a vigil for the victims early Friday evening at Langford Green in front of the Unconquered Statue.

Steve Kerr sends clear message to Trump with shirt: ‘Dumbest thing I’ve ever heard’

The Trump administration announced Monday it would be freezing $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts for Harvard University after university President Alan M. Garber announced the same day the school would not be complying with the Trump administration’s demands to combat antisemitism. 

In response, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wore a Harvard basketball shirt for a news conference Tuesday night.

“Is something going on?” he jokingly asked, drawing laughter from the media.

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“[Harvard coach] Tommy Amaker is a friend of mine. He sent me this shirt, and it felt like a great day to wear it,” Kerr added. “I believe in academic freedom. I believe it’s crucial for all of our institutions to be able to handle their own business the way they want to, and they should not be shaken down and told what to teach, what to say, by our government. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, but it’s kind of par for the course right now. This is me supporting Harvard. 

“Way to go, way to stand up to the bully.”

Kerr, whose father Malcolm was a professor in the Middle East and was assassinated in 1984, has long opposed Trump. Kerr endorsed Kamala Harris for the 2024 election.

Kerr spoke to reporters after his Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament to earn the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

Garber said the federal government has threatened partnerships with several universities, including Harvard, over accusations of antisemitism on campuses. He also noted that the Trump administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands, saying if the school plans to maintain a financial relationship with the federal government, it must comply.

“It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner,” Garber wrote. “We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement.”

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Earlier this month, a federal antisemitism task force announced a review of Harvard’s federal grants and contracts, worth nearly $9 billion, as the university faces an investigation into campus antisemitism. 

Martha Stewart can’t resist salting Katy Perry’s wound after Blue Origin joyride

Martha Stewart joined celebrities mocking Katy Perry’s recent trip to space. 

On Monday, the 40-year-old singer was part of an all-female crew along with journalist Lauren Sanchez, TV host Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, who journeyed to the stars on the Blue Origin New Shepard mission.

Since returning to Earth, the women have faced backlash over the flight’s 11-minute duration and estimated cost. While Blue Origin has not disclosed how much each passenger must pay for a ticket to space, the deposit is $150,000 per person. The first Blue Origin flight was auctioned off for $28 million in 2021, per the New York Times.

In an Instagram post shared Friday, Stewart, 83, uploaded a clip from a 2007 episode of “The Martha Stewart Show” in which she floated in a Boeing 727 G-Force One airplane. She said in a voiceover she “experienced what astronauts feel when they reach zero gravity.”

KATY PERRY BREAKS DOWN AFTER BLUE ORIGIN LANDING, KISSES THE GROUND POST ‘INCREDIBLE’ TRIP TO SPACE

“Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind?” the lifestyle guru wrote above the video, quoting the first line from Perry’s 2010 hit song “Firework.”

The post’s caption said, “In case you spaced out in 2007, Martha has always been ahead of her time.”

After Stewart posted the video, fans flocked to the comments section to praise the former talk show host for seemingly ridiculing Perry’s spaceflight.

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“The drag we needed!” one social media user wrote.

“Expert trolling,” another added.

“Martha,” a fan wrote with a string of crying laughing face emoji. “I love you so much. She said, ‘Did you forget? Lemme remind y’all.’”

“Martha. Goddess of dinner parties and memes,” a commenter added. Another wrote, “I love the universal dragging. So good.”

“I don’t remember Martha ever calling herself an astronaut,” one fan wrote, referring to comments made by King. 

The “CBS Mornings” host compared the women’s trip to a mission by astronaut Alan Shepard, who became the first American to travel to space in 1961.

Over the past few days, several celebrities took to social media to voice their disdain for the Blue Origin flight.

Olivia Wilde shared a meme of Perry exiting the spacecraft with a caption that said, “Getting off a commercial flight in 2025.”

“Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess,” the actress commented.

Amy Schumer also took to Instagram to poke fun at the mission, jokingly revealing she had been chosen to be part of the crew at the last minute. 

Emily Ratajkowski voiced her opinion about the flight to space on TikTok. 

“That’s end time s—,” the model said in a video. “Like, this is beyond parody.

“You say that you care about Mother Earth, and it’s about Mother Earth, and you go up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that is single-handedly destroying the planet. … Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space. For what?

“I’m disgusted.”

Earlier this month, Olivia Munn ripped the all-female crew as “gluttonous.”

“I know this is probably obnoxious, but, like, it’s so much money to go to space, you know? And there’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs,” she said during an appearance on “Today with Jenna and Friends.”

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“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous,” she added. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”

Kesha also seemingly poked fun at Perry, sharing a selfie on X while smiling and drinking from a Wendy’s cup.

Earlier that same day, the fast-food company responded to a post that said “Katy Perry has returned from space.” 

Wendy’s wrote, “Can we send her back?”

Amid the negativity, certain crew members were quick to defend their mission. 

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“Anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here,” King said during a press conference Monday, according to People magazine. “We can all speak to the response we’re getting from young women, from young girls about what this represents.”

Sanchez said she gets “really fired up,” when hearing the backlash. 

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“I would love to have them come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don’t just work here, but they put their heart and soul into this vehicle,” she said. “They love their work, and they love the mission. And it’s a big deal for them.

“So when we hear comments like that, I just say, ‘Trust me. Come with me. I’ll show you what this is about, and it’s, it’s really eye-opening.'” 

Lawmaker raises concern about major delays at airports across US beginning May 7

The top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee demanded answers from the Trump administration over potentially stranded American travelers once REAL ID requirements take effect May 7.

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding plans to begin enforcement that day, after President Donald Trump gave DHS discretion on when to begin enforcement of the chronically delayed Bush-era law.

“Following the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, Congress passed, and then-President George W. Bush signed, the REAL ID Act of 2005, which requires minimum security standards for driver’s licenses or other identification of anyone seeking to board a domestic flight,” Reed wrote.

“Recognizing the time and complexity involved in switching to REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards, President Trump signed legislation in 2020 that confirmed the Secretary of Homeland Security’s discretion over when to begin enforcing this requirement.”

REAL ID DEADLINE FOR TRAVELERS, SOME FEDERAL BUILDING ACCESS QUICKLY APPROACHING

Delays persisted through three presidential administrations due to concerns over the complexity of updating 50 state, seven territorial and one district’s DMV and other systems.

Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, state agencies were given further leeway on enacting REAL ID until DHS finally settled on the May 7 date for this year.

“According to the TSA, around 20 percent of air travelers still use a form of identification that is not compliant with REAL ID requirements,” Reed wrote to Noem.

“Indeed, millions of Americans still do not have a REAL ID-compliant license or an acceptable alternative form of identification, such as a passport or a military identification card.”

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He cited the secretary’s public comment at the White House that she does not want to see anyone delayed or unable to board a flight – for which a REAL ID-compliant identification will be required.

“Since it seems likely that many travelers will not have a compliant ID by May 7th, please describe how you will ensure that there are not delays at TSA security checkpoints and what steps the TSA is taking to process travelers who arrive at airport security checkpoints without REAL ID compliant identification,” Reed concluded.

AMERICANS GROUNDED WITHOUT REAL ID, LONG DMV WAITS TURN TO OTHER OPTIONS

After its 2005 passage, REAL ID became one of the few political issues that had cross-partisan support and opposition.

Conservative and anti-illegal immigration groups praised the Bush administration’s work, while gun rights groups and libertarian-minded lawmakers warned it expanded the proverbial omnipresent “Big Brother.”

Labor groups and liberals like Hillary Clinton also expressed reservations about the law.

They found recent agreement from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who wrote on X that people who believe REAL ID is supposed to bolster election integrity will be “sorely disappointed.”

“Someone has lied to you, or you’re engaged in wishful thinking. Please don’t shoot the messenger,” Massie said.

In a statement on its website, DHS pushed back on claims REAL ID would be used to build a new “database” – in apparent response to Massie-like concerns.

“REAL ID is a national set of standards, not a national identification card,” the agency wrote. 

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“REAL ID does not create a federal database of driver license information. Each jurisdiction continues to issue its own unique license, maintains its own records, and controls who gets access to those records and under what circumstances,” it said.

“The purpose of REAL ID is to make our identity documents more consistent and secure.”

DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, told Fox News Digital in a statement: “Real IDs make identification harder to forge, thwarting criminals and terrorists. 81% of air travelers hold REAL ID-compliant or acceptable IDs. DHS will continue to collaborate with state, local, and airport authorities to inform the public, facilitate compliance, curb wait times and prevent fraud.”

“DHS responds to official correspondence through official channels,” McLaughlin added.

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Joe Rogan explains the one simple reason he gave up drinking alcohol

Joe Rogan has joined the growing tribe of teetotalers.

On a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the podcaster, 57, said he has given up drinking alcohol.

“I think I’m done,” he said. “For no reason, other than that, it’s not good for you.”

ALCOHOL LINKED TO BRAIN DAMAGE FOR HEAVY DRINKERS, STUDY FINDS

Rogan noted that he didn’t have to quit and that he enjoyed it, but that the days after drinking were “just too rough.”

“And I’m like, ‘What kind of a moron who takes so good care of his body is poisoning himself a couple days a week for fun?’” he went on. “Why am I doing that?”

Rogan, who is also a UFC commentator, said he asked himself, “Will I still have the same amount of fun if I don’t poison myself?”

‘”It turns out, yes,” he said.

“I think I’m done,” he said. “For no reason, other than that, it’s not good for you.”

Other celebrities that have been open about their alcohol cessation include Brad Pitt, Rob Lowe, Valerie Bertinelli, Bradley Cooper and Elle MacPherson.

Quitting alcohol may be one of the most impactful, modifiable risk factors for age-related disease and obesity, second only to quitting tobacco, according to Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert. 

ALCOHOL LINKED TO CANCER RISK IN US SURGEON GENERAL’S NEW ADVISORY

“Alcohol is a neurotoxin that disrupts neurotransmission, promotes neuroinflammation, and has been directly linked to an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia,” he told Fox News Digital. 

It also harms the body, he warned, impairing glucose metabolism and interfering with blood sugar regulation. 

“It contributes to metabolic dysfunction and visceral fat accumulation and increases the likelihood of type 2 diabetes,” he said. 

“Long and short: Alcohol makes you fat. It’s a source of unnecessary excess calories.”

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Studies have also shown that alcohol is a carcinogen, associated with higher rates of liver, breast, esophageal, colon and head/neck cancers — even with low levels of consumption, Osborn noted.

“When someone quits drinking, the benefits are immediate and profound,” he said.

“Sleep improves within days, energy levels rebound, inflammation subsides, your joints no longer hurt and insulin sensitivity returns.” 

After ditching alcohol, which is a depressant, people typically have a newfound motivation to exercise and pursue other healthy habits, the doctor added. 

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GLP-1 agonists, like Ozempic and Wegovy — which were originally developed for type 2 diabetes and are now being used for weight loss — have also shown early promise in helping individuals reduce alcohol intake. 

“My patients on these medications not only notice significant appetite suppression, but their ‘thirst’ for alcohol is dramatically tempered,” Osborn said. “Most stop drinking altogether within six to 12 months.”

The neurosurgeon predicts that these medications may soon be part of a dual-approach strategy — “facilitating abstinence from alcohol while simultaneously promoting fat loss and improving a person’s metabolic health, thereby reducing their risk of nearly all non-infectious age-related diseases.”

“Remember, we no longer die of tuberculosis or The Plague, but ‘manmade’ diseases, some of which start in the still.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Joe Rogan for comment.