Bodycam of ‘Maryland man’ traffic stop shows troopers suspected human smuggling

VP Vance explains why Trump removed Waltz from position — and gave him ‘promotion’

Vice President JD Vance said Mike Waltz has the trust of both himself and President Donald Trump after the now-removed national security advisor was nominated Thursday to become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. 

“I think you could make a good argument that it’s a promotion,” Vance said in an exclusive interview on “Special Report” from the Nucor Steel Berkeley plant in South Carolina. “We brought Mike on to do some serious reforms at the National Security Council. He has done that.”

The former Ohio senator said the White House believes Waltz will better serve the administration as UN ambassador, a Senate-confirmed position.

Waltz’s exit comes nearly four months after he resigned from his Florida congressional seat to take the NSA role at the White House. The Army veteran faced growing scrutiny after he created a group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal in late March, where top national security officials discussed pending attacks against the Houthis in Yemen.

HEGSETH FACES LATEST BATTLE DEFENDING HIS DEFENSE SECRETARY POST AT THE PENTAGON

Waltz inadvertently added The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the “Houthi PC small group” on Signal, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive information about the timing of U.S. military strikes in Yemen.

Hegseth, a former “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host, maintains the information he shared was not classified.

Democrats have expressed disbelief that information relating to targets and strikes would not have been classified given its sensitive nature. The Pentagon’s acting inspector general is investigating Hegseth’s use of Signal. 

Vance told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier that Waltz’s ousting was not a result of Signalgate, which he called a “nothingburger.” He argued the former Florida congressman is simply being moved to another administration position because Trump believes Waltz would do a “better job in a different role.”

The vice president was also added to the Signal group chat along with DNI Tulsi Gabbard, CIA director John Ratcliffe and other senior members of the Trump administration. 

In the chat, Vance expressed his disagreement with the strikes, arguing that such action could be seen as “inconsistent” with Trump’s foreign policy messaging when it comes to European allies stepping up to the plate for their own defense. He viewed the strikes as “bailing” Europe out.

“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc,” the vice president wrote in Signal. 

HOUTHIS SHOOT DOWN 3RD US REAPER DRONE AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES DAILY AIRSTRIKES

Vance told Baier that he believes the Signal chat reflected well on him because it shows his willingness to engage in conversation with other administration officials about how best to implement the president’s agenda.

“I think that’s what a good national security team should do,” he explained.

The U.S. has been striking Houthi targets in Yemen for more than 40 days straight. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement earlier this week that since the start of Operation Rough Rider, it has struck over 800 targets. 

The strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous leaders, including senior missile and UAV officials, according to CENTCOM.

Vance said the Houthis see the consequences of firing on American ships in international waters and disrupting global trade. 

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“I think that the president has made it very clear that one of his core national security priorities is that if you load stuff onto a ship and you send it to the United States, we wanna make sure that it shows up without the sailors getting killed, without the ship being destroyed,” he added. “And that is an objective that we’re going to pursue forcefully, if we have to.”

Crowd roars as Trump delivers powerful commencement message in Alabama

President Donald Trump delivered the commencement address at the University of Alabama Thursday night and easily won the crowd over.

Trump dominated the state in last year’s election, so he already had a home crowd advantage, but he earned bonus points by speaking highly of the school’s athletic programs.

The president called the university a “special place … where legends are made.”

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“There’s something truly special about the players, coaches and fans who pack the stadium and proudly singing ‘Dixieland Delight.’ We like that. Alabama has changed college football forever,” Trump said, shouting out both the late Bear Bryant and Nick Saban, who introduced Trump.

“The Crimson Tide does not rest, does not quit and does not stop winning until it’s all time. You’re always winning. That’s why the University of Alabama football team has won more games in the last decade than any college football team in America. That’s not bad. It’s why, last fall, you beat Auburn for the fifth year in a row. That’s not bad. The University of Alabama has a brand, and that brand is winning.”

WHICH SCHOOLS HAVE HAD THE MOST PICKS IN A SINGLE NFL DRAFT IN THE SEVEN-ROUND FORMAT?

Trump also shouted out the men’s basketball team that reached its first Final Four in program history.

“Not only is Alabama a great football school, it’s now one of the nation’s best basketball schools,” he said.

Trump also praised the women’s track team, which won the SEC, before again promising that transgender athletes won’t participate in girls and women’s sports.

The football team lost the ReliaQuest Bowl to Michigan, its second-straight bowl loss to the Wolverines, who beat them in the Rose Bowl en route to the 2024 national championship.

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Trump attended the Crimson Tides’ 41-34 victory over Georgia last season before the election.

Army soldier swept up in massive raid on notorious underground nightclub

An Army soldier who was arrested as part of a raid on an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last week is suspected of possessing and distributing cocaine while also trafficking firearms with high-capacity magazines to illegal aliens, according to a criminal complaint.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced Thursday that 28-year-old Staff Sgt. Juan Gabriel Orona-Rodriguez has been charged with a single count each of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on Wednesday, the criminal complaint alleges that Orona-Rodriguez sold cocaine to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent the week of April 21.

OVER 100 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED IN COLORADO SPRINGS MASSIVE UNDERGROUND NIGHTCLUB RAID

Investigators executed a search warrant on the suspect’s cellphone and allegedly found text messages between Sept. 16, 2024, and April 9, 2025, that suggested he repeatedly purchased and sold cocaine to other individuals.

The affidavit notes that Orona-Rodriguez is suspected of unlawfully trafficking firearms, including those with high-capacity magazines, to illegal aliens. It also says Orona-Rodriguez is assigned to Fort Carson in Colorado Springs.

Along with serving in the Army, Orona-Rodriguez is employed by Immortal Security LLC, the affidavit claims, which provides armed security to nightclubs as well as an unlawful nightclub called Warike in Colorado Springs, which was the location of a major DEA raid early Sunday morning that resulted in the arrest of at least 114 illegal immigrants.

During the raid, authorities uncovered drugs, including pink cocaine, as well as evidence of prostitution and multiple firearms during the operation, the DEA said.

BLUE SANCTUARY STATE OPERATING AS ‘CONTROL’ CENTER FOR VICIOUS MIGRANT GANG: ACTING DEA CHIEF

The same underground nightclub is frequented by Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gang members, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Prior to the raid, the Colorado Springs Police Department received 911 calls related to Warike, citing a wide variety of alleged crimes, including weapons violations, assault, narcotics and other violent crimes.

Orona-Rodriguez was one of more than a dozen Army service members at Warike when the search warrant was executed in the wee hours of Sunday.

The FBI special agent who filed the affidavit wrote that, based on information from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, Orona-Rodriguez received a developmental counseling form from his commanding officer in the spring of 2025 related to activity involving Immortal Security, particularly regarding allegations of drug distribution and firearms.

The form came from Orona-Rodriguez’s commanding officer, the agent wrote, and the suspect was told at that time that Immortal Security Operation LLC was off-limits to members of the Armed Forces.

Specifically, Orona-Rodriguez was told in March 2025, “You are prohibited in engaging in off-duty employment without the approval of the Battalion Commander IAW 4ID…”

Orona-Rodriguez does not have any prior felony convictions, the agent noted.

Bondi applauded the operation, which included 300 officials across multiple agencies, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“This morning @DEAHQ apprehended over 100 illegal aliens at an underground nightclub frequented by Tda and MS-13 terrorists,” Bondi said in a post on X. “Cocaine, meth, and pink cocaine was seized.”

‘BRING IT ON’: SHERIFF PUSHES BACK AFTER BLUE STATE LEADERS SUE TO STOP IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Springs Police Department were also involved in the operation. 

In videos posted of the operation, U.S. Postal Service and IRS agents are seen arresting illegal aliens at the nightclub, showing the Trump administration using a whole-of-government approach to carrying out deportations.

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Specifically, a U.S. Postal Service inspector and an agent with IRS Criminal Investigations were seen with alleged criminals in their custody.

Many of those detained in Sunday’s raid are expected to face federal immigration charges, according to DEA Rocky Mountain. At least two people were also arrested on existing warrants, Bondi said.

Leaked footage exposes medical school administrators’ explosive anti-Trump rhetoric

FIRST ON FOX: Leaked video obtained by Fox News Digital shows school administrators at an Illinois school of medicine rejecting multiple Trump executive orders, including on combatting DEI, and outlining how the school plans to fight back against them. 

Trump’s executive order on gender ideology “is an attack on women” and on “basic human rights,” according to Dr. Jerry Kruse, Dean, Provost, and CEO of Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine. Kruse recently gave a speech in a small group discussion about Trump’s executive orders and actions that was obtained by the medical and policy advocacy group Do No Harm.

“We will resist obeying in advance. We won’t do any anticipatory obedience,” Kruse said. “The existing laws have not changed, no court directives will require any change in compliance at this time.”

Kruse added that “these executive orders and actions and the general philosophy that they espouse constitute direct attacks on all that is important to us” while mentioning science, higher education and healthcare. 

‘WOKE’ HOSPITAL COULD BE IN CROSSHAIRS OF TRUMP ADMIN AFTER SCATHING COMPLAINT ALLEGES DEI DISCRIMINATION

“More importantly, these orders and actions constitute a direct attack on the people we serve, the people to whom we are accountable,” he said.

Kruse explained that the school of medicine is “very fortunate” to be part of a university system that is “on top of it” in terms of pushing back on Trump’s executive orders.

Kruse also claimed that the executive orders on immigration and DEI from the Trump administration are “an attack on human rights and on justice and fairness” that “have engendered fear among large segments of the population of law-abiding people.”

At one point in his speech, Kruse said he would provide employees with the “resources” to “fight back.”

The SIU school system has been active in promoting DEI in recent years, and it was a topic discussed in the presentation. 

TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON HARVARD, ‘WOKE’ COLLEGES WILL TAKE MORE THAN 100 DAYS TO LEAVE LASTING REFORM: PROFESSOR

“The work that we are doing around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a life or death issue for some people,” Dr. Wendi El-Amin, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, said during the presentation.

The school’s website hosts a page featuring its work on DEI that says it works to “ensure that our students, residents, faculty, and staff reflect the demographics of central and southern Illinois while also equipping them with the knowledge and skills to address health disparities through culturally responsive care, patient access, education, and health literacy initiatives.”

In February of this year, the SIU Board of Trustees reaffirmed its commitment to DEI and the school’s VP of anti-racism and DEI, Sheila Caldwell, claimed that DEI is “lifesaving” and has had measurable improvements for minority students in retention rates.

SIUSOM receives millions in active grant funding from NIH and HHS and Dr. Donald Torry, Associate Dean for Research, said during the presentation that none of the grant funding has been affected so far.

In terms of immigration executive orders, Dr. Vidhya Prakash, Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Population Health and Chief Medical Officer, said during the presentation that a school dean recently sent an email to faculty members instructing them not to comply with ICE and that they should call security if a situation arises. 

“So please understand that no member of our school of medicine whether it’s an employee or its a trainee, should have to engage in conversation or discourse with ICE,” she said, adding that the school has patients who are “afraid” and live in fear of being apprehended. 

“Continue doing what you have been doing,” Paulette Dove, Senior Counsel for Health Affairs for the SIU system, said during the presentation, adding that the “law has not changed.”

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“These issues demand a strong institutional and collective response,” Kruse said. “Thankfully, the SIU system stands firm with a strong voice. SIU president Dan Mahoney has stated that we will hold our ground and that ‘the executive actions are antithetical to the values of our institution, the SIU system.'”

Lauren Crocks, the university’s director of marketing, communications, and engagement, told Fox News Digital that “Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is committed to following the law.”

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“By putting itself directly at odds with President Trump, the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is begging to be investigated by the federal government,” Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, Chairman at Do No Harm, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “In this unearthed video, the School of Medicine’s Dean, Senior Counsel, and other officials openly and repeatedly flaunt their contempt for the Administration’s orders to promote meritocracy and protect children from sex-change procedures.

“While defying executive orders and obsessing over DEI and gender ideology, SIUSOM somehow continues to receive millions of taxpayer dollars from the National Institutes of Health. The school’s officials made their playbook clear: ignore executive orders until forced to obey; this strategy must be exposed and nipped in the bud. SIUSOM must stop prioritizing identity politics over patients.”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller touted Trump’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs on Thursday.

Miller appeared alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a Thursday morning briefing, declaring that the administration is bringing a “system of merit” back to the U.S.

“This administration is not going to let our society devolve into communist, woke, DEI strangulation,” Miller said. “We are going to have a system of merit.”

“It’s not just a social and cultural issue, it’s an economic issue. When you hire, retain and recruit based on merit, as President Trump has directed, you advance innovation, you advance growth, you advance investment, you advance job creation,” he added.

SEE PICS: Divers make haunting discovery off coast of national park 300 years later

Archaeologists recently made a startling discovery: They found that two 18th-century shipwrecks off the coast of Central America were actually two Danish slave ships.

The ships, named Fridericus Quartus and Christianus Quintus, are located in shallow waters off Costa Rica’s Cahuita National Park. The 18th-century vessels were shipwrecked in 1710, according to the National Museum of Denmark.

“Fridericus Quartus was set ablaze, while Christianus Quintus had its anchor rope cut, following which the ship was wrecked in the surf,” the museum’s press release noted. “Until now, it has not been clear exactly where the ships were lost.”

RARE 4,000-YEAR-OLD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT ‘BURIED IN THE GROUND’ PUZZLES ARCHAEOLOGISTS

Pictures show divers carefully examining the shipwreck, which shows signs of significant decay from the past 315 years.

Though the ships were excavated in 2023, researchers didn’t know that they were slave ships until recently. The vessels were long believed to be pirate ships.

The excavation involved, in part, taking samples from the wood of the ships, as well as yellow bricks that were part of the ship’s cargo. 

Researchers also conducted dendrochronological analyses — tree-ring dating — to determine where the wood came from. They found it came from Northern Europe.

“The timbers originate in the western part of the Baltic Sea, an area that encompasses the northeastern German province of Mecklenburg, as well as Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark and Scania — and that the tree was cut down sometime during the years 1690-1695,” the release said. 

LONG-LOST CAPITAL OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATION MAY HAVE FINALLY BEEN UNCOVERED, ARCHAEOLOGISTS SAY: ‘UNIQUE FIND’

“The wood is, moreover, charred and sooty, which confirms what historical sources say about one of the ships being set ablaze.”

Divers also found clay pipes, which the museum describes as “ordinary, Dutch-produced pipes that were also used onboard Danish ships.”

“This provides two pieces that have been missing.”

“The size, shape and patterns of the pipes suggest that they were produced in the period right before the ships became wrecked in 1710,” the press release added. “Clay pipes were rarely used for more than five years.”

Pictures also show the remarkable yellow bricks that survived the shipwreck, which were produced in Flensburg “for use in Denmark and in the Danish colonies in the 18th and 19th centuries.”

“In other European countries, other kinds of bricks and stones were in fashion when new buildings were erected,” the museum said.

“The clay comes from Denmark — quite specifically, from either Iller Strand or Egernsund,” the statement added.

“Both locations are situated by Flensburg Fjord, which was, in the 18th century, home to a sizeable brick-producing industry.”

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After samples from the excavation were analyzed at the National Museum of Denmark and the University of Southern Denmark, researchers concluded the findings corroborate what historical sources say about the history of the ships.

David Gregory, a marine archaeologist at the National Museum of Denmark, said that the results fit “perfectly” with historical accounts about one of the ships burning.

“The analyses are very convincing and we no longer have any doubts that these are the wrecks of the two Danish slave ships,” Gregory said. 

“The bricks are Danish and the same goes for the timbers, which are additionally charred and sooty from a fire. This fits perfectly with the historical accounts stating that one of the ships burnt.”

“We no longer have any doubts that these are the wrecks of the two Danish slave ships.”

National Museum of Denmark marine archaeologist Andreas Kallmeyer Bloch said he’d “come close to giving up” during the long research process – but is stunned by the results.

“This is undoubtedly the craziest archaeological excavation I’ve yet been part of,” Bach said. 

“Not only because it matters greatly to the local population, but also because it’s one of the most dramatic shipwrecks in the history of Denmark, and now we know exactly where it happened.”

“This provides two pieces that have been missing from the history of Denmark.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the National Museum of Denmark for additional information.

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Steve Doocy announces new coast-to-coast hosting role on ‘FOX & Friends’

After nearly 30 years of waking up to his alarm clock at 3:30 a.m., “Fox & Friends” co-host Steve Doocy will finally be able to hit the snooze.  

The longtime host announced on “Fox & Friends” that “it’s time for a change” that will allow him to spend more time with his growing family, while still continuing his hosting duties.

“After decades of getting up at 3:30 and driving into New York City in the dark, today is the last day I will host this show from the couch. I’m not retiring, I’m not leaving the show. I’m still a host, but it’s time for a change,” he said Thursday. 

STEVE DOOCY OF ‘FOX & FRIENDS’ REVEALS A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TRADITION IN HIS FAMILY’S HOUSEHOLD

“Suzanne Scott, the CEO of Fox News Media and a friend of mine for over 30 years, and I have been trying to figure out what a guy who’s been getting up at 3:30 for two generations should do next. And Suzanne gave me a great option. To keep working on this show, just not every day.”

Doocy said he’ll now host three days a week and will be based in Florida. He said he will be reporting “coast to coast,” including from areas of the U.S. that don’t get as much coverage. 

“When my kids were growing up, I never had breakfast with them,” he said. “I was always here, Kathy did everything. But starting tomorrow, I’m going to have breakfast with my grandkids and my children whenever I can.”

President Donald Trump also shared a special message to Doocy, thanking him for his fair coverage through the years and congratulating him on the transition. 

STEVE DOOCY OF ‘FOX & FRIENDS’ REVEALS A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TRADITION IN HIS FAMILY’S HOUSEHOLD

“I just want to congratulate you on your new and probably enhanced role,” the president said. “I just think you’re a fantastic guy. You’ve always treated me fairly, sometimes a little more fairly than other times, but that’s okay. You’ve been really stellar at what you do and at your craft, and you’re going to continue, and it’s really been an honor to have spent so much time with you and watching you and the whole group in the morning.” 

“It’s the number one show in the business, and it’s going to stay that way for a long time to come, and you were a big part of it,” he continued. “So thank you for all of your service, because truly, it was service.”

Doocy, who joined Fox News Channel at its inception in 1996 and began as ‘Fox & Friends’ co-host two years later, said he will be taking some time off to spend with his children and grandchildren before kicking off his new role. 

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