Top Pentagon advisor placed on administrative leave amid leak probe
A top advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon on Tuesday and placed on administrative leave, according to a Defense Department official.
Reuters first reported Caldwell had been placed on leave for an “unauthorized disclosure” of information amid an investigation into Pentagon leaks. An official confirmed to Fox News Digital that Reuters’ reporting is accurate but declined to comment on an ongoing investigation.
Caldwell previously worked at restraint-minded think tank Defense Priorities and Concerned Veterans for America, a group formerly led by Hegseth. A foreign policy realist, he has argued that the U.S. should dramatically reduce its footprint in Europe and pull out forces in Iraq and Syria.
GENERAL WHO HELPED TRUMP DECIMATE ISIS TERRORISTS IN FIRST TERM CONFIRMED AS JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN
Last month, the Defense Department announced a probe into “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information” and said it planned to use polygraphs to determine the source of leaks.
“The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,” DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in a memo. “This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.”
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He wrote that “information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure” would be referred for criminal prosecution.
Caldwell did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Caldwell’s closeness to the defense secretary was underscored in the unintentionally leaked Signal chat on Houthi strikes, where Hegseth named him as the Pentagon point of contact for the offensive campaign.
Bondi gets blunt with Dems over alleged gang member who was deported to El Salvador
Attorney General Pam Bondi zeroed in on Democrats and members of the liberal media for their ongoing collective outrage surrounding alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s erroneous deportation to an El Salvadoran megaprison last month, telling Fox News’ Jesse Watters “we [don’t] want him back.”
“These people are so detached from reality that they don’t care about the victims of crimes in this country,” Bondi said Monday.
“There is a reason that Donald Trump declared MS-13 as a foreign terrorist organization because they have come to our country, they are highly organized, they are murdering people, they are raping people. They are organized crime at its worst. They are spread rampant throughout our country, and we are going to rid our country of MS-13 and TDA [Tren de Aragua].”
EL SALVADOR’S BUKELE AFTER FRIENDLY WHITE HOUSE MEETING WITH TRUMP: ‘I MISS YOU ALREADY, PRESIDENT T’
Bondi’s remarks followed President Trump’s Oval Office meeting with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, and Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen requesting a meeting with Bukele himself, urging Abrego Garcia to be returned to the U.S.
The Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s order last week, requiring “the government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.”
BUKELE SAYS TRUMP HAS 350 MILLION AMERICANS TO ‘LIBERATE’ BY ENDING CRIME, TERRORISM
Both Trump officials and Bukele agreed that they didn’t have the authority to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., with Bukele saying the move would be “preposterous.”
“How can I smuggle a terrorist into the U.S.? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States,” he said.
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Bondi told Watters the U.S. is “thankful” Bukele will accept violent criminals in his country’s prisons.
Judge rules on DOJ’s request to drop gun case against accused MS-13 leader
A Virginia-based judge has granted the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss its illegal firearm case against a Virginia-based Salvadoran national accused of being an MS-13 leader.
The FBI announced the arrest of Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos on March 27 in Woodbridge, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C., with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel describing him as the top MS-13 leader on the East Coast.
Villatoro Santos was charged with an illegal firearm charge at the time of his arrest.
DOJ ASKS TO DISMISS VIRGINIA CASE AGAINST SALVADORAN ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER SET TO BE DEPORTED
Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick said he would stay his decision until Friday morning to allow for Villatoro Santos’ counsel to explore other avenues, including appealing the decision.
The DOJ initially moved to drop the case on April 9, shortly after his arrest.
Counsel for Villatoro Santos, Muhammad Elsayed, said during the April 15 hearing that the government had not clarified what would happen to his client once the case was dismissed, suggesting Villatoro Santos would likely be “summarily deported” without any due process.
His counsel noted a similar case from Maryland, where Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident, was erroneously deported to El Salvador last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member.
ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER NABBED BY PATEL’S FBI TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY FOR NOW, JUDGE RULES
Elsayed also claimed during the hearing that the decision to dismiss the case came from high up in the Trump administration.
“They have already determined the outcome, that he’ll go to the worst prison in the western hemisphere,” Elsayed said.
Fitzpatrick said he has been cautious of not overstepping into the executive branch’s purview, saying, “It wouldn’t be appropriate [for me] to inquire about the deliberative process of prosecutors.”
The judge noted Elsayed has been a good advocate for Villatoro Santos but said the case is straight-forward and the government has the authority to drop the case. Fitzpatrick proceeded to suggest the defense might want to bring a separate case with the Department of Homeland Security as a party, “where you can inquire what kind of treatment your client will get.”
Villatoro Santos’ counsel responded in a court filing shortly after the DOJ filed to dismiss the case earlier this month that he understands “the Government now intends to pursue the deportation of Mr. Villatoro Santos in lieu of prosecution.”
“The above is a fairly straightforward procedural history,” the filing read. “But in the background of this routine legal process, the United States government, at its highest levels, has been publicly and loudly propagating allegations that Mr. Villatoro Santos ‘is one of the top leaders of MS-13’ and ‘one of the leaders for the East Coast, one of the top in the entire country,’ claims made by Attorney General Pam Bondi at a high-level press conference on March 27, 2025.”
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“As a terrorist, he will now face the removal process,” Bondi told Fox News at the time.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter of the Eastern District of Virginia made an April 1 ruling to keep Villatoro Santos in custody. The defense was not seeking release at the time of the hearing.
Late-night show apologizes for ‘mean and unfunny’ jokes aimed at star’s appearance
“White Lotus” star Aimee Lou Wood says she received an apology from “Saturday Night Live” after the show aired a parody skit, “The White Potus,” and mocked her appearance.
On Sunday, Wood took to her Instagram stories and claimed that the show had made contact to apologize, a rare move by the comedy show.
“I’ve had apologies from SNL,” she wrote before sharing behind-the-scenes clips from Mike White’s series.
‘WHITE LOTUS’ STAR SLAMS ‘SNL’ OVER ‘MEAN’ PARODY
Photos taken Monday show Wood out in London, crying as she walks with actor Ralph Davis, who held an arm around her. Many assumed she was emotional about the “SNL” skit, but the actress took to social media to clarify things.
“Thank you so much,” she wrote in a post to her Instagram story, where she shared a message from TV presenter Ashley James applauding her for speaking out against “Saturday Night Live.”
“Just to say,” Wood continued, “I actually wasn’t crying about anything that the papers made out I was crying about. Something completely unrelated.”
During a pre-taped skit that aired Saturday, the show spoofed the Trump family, depicting them on vacation in Thailand with key players from the president’s administration dropping in.
“SNL” host Jon Hamm played Robert Kennedy, Jr., but appeared to be dressed like Walton Goggins’ “White Lotus” character, Rick, as he shared animated thoughts about the future with Wood’s character, Chelsea, played by Sarah Sherman.
“I’ve had apologies from SNL.”
“I’ve been having these insane ideas, like what if we took all the fluoride out of the drinking water? What would that do to people’s teeth?”
Sherman donned a long brunette wig and false, oversized teeth for her impression of Wood’s character. “Fluoride? What’s that?” she asked Rick.
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Wood aired her grievances online in a series of Instagram stories posted Sunday morning.
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“But whilst in honest mode – I did find the SNL thing mean and unfunny xo,” she wrote before adding, “Felt righteous might delete later X.”
Wood added, “So to conclude today’s rant: @hbo – kind and supportive and never wronged me so leave them alone, @nbcsnl – mean.”
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She continued, “Such a shame cuz I had such a great time watching it a couple weeks ago. Yes, take the piss for sure – that’s what the show is about – but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?”
Wood posted a few replies from her direct messages. Fans noted that “SNL” was “clearly” mocking her “appearance/accent,” to which Wood wrote, “At least get the accent right seriously. I respect accuracy even if it’s mean.”
“The White Lotus” star Walter Goggins praised the “SNL” team, and wrote, “Hahahahahhahaha Amazzzingggg” before sharing the sketch on his own Instagram account. “Smashing. Jon … I knew I was miscast.”
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Social media erupts after AOC debuts another ‘strange’ accent at rally
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced blowback from conservatives on social media this week after they accused her of putting on a fake accent at a rally.
The progressive New York congresswoman held a rally in Nampa, Idaho, with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who caucuses with Democrats, on Monday where she reportedly drew over 12,000 people and caught the attention of conservatives with one particular clip where she was accused of deliberately changing her tone of voice.
“Oh look, AOC is doing the interchangeable accents to fit the demographic she’s in front of,” conservative influencer account Gunther Eagleman wrote on X. “Did she take notes from Kamala?”
“Kamala Harris just introduced yet another new accent,” conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted on X. “Sike, this is AOC. Seems to be using Kamala’s playbook. I guess she didn’t pay attention during the 2024 election.”
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“AOC is pretending to have some sort of strange accent,” Townhall.com posted on X. “This is exactly what Kamala Harris did on the campaign trail. Why do they do this?”
“WATCH: AOC debuts new accent ahead of reported Presidential run,” Breaking 911 posted on X. “It’s worse than Kamala’s or Hillary.”
FETTERMAN TAKES SWIPE AT AOC: ‘WE KEPT OUR GOVERNMENT OPEN. DEAL WITH IT’
Fox News Digital reached out to AOC’s office for comment.
The comparisons to Harris originate from the presidential campaign trail last year when Harris was often criticized for using different accents while speaking to different crowds.
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Ocasio-Cortez has been touring the country with Sanders as part of a “Fighting Oligarchy” campaign criticizing Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the Trump administration overall.
“Your presence here today is making Donald Trump and Elon Musk very nervous,” the 83-year-old Sanders said to loud cheers at a rally in Los Angeles, adding about 36,000 attended the event.
The pair have also held rallies in Las Vegas; Tempe and Tuscon, Arizona; and Denver and Greeley, Colorado, and they have several upcoming rallies scheduled.
Chris Matthews praises Trump’s decision to freeze Harvard’s funds
Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews suggested on Tuesday that President Donald Trump‘s administration was “smart” to target Harvard, and elite universities in general, over antisemitism.
“I have to say that the administration sometimes sets its targets in the right direction. The elite universities in this country are not exactly covered in roses right now in the way that they handled these demonstrations,” Matthews said during MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” referring to anti-Israel protests on campuses across the country in the wake of the October 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish state by Hamas.
The Trump administration announced it would be freezing $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts on Monday after Harvard University president Alan M. Garber announced the same day that the school would not be complying with the Trump administration’s demands to combat antisemitism.
OBAMA PRAISES HARVARD FOR BUCKING TRUMP AMID FUNDING-CUT THREATS
“I think everybody, whether you’re a Jewish student or not, I think you want to have a right to go to a class when you’re paying $90,000 a year in tuition, you have a right to go to the class and be taught by your professors and to enjoy the rights of a better university, a good university,” Matthews continued.
“And the fact that they had to be told to do this, they had to be told to let students go to school, which is what this is about, that they had to be told to do, that they had a problem in their own heads. So I think the elite universities are taking a beating right now. It’s probably a smart move,” he added.
Matthews also argued that it would not hurt the president politically.
“It’s Trump going after the elites. He knows what he’s doing, politically, it’s not going to hurt him. I think these universities have enough money to cover their legacies. They’ve got a lot of money to handle it. So they’re going to be able to take care of themselves. I don’t want to be loose about this, but I think Trump targeting these universities is probably not the worst move he ever made,” he said.
HARVARD’S REMEDIAL MATH COURSE REIGNITES CONCERNS OVER TEST-OPTIONAL PANDEMIC POLICIES
Vanity Fair’s Molly Jong-Fast pushed back and likened Trump’s move to “thought policing 101.”
“They are using antisemitism as a cloak. If this administration really cared about antisemitism, there’s a lot of stuff they could do. This is not about that, this is about targeting universities, this is about targeting speech, this is right out of an authoritarian playbook,” Fast said.
Jong-Fast went on to argue that it was government overreach “at the highest order,” and had nothing to do with antisemitism.
Matthews responded, saying, “I think there’s a real challenge. I asked my friends who are Jewish. I said, are you worried? And they say yes. And this is a problem. And the treatment of those students, and at Columbia, is a serious problem. You don’t stop a kid from going to school their parents paid for. It’s serious. And it was judged – it was against those students and said, ‘You can’t go to class even to take an exam.’ Well, seriously, if you don’t think that’s a problem, you’ve got a problem yourself.”
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Jong-Fast said that she was Jewish and agreed that there’s a big antisemitism problem in America. However, she added, “I also think that taking over Harvard University’s teaching and academia is not the answer.”
Theaters plead with audiences to end chaos during screenings of popular new film
One Florida mall’s theater is joining others across the country in trying to stop the chaos occurring during screenings of “A Minecraft Movie.”
For kids these days, social media, video games and movies are intertwined. When “Minecraft” came to the big screen, people of all ages flocked to the theaters. But an unwelcome trend did, as well.
“The movie-going experience has changed a lot since I was younger,” Josh Gunderson, director of marketing and events at Oviedo Mall, told FOX Business. “And TikTok has changed that quite a bit.”
Gunderson was the one who created a Facebook post on Monday calling on disruptive behaviors during “Minecraft” screenings to stop.
KIDS CAUSE CHAOS DURING ‘MINECRAFT’ MOVIE VIEWINGS
Newly renovated theater at Regal Oviedo, where “A Minecraft Movie” is showing. | Fox News
“There’s been a challenge out there to, during certain parts of the movies, yell, scream, throw stuff, and we’ve reached the point where it’s becoming very disruptive of the movie-going experience, and also it was causing destruction to our brand-new theaters,” he said.
While a “no unaccompanied minors” policy would be up to operator Regal Cinemas, Gunderson said the mall would assist in implementing it should the behavior continue.
MAJOR FAST-FOOD CHAIN LOSING ONE OF ITS OLDEST, MOST ICONIC LOCATIONS
B&B Theatres in Kansas City, Missouri, told FOX 4 they have seen disruptions during the part of the movie Jack Black yells “chicken jockey.”
Springs Cinema & Taphouse in Sandy Springs, Georgia, told FOX 5 Atlanta staff have had to clean up popcorn, ICEEs, ketchup and shattered glass.
“It was horrific,” theater worker Alexi Alvear told the local TV station. “It took me three hours.”
Movie star Black himself appeared at a showing in Los Angeles recently, where he too discouraged trashing of theaters.
“Please, no throwing popped corn, and also no lapis lazuli, and also absolutely no chicken jockeys!” Black can be heard saying in the video to a packed theater.
“A Minecraft Movie” was released on April 4. So far, the movie has made more than $557 million at the box office worldwide, according to data-tracking website The Numbers.
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For those who still need to squeal in excitement during a showing, Regal Cinemas is hosting “Chicken Jockey Screenings” on April 20.
“There are some rules we don’t break,” the entertainment company’s website states. “So here’s the deal: build excitement? Absolutely. LOL with friends till you’re rolling in the aisles? Totally. But please don’t go full Creeper in the auditorium.”
Gene Hackman’s home found to be infested with rodents after wife died of hantavirus
The New Mexico Department of Public Health discovered multiple dead rodents, nests and droppings at Gene Hackman and his wife’s sprawling estate, according to newly released records obtained by Fox News Digital.
The environmental assessment that discovered the rodents was conducted on March 5, one week after the late actor and his wife, Betsy Arakawa-Hackman, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Feb. 26. It was done as part of the death investigation to ensure the safety of first responders and family members who had access to the property.
Authorities discovered the dead rodents and nests throughout eight detached outbuildings on the couple’s estate.
GENE HACKMAN DEATH: ALZHEIMER’S IMPACT ON ACTOR IN DAYS AFTER WIFE’S DEATH
According to the report, rodent feces were found in three detached garages, three sheds and two casitas. Live traps were listed as a rodent control technique and were being used in the outbuildings, the assessment stated.
GENE HACKMAN DEATH: BODYCAM FOOTAGE REVEALS WIFE FEARED BEING FOLLOWED
Two vehicles on the property additionally had sightings of rodents, a nest and feces.
Hantavirus strains in the U.S. are not transmissible from person to person, but rather from animals to humans. According to the CDC, “People get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva.”
WATCH: BODYCAM FOOTAGE FROM DISCOVERY OF GENE HACKMAN, WIFE BETSY
Dr. Erin Phipps, a New Mexico state veterinarian with the New Mexico Department of Health, previously explained that the state had confirmed between one and seven cases of the rare infection in humans each year, ending in 2024.
“We have identified 136 infections over the past 50 years in New Mexico residents, five of these in Santa Fe County,” Phipps said. “This is a serious disease. Forty-two percent of these infections here in New Mexico were fatal.”
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Hantavirus is characterized by “flu-like symptoms consisting of fever, muscle aches, cough, sometimes vomiting and diarrhea that can progress to shortness of breath and cardiac or heart failure and lung failure,” Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell explained during a March news conference.
Betsy, a classical pianist, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to New Mexico officials. Gene died from hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor.
Gene likely survived alone in the home for about a week, until he died around Feb. 18, which was the last time activity was recorded on his pacemaker. Authorities assumed this was his last day alive, as the Oscar winner’s body was not discovered for nine more days.
Gene, Betsy and one of their dogs were found dead in their Santa Fe home in February by maintenance workers. The couple had been married for more than 30 years.
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Detectives initially described the couple’s deaths as “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.
Officials confirmed that no external trauma was seen on either Gene or Betsy, and New Mexico authorities promptly launched a criminal investigation into their deaths.
Gene and Betsy previously tested negative for carbon monoxide, Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed at the time. Their residence was tested for the colorless, odorless gas and was cleared by the Santa Fe City Fire Department after authorities were unable to find evidence of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning.
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President Trump gets an impromptu Spanish lesson from FOX News host
Fox Noticias host Rachel Campos-Duffy taught President Donald Trump how to say “Make America Great Again” in Spanish during her upcoming sit-down interview with the president on Tuesday.
While discussing his iconic slogan, “Make America Great Again,” Campos-Duffy took the opportunity to give the president a language lesson.
“Mr. President, I would like to teach you how to say ‘Let’s Make America Great Again’ in Spanish,” she offered. “Vamos a hacer America grande otra vez.”
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Although he may not have said the entire phrase perfectly, Trump gave it his best shot.
“America grande otra vez!” Trump replied, which roughly translates to “America great again!” in English.
Trump told the Fox Noticias host that the theme of his presidency was to “Make America Great Again,” and that achieving this goal is “so easy.” He also detailed where he believed the country would be headed if he had not again won the presidency.
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“People have said if you didn’t win, this country was going to fail. It was going to fail. Financially and otherwise, it was going to fail, maybe even worse in so many other ways with all of this horrible stuff that they made you believe. Our country was going to be a big failure, and it wasn’t going to be long,” Trump said.
While reflecting on his first 100 days in office, Trump said the United States is “respected all over the world again” since he’s returned to the White House.
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The full interview of Trump will air Tuesday afternoon on Fox Noticias at 4 p.m. ET.