White House hits back at ‘shattered ego’ leakers and has choice words on chat rumors

The White House hit back at recent news reports detailing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s reported involvement in a second Signal group chat where he discussed military strikes on Yemen as a “nonstory” while also slamming recently fired Department of Defense staffers. 

“No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same nonstory, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital Monday morning. “Recently fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the president’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.” 

Kelly’s response followed Fox News Digital inquiring about media stories Sunday reporting that Hegseth was part of another Signal group chat that allegedly included his wife, personal attorney and brother, where he discussed upcoming military strikes on Yemen. The chat was reportedly created by Hegseth, the New York Times reported Sunday, citing four people with knowledge of the chat.

The White House “stands strongly” behind Hegseth, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, despite a week of dramatic high-level firings in addition to Signal chat reports. 

“The president stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who is doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon,” Leavitt said on Fox News Monday. 

“This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying to implement.”

Hegseth also brushed off the reporting on the Signal chat Monday, blaming it on “disgruntled employees” and “anonymous smears.”

PENTAGON’S WEEK OF POWER STRUGGLES: LEAK FALLOUT AND SHOUTING MATCHES HIT HEGSETH’S INNER CIRCLE

“This is why we’re fighting the fake news media,” he said when pressed on the chat by reporters at the White House Easter Egg roll. “This group right here is full of hoaxsters.”

Hegseth gestured to his wife and children and said he was there to enjoy the day with them. He added that he had spoken to Trump and planned to keep fighting all the way.

The Trump administration came under scrutiny from Democrats and other critics after the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed in an article published March 24 that he was added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Hegseth, national security advisor Mike Waltz and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, discussing upcoming military strikes in Yemen. 

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Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. 

The Atlantic’s report characterized the Trump administration as texting “war plans” regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. 

The Trump administration has maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. The strikes on Houthi rebels unfolded on March 15. 

Leavitt told the media in March that the White House considered the Signal group chat leak case “closed” while continuing to offer support to Waltz, whose office allegedly mistakenly added the journalist to the chat. 

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“As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” Leavitt told the media in brief remarks during a gaggle outside of the White House’s press room March 31. “And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.” 

“There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,” she continued. “And we’re moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.” 

PENTAGON DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF IS SECOND HEGSETH ADVISOR REMOVED AMID DOD LEAK PROBE

Reports of a second Signal chat involving Hegseth follow highly publicized departures at the Pentagon last week following leaks. 

Top aides to Hegseth were placed on leave and escorted out of the building as the Pentagon probed unauthorized leaks: senior advisor Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg.

On Friday evening, those three employees were fired, two defense officials confirmed to Fox News Digital, along with chief of staff Joe Kasper. 

Another press aide, John Ullyot, parted ways with the Pentagon because he did not want to be second-in-command of the communications shop. 

Officials denied that the three men were placed on leave because of their foreign policy views and said they saw no connection to their positions on Iran and Israel – even as reports surfaced that President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the Pentagon would not intervene if Israel attacked Iran.

Ullyot notably published a scathing opinion piece in Politico Sunday predicting Hegseth would not remain as secretary of defense. 

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“It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon,” he wrote. “From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president – who deserves better from his senior leadership.”

“Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account,” he wrote. “Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer.”

Americans sound off on Trump’s order making English official US language

Deported illegal and suspected MS-13 gangster moved from El Salvador prison

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant with alleged ties to a violent gang who was deported to El Salvador, had been transferred from the country’s notorious mega prison, Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), days before U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., arrived in the country last week to push for his freedom.

Van Hollen told reporters after returning to the U.S. on Friday and again on Sunday that Abrego Garcia, 29, is no longer in CECOT, a claim that was filed in the government’s daily update, obtained by Fox News, and now confirmed in writing by the State Department.

The filing states, “Abrego Garcia told Sen. Van Hollen on April 17 that he had been transferred from CECOT to the detention facility ‘Centro Industrial’ in Santa Ana about eight days prior. Abrego Garcia told Sen. Van Hollen that he had been placed in the administrative building of Centro Industrial, in a room of his own with a bed and furniture, and that he was not in a cell.”

In an X post Sunday, Van Hollen called out President Donald Trump, writing, “When you defy court orders and deny one man his Constitutional rights, you threaten them for ALL.”

KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA SUSPECTED OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN REPORT OBTAINED BY FOX NEWS

“Trump can post all he wants, but a federal judge said there’s ‘no evidence linking Abrego Garcia to MS-13 or to any terrorist activity.’ Trump needs to put up or shut up IN COURT.”

Trump has argued that “radical, lunatic, Democrats” are portraying a false narrative of who Abrego Garcia really is.

“Radical Lunatic Democrats and their Comrades in the Fake News Media are falsely making Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia out to be a very sweet and innocent person, which is a total, blatant, and dangerous LIE,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

‘MARYLAND MAN’ KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA EXPOSED IN POLICE RECORDS AS ‘VIOLENT’ REPEAT WIFE BEATER

Abrego Garica’s deportation has caused uproar among Democrats, many of whom have referred to him as a wrongfully deported “Maryland man.” 

Last week, Van Hollen flew to El Salvador where Abrego Garcia was being held at CECOT, and was mocked by Trump for being a “fool.” Other Democrat lawmakers reportedly made plans to visit Abrego Garcia after Van Hollen’s announcement.

“Garcia has been found by two separate Courts to be a member of the violent, killer gang MS-13, was in our Country illegally, and is under a Deportation Order. It is despicable and unAmerican for Liberals and the Mainstream Media to hate our Country so much, and be obsessed with protecting criminals, instead of working to keep our Border, streets, and families safe. Those lying to the American People on behalf of violent criminals have to be held responsible by the Agencies and the Courts. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” — President Donald Trump

The White House has not held back in its criticisms of Van Hollen’s visit. On Friday, the White House posted side-by-side photos of Trump on X meeting with the mother of Rachel Morin, who was murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2023, and Van Hollen sitting with Abrego Garcia with the caption: “We are not the same.”

Rachel Morin was a Maryland resident, as is her mother, Patty, who said Van Hollen had not reached out to her since her daughter was murdered.

OREGON LAWMAKER LATEST DEMOCRAT TO VISIT EL SALVADOR FOR DEPORTED ILLEGAL MIGRANT ABREGO GARCIA

“To have a senator from Maryland who didn’t even acknowledge, or barely acknowledge, my daughter and the brutal death that she endured, leaving her five children without a mother and now a grandbaby without a grandmother so that he can use my taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that’s not even an American citizen, why does that person have more rights than I do, or my daughter or my grandchildren? I don’t understand this,” she said. 

Abrego Garcia was suspected of partaking in labor/human trafficking, according to a 2022 Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) report obtained by Fox News. The report also stated that “official law enforcement investigations” revealed that Abrego Garcia was a member of the notorious gang MS-13, which Trump has designated as a terror organization.

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, DEMOCRAT AT CENTER OF KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA SAGA, RESPONDS TO GRIEVING ANGEL MOM’S CRITICISM

According to the report, on Dec. 1, 2022, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper stopped Garcia after he was “observed speeding” and unable to stay in his lane. The trooper noticed eight individuals in the car with Abrego Garcia, who said he began driving three days prior from Houston to Temple Hills, Maryland, via St. Louis, to “perform construction work.” The report states that the trooper suspected it was a human trafficking incident as there was no luggage in the vehicle. The individuals in the car reportedly also gave the same address as Abrego Garica’s home address.

When speaking with the trooper, Abrego Garcia allegedly “pretended to speak less English than he was capable of and attempted to put the encountering officer off-track by responding to questions with questions.” After the incident, the officer decided not to give Abrego Garcia a citation for the driving infractions but rather to give him a warning for driving with an expired license. 

SEN VAN HOLLEN POURS COLD WATER ON ‘MARGARITA-GATE’ PHOTO-OP AFTER EL SALVADOR TRIP

The HSI report also notes that in October 2019, the Prince Georges County Police Gang Unit identified Abrego Garcia as a member of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.

Abrego Garcia was also recently revealed to have a record of being a “violent” repeat wife beater, according to court records filed in a Prince George’s County, Md., district court by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez.

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision ordering the Trump administration to arrange Abrego Garcia’s return. The court required 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.” 

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The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from returning to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is “up to El Salvador, if they want to return him. That’s not up to us.” 

The Trump administration has continued to maintain it was right to deport Abrego Garcia to CECOT, despite many Democrats suggesting he was wrongly deported, even going as far as to say he was kidnapped by the administration.

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Speaking with Fox News last week, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Abrego Garcia is “exactly where he belongs: home in El Salvador.”

“The media would love for you to believe that this is some media darling, that he is just some Maryland father, but Osama bin Laden was also a father, and yet he wasn’t a good guy, and they are actually both terrorists,” she added. “He should be in this El Salvador prison, prison for terrorists, and I hope he will remain there.”

The latest sign of Dem discontent — and proof voters are taking notice

Confidence in the Democratic Party’s congressional leadership has sunk to an all-time low, according to a new national poll.

The confidence rating for Democratic leadership in Congress stands at 25% in a Gallup poll conducted April 1-14 and released on Thursday. That’s nine points below the previous low of 34%, which was recorded in 2023.

According to Gallup, confidence in Republican congressional leadership stands at 39%, which is well above the 24% low hit in 2014.

Fueling the drop in confidence in the Democratic congressional leadership were Democrats.

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“Democratic congressional leaders’ rating among their own party faithful has fallen 41 points since last year to their lowest point ever,” Gallup noted in its release.

DEMOCRATS FAVORABLE RATINGS DROP TO RECORD LOWS

The Democratic Party is in the political wilderness, following last November’s election setbacks, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate, and defended their fragile House majority. And Republicans made gains among Black and Hispanic voters, as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base.

Democrats have become increasingly angry and energized in response to President Donald Trump’s aggressive and controversial moves since returning to the White House three months ago, slashing the federal government and upending long-standing national policies. 

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That anger is directed not only at Trump and Republicans, but also at Democrats. Many in the party’s base feel their leaders in Congress haven’t been effective or vocal enough in pushing back against the president.

And the energy has been evident at town halls this winter and early spring held by both Democratic and Republican members of Congress.

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National polls conducted in February by Quinnipiac University, and last month by CNN and by NBC News, indicated the favorable ratings for the Democratic Party sinking to all-time lows.

How blue states’ backdoor move gave Trump reason to enforce long-awaited law

Americans are scrambling to obtain a state-issued REAL ID in order to travel by plane ahead of a federal deadline next month, which comes after states from coast to coast changed their laws surrounding driver’s licenses to permit illegal immigrants to drive. 

Americans will need to obtain a REAL ID, which is a federally-compliant driver’s license or other identification that meets higher standards than state-issued licenses, in order to easily travel by air, the Department of Homeland Security explains on its website. Only legal U.S. citizens or residents can obtain the identification card, while valid U.S. passports can also still be used instead of a REAL ID for domestic air travel. 

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to heighten security requirements for driver’s licenses in response to the attacks on 9/11. Though some states began complying with the law more than a decade ago, enforcement for all states had been repeatedly delayed due to the pandemic, DMV backlogs, as well as some states, such as South Carolina, initially refusing to comply. 

The move to officially enforce REAL IDs at the national level for domestic air travel comes after 19 states and Washington, D.C., put laws on the books allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. 

HOUSE REPUBLICAN’S BILL WOULD RIP FEDERAL FUNDS FROM STATES THAT GIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DRIVER’S LICENSES

The states, which stretch from New York and New Jersey to California and Washington state, changed their laws in order to allow illegal immigrants to drive freely to work, while also ensuring they meet driving skill requirements and could obtain car insurance to bolster road safety, various liberal lawmakers and immigrant advocacy groups said as they rallied support for the law changes.

“Expanding access to driver’s licenses is critical for the safety of New Jerseyans and a step toward building a stronger and fairer New Jersey for all,” New Jersey Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy, for example, said in 2019 after signing the Garden State’s legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. 

LEGAL IMMIGRANT OUTRAGED OVER MINNESOTA OFFERING DRIVER’S LICENSES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

 “Allowing residents the opportunity to obtain driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status will decrease the number of uninsured drivers and increase safety on our roads. I thank my partners in the Legislature for sending this important bill to my desk,” he added. 

Just a few months after New Jersey’s 2021 law change, the state issued 100,000 new permits, a 65% jump compared to the same three-month period in years prior, NJ Spotlight News reported at the time. 

BONDI ANNOUNCES NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST STATES ALLEGEDLY FAILING TO COMPLY WITH IMMIGRATION ACTIONS

New Jersey is among the states that have reported long wait times at DMVs as residents scramble to obtain a REAL ID to fly ahead of the May 7 deadline. 

The states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Washington state had a law on the books allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses since 1993, National Conference of State Legislatures data show, while most states, such as Illinois and California, began changing their laws starting in 2012. 

In Massachusetts in 2022, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, citing that local DMVs did not have the ability to verify the validity of foreign documents and that it would overall weaken the validity of state driver’s licenses. 

“I cannot sign this legislation because it requires the Registry of Motor Vehicles to issue state credentials to people without the ability to verify their identity. The Registry does not have the expertise or ability to verify the validity of many types of documents from other countries,” Baker said at the time. “Consequently, a standard Massachusetts driver’s license will no longer confirm that a person is who they say they are.” 

Massachusetts ultimately allowed illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses through a ballot initiative. 

Domestic air travelers who are in the nation illegally are required to present a valid and up-to-date photo ID to board a flight, and can show documents such as a driver’s license, a current foreign passport, a military ID or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Employment Authorization Card, and other forms of photo IDs, according to various immigrant advocacy groups. 

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The Trump administration, which has been on an illegal immigration deportation blitz, revealed in a memo last week that the REAL ID requirement will further crack down on illegal aliens moving freely around the country. 

A Department of Homeland Security memo exclusively obtained by Fox Digital last week outlined that part of the motivation for the Trump administration to enforce the REAL ID law is to prevent those in the country illegally from flying – unless they are looking to self-deport on an international flight.

“Under Biden, illegal aliens used non-compliant IDs from sanctuary cities to board flights, but REAL ID’s higher security standards make it nearly impossible to forge legitimate documents, ensuring only verified travelers can fly,” the memo states. 

“This closes the gaping vulnerabilities Biden’s policies created, preventing criminals and potential terrorists from exploiting our aviation system, as seen during 9/11 when fraudulent IDs enabled attacks,” the memo continues.

NEW JERSEY BILL TO LET ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS GET DRIVERS’ LICENSES ADVANCES TO GOVERNOR’S DESK

The agency emphasized that the measure prevents people in the country illegally from traveling within the U.S.

“DHS and TSA are clear, the only place an illegal alien should be flying is home. Under Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, illegal aliens will be barred from domestic flights, with one exception: illegal aliens self-deporting on international flights will be allowed to board without a REAL ID, encouraging their exit from the U.S.,” it states.

While many conservatives backed the REAL ID Act, both in 2005 and now, some have said it bolsters the oversight “Big Brother” holds over the country. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FLOOD DMVS IN NY AFTER NEW DRIVERS LICENSE LAW TAKES EFFECT

“Evidently, existing ID requirements for American citizens just aren’t adequate now, so Big Brother is forcing us through more hoops for the ‘right’ to travel within our own country,” former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin posted to X. 

“If you think REAL ID is about election integrity, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Someone has lied to you, or you’re engaged in wishful thinking. Please don’t shoot the messenger,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote on X last week. 

“REAL ID is a 2005 George Bush-era Patriot Act overreach that went completely unenforced until Trump got into office. Let me guess: he’s playing 4D chess and I should just go along with it?” Massie wrote in another post. 

TOP TRUMP AGENCY HYPES IMPORTANCE OF REAL ID ENFORCEMENT, CITING ONE KEY REASON

President Donald Trump, under his first administration, pushed back the REAL ID October 2020 deadline as the pandemic raged. The Biden administration’s DHS established the May 7, 2025, deadline in 2022. 

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, told Fox News Digital in a statement last week: “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.”

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

MSNBC host makes alarming claim about who could be next in line for deportation

MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend warned on Saturday that “people of color” will be “next” after the Trump administration deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old illegal immigrant living in Maryland, was deported to the El Salvadoran megaprison “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT) last month, and officials acknowledged in court his deportation was an administrative error, although now some top Trump officials say he was correctly removed and contend he’s a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, which Abrego Garcia’s attorneys deny.

On “The Weekend” Saturday, Sanders-Townsend discussed Abrego Garcia’s case with her guests, Michael Steele and Rep. Glen Ivey, D-Md., and cautioned that the Trump administration’s deportation efforts wouldn’t end with illegal immigrants.

‘MARYLAND MAN’ KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA EXPOSED IN POLICE RECORDS AS ‘VIOLENT’ REPEAT WIFE BEATER

Sanders-Townsend referenced an op-ed by NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Janai Nelson which argued that the Trump administration’s “lawlessness” should alarm everyone because it demonstrates how democracies are dismantled, “brick by brick.”

“But to me, that is why Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s specific case, the case of the gentleman who’s a make-up artist out of California who was also sent to that prison— the 75% of the folks who have been sent, the men who have been sent there that don’t have criminal records — that is why this is so important,” the MSNBC host continued.

“Because if they can do it to them, if they can snatch students off the street without any pushback or recourse, they will do it to any of us,” she added. “To be very clear, it’s going to be the people of color, and vulnerable communities that are next in line.”

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The Maryland lawmaker agreed, saying that was the reason why Abrego Garcia was being supported by the Black community.

“I think that’s right,” he began. “That’s certainly part of why the African-American community is so strongly behind supporting Kilmar.”

“As you just said, if they are going to whisk them away, what are they going to do with us?” he continued.

The discussion came on the heels of the Supreme Court ruling Saturday to temporarily block the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Trump has invoked the wartime law to target terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua (TdA) residing in the U.S. for deportation.

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11-time NBA champion rips league — and it has to do with the holidays

Legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson criticized the league for scheduling games on Catholic holidays in a rare post on social media on Sunday. 

Jackson, an 11-time NBA champion as a coach and two-time champion as a player, posted the criticism on Easter Sunday, when the league had four games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs scheduled. 

“Again the NBA tests faith by playing multiple games on Christmas and Easter… sacred days,” the post on X read. 

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The post was Jackson’s first in over a year, but his criticism of the NBA is not unique. 

In 2023, Jackson made headlines when he said he stopped watching the NBA following the COVID-19 pandemic because the league had gotten too political. 

“They went into the lockout year, and they did something that was kind of wonky. They did a bubble down in Orlando, and all the teams that could qualify went down there, and stayed down there,” he said at the time during an appearance on the “Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin” podcast. 

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“And they had things on their backs like ‘Justice.’ I made a little funny thing like, ‘Justice just went to the basket and Equal Opportunity just knocked him down.’… So, my grandkids thought that was pretty funny to play up those names. So, I couldn’t watch that.”

Jackson was referring to the NBA allowing players to wear social justice messages on the backs of their jerseys during the bubble in Orlando. He added at the time that he felt the league was catering to a “certain audience.”

“They didn’t know it was turning other people off. People want to see sports as non-political.”

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The NBA and NFL continue to compete for viewership on Christmas Day. This year, the NFL announced that three games will be played on the holiday following the success of last season’s double-header on Netflix. 

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Boxing icon swears by wild beauty fix that’s keeping him ‘cute’

Boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya, 52, recently shared a beauty secret that is raising some eyebrows.

“These lasers only making me younger and cuter … sorry fellas,” he recently posted on Instagram, along with a video of himself receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) along with a laser treatment. 

“CO2 laser + hyperbaric chamber=sexy papichulo by next week,” he went on.

While HBOT can serve as a supplement for other therapies, it is not a primary treatment for illnesses, experts emphasized.

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Fox News Digital spoke to the experts to find out whether HBOT is a safe aesthetic treatment.

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

In everyday life, humans breathe in air so that blood can deliver oxygen to cells for energy — but that air is only comprised of 21% oxygen. 

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy works by pumping 100% oxygen to the tissues, which can aid in healing. (Tissues need oxygen to function normally, but they require more oxygen after injury, experts say.)

For an HBOT session, the patient enters a long, tube-shaped chamber that resembles an MRI machine. They typically lie on their back while oxygen is pumped into the chamber for one to two hours, experts confirm.

ANTI-AGING BENEFITS LINKED TO ONE SURPRISING HEALTH HABIT

The chamber has two-and-a-half times more air pressure than normal, the National Institutes of Health notes.

That increased pressure then “floods” injured tissues with oxygen-rich blood to help them heal.

“Exclusively relying on HBOT is not recommended.”

“Adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has certainly gained more momentum in the medical community, assisting with the healing of severe diabetic foot ulcers, failing skin grafts/flaps and tissue severely damaged by radiation injury,” Dr. Caesar A. Anderson, medical director at UCSD Hyperbaric Medicine & Wound Healing Center in California, told Fox News Digital.

The therapy also helps to reduce inflammation and promote growth of new blood vessels, the doctor added.

However, Anderson added, “Exclusively relying on HBOT is not recommended.”

HBOT has also been shown to be effective in wound healing — “especially in burns, infections and immunocompromised patients” — and to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Dr. Suzanne A. Trott, a double board-certified plastic and general surgeon in Beverly Hills.

Additionally, the treatment is often helpful for improving outcomes after surgery.

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“Oral surgeons refer patients who have had radiation for head or neck cancer and require tooth extractions,” Anderson said.

HBOT primes the radiated tissue with oxygen, which enables the body to better tolerate surgery while minimizing post-operative complications, he noted.

Trott said that in her own practice, she recommends one pre-operative and five post-operative HBOT treatments for all aesthetic and reconstructive patients — “because it really does improve recovery.”

“When you come out of it, you’ve got a nice glow, so it’s a great red-carpet treatment — but that look is temporary,” she added.

Approximately 15 conditions are approved for hyperbaric oxygen therapy by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society (UHMS).

CELEBRITIES LIKE BIEBER, BIALIK ARE USING HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY: HERE’S WHY IT’S TRENDING

Some of these include carbon monoxide poisoning, burns, decompression sickness, severe anemia and severe wounds.

“Chronic refractory bone infections and/or necrotizing tissue infections are also approved indications for HBOT use, as severe anaerobic infections do not thrive in a hyper-oxygenated environment,” Anderson told Fox News Digital.

Potential anti-aging effects

The ability for HBOT to reverse or abbreviate the aging process has not yet been endorsed by the governing medical body, the UHMS, according to Anderson.

“The aging process is complex, and certainly we know that with aging, our ability to efficiently utilize oxygen on the cellular level is modified,” he told Fox News Digital.

“I don’t think we are at the point where we can just target the parts of our body that we don’t want to age.”

Past studies have shown that the treatment decreases cell death by maintaining and increasing the length of telomeres, which are extensions of DNA that prevent cells from degrading, Trott said.

“While this makes it sound like a cure-all for aging … I don’t think we are at the point where we can just target the parts of our body that we don’t want to age,” she said.

For most people, the doctor surmised, that would likely include things like maintaining skin elasticity, muscle mass, and hair volume and color.

“We have not yet harnessed the power of HBOT to visibly slow down or reverse the external signs of aging,” Trott added.

Cautions of side effects

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the treatment is generally safe and that serious complications are not common.

The increased pressure and concentration of oxygen, however, can cause middle ear infections, rupture of an eardrum, temporary vision changes and, in rare cases, collapse of the lungs, according to the agency.

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Others may experience a feeling that their ears are plugged, similar to being at high altitude or in an airplane, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.

People who are claustrophobic may have more difficulty receiving the treatment in an enclosed space.

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As some may experience headaches and feel lightheaded, experts recommend that patients have someone drive them home after the therapy.

The FDA also warns that the high concentrations of oxygen can lead to explosions or fire, which have occurred at unaccredited facilities.

To prevent this risk, experts recommend receiving the therapy only for FDA-approved conditions at an accredited facility from an experienced healthcare provider – ideally one that has been certified by the UHMS.

In January 2025, a 5-year-old boy was killed while inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber that exploded at a Michigan medical facility while receiving treatment for conditions not approved by the FDA, as Fox News Digital previously reported.

Fox News Digital reached out to Mayo Clinic, which declined to comment. Fox News Digital also reached to De La Hoya for comment.