作者： root

Florida governor signs ‘terrorist’ designation law, raises free speech and due process concerns

2026-04-06T23:11:07.379Z / Reuters

By Kanishka Singh

April 6, 2026 11:11 PM UTC Updated 3 mins ago

节点运行失败

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visits a temporary migrant detention center informally known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in Ochopee, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Purchase Licensing Rights

• Summary

• DeSantis signed the measure into law on Monday
• Free speech and Muslim advocacy groups oppose the law
• DeSantis cast it as framework to combat extremism

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law ​a measure that gave him and other state officials the power to designate groups ‌as “terrorist organizations” and expel students who support them, with rights groups saying the law will chill free speech.

The law empowers the state’s chief of domestic security, governor and cabinet to designate any organization they determine engages in extremist acts as a “terrorist ​organization.”

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

After such a designation, the group can be forcibly dissolved and face a freeze on ​state funding, according to the legislation. It also says that students shall be expelled ⁠from their institution if they “promoted a domestic terrorist organization or a foreign terrorist organization.”

DeSantis, a Republican, ​signed the law on Monday.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the country’s most prominent Muslim rights groups, ​called the law “draconian” and unconstitutional in a Monday statement.

Late last year, DeSantis signed an executive order designating CAIR as a “foreign terrorist organization.” CAIR sued over the designation and a judge eventually blocked the order.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Free speech group PEN America says the measure ​signed by DeSantis “could chill free speech by placing unprecedented pressure on individuals to avoid speaking, organizing, or ​engaging with certain viewpoints.”

In November, Texas also designated CAIR as a “terrorist organization,” alleging the rights group had ties to extremists. ‌CAIR ⁠sued over that designation as well and dismissed the claims.

Darryl Li, a legal scholar at the University of Chicago, and Shirin Sinnar, a professor of law at Stanford Law School, said in a joint piece in February that efforts by Texas and Florida towards such designations “could lay the groundwork for even more ​sweeping forms of authoritarianism.”

Republican President Donald ​Trump’s administration and some ⁠Republican-governed states have cracked down against left-leaning organizations and pro-Palestinian groups that they cast as extremist, antisemitic and anti-American.

Those groups dismiss the allegations and say the crackdown ​violates free speech and due process. They also say that those states ​and the Trump ⁠administration conflate pro-Palestinian advocacy with support for extremism, and criticism of U.S. ally Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism.

Trump’s attempts to deport some protesters and freeze funds for universities where protests ⁠were ​held have faced judicial roadblocks.

PEN America Florida Director William Johnson said the ​Florida legislation “opens the door for Florida students to face punishment for constitutionally protected speech.”

DeSantis cast the legislation as a framework to ​combat extremism and have accountability in the education system.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump claims he’d win as the president of Venezuela — just needs to ‘quickly’ learn Spanish

April 6, 2026 5:04pm EDT / Fox News

The president said he would ‘quickly learn Spanish’ and described the prospect as a ‘wonderful option’

By Elaine Mallon, Fox News

President Trump joked he might run for president of Venezuela, claiming he polls higher than any other politician in the South American country.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Listen to this article

2 min

President Donald Trump joked that he might run for president of Venezuela, claiming he polls higher than any other politician in the South American country.

Trump made those remarks during a Monday press conference centered on the rescue mission of an Air Force officer who had gone missing after a fighter jet was shot down over Iran.

“The people of Venezuela, they say, if I ran for president of Venezuela, I’m polling higher than anybody has ever polled in Venezuela, so after I’m finished with this, I can go to Venezuela,” Trump said. “I will quickly learn Spanish. It won’t take too long. I’m good at language and I will go to Venezuela. I’m going to run for president. But we’re very happy with the president-elect that we have right now.”

TRUMP TOUTS AIRMAN RESCUE MISSION, BOASTS IRAN COULD BE ‘TAKEN OUT IN 1 NIGHT’

President Donald Trump addresses the nation at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2026.(Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters)

Trump mentioned Venezuela on several occasions during the press conference. He compared the Easter weekend rescue mission’s success to the Pentagon’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He also suggested that the outcome in Iran would be similar to Venezuela. He described the conflict with Venezuela as being “over in 45 minutes,” and boasted that the United States has now taken hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from the country.

During a cabinet meeting late last month, Trump joked that he “may run” for president against acting President Delcy Rodriguez, whom he installed as the leader after Maduro was captured.

TRUMP TEASES VENEZUELA AS 51ST STATE AFTER TEAM ADVANCES TO WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC FINAL

Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez waves after bidding farewell to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright following their meeting at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.(Ariana Cubillos/AP)

“The people — actually, I’m the highest polling person. In other words, after the presidency, I think I may go to Venezuela and run for president,” Trump said.

Trump described the prospect as a “wonderful option” for him.

While Trump boasted his “good” language skills at Monday’s press conference, last month he told Latin American leaders at the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit that he would not learn a new language.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, on Feb. 25, 2026.(Jonathan Ernst/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

During his address, Trump praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, as the son of Cuban immigrants, speaks fluent Spanish.

“He’s got a language advantage over me, ‘cause I’m not learning your damn language,” Trump said. “I don’t have time. I was okay with languages but I’m not gonna spend time learning your language. That much I won’t do.”

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.

清明假期中国跨区域人员流动量预计超8.4亿人次

2026年4月7日 07:37 / 联合早报

清明假期中国跨区域人员流动量预计超8.4亿人次。图为4月6日，车辆在沪武高速江苏常州段行驶。 （新华社）

清明假期（4月4日至6日）中国跨区域人员流动量预计超8.4亿人次，同比增长6%。

据中新社报道，记者从中国交通运输部获悉，清明假期，全社会跨区域人员流动量预计84537.8万人次，日均28179万人次，同比增长6%。

具体来看，铁路客运量预计5767.9万人次，日均1923万人次，同比增长8.2%。公路人员流动量预计77845万人次，日均25948万人次，同比增长5.8%。水路客运量预计372.5万人次，日均124万人次，同比增长9.8%。民航客运量预计552.4万人次，日均184万人次，同比下降1.3%。

今年全国多地中小学春假与清明连休，激发了以亲子游、家庭游为主的出行热潮，形成了覆盖交通服务、文旅住宿、餐饮零售、能源补给的全链条消费场景。其中，假期首日全国高速公路车流量突破6267万辆，其中新能源车超过1400万辆，旺盛的自驾出行带动了景区、酒店、租车消费两位数增长。

此外，返乡祭扫、乡村深度游等给农村地区带来“人气”，推动消费从中心城市向城乡全域扩散。

记者另从中国国家铁路集团有限公司获悉，6日，全国铁路迎来假期返程客流高峰，预计发送旅客2080万人次，计划加开旅客列车1369列。4月5日，全国铁路发送旅客1475.6万人次。

San Antonio Express-News: Rep. Gonzales allegedly sent lewd texts to campaign staffer in 2020

2026-04-06T20:45:13.411Z / CNN

By Ellis Kim
3 hr ago
PUBLISHED Apr 6, 2026, 4:45 PM ET

Rep. Tony Gonzales participates in a press conference in the US Capitol on March 25, 2025.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images/File

Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales is facing new allegations he sent a former campaign staffer lewd texts, just weeks after revelations of his affair with another former employee rocked and ultimately ended his reelection bid.

The San Antonio Express-News on Monday published previously unreported texts that Gonzales allegedly sent the political director of his campaign in June 2020, during his first run for Congress. The texts, as published by the Express-News, included Gonzales asking the staffer “What kind of panties do you wear?,” repeatedly soliciting nude photos from her, and describing how he wanted to have sex with her.

The report does not identify the staffer, who told the San Antonio Express-News the relationship never became physical. CNN has not independently verified the text messages.

CNN has reached out to Gonzales’ office for comment. The congressman and his office did not respond to inquiries from the Express-News.

The allegations suggest Gonzales may have pursued a sexual relationship with an employee years before a previously reported and separate affair in 2024 with a staffer – which runs afoul US House rules. The staffer later died by suicide. Though Gonzales has denied any connection with her death, the news of the affair spurred investigations into the congressman and calls for him to resign his seat and end his reelection campaign.

Last month, Gonzales acknowledged the affair with the district staffer, calling it “a lapse in judgment.” The staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, later died by self-immolation in what a county medical examiner’s office determined was suicide.

His admission of the affair followed media reports about other lewd text messages he was alleged to have sent to Santos-Aviles, including one that showed Gonzales asking for a “sexy pic.”

CNN has reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office for comment on the latest allegations against the congressman.

Johnson and his leadership team previously called on Gonzales to drop his reelection bid amid the fallout from the initial allegations and an active ethics probe into them.

“The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously. Congressman Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate with the investigation,” the GOP leaders said at the time.

“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues. In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election,” they continued.

Gonzales ultimately withdrew from the election but he has refused to resign his seat in the chamber’s narrow majority – a move that even Republican congressional leaders have stopped short of calling for.

With the House’s historically narrow margin, GOP leaders can only afford a single defection from their ranks to pass bills on a party-line vote. Johnson has firmly denied he is choosing to keep Gonzales in Congress for the rest of the year solely because of that razor-thin vote math.

以军空袭加沙难民营 以民兵被指企图绑架巴勒斯坦人

2026年4月7日 07:27 / 联合早报

4月6日，以色列空袭加沙地带中部的加沙城，造成至少12人死亡。 （路透社）

以色列星期一（4月6日）空袭一所收容流离失所巴勒斯坦人的学校，造成至少10人死亡，多人受伤。卫生官员称，这起事件令脆弱的加沙停火协议蒙上阴影。

路透社报道，据医护人员和居民称，空袭发生前，一些巴勒斯坦人与以色列支持的民兵组织成员发生冲突。他们说，民兵袭击了学校，企图绑架一些人。

他们补充说，以色列无人机向加沙地带中部马加齐难民营以东发射两枚导弹，造成至少10人死亡，多人受伤。

目前尚不清楚有多少平民在空袭中丧生。空袭地点位于一个人口密集的社区，居民大多是流离失所的巴勒斯坦人。

目击者马加齐称，他们所在的地区遭到以色列支持的民兵袭击。随后，民兵开火。

“居民们试图保卫家园，但占领军直接攻击了他们。”

医护人员当晚称，以色列的空袭在加沙城造成一人死亡，一名儿童受伤，当时他们正骑着摩托车出行。

此外，以军在加沙中部向一辆汽车开火，造成一人死亡，死亡人数至少上升至12人。

哈马斯与以色列就违反去年10月生效的停火协议互相指责。

加沙卫生部称，自停火协议生效以来，以色列的炮火已造成至少700人死亡。以色列方面则表示，同期有四名以色列士兵在加沙被武装分子杀害。

暴力事件发生之际，哈马斯仍拒绝放弃武器。哈马斯星期天（5日）说，在以色列全面实施停火协议的第一阶段之前讨论解除武装问题，是企图继续针对巴勒斯坦人民的种族灭绝。

With the Easter Bunny at his side, Trump won’t stop talking about Iran

2026-04-06T20:20:27.637Z / CNN

By Betsy Klein

Updated 2 hr ago

Updated Apr 6, 2026, 5:07 PM ET

PUBLISHED Apr 6, 2026, 4:20 PM ET

President Donald Trump sits down with children as he participates in the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday.

Alex Brandon/AP

Shortly before President Donald Trump was flanked by the defense secretary, CIA director and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to talk about Iran on Monday, he had a softer sidekick.

“I don’t think it gets much more hostile than Iran. They’re capable fighters,” Trump said from the South Portico balcony, a widely smiling Easter Bunny at his side.

The White House Easter Egg Roll tradition has evolved with the times, weathering intense political polarization, world wars and even pandemics over its 146-year history. But on Monday, it became the site of multiple presidential gaggles with reporters — many about the war with Iran and Trump’s latest threat to destroy the country’s infrastructure.

After addressing the crowd, Trump descended to the lawn, over which towered a large crane — a noticeable sign of his ballroom project, even if the usual hum of construction appeared to be paused for the day’s events.

A chaotic scrum of children positioned for egg racing waited more than 10 minutes as Trump fielded questions from reporters and waiting cameras. The children clutched their wooden spoons with varying degrees of impatience as the president offered his insights on prospects for a peace deal with Iran and the heroic rescue of an F-15 crew member over the weekend.

Trump eventually wove his way toward the starting line — joined by first lady Melania Trump and the bunny — to referee the annual Easter Monday ritual of pushing colorful hard-boiled eggs across the White House grass.

“Everybody ready? Focus, total focus — is everybody focused?” Trump asked, before blowing the whistle to start the wooden spoon race.

After a brief second stop at a card decoration station, he again returned to the press, holding mini news conferences every few feet along a white fence penning in a crush of reporters. Trump, enthused about the successful rescue mission, didn’t appear to be in a hurry to get to the next event on his public schedule: an actual press conference.

A Waymo sponsorship for the ‘egg Super Bowl’

For the second year in a row, the Egg Roll was bolstered by high-dollar partnerships with corporate sponsors — the office of the first lady touting a “Bunny Hop Stage, courtesy of YouTube,” an “AI-Creation Station, courtesy of Meta,” a “Coloring Road Trip, courtesy of Waymo,” a “Challenge Coin Creation Station, courtesy of the New York Stock Exchange,” plus Coca-Cola, Google, the National Confectioners Association, the Toy Association, and GE Aerospace, among others.

The Egg Roll has long been privately funded without taxpayer dollars, largely through the American Egg Board, which also provides tens of thousands of eggs for the occasion (and this year brought along 150 live chicks).

Young guests get an up close view of baby chicks on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

But the solicitation of sponsorships on White House grounds has prompted concerns from ethics experts and some dismay from former White House officials from both parties, as CNN has previously reported. Any additional funds raised from the sponsorships by an outside event production company will again go toward the nonprofit White House Historical Association, a spokesperson confirmed.

The American Egg Board brought approximately 40,000 eggs to the South Lawn for rolling, hunting, decorating and eating. They were hard-boiled and hand-dyed by more than a dozen volunteers and farmers in North Carolina over six days.

“It basically is two days to hard-boil all those eggs and then it’s an additional four days to dye them,” board president and CEO Emily Metz said in an interview with CNN. “Teamwork makes the dream work when it comes to the egg Super Bowl, that’s for sure.”

Metz and her colleagues brought some of the freshly-hatched chicks into the White House briefing room Monday afternoon, where there was much tweeting from the podium.

The three-day-old chicks spent the night in the storied nearby Willard Hotel, Metz said. She also floated a chick visit to the Oval Office, joking, “They’re sort of golden and I think he would like that.”

President Donald Trump greets the crowd during the annual Easter Egg Roll on Monday.

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The egg board also presented its annual commemorative egg to the first lady, part of a nearly five-decade tradition beginning with the Carter administration. This year’s egg was decorated with the intricate Pysanky wax method by master egg artist Mark Malachowski of Ohio. One side of the ornate real egg features an eagle; the other, the Betsy Ross flag, in keeping with this year’s America 250 theme.

Five US military bands, along with children’s performers “Miss Patty” Shukla and Jack Hartmann, performed. Readers at the reading nook — which has long been set up at the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden — included the first lady, second lady Usha Vance, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Education Secretary Linda McMahon. But the Kennedy garden was demolished along with the East Wing last fall, and the nook was moved to the Rose Garden this year.

A history of egg rolling

The tradition began in the 1870s on US Capitol grounds. After a particularly rotten 1876 roll in which eyewitness John C. Rathbone observed “the wanton destruction of the grass on the terraces of the park,” President Ulysses S. Grant signed legislation to protect Capitol grounds and prohibit egg rolling, per the National Archives.

But in 1878, a more egg-friendly President Rutherford B. Hayes allowed children to roll their eggs across Pennsylvania Avenue — on the White House South Lawn.

The tradition continues as a collaboration among the White House, the White House Historical Association and the National Park Service.

Guests participate in the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

First lady Florence Harding dyed the eggs herself in 1921, the Washington Post reported at the time. And in 1927, first lady Grace Coolidge brought her pet raccoon, Rebecca, out on the grounds on a leash, to Rebecca’s annoyance.

“The crush was too much for Rebecca and she showed her displeasure plainly. But the first lady was not so easily discouraged. She carried the pet indoors and returned to the delight of the crowd,” a Washington Post report said.

First lady Michelle Obama used the egg roll to promote her “Let’s Move” initiative, and the star-studded lineups included performances by Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. Beyoncé and Jay-Z were among the attendees in 2016.

The first Trump administration saw a return to Egg Roll basics. There was a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the event returned during the Biden administration, which celebrated an “EGGucation” theme for three years.

The egg roll remains one of the only times the White House South Lawn is open to the public, with tickets, to enjoy.

This story has been updated with additional details.

Two more pharmaceutical companies, Abbvie and Genentech, to officially launch on TrumpRx

April 6, 2026 / 6:15 PM EDT / CBS News

Two more drug-making giants will officially start selling popular commercial medications on the White House’s discounted pharmaceutical site as soon as Monday, CBS News exclusively learned.

American pharmaceutical companies Abbvie and Genentech become the 10th and 11th companies to provide their prescriptions at a reduced rate on the “TrumpRx” site.

Abbvie, which struck a deal with the Trump administration in January to cut the cost of certain medicines, will sell Humira, a popular medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, on the site at an 86% discount.

The prescription prices on the site, however, are only available to patients who are uninsured, or whose insurance doesn’t cover it, and who must pay the full list price out of pocket. Those with insurance coverage generally pay lower prices already.

A White House official tells CBS News the administration is working to codify the discount prescription deals with the “Great Healthcare Plan” to ensure that people on government insurance can use copays for the TrumpRx drugs. Congress has not taken up the Trump-proposed plan yet.

Prices for the Humira Pen, also called adalimumab, can cost over $6,900 for uninsured individuals. TrumpRx will feature coupons for Humira that will drop the price to $950, according to a White House official.

The Trump administration has been working to lower prescription drug prices through “most-favored-nation” agreements where pharmaceutical companies sell medications to uninsured U.S. consumers at the same prices available in other countries.

The White House announced a deal with Genentech in December to reduce the cost of Xofluza, a single dose pill used to treat and prevent the flu. That prescription will cost around $50, negotiated down from $168, according to a White House official.

Another drug company, Amgen, will also expand its TrumpRx offerings to include arthritis drug Enbrel and plaque psoriasis-treating medication Otezla.

TrumpRx now sells over 61 drugs at a lower price, up from about 40 offerings when the website went live in February.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/why-experts-say-trumprx-limited/

特朗普：四小时内可摧毁伊朗所有桥梁发电厂

2026年4月7日 07:48 / 联合早报

4月6日，美国总统特朗普在白宫的新闻发布会上回答记者提问。他警告称，美军可以在四小时内摧毁伊朗境内的所有桥梁和发电厂。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普星期一（4月6日）再次威胁要摧毁伊朗的民用基础设施，警告称美军可以在四小时内摧毁伊朗境内的所有桥梁和发电厂，并说国际调解人提出的停火方案还远远不够。

法新社报道，特朗普在华盛顿举行的新闻发布会上说，伊朗必须达成一项协议，允许石油“自由流通”通过至关重要的霍尔木兹海峡，否则将“彻底摧毁伊朗”。

“因为我们拥有强大的军事力量，我们有一个计划，到明天晚上12点，伊朗境内的每一座桥梁都将被摧毁，每一座发电厂都将被烧毁、爆炸，永远无法再次使用。”

“我的意思是，在中午12点之前彻底摧毁，而且只需四个小时，如果我们愿意的话。”

特朗普还说，他正考虑对通过霍尔木兹海峡的石油征收通行费。

对此，伊朗军方回应说，特朗普“傲慢的言论”并没有阻碍伊朗士兵。

据伊朗国家广播公司报道，军队中央司令部安比亚的一名发言人说：“这位妄想的美国总统粗鲁傲慢的言论和毫无根据的威胁……对伊斯兰战士继续向美国和犹太复国主义敌人发动进攻和镇压行动没有任何影响。”

特朗普此前在社交媒体上说，将伊朗解除霍尔木兹海峡封锁的最后期限延长至星期二（7日）晚上8时（新加坡时间8日上午8时）。

巴基斯坦、埃及和土耳其的调解人正在斡旋美国和伊朗达成停火协议。

美伊双方目前均拒绝停火。特朗普说，调解人提出的停火方案远远不够。伊朗军方说，只要政治当局认为合适，他们就会“继续战争”。

Trump touts airman rescue mission, boasts Iran could be ‘taken out in 1 night’

2026-04-06T13:26:40-04:00 / Fox News

Trump detailed the mission to rescue a downed airman in Iran, while describing what could happen if there is no peace deal by Tuesday night

By Eric Mack, Fox News

Published April 6, 2026 1:26pm EDT | Updated April 6, 2026 3:00pm EDT

President Donald Trump outlined the high-risk effort to recover a downed U.S. airman in Iran during a White House press conference.

President Donald Trump touted the “historic” rescue of the downed F-15E airmen behind enemy lines and issued a warning to Iran to make a deal before Tuesday night’s 8 p.m. ET deadline or face being “taken out.”

“This is a rescue that’s very historic,” Trump told the White House press corps in a Monday news conference. “It’ll go down to the books.”

“Late Thursday night, an American F-15 fighter jet went down deep inside enemy territory in Iran while participating in Operation Epic Fury, where we’re doing unbelievably well. Well, at a level that nobody’s ever seen before.”

Trump quickly paused his hailing of the rescue to add a warning for Iran to come to peace.

TRUMP REVEALS IRAN MADE ‘SIGNIFICANT PROPOSAL’ AFTER ULTIMATUM, BUT ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’

President Donald Trump describes the ‘historic’ mission to rescue two stranded airmen behind enemy lines.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump said.

Trump continued to press Iran to come to a peace deal, hours after saying the offers thus far are “not enough,” and War Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed the heaviest bombing of Iran to date.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘NO LONGER A THREAT’ AFTER 32 DAYS — OUTLINES NEXT PHASE OF US WAR

“By the way, per the president’s direction, [Monday] will be the largest volume of strikes since day one of this operation,” Hegseth vowed, taking the mic just before Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan “Raizin’” Caine.

“Tomorrow, even more than today. And then Iran has a choice,” Hegseth added. “Choose wisely, because this president does not play around. You can ask Soleimani, you can ask Maduro. You can ask Khamenei.”

Trump, responding to a question from Fox News, noted there were military leaders warning against the dangerous exfiltration of the two airmen, citing the risks to a multitude of troops.

“There were military people, very professional, that preferred not doing it: These two were totally on board, which was very important,” Trump said, noting Hegseth and Gen. Caine.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran to ‘choose wisely’ as President Donald Trump has ordered the two heaviest days of bombings on the regime.(Kent Nishimura / AFP)

IDF CONFIRMS IRGC INTEL CHIEF KILLED; QUDS FORCE COMMANDER ALSO ELIMINATED IN STRIKE

“But, no, there were military people that said, ‘You just don’t do this; you don’t go into the heart of a very powerful military.”

Trump noted that “half the people are wearing uniforms” in Iran, exacerbating the challenges of extracting the American airmen.

“I was surprised somebody said it’s the only time it’s ever been done,” Trump continued. “I said, that’s not possible, but it is possible because you’re going into hundreds of thousands of soldiers along the path. I mean, look at some of the helicopters, how they got hit.”

Trump, in a moment that went from serious to lighter, asked Caine “how many” people conducted the rescue.

INSIDE THE DARING RESCUE OF AIRMAN BEHIND ENEMY LINES: HOW CIA ASSISTED WITH ‘DECEPTION CAMPAIGN’

“I’d love to keep that a secret,”Caine shot back.

“I’ll keep it a secret, but it was hundreds and hundreds of these people,” Trump said.

“Hundreds of people went into this journey. Hundreds of people could have been killed. Forget about the equipment. A lot of equipment. Nobody cares of it. Hundreds of people could have been killed,” Trump added.

“So we had people that were within the military that said, ‘This is not a wise move,’” Trump said.

“And I understood that, but I decided to do it.”

Gen. Dan Caine (right) said he wanted to keep some details of the historic rescue secret to preserve future missions as President Donald Trump (left) and War Secretary Pete Hegseth (center) vowed the two heaviest days of bombing to come in Iran.(Andrew Harnik)

US ‘OBLITERATED’ IRGC HEADQUARTERS WITH BUNKER BUSTER BOMBS DURING RESCUE

For now, Tuesday night’s 8 p.m. ET deadline looms for Iran to make a deal to Trump’s satisfaction.

“I can’t talk about ceasefire, but I can tell you that we have an active, willing participant on the other side,” Trump said, acknowledging Iran has been “excellent negotiators” because they have been able to delay peace for decades. “They would like to be able to make a deal. I can’t say any more than that.”

“I can tell you they’re negotiating, we think, in good faith,” Trump said. “We’re going to find out. We’re getting the help of some incredible countries that want this to be ended, because it affects them.

HEGSETH REVEALS COVERT VISIT TO TROOPS FIGHTING IN OPERATION EPIC FURY

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6392643765112

CENTCOM directs strike on IRGC headquarters during airman rescue

The “plan,” short of an imminent peace deal, Trump expounded, would be devastating for a country that would require a century to rebuild.

“We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again,” Trump vowed. “I mean, complete demolition by 12, and it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we wanted to. “We don’t want that to happen.”

“So do I want to do that? No. Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No,” Trump concluded. “It will take them 100 years to rebuild. Right now, if we left today, it would take them 20 years to rebuild their country. And it would never be as good as it was. And the only way they’re going to be able to rebuild their country is to utilize the genius of the United States of America.”

Eric Mack is a writer for Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

Top cops out: The attorney general firings and forced exits that made history

2026-04-06 13:01 EDT / Fox News

Pam Bondi’s exit is the latest chapter in a history stretching back to the Harding administration’s Teapot Dome scandal

By Charles Creitz, Fox News

Published April 6, 2026 1:01pm EDT

Laura: Who will President Donald Trump choose next?

Fox News host Laura Ingraham discusses the firing of Pam Bondi and questions over the handling of the Epstein files on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Listen to this article

10 min

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s departure last week was the latest in a series of high-profile firings or resignations of America’s top law enforcement officer, from a key Watergate figure to a well-respected attorney whose differences with the president became irreconcilable.

Former President George Washington appointed Founding Father and former Virginia Gov. Edmund Randolph the nation’s first attorney general in 1789, and in the years since, there have been dozens of successors, some lost to history and others more memorable.

Eliot Richardson and Richard Kleindienst — Nixon

Eliot Richardson, the secretary of defense at the time of the Watergate burglary, was named to succeed Attorney General Richard Kleindienst, who resigned amid the scandal after reportedly being pressured by a member of the Watergate “plumbers” to assuage the situation.

“Plumbers” was the moniker for the group accused in the burglary at the DNC headquarters, then located at the Watergate Hotel in Foggy Bottom, D.C. They were organized by CIA officer E. Howard Hunt and FBI agent-turned-future conservative talk radio star G. Gordon Liddy. The name purportedly came from the dual meaning of “leaks” — political versus pipes.

TOP DOJ OFFICIALS TO BRIEF HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FOR JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROBE

Eliot Richardson, left, and President Richard Nixon, right.(Original/Getty Images)

Kleindienst was playing golf at Burning Tree in Bethesda, Md., in June 1972 when Liddy reportedly approached him to say that the Committee to Re-elect the President (Nixon’s committee) was involved in the burglary, according to an account from the UK Guardian.

Kleindienst reportedly told the G-man to get lost, and the federal investigation ensued as normal.

As the scandal raged on April 30, 1973, Nixon announced he had accepted the resignations of Kleindienst, and presidential assistants John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman — and fired White House Counsel John Dean — who has often called President Donald Trump’s tenure worse than that of his old boss.

“Mr. Kleindienst asked to be relieved as Attorney General because he felt that he could not appropriately continue as head of the Justice Department now that it appears its investigation of the Watergate and related cases may implicate individuals with whom he has had a close personal and professional association,” Nixon said in a public letter that day.

Richardson’s tenure began thereafter and ended with one of the most significant executive branch departures in history: the “Saturday Night Massacre.”

On October 20, 1973, Nixon ordered Richardson to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox shortly after Cox subpoenaed the Oval Office recordings. Richardson, who appointed Cox and reportedly pledged not to fire him without cause, refused and resigned.

TRUMP FIRES JUDGE-PICKED US ATTORNEY AS TOP DOJ OFFICIAL WARNS COURTS TO STAY IN THEIR LANE

Nixon then asked Richardson’s deputy, William Ruckelshaus, to fire Cox, and he also resigned instead of carrying out the order.

Nixon then ordered Ruckelshaus’ deputy, Solicitor General Robert Bork, who is better known for his unsuccessful nomination to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan, to fire Cox. Bork did so and reportedly considered resigning but stayed on at the urging of his predecessors to ensure stability at the DOJ.

That November, an LBJ-appointed federal judge found that Cox’s firing had been unlawful.

Nixon himself ultimately resigned almost one year later on August 9, 1974.

Richardson’s legacy became that of a cabinet official who, in times of crisis, sacrificed professional status for personal integrity, as described by the Constitution Center and others.

Alberto Gonzales — G.W. Bush

Alberto Gonzales, left; President George W. Bush, right.(Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Alberto Gonzales was one of President George W. Bush’s closest advisers, going back to his time as Texas governor. He was also the first Hispanic attorney general and the highest-ranking Hispanic cabinet official until Trump named Marco Rubio to secretary of state in 2025.

Gonzales ultimately resigned the top cop post in 2007 amid mounting bipartisan criticism of the DOJ’s firing of several U.S. attorneys and allegations that he was not forthright during congressional inquiries about whether politics played a role in the firings.

Bush lamented his friend’s resignation, saying “it is sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.”

Gonzales faced mounting pressure and criticism amid the firings and regarding comments defending enhanced interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists.

He stated “I do not recall” or similar framings of the statement dozens of times during a contentious Senate hearing where he battled Republicans like Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter and Democrats including California’s Dianne Feinstein.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., later confronted Gonzales over his responses.

KARL ROVE: TRUMP DROPPED BONDI, BUT THE REAL POLITICAL FIGHT IS JUST BEGINNING

“You’ve answered ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I can’t recall’ to close to a hundred questions. You’re not familiar with much of the workings of your own department. And we still don’t have convincing explanations of the who, when and why, in regard to the firing of the majority of the eight U.S. attorneys,” Schumer fumed, according to a transcript posted to the left-wing outlet DemocracyNow.

In his testimony, Gonzales said U.S. Attorneys indeed serve at the pleasure of the president, and that the Justice Department makes “decisions based on the evidence, not whether the target is a Republican or a Democrat.”

“I know that I did not, and would not, ask for a resignation of any individual in order to interfere with or influence a particular prosecution for partisan political gain,” Gonzales said. “I also have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. Attorney for an improper reason.”

Bush nonetheless remained behind his pick, rebuking a “no confidence” resolution drafted by Schumer, Feinstein and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. as the controversy continued.

Ultimately, Gonzales announced on August 27, 2007, that he would be stepping down on September 17.

“Yesterday I met with President Bush and informed him of my decision to conclude my government service as attorney general… let me say that it’s been one of my greatest privileges to lead the Department of Justice,” Gonzales said in his resignation announcement.

“I have great admiration and respect for the men and women who work here. I have made a point as attorney general to personally meet as many of them as possible, and today I want to again thank them for their service to our nation.”

Jeff Sessions — Trump

Attorneys general Pam Bondi, left, Jefferson Sessions III, center, and President Donald Trump.(Chris Kleponis/Pool-Bloomberg)

Former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions was the first in the upper chamber to endorse then-developer Donald Trump in his 2016 presidential bid.

The immigration enforcement hardliner and Trump loyalist, however, saw his relationship with the new president fray early in their term.

Sessions recused himself from the Trump-Russia investigation, citing his own campaigning for Trump amid reports he also met personally with Russian envoy Sergey Kislyak.

The recusal incensed Trump and led him to regularly bash Sessions in the press, and also to blame Sessions for the appointment of former FBI Director Robert Mueller III as special counsel in the Russia case.

Trump also faulted Sessions for declining to criminally pursue Hillary Clinton.

Sessions’ tenure ended the day after Republicans lost the House in the 2018 midterm elections, but left the Alabamian with a successful professional record in reversing Obama-era policies and cracking down on sanctuary city policies.

US INTERIM ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE CALLS SPECULATION SURROUNDING BONDI’S FIRING ‘SIMPLY NOT TRUE’

But Trump’s firing of Sessions only further invigorated his Democratic critics, as New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker called it an “alarming development that brings us one step closer to a constitutional crisis.”

Booker claimed Trump fired Sessions because he was scared Mueller would implicate him in the Russia investigation.

William Barr — Trump

Attorney General William Barr speaks.(Michael Reynolds/Getty Images)

Former Attorney General William Barr resigned from his second tenure as the nation’s top cop in December 2020, amid disputes over whether the prior month’s election had been subject to widespread fraud.

Barr, who previously served under President George H.W. Bush, appeared to irritate Trump when he told The Associated Press he had not seen “fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”

In announcing the departure, Trump tweeted that he had a “nice meeting” with Barr and that his relationship “has been a very good one; he has done an outstanding job.”

Barr also touted Trump’s first-term record amid what he called a “partisan onslaught” and “relentless, implacable resistance.”

In comments to NBC News in 2022 ahead of the release of his book “One Damn Thing After Another,” Barr said he told Trump at the White House that he understood the president was frustrated with him, and that he was willing to submit his resignation.

“Accepted,” Trump supposedly said, but the president himself reportedly claimed he asked for Barr’s resignation, not that the AG quit.

PAM BONDI IS OUT AS AG — HERE ARE THE CONTENDERS WHO COULD REPLACE HER

“The absurd lengths to which he took his stolen election claim led to the rioting on Capitol Hill,” Barr said, while adding that Trump’s actions still wouldn’t reach the legal level of “incitement” as claimed by Democrats.

In his resignation letter, Barr applauded Trump’s ability to “weather” the Russia investigation and Democrats’ attempts to “cripple if not oust [the] administration,” and said the president restored the U.S. military and curbed illegal immigration.

Harry Daugherty — Harding and Coolidge

President Warren Gamaliel Harding and friends go fishing in Miami in 1921. The president is fourth from left, and AG Harry Daugherty is third from left.(Getty Images)

The first attorney general of the modern era to be ousted was Harry Daugherty, a member of President Warren Harding’s administration.

Daugherty was part of the so-called “Ohio Gang” of longtime Harding confidants from his home state.

Daugherty’s fall began amid the Teapot Dome Scandal — the most infamous incident prior to Watergate — which led to the imprisonment of Interior Secretary Albert Fall.

Fall was implicated in low- or no-bid oil leases at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, in 1923, and jailed for accepting bribes from energy companies.

Daugherty was later investigated for allegedly failing to prosecute people involved in Teapot Dome, and was allegedly implicated in a handful of other scandals, including being charged with conspiracy amid the sale of illegal liquor permits during prohibition.

He was also accused of influence peddling and members of the “Ohio Gang” were accused of selling government appointments.

Daugherty’s brother Mal was president of a bank, which was later closed by the state of Ohio after the Senate was unable to “pry” during its investigation into Attorney General Daugherty, according to a 1930 TIME report.

The sibling’s bank recorded “heavy withdrawals” during that time, which caught the attention of regulators in Columbus.

Harry Daugherty ultimately met his ouster after Harding died in office in August 1923.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

New President Calvin Coolidge booted him from the DOJ over loss of public trust and refusal to turn over departmental records regarding alleged corruption.

Daugherty was never convicted.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.