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Top Dem applauds Trump UFO files release in rare show of support

May 8, 2026 3:29pm EDT / Fox News

Sen Kirsten Gillibrand calls release ‘another important step’ as release contains files from 1969 and 1972 Apollo missions

By Adam Pack, Fox News

Trump admin releases files on UFOs, alien life in ‘world exclusive’

White House correspondent Peter Doocy reports on the Trump administration’s release of the first batch of UFO and “alien life” files. He details videos from the Department of War and historical Apollo 17 transcripts, noting the administration’s push for transparency. Doocy also recalls President Trump’s previous remarks on the existence of aliens, triggering further discussion among the hosts.

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The Trump administration’s decision to declassify a batch of UFO and UAP files Friday drew unexpected praise from a prominent Democratic lawmaker.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., the leader of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, cheered the release of dozens of never-before-seen images and videos, stating, “Transparency is the only path to truth.”

“I am encouraged that the administration has finally heard my call and the call of millions of Americans to begin unsealing these files,” Gillibrand wrote on social media, adding that she has long advocated for the declassification and release of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) files.

“This is another important step, but there is much more work to do,” the New York Democrat went on. “I will continue to fight to ensure the administration finally meets its legal obligation to the American people.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., was among a handful of Democratic lawmakers to praise President Donald Trump’s release of UFO-related material on Friday.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)

DECLASSIFIED APOLLO MOON DOCS DESCRIBE UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES, UFO LIGHTS ‘LIKE THE FOURTH OF JULY’

The Trump administration’s file dump, available on the newly created website war.gov/UFO, contains records related to UAP, including inexplicable lights and phenomena captured during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969 and Apollo 17 in 1972.

President Donald Trump in February directed the Department of War and other agencies to declassify and publish files related to alien and extraterrestrial life. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Friday that the administration would continue its declassification work.

GOP lawmakers widely praised the administration’s effort to bring more transparency to UAP-related material.

“This is a massive first step in the right direction,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who has long pushed for the file release, said Friday.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., also called the move “historic” and said he hoped the file release would be the first of many.

The Pentagon’s disclosure also prompted tepid enthusiasm from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who omitted the Trump administration in his statement.

“For decades, UFO disclosure has been a distant object — unidentified and unexplained,” he said. “That’s starting to change. I’ll keep pushing until we land on the truth.”

The Apollo 11 spacecraft orbits the moon during NASA’s 1969 mission, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.(The Pentagon)

TULSI GABBARD TELLS PODCASTER ALIENS MAY BE REAL: ‘WE’RE CONTINUING TO LOOK FOR THE TRUTH’

Trump argued Friday that his administration’s transparency efforts related to government secrets far surpassed those of his predecessors.

“Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social announcing the release of the files. “Have Fun and Enjoy!”

President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order on the declassification and release of records related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington.(AP)

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The Trump administration also declassified records last year related to former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the 1937 disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

Rubio downplays Germany troop withdrawal plan amid Trump’s threats

May 8, 2026 1:55 PM ET / CNN

By Jennifer Hansler

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press at the US Embassy in Rome on May 8, 2026. (Photo by Stefano RELLANDINI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Stefano Rellandini/AFP/Getty Images

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday downplayed the planned withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany and said President Donald Trump has not made a decision on removing more service members from Europe amid growing cracks in the transatlantic relationship.

Speaking in Rome after meetings with top Italian leaders, Rubio sought to publicly distance the move from Trump’s continued critique of NATO and its members, including Italy, over a perceived lack of support for the US war against Iran.

Still, his argument is not likely to assuage European fears about the reliability of the United States and its commitment to the defensive alliance. Rubio, a longtime NATO proponent, did not foreclose the possibility of further troop reductions in response to the US displeasure with the bloc. Instead, he said Trump had yet to make a decision.

The top US diplomat said the reduction of the troops in Germany, announced by the Pentagon last week, was “already ongoing.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the subject of Trump’s ire over comments on the Iran war, has similarly sought to downplay the move.

“The troops represent less than 14% of our total troop presence there,” Rubio said at a press conference Friday. “That’s already pre-programmed. In fact, all it did take us back to where we were in 2022.”

“There was always a plan to do some shifting within NATO,” he said.

Even if that is the case, European officials have eyed the move with concern for what it could portend moving forward. Trump himself has threatened more cuts to the number of US troops in Germany and European allies have been left in the dark about the president’s decisions. Efforts by the likes of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to stress the work that allies are doing in support of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz have seemingly had little impact on his anger toward the alliance.

Rubio on Friday echoed Trump’s displeasure but said that he hasn’t made a decision on a response.

“If one of the main reasons why the US is in NATO is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we can project to other contingencies, and now that’s no longer the case – at least when it comes to some NATO members – that’s a problem and has to be examined,” he said.

“Ultimately, that’s a decision for the president to make. His team and people like myself and others will provide him what those potential options are, but ultimately he’ll have to make that decision. He hasn’t made those decisions yet,” Rubio added.

Rubio, who met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, said they “didn’t discuss any specifics” like a potential US withdrawal from NATO or reduction of troops from Italy. Rubio as a senator cosponsored the law to stop a president from unilaterally withdrawing from the alliance.

A State Department readout of the meeting said they talked about “the importance of continued transatlantic collaboration to address global threats.”

“A frank dialogue,” Meloni said on X, “between allies who defend their own national interests but who both know how precious Western unity is.”

Trump announces surprise three-day ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war

May 8, 2026 2:23pm EDT / Fox News

Trump says the request was made directly by him and was agreed to by both Putin and Zelenskyy

By Louis Casiano Fox News

President Donald Trump on Friday announced a three-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, as well as a massive prisoner exchange between both nations.

The ceasefire will begin on Saturday and run through Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II.”

“This ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prisoner swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country,” he added. “This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.”

RUSSIA BUILT GLOBAL RECRUITMENT PIPELINE TARGETING VULNERABLE MIGRANTS FOR UKRAINE WAR: REPORT

President Donald Trump on Friday announced a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.(Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Russia will celebrate Victory Day on Saturday, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. It is one of Russia’s most important national holidays.

However, festivities have been scaled back amid the war as Moscow opted for a low-key celebration. This year’s traditional military parade won’t feature tanks, missiles, or other military equipment for the first time in decades.

Russian military forces have been engaged in a slow and bloody conflict with Ukraine, which was supposed to deliver a quick victory. The war has stalled amid the Kremlin’s unforeseen resistance by Ukraine’s smaller military.

Russian servicemen march towards Red Square for the rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 4. Russia declared on May 4 a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8-9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a “massive missile strike” on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it.(Igor IVANKO / AFP via Getty Images)

On X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange of prisoners captured during the four-year conflict, which began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

“Within the framework of the negotiating process mediated by the American side, we received Russia’s agreement to conduct a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000,” he wrote. “A ceasefire regime must also be established on May 9, 10, and 11. Ukraine is consistently working to bring its people home from Russian captivity. I have instructed our team to promptly prepare everything necessary for the exchange.”

RUSSIAN MISSILES AND DRONES BOMBARD UKRAINE IN HOURSLONG ATTACK, KILLING AT LEAST 16

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at a podium split with an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin crossing himself at Orthodox Easter service.(Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via Reuters; AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Zelenskyy also thanked Trump for his diplomatic involvement in the process and said he hopes the United States will make sure Moscow abides by the agreement.

Trump made ending the war one of his signature promises during his presidential campaign.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard-fought war,” he said. “Talks are continuing on ending this major conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day.”

Both sides in the war have voiced distrust over one another as a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine that Russia announced for Friday and Saturday quickly unraveled, The Associated Press reported.

Ukraine’s drone technology has allowed it to reach inside Russia with more frequency and regularity and both sides have accused each other of violating past ceasefire agreements.

Russian police officers and armed security service agents guard the Manezhnaya Square against the backdrop of the Kremlin and a billboard commemorating Victory Day, Thursday in Moscow.(Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday said Moscow had ceased combat operations and remained at its “previously occupied lines and positions” from midnight, when Putin’s unilateral ceasefire came into force, the AP said.

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.

Ex-reality star turned LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt wants to “shake up city hall”

2026-05-08T12:59:31-0400 / CBS News

Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt said he thinks he can “shake up city hall” as he runs for mayor in Los Angeles with no prior political experience.

“I may not have the experience, but I have the common sense to say this is not working,” Pratt told CBS News in an exclusive interview.

The 42-year-old, a registered Republican, first made a name for himself as the resident villain on MTV’s hit show “The Hills” in the mid-2000s.

He’s now polling second in the mayoral race for the second-largest city in the U.S.

Los Angeles has not had a Republican mayor since 2001. Richard Riordan was elected in 1993 and served two terms.

“It’s going to be a hard road to convince a very blue city like L.A. to take a chance on not only a novice politician, but somebody who has pretty much aligned himself with Donald Trump and with Republicans,” said Melanie Mason, Politico’s California bureau chief.

But Pratt thinks he can “change the political landscape” of L.A.

“Thankfully all my supporters in Los Angeles are Democrats,” the Southern California native said. “I just want to fix our streets, get the lights on. I want people to feel safe.”

Pratt said he “didn’t want to run for mayor,” but that changed last year when he lost his home to the devastating Palisades Fire.

“I had to step up so that my sons one day can … come back here and live in the L.A. that I lived in — beautiful, safe,” he said. “I’m standing in what happened because of failed politicians.”

Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass was heavily criticized for her response to the Los Angeles fires.

In January, one year after the fire, the Democratic mayor said, “I feel good that there’s over 400 homes that are under construction now, that there’s over 800 homes approved to be built.”

Bass faced off in a heated debate against Pratt and Los Angeles City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman on Wednesday.

The mayoral election, which is nonpartisan, will take place on June 2. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, then the two leading candidates will advance to a Nov. 3 runoff.

Pratt, who was often accused of being intentionally dramatic on “The Hills,” said voters will know he’s being authentic when it comes to his platform for improving L.A.

“People know when I was a reality villain, I was doing it to get paid. It was strategic. I was working with producers,” he said. “I’m being very strategic to win and save L.A., but there’s no strategy when you’re standing in an Airstream on your burned out town. You can’t fake that.”

Kelsie Hoffman contributed to this report.

Spencer Pratt on running for L.A. mayor

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/spencer-pratt-los-angeles-mayor-race/Spencer Pratt addresses his inexperience in L.A. mayor race and says he can “shake up city hall”04:07

Spencer Pratt addresses his inexperience in L.A. mayor race and says he can “shake up city hall”

(04:07)

Trump releases previously classified UFO files

2026-05-08 4:11 PM UTC / Reuters

By Andrew Hay

May 8, 2026 4:11 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

[1/5]A football-shaped body reported by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in 2024 is seen as part of a series of documents of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) released by the U.S. Defense Department on May 8, 2026. Department of Defense/Handout via REUTERS

• Summary

• Files include Apollo mission photos and transcripts of unidentified phenomena
• Move praised by UFO disclosure advocates, more releases expected in 30 days
• Critics, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, call release a distraction from Trump woes

May 8 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday released dozens of previously classified files on alleged UFO ‌sightings and alien life to provide what they called “unprecedented transparency” to the American people.

The disclosure of the long-sought documents and photos of “unidentified anomalous phenomena” will be followed by future releases as more materials are declassified, the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement.

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Trump was the latest U.S. president to release reports on UFOs that date ​back to the 1940s and were first disclosed in the late 1970s. Experts said the batch of around 160 files released ​on Friday contained new videos of known sightings but gave no conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life.

The files include ⁠a 1947 report of “flying discs” as well as a photo of “unidentified phenomena” taken from the moon’s surface during the Apollo 12 lunar mission in 1969 ​and a transcript of the Apollo 17 crew describing unidentified objects seen from the moon in 1972.

‘BRIGHT PARTICLES’ DURING APOLLO 17

Apollo 17 mission ​pilot Ronald Evans reported “a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,” based on the transcript.

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“Roger. Understand,” mission control replied.

“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation – and it’s time the American people see it for themselves,” Hegseth said in a statement.

The records release is ​likely to fuel fresh debate over government secrecy and the possible existence of life in the cosmos.

“Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be ​transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Trump said in a statement. “Have ‌fun and ⁠enjoy!”

The move was welcomed by U.S. Representatives Tim Burchett and Anna Paulina Luna, both proponents of declassifying UFO files. Luna said an additional tranche of material was expected in around 30 days.

“The files show that UAP are not simply a matter of speculation or public curiosity,” Harvard University astrophysicist Avi Loeb said in an email to Reuters. “The government has collected records.”

The images from Apollo 12 and 17 were fascinating but could be ​the result of asteroid impacts on ​the lunar surface, Loeb said. ⁠He added that more interesting material was likely still to come but would take longer to declassify.

DISTRACTION FROM POLITICAL PROBLEMS?

Some critics cast the UFO disclosures as a distraction from Trump’s political woes, including the ​unpopular U.S. military campaign against Iran and public pressure to release further files tied to convicted sex offender ​Jeffrey Epstein.

“I really don’t ⁠care about the UFO files. I just don’t. I’m so sick of the ‘look at the shiny object’ propaganda,” former Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X.

UAP investigator Mick West said the administration of former President Joe Biden disclosed much of the same information as Friday’s release. West, who ⁠produces software ​to analyze UAP videos, said the files provided no new evidence on the possible ​existence of alien life.

“They’re evidence of us not being able to identify a small white dot that’s a long distance away,” said the Sacramento, California-based analyst, adding that shapes ​in UAP videos were often camera lens diffraction from bright light.

Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Jesse Mesner-Hage and Rod Nickel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

How the Republicans pulling ahead in the redistricting war affects the midterms

2026-05-08T17:40:56.160Z / CNN

Analysis by

Aaron Blake

PUBLISHED May 8, 2026, 1:40 PM ET

“Vote Here” signage is posted outside a polling location in Arlington, Virginia, on April 21, during a special election in which Virginia voters approved a referendum to redistrict the state’s congressional map.

Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Two weeks ago, after Virginia voters approved a new heavily Democratic congressional map, it was looking like President Donald Trump’s bare-knuckle gerrymandering push had fizzled – and might even backfire.

Two weeks, it turns out, is a long time in politics.

A pair of court rulings – one from the US Supreme Court and now one from the Virginia Supreme Court Friday – have sharply recast the 2026 redistricting battles in the GOP’s favor.

That doesn’t mean it’ll be enough to save the GOP’s House majority in 2026, and the impact this year could be more muted than a lot of people appreciate.

But the redistricting battle has now clearly benefitted Republicans. And it will probably help them even more in years to come.

A pair of GOP wins

The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a map passed after Democrats spent tens of millions of dollars to promote the referendum enacting it. The court ruled Democrats in the state legislature didn’t follow the correct procedure in setting up the constitutional amendment allowing the vote last fall.

That means Democrats won’t get a map that likely would have gained them four seats. They’ll instead have to try to flip seats on a map that currently features six Democrats and five Republicans.

That news comes after the US Supreme Court delivered an even more significant ruling last week – one with not just immediate partisan implications but also long-term implications, including for racial politics in America.

The US Supreme Court is seen on April 7.

Rahmat Gul/AP

In Louisiana v. Callais, the court further gutted the Voting Rights Act and made it easier for Republicans to disassemble the majority-minority districts that are about all Democrats today have in the Deep South.

The GOP has quickly set about doing that. Tennessee has already carved up a majority-Black district based in Memphis to give Republicans a 9-0 map, and Louisiana is expected to soon eliminate one or both of its majority-Black districts. Alabama has petitioned to lift a court order that requires it to keep a second majority-minority district.

The GOP’s edge is not as big as people think

Applying these changes to the CNN redistricting tracker, it’s looking like Republicans will have drawn as many as 15, 16 or 17 new winnable districts for themselves for this year’s midterms, while Democrats will have drawn five – all of them in California. (Utah also added a Democratic-leaning district, but it was because of a court ruling.)

That’s certainly a much better scenario for Republicans than two weeks ago.

Rather than Democrats having to flip the three Republican seats they needed to break Speaker Mike Johnson’s razor-thin majority, they could now effectively have to flip more than 10.

But that might actually oversell the hurdle that’s been created for 2026. That’s because some of the districts drawn by Republicans are far from guaranteed to go their way, especially in a good year for Democrats.

Ohio’s new map, for instance, could gain Republicans two seats, but it could also gain them none. And while Republicans intend their Texas map to gain them five seats, and their Florida map four, some of these districts will be quite difficult to win in a good Democratic year, particularly with Trump’s sharp decline in approval with Latino voters.

Even in Virginia, Democrats could still flip one or more seats on the current map in 2026, meaning the ruling isn’t necessarily a loss of four seats.

“If the current map holds in Virginia, we will at minimum flip two seats,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN on Friday. “And we’re exploring other options given how unpopular the policies of the Republican party have been.”

Before the Virginia Supreme Court ruled Friday, the Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter estimated that actual net benefit for Republicans in 2026 was likely to be closer to four or five seats, even if the Virginia map was struck down.

The GOP might not be able to save its majority

Even if the GOP forces Democrats to flip double-digits worth of seats rather than three, that’s looking quite doable for the blue team.

That’s because Trump is a historically unpopular president. Presidents with low approval ratings don’t just lose 12 seats; they often lose a multiple of that.

President Donald Trump speaks with workers who have been painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, on May 7.

Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

Trump in 2018 lost more than 40 House seats. Barack Obama in 2010 lost more than 60. George W. Bush in 2006 lost about 30.

And Trump is worse off right now than all of those examples except Bush.

The universe of competitive seats is smaller these days, meaning a huge wave election would seem less likely than in these previous midterm elections. But it would still be surprising if the Democrats couldn’t win enough to flip the majority.

It will likely benefit Republicans for years to come

At the same time, it’s overly reductive to just look at how this will play out in 2026. That’s because all of this – and especially the US Supreme Court ruling – will reverberate for years to come.

And that’s where the GOP’s real likely gains could come in.

For one, even if these districts might not be red enough to go Republican in a good Democratic year in 2026, they’ll still favor Republicans in general. And they could well flip red in a better environment for Republicans – be that in 2028 or 2030.

For two, the GOP can continue to pull apart majority-minority districts in the South in the coming cycles, including in states like Georgia where the US Supreme Court’s ruling came too late for the 2026 election.

We still don’t know quite how far they can go in doing that; much depends on upcoming court cases interpreting the Supreme Court’s ruling, and Democrats will be able to fight back some. But one study before the case was decided suggested Republicans could gain well more than a dozen seats with a very favorable ruling.

And for three, there’s just the emerging reality of a constant redistricting war.

That reality: To the extent redistricting is now just a never-ending race to the bottom for partisan gain, where states draw new maps whenever it suits them, that likely benefits Republicans. They simply control more of the process.

Democrats could gain some power back by scrapping redistricting commissions in states they control and eliminating other state restrictions on partisan gerrymandering.

But Republicans are just in a better spot in state governments. The states where they hold the “trifecta” of both state legislative chambers and the governor’s mansion account for more seats.

And the US Supreme Court has now handed them a key weapon in a redistricting war that looks like it’s here to stay.

Trump administration ramps up denaturalization campaign, targeting U.S. citizens accused of crimes, fraud, terrorism

May 8, 2026 / 2:00 PM EDT / CBS News

By Camilo Montoya-Galvez

Camilo Montoya-Galvez Immigration Correspondent

Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the Immigration Correspondent at CBS News, where his reporting is featured across multiple programs and platforms, including national broadcast shows, CBS News 24/7, CBSNews.com and the organization’s social media accounts.

Read Full Bio

Camilo Montoya-Galvez

The Trump administration on Friday announced a major expansion of its denaturalization campaign targeting foreign-born American citizens accused of fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship.

The Justice Department unveiled denaturalization cases in federal courts across the country against roughly a dozen U.S. citizens born overseas. Officials said they had committed serious crimes or immigration fraud, or had ties to terrorism.

The announcement represents a dramatic increase in the federal government’s use of denaturalization, a lengthy and complicated legal procedure that has rarely been invoked by prior administrations. Between 1990 and 2017, for example, the U.S. government filed just over 300 denaturalization cases — or an average of 11 per year.

The group of naturalized U.S. citizens whose citizenship the Justice Department is now seeking to revoke includes immigrants from Bolivia, China, Colombia, Gambia, India, Iraq, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia and Uzbekistan.

Among those targeted by the denaturalization crackdown are a Colombian-born Catholic priest convicted of sexually assaulting a minor; a man born in Morocco with alleged ties to al Qaeda; a Somali immigrant who pleaded guilty to providing material support to al Shabaab, a U.S.-designated terrorist group; and a former Gambian police officer allegedly involved in war crimes.

The group also includes individuals who allegedly used false identities to apply for immigration benefits and a man who allegedly entered into sham marriages to commit immigration fraud.

In a separate announcement Friday, the Justice Department said it was also seeking to denaturalize Manuel Rocha, a former American diplomat who admitted to being a Cuban spy as part of a high-profile criminal case.

The denaturalization process involves Justice Department lawyers filing civil or criminal cases in federal courts and trying to convince judges that someone’s citizenship should be terminated. U.S. law allows denaturalization to occur when the government proves that a naturalized citizen obtained their citizenship illegally or through fraud, such as by concealing information on their immigration applications.

Those whose citizenship is revoked lose all the legal benefits that come with being an American citizen and return to their previous legal status, typically as permanent residents, who are deportable based on certain criminal conduct and other grounds.

In an interview with CBS News earlier this week, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche previewed the administration’s denaturalization push, saying he believes there are “a lot of individuals who are citizens who shouldn’t be.”

Asked about concerns among some of the roughly 24 million naturalized citizens in the U.S., Blanche said only “a very small percentage” should be worried about the administration’s denaturalization efforts. Those who did not illegally obtain their citizenship, he said, don’t “have anything to worry about.”

“We should disincentivize people from committing fraud when they’re going to become a citizen of this great country,” Blanche said. “It is a drastic consequence of committing a fraud to get citizenship, just like it is a drastic action to commit fraud to get citizenship.”

US says it will revert to higher tariffs on EU goods if Brussels misses July 4 deadline

2026-05-08 16:29 UTC / Reuters

By Andrea Shalal

May 8, 2026 4:29 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the day he attends a working lunch with EU ministers responsible for trade, in Brussels, Belgium, November 24, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

• Summary

• Trump had threatened to raise tariffs on EU vehicles to 25%
• US trade chief Greer says EU officials’ ‘minds are focused’
• Brussels has been slow to keep up its end of 2025 trade deal, ​Greer says

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. will revert to higher tariffs on European ‌Union goods if Brussels fails to implement trade deal commitments before a July 4 deadline, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday.

Greer, speaking on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” program, said he spoke with trade officials ​from different European countries and the EU during a visit to Europe this week ​and believed “their minds are focused” on making the needed changes.

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“They have told me ⁠they’re committed to compliance. We hope that’s the case, but we’re watching very closely. And if ​it’s not the case, then the U.S. will go back to its other tariff structure for ​the EU,” he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would give the EU until July 4 to keep its side of a trade deal reached in Scotland last July before he raises tariffs on EU goods, including ​cars, to “much higher levels.” Trump had earlier threatened to increase tariffs on EU cars and trucks ​to 25% from the previously agreed 15%, starting this week.

Trump’s comments defused tensions with the EU over the ‌trade issue, ⁠but the two sides remain at odds over the war in the Middle East and the U.S. president’s irritation that NATO allies have refused to directly engage in the conflict.

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Various developments, including Trump’s demand to acquire Greenland and a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the tariffs that prompted the trade negotiations ​in the first place, ​had slowed the European ⁠Parliament’s implementation of the deal.

Greer said the EU had pledged last year to reduce all of its industrial tariffs to zero for the U.S., ​provide duty-free access on certain agricultural goods, and revise a variety of ​non-tariff barriers ⁠and burdensome regulations.

“We haven’t seen any of those things come to fruition,” he said. “Seven, eight months later, the EU has not actually implemented any single part of their trade deal obligations,” he said, adding that ⁠Washington ​had kept its part of the bargain by adjusting its ​tariffs.

“So at some point you have to say, well, if the EU is not in compliance, we’ll wait to be ​in compliance until they are as well.”

Reporting by Andrea Shalal and David Lawder; Editing by Paul Simao

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump announces Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap as part of 3-day ceasefire

May 8, 2026 / 2:24 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — President Trump on Friday announced Russia and Ukraine will swap 1,000 prisoners as a part of a three-day ceasefire for the observation of Victory Day in Russia this weekend.

Russia and Ukraine previously announced separate ceasefires on different days, so the timeline isn’t entirely clear. Mr. Trump said the temporary ceasefire will suspend all kinetic activity Saturday through Monday, although Russia and Ukraine have yet to confirm.

Taking to Truth Social, the U.S. president said he requested the temporary ceasefire, and appreciates Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreeing to it.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War,” he said of a war that’s over four years old. “Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day.”

Earlier this week, Zelenskyy announced a ceasefire for May 5-6, while Russia last week suggested a ceasefire for May 8-9.

Mr. Trump’s announcement comes as top U.S. officials met this week with Ukrainian representatives in Miami, and after a call Mr. Trump and Putin had last week.

Trump blockade squeezing Iran so hard regime may be dumping oil into Gulf, experts say

2026-05-08 15:42:28 EDT / Fox News

Satellite images show a 45-square-kilometer slick near Kharg Island as Iran’s export system buckles under U.S. pressure

By Efrat Lachter Fox News

Published May 8, 2026 3:42pm EDT

Video

US and Iran trade fire in Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate with ongoing blockade

Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino lead coverage on escalating U.S.-Iran tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, with new U.S. airstrikes against tankers trying to breach Iran’s blockade. President Trump dismissed previous Iranian attacks as a “love tap” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed strong U.S. retaliation for threats against Americans. Michael Allen, former NSC senior director, highlighted the U.S. economic stranglehold, noting over 70 tankers were blocked.

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Satellite imagery revealed a massive suspected oil slick spreading near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, in what experts say could be evidence that Tehran’s oil infrastructure is buckling under mounting U.S. pressure.

The slick, seen in Copernicus Sentinel satellite images between Wednesday and Friday, covered roughly 45 square kilometers west of the island, according to analysts cited by Reuters.

The incident is emerging as a potential sign that Trump’s maritime pressure campaign is achieving one of its central objectives: overwhelming Iran’s export system to the point where Tehran can no longer move or store crude fast enough to sustain normal production.

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The suspected spill near Iran’s main oil hub is raising concerns that mounting U.S. pressure is overwhelming Tehran’s ability to store or export crude, potentially forcing risky workarounds with environmental consequences in the Gulf.

The slick, seen in Copernicus Sentinel satellite images between Wednesday and Friday, covered roughly 45 square kilometers west of the island, according to analysts cited by Reuters.(Reuters)

“At this stage I see two plausible explanations, and they’re not mutually exclusive,” Miad Maleki, an Iran sanctions and energy expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

“One is operational: they simply didn’t ramp down extraction fast enough relative to their true onshore capacity and over-counted on empty tankers slipping through the blockade,” he said.

“Now they’ve effectively over-delivered crude into the export system, with more oil at or near the terminals than they can actually load, and the ‘solution’ is to push some of that excess into the water.”

Maleki said another possible explanation is mechanical failure tied to Iran’s use of aging tankers as floating storage or sanctions-busting carriers.

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A suspected oil spill covering dozens of square kilometers of sea near Iran’s main oil hub of Kharg Island has been seen on satellite imagery this week.(European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-2 via Reuters)

“They’ve dragged older, marginal tonnage into service as floating storage or sanctions-busting carriers, and some of those retired or poorly maintained hulls are now leaking,” he said.

“Either way, the common denominator is the same — storage and evacuation capacity are out of sync with upstream output, and the Gulf is paying the price for that mismatch.”

The incident comes as the Trump administration continues pressing its “Economic Fury” campaign against Iran, combining sanctions enforcement with a growing U.S. naval presence around the Strait of Hormuz aimed at restricting Iran’s oil exports.

Before the conflict, Iran exported roughly 1.5 million barrels of oil per day, much of it to China. Analysts say the blockade and the threat of sanctions on shipping companies and financial institutions have made it increasingly difficult for Tehran to move crude out of Kharg Island.

Reuters reported the slick appeared as a “grey and white” plume west of the 8-kilometer-long island.

Leon Moreland, a researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, told Reuters the slick was “visually consistent with oil,” while Louis Goddard, co-founder of consultancy Data Desk, said it could be the largest spill since the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran roughly 70 days ago.

Kharg Island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports and has become a critical choke point in the Trump administration’s effort to cut off the regime’s main source of revenue during the ongoing war.

Energy analysts say Iran is now facing a dangerous dilemma. If Iran cannot export oil or find additional storage capacity, it may be forced either to shut down wells, risking long-term damage to oil fields, or dispose of excess crude in ways that could trigger environmental fallout across the Gulf.

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A cargo ship sails in the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026.(AP Photo)

“They’ve already reduced extraction. In a true blockade scenario, the constraint isn’t production at the wellhead, it’s the inability to load tankers at export terminals,” Maleki said.

“Once onshore storage nears capacity, output has to be cut to match remaining headroom or wells get shut in,” he added. “In Iran’s case, that’s roughly 13 days.”

The environmental implications are also raising alarm across the Gulf.

Windward, a maritime risk intelligence firm, estimated the slick was moving southeast at roughly 2 kilometers per hour and warned it could reach Qatar’s exclusive economic zone within days and potentially drift toward the United Arab Emirates within two weeks.

The Gulf’s desalination infrastructure, relied upon by millions across the region, remains especially vulnerable to major oil contamination events.

The spill also is unfolding amid heightened military tensions in the Gulf. The war has trapped hundreds of vessels in the region and caused one of the largest disruptions to global crude and liquefied natural gas supplies in recent years.

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An oil tanker is seen near the terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, as U.S. officials and analysts consider whether seizing the island could significantly impact Iran’s oil exports.(Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on the suspected spill or its possible causes.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Iran mission to the U.N. for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Efrat Lachter is a foreign correspondent for Fox News Digital covering international affairs and the United Nations. Follow her on X @efratlachter. Stories can be sent to efrat.lachter@fox.com.

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