President Donald Trump told Fox News Channel's chief political anchor Bret Baier on Thursday he was aware thatIsraelwas going to conduct preemptive strikes on Iran before they happened."Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership in Iran that will not be coming back," Trump said.Israeli strikes on Iran killed three of the countrys top military commanders, including Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami, Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Hossein Bagheri and Commander of Irans Emergency Command Gholam-Ali Rashid.Trump has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times in recent days.ISRAEL LAUNCHES SWEEPING STRIKE ON IRAN WHILE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SEEKS DIPLOMATIC SOLUTIONThe Trump administration reached out to at least one key Middle Eastern ally to acknowledge that the strike was going to happen, but said that the U.S. was not involved in the strikes.The president said he hopes Iran returns to the negotiating table, though Iran has signaled its intention to pull out of further talks. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his team had been scheduled to meet with their Iranian counterparts in Oman on Sunday.Israeli forces used around 200 fighter jets to strike targets in Iran, destroying dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers as well as nuclear facilities. Iran launched around 100 retaliatory drones toward Israel hours later which Israeli forces said they were working to intercept.Trump said he is watching for any retaliation, and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is on high alert. He noted that the U.S. is ready to defend itself and Israel if Iran retaliates. In recent weeks, the U.S. has replenished Iron Dome missiles.The president is expected to attend a National Security Council meeting later Friday morning.Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

When it comes to the nation's federal government, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is "not a fan."He believes that it "causes or exacerbates more problems than it actually solves," telling Fox News Digital during an interview on Wednesday that the bulk of his oversight is "to expose how awful government is" in order to obtain "public support for reducing it, limiting its size, limiting its cost, limiting its influence over our lives.""As our federal government grows, our freedoms recede," he said. "You see what the federal government does, how it wastes money."TRUMP ALLY STANDS FIRM AGAINST BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL DESPITE PRESSURE: ITLL COMPLETELY BACKFIRE'The national debt has ballooned to the eye-watering sum of more than $36 trillion, with lawmakers and presidents from both parties presiding over the deficit spending that has led the nation to this point.Johnson said he's "trying to force reality" upon everyone in the nation's capital, regardless of whether they want to face that reality.He said for decades the nation has been suffering a "chronic debt crisis," illustrating the dramatic decline in the value of the U.S. dollar by noting that "the dollar you held back in 1998 is now only worth $0.51 cents," while "a dollar you held in 2019 is only worth $0.80 cents."The senator referred to inflation as "the silent tax."But he's certainly not staying silent.Johnson indicated that the elected leaders are mortgaging the future of American children, but "don't talk about it.""I'm forcing everybody to look at it," he said, noting that his "primary role" is to force "acknowledgment of our problem."But as keenly as Johnson advocates the idea of slashing the sprawling tentacles of the massive federal bureaucracy, right now he's just pushing to pare spending down to pre-pandemic levels.The conservative fiscal hawk has been making headlines for taking a stand against the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act that cleared the GOP-controlled House of Representatives last month.But Johnson told Fox News Digital that he actually likes a lot of the measure."I'm really not critical of the bill as far as it goes," Johnson explained, noting that he's a "big supporter" of much of what's in it, though he noted that has not read all of it the measure is more than 1,000 pages long.REPUBLICANS CHALLENGE IRRELEVANT BUDGET OFFICE AS IT CRITIQUES TRUMP'S BEAUTIFUL BILL"My main beef is it just doesn't go far enough," he said, noting that after the COVID-19 pandemic Democrats failed to return to pre-COVID spending and deficit levels.The Congressional Budget Office's estimated budgetary impact for the measure indicates that the net effect on the deficit would be a more than $2.4 trillion increase over the fiscal years 2025-2034.But White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought has said the measure would decrease deficits."The bill REDUCES deficits by $1.4 trillion over ten years when you adjust for CBO's one big gimmick--not using a realistic current policy baseline. It includes $1.7 trillion in mandatory savings, the most in history. If you care about deficits and debt, this bill dramatically improves the fiscal picture," Vought said in a post on X.US OFFICIALS DELAYED WARNING PUBLIC ABOUT HEART INFLAMMATION RISK FROM COVID SHOT: REPORTJohnson also noted during the interview that there has not been a "reckoning" regarding the "abuse" at all levels of government during the COVID-19 pandemic.He noted that he does not refer to the COVID-19 jab as a vaccine. Instead, he referred to it as an "injection," asserting that it is "not a vaccine," and that it caused injuries and death.The senator said that he thinks the shots should have "black box warnings."The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website states that the "CDC recommends a 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine for most adults ages 18 and older" and claims that the "vaccine helps protect you from severe illness, hospitalization, and death."Johnson, who has served in the Senate since 2011 and won election to a third term in 2022, said he'd prefer not to seek another term in office."I don't covet this job," he said, noting that he wants to leverage his post to help save America and aid those who are "ignored by the system."While he's not ruling out another run, Johnson, who turned 70-years-old earlier this year, said he'd "be happy" to return to Oshkosh and "live a nice, peaceful life."

CNN security analyst and former FBI agent Josh Campbell defended Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the agents Thursday who forcibly removed Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., during his viral outburst.Video of the incident showed Padilla trying to walk up to Noem while she was speaking at a podium during a press conference in Los Angeles about the riots. Padilla simultaneously attempted to shout over Noem, but law enforcement stepped in and forcefully stopped Padilla's advance.Padilla was eventually taken to the ground and handcuffed, the video showed. Fox News reporters who were present said Padilla appeared to be detained for a period of time. Padilla identified himself in the midst of the altercation."I know we are in a politically charged climate, but from a law enforcement perspective, this was neither the fault nor the responsibility of DHS Secretary Noem," Campbell argued. "Shes in the middle of a press conference. Theres someone who interrupts and then makes it clear by his movements that he is not going to comply. Hes taken out. Again, I dont think any of that was her responsibility."PADILLA HOPES PEOPLE FEEL 'OUTRAGE' OVER HIS FORCIBLE REMOVAL AND DETAINMENTEarlier, he explained how the story could be divided into three distinct moments that will be scrutinized in the days to come."First, you have the DHS secretary who was addressing the press," he said. "This was not a Q&A period, and she was interrupted. She was interrupted by someone who was speaking very loudly. And so her security detail confronts what we obviously now know to be the senator. And at that point, he is now going to be escorted out. You cant interrupt something like that thats already in progress without having those consequences."Campbell explained one key moment when security agents at the event realized Padilla would refuse to comply."But the second incident, in my view, happens the moment as officers are trying to lead him out he then turns and walks back towards kind of into those agents," Campbell said. "At that point, from a security detail perspective, were taking this person out against their will. Weve asked the person and again, this is all happening very quickly but the moment he then turns into them, they realize this is not someone who is going to comply."'SPECTACLE OF HIMSELF': SENATE REPUBLICANS BLAST ALEX PADILLA AFTER HIS FORCIBLE REMOVAL FROM DHS PRESSERThe third incident, he noted, was when the agents had the senator handcuffed on the ground."Now there will be big questions raised about those kinds of tactics," Campbell said. "Were there other options that were available to the federal agents as well as the FBI police officer there who is responsible for security in that FBI building? What they do is they actually order him to his knees and then quickly shove him down to the ground where he is then handcuffed."This incident, which has drawn outrage from Padilla's fellow Democrats, will face some scrutiny, he warned.Campbell also noted that Padillas status as a senator did not make any difference in that particular room and to those agents."In fact, that would have been special treatment for him if they had allowed him to continue to interrupt, you know, very loudly, this press conference," he said.An FBI spokesperson said Padilla was detained after being "disruptive.""During a press conference today held at the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office, Senator Alex Padilla was detained by members of the U.S. Secret Service assigned to Secretary Noems detail when he became disruptive while formal remarks were being delivered," the spokesperson said Thursday. "Secret Service Agents were assisted by FBI Police who are in Los Angeles at this time. Senator Padilla was not wearing his senate security pin; however, was subsequently positively identified and released."A DHS spokesperson said Padilla was told "repeatedly" to back away, and "did not comply" with officers commands."[Secret Service] thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately," the spokesperson said.

Though he's made a career out of making people laugh, Sebastian Maniscalco means business in all aspects of his life.In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the actor and comedian who is starring in Apple Podcast's first scripted docudrama, "Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story" opened up about his new role, how his approach to social media and comedy has shifted throughout the years and why it's necessary for him to be "half-psychotic" when it comes to parenting his two children."I think kids need structure, they need discipline," said Maniscalco, who shares two children daughter Serafina Simone, 8, and son Caruso Jack, 5 with wife, Lana Gomez. "They actually thrive on it. I think if you're a pushover or you're soft with your kids I come from a middle-class working family who gave me chores to do. I had to cut the lawn, I had to make my bed. I had to vacuum on Saturday. I remember I had to vacuum all the carpeting in the house on Saturday. And my kids are living a different life."KEVIN BACON IS MORE CAREFUL AFTER LOSING MONEY IN INFAMOUS PONZI SCHEME"They're growing up with really no struggle," he continued. "I mean, we're not struggling for food here or shelter or what have you, but I'm instilling the values, the core values, and the work ethic that I grew up with in them. And the parenting, it's 24/7. It's like you can't take a day off.""If they don't say Please or Thank you, I'm there beating that into their head," he added. "So it becomes just the standard."He continued, "The parenting that I see, we just had a party here at the house, and the kids are in the pool get out of the pool and the kid NO' no, it's like, you've got to be firm."Maniscalco, who's currently on his "It Aint Right" stand-up tour, said he often pokes fun at his parenting style during his sets.COMEDIAN SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO REFUSES TO EDIT JOKES FOR THOSE WHO GET BENT OUT OF SHAPE'"I joke about it in stand-up. I mean, you have to be half-psychotic almost," he said. "When you talk to your kids GET OUT OF THE POOL they have to know when you're serious, and they have to know when you are joking. And the way you do that is tone, pitch, volume. I take it very seriously when I'm on the road.""It's very difficult for me because my wife's fantastic. She's not the disciplinarian in the relationship, and I think that's good to have that yin and yang," he continued. "My wife is more of a nurturing, loving and I could be that way. But I also have another side.""[Parenting] is the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life, being a parent," he added. "Just to see your kids, kind of mold them and give them the tools that they need to be their own people. It's great. But it's no joke. It's a lot of work."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERSimilar to parenting, his approach to comedy can have its serious moments, too.As his career has progressed throughout the years, Maniscalco said he's become "more reluctant" to post certain content on social media for fear of how people may perceive things."It's like what I perceive as funny and postings on social media, I'm a little bit more reluctant. I'm reluctant to do that because social media, you don't know how people perceive things and it's there. Once it's out there, it's out there," he said. "When you do stand-up comedy, it's more of a performance. The stuff I'm saying on stage sometimes never happened to me. It's a story I heard, and I interpret it as if it has happened to me. So it's more of writing involved, but you go on social media and you want to comment on maybe something that's happening in the world, and you don't know how people are going to perceive it. You just don't know..""I'm trying to just make people laugh, not stir up the pot," he added. "But it's sad. It's sad that you even have to think this way because people are so sensitive nowadays. So it's tough. It's tough to be a comedian, at least for me. Not so much the performance, but just going online, trying to just joke around. Those days are not over, but limited."LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSOn top of being a family man and stand-up comedian, Maniscalco is also focusing on his latest role in Apple Podcast's "Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story."The eight-part series, which is set to premiere Monday, traces the rise and fall of Charles Ponzi, an Italian immigrant who defrauded the modern-day equivalent of a quarter of a billion dollars."I've always been a fan of kind of Ponzi schemes from afar," Maniscalco said. "Like the [Bernie] Madoff thing really fascinated me that he bilked all these people out of all this money. I was almost part of a Ponzi scheme in the early 2000s. I saw it up close and personal, and I saw a lot of money being exchanged and was very enticed to get involved as an investor. I ended up not doing it, thank God. But it intrigued me."Maniscalco, who voices Ponzi, said the experience of recording a scripted podcast was one unlike any other role he's taken."I've never done anything like this before," he said. "I was in a sound booth with no real actors around me and trying to visualize these scenes. And, in my head, I go, Is this any good? And then when I listen back, and I'm like, the sound effects that they put in and the investigative journalism that they did, I mean, it's really an interesting listen over eight episodes, and I'm really proud to be a part of it.""I describe it as an audio motion picture, basically. Although there's no motion, it's like watching a movie. It's funny when you listen to it, you visualize where these people are. At least I did," he added.

U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced charges against a House Democrat, and lawmakers faced off in the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Find out if you know the details about some of the biggest stories making headlines this week.Test your news knowledge with this week's Fox News Digital News Quiz.Looking for more fun?An Ohio woman sued her employer claiming discrimination over her heterosexuality. Do you remember the details from last week's News Quiz?Test yourself on festival firsts and summery snacks in this week's American Culture Quiz.If you're looking to play even more, you can find all of our quizzes by clicking here.Check back next week for the latest News Quiz from Fox News Digital. Thanks for playing!

It appears that the group of American voters who have shifted in large numbers from Democrats to Republicans in recent years on the combustible issue of immigration are actually the nation's immigrants themselves.A look at pre- and post-election surveys from the 2020 and 2024 cycles indicates a 49-point swing by voters born outside the United States the vast majority of whom are considered immigrants on which major political party would do a better job handling the issue of immigration.American National Election Studies (ANES) data from the 2020 presidential election indicates voters born in another country said they favored Democrats rather than Republicans on the issue of immigration by a 58%-24% margin.TRUMP DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS TO QUELL LA RIOTERS LATEST PAGE IN PRESIDENT'S POLITICAL PLAYBOOKFour years later, the data indicated 45% of voters born in another county who cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election said the GOP would do a better job handling immigration, with 30% pointing to the Democratic Party.There was a smaller but still prominent shift from the Democrats to the Republicans by all voters, according to the data from ANES, which is the oldest election study in the world (dating back to 1952) and is often referred to as the gold standard for election surveys.CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLINGDaron Shaw, who serves as a member of the Fox News Decision Team and is the Republican partner on the Fox News poll, said the large shift toward the GOP on the immigration issue by those born outside the U.S. is "reflective of the fact that immigrant voters started so pro-Democrat. There's more room for them to shift."Shaw also noted that before President Donald Trump first ran for the White House in 2016, immigration and border security were generally seen as separate issues."Since Trump has come on the scene, those issues have really melded to the Republican advantage," Shaw said.Shaw, a politics professor and chair at the University of Texas, also said "you're seeing a movement towards the Republican Party on immigration because it's been largely focused on border security. That's true with non-immigrant populations as well as immigrant populations."HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, AND OPINION ON THE ISSUE OF IMMIGRATIONImmigration and border security were key issues that Trump spotlighted as he campaigned to win back the White House in last year's presidential election.Republicans won back control of the presidency and the Senate and defended their small House majority in the 2024 elections. And Republicans made gains among Black, Hispanic and younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party's base.Border security and immigration have remained in the nation's political spotlight in the nearly five months since Trump returned to the White House, thanks to the president's sweeping and controversial moves on the two issues.Aiming to extinguish escalating protests in Los Angeles sparked by immigration raids carried out by ICE at his administration's direction, Trump sent in National Guard troops and even mobilized Marines. The unrest and the moves by Trump have dominated national headlines for nearly a week.Fox News' Dana Blanton and Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., expressed staunch support for Israel's assault against Iran, calling for the U.S. to back Israel's efforts by providing the ally with anything it needs."Our commitment to Israel must be absolute and I fully support this attack. Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessarymilitary, intelligence, weaponryto fully back Israel in striking Iran," Fetterman asserted Thursday night in a post on X.The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reposted the senator's post.ISRAEL LAUNCHES OPERATION RISING LION ON IRAN, TARGETING NUCLEAR FACILITIES, TEHRANIt also shared a post in which U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed support for the U.S. ally."Israel IS rightand has a rightto defend itself!" Johnson declared.Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested that if Iran targets U.S. interests, America should execute "an overwhelming response" that annihilates the foreign country's oil infrastructure.JOHN FETTERMAN AND LINDSEY GRAHAM ADVOCATE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM"People are wondering if Iran will attack American military personnel or interests throughout the region because of Israels attack on Irans leadership and nuclear facilities," Graham noted Thursday night in a post on X."My answer is if they do, America should have an overwhelming response, destroying all of Irans oil refineries and oil infrastructure putting the ayatollah and his henchmen out of the oil business."Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Thursday night that the U.S. was "not involved in strikes against Iran" and declared that "Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel."FETTERMAN ISSUES DO AND DO NOT LIST, DOUBLING DOWN ON ANTI-VIOLENCE MESSAGE AFTER CALLING OUT LA ANARCHYPresident Donald Trump issued a Truth Social post on Friday morning in which he urged Iran to agree to a deal, apparently referring to a nuclear deal."I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to just do it, but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldnt get it done. I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come - And they know how to use it. Certain Iranian hardliners spoke bravely, but they didnt know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!" Trump warned in his post."There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!"

Irans foreign minister is calling Israels strikes on its nuclear facilities and military leaders a "declaration of war" on Friday, as Tehran quickly replacedtop commanders who were killed in the attacks, according to multiple media reports.The comments from Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi come as his department also released a statement claiming Israels"aggression against Iran could not have been carried out without the coordination and approval of the United States.""Consequently, the U.S. government, as the primary patron of this regime, will also bear responsibility for the dangerous repercussions of the Zionist regimes reckless actions," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday.The Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami and the country's chief of staff of the armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, were killed by Israel's strikes. As of Friday morning, Ahmad Vahidi was appointed to temporarily replace Salami, while Habibollah Sayyari will fill in for Bagheri, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing Iranian media.LIVE UPDATES: ISRAEL LAUNCHES OPERATION RISING LION ON IRANVahidi previously held the roles of Iransdefense minister and interior minister and once led the IRGCs elite Quds Force (QF) from 1988 to 1998, the Jerusalem Post added. It noted that during his time with the IRGC-QF, Vahidi was linked to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which left 85 dead.Sayyari is a former marine who led Irans navy from 2007 to 2017.ISRAEL HITS THE HEART OF IRANS NUCLEAR PROGRAM IN NATANZ FACILITY STRIKEIrans Foreign Ministry said Friday that Israels strikes "constitute a violation of Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter and a blatant act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. "In accordance with Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, Iran reserves the legitimate and legal right to respond to this aggression. The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to defend Irans sovereignty with full strength and in the manner they deem appropriate," it continued."As a founding member of the United Nations -- an organization whose very purpose is to prevent aggression, breaches of peace, and threats to peace -- the Islamic Republic of Iran underscores the Security Councils obligation to take immediate action against this violation of international peace and security, stemming from the Zionist regimes blatant aggression. We call upon the President and members of the Council to act without delay in this regard," the foreign ministry added."The grave and far-reaching consequences of the Zionist regimes aggression against our beloved homeland, Iran, will rest entirely upon this regime and its supporters," it also said.

FIRST ON FOX: A Jewish student who alleged she was forced out of her graduate program in part because of her Shabbos observance has settled her religious discrimination lawsuit against Columbia University.The terms of the settlement in the lawsuit filed by The Lawfare Project and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP were confidential, but Lawfare Project executive Ziporah Reich said it included financial compensation and other relief."These outcomes reflect the power of legal action to bring about meaningful change, we are proud to stand behind a courageous student who chose to stand up for her rights," Lawfare Project Director Brooke Goldstein told Fox News Digital in a statement.A Columbia spokesperson confirmed the settlement, saying, "We have reached a mutually agreeable confidential settlement with Forrest that did not include any admission of liability."TRUMP ADMIN ALLEGES COLUMBIA VIOLATED CIVIL RIGHTS LAW WITH 'DELIBERATE INDIFFERENCE' TO CAMPUS PROTESTSMackenzie Forrest, an Orthodox Jewish student from Florida, claimed she was forced out of the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) program at the Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW), after she requested that she be allowed to attend classes remotely out of concern for her safety amid widespread antisemitic campus unrest following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.Forrest alleged that she attended the Columbia School of Social Work specifically because of her interest in the DBT program. However, when she informed the programs director, Andre Ivanoff, Ph.D., that she would not be able to engage in classroom activities that fall on the Jewish Sabbath shortly after she was accepted in Spring 2023, Ivanoff allegedly replied that that would be a "problem," court documents say.COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PUNISHES STUDENTS WHO TOOK OVER BUILDING DURING ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTSThe Jewish graduate student received further pushback regarding her religious practices when she informed Ivanoff that she would be unable to attend a weekend-long workshop on suicide risk assessment because it fell on Shabbos, also known as the Sabbath.Despite Forrest saying that she could attend the parts of the workshop that did not occur between Friday night to Saturday night, Ivanoff allegedly told her she would need a "dispensation" from her rabbi to attend the workshop. Eventually, Ivanoff decided he would assign her substitute coursework in lieu of the workshop when Forrest informed him he could not attend.Following the Oct. 7 attacks in 2023, Columbias campus exploded into a hotbed of antisemitism. In light of what the plaintiff claimed was widespread verbal abuse and a physical assault of a pro-Israel student who was allegedly beaten with what appeared to be a broom, Forrest requested that she be allowed to attend class remotely out of fear for her safety.Not only was the grad students request denied, but soon after she claimed she faced retaliation from the university. Despite being a straight-A student, Forrest was told she was at risk of failing the field-based internship portion of her curriculum, according to the claim. The Jewish student alleged that she had never previously been told she was under-performing by her academic advisor, whom she met with regularly.

USA Fencing's board of directors voted to amend its current policy that prioritized states with LGBTQ-friendly laws for host sites for competitions and a policy that prevented the playing of the national anthem at some events.The decision comes after months of criticism for punishing a woman fencer who refused to fence a trans opponent, which included scrutiny from federal lawmakers at a congressional hearing in early May.The changes were voted into effect at a board of directors meeting on Saturday.An official announcement states that USA Fencing "adopted a streamlined policy that applies criteria prioritizing cost, safety and convenience to every national-event bid across all 50 states." The new policy "ensures host cities meet stringent member-safety and cost-efficiency standards."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMMeanwhile, the board's new national anthem policy will go into effect at the 2025 Summer Nationals and will be reviewed annually by the tournament committee."On recommendation of the tournament committee, the board adopted a uniform national anthem policy governing all USA Fencing national events," the announcement said, adding that the new policy will "provide consistent, respectful minimum guidance for honoring the flag and anthem across nine annual tournaments."Back in December, the board held a vote to play the national anthem at the start of tournaments before "all NACs and National Championships," but it was voted against 8-2 with one abstention.The previous host site policy, which was announced in November 2022, gave preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to states without laws that "harm members of LGBTQ communities" and states that do not "have laws undermining the reproductive health of women."That policy went into effect in the 2023 season, the same year it changed its gender policy. It later released a list of states that it intended to "avoid where possible" and the states that it flat out would not allow hosting major events.The states on the "do not allow" list were Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.The states on its "avoid where possible" list included Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.The previous policy became one of the organization's biggest points of criticism after fencer Stephanie Turner ignited global backlash against the organization when she recorded a video of her kneeling in protest of a trans opponent during a competition in Maryland in late March.USA GYMNASTICS ASSESSING TRANSGENDER INCLUSION POLICYThe footage went viral amid news that Turner was disqualified from the event and dealt a black card for refusing to fence.The controversy was then the subject of a federal hearing on May 7. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee's "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Womens Sports" saw Turner testify against USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt.Lehfeldt took harsh criticism from Republican lawmakers for the organization's transgender inclusion and host site selection policies.DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called out the organization for its host city policy."In selecting sites for its national fencing events, for instance, the board policy is to avoid states whose laws and policies on LGBTQ rights and abortion it opposes. It uses Equality Maps to determine which states to blacklist from its competitions, and which to favor," Greene said."This ends up favoring a lot of blue states and harming a lot of red ones. So, it creates politically-determined winners and losers but it has absolutely nothing to do with fencing. And it contradicts USA Fencings statutory duty as an NGB to 'develop interest and participation throughout the United States' in fencing."USA Fencing also announced that it is preparing to change its current policy that allows trans athletes to compete in the women's category back in April."In the event that USA Fencing is forced to change its current stance in accordance with oversight bodies or federal legislation, the new policy states athletes competing in USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments must compete according to their biological sex," the announcement read.The proposed updated policy ensures that the women's category "will be open exclusively to athletes of the female sex." The men's category "will be open to all other athletes who are otherwise eligible for competition."Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.