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President Donald Trump's second-term agenda is hitting repeated roadblocks in Washington, D.C., federal court, where judges have halted major policies — fueling a growing clash over whether the judiciary is checking executive power or overstepping into it.

The rulings have halted key parts of Trump’s agenda on immigration, policing and federal authority, intensifying debate over whether courts are acting as a constitutional check or obstructing elected leadership.

Here are some of the biggest court clashes Trump is facing in D.C. federal court.

One of the biggest fights is also one of the earliest lawsuits filed against the Trump administration in D.C. federal court  — centered on the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, to deport certain migrants to El Salvador's CECOT prison.

Civil rights groups and immigration advocates have argued the Trump administration is stretching the law beyond its intended use case, including the three previous times it was used in U.S. history — most recently, during World War II. The Trump administration has defended the move as a lawful exercise of executive authority over national security and immigration enforcement.

The case quickly landed in D.C. federal court and has since moved up on appeal, with higher courts now weighing the scope of the president’s authority under the centuries-old statute. The outcome could have sweeping implications for how rarely used emergency powers are applied in modern immigration policy.

EX-JUDGES BLAST TOP TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR DECLARING ‘WAR’ ON COURTS
 

The scope of federal power over states and localities has also been tested. Courts have imposed limits on Trump’s efforts to assert control over National Guard units, raising federalism concerns about the balance between state and federal authority.

The standoff began in August 2025. Trump moved to expand federal control over policing in Washington, D.C., including deploying National Guard troops to respond to crime. 

A related lawsuit, District of Columbia v. Trump, challenges what city officials describe as an unprecedented federal intrusion into local policing. The case remains a key test of presidential authority over the nation’s capital.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a pair of appeals from the Trump administration seeking to immediately halt Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Haitian migrants. Haitians were first granted TPS status in 2010 after a devastating earthquake. Previously, a lower court judge in D.C., U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, had blocked the Trump administration from lifting the TPS designation.

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the high court to take up the broader issue of whether the Trump administration can revoke TPS protections for other migrants living in the U.S. — citing the Justice Department's appeal of a similar case centered on TPS protections for Syrian migrants that was kicked to the high court earlier this year.

"Unless the court resolves the merits of these challenges — issues that have now been ventilated in courts nationwide — this unsustainable cycle will repeat again and again, spawning more competing rulings and competing views of what to make of this court’s interim orders," Sauer said last week. "This court should break that cycle."

The appeal comes as the Trump administration has sought to wind down most TPS designations, arguing the programs have been extended for too long under Democratic presidents.

"Haiti’s TPS was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago," said then-spokesperson for DHS Tricia McLaughlin. "It was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that’s how previous administrations have used it for decades."

SCOTUS TO REVIEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

Early in the term, the administration’s effort to rapidly scale back the U.S. Agency for International Development was halted by a federal judge, who blocked mass leave orders and the dismantling of the agency’s workforce.

The Supreme Court eventually intervened in the case. Last March, the high court denied the Trump administration's request to block a lower court's order for the administration to pay nearly $2 billion in foreign aid money for previously completed projects, and leaving to the lower court judge the details of how those contracts should be paid out. That suit was eventually appealed to a higher court, where litigation remains pending.

BIDEN-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TRUMP'S 'THIRD COUNTRY' DEPORTATION POLICY IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

The independence of the Federal Reserve is also an issue before the courts.

Lawyers for the Trump administration asked U.S. District Judge James Boasberg earlier this month to reconsider an earlier order that quashed grand jury subpoenas of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, appearing to make good on a vow from U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro to appeal the order to a higher court.

In the Justice Department's motion for reconsideration that was submitted Monday, prosecutors argued that the court "applied an incorrect legal standard, erred with respect to certain facts, and overlooked other relevant facts." 

They argued that a subpoena should be allowed when there is even a "reasonable possibility" that the category of materials the government seeks will produce information "relevant to the general subject of the grand jury’s investigation," and even where a subpoena recipient "proposes a plausible theory of an ulterior motive."

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a separate case, Trump v. Cook, earlier this year. That case centered on whether Trump has the power to fire Lisa Cook from the Fed's board of governors — without notice and largely without the ability for courts to challenge the "for cause" provision underpinning her removal.

Cook remains in her position for now, following an order from U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb. 

Meanwhile, White House officials have railed against the "activist" judges who they have accused of overstepping their agenda or acting with a political agenda to halt or pause Trump's policies from taking force.  

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While Republican senators, like Texas' Ted Cruz and Florida's Rick Scott, were quick to condemn the policies that kept the illegal immigrant killer of 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman from being deported, Democratic senators dodged questions on whether Gorman's killer should have previously been deported prior to this month's murder.

Gorman, who was a student at Loyola University of Chicago at the time of her death, was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, Jose Medina, 25. Medina was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, but was subsequently released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to Trump's Department of Homeland Security. 

A short time later, Medina was arrested for shoplifting in Chicago, but was again released on June 19, 2023, DHS said. A judge put a warrant out on Medina after he failed to appear in court for his shoplifting charge, which was still active at the time of Gorman's killing, according to the Chicago Sun Times. 

"Shoplifting in and of itself is not a violent crime. It's not an indicator of a person that's leaning toward violent crime," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., when asked about Medina's case and whether he should've been deported prior to Gorman's murder. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF KILLING CHICAGO COLLEGE STUDENT TO FACE COURT AFTER TUBERCULOSIS DELAY

"You're asking me to speculate on a bunch of things and I can't answer that," said Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., when asked if Gorman's killer, and other illegal immigrant murderers who had significant criminal records at the time of their arrests, should have been deported before people got hurt. "I don't know the cases. I trust our justice system to do the right thing and hold people accountable."

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., responded that the Trump administration's broad deportation crackdowns have prevented federal law enforcement from targeting genuinely dangerous people, an argument pushed by other top Democrats in Congress. "I think that if Trump cleared out Chicago and if ICE did their job, he wouldn't be here, right?" Duckworth said as she got onto an elevator on Capitol Hill. "But they deported people who are not… [unintelligible]."

Meanwhile, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., offered a more judicious response, but also suggested the style by which the Trump administration is deporting people is problematic. 

"Do I think violent criminals should be deported? Yes," Slotkin said, adding it is an "easy" call to deport someone who has been "accused and properly prosecuted." But, Slotkin added, "Innocent civilians who are protesting their government and using their freedom of speech should not be fingered and booted out." 

Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital did quickly agree that violent criminals who entered and are residing in the country unlawfully should be deported.

SHERIDAN GORMAN'S UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER TOUTS ICE TRACKER AFTER FRESHMAN ALLEGEDLY MURDERED BY ILLEGAL ALIEN

"Anybody who violates, or creates crime in this country – particularly kills somebody – should not only be held accountable in the United States, but, yes, there should be immigration enforcement against that individual," Cortez-Masto said. 

"Every community deserves to feel safe, and I think people who commit violent crimes should not be allowed to either be in our country, or to be among our communities," added Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md. 

Durbin, meanwhile, qualified his comments about Medina's shoplifting charge by admitting "We ought to do a careful examination of people coming into this country and those who want to stay in this country," adding that, "If they are dangerous to the community, they need to be denied entry or taken out of the country later."

But Republican Senators Cruz and Scott were quick to bash Democrats for allegedly caring more about illegal immigrants than American citizens.

"It's tragic and it was avoidable," Cruz said when approached about Gorman's death and Medina not being deported. "The Democrats are so radical they prioritize illegal immigrants over American citizens."

"It's disgusting that these people say, ‘Oh, they act like they care about Americans.’ But then you look at their actions – they care about people who are here violently hurting Americans," Scott complained.

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You already know about speed cameras. Red light cameras. Toll cameras that photograph your plate and bill you later.

Now meet their cousin. Noise cameras are the newest automated enforcement technology spreading through American cities. A pole-mounted device contains sensitive microphones paired with a license plate camera.

IF SOMEONE GETS INTO YOUR EMAIL, THEY OWN EVERY ACCOUNT YOU HAVE. THESE 3 MOVES LOCK THEM OUT FOR GOOD

Your car drives past. If your exhaust tips over the legal decibel limit, a ticket arrives in your mailbox days later. No warning. No officer pulling you over. No flashing lights in your rearview mirror. Just a microphone that never blinks, never takes a break and never misses a shift.

New York City has been running these since 2021. The cameras have issued more than 1,600 violations and collected nearly $2 million in fines. Get caught once, and you're looking at $800. Get caught repeatedly, and the fine climbs to $2,500.

Newport, Rhode Island, put two cameras on scenic Ocean Avenue. Within days, a Mustang GT got nailed at 85 decibels. Two decibels over the limit. $250 fine. Providence approved $180,000 to add cameras in 2026. Connecticut passed statewide legislation.

California has six cities running a five-year pilot program with fines up to $1,105. Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, Sacramento and Washington, D.C., are all deploying or testing. Colorado, New Jersey and Hawaii have introduced similar legislation. This is not a local story anymore. It's a national one moving fast, and most drivers have absolutely no idea it's coming for them.

5 SIMPLE TECH TIPS TO TAKE BACK CONTROL OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

Here's how the technology actually works. 

The microphone detects sound above the legal threshold, typically between 75 and 95 decibels depending on the city. To put that in plain English, a normal conversation runs about 60 decibels. A lawnmower hits around 90. Most cities are drawing the line somewhere in between. The camera cross-references the sound spike with the exact moment a vehicle passes, photographs the plate, and generates the ticket automatically. No officer involved. No human review in most cases. Just math, a microphone and a camera pointed at your plate.

When I'm in my Porsche and flip into manual mode, rowing through the gears with that beautiful exhaust note singing, I'm not doing the math on that out loud. Let's just say I'm watching the camera location maps very carefully. You probably should too.

Here's what should concern drivers with completely stock vehicles. That Mustang GT wasn't a tuned track car. It's a car you buy at a dealership. Two decibels over the limit. $250 gone. Motorcycles are even more exposed. A stock Harley-Davidson idles around 75 decibels and can hit 90 under acceleration. Well inside the danger zone in several cities already running cameras. You don't need a modified exhaust to get a ticket. You just need bad timing.

AI is being used to pinpoint which specific vehicle in a group triggered the alert. Not just the loudest car in the frame. Your car. The tech is getting smarter every single month.

DRONE FOOD DELIVERY LAUNCHES IN NEW JERSEY

There are two valid sides here.

If someone with a straight-pipe exhaust does a flyby past your bedroom at midnight, you're probably delighted they got caught. Noise pollution is a real health issue linked to sleep disorders, elevated blood pressure and anxiety. Cities have tried everything and nothing worked at scale until now.

But this is also another layer of always-on surveillance that never forgets and never gives you the benefit of the doubt. Critics have raised legitimate questions about whether cameras get placed disproportionately in lower-income neighborhoods, turning a public health tool into a revenue machine aimed at the wrong zip codes. Fair questions worth asking out loud.

These cameras are spreading faster than most drivers realize. Search your city name plus "noise camera ordinance" to find the exact decibel limits where you live. Know the number before the camera does.

Send this to someone who is a car enthusiast, a motorcycle rider or anyone with a loud vehicle. Forward this before they find out the hard way. Consider it your good deed for the week.

Copyright 2026, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.

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FIRST ON FOX  — Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are receiving their third paycheck of zero dollars on Friday as the DHS shutdown drags on — with President Donald Trump saying late Thursday he would sign an executive order to "immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation" and "quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports."

TSA exclusively shared with Fox News Digital stories of officers stationed at various airports across the nation who have been experiencing great personal hardship as a result of the shutdown and its consequences, with names omitted for privacy reasons.

One officer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia had his dream of owning a home abruptly shattered — forcing him to make life-altering decisions.

AIR TRAVELERS ARE HACKING TSA LINES DURING HOURS-LONG MAJOR AIRPORT WAITS

His bank denied him a loan for a home in Georgia due to his current inability to make rent payments.

The officer now has to move nearly 1,000 miles to go live with family in New York.

Here are other stories. 

Yet another TSA officer, this one working at Tulsa International Airport in Oklahoma, suffered a devastating house fire last week on top of the challenges of receiving no pay.

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As a result, she lost her home, her belongings, her car and a beloved pet. 

She and her family now have to rebuild their lives without knowing when she'll be paid. 

Another TSA officer had uprooted her life to move to New York to work at Albany International Airport.

Now, due to the back-to-back shutdowns and her lack of steady pay, her credit score has dropped from 800 to 500.

To survive, she moved into a camper, the agency reported. The electricity in the camper has since gone out — and she can’t afford to have it fixed.

At the beginning of the month, powerful storms ripped through Michigan, with tornadoes reducing some homes to rubble and causing widespread damage in the Great Lake State.

Multiple TSA officers working at Detroit Metropolitan Airport were left with damaged homes and vehicles. Today, these officers cannot afford to fix them, the TSA told Fox News Digital. 

A TSA agent working at Portland International Airport in Oregon is the sole caregiver for his mother. He also supports his brother.

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Now, his mother has been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer and his brother has suffered a severe leg infection — putting him out of work.

The TSA officer is responsible for these family members' medical expenses.

A TSA agent at Bismarck Airport in North Dakota has worked there for nearly 10 years — enduring multiple government shutdowns.

She has had to make the tough choice now of leaving the job she loves after realizing she can't even afford to buy Easter baskets for her children this year.

Since the start of this partial government shutdown, more than 480 TSA officers have been forced to quit their jobs. 

"I can tell you right now that the reverberations that will be felt from this will be long-standing," TSA Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl told Fox News Digital this week.  

"They will continue for days [even] after we get a re-appropriation and funding, particularly for the TSA."

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"We are already taking proactive measures to make sure that we're going to get our people paid as quickly as possible," he added.

Fox News Digital's Preston Mizell contributed reporting. 

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in France on Friday to attend the G7 foreign ministers meeting where he will deliver a clear message on U.S. priorities for the ongoing war with Iran.

In the days leading up to the meeting, other members have taken markedly different approaches to the war. Nearly all of Washington’s partners — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — have reacted cautiously to the U.S.-Israeli military campaign and declined to participate in offensive operations, even as they condemn Iranian actions.

Before departing on Thursday, Rubio signaled a defiant approach to the talks: "I don’t work for France or Germany or Japan… the people I’m interested in making happy are the people of the United States. I work for them," he said in a video posted on X.

The divergence has drawn frustration from President Donald Trump, who has pressed allies to contribute more, particularly in securing key maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. While some countries have signaled a willingness to support defensive or maritime security efforts, they have stopped short of joining direct military strikes.

TRUMP PRESSES NATO PARTNERS ON SUPPORT AS HEGSETH BLASTS HESITATION

"The U.S. is constantly asked to help in wars and we have. But when we had a need, it didn’t get positive responses from NATO. A couple leaders said that Iran was not Europe’s war. Well, Ukraine isn’t our war, yet we’ve contributed more to that fight than anyone," Rubio added.

"The Strait of Hormuz could be open tomorrow if Iran stops threatening global shipping, which is an outrage and a violation of international law. For all these countries that care about international law, they should be doing something about it," he said before boarding his plane to France.

The remarks set the tone for a summit already marked by growing friction between Washington and some of its closest allies over how to handle the Iran conflict. Rubio has framed the stakes in stark terms. "Iran has been at war with the United States for 47 years… Iran has been killing Americans and attacking Americans across this planet," he said during a White House cabinet meeting, adding that allowing Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons would be "an unacceptable risk for the world."

But even before Rubio arrived at the meeting, European officials were signaling a markedly different approach.

"We need to exit from the war, not escalate this further, because the consequences for everybody around the world are quite severe," Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas said during a briefing on the sidelines of the G7 on Thursday.

JACK KEANE CALLS OUT NATO'S WEAKNESS AS SHIPPING CRISIS GRIPS STRAIT OF HORMUZ

"It can only be a diplomatic solution… sit down and negotiate to have a way out," she added.

The contrast between Rubio’s framing and Kallas’s message captures the core tension shaping the meeting.

U.S. officials say Rubio is heading into the talks with a broader agenda that goes beyond Iran.

According to a State Department spokesperson, who spoke to Fox News Digital on background, Rubio will use the meeting to "advance key U.S. interests" and push discussions on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as "international burden sharing" and the overall effectiveness of the G7.

The U.S. is also expected to emphasize maritime security, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, while urging allies to take on a greater share of responsibilities in conflict zones and international organizations, the spokesperson said.

RUBIO, RATCLIFFE TO DELIVER CLASSIFIED IRAN BRIEFING TO 'GANG OF EIGHT' AHEAD OF TRUMP'S STATE OF THE UNION

European officials have instead emphasized the broader risks of the conflict.

France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said discussions at the G7 would build on a recent joint statement condemning Iran’s actions while also addressing maritime security concerns.

He said the "discussions will provide an opportunity to revisit positions already agreed at the G7 level… including the unjustifiable attacks carried out by Iran against Gulf countries… which we condemned in the strongest possible terms."

Barrot added that ministers would also focus on securing global shipping routes.

"We will also have the opportunity to address maritime security and freedom of navigation… including an international mission… to ensure the smooth flow of maritime traffic in a strictly defensive posture, thereby helping to ease pressure on energy prices," he said.

Kallas echoed that global framing. "All the countries in the world are one way or another affected by this war… it is in the interest of everybody that this war stops," she said.

IRAN SIGNALS NUCLEAR PROGRESS IN GENEVA AS TRUMP CALLS FOR FULL DISMANTLEMENT

Her remarks also pointed to the interconnected nature of the crisis. "Russia is helping Iran with intelligence… and also supporting Iran now with drones," she said, linking the Iran conflict to the war in Ukraine.

That uncertainty is already affecting the structure of the summit, with officials dropping plans for a unified final communiqué to avoid exposing divisions, Reuters reported.

Analysts say those differences reflect deeper structural tensions in the alliance. "Europe has criticized Donald Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ strategy towards Iran while pursuing a failed diplomatic approach that has enabled the regime to expand its terrorist networks and edge closer to nuclear threshold status," Barak Seener, senior research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

"This reflects a lack of European capability to project power in the region, particularly in safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz."

Seener added that years of reliance on Washington have left Europe increasingly exposed as the U.S. shifts its strategic priorities. "Years of underinvestment in defense and reliance on the United States have created a dependency that Washington increasingly views as a betrayal of the peace it has guaranteed Europe since the Second World War," he said.

"With the U.S. placing greater value on its relationship with Israel than NATO, the result may be further erosion of the alliance, reduced support for Ukraine and rising economic pressure on Europe."

He warned that the immediate test will come at the G7 itself. "Divisions over how to respond to Iran and to any U.S. request for support are likely to expose a deeper transatlantic split," Seener said.

"Operation Epic Fury has showcased President Trump’s ability to assemble a coalition of allies to eliminate a common threat — in this case the Iranian regime — and stabilize international trade," Jacob Olidort, chief research officer and director of American security at the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital.

"The failure of Western Europe to participate in securing the Strait of Hormuz is particularly egregious because those countries depend on it more than we do," he added.

"At the same time, the historic successes of Operation Epic Fury have awakened a new confidence in our Middle East partners to eradicate the threats from the Iranian regime and to work together to shape a more peaceful and prosperous region."

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The United States has allies in this battle with Iran, though you’d be hard-pressed to prove it from coverage in mainstream media. Israel has lost 18 of its citizens, our Gulf allies at least 20. America has seen 13 of its soldiers and airmen killed in the theater. 

When allies fight beside you and absorb the blows that the enemy wishes it could rain down on our country, we in America ought to at least bring their stories forward. Israel especially has been at war with Iran since its proxy Hamas launched the attack on October 7, 2023, with its invasion of Israel and the massacre that followed. Israel is now fighting alongside our forces in the skies above Iran (and perhaps on the ground with Special Forces and secret services!?) as well as waging a fierce battle in southern Lebanon after another Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, renewed its attacks on northern Israel.

Israeli journalists and analysts are many and excellent. On X you can follow former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. @DrMichaelOren, and from the next generation @havivrettiggur, @Nadav_Eyal and @AmitSegal. Amit and Nadav both have free newsletters. Podcaster Dan Senor hosts Nadav and Amit appear weekly on his "Insider" edition of the "Call Me Back" podcast.

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As our ally, Israel has been at war since that massacre of 10/7, and their extraordinary contribution to this battle — which for them has two fronts and incoming missiles many times a day — is hard to describe. But Americans ought to at least be aware of what the war looks like from their point of view (and from that of our Gulf allies though I know next to nothing about which accounts to follow there.)

An ally like Israel is an immeasurable boon. Fox News often has Trey Yingst reporting from there and Lucas Tomlinson roaming around the Gulf. I can’t judge the other networks because I don’t watch them, but the online platforms provide a story or two or three a day, and much of it is outright defeatist or at least demoralizing, even though the dominance of the U.S. and Israeli militaries over the shattered Iranian forces is unquestionable.  

When the war concludes, there will be enough time to review in depth what was not covered or how the deep bias against President Trump and/or Prime Minister Netanyahu in mainstream news organizations impacted war coverage, but denying that bias is like denying that a war is going on. 

Right now, however, the American and Israeli militaries are methodically smashing the military the Iranian radical regime has built up over 47 years. If it was a boxing match, the referee would stop the fight. But it’s war and the target list is long.

WHY TRUMP IS DENOUNCING THE MEDIA’S IRAN WAR COVERAGE AS TOO NEGATIVE – BOOSTED BY RHETORICAL FCC BACKING

U.S. Central Command and the Israeli Defense Forces both operate excellent X accounts and President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have been frequently available to the public. President Trump has probably set a record for questions asked and answered in the first three weeks of any major military action. There is simply no reason for anyone to complain about a lack of information about the war.

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It is also not hard to find out what our ally is doing and the burden they are bearing. The tiny slice of America that hates Israel as a result of dark and ancient impulses (or lucre) doesn’t amount to many, though they are noisy. Ordinary Americans ought to know what our allies, especially Israel, are doing. It’s not hard to find out. Good guests from across the Israeli political spectrum are not hard to find. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran is the equal of any malign nation over the past half century. Its hatred of the U.S. and the West generally is unsurpassed, and they have never kept that hatred a secret. Its complete defeat would be an enormous boon to the world and the Iranian people.

Need proof? Read last year’s excellent book by Vali Nasr, the Majid Khaddouri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C.: "Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History." 

This battle is the story of this decade, and its outcome one of those very few-and-far between hinge points of history which are obvious as they occur, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall. That the coverage of the war and our allies in it take a back seat to, well, anything else at all is astonishing.  

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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The fog of war usually refers to maddening confusion about what is happening on the battlefield.

But right now we have the fog of peace talks: Are they real, are they going anywhere, and which side is telling the truth?

It’s clear that President Trump, insisting he can end the war with Iran whenever he wants, is looking for an exit ramp to declare victory and get out.

WINNING THE BATTLES, LOSING THE WAR? AMERICA MUST DEFINE THE ENDGAME IN IRAN

It’s just as clear that the theocratic dictatorship–at least the leaders who survived the attacks that killed the ayatollah and many others–are digging in their heels. They will claim victory just for surviving the military onslaught that has decimated their navy and air force.

When Trump said there were back-channel talks–granting a five-day delay on threats to obliterate its energy facilities–the Iranians flatly denied it. Some prominent pundits doubted Trump. But then Tehran said yeah, well, there have been some secret contacts.

Now we have starkly different accounts of what’s going down.

Trump says the talks have been "very good." The other day, in fact, he depicted the mullahs as making a major concession.

The Iranians have given the U.S. "a very big present, worth a tremendous amount of money," Trump said. He was cagey about it, but revealed under questioning by CBS’s Ed O’Keefe that it involved the flow of oil and the Strait of Hormuz.

At the same time, Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari taunted the administration in a video: "Has the level of your internal conflict reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?"

"Do not call your defeat an agreement," he said.

And for good measure: "Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you. Not now, not ever."

TRUMP SAYS US, ISRAEL SHATTERED IRANIAN MILITARY CAPABILITIES, PRESSES LEADERS TO SURRENDER: 'CRY UNCLE'

Now some of this is undoubtedly done for domestic consumption. But the two sides sound like they couldn’t be farther apart.

The president has delivered a flurry of mixed messages on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passageway where an Iranian blockade has choked off one-fifth of the world’s oil traffic. He has said that the situation will work itself out. He has said our European allies (who refused to join our effort to intervene) should resolve this since the U.S. doesn’t rely on the strait. And he has also said that opening Hormuz is a top American priority.

Iran, which has sprinkled the strait with mines, told the U.N. that the waterway is open to any country not backing the U.S. and Israeli attacks. But other nations, and their insurance companies, are reluctant to send billion-dollar tankers into such troubled waters.

The impasse is hurting the president here at home, where soaring oil costs have boosted gas prices and tanked the stock market, shrinking the value of all those 401Ks. When Trump announced the bombing pause Monday, the market snapped back for a day. If there’s one thing Wall Street hates, it’s uncertainty.

Despite signaling that the war is practically over because "we’ve won," Trump just dispatched at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne to the Middle East, along with the USS Tripoli, carrying 2,200 Marines.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been playing the bad cop, vowing if there’s no deal "to destroy the enemy as viciously as possible."

What’s equally unclear is who we’re talking to, with Pakistan playing the intermediary role. Trump has talked about regime change, though there seems no chance of that, and there’s chatter about doing business with the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, a former Revolutionary Guard commander who at times has taken a diplomatic approach with the West. 

But with so many leaders killed and Ayatollah Khamenei’s son in hiding, no one knows how much influence Ghalibaf, a failed presidential candidate, still has.

Just yesterday, Ghalibaf, invoking the Israeli prime minister, warned the administration against sacrificing American soldiers for "Netanyahu’s delusions," according to al-Jazeera. That hardly sounds conciliatory.

What’s more, the Iranians are famously difficult to negotiate with, going back on promises and moving the goalposts. Just ask Jimmy Carter.

Trump tore up the Obama administration’s nuke deal with the Iranians when he first took office, and now says he wants an agreement in which they renounce the pursuit of nuclear weapons. That is extremely unlikely, although the U.S. attacks last June and this month have obviously crippled their efforts.

My sense is that Trump doesn’t want to bomb Iran’s oil and gas facilities, which would clearly extend the war and widen a conflict that has already spread to the surrounding Arab countries. Nor does he want to be seen as backing down. No wonder he’s postponed a showdown.

WHO ACTUALLY RUNS IRAN RIGHT NOW? THE KEY POWER PLAYERS AS TRUMP CLAIMS TALKS TO 'TOP' OFFICIAL

"President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday.

The Iranians don’t want a temporary pause in the war, unnamed officials told the New York Times, out of concern that the U.S. and Israel would use the time to rebuild their forces for further airstrikes.

Iran’s only real weapon right now is drones, a few of which have caused damage in Israel, while others are aimed at U.S. military bases in the region. One drone sparked a huge fire at the Kuwaiti airport.

A report by the state broadcaster, Press TV, confirms that Iran won’t accept the U.S. proposal for a cease-fire. In its counter-offer, the dictatorship would also keep sole control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Among other demands, according to Press TV: Guarantees that the attacks on Iran won’t be started up again, and the payment of war damages and reparations. Iran wants any deal extended to Hezbollah, its Lebanese proxy, which fired rockets at Israel when the war began, triggering an invasion of southern Lebanon.

Another state media outlet, Fars News Agency, quoted a source as saying of a cease-fire: "It is not logical to enter into such a process with those who violate the agreement."

The president has lashed out at the media for painting a relentlessly negative picture of a war that has largely been an American triumph. But it turns out that covering the endgame — if that’s what this is — is equally challenging.

At the moment, it looks like Trump wants a deal more than Iran, given the war’s unpopularity at home and its damage to the economy. For an America First candidate who ran against foreign wars, the prospect of a long, Iraq-style quagmire would be the worst possible outcome.

"Is the U.S. Repeating the Mistakes That Led to Forever Wars?" the Wall Street Journal asked yesterday.

But the coverage of the latest rhetorical sniping accurately reflects the vagueness of a process that may not deserve to be called negotiations.

It is, above all, a blinding fog.   

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