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Trick Williams has been one of WWE’s biggest rising stars since he was elevated to the main roster earlier this year.

Williams’ presentation – from his mink coat to his "lemon-pepper steppers" to his entrance music – has been able to capture pro wrestling fans’ attention for all the right reasons. He was able to earn his way into the United States Championship picture and will be going up against Sami Zayn for the title at WrestleMania 42 on Sunday.

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It will be Williams’ debut at WrestleMania, but he’s feeling at ease going into the match.

"I’m feeling good man, I’m on cloud nine," he told Fox News Digital. "My family is coming to see me at my first WrestleMania. I’m facing Sami Zayn – the ‘gingerbread man.’

"It’s personal. No disrespect to Sami Zayn, a lotta disrespect, but no disrespect because he’s great in his own right. He’s definitely a future Hall of Famer, multiple championship runs and everything like that. But on Sunday night, Night 2, all that goes out the window. It’s Trick Willy time."

WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS 'CURSE' ISN'T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME

Williams said that his quick trajectory on the SmackDown roster and his appetite to be the best is why he has the edge going into the match.

"I’m hungry," he said. "I haven’t been here before. Sami’s done this for a very, very long time. He still has things he wants to accomplish. But look, I’m hungrier than ever. I’ve fought my way to get into this position.

"They’re saying, ‘Oh this is a five-year thing for Trick, he ain’t that experienced.’ No, this is a 31-year thing. I’ve been training my whole life for this moment right here, for everybody to see on Sunday night. He doesn’t want it the way I want it. Everybody’s gonna see that."

Zayn is one of the best pro wrestlers in the industry. While the crowd has turned on him in recent weeks, Zayn may be the favorite going into the match because he’s a veteran in the game.

WrestleMania Night 2 is set for Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium at 6 p.m. ET.

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If you read "Everything Will Be Okay" and felt inspired and reassured, read "Purple State."

Over the years, I’ve been driven to write my mentoring books because I wanted all of my best advice to be in one place. As I set out to draft my new novel, "Purple State," I wanted to help my characters — three women: Dot, Mary and Harper — live out those lessons in the story. They confront and address their quarter-life crises in a way that has the potential to set them up for career success and personal fulfillment.

In my nonfiction books, I talked about living with principles that make decision-making easier. And now in "Purple State," I show what it costs to live by those principles — to have them tested, and to live with the consequences of your decisions.

That’s how I’ve bridged the two books.

DANA PERINO: 'EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY' -- WHAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH TODAY'S YOUNG WOMEN

"Everything Will Be Okay" made it plain that life isn’t easy. It basically said, yes, there’s uncertainty in life, and you can manage that by being more resilient and trusting yourself — sticking to your values even when the path ahead isn’t clear. Especially then! It was a guidebook for navigating chaos with grace.

And that’s where I began with "Purple State." The story takes place over a single year. Dot, Mary and Harper are each at a quarter-life crossroads. They have great ambition, but they’re being bruised by experience. They’re trying to reconcile what they thought they would be doing at this point in their lives with the lives that they’re actually living.

When given a chance to shake things up, Dot leaves behind the certainty of New York for a relationship and a career change she can’t fully control. Mary, grounded and pragmatic, must confront the limits of playing it safe. Harper, sharp but lacking confidence, discovers that independence without vulnerability can become its own kind of isolation.

Does that sound like you — or someone you know and love? That’s because I didn’t pull their problems out of thin air. These are the challenges I see young people dealing with all the time. And because I dealt with them myself. If there’s one thing you learn from both books, it’s that you aren’t alone in feeling this way. That you can find a way to navigate the daily back-and-forth between fear and faith, control and surrender, and ambition and connection.

Another truism of both books is that character matters more than circumstance. Who are you when no one is looking? "Purple State" takes that idea and tests it as the three friends figure out how to live for a year away from Manhattan while they’re in Wisconsin.

They’re deeply involved in a political campaign, and they all end up testing the limits of what is too confining, too comfortable and too far outside their plans. Along the way, they learn that love requires risk — just like their careers. And perhaps the safe choice isn’t the right one.

DANA PERINO’S MUST-READ BOOKS OF THE YEAR

The answer unfolds not in sweeping declarations, but in small, consequential decisions — the kind that shape a life more than any single dramatic moment ever could.

And at the center of it all is a simple but profound conclusion: love wins — if you let it.

"Everything Will Be Okay" teaches the power of staying grounded, showing up for your friends and protecting your integrity. Dot, Mary and Harper learn the same lessons.

In a cultural moment that often rewards cynicism and division, "Purple State" offers something both refreshing and necessary: the idea that we are not as far apart as we think, and that the most important decisions we make are not political, but personal. Who do we trust? Who do we stand by? Who do we choose to love?

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The setting — Wisconsin, a true "purple state" — is as symbolic as it is geographic. It reflects the emotional and ideological middle ground where most people live, even if the loudest voices suggest otherwise. It’s in that space that compromise, understanding and, ultimately, connection become possible.

For readers who appreciated the optimism of "Everything Will Be Okay," "Purple State" offers a deeper, richer experience. It doesn’t just tell you what matters — it lets you feel it.

Make good decisions in your life. And then you’ll see — everything truly will be okay.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM DANA PERINO

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A life jacket worn by a Titanic survivor sold for more than $900,000 at auction Saturday, far exceeding expectations and highlighting the enduring fascination with the doomed ship.

The flotation device — believed to be one of only a handful of Titanic life jackets still in existence — was used by first-class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli during the ship’s 1912 sinking and was the only one of its kind ever offered at auction.

It sold for 670,000 pounds, or roughly $906,000, including fees, at Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneers in Devizes, England, to an unidentified telephone bidder.

The final price far surpassed its estimated range of about $339,000 to $475,000.

DEEP-SEA TREASURE HUNTER FREED AFTER DECADE BEHIND BARS FOR REFUSING TO REVEAL GOLD LOCATION

Other items sold at the auction included a seat cushion from a Titanic lifeboat, which fetched about $527,000 and was purchased by the owners of Titanic museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri.

"These record-breaking prices illustrate the continuing interest in the Titanic story, and the respect for the passengers and crew whose stories are immortalized by these items of memorabilia," auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said.

Francatelli wore the life jacket as she boarded Lifeboat No. 1 with 11 others after the Titanic — described at the time as "practically unsinkable" — struck an iceberg just before midnight on April 14, 1912, off Newfoundland during its maiden voyage from England to New York.

NONPROFIT USES UNDERWATER TECHNOLOGY TO SEARCH FOR MISSING SERVICE MEMBERS

She and seven other survivors from the same lifeboat later signed the item.

Francatelli, then 22, had boarded the Titanic in France while working as a secretary to fashion designer Lady Lucy Duff Gordon and her husband, Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon.

She later recalled being helped into a life preserver and directed to the deck as lifeboats were lowered. Lifeboat No. 1, which had a capacity of 40, became controversial for failing to return to pick up additional survivors from the freezing Atlantic waters.

WORLD'S LARGEST MEDIEVAL CARGO SHIP EMERGES FROM ITS UNDERWATER GRAVE OFF ONE COUNTRY'S COAST

The cream-colored life jacket, made of canvas with cork-filled sections, has been displayed at museums in the United States and Europe.

While the item fetched a high price, it fell short of the record for Titanic memorabilia. In 2024, a gold pocket watch given to the captain of the RMS Carpathia — the ship that rescued more than 700 survivors — sold for 1.56 million pounds, or nearly $2 million at the time.

Saturday’s auction took place 114 years after the Carpathia arrived in New York with Titanic survivors on April 18, 1912.

Fox News Digital's Kelly McGreal and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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President Donald Trump publicly thanked what he called Pakistan’s "great prime minister and field marshal, two fantastic people!!!" in a Truth Social post Friday praising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir.

Sharif quickly responded on X, "On behalf of the people of Pakistan, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and on my behalf, I express my deep and profound appreciation for your kind and gracious words."

The public exchange capped a remarkable rise for Munir, who has become one of the few foreign officials trusted both by Trump and by Iran’s security establishment.

TRUMP AGREES TO 2-WEEK CEASEFIRE IF IRAN OPENS STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Munir recently became the first foreign military leader to visit Iran since the latest escalation between the United States and Iran, according to Pakistani and Iranian reports. Arriving in full military uniform, he was warmly greeted by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and held meetings with senior Iranian military officials.

Retired Pakistani Gen. Ahmed Saeed told Fox News Digital that Munir has for months served as an informal back channel between Washington and Tehran, Iran, as the Trump administration tries to negotiate an end to the conflict, Iran’s nuclear program and the naval blockade in the Persian Gulf.

Few foreign figures appear to have closer ties both to Trump and to Iran’s military hierarchy.

That has raised a striking question: How did the same man become close both to Trump and to some of Iran’s most powerful commanders?

Saeed, who said he has known Munir personally for years, told Fox News Digital that Munir began building ties with Iran while serving as Pakistan’s director general of military intelligence in 2016 and 2017.

"He has been interacting with the leadership. He has been interacting with the intelligence community. He has been interacting with the IRGC," or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saeed said.

According to Saeed, Munir built ties not only with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps but also with Iran’s regular army and intelligence apparatus. Saeed said Munir had longstanding contact with former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. strike in 2020, commander Hossein Salami, who was killed in an Israeli strike in June 2025, and other Iranian military figures.

JD VANCE SAYS THE BALL IS 'IN IRAN’S COURT' AFTER PAKISTAN PEACE TALKS STALL

"He continues to be a figure internationally who has personal interactions, a personal equation in the intelligence community in Iran, in the military hierarchy in Iran, in the diplomatic corps of Iran and also on the side of the political leadership," Saeed said.

That longstanding relationship appears to explain why Iran welcomed him so warmly, even as he remains in direct contact with Trump and his team.

Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Bill Roggio told Fox News Digital that, "Trump should not trust the Pakistanis. Pakistan was a perfidious ‘ally’ in Afghanistan, backing the Taliban while pretending to be our friends. Munir’s ties to the IRGC should be a massive red flag for the Trump admin."

Munir’s relationship with Trump dates back to the India–Pakistan crisis of May 2025. Munir played a key role in helping de-escalate the confrontation, and afterward Pakistan formally nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a move widely viewed by Pakistani analysts as encouraged by Munir.

Since then, Trump repeatedly has praised him. Trump has called Munir an "exceptional man," a "great fighter" and "my favorite field marshal." 

Pakistani officials and media reports say the two men now speak directly.

Pakistani analyst Raza Rumi told Fox News Digital that Munir’s appeal to Trump is not surprising.

"Trump has long shown a preference for strong, decisive leaders," Rumi said. "Munir fits that mold as a centralized authority figure who can deliver outcomes."

WHY TRUMP, IRAN SEEM LIGHT-YEARS APART ON ANY POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR

Rumi described Munir as "a disciplined, institution-first leader with a strong emphasis on order, hierarchy and strategic clarity."

"Unlike more publicly charismatic military figures, his style is relatively understated, shaped by intelligence work and operational experience rather than overt political signaling," Rumi said.

Munir’s background helps explain both his style and his influence.

Munir studied at the Fuji School in Japan, the Command and Staff College in Quetta, the Malaysian Armed Forces College in Kuala Lumpur, and Pakistan’s National Defence University, where he earned an master of philosophy degree n public policy and strategic security management, according to Pakistan’s Geo News. Munir was the first army chief in Pakistan to receive the Sword of Honour, the military’s highest distinction for a cadet. The outlet also described him as an avid reader, traveler and sportsman.

Munir is also a Hafiz-e-Quran, meaning he has memorized the entire Quran by heart.

A former head of both Pakistan’s Military Intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence agencies, Munir spent years overseeing Pakistan’s most sensitive regional relationships, including with Iran, Afghanistan and India.

TRUMP AGREES TO 2-WEEK CEASEFIRE IF IRAN OPENS STRAIT OF HORMUZ

In 2025, after the India-Pakistan crisis, he was elevated to field marshal, the first Pakistani officer to hold the rank since former military ruler Ayub Khan.

Pakistani officials say that later that year, he also was given the newly created title of chief of defense forces, further cementing his authority above the country’s military branches.

Munir rarely gives interviews, but his speeches offer clues to his worldview.

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

At the Margalla Dialogue in Islamabad in November 2024, he warned that "absence of proper regulations for freedom of expression is leading to the deterioration of moral values in societies worldwide."

The remark reflected a broader emphasis on order, discipline and centralized authority.

Rumi said Munir operates from "a transactional, state-centric worldview rather than an ideological one."

Yet critics argue that his rise has come at a cost to Pakistan’s democracy.

After becoming army chief in 2022, Munir focused heavily on domestic politics, including what critics described as a crackdown on political opposition and an unprecedented concentration of military power, according to The Guardian, which reported that key negotiations with the United States and Iran have been coordinated not from Islamabad, Pakistan’s civilian capital, but from Rawalpindi, the headquarters of the military.

Critics say that reflects a broader reality: Pakistan’s foreign policy is increasingly being run by the army rather than the elected government.

Rumi said Munir’s rise reflects "the military increasingly eclipsing civilian leadership in Pakistan."

As the current negotiations continue, much appears to rest on Munir. Saeed said that is because Munir has spent years building trust on both sides and is unlikely to stop now.

"Knowing our field marshal, and from my own personal knowledge of him, he is relentless. He would not give up," Saeed said.

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A former lead hostage negotiator under the first Trump and Biden administrations warned that the Iranians are tougher negotiators than the Russians, Chinese and even the Taliban, noting that several Americans are still wrongfully detained in Iran and should be included in any peace talks. 

Roger Carstens, the U.S. former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, said in an interview with Fox News that six American citizens are being held captive in Iranian prisons — each of them previously held in Evin prison in Tehran, known for its harsh conditions. He said the Iranians will likely use the American hostages as a "sweetener" to ensure negotiations go in "the direction of Iran" as the United States seeks a nuclear deal and permanent ceasefire. 

"Strangely, the Russians, the Chinese, the Taliban, the Venezuelans, when you start getting into hostage discussions, they tell the truth and they stick to what they promise. You can do a handshake deal with the Taliban, and they're going to follow through," Carstens said. "The Iranians. Absolutely not."

While Carstens remains confident that U.S. negotiators can secure the return of the six Americans, he stated that Iran is unlike any other foreign government he's worked with and can't be trusted.

MORNING GLORY: THE US-IRAN NEGOTIATIONS IN ISLAMABAD BECAME REYKJAVÍK 2.0

He said the Iranians are the sort of negotiators likely to pull a "fast one" right up until the last moment.  

"You cannot trust the Iranians up until the last second," Carstens said. "If you were landing a plane in either Geneva or even Tehran, to get your Americans, you better be out there with a clipboard making sure that the people coming on the plane are the people that you bargained for."

Only two of the American hostages have been publicly identified: Kamran Hekmati, 61, and Reza Valizadeh, 49.

Hekmati is a Jewish American who also holds Iranian citizenship. He was imprisoned 11 months ago after being charged and convicted of visiting Israel in the past 10 years.

Like Hekmati, Valizadeh holds dual Iranian and American citizenship. He previously worked for the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, covering corruption and election manipulation in Iran. Valizadeh was arrested in September 2024 during a visit to see family and was sentenced after being convicted of working with a hostile government.

SEN TIM SHEEHY: GOLD STAR FAMILIES DESERVE JUSTICE. THIS $15B FROM IRAN IS A START

Carstens suggested it was unlikely there was any time for the Americans and Iranians to discuss the release of the six Americans during the 21-hour marathon peace talks in Pakistan earlier this month. 

MEET IRAN'S HARDLINE SPEAKER WHO THREATENED TO BURN US FORCES — REPORTEDLY TEHRAN'S POINT MAN FOR TALKS

"I think the Iranians are going to be smart enough to keep these people healthy and ready to throw on to a negotiating table," Carstens said. "The question in my mind during these negotiations is not whether they'll be at risk or pulled off, but rather, what's it going to take, and how will we, the United States, value them [the hostages]?"

President Donald Trump does not mention the release of American hostages in his four objectives for ending the Iran war. Carstens is calling for the return of the hostages to be a fifth objective.

"Let's make this an official ask, and when we go in, not only ask for it officially, but hold ourselves accountable to getting the job done," Carstens said. "The good news is Trump has a great record in bringing Americans home."

A senior White House official told Fox News Digital that future peace talks with Iran are under discussion, but nothing has yet been scheduled.

"President Trump is always concerned about Americans detained abroad, which is why he has brought over 100 individuals — a record number — home from around the world," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for additional comment.

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Americans will hear a lot of speeches this year marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but it’s hard to imagine anyone topping the one Justice Clarence Thomas delivered at the University of Texas at Austin. If one is inclined to believe that the majesty of our founding documents, and the ideals enshrined therein, still resonate in the hearts of Americans, then Justice Thomas’s speech was a clarion call to conscience, a summons to the courage and clarity that animated the American Revolution.

Thomas praised Dean Justin Dyer and UT’s new School of Civic Leadership, saying it was his sincere hope that their work "to revitalize the teaching and research of Western civilization and the American constitutional tradition will lead the way in the reform of our nation’s colleges and universities" — a generous note of gratitude for those who labor, often anonymously, in the vineyards of civic virtue.

Thomas’s reverence for the Declaration of Independence was palpable, as he recounted the audacity of Jefferson’s assertion that "all men are created equal." He reminded his audience that the Declaration is not a relic — an obscure, esoteric, academic plaything to be admired from afar — but a living testament to the capacity of men and women to transcend the ordinary. Its words, Thomas insisted, are an invitation to courage, echoing across centuries to challenge each new generation to defy tyranny and embrace liberty.

FOR 2026, YOU SHOULD MAKE A RESOLUTION TO KNOW THE REVOLUTION

Justice Thomas drew upon a pantheon of heroes: the Founders, whose signatures risked lives and fortunes; the soldiers at Valley Forge, whose endurance was measured not only in frozen nights but in the persistence of hope; and leaders of subsequent epochs who refused to yield constitutional principles to expediency. These vignettes, rendered with characteristic sonorous solemnity, served as reminders that the American story is stitched together by acts of bravery seldom celebrated, and courage seldom acknowledged.

Notably, Thomas confronted the failures of the Supreme Court, most pointedly in his critique of Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 decision "that endorsed government-enforced racial segregation and validated the Jim Crow South that I grew up in." He lamented the absence of moral fortitude in those who, rather than uphold the promise of equality, succumbed to the temptations of expedience.

"It could not possibly have taken my Court 60 years," Thomas intoned, "to know that Plessy was a hideous wrong." The specter of Plessy hovered as a caution against the abdication of duty—a lesson as relevant today as in 1896.

In a manner reminiscent of William F. Buckley’s skepticism toward progressive utopianism, Thomas issued a warning against Wilsonian progressivism. He traced its lineage to a philosophy that prefers the plasticity of government by experts over the stubbornness of constitutional constraints. "Progressivism," Thomas observed, "seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence, and hence our form of government. It holds that our rights and our dignities come not from God, but from government." This, he suggested, is the perennial threat to republican liberty: the seductive notion that a well-meaning bureaucracy can supplant the wisdom of the Declaration. To Thomas, progressivism is "retrogressive."

AMERICA 250 ORGANIZERS UNVEIL SWEEPING PLANS FOR THE COUNTRY'S HISTORIC BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Yet the speech was not a lament, but a prescription. Thomas called for daily courage — a recommitment not merely on ceremonial anniversaries, but in the mundane acts of citizenship and stewardship. It depends upon the willingness of each citizen to defend its ideals, to speak truth, to withstand the easy comforts of silence. There is, Thomas urged, a duty to reject complacency and to embrace the challenge of self-government anew.

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As Thomas’s words settled upon the assembled crowd, one sensed the enduring relevance of his message. The principles of the Declaration remain, in his estimation, both fragile and resilient — fragile if neglected, resilient if cherished. His praise for Dean Dyer and the School for Civic Leadership was not mere ceremony; it was a recognition that the cultivation of civic courage is indispensable to the preservation of liberty.

Justice Thomas’s address reminded me of Thomas Jefferson’s assertion that "a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny." The speech in Austin was a summons: to honor the boldness of the Founders, to reject the false comforts of progressivism, and to recommit ourselves daily to the ideals that gave birth to the nation.

It was, in sum, a reminder, timely and urgent, that the Declaration of Independence is not merely a historical document, but a living promise — a challenge to each of us to rise to the heights of courage and principle.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM CHARLES "CULLY" STIMSON

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President Donald Trump's push to extend the government's controversial warrantless surveillance powers suffered a minor setback early Friday morning after a group of conservative lawmakers rejected a compromise deal that would have extended the program for five years while incorporating some minor reforms intended to appease GOP privacy hawks.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Friday, the House of Representatives approved a two-week extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), giving lawmakers until April 30 to reach a deal.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., voiced confidence that his conference can come to an agreement by the end of the month.

"We were very close tonight. There's some nuances with the language and some questions that need to be answered and we'll get it done. The extension allows us the time to do that," he said.

JOHNSON FACES GOP REVOLT OVER WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE POWERS AHEAD OF KEY VOTE

The short-term FISA extension came together after House GOP leadership was forced to scrap an initial 18-month extension of the program due to opposition from conservatives, who want more privacy guardrails added to the program.

GOP privacy hawks also shot down a compromise agreement that would have extended the surveillance law until 2031 while adding more stringent criminal penalties for violations of FISA searches.

The Section 702 authority allows the government to spy on foreign nationals abroad even when those communications involve Americans. Both conservatives and progressives have pushed for a requirement that would force officials to obtain a warrant before reviewing Americans’ data.

House GOP leadership had been racing this week to renew the surveillance law before the April 20 deadline. When their desired approach ran into conservative opposition on the House floor, they settled for a two-week extension.

The Senate could pass the short-term extension by unanimous consent as early as Friday.

"What we're trying to do is thread the needle of ensuring that we have this essential tool to keep Americans safe but also safeguard constitutional rights and making sure that the abuses of FISA in the past are no longer possible," Johnson said early Friday morning.

The speaker could spare just two GOP defections during the test votes assuming all members are present and voting. Though many Democrats were supportive of a clean FISA reauthorization bill, Johnson could not count on their support during the procedural votes because they typically vote along party lines.

The Trump administration has argued the spying authority must be renewed to prevent potential terrorist attacks on the homeland and that it would be reckless to let the program lapse amid conflict with Iran.

"There’s a lot at stake," CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News during a visit to Capitol Hill in an effort to sell GOP holdouts on a clean extension.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine sent a letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, to Capitol Hill offices touting the surveillance tool’s importance for national security. Trump also publicly urged Republicans to "UNIFY" behind his desired approach of a clean extension on Truth Social.

ODNI SENDS CRIMINAL REFERRALS TO DOJ FOR EX-IG, WHISTLEBLOWER TIED TO TRUMP IMPEACHMENT

House GOP leadership’s and the Trump administration’s lobbying for a clean FISA extension absent reforms proved to be a tough sell among some conservatives. Despite the high-profile pressure campaign, GOP privacy hawks remained insistent on including a warrant requirement, which they argued would better protect Americans' data.

"We understand and agree with the president that we need 702 authority to go after bad guys abroad," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told reporters. "We're fighting for greater protections, whether it's this administration or future administrations to ensure citizens have protections."

"The folks who are saying we want these reforms within FISA, we mean what we say, and that's not something that we're going to sidestep," Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said Thursday.

"We're always threatened … that something very bad is going to happen, people will die if we don’t reauthorize 702," Boebert continued. "But many men and women, thousands have died for the Fourth Amendment, and I'm going to continue to stand up and protect that Fourth Amendment right for all American citizens."

Democrats also slammed the compromise deal early Friday morning for being drafted at the eleventh hour and argued the warrant requirement included in the since-rejected FISA deal is effectively toothless.

"This simply says they may seek a warrant. They don't have to. They may seek a warrant," Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said, referring to the FBI. "In other words, this provision is meaningless. It just returns us to exactly where we were."

Despite a swath of GOP holdouts, fewer Republicans opposed a clean extension of the 702 program than during previous legislative fights over the spying law.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a FISA skeptic, backed a straight reauthorization, citing more than five dozen reforms that Congress made to the program in 2024.

"2026 is not 2024 and a short-term clean extension of the 702 part of FISA law is an acceptable outcome for the situation that we find ourselves in," Jordan said Tuesday.

House GOP leadership argued that failure is not an option in preventing a reauthorization lapse for the FISA program.

"This is an essential tool for national security," Johnson told Fox News on Wednesday. "We cannot allow it to expire, and we won't."

Fox News' Kelly Phares contributed to this report.

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