PM Modi US visit: PM Modi arrives at Blair House, greets members of Indian diaspora
PM Modi shook hands with members of the Indian diaspora and waved at them as they were present outside the Blair House to welcome him.
Chicago mayor’s office gives inside look at ‘gift room’ after watchdog report flagged ethical concerns
The City of Chicago recently shared a video of its “gift room” after a watchdog group accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of improperly accepting valuable gifts. On Wednesday, the city also announced new protocols for receiving gifts, along with a log and video of items currently inside its “gift room.” The transparency attempt comes after the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) accused Johnson of accepting valuable gifts and failing to report them. Alleged unreported gifts included jewelry, alcohol, AirPods, designer handbags and size 14 men’s shoes, prompting ethical concerns. CHICAGO RESIDENTS SLAM THE ‘STUPIDITY’ OF MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON’S LIBERAL POLICIES DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETING The new protocols, which went into effect on Tuesday, note that officials must report and properly log gifts within 10 days; store gifts in a designated area that can be viewed publicly via video recording quarterly; and donate excess gifts. The first video log was sent out on Wednesday and featured artwork, clothing, hats and shoes. The footage attempts to combat OIG claims that Johnson denied internal investigators access to the room where the items were stored during an unannounced inspection in November. TRUMP SUPPORTERS RIP CHICAGO MAYOR TO HIS FACE JUST DAYS BEFORE CITY COUNCIL REJECTS HIS TAX HIKE A written log contains 18 pages of items, along with their location and the organization that donated the gifts. “These procedures reaffirm the Mayor’s commitment to ethical governance and transparency and ensure prompt disclosure of all gifts received on behalf of the City,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office. Johnson previously accused the inspector general of a “mischaracterization,” while insisting he never personally benefited from any gifts. The OIG report listed Hugo Boss cuff links, a personalized Montblanc pen, a 2023 U.S. National Soccer Team jersey, a Gucci tote bag, a Kate Spade red purse and Carrucci size 14 shoes from Feb. 2, 2022, through March 20, 2024. While spotted in the video log, dated Feb. 11, the online log does not account for the tote bag, purse or shoes, as of Wednesday. Other items like the cuff links and pen, while accounted for in the log, do not list the organization or person who donated the gift. Fox News’ Patrick McGovern, Greg Wehner and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
Texas appeals court hears attorney general’s arguments for questioning Catholic Charities director over migrant services
Three Republican judges heard oral arguments Wednesday after a lower court blocked Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to depose the charity’s leader.
County judge approves election to decide whether SpaceX launch site will become a city
If a majority of the roughly 500 residents living around the South Texas site vote yes in May, Starbase will be the state’s newest city.
Trump blasts Department of Education as ‘con job,’ says he wants it closed ‘immediately’
President Donald Trump called the Department of Education a “con job,” after saying he saw a report that the nation ranks 40th around the world in education, but number one in cost per pupil. Trump spoke with reporters on Wednesday afternoon from the Oval Office when he was asked how soon he wanted the Department of Education (DOE) to be closed. “Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. Look at the Department of Education. It’s a big con job,” he answered. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked number 40th, but we’re ranked number 1 in 1 department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked number 40.” Trump said the last time he looked at where the U.S. ranked in education, it was ranked 38th, but then he looked two days ago, and the country had fallen to number 40. DOGE SLASHES OVER $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: ‘WIN FOR EVERY STUDENT’ He even noted that China had ranked in the top five. “As big as it is, it’s ranked in the top five, and that’s our…primary competitor,” Trump said. “So, if we’re ranked number 40, that means something’s really wrong.” The president has ordered the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the department led by Elon Musk, to find ways to slash wasteful spending, and the DOE made the chopping block this week. TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS In fact, DOGE announced on Monday that $881 million was being cut in connection with 89 DOE contracts. Of that $881 million, DOGE identified $101 million that was being used for DEI training, including teaching educators to “help students understand/interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression, and help students recognize areas of privilege and power on an individual and collective basis.” “Your tax dollars were spent on this,” Musk wrote of the DOE spending. Last month, Trump signed two executive orders on education: one to remove federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory (CRT), and another to support school choice. TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES The teaching of CRT, and other controversial content in schools, has sparked backlash from parents at school board meetings across the nation over the past several years. During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to cut federal funding for schools that promote CRT, transgender ideology and “any other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.” Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders targeting federal funding for schools as testing scores continue to drop, according to the Nation’s Report Card. Trump administration officials are also reportedly weighing a plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, according to a Wall Street Journal report published last week. Fox News Digital’s Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
Certain criminal suspects would be denied bail under changes OK’d by Texas Senate panel
The package of bills would tighten the state’s bail laws to keep more people in jail — including undocumented immigrants — while their criminal cases are pending.
Judge restores Trump administration’s buyout offer to federal workers
A federal judge restored President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program for federal workers in a decision Wednesday evening. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts made the ruling. The deferred resignation program, also known as the administration’s “Fork in the Road” offer, involved asking government workers to either stay or leave after Trump mandated them to return to their offices shortly after his inauguration. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) emailed more than 2 million federal civilian employees offering them buyouts to leave their jobs. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report. This is a breaking news story. Check back with us for updates.
House GOP’s budget impasse thaws just as winter storm sacks Capitol
It is said that talk is cheap. And that’s why House Republicans have done so much of it as they attempted to forge an internal agreement on a budget plan to slash taxes and cut spending. It is now the middle of February. House Republicans struggled to finalize plans for what President Donald Trump terms a “big beautiful bill.” Especially when you consider all of the talking Republicans did – among themselves – since the start of the year. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SHARES WHAT’S NEXT FOR HOUSE DOGE PANEL, WHETHER ELON MUSK WOULD TESTIFY House Republicans cloistered themselves for not one but two daylong sessions on Saturday, Jan. 4, and Sunday, Jan. 5, at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. That’s where House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., presented their ideas to slash spending and engineer a budget reconciliation package. Keep that term in mind. Budget reconciliation. More on that in a moment. Back on Capitol Hill, House Republicans convened multiple large and small meetings to lay out details on their package. That included a three-day session at President Trump’s golf club in Doral, Florida. Republicans returned to Washington with claims of “unity.” But still no agreement. THE CONFIRMATION JUGGERNAUT: HOW TRUMP IS GETTING EVERYTHING HE WANTS IN BUILDING HIS CABINET Arrington hoped to prepare the budget plan in his committee last week. Such a meeting would produce a “budget reconciliation” package. Budget reconciliation is a process where the Senate can bypass a filibuster and approve a bill with a simple majority. But the package must be fiscal in nature, such as addressing spending cuts and taxes. Thus, this plan likely qualifies for reconciliation. Senate Republicans must lean on budget reconciliation because they only have 53 GOP members. Not 60, which are required to break a conventional filibuster. But reconciliation is part of the annual budget process. And the reconciliation option isn’t available unless a budget blueprint is in place. No budget? No reconciliation. House Republicans grappled last week to reach a deal. So the House GOP brass set off for the White House for a meeting with the president. “He’s going to have to make some decisions,” said one senior House Republican of President Trump, noting he’s the only one who could help the party coalesce around an idea. The session lasted for nearly five hours, although President Trump wasn’t in the session the entire time. Meantime, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was supposed to meet at the Capitol with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Netanyahu was left cooling his heels on Capitol Hill as Republicans debated plans and scribbled figures on whiteboards. “[President Trump] set the tone for us to push through some things that we were stuck on,” said Arrington when he returned to the Capitol. “We made serious progress and have narrowed the gap to where we’re very close to getting ready to bring this to Budget Committee,” said Senate Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. Johnson even predicted the plan may be ready later that evening. Hence, a group of Republicans retreated for another set of meetings until well after midnight. “I’d like to see their plan,” complained Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. “They’re not going to force me into something.” HOUSE AND SENATE REPUBLICANS CLASH OVER MAMMOTH TRUMP BUDGET BILL SEEKING $1.5T IN CUTS By Friday morning, Johnson was again diminishing expectations. “It may not be today,” said Johnson. However, the speaker hinted that the details could be ready later that weekend. “We’ve got a few more people we’ve got to talk with and a couple more boxes to check,” said Johnson. “The expectation is it we’ll be marking up a budget next week, potentially as early as Tuesday.” But the weekend optimism died when the speaker appeared on “Fox News Sunday.” “We were going to do a Budget Committee markup next week. We might push it a little bit further because the details really matter,” said Johnson on Sunday. “But we’re getting very, very close.” Johnson attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans later that day with President Trump. So could there have been a breakthrough amid the confetti, étouffée and Cooper DeJean madness of the Super Bowl? “Are we going to have this bill this week, yes or no?” yours truly asked the speaker as he entered the Capitol on Monday afternoon. Johnson deployed his favorite verbal placeholder. “Stay tuned,” said the speaker, who uses this line as frequently as a 1950s radio announcer. “You said last week we were going to have it,” I countered. “I know,” said Johnson. “I’ve got 220 people that have shared their opinions on this.” “Did you overpromise?” I followed up. “No. No,” responded Johnson. “The hard work of the negotiation has to be done on the front end so that we can deliver a product that we know everybody will support.” Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tired of the House GOP’s dithering last week, wrote his own budget package, which significantly differs from what the House intends to do. While the House blueprint will focus on taxes and government cuts, Graham’s measure would boost energy production and also call for spending money to tighten the border. The South Carolina Republican has long observed that people voted for border security in the election. He argues that provision should come first. SENATE DOGE CHAIR SAYS SHE SPEAKS WITH ELON MUSK ‘EVERY FEW DAYS’ AS TRUMP ADMIN SLASHES SPENDING Johnson said he talked with Graham at the Super Bowl and “he and I are on the same page.” When asked by CNN’s Manu Raju whether Graham’s gambit was “complicating this,” Johnson answered, “Not much.” But when yours truly asked if the Senate moving first would help “increase the sense of urgency” in the House, the speaker responded differently. “I wouldn’t say it’s helpful,” said Johnson. An hour later, reporters again peppered Johnson for timing details. “I’m not going to give a projected date yet because then you’ll tell
Bondi announces new lawsuits against states failing to comply with immigration actions: ‘A new DOJ’
The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York and its governor, Kathy Hochul, and Attorney General Letitia James for failing to comply with federal law by shielding illegal immigrants, newly sworn-in Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday. “This is a new DOJ,” Bondi announced at a news conference. “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.” Also charged is Mark Schroeder, commissioner of the New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Bondi cited New York’s Green Light laws, also known as the Driver’s License Act, which allows illegal immigrants to get a driver’s license. TOM HOMAN BELIEVES ICE RAID LEAKS ARE ‘COMING FROM INSIDE’ AS AURORA LEAKER CLOSER TO BEING IDENTIFIED The law also prevents certain federal agencies from accessing New York State’s driver’s license information. “They have green light laws, meaning they’re giving a green light to any illegal alien in New York, where law enforcement officers cannot check their identity if they pull them over,” Bondi said. “And law enforcement officers do not have access to their background. And if these great men and women pull over someone and don’t have access to their background, they have no idea who they’re dealing with, and it puts their lives on the line every single day.” “If you don’t comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable,” Bondi said. “We did it to Illinois, strike one. Strike two is New York. And if you are a state not complying with federal law, you’re next. Get ready.” The Justice Department last week asked a federal judge to strike down sanctuary policies in Illinois and Chicago. Bondi was joined by so-called “Angel mom” Tammy Nobles of Maryland, whose 20-year-old daughter, Kayla Hamilton, was raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant and MS-13 member in 2022. FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM SENDING DETAINED VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANTS TO GUANTÁNAMO BAY The Department of Homeland Security “did not do their jobs,” Nobles said Wednesday, at times, choking back tears while sharing her family’s story. “They did not check his background,” she said. “I’m so thankful for Pam for having me here today, and I’m so thankful for the opportunities I got from Trump and and any other platform — and for the people me to share her story, because this is going to end.” The suspect, Walter Martinez, an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador who was in the United States illegally, entered the country through Texas as an unaccompanied minor in March 2022. He was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol and eventually sent to Maryland to live with a sponsor. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Four months later, Martinez moved to the mobile home in Aberdeen, where he was accused of killing Hamilton. During the news conference, Bondi urged states with sanctuary policies to comply with federal law. “We don’t want to sue you. We don’t want to prosecute people. We want people to comply with the law,” she said. “This is very simple. An MS-13 member murdered her daughter. That’s happening throughout this country.” “One angel mom is too many,” she added. “And we have angel moms throughout this country who should not be going through this. Comply with the law. This is the last thing we want to be doing.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Hochul, James and Schroeder.
Kamal Adwan’s detained director alleges torture by Israeli authorities
NewsFeed Lawyers representing Kamal Adwan Hospital’s Dr. Hussam Abu Safia had their first contact with the director since he was detained by Israeli forces last year. He told them he was tortured with electric shocks and is being denied needed medication. Published On 12 Feb 202512 Feb 2025 Adblock test (Why?)