Federal prosecutor vows to protect DOGE staffers from any ‘threats, confrontations’ targeting Musk team
Newly-appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin published a letter vowing to hold to account those who try to sabotage efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to clean the federal government of overspending and corruption. “I recognize that some of the staff at DOGE have been targeted publicly,” Martin wrote to Elon Musk in a letter, which Martin posted to his X account Monday. “At this time, I ask that you utilize me and my staff to assist in protecting the DOGE work and the DOGE workers. Any threats, confrontations or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws.” “Let me assure you of this: We will pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people,” he continued. “We will not act like the previous administration who looked the other way as the Antifa and BLM rioters as well as thugs with guns trashed our capital city. We will protect DOGE and other workers no matter what.” Martin previously worked as a defense attorney, including representing three men charged in the Jan. 6 protests, when President Donald Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol in 2021. Trump granted clemency to more than 1,500 Jan. 6, 2021 criminal defendants upon taking office in January. ELON MUSK DUNKS ON SEN CHUCK SCHUMER, DECLARING ‘HYSTERICAL REACTIONS’ DEMONSTRATE DOGE’S IMPORTANCE Trump appointed Martin the interim United States attorney for Washington, D.C., shortly following his Jan. 20 inauguration. Martin’s letter comes as Musk takes a hatchet to government agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to rid the departments of what the administration has described as corruption and overspending. RUBIO SAYS ‘NO CHOICE’ BUT TO BRING USAID ‘UNDER CONTROL’ AFTER AGENCY TAKEOVER: ‘RANK INSUBORDINATION’ News reports spread this week that Musk’s DOGE team includes a group of college-age engineers to help dismantle government overspending and reported corruption, which has sparked some on social media to attack the team, including threatening to dox them, according to a review of some reactions online. Martin noted in his Monday public letter that he worked with the DOGE team “this weekend,” while warning that “we must keep all our American government employees safe and we must protect the American people’s property.” “One last warning to you,” Martin wrote in the conclusion of his letter to Musk. “Late last week, we indicted an economist who worked for the Fed for economic espionage for the Communist Chinese. Please be very aware that there are those who are acting against our American people in every way. Refer to us any questionable conduct or details that you find or notice.” USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN USAID’s fate is hanging in the balance as Musk went on a warpath against the independent government agency as a “viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America.” On Monday morning, hundreds of USAID employees reported they were locked out of the agency’s computer system and that its headquarters in Washington, D.C., was closed. MUSK RIPS ‘FRAUDULENT’ TREASURY HANDOUTS AS REPORTS MOUNT DOGE HAS ACCESS TO FEDERAL PAYMENT SYSTEM Musk announced in an audio-only message on X overnight on Sunday that “we’re in the process” of “shutting down USAID” and that Trump reportedly agreed to shutter the agency. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Monday that he is now serving as acting director of the agency and outlined that its policies need to shift to fall in line with Trump’s “America First” mission. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “USAID is not functioning. It has to be aligned with U.S. policy,” he told reporters while in El Salvador. “It needs to be aligned with the national interest of the U.S. They’re not a global charity. These are taxpayer dollars. People are asking simple questions. What are they doing with the money? We are spending taxpayers’ money. We owe the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our national interest.”
Settled science? Doctors respond to the shaky claim that abortion pill mifepristone is safe
Pro-choice lawmakers, doctors and advocates have argued the science is settled when it comes to the controversial abortion pill mifepristone. They say the drug is safe and needs to be widely available with virtually no restrictions. Even some GOP lawmakers have shown support for retaining women’s access to the pill, which is much more widely available today than it was just a few years ago. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has yet to stake out a formal position on how he will approach the controversial abortion pill. Although he took several measures in his first few days in office to prevent taxpayer dollars from funding or promoting abortion, he has yet to respond to pro-life demands to reinstate specific restrictions on mifepristone. “The potentially tragic results of these drugs have been illustrated by the recently reported deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller,” Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs, told Fox News Digital. “Denying the risks of mifepristone will only ensure that more women like Amber and Candi are left to undergo painful and potentially dangerous drug-induced abortions without the bare minimum quality of medical care.” NEW JERSEY GOV. PHIL MURPHY SAYS STATE WILL STOCKPILE ABORTION PILLS AHEAD OF TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE While pro-choice advocates have suggested the deaths of Thurman and Miller were the result of anti-abortion laws and the chilling effect they have incurred on women seeking abortions, Francis said their deaths were instead the result of a powerful medication that lacks the necessary safeguards. “Many of the studies that abortion advocates like to quote to state that mifepristone has very few complications don’t actually reflect real world use of mifepristone,” she said. “Most of those studies, women will have had an in-person visit, as well as an ultrasound, actually documenting how far along they are in their pregnancy, as well as ensuring that they did not have an ectopic pregnancy before they receive those drugs. When, in fact, that’s not real-world use right now.” Francis pointed out that real-world use actually “means that they order them online.” NEW YORK GOV. HOCHUL SIGNS LAW PROTECTING ABORTION PILL PRESCRIBERS AFTER DOCTOR INDICTED IN LOUISIANA When mifepristone was first approved in 2000 by the Food And Drug Administration (FDA), numerous safeguards were put in place. Those included requirements that the medication be dispensed in-person and that patients receive appropriate follow-up care. It also limited the gestational time frame during which pregnant women could use the pill to seven weeks. However, over time, those restrictions were loosened more and more. By 2021, women could get mifepristone without in-person visits, and it was left up to the doctor to trust the patient’s account of how far along her pregnancy was. “They’re not seen by any kind of medical professional to confirm their gestational age or to rule out an ectopic pregnancy, which we know happens in one in 50 pregnancies,” Francis said. “If you look at the FDA’s own label – and again, this was when there was still the in-person dispensing requirement – their own label says that one in 25 women will go to the emergency room due to complications related to these drugs. That is not a safe drug. Safe drugs don’t send one in 25 people to the emergency room.” “The only way to tell the bleeding, cramping, and pain is from a miscarriage, the abortion pill, or even from an ectopic pregnancy, is to actually do an ultrasound,” Dr. William Lile, a pro-life OB-GYN who has delivered more than 5,000 babies, told Fox News Digital. The removal of in-person visits is a major aspect of the more lax restrictions that people like Francis and Lile want to see reversed. A big reason for that is due to the similarity of the side effects exhibited by both mifepristone usage and life-threatening ectopic pregnancies, which have increased due to the growing prevalence of Intrauterane Devices (IUDs) and sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea, Francis wrote in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST AND JOURNALIST CELEBRATES END TO 9-YEAR LEGAL BATTLE OVER ABORTION VIDEOS “If she has an ectopic pregnancy that’s undiagnosed, she starts having these symptoms. She’s going to think that it’s the result of the abortion drugs that she took, and it’s normal, and she’s going to stay home while she’s bleeding into her abdomen and losing precious time. That could be the difference between life and death,” Francis said. Mifepristone is also prone to causing retained tissue and atypical sepsis as well, something Thurman suffered from before her death. “When we know that this drug carries these kinds of complications, we are saying women deserve better care and better oversight when they’re being given these drugs,” Francis said. “These are not benign drugs. Women deserve follow-up care. They deserve ongoing care.” PRO-LIFE PROTESTER SENTENCED TO YEARS IN PRISON SAYS SHE IS ‘STILL TRYING TO REGISTER’ TRUMP’S PARDON Pro-choice advocates argue that mifepristone is safe, citing numerous studies showing its safety and effectiveness, including for treating miscarriages, from as far back as 1988. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists call the drug safe and effective for abortion and miscarriage care. Autumn Katz, interim director of litigation at the Center for Reproductive Rights, called claims against mifepristone “false,” noting they have been “thoroughly debunked.” “It has been used in combination with misoprostol by over 5.9 million patients in the U.S.,” she said. “Numerous studies have repeatedly proven its safety and effectiveness for ending an early pregnancy, and mifepristone is also frequently used as a safe and effective treatment for early miscarriage.” Fox News Digital spoke to a pro-life emergency room doctor who said he uses mifepristone in conjunction with other drugs to remedy miscarriages. However, according to Lile and Francis, mifepristone’s assistance is not statistically significant, or necessary when treating miscarriages. Neither does it remove the need for in-person visits, they said. “When people think
Trump White House renews crucial pledge as left-wing activists sue over border crackdown
A group of left-wing activist groups, led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), sued the Trump administration on Monday over its efforts to limit the use of asylum at the southern border – leading the Trump White House to renew a crucial pledge. On day one of his administration, President Donald Trump signed executive orders declaring a national emergency at the border and allowing officials to remove immigrants without allowing them to request asylum, citing an “invasion” at the border. It was part of a crackdown at the border that included deploying the military and ending parole programs. Fox News Digital reported last week that border numbers in the first seven days in office were down 60% compared to the last week of the Biden administration. TRUMP ADMIN HITS BACK AS ACLU LAUNCHES LAWSUIT ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘READY TO FACE THEM’ The ACLU and other groups say that the use of the power is unlawful, given U.S. asylum law allows immigrants to apply for asylum, even if they entered the U.S. illegally. The lawsuit claims that the “unlawful” and “unprecedented” order is doing just what Congress by statute decreed that the United States must not do. “It is returning asylum seekers—not just single adults, but families too—to countries where they face persecution or torture, without allowing them to invoke the protections Congress has provided. Indeed, the Proclamation does not even exempt unaccompanied children, despite the specific protections such children receive by statute,” it says. ICE SCOOPS UP I”LLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH MURDER, ROBBERY CONVICTIONS IN WEEKEND CRACKDOWN “This is an unprecedented power grab that will put countless lives in danger,” said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. “No president has the authority to unilaterally override the protections Congress has afforded those fleeing danger.” Groups signed onto the lawsuit include the National Immigrant Justice Center, Texas Civil Rights Project, the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, the ACLU of the District of Columbia and the ACLU of Texas. TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN The White House indicated in a statement that it has no plans to change course from its current trajectory. “President Trump was given a resounding mandate to end the disregard and abuse of our immigration laws and secure our borders,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Fox News Digital. “The Trump administration will continue to put Americans and America First.” It is the latest lawsuit by the ACLU against the Trump administration. The ACLU filed a lawsuit last month over Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants and those holding temporary visas. The lawsuit claimed the order is unconstitutional and against both congressional intent and Supreme Court precedent. The lawsuit was separate to one filed by two dozen states on the same issue. The White House said in response that the lawsuits are “nothing more than an extension of the Left’s resistance – and the Trump administration is ready to face them in court.”
Senators back Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio governor ahead of expected gubernatorial bid
Entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy, who is expected to launch a gubernatorial bid in the Buckeye State, is racking up support from U.S. senators. GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee both expressed their support for Ramaswamy in posts on Monday. “If @VivekGRamaswamy runs for governor of Ohio (and I hope he does) he will not only win—he will transform Ohio for the better,” Lee declared in a tweet. “The results will benefit Ohioans—and Americans—for generations I’m honored to have worked with @VivekGRamaswamy, and I support him wholeheartedly.” TOP JD VANCE POLITICAL ADVISORS TO STEER RAMASWAMY RUN FOR OHIO GOVERNOR “It’s been such a pleasure getting to know @VivekGRamaswamy and work with him. He has a servant’s heart and a brilliant entrepreneurial mind. The people of Ohio would be well served by his leadership, and if he chooses to run, he’ll have my full support,” Blackburn noted in a post. Ramaswamy retweeted each of the lawmakers’ posts, thanking them. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a former Florida governor, endorsed Ramaswamy for Ohio governor last week. “I’ve had the privilege of working closely with @VivekGRamaswamy and he is totally focused on trying to save our country. He is a business guy who understands what’s needed to grow jobs, make government efficient and help families prosper. He would be a fantastic Governor and I hope he runs for Governor of Ohio. If he runs, he has my full support and endorsement.” Scott noted in a tweet. Ramaswamy retweeted Scott and thanked him. MIKE LEE FLOATS ALLOWING PRIVATE PARTIES TO TARGET DRUG CARTELS FOR PROFIT Ramaswamy has not yet made an announcement, but has been hinting about his plans. During an appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Ramaswamy stated that he would seek elected office. “Ohio was the epicenter of the Industrial Revolution. Toledo was the glass capital, Akron was the rubber capital, Youngstown & Cleveland led in steel, Dayton in computing, Cincinnati in consumer products. In 1950, 6 of the 15 wealthiest U.S. cities were in Ohio. There’s no reason we can’t be a frontier state again,” he declared in a tweet. The Ohio gubernatorial race will take place in 2026. VIVEK RAMASWAMY EXPOSES ‘NATIONAL SECURITY RISK’ AS STUDENTS FALL BEHIND IN SCHOOL CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Current Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who has held the role since early 2019, is not eligible to run again next year. Last year, Trump announced Elon Musk and Ramaswamy as his picks to spearhead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort, but on inauguration day, Ramaswamy noted in a post on X, “It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE. I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio.” Ramaswamy launched a White House bid in 2023, but dropped out and endorsed Trump in 2024.
White House expecting ‘spike’ in federal resignations as at least 20K take buyouts
The White House is expecting a “spike” in federal resignations ahead of a Thursday deadline for a buyout offer, Fox News Digital has learned. Nearly all federal employees were offered a buyout as part of President Donald Trump’s plan for government employees to physically work out of their offices, following years of remote work stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Government employees have until Thursday to take the offer, with the Trump administration expecting an influx of resignations in the next two days. “The number of deferred resignations is rapidly growing, and we’re expecting the largest spike 24 to 48 hours before the deadline,” a White House official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFERS BUYOUTS TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING REMOTE WORKERS: ‘DEFERRED RESIGNATION’ Axios reported earlier Tuesday that roughly 20,000 federal employees have taken the offer, accounting for about 1% of the federal government’s workforce. The White House official told Fox News Digital following the report’s publication that the 20,000 figure “isn’t current.” TRUMP TO SIGN MEMO LIFTING BIDEN’S LAST-MINUTE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS The Office of Personnel Management, which operates as the federal government’s human resources department, notified roughly 2 million federal employees Jan. 28 that they would be required to work out of their respective offices five days a week, or they could leave their roles through the equivalent of a buyout offer. Those who choose to take the offer will retain all pay and benefits and be exempt from in-person work until Sep. 30. “We think a very substantial number of people will not show up to work, and, therefore, our government will get smaller and more efficient,” Trump told reporters of the plan in late January. “And that’s what we’ve been looking to do for many, many decades.” The buyouts do not apply to positions such as military personnel, the U.S. Postal Services, or positions related to immigration enforcement and national security. The White House previously has said it anticipated 5% to 10% of the federal workforce to resign. ‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS The buyout deadline comes as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has taken a hatchet to various government agencies and departments, as the team works to cut overspending and alleged corruption within the highest echelons of the U.S. government. The United States Agency for International Development is the latest agency to land under DOGE’s microscope. Hundreds of USAID employees reported they were locked out of the agency’s computer system, while its headquarters in Washington, D.C., was closed on Monday. On X, Musk has railed against the organization as rife with “marxists” and is operating as a “criminal organization.” “USAID is a criminal organization,” Musk posted to X on Sunday. “Time for it to die.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “USAID was a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America,” he said in another message.
Tulsi Gabbard scores key committee Republican’s support ahead of pivotal vote
Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., came out in support of Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence (DNI), just hours before her crucial committee vote. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the senator said, “American intelligence officers around the globe deserve our respect and support. I appreciate Tulsi Gabbard’s engagement with me on a variety of issues to ensure that our intelligence professionals will be supported and policymakers will receive unbiased information under her leadership.” ELON MUSK DUNKS ON TOP DEMOCRAT OVER ‘HYSTERICAL REACTIONS’ TO DOGE “I have done what the Framers envisioned for senators to do: use the consultative process to seek firm commitments, in this case commitments that will advance our national security, which is my top priority as a former Marine Corps intelligence officer. Having now secured these commitments, I will support Tulsi’s nomination and look forward to working with her to protect our national security,” he added. Gabbard will need the support of all Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in order to advance to the floor for a confirmation vote. TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FATE TO BE TESTED WITH KEY COMMITTEE VOTE That is assuming she does not get the votes of any Democrats. No Democrats on the committee have endorsed her for the role. The committee vote is set to take place on Tuesday afternoon, and with confirmed support from Young, in addition to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, James Lankford, R-Okla., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, Gabbard’s nomination appears to be on relatively good footing to advance. RFK JR NOW CLOSER TO LEADING AMERICA’S HEALTH DEPARTMENT AFTER SENATE COMMITTEE VOTE Before Young revealed his support, he faced external pressure to get behind Gabbard. For example, Trump-aligned billionaire Elon Musk took to X over the weekend, calling the senator a “deep state puppet” in regard to his uncertainty about Gabbard. The post has since been deleted. CRUCIAL MODERATE GOP SENATOR BACKS TULSI GABBARD AHEAD OF COMMITTEE VOTE The two later had a phone call, and a spokesperson for Young told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Senator Young and Mr. Musk had a great conversation on a number of subjects and policy areas where they have a shared interest, like DOGE.” Musk also posted on X, “Just had an excellent conversation with [Young]. I stand corrected. Senator Young will be a great ally in restoring power to the people from the vast, unelected bureaucracy.”
Tulsi Gabbard explains why she won’t call Edward Snowden a ‘traitor’ ahead of tough committee vote
Tulsi Gabbard appears to be seeking to assuage senators’ concerns about her nomination in a new opinion piece explaining why she thought “traitor” was too harsh a word for Edward Snowden. Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence (DNI), did not endorse Snowden’s whistleblowing actions during her confirmation hearing, but her refusal to call him a traitor left some Republicans unsettled. She admitted that Snowden’s release of classified information to the media “harmed our national security” but also “revealed illegal and unconstitutional government programs that conducted mass surveillance of millions of Americans’ data.” Gabbard elaborated in a Newsweek op-ed. “Given the interest by committee members about whether Edward Snowden should be called a ‘traitor,’ here’s what I shared with the Senate Intelligence Committee in the closed session about why I do not casually throw around that term: Treason is a capital offense, punishable by death, yet politicians like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former US Senator Mitt Romney have slandered me, Donald Trump Jr. and others with baseless accusations of treason.” TOP SENATE INTELLIGENCE DEM GRILLS GABBARD IF EDWARD SNOWDEN IS ‘BRAVE’: ‘VERY TROUBLING’ “Snowden should have raised his concerns about illegal surveillance through authorized channels, such as the Inspector General or the Intelligence Committee, instead of leaking to the media,” she wrote. Gabbard struck a different tone as a Democratic member of the House, when she introduced a resolution with former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., calling for all charges to be dropped against Snowden. She also put forth a bill that would have offered additional whistleblower protection for people like Snowden. ‘WARRIOR WHOSE VOTE CANNOT BE BOUGHT’: HUNDREDS OF VETS POUR OUT IN SUPPORT OF TULSI GABBARD FOR DNI “If it wasn’t for Snowden, the American people would never have learned the NSA was collecting phone records and spying on Americans,” she said on Joe Rogan’s podcast in 2019. Snowden, who now lives in exile in Russia, leaked classified documents about global surveillance programs that pitted national security concerns against privacy concerns. If confirmed as DNI, Gabbard said she would not protect those who go outside authorized whistleblower channels to leak classified information, but she would also establish a hotline directly to herself for whistleblowers. Gabbard added that she would institute proper oversight to protect against illegal intelligence collection programs and conduct security clearance reform to minimize access to highly classified intelligence. She also promised to end “weaponization” of the intelligence community and pointed to the Iraq War as a prime “failure of intelligence.” “This disastrous decision led to the deaths of thousands… And it led to the rise of ISIS, the strengthening of al-Qaeda and other Islamist Jihadist groups, and the emboldening of Iran.” TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FATE TO BE TESTED WITH KEY COMMITTEE VOTE During her confirmation hearing, Gabbard was also pressed on her past meetings with then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, her previous Section 702 of FISA stance and her views on Russia. While Intel Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has continued to promote Gabbard for the role. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., initially a skeptic, announced Tuesday morning he would support Gabbard’s confirmation in a committee vote after receiving written assurances about her perspective on whistleblowers. Gabbard will likely need the support of every single Republican on the committee, assuming no Democrats vote in her favor. None of the Democratic senators have said they will vote to advance her nomination. She clinched support from other GOP skeptics – Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, after her hearing. Gabbard still has not won the support of Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and John Curtis, R-Utah. Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
Trump Health Secretary nominee RFK Jr clears Senate Finance Committee confirmation vote
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will advance to the next step in his effort to become Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary. The vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump sustained his bid for a cabinet position in the 47th president’s administration. The 27-member panel of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats on the Senate finance committee approved Kennedy’s advancement by a party line vote of 14-13. Kennedy’s controversial nomination has progressed slowly as the president’s other choices have been moving through the upper chamber and several have been confirmed and sworn in. Even Trump’s controversial Defense Secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, made it past committee and ultimately was confirmed with Vice President Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR. SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS Kennedy survived back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings last week, where Trump’s nominee to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health faced plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research. TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR. SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS During the hearings, Democrats also spotlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children. While no Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee were expected to vote to confirm Kennedy, the spotlight was on Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana physician and chair of the Senate Health Committee. Cassidy issued a last minute endorsement indicating a party line vote for Kennedy. HEAD HERE FOR LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE “Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” Cassidy told Kennedy at the end of Thursday’s confirmation hearing. Cassidy’s office confirmed Sunday evening that the senator and Kennedy had been speaking earlier that day. The 71-year-old Kennedy, a scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against President Joe Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House. Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism. Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS. Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases. “Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong. It is going to be destroyed if we get this issue wrong,” Kenendy said Thursday as he pointed to chronic diseases. “And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic.” With Republicans controlling the Senate by a 53-47 majority, Kennedy can only afford to lose the support of three GOP senators if Democrats unite against his confirmation on the floor of the chamber.
JD Vance to attend AI summit in Paris, French official says
U.S. Vice President JD Vance will attend a two-day high-level summit focusing on artificial intelligence in Paris next week, his first scheduled trip abroad since taking office, a French diplomatic official said Tuesday. The AI Action Summit on Feb. 10-11 will gather heads of state and top government officials, CEOs and other actors involved in the tech sector, which has been shaken up by galloping advances. Vance has not made any official foreign trips since his inauguration last month. The White House had no immediate comment. VP VANCE CALLS ON US ‘TO DO A BETTER JOB’ WITH AVIATION SAFETY AFTER ‘INCREDIBLY HEARTBREAKING’ DC PLANE CRASH The French diplomatic official spoke on condition of anonymity as the list of top attendees has not been made official yet. China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang is among those expected to attend the summit, which will be co-presided over by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The summit will take place at the Grand Palais, last year’s Olympic venue for the fencing and taekwondo competitions. A dinner with top officials and CEOs is also scheduled at the Elysee presidential palace. Vance’s trip comes after U.S. President Donald Trump last month talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership of OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. Meanwhile, Chinese AI model DeepSeek’s emergence has shaken up the tech sector, offering companies access to the technology at a fraction of the previous cost and providing the potential to push other AI companies to improve their models and bring down prices. Vance in the past has acknowledged some harmful AI applications, but said at a July Senate hearing that he worries that concern is justifying “some preemptive overregulation attempts that would frankly entrench the tech incumbents that we already have.”
House delays key vote on Trump budget bill after conservative fury over spending cuts
A key vote to advance a massive conservative policy bill has been delayed, putting House Republicans behind in their ambitious schedule to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda. The House Budget Committee had initially aimed to go through and approve the legislation this week, but a source familiar with planning told Fox News Digital that is no longer the case. It comes after conservatives on the panel rejected multiple offers by House GOP leaders on where to set a baseline for cutting federal spending, urging senior Republicans to seek deeper cuts ahead of negotiations with the Senate. “I guess they want to get the resolution out. I do, too. I want to get it out of committee, have an up or down vote. But if you set that floor too low, that’s all that’s going to be achieved,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who sits on the House Budget Committee, told Fox News Digital on Monday. “I have no confidence that they would exceed whatever level we put in there.” SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN Norman is one of several members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus who sits on the budget committee. With just a razor-thin majority in the House – and by extension, on committees – Republicans can afford dissent from just one or two members to pass anything along party lines. It’s a significant hurdle facing the GOP as they seek to use their House and Senate majorities to pass a sweeping conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process. By lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to 51 out of 100, the maneuver allows the party in power to skirt its opposition to advance its agenda – provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters. The House of Representatives already has a simple majority threshold. Republicans are hoping to use reconciliation to pass a broad swath of Trump’s policy goals, from more funding at the border to removing taxes on tipped and overtime wages. But conservatives have also demanded that any reconciliation bill also reduce the national deficit by pairing new spending with extreme cuts in federal dollars going elsewhere. The first step in the reconciliation process is getting the bill through Congress’ budget committees, which then directs other committees to find areas for cuts and policy changes under their specific jurisdictions. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said that guidelines for spending cuts would be a “floor” not a “ceiling.” Fox News Digital was told that GOP leaders initially presented what amounted to a $300 billion floor for cuts, paired with $325 billion in new defense and border spending. BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS Conservatives later rejected another offer that amounted to a rough total of $900 billion in spending cuts, with about $300 billion in new spending, Fox News Digital was told. Norman said he wanted the floor set to $2 trillion or $3 trillion. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., another Freedom Caucus member on the budget panel, said he was optimistic about reaching a deal, but that there were “a lot of conversations about starting the process from the most conservative position possible.” “The Senate is not as interested in fiscal responsibility, so we recognize the need to set parameters for authorizing committees that encourage that… from the beginning,” Cline said Monday. Johnson said he wanted the bill to advance through committee this week with a goal of passing an initial House version by the end of February. Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment. The speaker said on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning of reconciliation talks, “Republicans are working right now to negotiate what that looks like. We don’t want to blow a hole in the deficit by extending the Trump-era tax cuts, for example, but we’re definitely going to get that extended. So we got to find those savings.”