Trump-nominated former NFL player clears Senate hurdle, paving way for confirmation
Scott Turner, a former NFL player and Texas state lawmaker, advanced past a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday night, teeing up a final confirmation vote to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) later this week. The nomination cleared the procedural vote by a margin of 55-45, with two Democrats joining Republicans. President Donald Trump announced Turner as his choice to be HUD secretary soon after his November election last year. BERNIE SANDERS, JOSH HAWLEY TEAM UP ON TRUMP PLEDGE TO SLASH CREDIT CARD RATES TO 10% In Trump’s previous administration, Dr. Ben Carson, a former GOP presidential candidate, led HUD. Turner notably played in the NFL for nine seasons after being drafted in 1995. The defensive back spent time playing for the Washington Redskins, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. After leaving the league, he ran for office in his home state of Texas, where he served for several years. In Trump’s announcement, he touted Turner’s work in his last administration as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC). He explained that the nominee “lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” TULSI GABBARD ADVANCES OUT OF INTEL COMMITTEE IN BOOST TO CONFIRMATION ODDS “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!” he added. In Turner’s hearing last month before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, he testified that he wants to fix broken policy areas and ween Americans off of government assistance. He explained that it is his goal “to help people get off government assistance, become self-sustainable and achieve the American dream.”
Senate confirms Pam Bondi as US attorney general
The Senate voted late Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, voting 54-46 to install the longtime prosecutor and former Florida attorney general to head the U.S. Department of Justice. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., bucked his party to make the vote bipartisan. He was the only Democrat to join Republicans in support of the nominee. Bondi’s confirmation comes as both the Justice Department and FBI have been under scrutiny by Democrats in Congress who have raised concerns over Trump’s recent decision to pardon or commute the sentences of 1,600 defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots and to oust more than 15 inspectors general and special counsel investigators. FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION To date, there are no known plans to conduct sweeping removals or take punitive action against the agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigations. But U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sparked fresh concerns last week after he directed the acting FBI director to identify all current and former bureau employees assigned to the Jan. 6 cases for internal review. The effort prompted FBI agents to file two separate lawsuits Tuesday seeking emergency injunctive relief in federal court, arguing in the lawsuits that any effort by the DOJ or FBI to review or discriminate against agents involved in the Jan. 6 probe would be both “unlawful and retaliatory” and a violation of civil service protections. Bondi has repeatedly said she will not use her position to advance any political agenda, a refrain she returned to many times during her hours-long confirmation hearing. “Politics has to be taken out of this system,” Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month. TRUMP AG NOMINEE PAM BONDI ADVANCES TO FINAL SENATE VOTE Bondi’s nomination earned praise both from Republicans and some Democrats in the chamber for her composure and her ability to deftly navigate thorny and politically tricky topics and lines of questioning from some would-be detractors. She was widely expected to glide to confirmation after the hearing, and her nomination had earned the praise of more than 110 former senior Justice Department officials, including former attorneys general and dozens of Democratic and Republican state attorneys general, who praised her experience and work across party and state lines. Those backers described Bondi in interviews and letters previewed exclusively by Fox News Digital as an experienced and motivated prosecutor whose record has proven to be more as a consensus builder than a bridge-burner. ‘UNLIKELY COALITION’: A CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ADVOCATE SEES OPPORTUNITIES IN A SECOND TRUMP TERM “It is all too rare for senior Justice Department officials — much less Attorneys General — to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe,” former Justice Department officials wrote in a letter urging her confirmation. Bondi’s former colleagues in Florida also told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington, this time, with an eye toward cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use and cartels responsible for smuggling drugs across the border. Democrat Dave Aronberg, who challenged Bondi in her bid for Florida attorney general, told Fox News Digital in an interview he was stunned when Bondi called him after winning the race and asked him to be her drug czar. He also praised Bondi for staring down political challenges before noting that when she took office in Florida, Bondi “received a lot of pushback” from members of the Republican Party” for certain actions, including appointing a Democrat to a top office. “But she stood up to them, and she did what she thought was right, regardless of political pressure,” Aaronberg told Fox News Digital on the eve of her confirmation vote. “So, that’s what gives me hope here, is that she’ll right the ship and refocus the Department of Justice on policy not politics.” In floor remarks Monday evening, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley praised Bondi’s prosecutorial experience and her time as a public servant, noting that she made history as the first female attorney general in Florida. Bondi “fought against pill mills, eliminated the backlog of rape test kits and stood for law and order,” Grassley told lawmakers shortly before the Senate cloture vote, noting that Bondi “was easily re-elected to a second term” as state attorney general “because she did such a great job.”
USAID missions overseas ordered to shut down, staff being recalled: report
Overseas missions for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have reportedly been told to shut down and that staffers were being recalled to the United States by Friday. CBS News reported that Peter Marocco, the director of foreign assistance at the State Department who was tapped by State Department Secretary Marco Rubio to run USAID, told the agency’s leadership that those who do not comply will be evacuated by the military. Fox News Digital has reached out to USAID and the State Department. MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT USAID has come under scrutiny by the Trump administration over what it is spending. “For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight,” the White House said Monday. USAID allocated millions of dollars for programs the Trump administration considers controversial and that frequently involved diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives launched during the Biden administration, critics say. During an interview with Fox News that aired Tuesday, Rubio said USAID has “basically evolved into an agency that believes that they’re not even a U.S. government agency.” USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN “That they are a global charity. That they take the taxpayer money and spend it as a global charity, irrespective of whether it is in the national interest or not in the national interest,” he said. The goal was always to reform the agency, Rubio said, but that “now we have rank insubordination.” “Their basic attitude is: ‘We don’t work for anyone. We work for ourselves’,” he said. “‘No agency of government can tell us what to do’.” Rubio said a common complaint among U.S. embassies around the world is that USAID isn’t cooperative and “undermines the work that we’re doing.” On Tuesday, Sen. Jodi Ernst, R-Iowa, said every dollar given to USAID needs to be scrutinized. In a series of posts on X, Erst noted millions in aid that were allegedly funneled to fund good causes ended up in the hands of bad actors. WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS? She noted $9 million in humanitarian aid to feed civilians in Syria that allegedly ended up in the hands of terrorists, as well as another $2 million spent on Moroccan pottery classes and promotion. Other projects included trade assistance to Ukraine to pay for models to attend Fashion Weeks events in New York City, London and Paris and millions spent to help Afghans grow crops instead of opium. “The results: opium poppy cultivation across the country nearly doubled, according to the UN,” she wrote. “USAID asked, ‘Can you tell me how to get how to get to Sesame Street?’ and ended up in Iraq,” she wrote in another post. “USAID authorized a whopping $20 million to create a Sesame Street in Iraq.”
‘Level it’: Trump says US will ‘take over’ Gaza strip and rebuild it to stabilize Middle East
The U.S. will “take over the Gaza strip,” level it and rebuild the area, President Donald Trump said during a press conference Tuesday evening after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said Tuesday evening in a joint press conference with Netanyahu. “We’ll own it, and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.” “Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.” Netanyahu, who joined Trump for the Tuesday press conference, is the first world leader to meet with the president at the White House under his second administration. When asked about taking over the Gaza Strip, Trump said he could see the U.S. in a “long term ownership position” of the piece of land, which would likely bring stability to the Middle East. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER LAUDS TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP WHEN ASKED IF BIDEN SHOULD TAKE CREDIT FOR CEASEFIRE “I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump said. “And everybody I’ve spoken to — this was not a decision made lightly — everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land. Developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent in a really magnificent area that nobody would know. Nobody can look because all they see is death and destruction and rubble.” Netanyahu, when also asked about the Gaza Strip, reiterated to the media that he has three goals, one of which is to “make sure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.” “President Trump is taking it to a much higher level,” the Israeli leader said. “He sees a different — he sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism, so much so many attacks against us, so many, so many trials and so many tribulations. He has a different idea, and I think it’s worth paying attention to this.” The pair’s White House meeting included discussing the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and its future, Iran’s grip on the Middle East and resettling Gaza residents in other nations. ‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING “In our meetings today, the prime minister and I focused on the future, discussing how we can work together to ensure Hamas is eliminated and ultimately restore peace to a very troubled region,” Trump said during the press conference. “It’s been troubled, but what’s happened in the last four years has not been good.” Trump said that the Gaza Strip has become “a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades and so bad for the people anywhere near it.” “It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there,” he added. TRUMP EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION, GAZA REBUILD WITH NETANYAHU MEETING ON DECK Netanyahu lauded Trump’s tenacity and ability “to think outside the box” during his comments to the press. “Your willingness to puncture conventional thinking, thinking that has failed time and time and time again, your willingness to think outside the box with fresh ideas, will help us achieve all these goals,” he said. “And I’ve seen you do this many times. You cut to the chase. You see things others refuse to see. You say things others refuse to say, you know. And after the jaws drop, people scratch their heads and they say, you know, he’s right.” The Israeli leader continued that his nation’s victory will also be a win for America. “Israel’s victory will be America’s victory,” Netanyahu said. “We will not only win the war working together, we will win the peace. With your leadership, Mr. President, and our partnership, I believe that we will forge a brilliant future for our region and bring our great alliance to even greater heights.”
Israeli prime minister lauds Trump’s leadership when asked if Biden should take credit for ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded President Donald Trump’s leadership when asked who should take credit for the ceasefire deal reached in the waning days of the Biden administration. “Prime Minister Netanyahu, we’ve heard Joe Biden and Donald Trump take credit for the hostage and ceasefire deal. Who do you think deserves more credit?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Netanyahu as he joined Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “I think President Trump had a great force and powerful leadership to this effort. I appreciate it,” Netanyahu responded. “He sent a very good emissary. He’s helped a lot. And, you know, I’ll just tell you, I’m happy that they’re here. And I’m sure the president is happy that they’re here. And I would think that’s about enough.” Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal Jan. 15, just days before Biden exited the White House, and Trump entered it, on Jan. 20. The ceasefire followed a meeting between Trump’s then-incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Netanyahu. TRUMP EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION, GAZA REBUILD WITH NETANYAHU MEETING ON DECK Credit for the ceasefire was claimed by both Biden and Trump, with the 46th president taking a victory lap for the achievement in the opening remarks of his farewell address to the nation. “After eight months of nonstop negotiation, my administration — by my administration — a cease-fire and hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas, the elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year,” Biden said in his farewell address. “This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that’s how it should be, working together as Americans.” At another point of Tuesday’s joint press conference, Netanyahu argued that chances of peace in the Middle East increase when he and Trump — and Israel and the U.S. overall — work side by side. TRUMP REINSTATES ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN “When Israel and the United States work together, and President Trump and I work together, you know, the chances go up a lot [to reach the second phase of the ceasefire deal],” he said. “It’s when we don’t work together, when Israel and the United States don’t work together, that creates problems. When the other side sees daylight between us, and occasionally in the last few years … then it’s more difficult.” Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House to discuss the ceasefire deal’s future, and Iran’s grip in the Middle East and resettling Gaza residents in other nations. Iran has been at the forefront of Hamas’ war on Israel, assisting in funding the effort. Trump said during the press conference that war would not have broken out if he had been president back on Oct. 7, 2023 — citing that Iran was financially hobbled under his first administration. “Iran was in big trouble when I left. They were broke,” Trump said. “They didn’t have money for Hamas. They didn’t have any money for Hezbollah. You had no problem. October 7th could have never happened when I left.” ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU DEPARTS FOR US TO MEET WITH TRUMP, HOPING TO STRENGTHEN TIES WITH WASHINGTON Netanyahu vowed during the press conference that he would bring home the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity, while adding that “Hamas is not going to be in Gaza” much longer. Trump added that Gaza is too dangerous for even the soldiers currently on the ground. “It’s too dangerous for people. Nobody wants to be there,” he said. “Warriors don’t want to be there. Soldiers don’t want to be there. How can you have people go back? You’re saying go back into Gaza now? The same thing’s going to happen.” “It’ll only be death,” he said.
First images released of migrant flights to Gitmo as Trump ramps up deportations
The first flight of migrants to Guantanamo Bay took off Tuesday, and Fox News Digital obtained some of the first images of migrants boarding a military plane for a detention center. Trump announced last week he would instruct the Pentagon to prepare the site to hold around 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens” at the military base. “I can also confirm that today the first flights from the United States to Guantanamo Bay with illegal migrants are underway,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. US BEGINS FLYING MIGRANTS TO GUANTANAMO BAY “And so President Trump, Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem are already delivering on this promise to utilize that capacity at Gitmo for illegal criminals who have broken our nation’s immigration laws and then have further committed heinous crimes against lawful American citizens here at home.” The first flight was scheduled to leave Fort Bliss with about a dozen migrants on board. They will be separated from the 15 detainees already there, who include alleged 9/11 planners, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. “Some of them are so bad, we don’t even trust their countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,” Trump said last week of the migrants being sent there. “We’re going to send them to Guantanamo.” TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN About 380 service members are supporting the holding operations at Naval Station Guantanamo, U.S. Southern Command said Tuesday, adding that the number of service members will continue to fluctuate based on DHS requirements. The Trump administration has not said how much it would cost to expand Guantanamo, which was established in 2002 to detain foreign militants after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE It’s part of a broader effort by the administration to launch a “historic” deportation operation. Trump announced Saturday that Venezuela had agreed to take back its nationals who are in the U.S. illegally, days after a diplomatic spat with Colombia that resulted in that nation also agreeing to take back flights of illegal immigrants. Trump on his first day in office deployed the military to the border and declared a national emergency, while also enacting measures to prevent migrants from being able to claim asylum in the U.S. DHS has since taken a number of measures to free up ICE agents to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, and officers are frequently arresting over 1,000 a day. Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
LGBTQ+ advocates, families sue Trump admin for ending funding of transgender healthcare under 19
A group of seven families, as well as LGBTQ+ advocates and medical organizations, have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his administration over an executive order to ban federal funding for transgender healthcare for individuals under the age of 19. The lawsuit was filed in Baltimore federal court and seeks an immediate injunction to delay the implementation of Trump’s executive order from last week. “Over the past week, hospitals across the country have abruptly halted medical care for transgender people under nineteen, canceling appointments and turning away some patients who have waited years to receive medically necessary care for gender dysphoria,” the lawsuit reads. “This sudden shutdown in care was the direct and immediate result of an Executive Order that President Trump issued on January 28, 2025 — Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation — directing all federal agencies to ‘immediately take appropriate steps to ensure that institutions receiving Federal research or education grants end gender-affirming medical care for people under nineteen (the “Denial of Care Order”).” TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,’ DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY The denial of care order follows on the heels of another executive order Trump signed on Jan. 20, 2025, to defend women from gender ideology extremism and restore biological truth to the federal government. The group of plaintiffs claims executive orders are unlawful and unconstitutional, saying the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse. “The president does not have unilateral power to withhold federal funds that have been previously authorized by Congress and signed into law, and the President does not have the power to impose his own conditions on the use of funds when Congress has not delegated to him the power to do so,” the lawsuit reads. “President Trump’s directives to cut off funding have had concrete and immediate effects. Hospitals across the country, including those that have provided medical care to the Transgender Plaintiffs, have ended the provision of ongoing and essential gender-affirming medical care to transgender patients under nineteen because of the Executive Orders.” DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAYS ‘NO MORE DEI AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE’: ‘NO EXCEPTIONS’ The lawsuit is the latest to come out of Trump’s recently signed executive orders relating to gender. The executive orders, signed in late January, include a reinstatement of the ban on transgender troops in the military, a ban on federal funding for sex changes for minors and a directive requiring federal agencies to recognize only “two sexes,” male and female, in official standard of conduct. “This ban betrays fundamental American values of equal opportunity and judging people on their merit,” Jennifer Levi, director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), said in a statement about the trans military ban. CRACKING DOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: TRUMP ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS, RESTRICTS FACILITY USE GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) were among the first groups to file a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration for its military ban. The lawsuit, Talbott v. Trump, was brought forward on equal protection grounds by six active-duty service members and two individuals attempting to enlist, according to the groups’ announcement. The plaintiffs include a Sailor of the Year honoree, a Bronze Star recipient and several who were awarded meritorious service medals. They were identified as U.S. Army Reservist Lt. Nicolas Talbott, Army Maj. Erica Vandal, Army Sgt. 1st Class Kate Cole, Army Capt. Gordon Herrero, Navy Ensign Dany Danridge, Air Force Master Sgt. Jamie Hash, and Koda Nature and Cael Neary. The latter two are civilians who are seeking to enlist in the military. Another lawsuit, filed by a transgender inmate receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatment, is challenging Trump’s executive order that ends medical transgender treatments — such as hormones, sex changes and grooming accommodations — for federal prisoners. The unnamed inmate, who goes by “Maria Moe” in court documents and is represented by GLAD Law, NCLR and Lowenstein Sandler LLP, is claiming Trump and the Bureau of Prisons are violating the Fifth and Eighth amendments and claims to be “at imminent risk of losing access to the medical care she needs to treat her gender dysphoria.” Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
Meet the young team of software engineers slashing government waste at DOGE: report
Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts to slash government waste and streamline the federal bureaucracy include the hiring of several up-and-coming young software engineers tasked with “modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” Six young men between the ages of 19 and 24 — Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger and Ethan Shaotran — have taken up various roles furthering the DOGE agenda, according to a report from Wired. Bobba was part of the highly regarded Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program at UC Berkeley and has held internships at the Bridgewater Associates hedge fund, Meta and Palantir. “Let me tell you something about Akash,” Grata AI CEO Charis Zhang posted on X about Bobba in recent days. “During a project at Berkeley, I accidentally deleted our entire codebase 2 days before the deadline. I panicked. Akash just stared at the screen, shrugged, and rewrote everything from scratch in one night — better than before. We submitted early and got first in the class. Many such stories. I trust him with everything I own.” ‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM Coristine, a recent high school graduate who studied mechanical engineering and physics at Northwestern, previously worked for Musk’s Neuralink project, Wired reported. Bobba and Costine reportedly work directly under Anna Scales as “experts” at the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Kliger is listed on LinkedIn as a special advisor to the director of OPM and attended UC Berkeley in 2020. Kliger has also worked at the AI company Databricks. Kliger’s substack contains a post, “The Curious Case of Matt Gaetz: How the Deep State Destroys Its Enemies,” as well as another titled “Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense: The Warrior Washington Fears.” USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN Another post on the substack is headlined, “Why I gave up a seven-figure salary to save America.” Killian is listed as a volunteer for DOGE who attended McGill University after graduating from high school in 2019. Wired reported that Killian previously worked as an engineer at a company called Jump Trading that deals with high-frequency financial trades and algorithms. Shaotran was studying computer science at Harvard University last year and is the founder of Energize AI, an OpenAI-backed startup. Additionally, Shaotran participated in a “hackathon” sponsored by an Elon Musk company where he finished in second place. Farritor, who dropped out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has a working GSA email address, was previously an intern for SpaceX and is also a Thiel fellow. In 2023, at 21years old, Farritor became the first person to successfully decode text inside a 2,000-year-old Greek scroll using AI, according to the University of Nebraska website. According to Wired, Bobba, Coristine, Farritor and Shaotran have working GSA emails along with A-suite level clearance that allows them to work on the top floor at GSA with access to all IT systems. Fox News Digital reached out to OPM and GSA for comment. Speaking to Fox News’ Peter Doocy in the Oval Office Tuesday, President Donald Trump praised the intelligence of some of the young hires working for DOGE. “That’s good,” Trump said of the hires as young as 19. “They’re very smart, though, Peter. They’re like you. They’re very smart people. “No, I haven’t seen them,” Trump said when asked if he had met the team. “They work, actually, out of the White House as smart people, unlike what they do in the control towers. We need smart people. We should use some of them in the control towers, where we were putting people that were actually intellectually deficient. That was one of the qualifications is you could be intellectually deficient. “No. We need smart people. Some are young and some are not young. Some are not young at all. But they found great things. Look at the list of things. I’ll … maybe I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll read off a list of 15 or 20 things that they found inside of the USAID. It has to be corrupt.” Elon Musk has also publicly posted online about the qualifications he is looking for and the strength of his team. “If you’re a hardcore software engineer and want to build the everything app, please join us by sending your best work to code@x.com,” Musk posted on X in January. “We don’t care where you went to school or even whether you went to school or what “big name” company you worked at. Just show us your code.” In another X post this week, Musk wrote, “Time to confess: Media reports saying that @DOGE has some of world’s best software engineers are in fact true.” Wired cited sources who raised concerns about Musk’s team’s clearance, and Democrats in Congress have been railing against DOGE in recent days, arguing that DOGE has received improper access to various government systems. Musk has pushed back on the criticism from Democrats, including allegations about DOGE’s involvement in treasury payment oversight. “The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups. They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once,” Musk, the chair of DOGE, posted early Saturday morning to X. Musk also responded to Democratic critics, including those upset about his efforts to push reforms at USAID, saying the “hysterical reactions” demonstrate the importance of DOGE’s work. “An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government,” a post on Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer’s X account states, echoing remarks the lawmaker made during a press conference. “DOGE is not a real government agency. DOGE has no authority to make spending decisions. DOGE has no authority to shut programs down or to ignore federal law. DOGE’s conduct cannot be allowed to stand. Congress must take action to restore the rule of law.” Musk described the
Trump learns Biden signed with major Hollywood talent agency: ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’
President Donald Trump was stunned Tuesday to hear that his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, signed with a major Hollywood talent agency weeks after leaving the White House. Trump was speaking with reporters in the Oval Office after signing more executive orders when he was asked if he knew Biden had landed himself representation. “You’ve got to be kidding,” Trump said while shaking his head after a reporter’s question. “He signed with a talent agency? TRUMP DEFENDS TARIFFS, ACCUSES CANADA OF BEING ‘VERY ABUSIVE OF THE UNITED STATES’: VIDEO “I think he’s got much bigger problems than that, but I wish him well,” Trump added. Trump then said his administration “inherited a mess” from Biden’s tenure in the White House. “This place is a mess,” he said. “But it’s quickly being solved, the problem. We’re going to make America great again.” Biden has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which previously represented him from 2017-2020, the agency said. TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: NEW ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS AND RESTRICTS FACILITY USE “President Biden is one of America’s most respected and influential voices in national and global affairs,” CAA Co-chairman Richard Lovett said in a statement. “His lifelong commitment to public service is one of unity, optimism, dignity and possibility. We are profoundly honored to partner with him again.” During his previous stint with CAA, Biden released his memoir, “Promise Me, Dad,” in 2017 and launched his “American Promise” speaking tour, which sold “more than 85,000 tickets nationwide,” according to a CAA press release. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP CAA also represents former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
‘Making America expensive again’: Democrats find a tax they don’t like in Trump tariffs
Democrats are warning that Americans will face higher costs and end up paying the price for new tariffs President Donald Trump is imposing against Mexico, Canada and China. The White House announced Friday that in response to an “invasion of illegal fentanyl” to the U.S., it would impose a 25% tariff on all goods entering the United States from Mexico and Canada, a 10% tariff on Canadian energy and a 10% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from China. Tariffs against China went into effect Tuesday, although Trump agreed to push back tariffs against Mexico and Canada by at least one month after discussions with each respective country about securing the border. While Trump acknowledged Friday the tariffs might result in “temporary, short-term disruption,” Democrats claim American taxpayers will end up hurting and paying the price. According to one Washington think tank, the nonpartisan Peterson Institute for International Economics, these rounds of tariffs are expected to cost U.S. households roughly $1,200 a year annually. As a result, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took a jab at Trump and mocked the president’s coined expression about a “golden age” of economic prosperity. WHITE HOUSE TO IMPOSE TARIFFS ON MEXICO, CANADA AND CHINA DUE TO ‘INVASION OF ILLEGAL FENTANYL’ “President Trump kickstarted a golden age of higher costs for American families with his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico,” Schumer said Monday on the Senate floor. “Two of our four biggest trading partners by issuing his tariffs. Donald Trump is yet again rigging the game for his billionaire friends, while doing nothing to lower costs for American families.” “The Trump tariffs will make gas prices go up, and we should not listen at all to Donald Trump when he says it’s about stopping fentanyl,” Schumer said. “That’s nonsense. There are other ways to stop fentanyl without making inflation worse and raising costs on the American family.” Additionally, Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced legislation Thursday that would increase legislative branch oversight before imposing new tariffs. Specifically, the legislation would require the president to brief Congress on tariff proposals and impacts on the U.S. economy and foreign policy interests. The measure, known as the Stopping Tariffs on Allies and Bolstering Legislative Exercise of (STABLE) Trade Policy Act, also would require approval from Congress before executing any new tariffs on U.S. allies or other free trade agreement partners. ‘THIS IS ABOUT FENTANYL’: TARIFFS ARE CRUCIAL TO COMBATTING ‘DRUG WAR,’ TRUMP AND CABINET OFFICIALS SAY Coons warned that the American people would pay the price for the tariffs, which he labeled the “largest tax increase” on Americans in a long time. Coons also cautioned that imposing tariffs on Mexico and Canada would turn them into “nervous neighbors” and could jeopardize relationships with allies. “China, Mexico, and Canada are our three largest trading partners,” Coons said in a statement Friday. “It’s the largest tax increase on working Americans in a long time, and it will cost them thousands of dollars every year. President Trump is making America expensive again.” Experts have warned that the costs of foods like avocados, dairy and certain meats could go up as a result of the tariffs. For example, Kelly Beaton, the chief content officer at The Food Institute, noted that the U.S. receives a large portion of hog and beef imports from Canada. These tariffs “will undoubtedly” lead to higher import costs, and, ultimately, higher beef and pork prices for American consumers, she said, Fox Business reports. Likewise, Democratic Reps. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Don Beyer, D-Va., also introduced legislation in January that would block Trump from using emergency powers to implement tariffs, amid concerns that American consumers would end up footing the bill. “Not only would widespread tariffs drive up costs at home and likely send our economy into recession, but they would likely lead to significant retaliation, hurting American workers, farmers, and businesses,” DelBene said in a statement on Jan. 15. In response to Americans absorbing costs from the tariffs, Trump said in a post Sunday on Truth Social: “WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!). BUT WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID.” While Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told NBC News’ “60 Minutes” he predicted tariffs would drive up consumer costs, other Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. told Fox News Sunday that the tariffs are designed to “get these countries to change their behavior.” The tariffs were being imposed due to an “unprecedented invasion of illegal fentanyl that is killing American citizens,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday. MEXICO AGRESS TO DEPLOY 10,000 TROOPS TO US BORDER IN EXCHANGE FOR TARIFF PAUSE Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke on Monday, resulting in the postponement of the tariffs against Mexico for one month. Additionally, Sheinbaum promised to dispatch 10,000 troops to the U.S.–Mexico border. Likewise, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled plans for a $1.3 billion border plan, requiring reinforcements at the border with “new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl.” “Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border,” Trudeau said in a social media post on X on Monday. While Trudeau initially unveiled plans for Canada’s own 25% tariffs on up to $155 billion in U.S. imports on items such as fruit and alcohol. But Trudeau said Sunday the tariffs were on pause for at least 30 more days amid negotiations with the U.S. Trudeau also said that “we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada- U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.” Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.