HHS axes more than $300M in gender, DEI-related health grants to California alone
FIRST ON FOX: Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) terminated more than $330 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and gender research in the state of California alone, Fox News Digital learned Thursday. “HHS terminated more than $330 million in wasteful research funding to organizations in California that is not aligned with NIH and HHS priorities,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a Thursday statement to Fox News Digital. “The terminated research grants are simply wasteful in studying things that do not pertain to American’s health to any significant degree, including DEI and gender ideology. As we begin to Make America Healthy Again, it’s important to prioritize research that directly affects the health of Americans.” Fox News Digital examined the list of terminated grants, all of which were related to DEI initiatives or gender-related issues, and predominantly were issued to colleges within the California public school system, such as the University of California, San Francisco and UCLA, as well as private colleges and research institutes located in the Golden State. HHS SLASHES OVER $350M IN GRANT FUNDING FOR GENDER IDEOLOGY, DEI RESEARCH PROJECTS “Harnessing the power of text messaging to reduce HIV incidence in adolescent males across the United States,” one $5,122,427 grant that was awarded to a nonprofit called the Center for Innovative Public Health Research reads, Fox Digital learned. “Sex hormone effects on neurodevelopment: Controlled puberty in transgender adolescents,” was the title of a terminated $3,692,048 grant to Stanford University, according to HHS. LIBERAL NORTH CAROLINA CITY’S DEI PLAN FOR HURRICANE RELIEF SHUT DOWN BY HUD SECRETARY “#TranscendentHealth – Adapting an LGB+ inclusive teen pregnancy prevention program for transgender boys,” reads another $1,319,024 grant awarded to the Center for Innovative Public Health Research. The University of California, San Francisco’s $2,554,402 grant for “Structural Racism and Discrimination in Older Men’s Health Inequities” also was canceled, Fox Digital learned, as was a $822,539 grant to UCLA called “Buddhism and HIV Stigma in Thailand: An Intervention Study.” A total of 61 NIH research grants focused on gender and DEI in the state of California were canceled. TRUMP NIH APPOINTEE DEFENDS PRESIDENT’S RESEARCH FUNDING CUTS, LAYS OUT NEW VISION FOR FUTURE The grant cancellation announcement comes after President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders removing DEI initiatives from the fabric of the government following President Joe Biden’s tenure. TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES $175M IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO UPENN OVER INCLUSION OF TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order focused on “ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs” and one focused on restoring merit-based opportunity and “ending illegal discrimination,” which ended DEI practices at the federal level in favor of merit-based systems. TRUMP’S ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ COMMISSION TO TARGET AUTISM, CHRONIC DISEASES Federal agencies across the board have since worked to gut federal offices of DEI initiatives to abide by the president’s orders. On Friday, HHS announced it had terminated hundreds of other NIH research grants related to DEI and gender that totaled more than $350 million. The research grants included research on “multilevel and multidimensional structural racism,” “gender-affirming hormone therapy in mice” and “microaggressions,” among others. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Bipartisan bill would give eligible veterans free service dog
EXCLUSIVE: A bipartisan group of lawmakers is teaming up to ensure veterans in need can obtain a service dog at no cost. “For veterans struggling with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, or mobility impairments, these service dogs are more than just companions. They provide independence, security and healing,” Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, one of the lawmakers leading the charge on the legislation, told Fox News Digital. “They are a critical tool in the fight against veteran suicide and mental health challenges.” The legislation, dubbed the “Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act,” or “SAVES Act,” would mandate that the secretary of Veterans Affairs award grants to nonprofits whose mission is to provide service dogs to veterans. Those grants would allow eligible veterans to be provided with a service dog at no charge to them. VA SEC ACCUSES REPORTER OF SPREADING RUMORS ABOUT DOGE HURTING VETERANS Luttrell, a U.S. Navy veteran, believes the legislation is a critical step in preventing veteran suicide, an issue the Texas lawmaker has continued to stress as one of his most critical missions in Congress. “The SAVES Act is a straightforward, commonsense bill with a life-changing impact,” Luttrell said. “This bipartisan legislation creates a grant program to help nonprofit organizations provide highly trained service dogs to veterans who need them at no cost to those who have served.” FORT BRAGG IS BACK Joining Luttrell in co-sponsoring the legislation are Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., Don Davis, D-N.C., David Valadao, R-Calif., Greg Murphy, R-N.C., Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, John Rutherford, R-Fla., Jen Kiggins, R-Fla., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Jason Crow, R-Colo. The bill, which will be formally announced next week, is a critical step in assisting military veterans with mental health, Luttrell said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “With $10 million in funding per year for the next five years,” the Texas lawmaker told Fox News Digital, “this bill ensures that organizations dedicated to training and placing service dogs have the resources they need to serve those who’ve sacrificed so much for our country.”
Judge tells government watchdogs fired by Trump there’s not much she can do for them
Eight inspectors general abruptly fired by President Donald Trump at the start of his second term appeared in federal court Thursday to challenge their dismissals — a long-shot case that nonetheless sparked fireworks during oral arguments. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes acknowledged on Thursday that it would be difficult for the court to reinstate the eight ousted inspectors generals, who were part of a broader group of 17 government watchdogs abruptly terminated by Trump in January, just four days into his second White House term. In a lawsuit last month, the eight inspectors general challenged their firings as both “unlawful and unjustified” and asked to be reinstated – a remedy that Reyes acknowledged Thursday would be exceedingly difficult, even if she were to find that their firings were unconstitutional. “Unless you convince me otherwise,” she told the plaintiffs, “I don’t see how I could reinstate the inspectors general” to their roles. AXED GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG SAYS TRUMP HAS RIGHT TO FIRE HIM Reyes suggested that the best the court could do would be to order back pay, even as she told both parties, “I don’t think anyone can contest that the removal of these people – the way that they were fired – was a violation of the law.” The preliminary injunction hearing comes more than a month after the eight fired inspectors general filed a lawsuit challenging their termination as unconstitutional. Plaintiffs asked the judge to restore them to their positions, noting in the filing, “President Trump’s attempt to eliminate a crucial and longstanding source of impartial, non-partisan oversight of his administration is contrary to the rule of law.” Still, the remedies are considered a long shot – and Trump supporters have argued that the president was well within his executive branch powers to make such personnel decisions under Article II of the Constitution, Supreme Court precedent and updates to federal policy. LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS In 2022, Congress updated its Inspector General Act of 1978, which formerly required a president to communicate to Congress any “reasons” for terminations 30 days before any decision was made. That notice provision was amended in 2022 to require only a “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for terminations. The 30-day period was a major focus of Thursday’s hearing, as the court weighed whether inspectors general can be considered “principal” or inferior officers. The White House Director of Presidential Personnel has claimed that the firings are in line with that requirement, which were a reflection of “changing priorities” from within the administration. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, suggested earlier this year that Congress should be given more information as to the reasons for the firings, though more recently he has declined to elaborate on the matter. Reyes, for her part, previously did not appear to be moved by the plaintiffs’ bid for emergency relief. She declined to grant their earlier request for a temporary restraining order – a tough legal test that requires plaintiffs to prove “irreparable” and immediate harm as a result of the actions – and told both parties during the hearing that, barring new or revelatory information, she is not inclined to rule in favor of plaintiffs at the larger preliminary injunction hearing.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Saving Billions
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Republicans look to abolish TSA in favor of private security at airports -Trump anti-sanctuary city executive order could target federal funding, says expert -Reporters say they found Waltz, Gabbard, Hegseth private contact info online The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will lay off about 10,000 full-time employees. The move is projected to save taxpayers $1.8 billion annually. What the department billed as a “dramatic restructuring” comes in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order implementing the Republican’s “Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative.” HHS said it expects a total downsizing of between 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees when combining this latest effort with early retirement and the results of the Fork in the Road, the deferred resignation offer of full pay and benefits until September…Read more PASSING GRADE?: Where Trump stands among Americans nine weeks into his second presidency: polls DIRTY JOB: Trump admin to step in to combat Mexico sewage crisis in CA beach town ‘REALLY UNETHICAL’: Ex-Biden staffer torches ‘unethical’ Biden team for scripting questions and bullying journalists GOING THE EXTRA MILE: Conservative group warns of high costs as US influence fades in Latin America ‘CANDID’ CONVERSATION: Colombia agrees to share migrant data with US after ‘candid’ talks with Kristi Noem BUCKING THE BLUE: 6 Dems vote with House GOP to reverse Biden-era climate rules MIXED SIGNAL: Dems have long history of supporting encrypted Signal app ahead of Trump chat leak CUT OFF: GOP member introducing bill to defund NPR after fireworks-filled House hearing ‘SHADY DEAL’: Comer probes NGOs that received $20B in Biden EPA grants despite almost no revenue: ‘Shady deal’ ‘HOT GARBAGE’: GOP senators rally behind Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, say calls for his firing are ‘hot garbage’ ‘THAT’S NUTS’: Hawley blasts ‘insane’ liberal attorney during Senate hearing on campus antisemitism SLASHING RED TAPE: Energy chief slashes red tape that led to 60% cost in inflation, burdened work in ‘critical’ labs GLIDE OR DIE: Marine Corps bets on electric seagliders ‘invisible’ to enemy radar for medevac missions at sea CLASS IN SESSION: AZ Senate leader calls for federal meeting on DEI ‘window dressing’ at state colleges POPULAR DEMAND: Most Americans support deporting at least some illegal immigrants, poll finds INSIDE THE ENCAMPMENT: Macklemore-produced Columbia protest film debuts amid ICE controversy over narrator Mahmoud Khalil ‘NO WORDS’: Illegal immigrant nabbed by Georgia police after allegedly molesting four children SEE IT: Bryan Kohberger trial: Idaho student murders survivor draws ‘mask’ intruder wore on night of stabbings Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
DOGE senator tells outdoors group to ‘go fish’ after discovering massive grant tied to high salaries
EXCLUSIVE: A top DOGE leader in the Senate is trying to reel in a massive federal grant from a nonprofit focused on promoting fishing, boating and outdoors that she alleges is being used to pad executive salaries, a characterization the organization rejected. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and her colleagues have been scouring federal grants for appearances of waste, fraud or abuse of taxpayer funds, and came upon a $27 million grant to the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF). More than $26 million of the grant had been paid out, and long-term figures showed RBFF received $164 million in funding since 2012, with nearly $13 million of that coming in 2024. From the government website USA Spending, the grant’s purpose highlights RBFF’s “Take Me Fishing” consumer campaign that includes a social and digital media component, as well as ads on Walt Disney Company-branded streaming services and “mobile fishing units” that cater to urban communities and “underserved audiences.” DOGE MADNESS: SWEET-16 BRACKET SET UP FOR CRAZIEST FEDERAL WASTES TO COMPETE FOR CHAMPIONSHIP The Disney contract is worth $1.99 million, and other expenditures included $204,000 in SEO consulting, $5 million to a Minnesota agency for media, creative development and design, and $189,000 to an Atlanta hotel. The Alexandria, Virginia-based nonprofit recorded six-figure salaries for several top officials, totaling more than $1.5 million. The group’s president is reportedly paid about $318,000 per year. Most others fell in the mid-$100s. However, RBFF officials defended their work in a statement to Fox News Digital, and suggested government funds are being spent responsibly. “RBFF has a proud tradition of attracting Americans to the sport of fishing and boating,” the statement read. DOGE CAUCUS SENATOR PUSHES FOR END TO SLUSH FUND FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES “By significantly increasing participation over the past 10 years, local communities, independently-owned businesses and manufacturers have directly benefited from increased spending.” RBFF said American anglers contribute nearly $150 billion in economic output and 1 million jobs nationwide. “In fact, we know that fishing produces $1,500 in commerce per participant per year – a figure that drives economic activity in every state in the union,” the organization said. “We are wholly funded via a competitive grant that is awarded through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service via the Sport Fish Restoration excise tax, and our organization is supported by state fish and wildlife agencies, as well as industry manufacturers and retailers from Alaska to Florida.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ernst was not convinced, telling Fox News Digital that “Washington fell hook, line, and sinker into padding the pockets of overpriced recreational consultants.” She quipped that “special interests” should instead be told “to ‘go fish.’” “The Department of Interior needs to claw back the remaining $650,000 and tell these consultants that there are other fish in the sea.” Fox News Digital also reached out to the Interior Department for further comment on the grant, which preceded the current agency leadership.
Four wounded in Amsterdam stabbing attack, police say
One suspect arrested after attack near the central Dam Square in the capital of the Netherlands. At least four people have been wounded in a stabbing attack in the Netherlands capital of Amsterdam, police have said. One suspect has been arrested after the incident on Thursday near the central Dam Square. “A motive is currently still unclear, but part of our investigation,” police said in a statement on social media. There was no immediate information on the condition of those wounded. A trauma helicopter landed on Dam Square to tend to the victims, while police vans and ambulances were also in attendance. Police said that the attack took place on a nearby street at around 3:30 pm (14:30 GMT). The square was cordoned off and reopened after about two hours. Images from local news agency ANP showed a person on a stretcher being loaded into the back of an ambulance. According to local media reports, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema left a meeting in the town hall when news of the attack broke. Police earlier said that five people were wounded in the attack, but later clarified that the suspect was among the injured. Advertisement “The suspect was overpowered with the help of a citizen … As his leg was injured, he was taken to a hospital,” police said in a post on social media. Adblock test (Why?)
Mbappe, Vinicius among four Real Madrid players being investigated by UEFA
European football’s governing body is investigating four Real Madrid players for ‘indecent conduct’ after Atletico game. Four Real Madrid players including Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior are being investigated by UEFA for alleged “indecent conduct” during the Champions League game at Atletico Madrid. UEFA, European football’s governing body, said on Thursday it appointed a disciplinary inspector to study the unspecified allegations at the round of 16 game on March 12. The case also involves Antonio Rudiger and Dani Ceballos. Video clips circulating on social media showed Mbappe grabbing his crotch during celebrations on the field for Madrid winning a penalty shootout. Any ban imposed would force a player to miss Madrid’s game at Arsenal on April 8 in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Madrid advanced to the quarterfinals after the shootout against Atletico. Rudiger scored the decisive spot kick and led teammates in an exuberant dancing run around Atletico’s home field. In a similar case prosecuted by UEFA at the European Championship last year, Madrid player Jude Bellingham was given a one-game ban suspended for a probationary period of one year. Advertisement Bellingham scored a stoppage-time goal for England to level a round of 16 game against Slovakia when he gestured his hand towards his crotch. England went on to win 2-1 in extra time. UEFA disciplinary judges found Bellingham guilty of “violating the basic rules of decent conduct” and fined him $32,400. Adblock test (Why?)
GOP lawmaker credits Trump for relieving his constituents on key issue after being ‘demonized’
Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, said that his constituents are feeling optimistic once again about the future of the oil and gas industry in his district and beyond. The Republican represents parts of central Texas that are critical to the industry, including the Permian Basin, as the Trump administration has famously promised to “drill, baby, drill.” “Think about the hardworking men and women of the Permian Basin, or the Bakken or the Marcellus, or any other producing area. They were demonized. President Biden said, ‘What you do is evil. You producing oil and gas is evil.’ I mean, they basically demonized them,” he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. ENERGY CHIEF SLASHES RED TAPE THAT LED TO 60% COST IN INFLATION, BURDENED WORK IN ‘CRITICAL’ LABS “So, the outlook was pretty bleak in a lot of places. What President Trump has said is, ‘I hear you, I appreciate you, and we are going to make you and your job the centerpiece of the American economy. We’re going to bring that economy back using the work that you’re doing.’ So the outlook was pretty bleak for a couple of years. And it’s a lot better now.” Pfluger touted how the Congressional Review Act, recently signed by President Donald Trump, ended what is considered a tax on natural gas and petroleum production for “waste emissions” put in place during the Biden administration, an effort the Texas congressman helped to lead. LOWER GAS PRICES AREN’T LUCK. TRUMP’S ENERGY POLICIES ARE FUELING AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE “So, what President Biden did, both in the [Inflation Reduction Act] and also through the rules that were promulgated by the EPA, was to overreach, and they certainly started to tax the emissions that you see in production of oil and gas – that you see in the transmission of natural gas – that you see in the whole industry,” the Republican said. “It didn’t give credit to the industry for the gains that had already been made to reduce emissions over the past decade, which have been very impressive more than any other developed nation in the world,” he added. “We want to undo the red tape, undo the bureaucratic morass that the Biden administration basically waged war on the industry. They wanted to make it harder to produce affordable, reliable energy. They wanted to tax it. They wanted to make it more expensive,” the lawmaker said. AMERICA’S ENERGY FUTURE: BREAKING FREE FROM CHINA’S INFLUENCE Looking forward, the congressman stressed the importance of codifying the president’s executive orders on energy into law through Congress, as well as creating a “structure” where the industry can thrive in the long term, including setting up a system to make sure a project like the Keystone XL Pipeline cannot be quickly shot down by future administrations. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Let’s give people the predictability so that they can invest where we get caught up. And this is the biggest complaint I get, not just in my district but around the country, is that it’s not predictable and they have to compete with the government and they don’t know when the government is going to put a halt to something that they put billions of dollars into,” he said.
6 Dems vote with House GOP to reverse Biden-era climate rules
Six House Democrats broke from their party on Thursday to pass a pair of bills blocking Biden administration-era green energy rules. It’s the latest rebuke from more moderate Democrats of the progressive wing of their party. One resolution, led by Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., seeks to overturn regulations imposed by former President Joe Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) for new clean energy standards targeting walk-in freezers and coolers. ENERGY SEC WRIGHT OUTLINES DAY-1 PRIORITIES: REFILLING SPR, NIXING BIDENESQUE APPLIANCE RULES, NUKE UPDATES “I have fought every step of the way to prevent egregious rules from taking effect. These regulations will impose significant financial burdens on small businesses, which will have to absorb major upgrade costs to meet these new, aggressive standards,” Bice told Fox News Digital. She conceded it “sounds small,” but argued it would place an oversized regulatory burden on small businesses across the country. “The impact of this regulation would cost small businesses over a billion dollars while only reducing energy use by 6%,” Bice said. CHRIS WRIGHT CONFIRMED SECRETARY OF ENERGY The second resolution was introduced by Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Texas, and targets Biden-era rules on commercial refrigerators, freezers and refrigerator-freezers. “House Republicans will not allow the Biden administration’s Green New Scam to burden American businesses and raise consumer prices. We will continue to roll back regulations that rob Americans of choice in the name of a radical climate agenda,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital. Republicans have been working to overturn many of Biden’s progressive energy regulations since taking the levers of power in Washington earlier this year. They have a mechanism to do so in Congress via joint resolutions of disapproval, designed as a legislative branch check on executive branch regulatory rule-making. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Bice’s resolution got support from six Democrats, while Goldman’s got five. Reps. Don Davis, D-N.C., Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, Adam Gray, D-Calif., and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., all voted for both. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, voted for Bice’s but not Goldman’s.
Hawley blasts ‘insane’ liberal attorney during Senate hearing on campus antisemitism
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., unleashed on Kenneth S. Stern, attorney and director at the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, during a Senate committee hearing on Thursday, challenging his recent comments on NPR that the Trump administration’s cancellation of Columbia University’s federal grants makes Jewish students “less safe.” “I see that five or six days ago you gave an interview in which you said that the removal of Mahmoud Khalil, the pro-Hamas foreign rioter, is a form of McCarthyism and makes Jewish students less safe. Now this is an individual that has been accused of endorsing and espousing terrorist activity, who has been accused of lying on his green card application in the U.S., who is currently being sued for terrorizing and assaulting Jewish students. Do you still believe this?” Hawley probed. In response, before Hawley cut him off, Stern said he’d “been very clear that OCR has a very important role, that there are complaints that should go through the process.” ANTI-ISRAEL IVY LEAGUE STUDENT IN US ON VISA BEING URGED BY ICE TO SURRENDER: COURT DOCS “When you start using the Department of Justice and threatening universities’ funding,” Stern began, but Hawley interrupted. “I just want to get this on the record: You are opposed to investigating Columbia University and others for antisemitism?” Hawley said, cutting off Stern. “No,” Stern said. “That’s what you said, six days ago,” Hawley interjected. “I am not opposed to doing it the right way,” Stern said. Hawley further pressed Stern about the Trump administration’s investigation into the failure to protect Jewish students, pointing out that Stern had previously claimed such an investigation would be “weaponizing antisemitism” and make students less safe. Stern responded by agreeing that it was indeed weaponizing antisemitism when the Department of Justice had “a list of places they want to go to.” ICE NEARING HISTORIC DEAL WITH IRS TO AID IN DEPORTATIONS: REPORT Stern pointed to Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Edward Markey’s earlier statements in the hearing in which he said “the answer to antisemitism will never be authoritarianism. We cannot guarantee freedom if we let Trump march in and steal freedom.” Hawley responded that he had heard Markey’s comments and called them “insane.” “I heard his whole speech. I thought it was insane,” Hawley said. “I just want to say, for the record, I thought it was totally insane. And I think your positions are similarly insane. I think the idea that we would bend over backwards to hug and kiss and make nice to a pro-Hamas rioter, because that’s what Khalil is, and that we would say, ‘Heavens, we have, we can’t remove him.’ And that makes Jewish students less safe on our campuses? That’s nuts.” JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS FEDERAL JUDGE IT MIGHT INVOKE STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-Israel activist and Columbia University student, faces allegations from the Trump administration for allegedly omitting details about his employment history on his green card application. Specifically, he purportedly failed to disclose his role as a “political affairs officer” with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees between June and November 2023, as well as his extended tenure with the Syria Office at the British Embassy in Beirut beyond 2022. As such, the administration has initiated proceedings to revoke Khalil’s visa. Concurrently, the administration pulled $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University over its handling of anti-Israel campus riots last year. The Ivy League university announced major changes on Friday to align its student policies with Trump’s demands. Several Ivy League students holding visas or green cards have since filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, alleging First Amendment violations.