Texas Lottery Commission says couriers no longer allowed to sell tickets
The new policy is a shift from the department’s stance earlier in February, as Lottery officials said they had no control over the third-party services.
Irish leaders boycott Washington St Patrick’s Day events over Trump’s Gaza comments
Irish leaders will skip St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S. this year to protest President Donald Trump calling for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are an opportunity for Irish leaders to reinforce diplomatic relations abroad, particularly in the U.S., where the annual trip to Washington, D.C., commemorates the historic and cultural ties between the countries. This year, the Irish prime minister, known as Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, will represent Ireland without Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill. “I followed with growing concern what’s happening on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank, and like many other Irish people, have listened in horror to calls from the President of the United States for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes and the permanent seizure of Palestinian lands,” McDonald said. “Such an approach is a fundamental breach of international law, is deeply destabilizing in the Middle East, and a dangerous departure from the U.N. position of peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis, and the right of Palestinians to self-determination.” TRUMP’S GAZA RELOCATION PROPOSAL SPARKS HEATED DEBATE AMONG PALESTINIANS: ‘NO LIFE LEFT HERE’ While acknowledging the important opportunity to reinforce the U.S. and Ireland’s relationship, McDonald said she decided not to attend the White House events this year “as a principled stance against the call for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza.” O’Neill echoed McDonald’s comments, vowing to maintain diplomatic relationships with the U.S. while taking a stance against Trump’s comments. JOURNALISTS SOUND ALARM OVER TRUMP’S ‘PREPOSTEROUS’ GAZA COMMENTS, WARN OF ‘ETHNIC CLEANSING’ “I have taken the decision as First Minister not to attend events at the White House this year,” O’Neill announced in a post. “We have all witnessed the heartbreak and devastation and the suffering in Palestine, and the recent comments by the U.S. president around the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza is something which I cannot ignore.” O’Neill said she is standing “firmly on the side of humanity” by protesting Trump and supporting the Palestinian people. “I will continue to engage with the U.S., both politically and economically, to better people’s lives. But people rightly look to leaders to stand against injustice. And in the future, when our children and our grandchildren ask us what we did when the Palestinian people endured unimaginable suffering, I will say I stood firmly on the side of humanity.” McDonald said she supported Martin’s standing St. Patrick’s Day visit to Washington, D.C., because the prime minister would have more access and an expected audience with Trump. She urged Martin to use the “opportunity to reflect the view of the Irish people in relation to Palestine, in support of international law, and to reject threats for the mass expulsion of Palestinian people and seizures of their land.” When asked about the boycott, Martin told reporters, “Sinn Féin does what it always does – it engages in politics. I have a responsibility to the country.” Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) called the boycott “reckless” and “short-sighted.” “The United States is a key economic partner for Northern Ireland,” said DUP Leader Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson. “Turning away from that relationship, particularly at a time when we need continued international support, is a reckless move that does nothing to advance the interests of people and businesses in Northern Ireland.” Trump said during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month that the U.S. would “take over the Gaza Strip.” Trump also suggested relocating Palestinians to rebuild Gaza as the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Trump’s comments sparked international backlash. Ireland is a long-time supporter of Palestinian independence, as many Irish draw parallels with the British occupation of Ireland. Ireland has advocated for full Palestinian statehood and a two-state solution throughout the war in Gaza. Irish citizens have vocally opposed the war in Gaza and consistently protested in support of Palestinians since the war began. Sinn Féin is an Irish Republican party with historic connections to the Irish Republican Army that has grown in popularity and power in Ireland and Northern Ireland over the past few years. Sinn Féin believes in Irish reunification by returning the British-controlled counties of Northern Ireland to Irish rule. Just as the U.S. has played a critical role in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, the U.S. was a key negotiator in the Good Friday Agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland in 1998, which ended decades of conflict and brought peace to the region. The U.S. is home to the largest Irish diaspora. The U.S. and Ireland have maintained close diplomatic relations, and traditional St. Patrick’s Day events at the White House have become an opportunity to celebrate and develop that relationship. Former President Joe Biden visited Ireland and Northern Ireland as president in 2023 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Kamala Harris takes veiled jabs at Trump, Elon Musk in 1st major speech since election defeat
Former Vice President Kamala Harris took veiled jabs at President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk during her first major speech since her election loss in November. After several months out of the public spotlight, Harris stepped onto the stage at the 56th NAACP Image Awards on Saturday in the Los Angeles-area to accept the NAACP’s Chairman’s Award. The former Democratic presidential candidate called for a “sense of urgency,” asserting that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” as she urged the Pasadena crowd to “stay alert, to seek the truth and to actively participate in the fight for America’s future.” “The organization came into being at a moment when our country struggled with greed, bitterness and hatred. And those who forged the NAACP legacy, those who carried its legacy had no illusions about the forces they were up against. No illusions about how stony the road would be. But some look at this moment and rightly feel the weight of history,” Harris said. “Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask, what do we do now? But we know exactly what to do because we have done it before, and we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate, and we advocate. Because you see, our power has never come from having an easy path.” KAMALA HARRIS MOCKED OVER ‘WORD SALAD’ SPEECH TO CAST OF ‘A WONDERFUL WORLD: THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG MUSICAL’ Harris, who formerly served as a U.S. senator from California and the state’s attorney general, continued, “Our strength flows from our faith. Faith in God, faith in each other and our refusal to surrender to cynicism and destruction. Not because it is easy, but because it is necessary. Not because victory is guaranteed, but because the fight is worth it.” “And while we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the Oval Office, nor by the wealthiest among us,” Harris said, appearing to reference Trump and Musk, who is the wealthiest person in the world. “The American story will be written by you, written by us, by we, the people.” TRUMP LOOKING TO SELL OFF NANCY PELOSI FEDERAL BUILDING IN SAN FRANCISCO: REPORTS Her speech comes at a time when the Democratic Party is in a messaging crisis after Trump soundly defeated Harris in November’s presidential election. Like former President Joe Biden did earlier this month, Harris signed with the powerful Hollywood talent agency, Creative Artists Agency, days ago. The agency said in its announcement on Instagram that it would focus on “speaking engagements and publishing,” and work closely with Harris “on her post-White House initiatives, creating strategic opportunities that expand her platform in support of the issues she has championed through her decades-long career in public service.” In his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump referenced Harris as Biden’s border czar, telling the Washington, D.C., area crowd, “I haven’t said that name in a while.”
Republican lawmaker files bills to ban DEI in Texas K-12 public schools
Senate bills 12 and 1565 would withhold funding from Texas public schools that don’t comply with the state’s DEI ban.
Feds to target “criminals and illegal immigrants” in Houston-area development, Abbott says
The Colony Ridge development has long been under scrutiny from conservative lawmakers, think tanks and influencers who cast it as a hotbed for undocumented immigrants and cartel crime.
DOGE, EPA team up to claw back $67 million in ‘environmental justice’ grants
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is teaming up with Elon Musk’s cost-cutting department to draw back environmental grants issued by the former Democratic administration. The EPA and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Donald Trump’s newly formed department aimed at cutting federal spending, recently revealed that the Biden administration earmarked $77.1 million in “environmental justice” grants to 20 recipients. DOGE, as part of its sweep of government “waste,” revealed that they are canceling $67.4 million of the unspent funds, the EPA confirmed to Fox News Digital. “Good work,” DOGE wrote in a post on X regarding the recent spending cut. BIDEN SENT $2 BILLION TO STACEY ABRAMS-LINKED GROUP IN GREEN ENERGY ‘SCHEME,’ EPA SAYS The new developments, first reported by the New York Post, revealed that one recipient, the San Diego State University Foundation, would stand to lose $4.2 million in funding for bringing “environmental justice” to “tribal, indigenous and Pacific Island communities.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., reacted to the cost-cutting decision, writing on social media that “Biden’s EPA” equals “Embezzling Public Assets.” CAESARS PALACE, MLB STADIUM, AN ICE CREAM TRUCK: DOGE REVEALS HOW SCHOOLS SPENT BILLIONS IN COVID-RELIEF FUNDS The EPA has been clawing back millions in environmental grants issued under the Biden administration, recently revealing that the Biden administration was allowing just eight entities to distribute $20 billion of taxpayer dollars “at their discretion.” The agency found that part of the funds were $2 billion to a climate group linked to high-profile Democrat Stacey Abrams in what was described by the administration as a “scheme” of “wasteful” spending. The grant was given to Power Forward Communities, an Abrams-tied nonprofit that sought to “reduce our impact on the climate” by financing the replacement of household appliances in lower-income communities with green alternatives.
DOGE cuts, Medicaid fears spark protests at GOP lawmaker offices across US
Some House Republicans have felt heat back home this past week after progressive groups urged Americans to protest the GOP’s handling of government spending. At least six lawmakers saw protests at their district offices as they spent time with constituents during last week’s recess to mark President’s Day. Several others were confronted during town hall events held during the same period. The demonstrations largely centered on Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to slash $2 trillion in federal spending. BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS “They have control of all of our personal information, and I don’t know that anyone except them knows what they’re going to be doing with it,” a protester outside the office of Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., said in a video captured by AZ Central. “I think it’s a terrible breach of security for everyone in this country.” A photo compilation by the Desert Sun showed dozens of people protesting at the office of Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., with signs like, “You work for us, not Musk.” People were also concerned about potential cuts to Medicaid and other federal programs as GOP lawmakers work to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process. Lawmakers are looking to cut billions in federal spending to offset the cost of extending Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as border security and national defense priorities. Constituents outside the office of Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., last week pleaded with him to reject Medicaid cuts, according to local outlet WGAL. “I hope he doesn’t touch Medicaid. I hope he does not defund it or try to cut it or anything like that,” one demonstrator told the outlet. Perry told the outlet in response to the protest, “Congressman Perry supports the right to protest. While Congress has yet to see a detailed plan to get our Country back on the path to fiscal solvency, Congressman Perry, as always, will keep the concerns and views of the 10th District at the forefront as he determines his vote on their behalf.” Other Republicans who saw protests at their district offices last week included Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., was among the Republican lawmakers who faced critics that jeered him at a town hall last week. KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN It comes after progressive group Indivisible put out a memo encouraging activists to use last week’s recess to protest House lawmakers at their home offices amid the left’s backlash against Musk’s work. “Recess is when Members of Congress go back home to host town halls, meet with constituents, and try to paint themselves as responsive to the people who elected them. It is also when MoCs think they can avoid public scrutiny — especially Republicans who want to dodge tough questions about their complicity in Trump and Musk’s coup,” the group’s site said. Meanwhile, left-wing group Working Families Power and Opportunity Wisconsin organized the demonstration outside of Steil’s office, an online event notice showed.
SCOTUS turns down abortion clinic buffer zone challenge, Thomas slams ‘abdication’ of duty
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a pro-life challenge against protest restrictions around abortion clinics in Illinois, as activists argued the laws infringe on their First Amendment rights, a decision met with a fiery dissent by Justice Clarence Thomas. The court rejected appeals from Coalition Life, which describes itself as “America’s Largest Professional Sidewalk Counseling Organization” in New Jersey and Illinois, which had challenged previous lower court rulings that dismissed their lawsuits. Pro-life activists in the case argued that “buffer zones” – which were established after a previous Supreme Court decision in Colorado to shield patients from harassment – around abortion clinics violate their First Amendment rights to free speech. SUPREME COURT TO WEIGH STATE BAN ON TRANSGENDER ‘MEDICAL TREATMENTS’ FOR MINORS Thomas and fellow conservative Justice Samuel Alito dissented, with Thomas arguing SCOTUS should have taken up the case, Coalition Life v. City of Carbondale, Illinois. Alito did not explain his reasoning in writing. The votes of four justices are required to grant a writ of certiorari to bring a case up for review. Thomas said Hill v. Colorado “has been seriously undermined, if not completely eroded, and our refusal to provide clarity is an abdication of our judicial duty.” He added that he would’ve used the Coalition Life case to override the Hill decision. “This case would have allowed us to provide needed clarity to lower courts,” Thomas wrote in his dissent. In that case, decided in 2000, the Supreme Court upheld a Colorado statute that prohibited individuals from “knowingly” approaching within eight feet of another person within 100 feet of a healthcare facility entrance, without consent, for purposes such as passing out literature, displaying signs, or engaging in oral protest, education, or counseling. ‘THE PENDULUM IS SWINGING’: EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON HISTORIC SCOTUS TRANSGENDER CASE AMID ORAL ARGUMENTS The court determined this law was a content-neutral regulation of the time, place and manner of speech, serving the state’s interest in protecting individuals entering healthcare facilities from unwanted communication. The decision was 6-3, with Justices Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy dissenting. The City of Carbondale, in southern Illinois, saw an uptick in pro-life protests after two clinics opened following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. As such, the city passed ordinances modeled after Colorado’s statutes. Urging the court to revisit the Hill precedent, Thomas quoted from an excerpt in Alito’s majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center – the case that overturned Roe v. Wade – where he noted that abortion-related cases on other legal precedents had “distorted First Amendment doctrines.” UNPACKING THE SUPREME COURT: WHY IT’S NOT JUST A MAGA STRONGHOLD, AND HOW THE JUSTICES REALLY VOTE One key case that followed Hill v. Colorado is McCullen v. Coakley, where the Supreme Court ruled in 2014 on a Massachusetts law that established a 35-foot buffer zone around abortion clinics. The high court found that while the state had a legitimate interest in protecting patients and staff from harassment, the law was overly broad, included too much space and infringed on free speech rights. The court struck down the law, distinguishing it from the Hill decision. In 2019, New York upheld a 15-foot buffer zone law outside of clinics, and similar laws have been debated in states like California, Maryland and Washington. Fox News Digital has reached out to Coalition Life for comment.
Hegseth dismisses ‘purging’ narrative amid Trump’s Pentagon shakeup: ‘Time for fresh blood’
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth defended President Donald Trump’s firing of “woke generals” and Pentagon officials, saying that the “status quo” at the Department of Defense “hasn’t worked” and that it is “time for fresh blood.” This comes after Trump made a series of changes in the Pentagon’s top leadership last week, including firing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Charles Brown and announcing he would replace him with retired Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine. Trump also fired the Navy’s top leader, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General James Slife and the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Speaking with Fox News on Sunday, Hegseth said that these changes “are a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take.” DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH WORKING WITH DOGE TO CUT THE ‘BS’ Speaking about the judge advocates general, Hegseth said that just like the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, these military positions have traditionally been filled by a “small group of insulated officers who perpetuate the status quo.” “Well, guess what, status quo hasn’t worked very well at the Pentagon,” he said. “It’s time for fresh blood, so we’re going to open up those positions to a broader set in a merit-based process.” In response to criticisms from Democrats and the media, Hegseth denied the firings were part of any political purge, saying: “There’s no purge” and “Nothing about this is unprecedented.” “There is civilian control of the military,” he said. “The president deserves to pick his key national security and military advisory team. There are lots of presidents who have made changes from FDR to Eisenhower to H.W. Bush to Barack Obama, who fired – or dismissed – hundreds of military [officials] during his first term.” SHOULD WOMEN SERVE IN COMBAT? MILITARY EXPERTS WEIGH IN Hegseth pointed out that of the 160 three- and four-star generals in the military, Trump only dismissed or moved a total of six. He also criticized what he called “inflation in the ranks over time.” “We won World War II with seven four-star generals, we have 44 today, we have 163 three- and four-star generals and has it created better outcomes or not?” he asked. “We’re challenging a lot of assumptions at the Pentagon to streamline what we do to get as many resources as possible to the warfighters.” “There’s nothing about purging, there’s nothing about it illegal, we’ve made it clear from the beginning,” he explained. “The military will be apolitical, with a fidelity to the Constitution, prepared to close with and destroy our enemies.”
New DOGE bill would target more than $200B in annual improper payments from safety nets, lawmaker says
EXCLUSIVE: A new DOGE-centric bill will be introduced Monday targeting overpayments by the federal government, which the lawmaker sponsoring it says have added up to the trillions since the George W. Bush era. The Payment Integrity Information Reform Act (PIIA) will go “hand-in-hand” with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to root out waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government, according to Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa. Meuser, chairman of the oversight panel of the House Financial Services Committee and a member of the House DOGE Caucus, said Monday that the “DOGE team” writ-large has uncovered $55 billion in waste in only one month and that the PIIA Reform Act would dig even deeper. “The federal government expended $236 billion last year in improper payments—money sent out improperly due to fraud, bureaucratic errors, and agencies failing to maintain eligibility integrity. “This is a gross failure of accountability that hardworking American taxpayers should not tolerate,” he said. BILL WOULD PROHIBIT US FINANCIAL AID TO AFGHANISTAN UNTIL ALL WRONGFULLY DETAINED AMERICANS RELEASED If passed, the bill could account for nearly one-quarter of the $1 trillion that DOGE writ-large has expressed the goal of exposing, recouping or saving on taxpayers’ behalf. The act would look to improve payment integrity laws and particularly target overpayments for social safety net programs, which have been in the news lately for similar issues. In 2023, federal agencies estimated $236 billion in improper payments were disbursed, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). That sum accounted for funds from 71 different government programs. More than $44 billion of that year’s share was also categorized as “unknown payments.” “The Payment Information Integrity Reform Act will put an end to this careless mismanagement at federal agencies by strengthening oversight, enforcing tougher penalties for noncompliance, and demanding accountability at every level,” Meuser said. DEMOCRATS LOVED IDEA OF DOGE BEFORE TRUMP, WHITE HOUSE QUIPS “The American people deserve government agencies that manage their money more responsibly and the House GOP remains committed to working with President Trump and DOGE to rein in spending and ensure tax dollars are spent as intended.” The GAO further reported that improper 2023 Medicaid and Medicare payments accounted for $50 billion each, with COVID-19 unemployment assistance accounting for $43 billion. While down $11 billion from 2022, that $236 billion was parcel to about $2.7 billion collectively disbursed incorrectly or erroneously since 2003. Meuser said the improper payment calculations are likely conservative estimates and that the total figure is unknown, given agencies’ systemic noncompliance with such payment integrity laws. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last week, both DOGE leader Elon Musk and President Donald Trump remarked that some Social Security beneficiaries are listed as being older than the oldest known humans on the planet. “According to the Social Security database, these are the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!,” Musk wrote on X. “Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security.” Per Musk, there are 20 million beneficiaries with a listed age of older than 100 years, with about 1 million who were still alive during Reconstruction. Fox News Digital also reached out to House DOGE Chairman Aaron Bean, R-Fla., for comment.