Multiple outbursts erupt at RFK Jr. hearing: ‘You are!’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, was interrupted by multiple outbursts during his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday morning. “I want to make sure the committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I’m anti-vaccine or any industry. I am neither. I am pro safety,” Kennedy said in his opening remarks before a protester shouted at him “You are,” the female protester was heard shouting at Kennedy when he said he’s not anti-vaccine. Minutes later, another outburst erupted in the hearing, sparking Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo to issue a warning to not disrupt the hearing. “To the audience, comments from the audience are inappropriate and out of order. And if there are any further disruptions, the committee will recess until the police can restore order. Please follow the rules of the committee. Mr. Kennedy, you may proceed,” Crapo said. HEGSETH INTERRUPTED BY MULTIPLE PROTESTERS DURING SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING Another protester was spotted in the audience holding a sign reading, “Vaccines Save Lives, Not RFK JR.” Kennedy’s hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee is just the first, with the nominee scheduled to again join lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday to appear before the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The nominee has come under fire for his critical stance on vaccines, which he defended in his opening statement as “I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish. And nobody called me anti-fish. And I believe that … that vaccines play a critical role in health care. All of my kids are vaccinated. I’ve read many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, a first line of it is ‘I am not anti-vaccine’ and last line is ‘I am not anti-vaccine.’ Nor I’m the enemy of food producers, American farms and the bedrock of our culture, of our politics, of our national security,” he said on Wednesday. “In my advocacy, I’ve often disturbed this status quo. I am asking uncomfortable questions. Well, I’m not going to apologize for that. We have massive health problems in this country that we must face,” he added. Protesters disrupting Senate hearings for Trump’s administration picks has become a common theme, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also facing protesters in their respective hearings earlier this month.
Trump fires two Democratic commissioners on civil rights enforcement agency as White House targets DEI
President Donald Trump reportedly fired two of the three Democratic commissioners on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as his administration continues its pledge to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from government bureaucracy. The two now-former EEOC commissioners, Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels, said in statements Tuesday that they were fired late Monday night. Both said they were exploring options to challenge their dismissals, calling their removal before the expiration of their five-year terms an unprecedented decision that undermines the agency’s independence. Burrows, who has been an EEOC commissioner since 2015, said in her statement Tuesday that the dismissal of two Democratic commissioners before their terms ended “undermine the efforts of this independent agency to do the important work of protecting employees from discrimination, supporting employers’ compliance efforts, and expanding public awareness and understanding of federal employment laws.” Samuels, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, and then was nominated by former President Joe Biden for a second term, said her removal “violates the law, and represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the EEOC as an independent agency – one that is not controlled by a single Cabinet secretary but operates as a multi-member body whose varying views are baked into the Commission’s design.” TRUMP ADMIN TO PAUSE GRANTS, FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOLLOWING EXECUTIVE ORDERS “The President’s action undermines the stability and continuity of the EEOC’s critical work to advance equal opportunity and fair treatment,” she said. In removing her, Samuels said, the White House “also critiqued my views on DEIA initiatives and sex discrimination, further misconstruing the basic principles of equal employment opportunity.” The ex-commissioner argued that DEI initiatives “protect all people on the basis of race, sex, gender and religious belief, and other characteristics,” but the Trump administration has contended the so-called protections ushered in by the Biden administration actually veer into discrimination. For example, the EEOC last April published guidance describing how an employer could be found liable for harassment if they mandate an employee use a bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex, prompting backlash. “This Administration’s demonization of transgender individuals is both cruel and inconsistent with the law,” Samuels wrote Tuesday. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment Wednesday. The EEOC was created by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as a bipartisan five-member panel to protect workers from discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability and other protected characteristics. The U.S. president appoints the commissioners and the Senate confirms them, but their terms are staggered and are meant to overlap presidential terms to help ensure the agency’s independence. The two firings leave the agency with one Republican commissioner, Andrea Lucas, who Trump appointed acting EEOC chair last week, one Democratic commissioner, Kalpana Kotagal, and three vacancies that Trump can fill. STATE DEPT PULLS MILLIONS IN FUNDING FOR ‘CONDOMS IN GAZA,’ AS TRUMP ADMIN LOOKS TO TRIM SPENDING Another Republican commissioner, Keith Sonderling, resigned after Trump appointed him deputy secretary of labor. Lucas, the new acting EEOC chair, issued a statement last week saying that she would prioritize “rooting out unlawful DEI-motivated race and sex discrimination; protecting American workers from anti-American national origin discrimination; defending the biological and binary reality of sex and related rights, including women’s rights to single‑sex spaces at work.” In contrast, the three Democratic commissioners all issued statements last week condemning a slew of executive orders aimed at ending DEI practices in the federal workforce and private companies, along with “protections” for transgender workers. Their statements also emphasized that U.S. anti-discrimination laws remained intact despite Trump’s orders and that the EEOC must continue enforcing them. The EEOC panel investigates and imposes penalties on employers found to have violated laws that protect workers from racial, gender, disability and other forms of discrimination. The agency also writes influential rules and guidelines for how anti-discrimination laws should be implemented, and conducts workplace outreach and training. In recent years, the agency’s Democratic and Republican commissioners have been sharply divided on many issues. Both Republican commissioners voted against new guidelines last year stating that “misgendering” transgender employees, or denying access to a bathroom consistent with their gender identity, would violate anti-discrimination laws. The Republican commissioners also voted against regulations stating that employers must give workers time off and other accommodations for abortions under the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP National Labor Relations Board member Gynne A. Wilcox and General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo were also fired late Monday night, the agency confirmed. Wilcox was the first Black woman to serve on the Board since its inception in 1935, according to the NLRB website. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
DeepSeek fallout: GOP Sen Josh Hawley seeks to cut off all US-China collaboration on AI development
FIRST ON FOX: This week the U.S. tech sector was routed by the Chinese launch of DeepSeek, and Sen. Josh Hawley is putting forth legislation to prevent that from happening again. Hawley’s bill, the Decoupling America’s Artifical Intelligence Capabilities from China Act, would cut off U.S.-China cooperation on AI. It would ban exports or imports of AI technology from China, ban American companies from conducting research there, and prohibit any U.S. investment in AI tech companies in China. “Every dollar and gig of data that flows into Chinese AI are dollars and data that will ultimately be used against the United States,” said Hawley, R-Mo., in a statement. “America cannot afford to empower our greatest adversary.” His is one of the first bills introduced directly in response to the DeepSeek market shakeup of the past few days. THERE IS A ‘WAKE-UP CALL’ FOR US TO BE THE LEADER IN AI, SAYS WHITE HOUSE AI AND CRYPTO ‘CZAR’ DeepSeek’s release of a new high-profile AI model that costs less to run than existing models like those of Meta and OpenAI sent a chill through U.S. markets, with chipmaker Nvidia stocks tanking on Monday before slowly gaining ground again on Tuesday. The surprise release displayed how China’s economic competitiveness has far outpaced the ability of U.S. business leaders and lawmakers to agree on what to do about it. Unlike other legislation to thwart China’s profiting off U.S. innovation, Hawley’s bill would cover any AI-related technology instead of specific entities, which has prompted the Chinese to seek out loopholes through other companies. TRUMP’S AI ‘DECLARATION’ REMINISCENT OF JFK PLEDGE TO PUT A MAN ON THE MOON: FORMER WHITE HOUSE IT OFFICIAL Microsoft and OpenAI are now reportedly investigating whether DeepSeek could have accessed and used their data to train its own Chinese model, Bloomberg News reported. White House artificial intelligence czar David Sacks told Fox News there is “substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled the knowledge out of OpenAI’s models.” President Donald Trump on Monday said DeepSeek’s arrival on the scene “should be a wakeup call” for America’s tech companies after the new low-cost AI assistant soared to number one on the Apple app store over the weekend. “The release of DeepSeek AI from a Chinese company should be a wake-up call for our industries that we need to be laser focused on competing,” Trump said. But the president said it was ultimately a good thing if the world had access to cheaper, faster AI models. “Instead of spending billions and billions, you’ll spend less, and you’ll come up with, hopefully, the same solution,” Trump said. In his final week in office, President Joe Biden issued a rule slapping export controls on AI chips, with his national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, arguing that the U.S. was only six to 18 months ahead of China in the AI sector. U.S. officials are now looking at the national security implications of DeepSeek, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who added that the Trump administration was working to “ensure American AI dominance.”
Top law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to represent Trump in ongoing legal matters
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump has retained counsel from top law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to represent him in his ongoing appeal efforts in the cases brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James, Fox News Digital has learned. The move comes after his original legal team on the cases joined his administration in top roles. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TEAM The president will be represented by Sullivan Cromwell co-chair and partner Robert J. Giuffra Jr. Giuffra has been at the firm since 1989 after serving as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Giuffra currently focuses on securities, white collar criminal, product liability, commercial, insurance, banking and tax litigation. Trump also will be represented by Matthew Schwartz, a partner of the firm who joined in 2007 after clerking for Justice Samuel Alito; Jeffrey Wall, another partner who served as an acting U.S. solicitor general and has argued more than 30 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court; James McDonald, a partner who served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York; and Morgan Ratner, a partner who has argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and who served in the Office of Solicitor General at the Justice Department. Fox News Digital has learned that Boris Epshteyn, Trump’s top legal advisor, is continuing his role as senior counsel, coordinating a wide array of legal fronts and matters for the president. “President Donald J. Trump’s appeal is important for the rule of law, New York’s reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials,” Giuffra told Fox News Digital. “The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal.” The shift comes after the president tapped his former lawyers on the cases to top roles in his administration. Trump appointed his attorney Todd Blanche to serve as deputy attorney general and John Sauer as solicitor general of the United States. Emil Bove, also a Trump attorney tapped for a top role at the Justice Department, is serving as the acting deputy attorney general, but if Blanche is confirmed, Bove will serve as principal associate deputy attorney general. DONALD TRUMP SENTENCED WITH NO PENALTY IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL, AS JUDGE WISHES HIM ‘GODSPEED’ IN 2ND TERM Will Scharf, who also represented the president in these cases, was appointed to serve as staff secretary at the White House. Blanche, Sauer, Bove and Scharf successfully defended the president in former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Jan. 6, 2021, and alleged interference in the 2020 election as well as in his classified records case. Sauer argued the case on presidential immunity before the U.S. Supreme Court, leading the high court to rule that presidents have immunity for nonofficial presidential acts. Smith’s classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. Both cases were dismissed. The new legal team will take over Trump’s appeals in both Bragg’s case and James’ case. Trump was sentenced earlier in January by Judge Juan Merchan to an unconditional discharge after being found guilty on charges of falsifying business records. Merchan did not sentence the president to prison, but rather did not impose any punishment at all — no jail time, fines or probation. TRUMP TO TAKE MORE THAN 200 EXECUTIVE ACTIONS ON DAY ONE That sentence preserves Trump’s ability to appeal the conviction — which Sullivan & Cromwell will take over. As for James’ case against Trump, New York Judge Arthur Engoron, after a weekslong nonjury civil fraud trial, ruled in 2024 that Trump and defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated fraud,” “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify false financial statements,” “insurance fraud,” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.” But before the trial began, Engoron issued a summary judgment against Trump, making the subsequent trial a case over the penalty to be paid. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump appealed the $454 million judgment. The appeal is pending before the New York Appeals Court. Judges on the New York appeals court appeared receptive in 2024 to the possibility of reversing or reducing the $454 million civil fraud judgment.
Trump AG pick Pam Bondi clears Judiciary Committee, will get confirmation vote in Senate
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to favorably report Pam Bondi’s nomination for U.S. attorney general to the Senate, a widely expected vote that clears her for a vote in the full chamber later this week. She secured the votes of the committee’s 12 Republicans, with all 10 Democrats voting against. Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, made a name for herself in Florida by cracking down on drug trafficking, violent crime and the many “pill mills” operating in the state. She also spent 18 years as a prosecutor for the Hillsborough County state attorney’s office, giving her the experience that many believe she will need to serve as the top U.S. attorney. Bondi was expected to see a glide path to confirmation ahead of Wednesday’s vote. Her nomination to be President Donald Trump’s attorney general also 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. ‘UNLIKELY COALITION’: A CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ADVOCATE SEES OPPORTUNITIES IN A SECOND TRUMP TERM Those backers described Bondi in interviews and letters previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital as an experienced and motivated prosecutor whose record has proved to be more consensus-builder than bridge-burner. In her confirmation hearing earlier this month, Bondi stressed that, if confirmed to head up DOJ, the “partisanship, the weaponization will be gone. “America will have one tier of justice for all.” Whether the approach will prove successful, however, remains to be seen. The confirmation vote Wednesday was held against a strikingly different political backdrop than just two weeks ago, when Bondi testified days before Trump’s swearing-in. In his first nine days in office, Trump has fired more than 15 inspectors general from top federal agencies, ousted more than a dozen special counsel members tasked with investigating him and reassigned or removed officials from top posts at the department. TRUMP FIRES 17 GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS AT VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES He also froze new hiring at DOJ, issued a sweeping clemency grant for more than 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol and installed as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia a criminal defense attorney who represented several high-profile rioters. Combined, Democrats have raised serious concerns about these actions— and about Bondi’s ability to steer the Justice Department in the face of a willful, and at times seemingly impulsive president-elect, and questioned her willingness to go after political “enemies” and asked her to give credence to certain remarks made by Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI nominee. However, Bondi appeared composed and largely unflappable during the course of her confirmation hearing, which stretched for more than five hours, save for a 30-minute lunch break. She highlighted her record of fighting violent crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking as Florida’s top prosecutor, and outlined her broader vision for heading up the Justice Department, where she stressed her desire to lead a department free from political influence. TRUMP HIRING FREEZE PROMPTS DOJ TO PULL JOB OFFERS IN AG’S HONORS PROGRAM: REPORT If confirmed, Bondi’s former colleagues have told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington – this time with an eye to cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use and the cartels responsible for smuggling the drugs across the border. Democrat Dave Aronberg, who challenged Bondi in her bid for Florida attorney general, told Fox News Digital in an interview that he was stunned when Bondi called him up after winning the race and asked him to be her drug czar. He noted that she has stared down political challenges before. When she took office in Florida, Aaronberg said, Bondi “received a lot of pushback” from members of the Republican Party for certain actions she took,” 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 editorship and refocus the Department of Justice on policy and politics. You know, I’m hopeful she’ll focus on and I know that the border and the and human trafficking and the rise of anti-Semitism in our country and on college campuses, those won’t be popular positions.”
NYC residents praise ICE raids after violent gang member captured
Immigration officials have been busy this week removing criminal illegal migrants off New York City streets, with many residents hailing the sweeps as making the Big Apple a safer place to live. A member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has gained a foothold in New York City as well as other cities, was among those scooped up in the raids on Tuesday. Gang member Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, was picked up by Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations officers in the Bronx. Zambrano-Pacheco is wanted by police in Aurora, Colorado, for first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm from an Aug. 18, caught-on-camera incident where police say he and five other armed men are accused of breaking into an apartment at gunpoint. NOEM SAYS ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ARRESTED IN NYC RAID TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Zambrano-Pacheco was apprehended when immigration authorities stormed an Ogden Avenue apartment building in The Bronx in the early hours, the New York Post reports, citing sources. The building is across the street from a public school. Other sweeps took place in other parts of the Bronx and in Queens and came after President Donald Trump’s support throughout the city swelled in 2024. In the Bronx, for instance, Trump’s vote increased by 11% compared to 2020. “I’m glad they’re gone,” one New York City resident told Fox News. “I was planning on calling ICE to be honest with you, but they got here before I was able to call them. There was 15 of them in a one bedroom. They were constantly doing drugs in front [of the building].” He alleged that they were squatting in the building and had “destroyed” an apartment. One Bronx woman, 80-year-old Evelyn Brown, said she is relieved the raids are underway.”Get them the hell off the street! Get them the hell out of the street so people don’t have to walk in fear,” Brown, who is originally from Jamaica, told the New York Post.”Take the damn bad ones away!” The Drug Enforcement Administration in New York and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations posted images from the raids. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was also present for the raids and said federal immigration authorities were targeting violent criminals and the operations were “very specific.” She called for the Bif Apple’s sanctuary city laws – which mandate the city to provide shelter to migrants and prohibit law enforcement from coordinating with ICE – to be lifted. “We are picking up the worst of the worst in this country that are making our streets so dangerous,” Noem told Sean Hannity on “Hannity.” “The community is safer now. That’s the reality of it. Tyreek Goodman, a member of the Bronx County Conservative Party, welcomed the raids and said the threat of the gang’s violent crimes had sowed fear within the community. “You do have the feeling, the fear of what happens if they come here next,” said Goodman, who is a city council candidate. “There’s been a lot of crimes on the MTA, based off people that weren’t supposed to be here. So we have to understand that in order to keep our people safe, this is a time for us to stand by law enforcement.” Ramses Frías, a local Queens activist who’s voiced concerns over a crime crisis gripping his neighborhood, said the raids have also been warmly received by the community. “Many residents, from immigrants to citizens, welcome ICE coming in and taking the criminals out of these communities,” Frías, a city council candidate, told Fox News Digital. “They welcome law and order and want safe streets.” ‘UNDO THE DAMAGE’: TEXAS LAWMAKER LAUNCHES STRATEGY TO HELP ICE AMID TRUMP DEPORTATION BLITZ U.S. Rep Nicole Malliotakis, whose district includes portions of Staten Island and Brooklyn, said the Trump administration was wasting no time to initiate the removal of dangerous, violent foreign criminals and gangs from New York City streets. She said the groups “have wreaked havoc in our city over the past four years and have committed thousands of crimes including robberies, sex crimes, assaulting NYPD officers, and even murder.” Not everyone supported the crackdown. New York City Council Member Alhea Athens, a Democrat, said she would demand answers and action to ensure families are protected and human rights are respected. “It is both disheartening and unacceptable that community members are being removed from their homes without due process or transparency,” Athens wrote on X. “The long-lasting effects of these raids on our community cannot be undone.” New York Attorney General Letitia James, meanwhile, issued an apparent warning to state and local law enforcement cooperating with federal authorities. In a Tuesday X post, she said she would be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that state sanctuary policies are not violated. “My office is aware of the increased presence of ICE across New York City,” she said. “I am monitoring the situation to ensure our laws are being respected and people’s rights are not being violated. We have sent guidance to law enforcement, and it must be followed.” Fox News’ Louis Casiano and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
5 things to know about President Donald Trump’s ‘Iron Dome’ plan for America
President Donald Trump has ordered the construction of an advanced, next-generation missile defense shield to protect the United States from aerial attack. On Monday, the president signed an executive order that tasks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with drawing up plans to build an “Iron Dome for America” that will protect Americans from the threat of missiles launched by a foreign enemy. In doing so, Trump kept a campaign promise to prioritize missile defense. “By next term we will build a great Iron Dome over our country,” Trump said during a West Palm Beach event on June 14. “We deserve a dome…it’s a missile defense shield, and it’ll all be made in America.” TRUMP SAYS THAT IRON DOME CONSTRUCTION WILL BE ‘IMMEDIATE,’ SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER But what exactly are Trump’s plans for an “Iron Dome”? Here’s what you need to know: The Iron Dome missile defense system Trump has called for is similar to one that Israel has developed to intercept thousands of rockets. Israel’s first line of defense, a missile defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is labeled the Iron Dome. It was first deployed in 2011, and has since rebuffed and destroyed rockets from Hamas terrorists, Hezbollah forces and Iranian drones and missiles. PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE The Iron Dome is land-based and built to keep the citizens of Israel safe from barrages of rockets deployed most often by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Israeli officials claim the Iron Dome has been 90% effective in intercepting thousands of rockets fired into Israel. The U.S. has contributed at least $2.6 billion to the development of Israel’s Iron Dome system since 2011. Critically, the Iron Dome is a short-range defense system capable of tackling missiles with ranges between 2.5 miles and about 43 miles. Trump’s executive order identifies attack by long-range ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles as “the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” so his proposed defense system will need to be adapted and redesigned to defend against intercontinental missiles. Russia currently has an arsenal of 1,250 deployed weapons, according to the New York Times. Pentagon analysts believe China will have a weapons stockpile of similar size within 10 years, if not earlier, and North Korea has continued development of intercontinental ballistic missiles under both Trump and President Joe Biden’s watch. Most recently, Russia and China have experimented with hypersonic missiles, which are designed to exceed Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. Intercepting missiles at such speeds is a challenge the U.S. has partnered with Japan to confront at an estimated cost of $3 billion, the Associated Press reported. President Ronald Reagan was the first U.S. president to call for a national defense system that would counter the threat of the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons, including warheads attached to ballistic missiles. On March 30, 1983, Reagan proposed “a vision for the future that offers hope” that he called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The idea was to develop a space-based missile defense program that would protect the country from large-scale nuclear attack. Reagan proposed to develop technology that would allow the United States to identify and automatically destroy numerous incoming ballistic missiles before they reached their targets. MCCONNELL VOTED NO ON HEGSETH AS PENTAGON HEAD, FORCING VANCE TO CAST TIEBREAKER Acknowledging that the technology to realize his vision did not yet exist, Regan urged the scientific community to partner with the defense community and work towards a future where Americans need not fear nuclear attack. “I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete,” Reagan said. The president’s critics derided the plan, nicknaming it, “Star Wars,” and questioned why his administration would pursue a costly defense initiative with no guarantee that it would work. The Soviet Union accused Regan of violating a 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that committed both countries to refrain from developing missile defense systems. Arms control measures stalled during Reagan’s term because he refused to give up the project. After Regan left office, interest in SDI waned and the program was canceled before the U.S. could develop a functional missile defense system. However, research conducted while SDI was active contributed to the Iron Dome’s development. In 2002, the U.S. withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which now allows Trump to pick up where Reagan left off. Under Trump’s order, freshly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth must submit to the president “a reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield.” The plans must include defense against “ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries.” Hegseth is also instructed to accelerate the deployment of a satellite-based sensor system developed by the Missile Defense Agency that is currently in its prototype phase. Called the Hypersonic Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, the system uses “birth-to-death” tracking to follow missile threats from launch through interception, according to the Defense Department. Additionally, Trump’s order instructs the development and deployment of several space-based missile interception technologies, including systems that could disable a missile prior to launch, as well as a “secure supply chain” to ensure that the ordered missile defense infrastructure is made in America. Hegseth must also submit a plan to pay for these dense systems before the president puts together his fiscal year 2026 budget. Trump’s order calls to “increase bilateral and multilateral cooperation on missile defense technology development, capabilities, and operations,” as well as to “increase and accelerate the provision of the United States missile defense capabilities to allies and partners.” Hegseth is also directed to conduct a review of the U.S. military’s missile defense posture in theaters across the globe and identify areas for cooperation with allies.
‘Squeezed by rising costs’: Democrat Jacky Rosen leads bipartisan bill to address childcare affordability
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is rolling out a new measure to ease the current childcare issues for families across the country due to lack of affordability. To address the childcare crisis, the Nevada Democrat’s bill would allow certain nonprofit institutions that provide childcare to have access to loans through the Small Business Administration. PETE BUTTIGIEG GIVING ‘SERIOUS LOOK’ TO 2026 SENATE RUN IN TRUMP-WON MICHIGAN “The lack of affordable childcare options in our communities hurts hardworking families at a time when they are already being squeezed by rising costs,” Rosen said in a statement. “Our bipartisan bill will help increase the number of childcare providers in Nevada and across the country by bolstering non-profits with access to much-needed federal resources, giving families greater access to care. I will continue working to lower costs of the everyday essentials that Nevadans rely on.” GARY PETERS, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM TRUMP STATE, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION Rosen is introducing the Small Business Child Care Investment Act on Wednesday alongside Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair. “Finding affordable and high-quality childcare is one of the most pressing issues facing small businesses looking to hire and retain capable staff,” Ernst said in a statement. “As chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I’m proud to help alleviate the pressure on hardworking families, especially in rural areas,” Ernst added. “This commonsense legislation will clear the Washington red tape, expand options, and drive down costs in Iowa and across the country.” TRUMP’S MOST VULNERABLE NOMINEES RFK JR, TULSI GABBARD GET BACK-TO-BACK HEARINGS The bipartisan bill would additionally let some nonprofit childcare providers access loan programs such as 7(a) and 504, which are eligible to be used for real estate, construction and remodeling, among other expenses. According to Rosen’s office, the bill would create local jobs and give families more options. The access to loans would also help those institutions maintain their childcare operations and expand. PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE Affordability and the strain of high inflation was a prevailing issue during the 2024 election, which saw President Donald Trump earn the support of most voters. While Trump won in swing states, including Nevada, Rosen was one of a handful of Democrat senators who managed to get re-elected.
House Democrats demand answers on DOJ’s move to fire former special counsel officials
House Democrats are demanding answers regarding the Justice Department’s move this week to fire more than a dozen officials involved in former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, arguing the action was in “complete contradiction” of President Trump’s effort to keep a “merit-based system” for government employees. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Gerald Connolly, D-Ma., penned a letter to acting Attorney General James McHenry Tuesday, obtained by Fox News. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TEAM “We write to you with alarm and profound concern about reports of the administration engaging in the widespread summary firing and involuntary reassignment of excellent career prosecutors and federal agents throughout the Department of Justice (DOJ),” they wrote. “This onslaught against effective DOJ civil servants began within hours of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, in complete contradiction of the president’s repeated pledges to maintain a merit-based system for government employment.” Raskin and Connolly added that the officials worked “strenuously to defend the rule of law have been removed from their positions without any evaluation—much less any negative evaluation—of their work.” McHenry, on Monday, fired more than a dozen key officials on Smith’s team who worked to prosecute the president, saying that they could not be trusted in “faithfully implementing the president’s agenda.” Fox News Digital first reported the news exclusively on Monday. TRUMP TO TAKE MORE THAN 200 EXECUTIVE ACTIONS ON DAY ONE Raskin and Connolly argued that the officials terminated on Monday were “part of an expert, non-political workforce tasked with protecting our national security and public safety.” “They have been hired and promoted based on their professional merit and excellence,” they wrote, adding that “many of them have decades of experience under their belt and have served under, been promoted by, and received awards from presidential administrations of both major political parties, including President Trump’s first administration.” The Democrats argued that McHenry removed them from their posts “without regard to their demonstrated competencies, their recognized achievements, or their devoted service to the Department, in some cases reassigning them to areas that are outside of their legal expertise.” “By removing them from their positions in this hasty and unprincipled way, you have very likely violated longstanding federal laws,” they wrote, also accusing McHenry of having “taken aim at law students who applied to, interviewed for, and received offers from the Department based on their demonstrated academic achievements and their commitment to public service.” DOJ RELEASES FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S REPORT ON INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE The Democrats claimed that the DOJ “rescinded job offers to summer interns and entry-level attorneys hired through the Attorney General’s Honors Program, a highly competitive 72-year-old recruitment program that receives applications from students at hundreds of law schools across the country.” “We have also received disturbing reports surfacing that White House staff are playing a substantial role in these employment decisions and examining career civil servants’ LinkedIn and other social media profiles to ascertain their personal political leanings,” Raskin and Connolly wrote. “Taken together, your actions raise significant concern that you are determined to fill the ranks of the DOJ and FBI with career employees selected for the personal loyalty or political services they have rendered to President Trump.” Raskin and Connolly are demanding the DOJ provide them with a list of names of officials who have been reassigned or terminated; and provide any communications between the DOJ and the White House since Inauguration Day regarding the content of personal social media accounts of career DOJ employees or applicants. Raskin and Connolly demanded the information by Feb. 11 at 5:00 p.m. Their letter comes after McHenry, on Monday, transmitted a letter to each official notifying them of their termination, a Justice Department official exclusively told Fox News Digital. It is unclear how many officials received that letter. The names of the individuals were not immediately released. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” a DOJ official told Fox News Digital. “In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President’s agenda.” This action “is consistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government,” the official told Fox News Digital. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Thomas Massie and Mike Lee advocate for US to dump NATO
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Sen. Mike Lee are advocating for the U.S. to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organiation (NATO). “If you could snap your fingers and get us out of NATO today, would you?” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, asked in a post on X. “Yes,” Massie replied. MASSIE AND OTHER REPUBLICANS PUSH ‘NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY ACT’ TO PROTECT AMERICANS’ GUN RIGHTS The House lawmaker has previously called the alliance — which includes the U.S. and scads of other nations — a “Cold War relic.” “I would withdraw us from NATO,” Massie said, the Washington Post reported in 2022. “It’s a Cold War relic. Our involvement should have ceased when the [Berlin] wall fell and the Soviet Union collapsed.” Lee has been critical of the NATO alliance, describing it as a “great deal for Europe,” but a “raw deal for America.” MIKE LEE FLOATS ALLOWING PRIVATE PARTIES TO TARGET DRUG CARTELS FOR PROFIT The senator has called for the U.S. to consider departing NATO, and has in some cases explicitly endorsed the prospect of a U.S. withdrawal. “NATO members must pay up now,” Lee asserted in a tweet. “If they don’t—and maybe even if they do—the U.S. should seriously consider leaving NATO,” he continued. “We won the Cold War,” the senator noted. “A long time ago, in fact.” “Amen!” Lee exclaimed in a tweet when responding to someone who had declared, “Let’s leave NATO.” “Let’s go!” the lawmaker wrote in response to two separate posts suggesting that President Donald Trump should withdraw the U.S. from NATO. MIKE LEE CONTINUES CALLING FOR ABOLITION OF TSA Part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which was signed by President Joe Biden in late 2023, placed into U.S. law language that declares, “The President shall not suspend, terminate, denounce, or withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty, done at Washington, DC, April 4, 1949, except by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, provided that two-thirds of the Senators present concur, or pursuant to an Act of Congress.”